Chapter 1109: Chapter 80 Thunder and Lightning Clashing_4
Yan Shi went pale and exclaimed, "Impossible, he was fine just yesterday."
Xuan Yuan frowned and said, "I’m afraid his meridians were already severely damaged yesterday. It was just because of his completely stiff veins that there wasn’t any strong reaction initially, which is why you didn’t notice. Now, many of his meridians within his body have ruptured, and if it weren’t for his surging vitality sustaining him, he would probably be dead by now. Hence, I say we must repair his meridians within ten days; otherwise, if the internal flow of qi and blood circulation remains obstructed for too long, he’ll either die or become disabled."
Hearing Xuan Yuan’s words, everyone crowded around. Suddenly, Yan Shi dropped to his knees with tears welling up in his tiger eyes as he looked at Xuan Yuan and said, "Chief Judge, I know you must have a way to save my brother. Please, help him. You don’t want to see him die either, right? As long as you can restore him to normal, I, Yan Shi, am willing to be indebted to you forever."
Yan Li, Zhuo Yun, and Xing Er also knelt down, tears streaming from their eyes. Ah Dai had sacrificed too much for them; words could not describe the depth of their relationship. They would not hesitate to trade their lives for Ah Dai’s recovery.
Xuan Yuan looked at the four people kneeling on the ground, sighed, and said, "All of you stand up. It’s my fault for pushing him too hard, which made him use such a powerful attack. However, he truly is a good kid, he didn’t even use Hades Arrow until the very end. It’s rare to find a challenger like him, and achieving so much at such a young age is impressive. I don’t want him to die just like that. However, I do not have the ability to save him. His meridians cannot be repaired by True Qi alone; only the Holy Magic of the Holy Church might cure him. Well, I’ll feed him another Golden Core and then we must leave at once. Once we return to the church, I’ll have the Red Robe Priests try to figure out a way; their expertise in Light Magic should be able to bring him back."
The four, led by Yan Shi, quickly expressed their gratitude. Even with a sliver of hope, they were willing to make every effort—after all, Ah Dai still had a chance to recover.
Everyone packed up and, with Xuan Yuan as the strongest among them, he personally carried Ah Dai. Using his mighty Holy Fighting Spirit and the Golden Core, he temporarily stabilized Ah Dai’s condition. The group of ten hastened towards the Holy Church.
Sunset City lay at the far western edge of the Tian Yuan Continent, while the church was at the center of the continent. Even with a fast horse, it would normally take over twenty days to reach. However, as all of Xuan Yuan’s group were highly skilled martial artists, they followed the map and maintained a straight path toward the church, overcoming mountains and fording rivers. Resting only three to four hours a day, they covered the vast distance in nine days and finally entered the Holy Church Territory.
Over these nine days, Zhuo Yun and Xing Er had it easiest. Regardless of the terrain, they could simply fly over it with their wings, and passing through forests and lakes, they absorbed the natural qi of heaven and earth without feeling weary. However, it was hard on the Yan brothers, who were not as swift but seemed intentionally challenged by Xuan Yuan to maintain pace without slowing down, running hundreds of kilometers every day. For Ah Dai’s sake, the Yan brothers bore the pain and persevered without complaints, their feet full of blisters and their bodies severely depleted of energy, yet they never fell behind and finally arrived at the Holy Church with Xuan Yuan. Xuan Yuan, who observed their performance silently nodded. Although only moderately talented, their tenacious character and deep loyalty impressed him greatly.
"There’s still time. Let’s slow down a bit. The kid’s condition hasn’t worsened," Xuan Yuan said calmly.
Yan Shi and Yan Li gasped for breath, with Yan Shi panting, "We’re not tired, Chief Judge. Let’s move fast, the sooner we get to the church, the higher the chances for my brother Ah Dai to recover."
Xuan Yuan glanced at him and said, "You might not be tired, but I am. You’re running empty-handed, haven’t you seen that I’m carrying someone? Enough said. It won’t take long to reach Mount Church, and we won’t delay your brother’s treatment."
After another half-hour, the group finally arrived at Mount Church. With no one in the mood to admire the surrounding beautiful scenery, they followed Chief Judge Xuan Yuan directly to the Prayer Temple within the church. The Prayer Temple was used only when senior church officials needed to discuss matters. At that noon, the spacious hall was empty.
Xuan Yuan placed Ah Dai on the altar, turned, and instructed his four Holy Judges, "Kai Di, go and report to the Pope that I’m back, and ask him to come here. Then you all can go rest. It’s been a hard year for you."
"Yes, Chief Judge," the four Holy Judges turned into beams of light and disappeared within the hall. Xuan Yuan carefully inspected Ah Dai’s meridians; fortunately, even though the injury was severe, Ah Dai’s body had suppressed its own functions to the lowest possible level to sustain life. If effective treatment wasn’t administered within three days, Ah Dai’s soul might depart for paradise. Xuan Yuan hadn’t told Yan Shi and the others that his method of suppressing Ah Dai’s injury had also completely cut off any other retreat. Though this method kept a glimmer of hope for Ah Dai’s recovery, if he couldn’t fully recover, the exhausted life potential meant he wouldn’t even have the option to survive as a disabled person.
