“Immeasurable Lord of Heaven!” Tianshu pretended to sigh and asked, “Lady almsgiver, why do you think I can heal their injuries?”
Hearing his question, the girl felt a little relieved.
She turned her head to look at Ding Hao, who was standing beside her clad in a black iron armor, and said respectfully, “The fact that Your Reverend was able to walk out of the dark prison unscathed shows that your power is unfathomable. Furthermore, your Guardian Bodyguard has extremely neat and distinct cut marks on his armor. He had obviously been injured by those Spirits in the dark prison cell, but has recovered. My name is Mu Lanxin. These were the reasons why I boldly assumed that Your Eminent Reverend must have a powerful way to treat the injuries inflicted by those Spirits.”
Tianshu chuckled and said, “You’re a smart girl, and a smooth talker. Your flattery made me feel so good… but you’re wrong this time. I really can’t heal the injuries inflicted by those Spirits of the Dead.”
The last glimmer of hope vanished quickly in the girl’s big eyes, which were initially shining as brightly as the sun. Pearly tears fell from the corners of her eyes.
But the next moment, Tianshuzi’s voice, melodious like celestial music, rang out in her ears again. “However, although I can’t heal these injuries, someone else possibly can.”
As Tianshu spoke, he pointed to Ding Hao behind him.
“Lass, go and beg this guy. If he’s in a good mood today, he may be able to bring your Grandpa Gui back to life!”
“This guy?”
Mu Lanxin raised her head and looked at Ding Hao, feeling a little doubtful.
This brawny man, who was more than two meters tall, looked rough and fierce. Clad in a black iron armor, he did not look like an expert with great powers at all. He was just a Guardian Bodyguard of this sagely old man. He might have strong combat ability, but how could he dispel those strange black mists?
“Is this white-bearded old man lying to me?”
Mu Lanxin felt a little uncertain.
However, although she had doubts in her mind, she did not dare slight Ding Hao. She could only try her best to save the old man. She turned to Ding Hao and was about to say something…
… when Ding Hao simply waved his hand and smiled. Without saying anything, he flicked his finger.
Two balls of Bi Fang’s Fire instantly shot out from his fingertip, scattering on the wounds of the white-haired old man and the young man. They turned into red flames, instantly scorching the black mists swirling around their wounds.
Immediately, the air was filled with a strange smell of charred flesh.
The white-haired old man gave a muffled grunt and spat out a mouthful of blood.
The young man squealed like a pig being slaughtered.
“Good God, what are you doing? We asked you to treat their wounds. If you can’t, get lost! Don’t try and harm them…” The young man with short black curly hair, the only one not injured, shouted angrily.
Ding Hao did not even glance at him.
The next moment, Tianshu was already on the back of the white tigress, guffawing as he rode away.
Ding Hao launched himself with his feet. With a boom, a whirlwind-like burst of Qi erupted from his feet, sending the young man with short black hair flying. A deep crater with spider-web cracks appeared on the hard earth.
Ding Hao bounced up like a cannonball and disappeared into the distance like a bolt of black lightning…
“How dare you run away!” The young man was humiliated, and he yelled out furiously. He wanted to go after Ding Hao.
“Outrageous! Reckless boy, come back at once!” The white-haired old man suddenly opened his eyes and shouted coldly at the young man.
“Grandpa Gui, you have recovered?” The beautiful girl Mu Lanxin was overjoyed.
Only now did she see those black mists on the old man’s neck had long disappeared. Without this strange force obstructing him and given his powerful cultivation, it was only a matter of time before the old man could heal himself.
“Master, that brat…” The young man’s voice then went quiet out of fear.
The white-haired old man snorted and no longer looked at him. Instead, he turned his head and stared at the spot where Ding Hao and his companion had disappeared. He exerted his Qi and shouted, “Thank you for saving my life. I’m Mu Gui, an elder of Mu Mansion from the Southern Wilderness. Please leave us your names. Mu Mansion will surely repay your kindness today.”
His voice was so loud and reverberating that it could be heard clearly in the surrounding few kilometers.
But there was no response.
The white-haired old man sighed. He knew that the two men were unwilling to reveal their identities, because they did not want them to repay this act of kindness. He took out an elixir from the inner lining of his robe and swallowed it. Then, he directed the Qi inside his body to heal his wound.
After the black mists were expelled, the wound that almost severed his neck became easy to treat.
After about 15 minutes, the entire body of the white-haired old man emitted wisps of faint mist, like a large food steamer. Blood-red buds wiggled on his neck, fusing to his wound. Finally, that wound almost severing his head completely healed.
He exhaled a deep breath and slowly got up.
As his gaze swept over those around him, the white-haired old man said thoughtfully, “What brutal strength from the Spirits of the Dead! And what a powerful supreme Yang Fire… I was at the brink of death. If Lanxin weren’t smart enough to ask that Black-armored Bodyguard for help, I would have died here.”
“Grandpa Gui, are you feeling better? Thank God!” Mu Lanxin and her younger identical twin sister, Mu Tiexin, were overjoyed.
