Chapter 170: Waking Up! Recovery!
Chen Xuan struggled to open his eyes.
A sharp pain coursed through every inch of his body, spreading from his chest to his limbs before reaching even his head. Every movement, no matter how slight, sent waves of agony through his meridians.
Even his mind was not spared. It felt unbearably heavy, as though an invisible mountain was pressing down upon his consciousness, making even the simple act of thinking unusually difficult.
It took him a large amount of effort just to force his eyelids apart.
The moment he did, the familiar stone ceiling of the cave entered his sight.
Seeing it, Chen Xuan unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.
At least the place he woke up was not foreign. He had managed to reach here.
Just as he was about to sit up and inspect his condition, however, a gentle female voice interrupted him.
A blur entered the edge of his vision before a cool hand rested against his forehead.
"Brother Chen, you’re finally awake."
Su Ying’s worried face slowly came into focus as she leaned over him.
Her hand remained on his forehead for several moments, causing the corner of Chen Xuan’s mouth to twitch.
What was she doing?
Was she checking whether he had a fever or something?
He was a cultivator, for heaven’s sake.
Despite the complaints filling his mind, Chen Xuan wisely chose to remain silent.
Partly because he could clearly see the concern hidden within Su Ying’s eyes.
And partly because...
He discovered that he couldn’t move.
For a brief moment, he understood exactly how the disguised woman he had captured earlier must have felt.
No matter how hard he tried, his limbs refused to obey.
Instead, the moment he attempted to lift his arm, an intense pain exploded throughout his body, causing him to suck in a sharp breath.
"Don’t try to move," Su Ying quickly advised as she withdrew her hand. "You’ll only make your injuries worse."
After confirming that he had regained consciousness and everything else was fine, the anxiety on her face eased considerably.
What replaced it was a mixture of helplessness, blame, and faint amusement.
"I truly don’t understand how you managed to end up in such a miserable state."
She shook her head.
"Did you jump off a cliff or something?"
"If you really wanted to throw your life away, surely there are easier methods than this."
Although her words sounded harsh, the concern hidden behind them was obvious.
Even as she spoke, emerald Spiritual Energy gathered around her fingertips before flowing into Chen Xuan’s body.
At the same time, several round medicinal pills floated out from her spatial ring.
Under the control of her Spiritual Energy, they shattered into fine powder before gently entering Chen Xuan’s body through his mouth and pores.
Warm medicinal energy spread throughout his meridians, soothing them little by little.
Su Ying’s expression became unusually serious.
Her movements were meticulous and steady, carefully guiding every strand of medicinal power while constantly observing Chen Xuan’s condition, afraid of making even the slightest mistake.
For a moment, she didn’t look like a cultivator, but like a nurse treating a gravely wounded patient.
Unfortunately, after several minutes of examination, her brows gradually furrowed.
"Your injuries are too severe. Both your physical body and your soul have been pushed beyond their limits."
"If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve thought you’d fought continuously for several months without rest."
She paused before stating her conclusion.
"At this rate... even with proper treatment, it’ll probably take several months before you recover completely."
Chen Xuan wasn’t surprised.
Although the previous battle had ended with his victory, it had been far more dangerous than it appeared.
Throughout the fight, he had unleashed nearly every trump card at his disposal.
Weapons. Great Dao Origins. Spells. Law Marks.
Even the Soul Formation zombie had been used.
Every one of these methods consumed an astonishing amount of Spiritual Energy and power of one’s soul.
Ordinarily, using one or two would have posed little burden.
But continuously maintaining all of them throughout such an intense battle while fighting more than a dozen Late Stage Nascent Soul experts had put an unbearable strain on him.
Closing his eyes briefly, Chen Xuan examined himself inwardly.
The situation was even worse than he had expected.
His meridians were covered in tiny cracks, while many of them had become swollen.
Even his Dantian was shaking violently.
As for his Nascent Soul...
The adult silhouette had shrunk considerably. Its body constantly swayed, like a candle that was about to be extinguished by the gust of a wind.
It looked as though it could collapse at any moment.
If the injuries had been slightly more serious, Chen Xuan would have straight up fallen in realm. There was even a chance for his cultivation to be crippled.
