Chapter 157: Qi-Consolidating Pill

Before I lost consciousness, I thought I saw Shiliu’s body move. I don’t know how long I had been drifting in darkness—my mind still awake, yet unable to hear any sounds around me or open my eyes. I knew I wasn’t dead, for though I could neither see nor hear, I still felt my existence. A scorching heat pressed upon me, making every breath unnaturally hot.

Desperately, I struggled to control my body. At last, my eyes cracked open just a sliver, and suddenly a large face appeared inches from mine. It was too close to discern clearly, but the aura it emanated was unmistakably familiar—the woman who had appeared twice before in my dreams. Yes, I could sense that unique presence on her.

I fought even harder to move, but to no avail; I was paralyzed, unable even to fully open my eyes. It was like a nightmare paralysis—wanting to move but trapped, unable to escape. Time passed, though I cannot say how long, until a faint light shone through and I wearily opened my eyes. Sitting up, I saw Blue Moon still unconscious not far away. Qin Tian was nowhere in sight, and neither were Chu Jun or Li Shiliu.

I could move again, and felt a fierce energy surging within me, threatening to break free. Hastily, I sent out my divine perception to inspect my body. A sharp intake of breath escaped me—my strength had reached two and a half stars, level thirty-six. The Thirty-Six Demonic Arts had peaked at the ninth tier; my Dance of Mountains and Rivers was at the seventh tier; the Netherfire also at the seventh; and my vital energy at the sixth. My power had increased by half!

What on earth was happening? Could it be the effect of the Essence-Strengthening Pill that Blue Moon gave me? I hurried to her side, lifting her up from the ground. Pressing her acupuncture point, Blue Moon slowly opened her eyes.

“Brother Li, you’re alright! That’s wonderful!” Her first words upon waking were concern for me. Seeing her weak hands support her on the ground, I helped her up. I couldn’t help but feel moved. Who said people were all selfish? Not the ones I knew—they would sacrifice themselves for their friends. People are mirrors; kindness begets kindness. I channeled my vital energy into Blue Moon, and within a minute, her complexion improved somewhat.

I asked, “What exactly is that Essence-Strengthening Pill? Why do I feel my strength has grown so much?”

Blue Moon stepped forward but nearly stumbled. I caught her arm just in time. Only then did I notice the long sword strapped to her back—a blade as black as night, its material unknown. The sheath was pure black as well, but not the ordinary black one sees every day. It was a black so deep and fathomless it seemed to draw one into an endless abyss with a single glance.

Blue Moon smoothed her tangled hair. “That’s the Essence-Strengthening Pill. It’s crafted from the magic crystals of countless mutated beasts. Chu Jun once gifted one each to Leng Wushuang and me, and I’ve kept mine all this time. When you went to the palace, I noticed you and feared he might harm you, so I followed.”

Her words took two full minutes to speak, and from her tone, I could tell the pill was precious indeed. No wonder Leng Wushuang suddenly became so terrifying—it must have been the pill’s power. Suddenly, a grave concern struck me: if such pills were mass-produced and flooded the market, wouldn’t they create countless unbeatable warriors? Then, where would people like us even find a place to survive?

I asked Blue Moon, “How many of these pills does Chu Jun have?”

She looked up, those bright, lively eyes fixed on me for a long moment. “I don’t know exactly. But I do know that making these pills used nearly all the magic crystals in the World Alliance. There are no more mutated beasts within a hundred miles. Why do you ask, Brother Li?”

I realized she must have suspected some ulterior motive. I cleared my throat. “Don’t misunderstand, Blue Moon. I’m just worried these pills might fall into the wrong hands and bring disaster upon countless lives.”

“That won’t happen. So far, only three people know about the Essence-Strengthening Pill—you are the fourth. Besides, making these requires vast amounts of magic crystals that ordinary people can’t obtain. Even if they did... Brother Li, listen.”

Blue Moon suddenly stopped mid-sentence. I grew curious about what she was about to say, but there was no time to ask now—I had heard an unusual sound. It came from the left—a clash like a fight.

I grabbed Blue Moon and ran toward the noise. Unexpectedly, Chu Jun struck Blue Moon fiercely. Though I was channeling vital energy to her, her strength was not fully restored; she stumbled and fell after just one step.

I hurriedly helped her up. At that moment, there was no room to care about propriety—I carried her and raced forward. The sounds resembled human voices, yet were somehow not quite human. Worried about Qin Tian and Shiliu, I pushed myself harder.

No doubt, the Essence-Strengthening Pill was truly remarkable—it had brought me back from near death and doubled my power in a short time! With more of these pills, I could soon ascend to the Nether Ruins!

Blue Moon clung tightly to my neck, her slender arms wrapped around me, her cheeks flushed.

We didn’t speak a word as we ran. Even after a full minute, we hadn’t reached the source of the sound. With my newly enhanced Dance of Mountains and Rivers at tier seven, my speed was incredible. The biting cold wind against my face cut like knives, but that mattered little to me; I worried more about Blue Moon’s delicate skin, so I formed a protective shield around her.

Three minutes passed, still no sign of the place. The howling wind drowned out the source of the noise, so I stopped running and focused my energy on my ears, listening carefully.

The sounds seemed to fade. Had we gone the wrong way? Damn it! I quickly lifted Blue Moon and soared into the air on the wind. The strain was great—I barely touched the ground with my toes before rising ten meters high.

Looking down, I saw many irregular craters scattered on the ground, each about two meters across. They must have been caused by Qin Tian’s earth-shattering technique. So he was alive—that was a relief! But where were the others?

No time to ponder, I flew onward, watching the terrain rush beneath me. A vague sense of dread settled in—the cries I heard earlier were far from normal.

I opened my Heavenly Eye and scanned ahead. Four figures were running swiftly, their pace rivaling mine.

Ahead, the ones fleeing desperately were Shiliu and Qin Tian, with Chu Jun close behind. But the figure beside Chu Jun—there was something profoundly strange about it.