“Shen-ge!”
Jing Li’s expression changed instantly as he rushed forward to support the man.
When he looked down and saw Gu Tingshen’s blood-soaked arm, his face froze over with an icy chill.
The shadowy figure, unaffected by his emotions, seemed to grow more bloodthirsty at the sight of Gu Tingshen’s injury. It immediately gathered spiritual energy and launched another attack towards Gu Tingshen.
The force was so violent, as if aiming to finish Gu Tingshen off in one fell swoop.
Jing Li’s face darkened further. He swiftly pushed Gu Tingshen behind him and summoned a barrage of ice blades with all his might to counter the attack.
However, the shadow seemed to anticipate his move. It dodged his technique in an instant, darting towards his back and striking at Gu Tingshen’s face.
This turn of events happened in a split second. The shadow’s speed was beyond expectation. Even as Jing Li raised his hand to block, he was a step too late.
As the shadow’s palm was about to land on Gu Tingshen, Jing Li’s heart lurched. Without thinking, he embraced Gu Tingshen and turned, ready to take the blow himself.
But Gu Tingshen, sensing his intention, pushed him away first. Jing Li stumbled to the side, exposing Gu Tingshen to the shadow. The attacker’s palm rushed towards him.
It was too late to react. Jing Li could only watch in horror as the shadow’s hand approached Gu Tingshen’s chest.
Yet, unexpectedly, the moment the shadow touched Gu Tingshen, it was as if something taboo had been triggered. A blinding golden light erupted, hurling the shadow backward.
Jing Li’s voice caught in his throat, stunned by the sudden turn of events.
But it wasn’t over.
As the shadow was flung back, something fell from its body. Amidst its agonized howl, it flew swiftly towards Gu Tingshen, disappearing into his body in an instant.
The next moment, an extraordinary change overcame Gu Tingshen.
The surrounding spiritual energy suddenly surged towards him, enveloping him completely. His own purple-gold aura flared up, continuously absorbing the influx of energy.
It resembled the night on Blue Island when he taught Gu Tingshen to cultivate, but on a far grander and more intense scale.
In the blink of an eye, he had absorbed all the spiritual energy in the vicinity.
“Impossible!!!”
The shadow, witnessing this from afar, was livid.
It clutched at its core, finding it empty. Whatever was hidden inside had clearly vanished.
Red-eyed with hatred, it glared at the man still absorbing distant spiritual energy. Its expression darkened as it gathered all its remaining power for an attack on Gu Tingshen.
However, before the assault could reach him, it dissipated into streams of gentle spiritual energy, joining the surrounding qi as Gu Tingshen absorbed it all into his body.
Its full-power attack, mustering every ounce of strength, was effortlessly neutralized just as it neared Gu Tingshen.
Was this the preferential treatment bestowed by heaven1得天独厚 (dé tiān dú hòu) – blessed by heaven (idiom) / enjoying exceptional advantages / favored by nature?
The shadow’s eyes reddened with jealousy. Seeing its technique so easily dissolved, it realized it was now powerless against Gu Tingshen and might even be eliminated on the spot.
With this realization, it could only temporarily suppress its frustration and hatred, planning to retreat for now.
However, just as it moved, Gu Tingshen, who had been absorbed in gathering spiritual energy, suddenly opened his eyes. He raised his hand, lightly tapping the air, and a burst of energy imbued with supreme pressure shot toward the shadow.
The shadow’s expression changed instantly. It hurriedly gathered its power to dodge, but the disparity in strength was too great. The energy grazed its arm, instantly shearing away half its flesh. It groaned in pain, staggering backward and crashing into the barrier, shattering it before collapsing to the ground.
The demonic energy in its core became unstable, chaotically surging within.
Such formidable power with just a flick of a finger.
The shadow was truly terrified now, staring at the man before it with disbelief and fear.
But Gu Tingshen clearly had no intention of letting it go. Seeing his first strike wasn’t decisive, he gathered another burst of energy and hurled it at the shadow.
This attack carried even greater pressure than before, but the shadow was already severely wounded from the previous exchanges. It had no strength left to dodge and could only struggle to gather its remaining energy to resist. It watched the approaching attack with a pale face, desperately hoping for some miracle to nullify this assault.
Though it knew the chances of that were practically zero.
Yet, as if fate had truly heard its plea, just as Gu Tingshen’s attack met its feeble defense and began to dissolve its energy, heading straight for its face, the formidable spiritual energy suddenly paused mid-air. In an instant, it dissipated before the shadow’s eyes, spraying spiritual energy all over its face as it dissolved.
