I asked you to go down the mountain and get married, not to shock the world!

Just as Mu Yaoyao was about to say something more, a cold and oppressive gaze fell on the two of them.

Su Hongzhen had walked over at some point, his sharp eyes scanning between Ye Chuhan and Mu Yaoyao before finally settling on Mu Yaoyao's face, his voice carrying an unquestionable question.

"Mu Yaoyao, Ye Chuhan, what are you two whispering about here?" He paused, his gaze shooting towards Mu Yaoyao like lightning. "Also, that senior from the Heaven-Mending Holy Sect you mentioned, now that the demonic scourge has been eliminated, why hasn't he shown himself yet? Could it be... that he looks down on us and doesn't want to see us?"

The pressure was instantly placed on Mu Yaoyao.

Ye Chuhan's heart tightened, but he smiled and joked, "Sect Leader Su, what are you saying? That senior has just gone through a fierce battle and may need to rest and recuperate. How can he be chatting idly here like us?"

Su Hongzhen ignored him completely, staring intently at Mu Yaoyao, waiting for her answer.

Mu Yaoyao's mind raced, and a perfectly timed expression of helplessness mixed with a hint of "understanding" for her "senior's" behavior appeared on her face. Meeting Su Hongzhen's gaze, she spoke:

"Sect Leader Su, you misunderstand. This elder of my sect is aloof and dislikes worldly formalities, and he detests seeking credit and rewards. His actions this time were solely to eliminate the demonic threat and protect the peace of the Spirit Realm. Now that his wish has been fulfilled and he is seriously injured, he naturally returned directly to the sect's secret realm to recuperate and heal. Before leaving, he sent me a message, instructing me to convey: The demonic creature has been eliminated, you can all rest assured, there is no need to look for him."

Her words were impeccable, explaining why the "senior" did not show himself, elevating his actions to the level of being indifferent to fame and fortune and only caring for the common people, while also pointing out the fact that he was seriously injured. It was reasonable and hard to refute, and it was even more embarrassing to investigate the whereabouts of a seriously injured hero.

Su Hongzhen's eyes flickered, and his brows furrowed.

His mind was filled with doubts: Mu Yaoyao and Ye Chuhan's behavior, the strange fluctuations remaining in the mountain valley, and the fact that the "senior" happened to be a member of the Heaven-Mending Holy Sect and also happened to be skilled in the Dao of Space...

It's all too much of a coincidence!

He was almost 80% certain that the one who had caused such a commotion inside was Mingchuan, the very person who had repeatedly humiliated him!

But wasn't Mingchuan trapped in the Demon Abyss and never got out?

However, Mu Yaoyao, representing the Heaven-Mending Holy Sect, had spoken so eloquently and with every word carrying the weight of righteousness. If he were to press her further, it would only make him appear petty and suspicious, as if he were to relentlessly pressure the benefactor who had just saved the Spirit Realm.

He stared intently at Mu Yaoyao, as if trying to find a flaw in her face.

Mu Yaoyao met her gaze calmly, her eyes clear, carrying the composure of a saintess and a hint of displeasure at being questioned.

After a long pause, Su Hongzhen let out a cold snort with an ambiguous meaning, and said with a flick of his sleeve, "Since your esteemed senior is so noble and virtuous, then we will not force you. We only hope that your esteemed senior... will recover soon!"

He deliberately emphasized the words "get well soon," and the meaning behind it was clear to the few discerning people present.

Mu Yaoyao seemed not to have grasped the deeper meaning in his words, and nodded slightly: "Thank you for your concern, Sect Leader Su. I will convey it."

Su Hongzhen said no more, turned around with a gloomy face, and began to direct the disciples of Qingcheng Yufa Sect to deal with the aftermath of the barrier, coldly rebuking everyone.

"Go check if there are any remaining demonic creatures in the Valley of Ten Thousand Beasts. Make sure all demonic creatures have been completely wiped out!"

"Yes—!" everyone responded in unison.

In an instant, the group of people in front of them dispersed.

Su Hongzhen gave Ye Chuhan and Mu Yaoyao one last cold glance before turning away from them.

Ye Chuhan secretly breathed a sigh of relief and gave Mu Yaoyao a thumbs up.

Mu Yaoyao merely glanced at him indifferently and transmitted her voice, "Don't be too happy yet. Su Hongzhen isn't so easily fooled; he's definitely suspicious. Tell Mingchuan that it's not necessarily absolutely safe at Qingfeng Yumen, and tell him to recover as soon as possible."

In the depths of Tingfeng Pavilion at Qingfeng Yumen, there is a quiet room filled with spirit-gathering and protective formations.

Mingchuan was placed on the cold jade couch in the center by Sect Leader Ye. His eyes were closed, his face was so pale that there was no color in his skin, and his breathing was so weak that it was almost imperceptible.

His wounds, though simply treated, were still gruesome, making him look like a broken doll that had been pieced back together, as if a gust of wind could blow him away.

Jizhou stood guard to the side, his eyes bloodshot, his fists clenched, staring intently at Mingchuan, afraid of missing any subtle change in him.

My self-blame and worry surged like a tide.

Sect Master Ye's expression was solemn. He personally took action, carefully channeling pure and gentle spiritual energy into Ming Chuan's body like a gentle stream to examine his injuries.

The more he investigated, the more shocked he became.

Mingchuan's body was in complete disarray.

The meridians were broken and twisted in many places, and the internal organs were eroded and shaken to varying degrees. The dantian and dantian were almost dried up, and the newly formed nascent soul was also dim and lifeless, as if it had exhausted all its origin.

Such injuries would have caused an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator to be annihilated several times over.

However, beneath this "ruins," Sect Master Ye keenly sensed an extremely subtle yet incredibly tenacious life force stubbornly clinging to life.

What alarmed him even more was that the extremely subtle space around Mingchuan's body seemed to be unconsciously generating some kind of indescribable, extremely compliant fluctuation, as if he himself had become an inseparable part of this space, passively absorbing some deeper power for repair.

"This kid... he's really reckless!"

Sect Leader Ye cursed inwardly, but he felt an indescribable shock and lingering fear.

He couldn't imagine how Mingchuan not only survived such a desperate situation, but also seemed to have actually succeeded.

Just as Sect Master Ye continued to channel spiritual energy in an attempt to stabilize Mingchuan's injuries, Mingchuan's extremely weak consciousness was sinking into a chaotic darkness and excruciating pain.

He felt as if he were sinking into an endless, cold, deep sea, surrounded by fragmented memories and the lingering, venomous howls of the Abyss.

Every part of his body was sending him signals of collapse.

"...Is this the end...?"

A weary thought quietly surfaced.

But the next moment, a warm power seeped in from the outside, like a glimmer of light in the darkness; it was Sect Master Ye's spiritual power.

At the same time, deep within his dantian, the ancient jade of the Burning Heaven, which had been intertwined with his life, once again emitted a faint but continuous flow of heat, protecting his last remaining heart meridian and soul.

More importantly, the spatial laws that he had created and that were completely integrated with his nascent soul were operating spontaneously and slowly, even when his consciousness was blurred.

Instead of repairing the damaged meridians, it maintained his connection with this world at a more fundamental level, drawing extremely thin but highly essential energy from the void in a way he did not yet fully understand, nourishing his almost extinguished vitality.

"...No...I can't sleep yet..."