“Congratulations, Master. I’m so happy that you’re safe and sound.” The uninjured young man with short black hair, Mu An, knelt down respectfully before the white-haired old man, looking overjoyed and almost about to weep.
“Humph!” The white-haired old man snorted coldly and said, “Wicked disciple, if you hadn’t clung cravenly to your life, retreating at the critical moment and putting Ning’er in danger, he wouldn’t be so seriously injured! You allowed those Spirits of the Dead to launch a sneak attack on me. You’re impetuous and a good-for-nothing! Those two men are so powerful that even I fear them. How dare you yell at them! Are you tired of living? Humph, why did I, Mu Gui, ever accept such a useless fellow as my disciple?”
Hearing this, Mu An quickly knelt down and admitted his mistake.
However, no one noticed that a trace of dissatisfaction in the depths of his eyes. He hid it very well.
The white-haired old man, Mu Gui, let out a cold snort. He totally ignored Mu An. Instead, he went over to treat the other young man, Mu Ning, who was very badly injured.
“Master, are we going any deeper?” Mu An leaned over and asked with lingering fear.
The dangers of this place exceeded his imagination. His master, who had always been invincible in his eyes, had actually been seriously injured. This made him a bit nervous.
The white-haired old man, Mu Gui, quickly stabilized Mu Ning’s injuries. He turned his head to glare at his cowardly disciple and said, “Of course we have to go on. Why? Are you afraid?”
“No, no, no! I’m just worried about Junior Brother Mu Ning. His wounds haven’t completely healed. If we go any farther…” Mu An said, trying to hide his true feelings.
“You don’t have to worry about that.” The beautiful girl gazed at the distant spot from which Ding Hao and his companions had disappeared, and said confidently, “Many absolute masters of Mu Mansion are now in the ruins. They were afraid that the others would get into the Towering Buddha Pagoda before them and grab all the treasures, so they went ahead of us. We just need be careful on the way. Once we reach the Towering Buddha Pagoda, our people will assemble and the dangers will be over. They will surely heal Junior Brother Mu Ning’s injuries then.”
“Well, Lanxin is right. We have to move faster. Once we reach the Tower, we won’t come across any more of those 10,000-year-old Spirits of the Dead. It will be much safer there.” The white-haired old man, Mu Gui, nodded and continued to lead the way. They circumvented the illusory and killing formations, advancing carefully.
“Grandpa Gui, I feel that that black-armored bodyguard isn’t ordinary.” One of the beautiful twins, Mu Tiexin, inched close to the white-haired elder, Mu Gui.
The white-haired old man nodded and said, “Those Spirits of the Dead in this Sea of Opulent Buildings have horrific powers. I was almost killed by them, even with my strength. After their force entered my body, I could not expel it without the help of an extreme Yang energy. Controlled by that force, I couldn’t see anything outside my body. I could only vaguely sense that bodyguard’s strange and imperious fire. It seemed… to contain some beast power. I don’t know what fire he used to expel the power of those Spirits… but that fire managed to do it so easily in this environment.”
“It contains beast power?” A strange thought flashed across the mind of one of the twins. She seemed to remember something and said, “In the entire Southern Wilderness, there’s only one force that uses beast power. Even in the Divine Central Continent, no one has ever heard of a sect that mainly cultivates beast power. Unless you mean…”
A stern gleam flashed across Mu Tiexin’s beautiful eyes. She exclaimed in surprise, “Could that black-armored bodyguard actually be the subordinate of that demoness who rebelled against the Divine Feathers Court three years ago? That demoness who caused great upheaval in the Southern Wilderness?”
The eyes of Mu An, the young man beside her with short curly black hair, lit up. A hint of viciousness flashed across his eyes. He said loudly, “That’s right! He must be that demoness’s subordinate. Who else in this world can control beast power?”
The white-haired old man, Mu Gui, nodded. “Well, your guess may be correct.”
Upon hearing this, Mu An was even more pleased with himself. He said, “Humph. If that’s the case, Master, you shouldn’t let them off so lightly the next time. That demoness betrayed our sect and caused so much bloodshed. She’s now a public enemy of the Southern Land, so her follower can’t be any kind soul either.”
There was a hint of hostility in his tone.
The white-haired old man, Mu Gui, glared and angrily rebuked him. “Bastard, never mind if he’s that demoness’s subordinate. He saved us! You ought to be grateful to him for this reason alone. How can you be such an ingrate?”
Mu An was carrying the unconscious Mu Ning on his back. The rebuke made his face and ears flush.
The white-haired old man paused for a moment and then said, “If the black-armored bodyguard is really that demoness’s subordinate, we have to find a way to reform him. He’s willing to save us, which means he isn’t a bad man. As long as his intentions are good and he’s willing to stop killing, we should give him another chance.”
“You’re right, Grandpa Gui.” A smile appeared on Mu Lanxin’s flawlessly exquisite face. “I also believe that the black-armored bodyguard is a good man.”
