Returning from the abyss

Chapter 1409 Healing and Reunion

Among the Ten Deadly Formations, the Blazing Flame Formation's offensive power is second only to the Heavenly Annihilation and Earthly Fury. Even without Qin Luo's personal intervention, the mere entry of the Blazing Flame Soldiers into the battlefield is an unstoppable charge.

Even a demon king, facing an enemy that cannot be easily killed, found himself in a bitter battle.

“Juque, we can’t kill them, not even with another finger dart,” Yu Chang’s tone remained flat. “But we can still escape.”

As he spoke, Yu Chang dodged a fierce straight slash, and the flames spread outwards after hitting the ground. Half of the battlefield was now ablaze with flames, which were further compressing the space for the demon kings to dodge.

"Act according to your judgment," Ju Que said.

“Alright… Zhanlu.” Yu Chang waved her hand, and a strong water-elemental demonic aura spread from her body. Zhanlu nodded slightly and put his hands on his waist. When he pulled them out, he was already wearing a pair of golden gloves.

Qin Luo had been observing the battle and had already assessed the strength of the demon kings. Leaving aside Han Zhang, who had been beaten half to death, Ju Que was undoubtedly the strongest, Yu Chang and Zhan Lu were not much different in strength, and Qi Mei was the weakest.

As for the four demon kings, his attention could encompass all their movements. Therefore, Yu Chang and Zhan Lu only made a slight movement, which immediately attracted a barrage of rockets. However, Yu Chang's activation speed was very fast, and the Blazing Flame Array could not suppress the power burst of this top-level demon king.

Azure water began to emerge from around Yu Chang, resisting the raging flames. Although it couldn't extinguish the fire, the water easily created a safe zone around the demon kings. Immediately afterward, Zhan Lu unleashed a powerful punch, instantly creating ripples in the air before him.

Following the first ripple, a second, wider-ranging ripple with greater amplitude appeared, followed by a third and a fourth. When the ripples came into contact with the water, surging waves began to form. The immense impact made it difficult for the Flame Soldiers to overcome the barrier created by the waves. Meanwhile, Juque had already raised his arm in the formation, his innate true energy flowing in his palm, circulating and transforming between different types of true energy, completing three cycles in an instant.

The grand gift is "Sunset".

Generally speaking, only small gifts can be initiated by an individual's ability; large gifts require the cooperation of multiple people. However, for a demon king like Juque, who possesses six kinds of innate true energy, it is not difficult to gather the necessary conditions for a large gift through substitution.

Faced with the blazing array, Da Li was naturally unable to withstand its power, so the other two demon kings had to create obstacles. After completing "Sunset," Ju Que clenched his fist in mid-air, and all the light between heaven and earth disappeared with this grasp, and the light of the burning flames was also swallowed up in that instant.

"Don't worry, it's just temporarily eliminating your vision," Qin Luo said steadily. "Your other senses will be unaffected. Just be careful to protect yourself."

The explosion came from where the waves had surged, clearly Qin Luo's order for his troops to maintain the suppression. But the demon kings had no intention of continuing the fight; by the time light returned to the earth, several demon kings had vanished, leaving only a few water-mimicking clones behind. Even Han Zhang had been taken away.

"Escape, rescue my companions... these demons..."

=
Lu Ning felt a sharp pain in her head. She knew what she had encountered. It was still too much to deal with several demon kings. Han Zhang was one of the weaker ones and his combat ability was not very strong. However, Ju Que was not in pain. He had no flaws in combat. There was no other way but to suppress him with stronger power.

Even if she used her last chance to break through at the last minute, she still couldn't resist; the absolute difference in strength is not so easy to bridge.

Someone was carrying her away. Judging from her injuries, she probably wouldn't be able to continue assisting with the mission for a while. Hopefully, when they carried her away, they would see the broken sword she had sealed in the ice.

The Demon Blood Curse protected her wound. This was a fatal injury for a human, but the demon's constitution could withstand it. Moreover, it was Tong Gong's blood. That demon king's physical strength was indeed strong. She had to sacrifice a perfect substitute to kill him. He was a wood-element demon king.

Lost in thought, Lu Ning finally realized she had been placed in a vehicle, presumably having arrived in Gouchen. How was the war going...?

Her fingers twitched slightly, and then a voice came: "Don't worry, you're all here with me now, you won't die. It's just a minor injury."

