Yuyan studied the burns closely, only to realize they weren’t ordinary scars. Running her fingers over them, she found the skin smooth to the touch, yet these marks resembled intricate, chaotic black tattoos etched into Yino’s arm. They exuded an aura of dark malevolence, almost as if alive.
Yino, letting Yuyan hold his arm for inspection, began reciting the story he had carefully rehearsed:
“When I entered the Azure Forest with Yunjin and the others…”
“We discovered, deep within the forest, an ancient, towering tree. Beneath it lay a thousand-year-old temple that housed the sealed guardian of the Azure Forest—the ancient Tree Spirit.”
“At the time, under the Holy Maiden of Full Moon Sect’s dark ritual, the Tree Spirit was just moments away from succumbing to demonic corruption…”
“I couldn’t just stand there while that little girl was about to be dragged into the Abyss of Demons. I didn’t think twice and rushed forward. It wasn’t until later that I realized my body had been mostly consumed by the Abyss’s black flames.”
“Afterward…” Yino paused, his voice growing weaker as he delved deeper into his recounting.
“The Holy Maiden’s plan ultimately failed. We stopped the Tree Spirit’s corruption, but I found out later that my golden core was destroyed, and now my cultivation has reverted to the Qi Refinement stage. Every time I try to gather energy, my meridians feel like they’re being torn apart.”
His weary tone and vivid description brought the scene alive. The helplessness in his voice made his role as the victim of a catastrophic struggle all the more believable.
In the square, Yuyan crouched silently before the boy, staring blankly at the charred patterns marking his arm. She felt utterly lost.
Yuyan wasn’t a doctor. Her first instinct was to glance back, hoping to find an Elder from the Immortal Alliance for help. But before she could, Yino gently clasped her jade-like hand.
“Senior Sister, don’t bother. Back in the Secret Realm, Elder Wenhua already checked my pulse.”
“My body is fine apart from being unable to cultivate. As long as I don’t attempt to gather energy, there’s no pain. But my cultivation is stuck at Qi Refinement… It seems like I’ll never be able to progress again…”
Yino’s sigh was tinged with resignation. Though his circumstances were dire, he still forced a weak smile, hoping to soothe his Senior Sister’s growing panic.
Yuyan stared blankly at his frail smile, her chest tightening with a sour ache. She couldn’t help but feel the profound unfairness of it all. She regretted ever letting Yino go into the Secret Realm alone. No wonder she’d felt so restless and uneasy last night—Yanran’s prediction had been right. Their fates were linked. When Yino was in danger, Yuyan’s own spirit had been subconsciously thrown into turmoil, robbing her of peace.
But now… Yuyan had no idea how to help him.
She wasn’t anyone important. All she could do was bring Yino back to Wuji Sect and have the sect’s medical Elders examine him again. If they couldn’t restore his cultivation, there was nothing else she could do.
This thought alone made Yuyan bite her lip, overwhelmed by a sense of helplessness and frustration at the cruel whims of fate.
Saying nothing more, she drew the boy into her arms, hugging him tightly. It was Yuyan’s purest way of expressing her feelings—her silent determination to shield and comfort him.
“Yuyan, what happened?”
Just then, Yanran arrived on the scene.
Seeing the white-robed woman crouched on the ground and the boy nestled in her embrace, Yanran froze. Her expression turned to one of confusion. This scene… didn’t match the information she’d gathered at all.
“Yino, I heard from the Elders that you defeated the Holy Maiden of the Full Moon Sect in the Azure Forest and even saved the ancient Tree Spirit from demonic corruption. You saved the entire forest from being consumed by the Abyss of Demons!”
“With such an extraordinary achievement, why does it feel like neither of you are happy about it?”
Yanran’s words hung in the air, but before Yino could respond, Yuyan trembled slightly. Her delicate body stiffened, and she instinctively turned her head, a flicker of unease crossing her gaze.
For a moment, Yanran caught a glimpse of the deep sorrow hiding in Yuyan’s eyes—a sorrow that buried all hope. Yanran suddenly realized that Yino’s casual recounting of events likely concealed a far heavier truth.
“What… what’s going on?” Yanran asked again, sensing the tension in the atmosphere.
But Yuyan simply shook her head and lowered her gaze, her expression dim and desolate.
“Nothing… The stories you’ve heard are probably true…”
“But the Elders must not have mentioned the price of saving the Azure Forest…”
Yuyan sighed softly, murmuring as if mocking the twisted irony of it all.
Comparing Yino’s humble account with Yanran’s detailed reports, Yuyan’s belief in Yino’s words solidified. But she also realized how understated his version was. The ancient Tree Spirit and the Holy Maiden weren’t opponents one could easily dismiss. These were beings of immense power, far beyond what Yino could have described in just a few sentences.
Sending someone at the Core Formation stage to face adversaries likely at the Nascent Soul or even Divine Transformation stage was unimaginably brutal. Yuyan didn’t even want to imagine how desperate and bloody the battle must have been. She recalled how, even during her own Core Formation days, sparring against righteous Nascent Soul seniors nearly drove her to madness. Winning a few matches required every ounce of her talent and effort. Stay updated with My Virtual Library Empire
But Yino… His opponents weren’t honorable, rule-abiding righteous cultivators.
Facing a Holy Maiden who would use any means necessary and a Tree Spirit corrupted by demonic energy was beyond horrific. Forget saving the forest—just surviving such a clash with only crippled cultivation was a miracle in itself.
If Yino’s luck had been even slightly worse, he might have ended up like Chen Jianxin that night in the Mountain Temple—sacrificed to a dark deity on the spot.
In a twisted way, Yuyan didn’t just feel grateful to fate—she wanted to thank the heavens for sparing Yino’s life, even at such a cost.
“It’s fine… It’s fine… As long as you’re alive…”
Her voice trembled, as she clung tightly to him. It was all she could do.