Chapter 289: Chapter 289: Solving the Crisis
The giant snake had two horns on its head, exactly the same as the one Ning Xuan had first seen breaking through the clouds and mist.
This was the true form of Ying Yaoshi’s Companion Spirit.
Sensing Ning Xuan’s fear, the giant snake lowered its head in her direction.
Ning Xuan discovered she could sense the giant snake’s emotions—a feeling of anticipation and joy. This realization put her at ease. When she finally entered the snake’s range of movement, its twin-horned head glided over, dipped down, and nudged her up onto its crown.
The rest of the process went smoothly. Ning Xuan’s spirit body formed a connection with Ying Yaoshi’s Spiritual Sea.
The area within Ying Yaoshi’s Spiritual Sea, which had been shrouded in mist, began to change.
The gray mist gradually thinned, and myriad points of silver light began to shine from the depths of the Spiritual Sea. Like a brilliant rain of light, they continuously dripped down, flowing into Win Snake’s massive body.
The miniature snake swimming in a bucket had its damaged scales grow back one by one. With a SWOOSH, it plunged into Ying Yaoshi’s body.
Influenced by the rain of light, Ning Xuan’s spiritual power also grew a few shades brighter. She withdrew from Ying Yaoshi’s Spiritual Sea. As she did, two thick, Light Rope-like channels formed. One end pierced through the phantom of Ying Yaoshi’s Primordial Spirit, while the other connected to Ning Xuan’s Spiritual Sea.
After Ning Xuan returned to her own body, her once-spacious Spiritual Sea suddenly felt crowded. Once the channels connected to her Spiritual Sea, she "saw" wisps of golden energy being born, and her Spiritual Sea expanded.
Ying Yaoshi sat cross-legged on the bed, eyes closed, regulating his breath. Golden light flashed continuously around his body, and occasional RUMBLING sounds echoed from within him. Ning Xuan waited quietly to the side, not wanting to disturb him. About two hours later, Ying Yaoshi opened his eyes.
A golden light shone from within Ying Yaoshi’s eyes. The glint in his pupils was as sharp as a sword, making it impossible to meet his gaze.
Ying Yaoshi clenched his fist, a look of disbelief on his face. His injuries were healed, and his spiritual power had returned to its peak. But that wasn’t all. He had broken through his bottleneck—the one that had plagued him for ten years, the one he had tried countless methods to overcome, had finally been shattered.
Win Snake’s horns had turned golden, and its scales were now flawless. A transparent membrane had grown on its wings. By channeling the golden energy to his eyes, he could now clearly see the veins of energy flowing in his surroundings.
"How do you feel?" Ning Xuan asked, seeing that he had opened his eyes.
"Better than ever." Ying Yaoshi swept Ning Xuan up into his arms. "Xuanyuan, it’s a good thing you came. You’re my lifeline." He was so excited he was practically babbling.
He lifted Ning Xuan over his head, settled her on his shoulders, and began to spin in circles.
"You’re making me dizzy! Put me down," Ning Xuan said, grabbing Ying Yaoshi’s ear and giving it a sharp twist.
Ying Yaoshi obediently placed Ning Xuan on the sofa and knelt on one knee before her. "I broke through. Win Snake’s Talent Skill has been enhanced. Its wings have grown membranes; it won’t be long before it has four complete wings." Ying Yaoshi’s eyes shone as he spoke. This breakthrough had solved a major obstacle on Win Snake’s evolutionary path.
"From the looks of it, this power boost is good for the current situation, right?" Ning Xuan asked.
"Yes, very good. Don’t worry, I have a way to solve the problem outside now." Ying Yaoshi’s previous anxiety vanished, replaced by a calm confidence. His entire aura had undergone a massive change.
"And who was it that was questioning why I came? Trying to lock me in the house, hmph..." Ning Xuan grew angry again just thinking about it. ’If I hadn’t found a way to break the residence’s defenses, I really wouldn’t have been able to get out.’
"It was my fault, Xuanyuan. Once this crisis is over and we’re back at the base, I’ll make it up to you properly." Ying Yaoshi lowered his head to kiss Ning Xuan’s forehead.
"You should go." Ning Xuan pointed outside. The sound of footsteps outside had become chaotic; clearly, something was happening.
"I’ll go take a look, then."
Ying Yaoshi nodded and went out.
Ning Xuan remained on the sofa, not leaving. She closed her eyes to rest and recover. Although the process of establishing the spiritual connection with Ying Yaoshi had been very smooth, she had been eager for a quick success and had used her full strength from the very beginning. This had consumed a great deal of her spiritual power. After successfully establishing the connection, her Spiritual Sea had undergone further changes, leaving Ning Xuan feeling completely drained.
She had just taken two Spiritual Power Supplement Potions, but her spiritual power was regenerating very slowly. She still felt an emptiness in her mind—a void of spiritual power that made her limbs feel weak.
Ning Xuan tried to stand up. She took two steps, swaying and looking very unsteady.
Just now, Ying Yaoshi had been too caught up in his excitement to notice that something was wrong with Ning Xuan.
Dejectedly, Ning Xuan sat back down. She gave up and simply lay down on the sofa, closing her eyes to sleep.
Ning Xuan drifted into a hazy sleep. In her dreams, she heard an earth-shattering noise. A loud BOOM startled her awake.
After her sleep, her body had recovered. Ning Xuan got off the sofa and walked out of the isolation room to the sound of continuous cheering.
"Xuanyuan, did you see that just now? General Ying is incredible! The wormhole self-destruction crisis has been resolved! Everyone’s gone to collect the Energy Baryte now. We’ll be able to return to the base soon!" Dean Wen said, walking in from outside. His eyes were full of joy when he saw Ning Xuan.
"General Ying didn’t say so, but I know it’s all thanks to you. Without you, his injuries wouldn’t have healed so quickly."
"By the way, didn’t you go outside just now?"
"Did establishing the spiritual connection with General Ying put a strain on you?" Dean Wen asked, snapping back to his senses after noticing Ning Xuan’s location.
"No. The energy consumption was just a bit high. I felt tired, so I fell asleep," Ning Xuan said with a faint smile.
"You’ve worked hard, Xuanyuan. We really have you to thank for this. General Ying didn’t just fully recover—he’s even stronger than before," Dean Wen said gratefully.
"You’re too kind, Dean Wen. He is my Contractor, after all. Establishing a spiritual connection with him is simply my duty," Ning Xuan said in a calm, gentle voice.
"Be that as it may, your arrival averted a great catastrophe. You may not have seen it, but the Marshal contained the impact of the wormhole’s self-destruction to a specific area, almost single-handedly! The scene was absolutely staggering. Even though you missed it, they recorded the whole thing. I’ll go get it for you to watch in a moment." For a man of his years, Dean Wen was usually quite composed, but today he was exceptionally excited.
"Not only did we resolve the crisis, but most of the Energy Crystals from the wormhole’s self-destruction were preserved! Those are high-concentration Energy Crystals, formed under extreme pressure. They can be used as Starship Energy! All of them are our spoils of war." Dean Wen was clearly bursting with the need to talk, grabbing onto Ning Xuan and chattering on.
