Chapter 78

At the bottom of Wulong Abyss, it was deep and desolate.

The night was tranquil, pitch black, and utterly dark, with not a glimmer of light.

Crack!

Suddenly, such a sound echoed, indicating a branch had broken.

Then came a thud.

It was Zhao Yun landing.

A person with extraordinary talent seemed to have extraordinary luck as well. When he fell from above, he fortuitously hung onto a protruding branch on the cliff wall. If he had landed directly, he would have been reduced to a puddle of flesh. How could it be said that his fate was not spared?

However, although he was still alive, he was not far from death. Upon landing, he was drenched in blood, one arm was crippled, the other was dislocated, countless tendons and muscles were torn, and many bones were exposed. He had become a bloody mess.

His injuries were too severe, and he had already fainted.

His breath was so weak that it could cease at any moment.

"This was the most perilous time."

The Moon Goddess sighed. It was fortunate that Zhao Yun had hung onto the branch; otherwise, he would have fallen straight into the gates of hell, and she would have perished as well. Although she had long transcended life and death, this time, she was truly terrified.

This was not Zhao Yun's fault.

From the moment Zhao Yun was sucked into the underground palace, the situation had already exceeded his control. In such circumstances, Zhao Yun could not escape, and even if he had escaped the underground palace, he could not escape the abyss. Only by fighting to the death did he have a slim chance of survival.

In fact, Zhao Yun had done well.

A person with strong determination was truly terrifying when driven to madness. This young martial cultivator, with only the first level of True Spirit, had meticulously planned and fought to the death, nearly killing an Eighth Level Profound Yang Realm cultivator. If he had received a powerful surge of true essence for his final strike, he could have pierced through the old man, achieving a perfect outcome.

Unfortunately, his strength was exhausted, and he ultimately failed.

Although the situation was extremely dire, at least Zhao Yun was still alive.

"Wake up."

The Moon Goddess softly called out. If he continued to sleep, he would never wake up again.

"Am... I still alive?"

Zhao Yun slowly opened his eyes, trying to get up, but he was too weak to move.

Pain, he was in pain all over, so much that he could no longer distinguish between reality and illusion.

"You are alive." The Moon Goddess smiled.

This simple exchange brought the darkness back to tranquility.

Zhao Yun lay there, unable to move.

Earlier, the pain was intense.

Now, his body seemed to be gradually losing sensation, as if he had become a cripple. His limbs, organs, and meridians were all damaged.

At this moment, his wounds were still bleeding.

"Water."

At some point, he weakly spoke, having lost too much blood, his lips were cracked, and his crippled arm was struggling to move, trying to reach his purple-golden gourd and find healing pills.

"Don't waste your effort."

The Moon Goddess spoke softly, glancing at the broken branch on the cliff wall where Zhao Yun's bag of pills and the purple-golden gourd were hanging.

Zhao Yun gave a bitter laugh.

At this moment, he was not only thirsty but also freezing cold. His eyelids flickered, and in his daze, he felt the presence of death, a terrifying figure like a ghost, beckoning to him with a sinister smile.

Drip!

In a daze, he heard a drop of water.

Just as his eyes were about to close, he opened them again.

Water, there was water nearby, and he still had hope.

"Three feet."

The Moon Goddess said calmly, giving a precise distance. The meaning was clear: if he could crawl to it, he could drink the water; if he couldn't, he would die.

"Water."

Zhao Yun struggled to turn over and began to crawl inch by inch.

Squish! Squish!

The sound was grating, as if something was rubbing against the ground.

It was Zhao Yun's exposed bones.

The sound of his bones scraping against the ground.

He groaned in pain, pressing against the ground, each inch of movement was excruciating.

The three feet seemed like an insurmountable chasm.

His consciousness was hazy, and he felt as if half of his body had already fallen into hell.

At this moment, he was crawling out of hell.

The Moon Goddess remained silent, watching quietly.

Three feet was not far.

But for Zhao Yun, it felt like a thousand miles.

He was too severely injured.

At this rate, he would die before reaching the water.

"Water."

Zhao Yun's voice was hoarse and weak, but he was still struggling, dragging his bloody body, his bones scraping against the ground, inch by inch.

His will was strong.

Perhaps, there was a deep-seated determination supporting him. He could not die; he had not yet avenged his mother's death. How could he die like this?

An inch, two inches.

A foot, two feet.

He left a trail of blood, a faint glimmer of light in the darkness, which might one day shine brighter than the sun, casting a radiant light upon the world.

"Three more inches." The Moon Goddess said softly.

Zhao Yun did not respond, his eyes nearly closed, unable to muster any more strength. His entire body, except for his head, had lost all sensation.

"The one who killed your mother is still above."

The Moon Goddess said calmly, knowing her words were weak, but she had to try.

