I long to return home!

Amidst the ruins, Huai Zhen struggled forward, her body on the verge of collapse. She was conscious, but her body felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

His internal energy channels were in complete disarray, and his already meager spiritual power was now even thinner. Every step he took, even the slightest sway, caused him excruciating pain.

He slumped down on a perfectly intact pile of ruins, panting like a dead dog, and smiled faintly at Lei Mengying beside him, whose complexion had improved somewhat.

Strangely, the eerie patterns on her body showed no signs of fading; they had only become slightly less noticeable than before.

Senior Xue said that His Highness has been possessed by evil energy. If it is not removed in time, it will affect his temperament and, in severe cases, erode his spiritual root... and may even prevent him from cultivating in the future.

Huai Zhen's face was solemn. He gritted his teeth in pain and placed his palms on Lei Mengying's back. Blood flowed from the corners of his mouth. This exertion of his energy was undoubtedly an overdraft.

A moment later, Lei Mengying's closed eyes twitched slightly. She hugged herself tightly, muttering repeatedly, "Cold, so cold..."

Huai Zhen was shocked. He examined the body and found that the evil energy had already eroded the meridians and taken root in the body, and was rapidly eroding the spiritual root.

This method is ineffective in removing it, as it fails to expel it from the body...

Seeing Lei Mengying shivering, Huai Zhen draped a Taoist robe over her, but it was as light as a hair and had little effect; she was still shivering from the cold.

After much hesitation, he pulled her into his arms. Their body temperature slightly eased Lei Mengying's discomfort, but she was still shivering.

It's impossible to expel the evil energy from the body now; the spiritual power within the body is insufficient at this cultivation level. The only solution now is to absorb the evil energy...

Huai Zhen hesitated slightly, looked at the pained Lei Mengying in his arms, swallowed hard, and murmured softly, "Your Highness, I'm sorry, I have no choice but to offend you. I have a pseudo-spiritual root, and my future cultivation is still a problem, but Your Highness must not be discouraged by this."

After speaking, he slowly lowered his head, feeling the warm, gentle touch of his lips, and his face began to turn pale.

As the strange patterns on Lei Mengying's body were transmitted to Huai Zhen, his body was no longer cold, and his complexion returned to normal.

In contrast, Huai Zhen's face was deathly pale, and large patches of her long hair had turned completely white. The evil energy was completely absorbed into her body, causing her to clutch her chest in agony and howl, as if countless insects were gnawing at her flesh, and black veins erupted all over her body.

The evil energy within the body roamed freely, miraculously attracting hidden malevolent energy to merge with it.

The unbearable pain made Huai Zhen, looking at the Purple Heaven Divine Thunder Blade within reach, even contemplate suicide.

At the same time, black and scarlet aura emanated from his body, and a sharp pain shot through his head, while fragments of past scenes flashed into his mind.

Inside a cave, a blood-red figure wielding a crimson halberd stood imposingly, emanating a thick, scarlet aura. Beneath him lay hundreds of demonic beasts...

Cannot die...

The three words seemed to be engraved in Huai Zhen's mind, causing his thoughts to dissipate. The painful wails were shocking to hear, as he no longer had any spiritual power to resist such erosion.

He slammed his hands on the ground, blood splattering everywhere, trying to relieve the gnawing pain inside his body.

Inadvertently, a glance caught sight of the golden hairband tied around her wrist, and memories flooded back: a beautiful golden figure, murmuring painfully, "Lingjiao..."

Perhaps it was because he didn't want to forget the name that suddenly came to mind. Although it was only one character, it gave him the idea that he had to live no matter what.

With a groan, he placed his hands on his dantian and, relying on familiar sensations, controlled the malevolent energy within his body to devour the evil energy. After a brief struggle, the two energies merged into a massive mass of gas that remained within his body.

No, I must find a way to disperse this frenzied energy and digest it slowly later. I finally remembered something; I can't collapse here...

A few days later...

Finally, he dispersed the raging gas throughout his meridians, exhaled a mouthful of black gas, and thus managed to save his life.

However, he had a persistent feeling of unease, his complexion was sallow, he coughed incessantly, and his body grew increasingly thin, resembling a sickly person on the verge of death.

His limbs were limp and weak as he leaned against the rubble, feeling a dull ache in his body. He would cough from time to time, sometimes even coughing up blood.

a few days later.

Lei Mengying slowly woke up, and was shocked by the ruins stretching for miles in front of her. Her memories were incomplete, and she only remembered that Huaizhen had saved her.

After a moment's hesitation, he turned to look and saw Huai Zhen leaning against the rubble, gazing at the sky. He was covered in blood, his limbs were limp and his body was emaciated, looking like a dead man.

Especially when you see that long, loose hair, it sends chills down your spine. Most of the black hair has turned gray, and only a small portion of it remains black, symbolizing Huai Zhen's frail and sickly body.

"Are you alright?" Lei Mengying was stunned for a long time before she came to her senses and leaned over to ask anxiously.

"Cough, I'm fine now, but I can't seem to move my hands and feet." Huai Zhen coughed a few times and said slowly. Compared to the previous few days, although he was still coughing, he was not coughing up blood.

Lei Mengying glanced at the devastated Ailao Mountain, the terrifyingly huge knife marks, and the ravines stretching for miles. Despite having many questions, she decided it was best to escape this hellish place first.

Looking at the Taoist robe he was wearing, he decisively crushed the token he had used to save his life without hesitation.

The moment the token shattered, time seemed to pause, and an extremely powerful divine sense enveloped them.

About an hour.

A large rift opened in the void, and an old man with a bushy beard slowly walked out. He swept his divine sense over the demonic beasts within a hundred miles and killed them with a light lift of his hand.

Looking at the ruins of Ailao Mountain and the ravines, even he frowned, realizing something was wrong.

"Shadow, who exactly hurt you?"

Upon hearing this, Lei Mengying frowned. She didn't know how to explain, since she had been unconscious and knew nothing about what had happened. Her gaze finally fell on Huai Zhen, and after a moment's thought, she said, "Second Grandfather, it seems that Ying'er was controlled by a ghost cultivator. She woke up like this. Second Grandfather, please take us back to heal our wounds."

Upon hearing this, the bearded old man was taken aback. He looked at the weak Huai Zhen on the ground, whose breathing was disordered. If he was not treated, he probably wouldn't live for many more years.

After scanning the area again with his divine sense and confirming that there were no traces of ghost cultivators, he tore open the void and fled with Lei Mengying and the other person.

A few days later, in the palace.

When Huaizhen opened her eyes again, she found herself in a magnificent room.

Since returning, he has been in a coma for a long time, which has lasted for half a month. I vaguely remember that Lei Mengying often watched over him and used a lot of rare and precious herbs to keep him alive.

The pathogenic factors in the body have been mostly eliminated through recuperation, but some hidden ailments remain.

He coughed lightly a few times and looked around the room. Everything was magnificent and full of spiritual energy. There was also a spiritual flower in the room, whose fragrance could effectively nourish the body.