Chapter 92

After another three days of a dazed state, Tang Yan finally regained consciousness.

The black girl, who had been guarding beside him, immediately pounced over joyfully, licking his cheeks affectionately. She had only been overexerted that day and had not suffered serious injuries. With her strong self-healing ability, she had basically recovered after seven or eight days of rest.

"Awake? Come and have something to eat, I just prepared it." Not far from a small lake, Du Yang was roasting several wild chickens, the rich aroma of meat wafting through the forest.

This was a valley, shaded by lush trees and ancient woodlands, not quite blocking out the sky, but it was a good place to hide.

Tang Yan's body was still very weak, and he could only barely stand with the help of a branch.

"Where's Ren Tianzang?"

"He's gone." Du Yang looked haggard, coughing from time to time.

He had woken up two days ago, taking the only small drop of spirit source liquid from the jade bottle, which helped him recover some energy and avoid being too weak to crawl. However, his internal meridians were severely damaged, and he could not smoothly circulate his spiritual energy, so... for a long time, he would probably not be able to use martial techniques.

"Really carefree, just left like that, leaving us here." Tang Yan leaned against an ancient tree and sat down, looking at the listless Du Yang, and smiled bitterly: "How are you?"

"What do you think? Not much better than you." Du Yang handed the roasted meat to Tang Yan: "Have something to eat. It's thanks to Black Girl; if it weren't for her, we would have been eaten by that demon beast long ago."

Black Girl proudly raised her head, seeking credit from Tang Yan. These days, they had been guarding the two of them.

Tang Yan smiled weakly and hugged her, sharing the meat.

"Why did you let Tang Qian and Ade go? That's not like you." Du Yang had heard some things from Ren Tianzang.

"The Tang family has suffered enough because of me. I don't want to make my grandfather sad anymore. Even if it's for the family... to leave a descendant." Tang Yan didn't take Tang Qian seriously at all. If he were to kill him, he would do it himself, defeating him and then killing him, not by relying on Ren Tianzang's power.

"What do we do next? If Tang Ba and the others can find us, there might be a chance, but if it's just us, we probably won't last long. We'll either be captured by the Spirit王府 or eaten by demon beasts."

"Let's leave it to fate. Let's hide here for a while. How long will it take for your body to recover?"

"Longest, three to five years; shortest, three to five months. My meridians are now full of cracks. To fully repair them, I need a miraculous elixir. Otherwise, I can only rely on my body to heal gradually."

"I have another bad piece of news. I can't use my Green Fire temporarily."

"What?! How long is this 'temporarily'?"

"Uncertain, probably for a while. During this period, we can only rely on absorbing the energy of heaven and earth to recover."

Du Yang shook his head bitterly: "When it rains, it pours. This is what they call misfortunes never come singly."

Tang Yan leaned back against the ancient tree, looking up through the dappled leaves at the vast blue sky. The battle in Juxiang City had cost him a lot, but he had also gained many insights. Family, friendship, and budding affection. Family like the Tangs, the closed door, the decisive expulsion, and the unexpected assistance from the old man; friendship like Du Yang, who, though full of complaints, never left and fought to the death; affection like Elinda, a sister, a blooming ice butterfly, destined to be the most tragic scene in Tang Yan's memory.

Tang Yan's heart was filled with a burning desire for revenge, but he knew that it would be difficult to have a chance to avenge within ten years.

This was the first time he had experienced life and death in this strange world, the first time he truly felt love, hate, and affection. A pain that tore at his soul, a hatred that stemmed from his bloodline, and a sincerity that he understood deeply amidst life and death.

Tang Yan climbed up the tree, sat cross-legged, and focused his mind, regulating his body. He opened his mouth to inhale and exhale, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in the most basic way, and searched for the 'Soul of Life' according to the incantation given by the blood doll.

With each inhalation and exhalation, threads of spiritual energy flowed into his meridians, nourishing the dry channels and soothing his injuries. It wasn't as pure and concentrated as the spirit source liquid, but it had a wild and stubborn nature that required careful refinement to absorb.

However, during this time, Tang Yan never felt the presence of the Soul of Life.