He had only a breath left.

If he lost that breath, he would die.

But if he held on, he would be reborn from the ashes.

The drops falling three inches away were not just water, but divine dew, a single drop of which could revive the dead and heal broken bones. She only discovered this after descending, as she was just a fragment of consciousness with limited perception. If she had known about the divine dew earlier, she would have told Zhao Yun to come down and take it.

Zhao Yun did not disappoint her.

With his last breath, he managed to hold on.

At that moment, he finally closed his eyes.

At that moment, a drop of luminous water fell from the darkness, landing on his body, and its divine power began to work wonders.

Crack! Crack!

The sound of bones mending echoed, and the wounds on his body began to heal at an incredible speed. Torn tendons and muscles reconnected, shattered bones reshaped.

A bloody mess, due to a single drop of divine dew, reignited the fire of life.

Phew!

At that moment, the Moon Goddess finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhao Yun had walked through the gates of death, and so had she.

With the divine dew, his life was no longer in danger.

As long as he was alive, anything was possible. She was not just a figurehead.

Zhao Yun remained unconscious, but his pale face had regained some color, and his previously faint breath had become steady.

Seeing the divine dew continue to fall, each drop making his breath stronger, and his body free of any injury except for the dislocated arm, his condition was improving.

Not only was he free of injuries, but he was also experiencing a transformation.

The divine dew nourished his body, strengthening his limbs, organs, and meridians. A stream of life energy flowed through him, rejuvenating him and healing his internal injuries. As it reached his dantian, it generated true essence, making his blood and life force surge even in his unconscious state.

"Wake up."

The Moon Goddess casually waved her hand, tapping Zhao Yun's consciousness.

Mmm!

In his sleep, Zhao Yun groaned, his eyes suddenly opening, clear and bright, deeper than before.

"Am... I still alive?"

He murmured the same question, staring at his body, now free of pain and any sign of injury.

As he looked, a drop of divine dew landed in his hand, shimmering with divine light, and immediately merged with his palm, spreading through his body like a clear spring, invigorating his spirit.

"This..."

Zhao Yun looked up, seeing the divine dew falling from above.

He saw a withered flower, resembling a lotus but without leaves, or rather, the leaves had completely withered and been eroded by time.

"Lotus of Life." The Moon Goddess said softly, revealing the name of the flower. "This does not exist in the mortal world. It must have grown here because a seed fell here. Unfortunately, the spiritual energy of the mortal world could not sustain it, causing it to wither. The divine dew is merely the dew on its petals."

"Even just the dew has such power?"

Zhao Yun was amazed. If it were the true Lotus of Life, it would be even more miraculous.

"It is not very useful for immortals, but for a mortal like you, even a trace of divine power can work wonders."

"Encountering this divine object, it seems my fate is not to die." Zhao Yun took a deep breath, grateful that no one else had come down to take it.

"Quickly, fetch your gourd and collect the divine dew." The Moon Goddess said calmly.

"Come."

Zhao Yun called out, using a hand seal to summon the purple-golden gourd, which he knew the location of due to the sword mark on it.

The sword technique could control not only swords but also the gourd. With the mark and the hand seal, he could control it, just as he had controlled the flying knives during the battle with the old man.

The gourd flew into his hand.

Unfortunately, only three drops of divine dew remained, which he carefully collected into the gourd. Looking inside, the mist was more dense, and the life energy was more vibrant. A sip would have healing properties, but the divine power was diluted, making it less effective than a single drop.

"Is it gone?"

Zhao Yun looked up, seeing no more divine dew on the withered Lotus of Life. The flower, having lost its last trace of divine power, withered and fell, turning to ash before it hit the ground.

Zhao Yun stood up and looked around.

When he arrived, the divine dew had been dripping onto the ground.

He might have been able to collect it.

"The Wulong Abyss is extremely cold and yin. The divine dew disappears upon touching the ground." The Moon Goddess explained.

"If I had known about this divine object, I should have come to the Wulong Abyss earlier." Zhao Yun felt a pang of regret, but then thought that if he had come earlier, he might not have survived. He might have been killed by the one-armed old man in the underground palace.

Thinking of the one-armed old man, he looked up, his deep eyes flashing with a cold, blood-red light. He was determined to avenge his mother's death by taking the old man's head.

At this moment, the identity of the one-armed old man was clear.

The one he had killed was not the Night Lone Wolf.

The true Night Lone Wolf must be the one-armed old man in the underground palace. Otherwise, he would not have been so elusive, nor would he have stolen so much treasure, including the rare lost treasure.

Speaking of the one-armed old man, he looked at his left shoulder.

He had only one arm left.

Now, he seemed to be one-armed as well, a living example of the saying "missing limbs."

"Can it grow back?" Zhao Yun looked at the Moon Goddess.