Although Zhao Yuqiao's voice was not very trustworthy, Lu Ning had no doubt about his medical skills.

A cool sensation filled her mouth, and then Lu Ning fell into a deep sleep.

She didn't know how much time had passed when a flash of light brought Lu Ning back to consciousness. She struggled to open her eyes and found herself lying in Gou Chen's house. The house smelled of herbs, and her face and body were wrapped in bandages, making her look like a dumpling.

Half of her face was also covered, and the eye that had been pierced was still throbbing with pain. She couldn't even use the Demon Eye's abilities anymore. With only one eye left, her combat power would inevitably be affected.

In comparison, the aches and pains all over her body were minor; she could even get out of bed with a little effort and walk around without any problems.

Just then, the door opened, and Lou Lingzhu stood in the doorway carrying a box. When she saw Lu Ning get up, she was slightly taken aback, and then said, "It's good that you're awake. Mr. Zhao was right. It seems I should learn more from him on my medical journey."

"How long have I been in a coma?"

"Two days isn't very long. Besides, Mr. Zhao said it was his medicine that made you unconscious, and you need to be in a state of unconsciousness to regulate yourself." Lou Lingzhu placed the box on the table, took out a bundle of herbs from it, and put them in the incense burner on the table.

"But you still need to rest for about three days, Mr. Zhao said. His medical skills are extremely high, you should listen to him. By the way, your eyes can't be restored, it's damage from some kind of curse, you'll just have to get used to it."

"...Did Zhao Yuqiao also say that?" Lu Ning asked.

"Ah."

As expected, even the most skilled cook can't cook without ingredients. No matter how capable Zhao Yuqiao was, he probably couldn't cure her in this era. A piercing wound in the eye couldn't be achieved by a single person's skillful hands.

"It's alright, I'm just glad I didn't die. If it weren't for a stroke of luck, I probably would have died on the battlefield." Lu Ning touched her eyes. She was still conscious until the very end, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to maintain the spreading cursed ice until the demon kings were driven away.

"The thing you found, your soldiers handed it over for you, and it's very useful."

"Isn't that a piece of junk?"

Lou Lingzhu glanced at Lu Ning, shook her head, and said, "Failures are more valuable for reference than successes. Because we need to know where the failures were. In addition, General Qin Luo also found one of the enemy's camps. Although the surprise attack failed, it dampened the demon army's morale. Now they dare not launch a full-scale attack on Gouchen."

“The demon army’s tactics were crude, but they were fooled once and dared not continue.” Lu Ning nodded. “Want something to eat?” Lou Lingzhu checked the window. “Your room needs to be fumigated with medicine every day. It’s fine if you’re unconscious, but if you’re awake, you might as well go for a walk.”

Lu Ning shrugged: "Like this?"

Do you think there will be fewer wounded soldiers in Gouchen these days?

That makes a lot of sense, and Lu Ning was convinced.

From their previous meeting at Zhenjian Manor, Lu Ning knew that Lou Lingzhu was a good conversationalist. She was usually calm and collected, and possessed extensive knowledge, as if Zhixing Valley truly knew everything. Lou Lingzhu was also willing to listen to Lu Ning recount her adventures; the various demons were all worth recording, since no one expected the battle in the North to truly wipe out the demon race, and humanity would continue to face this threat.

They chatted idly as they walked along the street. However, there wasn't much to see in Gouchen. The area was completely under management, and any transactions were conducted in secret, since there were no private shops.

However, Lu Ning wasn't there to buy anything. The main reason she came out was that she was awakened by a force in her mind when she woke up.

Tenmans.

Its power dissipated with the disappearance of the "Heavenly Court," and now it only possesses the additional perception abilities granted by the gathering place. Lu Ning sensed that another celestial star was within Gouchen, a person who had not been there just two days ago.

"Have there been any new people coming to seek refuge recently?"

“Yes, the demons did not besiege the city, but launched attacks every day. The common people dared not come, but those with ambition still came one after another, which is admirable.” Lou Lingzhu nodded.

“However, even if the Great Wei exerts all its strength, it will probably only be able to hold its own against the demon army. If it doesn’t break through… it probably won’t be able to gain any advantage in a prolonged stalemate. Hmm… where is this place?” Lu Ning looked up at a rather large courtyard.

