168: Gray Shadow

"Xiao Chun, don't go near it! It's dangerous!" Xia Ya urgently shouted.

Ji Ruxue also said coldly, "A Spirit Beast? A Essence Spirit? Its tricks are unpredictable."

Qin Feng reached out to stop them. His gaze sharply observed the Giant Rat's condition and the corpse of the Yin Demon Sect Protector, forming a guess in his mind. "It's severely injured, and its consciousness seems to have been corroded by something. That Yin Demon Sect member probably wanted to control or capture it, but was killed in a desperate counterattack. However, the creature itself is also close to death." He looked at Xiao Chun, "Xiao Chun, what do you feel?"

Xiao Chun took a deep breath. The Myriad Medicine Body's natural sensitivity to living creatures' ailments assured her that the Giant Rat's plea for help was real. "Brother Qin Feng, I feel it... is in great pain. Besides its injuries, something else inside its body is destroying it. It needs help."

Qin Feng pondered for a moment and nodded: "Be careful. Xia Ya, Sister Xue, stay alert. If anything changes, immediately take Xiao Chun back."

Gathering her courage, Xiao Chun slowly approached the Giant Rat, protected by Xia Ya who held her shield and followed closely. The closer she got, the clearer the scent became—a mix of blood, viciousness, yet deeply hidden spirituality and pain. She closed her eyes, fully activated the Myriad Medicine Body, and slowly raised her hands. Soft, vibrant emerald green light shone from her palms.

"Myriad Medicine Spiritual Breath, Expel Evil and Support Righteousness..."

The emerald green light flowed out from Xiao Chun's palms like a gentle stream, lightly covering the most severe wound on the Giant Rat's back. Where the light touched, the flow of dark red blood visibly slowed, and the rolled-up flesh at the edges of the wound seemed to contract slightly. More importantly, the light penetrated the wound and made contact with the Toxic Black Qi entangled within.

*Hiss...* Amidst the faint sound, the black Qi began to dissolve strand by strand, as if meeting its nemesis. The Giant Rat's massive body shuddered violently, letting out a low roar that was hard to distinguish between pain and relief. In its blood-red eyes, a trace of the madness visibly receded, revealing some of its original, clear, dark brown pupils.

The Treasure Hunting Rat jumped around happily nearby, squeaking incessantly.

Xiao Chun's face was slightly pale, and sweat beaded on her temples, indicating significant exertion. But she gritted her teeth and persisted, injecting more Myriad Medicine Spiritual Breath. The emerald green light gradually enveloped a little less than half of the Giant Rat's body, purifying the internal toxicity bit by bit and soothing its violent, disordered spirit.

This process lasted for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. When Xiao Chun finally exhausted her strength, withdrew her hands, and stumbled backward to be caught by Xia Ya, the blood-red color in the Giant Rat's eyes had almost completely faded. Although it was still weak and its wounds hadn't healed, the violent and chaotic aura had vanished, replaced by a weary calm and deep gratitude.

It struggled, lowering its head again. A voice—much clearer, though still hoarse and low, and surprisingly like a young girl's—sounded directly in everyone's minds:

"Thank... thank you... for saving me..."

"You can talk?" Xiao Chun opened her eyes in surprise.

Qin Feng and the others felt a chill in their hearts. A Spirit Beast that could speak human language must possess extraordinary cultivation and intelligence!

The Giant Rat, or rather, the Mountain Spirit, blinked its dark brown eyes wearily and transmitted its voice: "I... am one of the Guardian Mountain Spirits born in this 'Misty Mountain Range'... You can call me 'Gray Shadow.' It's all the fault of that wretched human..."

Its gaze swept hatefully over the corpse of the Yin Demon Sect Protector: "He used some Evil Technique to sneak into my Spiritual Domain, intending to capture and control me, and use my Spiritual Core and Innate Ability for nefarious purposes... I fought him, and although I killed him, I was also severely wounded by his Evil Technique and Magical Artifact. The Evil Poison entered my body, corroding my mind, and I almost went completely mad. Consequently, my Spiritual Domain also went out of control, pulling in everyone who passed nearby, causing them to get lost in the fog..."

A Martial King-level Mountain Spirit! The Yin Demon Sect's conspiracy!

Qin Feng instantly connected many clues. The people from the Empty Post Station, the "Puppets" wandering the Official Road—they were all mechanisms of protection or chaos automatically generated by the Spiritual Domain after the Mountain Spirit was injured and lost control!

"You said you are a Guardian Mountain Spirit," Qin Feng asked in a deep voice, "Then do you know of 'Medicine King Valley'? We are currently heading there."

Hearing the three words "Medicine King Valley," the Mountain Spirit Gray Shadow's eyes clearly fluctuated.