Fortunately, that outcome had been avoided. Even so, his current condition was only barely any better.
For ordinary cultivators, spending several months recovering was nothing unusual. Many remained in closed-door cultivation for years or even decades without stepping outside.
Chen Xuan normally wouldn’t have minded either.
But at the current point in time, he could not afford to lose his strength for so long.
The war against the demonic faction was still ongoing.
Although he had already turned the tide on numerous battlefields, the conflict itself had yet to end.
’Moreover, there are also those cultivators from outside the Tianxuan Domain.’
’The forces behind them must have caught wind of what happened. If they choose to send a few Soul Formation Ancestors, the Jade Pure Sect will suffer greatly.’
Thinking this, Chen Xuan couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
Although he wanted to do something, there was really nothing he could do.
He could only wait for Su Ying to finish her healing.
Several hours quietly passed.
Under Su Ying’s careful treatment and the effects of countless precious medicinal pills, a portion of the pain gradually subsided.
Although every movement still hurt enough to make ordinary people scream, Chen Xuan finally felt some sensation returning to his limbs.
His body was no longer completely paralyzed.
"Don’t make any rush movements. Take things slow."
Guessing his intentions, Su Ying immediately reminded him.
In response to her concern, Chen Xuan smiled faintly and nodded.
Then, he struggled to rise from the stone bed. It took him several seconds.
With considerable effort, he slowly pushed himself upright.
"Brother Chen, what happened?"
Seeing that he had stabilized somewhat, Su Ying finally asked the question that had been weighing on her mind.
"How did you end up like this?"
As she spoke, she quietly wiped the sweat from her own forehead.
Clearly, although she was a Core Formation expert, helping Chen Xuan recover—even if just to this extent—had taken a heavy toll on her.
She was exhausted, both physically and mentally. The fact that she still had the mind to care about Chen Xuan only showcased how much she cared for him.
Seeing this, warmth quietly rose within his heart. However, there was no need to point it out.
"Haha. There is no need to worry," he chuckled lightly.
"Didn’t I tell you I was going to deal with another battlefield? I simply ran into a small accident."
He waved his hand dismissively.
"The enemy prepared a trap in advance. However, who am I?"
"If I couldn’t even deal with something like that, wouldn’t I be disgracing my reputation as your Senior Brother?"
"It’s a pity you weren’t there to witness the scene."
As soon as the topic shifted to the battle, Chen Xuan’s spirit visibly improved. He began recounting everything that had happened with remarkable enthusiasm.
Granted, some embellishments had found their way into his story.
According to Chen Xuan, every opponent he had faced possessed monstrous strength.
Late Stage Nascent Soul cultivators? Those were merely the weakest among them.
Even Soul Formation experts seemed barely qualified to serve as cannon fodder.
Perhaps only the legendary Immortals were worthy to be mentioned.
Yet despite facing such heaven-defying enemies, Chen Xuan found himself winning effortlessly.
"It only took one strike. Just one! Under my attack, that woman was immediately reduced to ashes."
"Upon her death, the heavens wept. Blood rained across the entire region."
"The Heavenly Dao itself couldn’t tolerate someone as outstanding as me. So, it descended heavenly tribulation to suppress me."
"However..."
Chen Xuan made a gesture with his hand, as though he was swinging a sword.
"Who am I?"
"With a single slash, I split apart the heavens themselves. The entire mortal world trembled in fear."
"In the end, the Heavenly Dao wisely decided to retreat."
The more he spoke, the more outrageous the story became.
Despite this, Su Ying never interrupted him.
She listened attentively from beginning to end, occasionally nodding with eyes full of admiration.
Her reactions only encouraged him further.
Soon, Chen Xuan was describing how he had traveled to the Immortal World in order to chase down his enemies.
Time slowly passed.
Just as it seemed that his tirade would last forever, his eyelids began to become heavier. Before he even realized what was happening, overwhelming fatigue washed over him.
He had no time to lie down by himself.
Just as he was about to collapse onto the hard stone bed, Su Ying hurriedly reached out and caught him.
Carefully supporting his shoulders, she gently adjusted his posture, allowing his head to rest upon her lap.
Her fingers softly brushed through his hair.
"Shh... It’s alright. Just get some sleep for now..."
"It’s okay..."
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