"A place to settle some of the wounded soldiers." Lou Lingzhu could tell that Lu Ning was intentionally coming this way. She knew that Lu Ning had many miraculous abilities, so she didn't ask any more questions. She simply made room for Lu Ning and was prepared to leave at any time so as not to hold her back.

Lu Ning admired Lou Lingzhu's quick wit, and immediately stretched out her hand, a long, icy sword naturally extending and landing in her hand. She carried the sword and walked inside.

"Heavenly Sin Star, how have you been?"

With a loud shout, she greeted them. Lu Ning circulated her inner energy and stepped inside. Even those who tried to stop her were pushed away by her true energy before they could even touch her.

The Ninefold Cycle of the Ninth Heaven is not something ordinary people can easily get close to. Lu Ning had a clear goal, and the connection between the stars made it easy for her to pinpoint the other party's location. Then she saw Gu Tong changing the bandages of a wounded soldier in a large hall.

Gu Tong stood up in surprise, looking at Lu Ning standing at the door. He didn't know what Lu Ning's attitude was for a moment, and after hesitating for a moment, he could only say, "So you still came here in the end."

"How is it? I never imagined we'd meet again in Gouchen after our parting at Xingyin. Tianzui Star, do you have some time?"

Gu Tong nodded, and after changing the wounded soldier's bandages, he got up and came out with Lu Ning.

Lu Ning found a less crowded spot and made Gu Tong stand still. She sighed and said, "I don't want to waste time on pointless interrogation. Just tell me, what's going on with your secret affair with the demon race? Don't try to deny it, I saw it with my own eyes."

Hearing Lu Ning say this, Gu Tong was stunned for a moment, but when he looked at Lu Ning's injuries, he could only smile bitterly: "Is it still about Xingyin?"

"Is it just about Xingyin?" Lu Ning asked in return.

“I paid the price, Tianmanxing.” Gu Tong smiled lightly. “I accepted the demons’ conditions, I don’t deny it. But I also told the Emperor everything. Otherwise, do you think I, a Tianxing, completely under His Majesty’s control, could have kept this from him?”

"I'm not asking you on behalf of Dong Zai—no matter how much you betrayed him, you couldn't have harmed him," Lu Ning said coldly. "I'm asking about other people. Have you ever harmed anyone else? You were an inside man for the demons. Did you also play a part in the demons' entry into the city?"

"Demons can easily infiltrate the city on their own, so why would I need to lift a finger? They came to me simply to ask me to provide arrangements for various matters within Xingyin City. As for anything else, I have nothing to say. If you want to ask me why I did this..." Gu Tong sneered, "It's simply because I can't survive."

Lu Ning stared at Gu Tong, then suddenly laughed: "So why are you here again now?"

“The Heavenly Sin Star is already in my mind. Even though the Heavenly Court is gone, the instincts His Majesty has instilled in us will drive us here. The living will gather in Lingzhou sooner or later... just like you and me. If you want to kill me, then I have nothing to say.”

"I need to confirm your harmlessness." Lu Ning grabbed his collar, and the icy light began to ignite in his mind through the connection with the stars. "Accept it, or I'll kill you. Since you did that just to beg for your life, you can accept it now, right?"

“This is—” Gu Tong exclaimed in astonishment.

"This is the Ten Deadly Formations, which are deployed to the front lines of the battlefield and have the highest mortality rate. I only officially went on one expedition, and we lost more than half of our men, so I need to replenish our ranks. I can only feel at ease keeping someone like you under my watchful eye. Choose, Tianzui Star, choose."

Without any difficulty, Lu Ning felt the light of her array diagram ignite within the traces of the celestial stars remaining in Gu Tong's mind.

"Very good." She released Gu Tong. "Since you said that Tianxing will also come, who are they? How long will it take for them to get here?"

"We met within three days, but at different times. The Three Enclosures, Twenty-Eight Mansions, and Thirty-Six Heavenly Generals—all the remaining people will come, after all, we can no longer refuse our mission..."

At this point, Gu Tong suddenly raised her head and looked at Lu Ning: "Wait, you came here of your own volition? You weren't controlled by Tianmanxing, how did you—"

“That’s not what you need to ask, Tianzui Star. I’ll wait, three days, right? Three days… I can wait.” Lu Ning smiled.

Since even ordinary extraordinary individuals couldn't break through the demon king's formation, she decided to use more powerful people to support it. An eye wasn't given away for nothing.

(End of this chapter)