Chapter 428: Danger Lifted
Ning Xuan manipulated the vines to protect herself while dodging the attacks. The black and red branches of the Ghost-faced Red Vine grew and coiled rapidly around her, forming a constantly writhing, solid barrier.
A terrifying force surrounded her from all directions, striking Ning Xuan with a SLAP. Shattered leaves and broken stems flew everywhere. Luckily, the branches of the Ghost-faced Red Vine were extremely tough and highly defensive, and they also possessed a powerful self-healing ability. Thus, Ning Xuan was uninjured, feeling only as if she’d been shoved hard.
However, the attacks were relentless, growing more precise and powerful. Before long, Ning Xuan’s breathing became ragged. Every dodge was a narrow escape, and the ground beneath her feet cracked and split from the violent tremors. ROAR—!
A deafening roar, like a physical soundwave, slammed into the rock walls of the entire underground space. The overlapping echoes threatened to rupture one’s eardrums.
Soon, Ning Xuan saw Qinghe’s Exotic Beast form. A dragon-like creature, over ten meters long, was frantically weaving, twisting, and crashing about within the confined space.
Its body was enormous, radiating a powerful pressure and a brutal aura. Upon closer inspection, however, it was clear that it was severely injured.
Of the pair of horns on its head, one was already broken, leaving only a jagged, dark, and rough stump. The other horn was also covered in cracks, its color dull and gray.
The scales covering its body, which should have been a fiery, brilliant red, were now dim and lusterless, turning a murky, dark color as if shrouded in a thick, gray fog.
That hazy gray mist seeped continuously from between its scales, coiling around its entire body. Its eyes were filled with a dense, crisscrossing web of bloodshot veins. Its gaze was pained, revealing a savage killing intent.
There was no reason in that gaze, only the madness of wanting to destroy everything after being tormented to the brink by prolonged agony.
It locked onto Ning Xuan’s position, and with a sudden twist of its body, it charged toward the wall of vines she was hiding behind with devastating force.
Riding on the Flying Elephant Ant Wings, Ning Xuan dodged with a SWOOSH. Compared to the ten-meter-long Exotic Beast, she was small and much more agile. While evading, she finally found an opportunity to manipulate a vine and successfully feed Qinghe a Soul Cleansing Pill. At the same time, she used the vines to remotely jab dozens of Golden Needles into the dragon-like beast’s head. She used the thickest and longest Golden Needles she had, targeting the acupoints for inducing sleep. Under the dual effects of the medicine and the acupoints, the Exotic Beast’s movements began to slow down about ten minutes after the needles were inserted.
Ning Xuan’s stamina was almost completely depleted, and the Ghost-faced Red Vine had been torn to shreds. Seeing the Exotic Beast slow down, she could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Another half-hour or so passed before the increasingly sluggish, dragon-like Exotic Beast collapsed with a THUD and fell into a deep sleep.
The entire underground space had been reduced to ruins. It was pitch-black everywhere, with only a few scattered emergency lights remaining lit.
Ning Xuan quickly took an Elixir Pill to aid her recovery and sat in meditation to regulate her breathing and restore her stamina. As her body slowly recovered, the aura of the unconscious Exotic Beast gradually stabilized.
The gray mist coiled around its body also seemed to have dissipated significantly.
Two hours later, Ning Xuan’s body had fully recovered, and the Ghost-faced Red Vine had also returned to its original state.
Ning Xuan manipulated the vines to pull the Golden Needles from the Exotic Beast’s head one by one. She then fed it two whole bottles of Mutation Value Clearing Elixir.
“Am I dreaming? Or am I already dead? It’s been so long since I’ve felt this relaxed,” Qinghe said, still in his Exotic Beast form, looking utterly bewildered.
“You were about to die. I’m the one who pulled you back,” Ning Xuan said. Seeing that Qinghe’s consciousness had returned, she stepped out from the darkness and took two steps toward him.
“How could Ning Xuan be here? I must really be dreaming.” Qinghe stared blankly at Ning Xuan, his voice low as he shook his head.
While Qinghe was still wondering if he was dreaming, Ning Xuan had already walked right up to him. She leaned over and touched the broken horn on his head. “How did this break? It looked so much better before. Does being broken affect you much?” Ning Xuan asked slowly.
“It broke in the Realm of Chaos,” Qinghe replied.
Qinghe felt Ning Xuan’s hand touching his horn and grabbed it with one of his claws. “Your voice is too real, and this hand is warm. I’m not dreaming. Miss Ning, did you really come to save me?” He carefully retracted his sharp talons, afraid of scratching her.
“Didn’t you send someone to find Lan Xin? She begged me to save you. Now, see if you can revert to your human form,” Ning Xuan said, pulling her hand back and straightening up.
Qinghe tried a few times but failed. However, in the process of attempting to return to his human form, he discovered that the stubborn pollutants in his Spiritual Sea had thinned considerably. The restless mutated genes in his bloodline had also gradually calmed down.
These changes were within his expectations; if they hadn’t occurred, he wouldn’t have been able to regain his sanity.
“Miss Ning, the merits I’ve earned in the Realm of Chaos are enough to offset my past crimes. As long as my condition stabilizes, I will be a free man.”
“I can maintain a stable state as long as I’m by your side. I beg you, Miss Ning, please let me stay with you.” Because he was still in his dragon-like Exotic Beast form, Qinghe’s voice was deep and hoarse.
“You can maintain a stable state by my side. What’s in it for me?” Ning Xuan asked, looking at him.
“If I am by your side, I will serve you as my master and unconditionally obey your commands. I can be your bodyguard, your enforcer. If you’re ever in danger, I will protect you with my life,” the dragon-like beast promised earnestly, lowering its head before Ning Xuan.
“That’s easy for you to say now. What if you regret it later, once you’re healed and have no constraints?” The prospect of gaining a powerful enforcer for next to nothing was very tempting to Ning Xuan.
“I am willing to transfer the Contract to your name and establish a Blood Covenant. You can control me through a blood medium,” Qinghe suggested, seeming to have anticipated her question.
Ning Xuan smiled faintly. ‘A Blood Covenant… another area I know nothing about.’
“You’ve completely destroyed this level. Won’t Chairman Wang demand you pay for the damages?” Ning Xuan asked, looking at the ruined underground space.
‘I have no desire to inherit a pile of debt before I even accept the man.’
“He won’t, Miss Ning. This level was originally built for me.”