The Myriad Snake Grotto valley returned to its inherent eerie silence. The Strategist and the subordinates of the Black Dragon Stronghold had retreated like a black tide, leaving behind an empty battlefield and the metallic stench of blood that still lingered within the poisonous mist.
But for the remaining four people, the storm within their hearts had yet to dissipate.
"Big Brother Tran! Big Brother Tran, wake up!"
Lam Vy's cries rang out, choking with sobs. She knelt beside Tran Kien, her large, round eyes brimming with tears, her small hands trembling, not daring to touch the horrifying wound on his chest. The sight of Tran Kien stabbing himself to break the array had become a permanent scar in her mind.
Trinh Cong and Ly Tin stood nearby, their expressions extremely heavy. They were men accustomed to life and death on the battlefield, yet they had never witnessed a sacrifice so decisive and utterly mad. This young man had used his own life to exchange for a path of survival for them all.
Uncle Sword was the only one who maintained his calm, but within his profound eyes lay an unprecedented solemnity. He said nothing. Placing two fingers on Tran Kien's wrist, a stream of incomparably gentle and pure Sword Intent slowly flowed in, probing the condition within the youth's body.
After a long while, he sighed softly, his expression somewhat complex.
"How is he, Uncle Sword?" Ly Tin asked anxiously.
"Bad," Uncle Sword replied with a single word. "Very bad. That saber strike of his didn't just pierce flesh and blood; he used his Primordial Qi to shatter his own heart meridian. The meridians throughout his entire body are in chaos. If he were an ordinary person, I fear he would have died long ago. Fortunately, his physical body has been forged to be incredibly tough, and his Primordial Qi automatically protected its master, allowing him to retain a final breath of life."
The emerald-green medicinal pill Uncle Sword had fed him earlier, the Azure Wood Spring Return Pill—a holy healing medicine of the Duke Dingguo's Manor—was taking effect. A dense life force was slowly mending the severed meridians. But the wound to the heart meridian was too severe; the healing speed was excruciatingly slow.
"We cannot stay here any longer," Uncle Sword stood up resolutely. "Although the people of the Black Dragon Stronghold have retreated, they will return sooner or later. We must leave immediately."
He carefully picked Tran Kien up. The young man's body was as light as a feather, but in Uncle Sword's perception, it felt as heavy as a mountain. The burden this child was bearing was truly far too great.
"Which direction should we go now?" Ly Tin asked. "The path ahead is blocked."
"We are not going forward anymore," Uncle Sword said, his gaze shifting to another direction, deep within the Misty Forest. "We will go to the most dangerous place, a place no one would ever expect. We will head into the very center of this forest."
The four did not hesitate in the slightest. Uncle Sword led the way, carrying Tran Kien. Ly Tin and Trinh Cong flanked them, protecting Lam Vy in the middle. Like phantoms, they quietly blended into the thick mist, vanishing from the valley of death.
They traveled for a day and a night. Uncle Sword seemed to know no fatigue; his movement technique was as light as a falling leaf, gliding through the dense forest without making a single sound. Finally, he stopped before a small waterfall, hidden behind a moss-covered cliff.
Behind the waterfall lay a dry and secluded cave.
"We will rest here for now," Uncle Sword said.
He gently laid Tran Kien down on a flat stone slab. For the past day, despite being comatose, Tran Kien's brows had remained tightly furrowed, as if he were battling a terrifying agony within his Divine Soul.
Uncle Sword sat down beside him. He did nothing else but quietly place a hand on Tran Kien's forehead. A stream of incredibly pure Sword Intent, carrying tranquility and peace, slowly flowed into the youth's Divine Soul. He was not healing the physical wounds. He was using his very Intent to soothe and protect Tran Kien's chaotic mind, allowing the boy to focus entirely on resisting his injuries.
This was an act that consumed a tremendous amount of mental fortitude, but Uncle Sword did not hesitate in the slightest.
Days passed.
Five days later.
Within the cave, Lam Vy was carefully applying a fresh layer of medicinal herbs to the wound on Ly Tin's shoulder. She no longer cried. The massive upheaval had forced the young girl to mature significantly. Trinh Cong sat at the cave entrance, quietly sharpening his sword.
Suddenly, the fingers of Tran Kien, who had been in a coma for five days, twitched slightly.
"Big Brother Tran!" Lam Vy was the first to notice, crying out in joy.
Everyone immediately gathered around. Tran Kien slowly opened his eyes. The light in the cave was a bit glaring, causing him to squint. He felt an aching pain throughout his entire body, but the chaotic feeling in his mind was gone. A warm, familiar aura was enveloping his Divine Soul.
He saw Elder Ve... no, it was Uncle Sword sitting beside him. His complexion was somewhat weary, but his gaze was incredibly gentle.
"You're awake?" Uncle Sword smiled.
"How long... have I been asleep?" Tran Kien asked, his voice raspy.
"Five days," Lam Vy quickly answered, her eyes turning red again. "You scared us to death!"
Tran Kien struggled to sit up. He looked at the wound on his chest. It had been carefully bandaged; the burning pain was gone, replaced only by the tingling sensation of new skin growing. He knew he had survived.
He looked at everyone, then looked at Uncle Sword, a boundless sense of gratitude welling up in his heart. He bowed solemnly.
"Many thanks to Senior for saving my life."
"Do not say that," Uncle Sword waved his hand. "It was you who saved all of our lives. I merely did what I had to do. Furthermore..."
He chuckled softly. "Although this time was a narrow escape from death, for you, it might not entirely be a bad thing."
"What does Senior mean?"
"Look within your own body and see," Uncle Sword said, his gaze full of profound meaning.
Tran Kien closed his eyes, circulating his Primordial Qi. To his shock, he discovered something incredible. The stream of Primordial Qi within his body, after being drained to the absolute limit and then replenished by the life force of the Azure Wood Spring Return Pill, had become much more condensed and pure. His shattered heart meridian, after being healed, had grown far more resilient and expansive than before.
And most importantly, at the very center of his circulating Primordial Qi, a tiny, golden seed was quietly suspended. It was slowly absorbing the Primordial Qi, radiating an incredibly solid and steadfast aura.
That was... the seed of a Dao Pillar!
After experiencing a life-and-death ordeal, he had inadvertently touched the threshold of the Foundation Establishment realm!
"Destruction before construction," Uncle Sword said. "This is precisely a karmic serendipity that can only be encountered by chance, not sought. Tran Kien, your path ahead has truly been thrown wide open."
Tran Kien tightly clenched his fists. He felt the power rising within his body. He knew the storm still lay ahead. But this time, he would no longer be passive.
It was time for the prey to become the hunter.