Jumping to the garden, the first thing that greets Xue Hui's sight is the horrified look everyone was giving him.
Seeing their expressions, a wry smile appeared on Xue Hui's pale face.
due to his excitement upon discovering a new insight into the power of law.
He had completely forgotten all the injuries he sustained while going against Yu Yan.
Clearing his throat, Xue Hui was about to explain to everyone what had just happened during his absence when the silence was broken by Yue Ling's terrified shriek.
Xue Hui's aching body jerked upon hearing Yue Ling's cries. Seeing the concern on everyone's faces made him feel a sense of guilt in his heart. He inwardly cursed himself for being far too careless and letting the girls see him in such a condition.
"Okay, everyone calm down, it isn't that bad as it looks. I'm not in any serious pain, I only need time to recuperate and I'll be back in good shape, so no need to worry." But unfortunately for Xue Hui, his attempt at gaslighting his own wounds was ignored as a powerful aura locked onto him.
"Shut up and quickly recuperate. I'm going to help you heal those injuries of yours." Gone was her usual carefree tone, Chen Linlin had a frown on her face, her firm and commanding voice leaving zero room for argument.
At the same time, an enormous soul force rushed in Xue Hui's direction, enveloping him in a tender protective energy.
Chen Linlin's wave of aura swept through and forced his body to move, guiding him with utmost care and making him sit cross-legged, allowing his body to be submerged in her aura and absorb its rich soul vitality. The plant life around him grew at an astonishing speed, affected by the same aura that enveloped him.
Chen Linlin's Ancestral Mother Purification Sutra cultivation technique has a mysterious ability that allows her to convert her soul force into vitality.
This allows her not only to increase her own strength by a wide margin but also to use it to heal herself or others.
Xiao Ning'er and Ye Ziyun both had concerned looks on their faces, especially the former.
Xiao Ning'er never imagined that she would ever see Xue Hui in such a bad condition. One must know that even back then in the Soul Prison Labyrinth, despite all the dangerous trials, Xue Hui never sustained any grave injuries like he currently had.
His clothes were all tattered, and his well-kept hair was now disheveled. Worse, he had horrible burns all over his body, some of which were so severe that Xiao Ning'er could see bone sticking out.
Xiao Ning'er's beautiful eyes moistened. She was on the verge of crying as she imagined how much pain Xue Hui was in. The thought made her heart drop to her stomach.
"For someone who is really smart, you do enjoy doing stupid stuff, huh, Hui-hui." In contrast to Xiao Ning'er, Chen Linlin did not shy away from putting salt on his wounded ego.
Both her hands were resting on her waist, a pent-up expression on her face. It was clear she did not like what she was seeing.
Looking at his burns, Chen Linlin could not help but let out an exasperated huff.
Unlike Xiao Ning'er, Ye Ziyun and the trio of girls, Chen Linlin had been with Xue Hui the longest.
She had been in this kind of situation quite a number of times, and it simply infuriated her.
Xue Hui was like a moth that was not afraid of fire; he would often do things to satiate his curiosity even if he ended up hurting himself in the process.
Remembering some of them, Chen Linlin could not help but feel angry.
She still has nightmares of the sight of him being pierced by those dreaded claws back in the treasure chamber, or his seemingly lifeless body after he miscalculated the strength needed to form those origin spheres of his.
It put her heart in turmoil from worrying. The thought of Xue Hui disappearing scared her, which was why she could not help but be furious at his carelessness.
Time passed. Chen Linlin's soul vitality transfer proved to be heaven-defying; the injuries that should have taken weeks or even months to heal were fully treated in two short hours.
Xue Hui opened his eyes. A shaky breath escaped his lips after sensing that all his wounds had healed. Before he could thank Chen Linlin, a soft sensation crashed onto him.
Finding himself pinned under the weight of worried girls, he felt moved by their concern. Xue Hui did his best to convey his apology to Xiao Ning'er and the trio of girls for worrying them.
Ye Ziyun, who was standing not far from them, wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes. Although she did not rush him like the others, she was also extremely relieved to see him well.
Fortunately, Chen Linlin was able to help him heal him, which eased her heart.
A small smile appeared on her gentle features as she saw Xue Hui waving in her direction while mouthing an apology.
It took time for incense sticks to burn before everyone got a hold of themselves and was able to sit properly and talk.
As expected, they all looked at him with expressions of utter shock and disbelief after recalling his encounter with Yu Yan.
"Spiritual goddess? Is that really a thing? I've never heard of a spiritual goddess before?" Jing Ya asked, her stoic expression unable to hide her astonishment.
"Is this the same as my family's Snow Wind spiritual god? My grandfather once told me about it but did not fully explain its origin to me." Ye Ziyun asked in wonder. She could not believe that the outside world had so many hidden secrets.
"Is she that strong? If she can injure you to that extent, I don't think it is safe for everyone to meet her." Chen Linlin's words made some of them feel reluctant. As much as they wanted to see that spiritual goddess in person, Xue Hui's previous injuries made them afraid.
Xue Hui is someone who has the ability to withstand fire-based attacks, yet he was left severely burned by that spiritual goddess's flame.
"Is she hot?" Mei Lin asked with great interest. This led Xiao Ning'er, Ye Ziyun, Chen Linlin, Jing Ya, and Yue Ling all to give her a weird look.