Du Yang finished tidying up and found a relatively quiet place, absorbing the energy of heaven and earth in the usual way, gradually nurturing and repairing his meridians. His spiritual energy was not abundant, and the refinement was very difficult, the process more complex. At this rate, it might really take one to two years to fully recover.

But with the situation as it was, he had no choice.

Fortunately, he was resilient and never gave up easily, treating this as a form of training.

Black Girl, though young, was very smart, lying in a corner, silently guarding the two of them.

Tang Yan continued to inhale and exhale, persistently refining and absorbing, and carefully searching. Finally, after seven hours of persistence, he captured a faint energy fluctuation in a breath of spiritual energy, very weak and very fragile. Tang Yan's spirit was greatly invigorated, and he quickly wrapped it according to the incantation, but... it crumbled and turned into spiritual energy, sinking into his meridians.

Tang Yan was stunned for a moment. After such a long time, he finally captured a thread, only to lose it so easily? This thread of the Soul of Life was even more fragile than he had expected.

For the sake of his lifespan, Tang Yan quickly adjusted his state and continued to inhale and exhale. The place was quiet, which was good for their hiding, but it also meant less killing, making the Soul of Life very rare. To capture a thread, he needed luck and patience.

After another five hours, as the sky gradually darkened, Tang Yan captured another thread of the Soul of Life. This time, he did not blindly decompose it but approached it carefully, peeling it off bit by bit. It took ten minutes, but he finally separated it before it dissipated, sinking it into the fog infant in his dantian.

A strange wave of energy spread,无形无色，却弥漫到了全身骨骸血肉。Tang Yan felt a very peculiar sensation, indescribable, and before he could fully experience it, everything returned to normal.

With this success, Tang Yan was invigorated and continued to persist. The forest at night was more violent, and he might be lucky to capture three or four threads of the Soul of Life.

Tang Yan persisted without giving up, and Du Yang quietly cultivated.

Time passed, and the two supported each other, neither disturbing the other.

Two days later, Tang Yan had an idea. Why not have Black Girl catch a few demon beasts, of a lower level, and kill them here? Their Souls of Life would certainly detach, making it easier for Tang Yan to capture them.

Black Girl and Tang Yan were very默契. After a brief explanation, she understood completely. Not long after, she really brought back a second-level demon beast, a crocodile-headed dog, and killed it with a bite under the ancient tree. Tang Yan focused and inhaled, easily capturing the Soul of Life, which was much clearer and more condensed than before, making it easier to separate and refine.

However, Black Girl was still in her youth, with strong ambush capabilities but unable to hunt stronger demon beasts alone. Most of the ones she caught were second-level, occasionally some third-level.

Tang Yan didn't want Black Girl to go too far or encounter danger, so he only allowed her to hunt in the vicinity of the valley, limiting the number of catches.

With the danger not yet over, they had to remain vigilant.

This continued for about ten days. Tang Yan absorbed enough energy from heaven and earth, refining it into spiritual energy that flowed like a stream through his meridians, healing his injuries. However, he had only captured twenty-three threads of the Soul of Life, which did not slow his aging. He still looked like an old man with gray and dry hair, but his mental state had clearly improved, no longer on the brink of death.

One day, a thin mist began to appear deep in the valley. Tang Yan and Du Yang were very sensitive to this and dared not stay any longer, quickly fleeing with Black Girl.

Tang Yan stood on the treetop, gazing at the vast, undulating mountains: "We'll go west, through the Ruined City Cemetery to the Delos Empire."

"The Spirit王府 will probably expect this. Won't we be walking into a trap?"

"Staying in the Illusion Forest is not a solution. We can't afford to waste time with the Spirit王府. We can only take our chances there. You can pretend to be a medicine boy, and I'll play your grandfather."

"I think I'd be better off pretending to be your old partner." Du Yang countered without hesitation.

The two smiled at each other, plunged into the chaotic forest, and moved westward.

Black Girl perched on Tang Yan's head, her sense of smell very acute, able to detect the presence of powerful demon beasts. With her help, Tang Yan and Du Yang managed to avoid the terrifying demon beasts around them, traveling by day and resting at night, being very cautious.

They found some branches and wove them into baskets, picking some ordinary herbs to prepare for their future disguise.

During this time, they did not forget to absorb the energy of heaven and earth, repairing their weakened bodies.

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