wake

Upon hearing this, Cai Lin took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the rage and panic that were about to erupt.

She cast a cold glance at the pale-faced Su Qian and the other two, the warning in her eyes self-evident.

Without saying another word, Seven-Colored Dou Qi surged from Cai Lin's body, gently yet securely wrapping around Shen Wen. With a flash, she transformed into a streak of light and shot toward the outside of the tower.

Xiong Tao let out a low roar, glared fiercely at Su Qian and the others, then took heavy strides, following closely behind with a thudding sound.

Only Su Qian, Qian Mu, and Bai Lie remained on the bottom floor of the Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower, standing there with ashen faces.

The air still held a lingering scent of blood, a scorching heat, and the aftermath of that terrifying pressure from deep underground that made one's heart tremble.

Su Qian looked at the empty passage entrance and muttered, "What on earth is going on!"

...

Holding Shen Wen, Cai Lin returned to the courtyard where they resided at the fastest speed.

Xiong Tao followed closely behind.

"Husband!" "Brother Shen Wen!"

In the courtyard, Cao Ying, Xiao Yi Xian, Dan Chen, and Qing Lin, who had been waiting anxiously, saw the heavily injured and unconscious Shen Wen in Cai Lin's arms. Their faces turned pale with alarm, and they rushed over, exclaiming.

"Don't panic!"

Cai Lin's voice was hoarse but carried an unquestionable calmness. While carrying Shen Wen quickly toward the Quiet Room, she gave orders rapidly.

"Ying'er, prepare the best healing Medicinal Pill! Xian'er, see if there are any usable gentle detoxifying or meridian-soothing potions! Dan Chen, Qing Lin, guard the courtyard; no one is allowed to come near or disturb us!"

Her composure infected everyone.

Cao Ying immediately turned to search for Medicinal Pills, and Xiao Yi Xian also suppressed her worry to inspect her own collection.

Although Dan Chen and Qing Lin's eyes were red, they nodded immediately and stood guard inside and outside respectively.

Cai Lin carefully placed Shen Wen on the jade couch in the Quiet Room. Upon closer inspection, his injuries were even more shocking.

The damage to the Dragon scales on his body surface was a minor matter; the critical issue was that his internal Meridians were wounded in many places, his Dou Qi was in complete disarray, his internal organs had suffered violent shocks, and his Soul aura appeared extremely exhausted.

She carefully channeled her pure Seven-Colored Dou Qi into Shen Wen's body, attempting to organize the violent, rampaging energy and protect his heart Meridians and Dantian vital points.

She could feel that there seemed to be a gentle and life-filled power within Shen Wen's body that was spontaneously and slowly repairing his injuries, but the speed was far from enough.

Cao Ying soon entered with several jade bottles, pouring out two sixth-grade healing Medicinal Pills that were fragrant and had swirling pill halos. Cai Lin carefully fed them to Shen Wen.

Xiao Yi Xian also prepared a small bottle of light green medicinal liquid, which could gently soothe damaged Meridians.

The Medicinal Pill and medicinal liquid entered his body and slowly dissolved under the guidance of Cai Lin's Dou Qi.

A faint trace of color finally returned to Shen Wen's pale face, and his tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly. Although his breathing remained weak, it gradually stabilized.

Cai Lin's constantly tense nerves finally relaxed slightly, but the worry in her eyes did not diminish at all.

She stayed by the couch, not leaving a single step, and continued to nourish Shen Wen's Meridians with her Dou Qi.

Time passed bit by bit, and the night deepened.

Shen Wen on the jade couch slowly opened his eyes. His vision gradually focused, and what came into view were the faces of Cai Lin, Cao Ying, Xiao Yi Xian, and the others, all filled with worry.

"Husband, you're awake!" Cao Ying spoke first, her voice filled with irrepressible choking. She tightly held Shen Wen's uninjured left hand, her fingertips icy cold.

Although Cai Lin did not speak, those usually cold purple eyes were slightly red at this moment.

She just looked at him quietly, and a continuous stream of gentle Dou Qi was still carefully channeled into his body, protecting those damaged Meridians.

Xiao Yi Xian knelt by the couch, holding a damp soft towel in her hand, seemingly wanting to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead. Seeing him wake up, her movements paused, and her eyes turned red first.

Dan Chen and Qing Lin also stayed a bit further away, not daring to breathe loudly, looking on eagerly.

Shen Wen twitched the corners of his mouth, wanting to give them a reassuring smile, but it triggered his internal injuries, causing him to let out a muffled groan and knit his brows.

"Don't move." Cai Lin immediately stopped him in a low voice, her tone somewhat hoarse. "You are heavily injured; your Meridians and internal organs have all suffered shocks, and your Soul is also overly exhausted. You need to rest peacefully."

"I... am fine." Shen Wen caught his breath, his voice weak but clear. "It looks scary, but in reality... it didn't damage my Foundation. Thanks to the trace of Nirvana vitality contained in the True Phoenix Treasure Technique, it protected my heart meridian Origin, plus the king destroyer celestial disk blocked most of the impact... cough..."

Before he could finish speaking, he coughed lightly twice, and a trace of dark red seeped from the corner of his lips.

Xiao Yi Xian hurriedly wiped it away gently with the soft towel, her movements as delicate as if she were afraid of breaking porcelain.

"You're still saying you're fine when you're like this!" Cao Ying was both anxious and angry, her eyes turning even redder. "What on earth is down there? How could it injure you to such an extent?!"

Shen Wen shook his head slightly and did not answer immediately.

He closed his eyes to look within, sensing the situation inside his body.

The injuries were indeed not light. If not for the powerful vitality granted by the True Phoenix Treasure Technique triggering itself at the critical moment, protecting his vital points, and the Azure Heaven Hegemon Body's inherently strong Foundation having hard-resisted the destructive aftermath, he would likely have been in grave danger.

Although the king destroyer celestial disk was strong, activating it with his current cultivation level to resist attacks at the Half-Saint level was still too much of a stretch. Merely the backlash of the aftermath had almost cost him half his life.

This time... he had indeed been overconfident.

His own mastery of the plot, combined with his long-standing smooth sailing, his dominance in the Black-Corner Region, the refining of the Eighth Grade Pill, the taming of the Fallen Heart Flame... all these auras and successes had, unknowingly, made his mindset drift.

He had dared to rashly explore the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's Cave Abode, a dead zone that could trap even a Peak Nine-Star Dou Sheng, without sufficient preparation and without fully understanding the opponent.

This heavy injury was like a basin of ice water, completely extinguishing the fire of arrogance and impatience that had sprouted in his heart due to his rapid improvement.

His inflated heart had been fiercely punctured by reality.

Shen Wen opened his eyes again; the exhaustion had not faded from his pupils, but there was now a trace of settled clarity and gravity.

"The matter below... involves some ancient secrets and has huge implications." He looked at the women, his voice calm.

"Knowing too much now is of no benefit to you; on the contrary, it might attract unnecessary attention. When the time is right, I will tell you."

He paused, looking at their still worried faces, and softened his tone further: "Don't worry, I am truly fine. This time can be considered a blessing in disguise; it woke me up. The road to Cultivate ultimately requires taking one step at a time; it cannot tolerate any luck or rash advancement."

Cai Lin looked at him deeply, seeing that lingering fear and reflection in his eyes.

She understood Shen Wen.

If he hadn't truly touched upon an extremely dangerous level, he wouldn't be so reticent, nor would he show such an expression.

She stopped asking, just nodding gently: "As long as you understand. Focus on healing your injuries first."