The shadow’s tense nerves froze for a moment. It looked up to see Gu Tingshen suddenly furrowing his brow, a pained expression on his face as he raised his hand to his forehead.
He looked as if he was enduring some unbearable pain, his face turning deathly pale.
But the shadow had no time to observe further. Taking advantage of Gu Tingshen’s distraction, it hastily supported its unsteady body, formed a seal, and vanished from the scene.
*
“Shen-ge?! What’s wrong?”
Jing Li had naturally noticed Gu Tingshen’s abnormal state. Ignoring the fleeing shadow, he quickly moved to support Gu Tingshen, examining his expression with concern.
“It’s nothing… ugh…” Gu Tingshen tried to wave Jing Li off, but the next moment he groaned as a sudden, intense pain shot through his head. Before he could say anything more to reassure the anxious Jing Li, his vision went black and he lost consciousness.
Jing Li was startled by this sudden turn of events. His expression changed instantly as he gathered Gu Tingshen in his arms and teleported directly to Blue Island.
He thought that since this was where Gu Tingshen had first appeared in this world, and it was filled with rich spiritual energy, it might help him feel better.
However, upon entering the villa, Jing Li realized things weren’t as simple as he’d hoped.
The spiritual energy in the villa did indeed surge towards Gu Tingshen upon sensing his presence, enveloping him completely. But Gu Tingshen’s expression showed no signs of relaxing.
Even with his eyes closed, Gu Tingshen’s brows remained tightly furrowed, his thin lips pressed together as if he were enduring great pain. The sudden increase in absorbed spiritual energy seemed to make his face even paler.
Jing Li cautiously gathered a thread of spiritual energy to probe Gu Tingshen’s body, hoping to assess his condition.
However, as soon as he touched Gu Tingshen’s meridians, a powerful force roughly repelled him.
Clearly, Gu Tingshen had entered a state of self-imposed isolation to regulate his energy. Outside forces couldn’t interfere.
Watching Gu Tingshen’s face turn increasingly pale, Jing Li’s heart skipped a beat. He instinctively moved to carry him away from the island.
But at that moment, the unconscious man suddenly gripped his arm tightly, mumbling with difficulty yet stubbornly, “Don’t… go…”
His tone carried hints of panic and fear, as if desperately trying to hold onto something.
Jing Li paused, his heart inexplicably tightening at those words. He unconsciously tightened his embrace and softly reassured, “Okay, I won’t leave.”
Whether it was his voice or the familiar embrace that provided enough security, Gu Tingshen’s tense expression actually relaxed. However, his hand still gripped Jing Li’s arm tightly, unwilling to let go.
Afraid that any sudden movement might disturb Gu Tingshen, Jing Li maintained his position, silently accompanying him. He kept his gaze fixed on Gu Tingshen’s face, ready to forcefully use his spiritual energy to regulate Gu Tingshen’s meridians at the slightest sign of trouble.
Fortunately, although Gu Tingshen’s expression showed pain, the overall process of energy regulation seemed to progress smoothly.
After enduring the difficult initial stage, things gradually became smoother. Eventually, Gu Tingshen’s expression relaxed, and his deathly pallor slowly returned to a healthy flush.
Even the severe wounds inflicted by the shadow had healed without a trace, leaving his skin unblemished.
Realizing that Gu Tingshen had stabilized, Jing Li let out a relieved sigh. He relaxed his arms slightly, quietly waiting for him to finish regulating and wake up.
After an indeterminate amount of time, the spiritual energy in the villa’s courtyard had been completely absorbed by Gu Tingshen, and the distant energy stopped flowing towards them.
Jing Li suddenly felt the person in his arms stir slightly. Looking down, he saw Gu Tingshen slowly open his eyes.
After this ordeal, Gu Tingshen’s eyes, already darker than most, appeared even more profound. He gazed at Jing Li, his expression shifting several times before finally settling into calmness.
“…Shen-ge?”
Jing Li felt his heart tighten inexplicably under that gaze. He instinctively called out, “How do you feel…”
But before he could finish his question, he felt the man in his arms suddenly move, pulling him into a tight embrace.
Gu Tingshen’s cheek pressed against his neck, and Jing Li could feel his warm breath on his skin.
“It’s good… you’re still here,” Gu Tingshen said hoarsely.
His tone was urgent, tinged with uncertain trembling.
It was as if he was desperately trying to confirm something through this embrace.
The words were somewhat inexplicable, causing Jing Li to pause in confusion.
Just as he was about to ask what was wrong, he heard Gu Tingshen’s even hoarser voice by his ear, “I remember everything now.”
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