High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

Chapter 402: Chapter 402: Return

By the time the five of them arrived, the sky was already beginning to lighten.

Lin Jue used the last of his strength to open the hatch, and the five of them staggered inside.

"Start it... Hurry, start it..." Hong Nianyi collapsed into a seat, her voice weak.

Lin Jue lunged for the control console, his fingers flying across it. The screen lit up: system self-check, energy readings, jump coordinate calibration...

Outside the cabin, a wolf’s howl echoed from the distant horizon.

Wu Qige had caught up, though he was a step too late.

Four blood-red figures appeared at the valley entrance. Seeing the vessel’s engines starting up, they let out furious, unwilling roars.

Wu Qige swung his claws frantically, and crimson blades of light slashed against the vessel’s Energy Shield, sending ripples across its surface.

But the shield held firm. This was a special escape vessel made by the military, its defenses strong enough to withstand short-term attacks from an Innate Level expert.

Inside the cabin, Lin Jue pressed the final button.

"Jump preparation complete... Three... Two... One..."

Faint blue patterns of light rippled across the silver-gray vessel’s surface as space began to warp around it.

Wu Qige could only watch as the vessel grew blurry and transparent in the light, before vanishing completely.

All that remained in the valley were three battered Divine Sons and a scene of utter destruction.

Inside the vessel, the five of them were slumped in their seats. No one spoke.

There was only the low hum of the engines and the sound of their own ragged breathing.

Outside the window, stars streaked by as the spatial tunnel unfolded before them.

They had succeeded.

They had destroyed five mining areas in the Celestial Wolf Four Star Realm, killed two Priests and one Divine Son, and... made it out alive.

Xu Wuyi closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into his sea of awareness.

The Dark Gold Mountain Body floated silently, the Golden Crow Illusion perched atop its peak. Though dim, its foundation was undamaged.

He thought of Grandmaster Yue’s Volcanic Wood Carving, and of Teacher Han’s empty right sleeve.

’We’ve finally collected some interest on that debt.’

The vessel traveled smoothly through the spatial tunnel, heading toward the Federation.

The soft light in the cabin illuminated five exhausted but calm faces.

The war was still raging, and the front lines were as brutal as ever.

But for tonight, at least, they had won.

...

The silver-gray vessel passed through the last ripples of the spatial tunnel and landed smoothly at a secret Federation Military base in the Seventh Star Realm warzone.

When the hatch opened, glaring searchlights flooded in, illuminating the landing pad as bright as day.

Xu Wuyi squinted, his eyes adjusting to the light.

He could see a line of people standing at the edge of the landing pad. Leading them was Pan Yan. The intelligence department major wasn’t in uniform, instead wearing dark gray casual clothes, his face uncharacteristically solemn.

"Can you still walk?" Hong Nianyi’s voice, somewhat faint, came from behind him.

Xu Wuyi glanced back.

Hong Nianyi was supporting a nearly unconscious You Sicheng. Chen Yuan and Lin Jue were propping each other up as well. All five were wounded, their combat suits crisscrossed with bloodstains and scorch marks, a truly wretched sight.

But they were all still alive.

"I can," Xu Wuyi said, and was the first to step out of the hatch.

The moment his feet touched Federation soil again, an indescribable exhaustion surged up from the depths of his bones.

The continuous high-intensity battles, overdrawing his Heart Image, and traversing the spatial tunnel had taken a far greater toll than he had imagined.

But he straightened his back.

Pan Yan strode quickly to meet them, followed by several military doctors in white coats and two hovering stretchers.

"You’ve been through a lot." Pan Yan’s gaze swept over the five of them, lingering longest on You Sicheng. "The medical team is ready. Get treated first."

There was no unnecessary small talk, no celebration. Everything was handled with crisp efficiency.

Two military doctors stepped forward to take You Sicheng, carefully placing him on a stretcher. The old man had already lost consciousness. His face was as white as a sheet, and his breathing was so faint it was almost inaudible.

"You Sicheng’s injuries are the most severe. Multiple internal organ ruptures, and damage to his Qi and Blood foundation. He needs immediate surgery," a middle-aged military doctor reported after a quick examination. "The other four also require comprehensive check-ups and treatment."

Lin Jue looked like he wanted to say something, but Pan Yan raised a hand to stop him. "Treatment comes first. We’ll talk about everything else later."

Guided by the medics, the five of them were placed on separate hovering stretchers and taken to the base’s medical center.

Lying on the stretcher, Xu Wuyi watched the ceiling tiles slide past overhead.

He could feel the steady hum of the hover unit and smell the antiseptic scent of the medical center. Everything reminded him that he was truly back.

Back from the bloody and brutal Celestial Wolf Four to the relative safety of the Federation’s rear.

But he didn’t feel much relief.

He thought of Grandmaster Yue, of Teacher Han, of all the Martial Artists who had died on the front lines. What did their actions amount to when compared to those sacrifices?

’It’s just insignificant revenge.’

The examination at the medical center took a full three hours.

Xu Wuyi lay in a private room, connected to various monitoring devices. A pale blue light screen hovered beside the bed, displaying his vital statistics.

The door opened, and Pan Yan walked in, holding a data slate.

"The test results are in." Pan Yan walked to the bedside and pulled up the light screen.

"Your condition is the best of the five. Your main injuries are Qi and Blood exhaustion and minor burns to your meridians, but your foundation is unharmed. With half a month of rest, along with medicine and Nutrient Liquid, you should recover more than ninety percent."

Xu Wuyi nodded. That was more or less what he had expected.

"What about Senior Sister Hong?" he asked.

Pan Yan switched pages. "She injured her foundation. By forcibly activating her Sword Intent, she caused fissures in the link between her Heart Image and her meridians. She’ll need at least three months of quiet recuperation, during which she can’t use more than fifty percent of her power. Moreover..."

"This will slow her advancement to the Innate Realm. She might have broken through within six months, but now it will be delayed until at least a year from now."

Xu Wuyi fell silent.

A Martial Artist’s cultivation, especially when breaking through to a major Realm, was all about capitalizing on momentum.

The longer the delay, the more variables could arise, and the lower the chance of success. Hong Nianyi’s injury affected not only her current combat strength, but her future in the Martial Arts as well.

"Does she know?"

"She does," Pan Yan said. "When I told her, she only said two words—’No regrets.’"

The room was quiet for a moment.

"And Old You?" Xu Wuyi asked again.

Pan Yan’s expression turned grave. "You Sicheng’s injuries... are very serious. He forced another power-up on top of his already fallen Realm. His Heart Image has nearly collapsed, and over forty percent of his Qi and Blood foundation is destroyed."

"Even if we can save his life, his Realm will continue to decline, and he won’t be able to use any of his Power of Heart Image for a year. More importantly, given his age of sixty-two and his pre-existing old injuries, this time... it will likely affect his future lifespan."

Xu Wuyi clenched his fists.

He remembered the slash the old man had delivered in the canyon, and his words: ’It’s worth it, trading this old life of mine for a chance for you to complete the mission.’

"Can he be cured?"

"The Federation Military will use the best medical resources available," Pan Yan said. "But the extent of his recovery will depend on him. Still, Old You is optimistic. He was awake for a little while, and he said he never expected to make it back alive. Just surviving is a bonus to him."