Sensing all the eyes on her, Mei Lin stood up, feeling judged. "What! Don't look at me like that. She is a goddess. Goddesses are supposed to be hot and sexy. Just look at Ning'er, she is smoking hot."
"Mei Lin, s-shut up!" Xiao Ning'er cried out, her face burning red from the sudden remark. She never expected to be put on the spot like that. Moving like the wind, she hurriedly hid her embarrassment behind Chen Linlin's back, which made the latter giggle.
Xue Hui shook his head at everyone's antics, the earlier dread completely forgotten. He then reveals his next move.
"For now, let me deal with her alone. I don't think she is an enemy; she was just spooked seeing someone who could use her power. She is still a spiritual goddess of humanity, and she definitely has humanity's survival in mind. This gives us a common ground for cooperation. If things go well, we might be able to earn a powerful ally." Everyone nodded at his words. If Yu Yan is indeed the spiritual goddess of humanity, it would be a great benefit for both sides to cooperate.
"But for now, I need to enter meditation. I gained a lot of insight during my encounter with her. It wouldn't take long. You guys continue your training as well."
After saying those words, the girls all nodded and followed his instructions.
They all went back to their training, increasing their strength.
At the same time, Xue Hui also did not waste time entering a deep meditative state.
As always, Xue Hui found himself in the imaginary space of [CREATION ORIGIN ANCESTRAL MANUAL].
Sitting cross-legged, Xue Hui summoned all his twelve powers of origin.
Drifting around him like clouds, he began creating the reconstruction array.
Moments later, a reconstruction array similar to the one under the lake appeared in front of him, but it did not end there. With Xue Hui's high attainment in inscription patterns, he adjusted some of its structure and changed it.
The adjusted reconstruction array floated before Xue Hui, its brilliant light and mysterious aura attracting all the origin spheres like a sponge to water.
One by one, the origin spheres exploded into bursts of colorful light before being sucked into the adjusted reconstruction array.
"The reconstruction array connected to the power of law is used to create the spirit body, meaning that with my power of origin, I can also create my own spirit body," Xue Hui pondered as a flash of brilliance passed through his eyes.
"I need to picture myself." Watching the shattered fragments of his origin powers rotating inside the reconstruction array and starting to form a figure, Xue Hui quickly pictured himself as the form of his new spirit body.
But things did not go smoothly as he expected.
Deep in concentration, Xue Hui suddenly felt that someone was watching him. At first, he ignored it, brushing it off as nothing.
But the closer he got to forming his spirit body, the more the sensation of being watched persisted.
"There's no way someone is here. This entire place is made out of my mind; it is impossible for someone to be here without my knowledge." Xue Hui did not know where that feeling was coming from. He had been entering his imaginary space for years, and something like this had never occurred even once.
"Forget it, I need to concentrate on creating my spirit body," Xue Hui thought. He was nearing completion. After this, he could combine all his origin spheres to summon his spirit body. When that happened, there would be two of him, doubling his fighting prowess.
But before Xue Hui could finish forming his spirit body, his mind collapsed. Suddenly, he was no longer in the imaginary space of [CREATION ORIGIN ANCESTRAL MANUAL] but in front of a giant tree.
Xue Hui's breath hitched. Although he could not fully see the entire tree, he could tell it was tens of thousands of times bigger than a tiny world. "Such an enormous tree… I wonder where I am?" Everything around him was pitch black; other than the enormous tree, there was no sign of anything else.
But before Xue Hui could fully comprehend the world around him, a sensation of being caressed on his face enveloped him. He was powerless; his entire body felt locked and he could not move.
Whoever was caressing his cheek gave off a feeling of warmth and care.
He could clearly feel the touch against his skin, yet he could not see anyone in front of him. This made him feel powerless. Whatever was in front of him had the ability to end his life in an instant.
Then suddenly, he felt an indescribable headache, as if something was trying to tear his mind apart.
Flashes of memories entered his consciousness, but as soon as they appeared, they vanished, leaving him unable to remember anything.
"Just you and me." A gentle voice entered his ears. Although he could not see who it was, he could tell it was the voice of a woman.
Xue Hui's eyes snapped open, and he found himself back in the garden. His face turned deathly pale; a massive headache almost made him collapse. His clothes were drenched in sweat.
Beside him, he could hear Chen Linlin and the girls frantically asking if he was okay, their voices filled with concern.
But Xue Hui could not answer. His mind was too weak to form words.
He closed his eyes and tried to steady his chaotic aura.
But as soon as he did, he discovered something that greatly shocked him.
He had successfully created his spirit body, but contrary to what he intended, his spirit body was nowhere close to his appearance.
Instead, his spirit body looked like a beautiful maiden with long white hair flowing down to her waist. She had twelve arms that resembled the limbs of a marionette. Her eyes were closed, as if she were asleep, waiting to be awakened. Xue Hui had already seen the spiritual goddess Yu Yan and was momentarily captivated by her alluring figure, but compared to her, the spirit body before him was by far the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life.
But what shocked Xue Hui even more was that his spirit body had its own intent, and he could feel its burning desire to protect him.
"Who are you?" Xue Hui's question remained unanswered.
End of chapter 80
.
.
.
.
If you like my story, and want to support me, you can read advance chapter to my patreon.com/AxelDeAxist