This Taoist priest is so unprofessional!

The shout startled A-Yue, who was standing nearby.

"This isn't a case of bad luck backfiring! He wasn't punished!"

Zhang Chen pointed excitedly at Wang Xiaoer and explained incoherently.

"This is...this is 'Heaven and Earth Restored'!"

"The restoration of heaven and earth?"

A-Yue frowned, clearly having never heard of this word before.

"right!"

Zhang Chen nodded heavily, his eyes gleaming with wild joy.

"Legend has it that those who possess great destiny are favored by Heaven and Earth! They obey the will of Heaven, slaying demons and monsters, and are thus considered meritorious officials by Heaven and Earth!"

He became more and more excited as he spoke, and his thoughts became clearer and clearer.

"Xiao Er burned himself this time to slay that evil dragon that was plaguing the region. This is a great act of merit, 'following the will of Heaven'! Heaven and Earth will be moved and will not only refrain from punishment, but will also actively return energy to help him restore his foundation!"

After hearing this absurd explanation, A-Yue was completely stunned.

She looked at Wang Xiaoer, who was lying there unconscious but gently enveloped by the energy of the entire world, and her eyes became incredibly complex.

She remained silent for a long time before finally uttering a soft sentence.

"This guy... he's practically the emperor's favorite son."

"He ran out of mana in a fight, and then God revived him by giving him a boost?"

Although they knew Wang Xiaoer was not in mortal danger, judging from his slow recovery, he would probably remain unconscious for three to five days before waking up.

However, such an earth-shattering battle has just taken place here, so it is certainly not advisable to stay any longer.

Zhang Chen and A Yue exchanged a glance and decided to take Wang Xiaoer away from here first and find a safe place to settle down.

Just as Zhang Chen was about to carry Wang Xiaoer on his back.

A soft rustling sound came from not far away.

The two looked warily in the direction of the sound.

Then, Ah Yue's natal Gu, "Jade Blade Mantis," which had been knocked away, dragged its cracked and broken body and limped over from a pile of rubble.

Its movements were slow, each step appearing as if it were enduring immense pain.

But its direction was firm: it was right where A-Yue was.

In its equally damaged and dimly lit mouthparts, it seemed to be holding something.

The Jade Mantis struggled to reach A-Yue's feet, and with its last bit of strength, opened its mouth.

"bite."

A crisp, light sound.

Something shiny fell from its mouth and rolled to A-Yue's feet.

It was a bead slightly larger than a grain of rice.

Its entire body is a deep, dark blue, as if the deepest night sky has been frozen within it.

The bead, with its smooth and round surface, lay quietly on the dusty rock, emitting wisps of pure water vapor visible to the naked eye, like a dream.

An extremely cold and yin energy emanated from the bead.

A-Yue and Zhang Chen shivered almost simultaneously.

It wasn't just low temperature; it was a chilling cold that could penetrate to the bone marrow and freeze the soul.

Zhang Chen's gaze was fixed on the bead, his expression shifting from wariness to doubt, and then to a near-ecstatic shock.

A-Yue bent down and carefully extended two fingers, trying to touch the bead.

Before her fingertips could even touch the surface of the bead, the jade mantis lying at her feet let out a weak hiss, as if reminding her of something.

A-Yue stopped what she was doing; she could feel the emotions being transmitted by her natal Gu.

Awe, longing, and a hint of... fear.

Just then, Zhang Chen finally came to his senses.

"This is... the Water Fiend Inner Core!"

"I never expected that the hundred-year-old water monster had actually condensed an inner core!"

A-Yue raised her head and looked at Zhang Chen.

Zhang Chen's eyes gleamed with a burning light. He strode over, squatted down, but dared not touch her easily.

He pointed to the dark blue bead and explained it very quickly.

"This inner elixir is a supreme treasure formed over a hundred years by a fortuitous combination of the yin energy of heaven and earth and the essence of water!"

"It is an excellent material for refining weapons. If incorporated into a magic sword, it can imbue the flying sword with a chilling aura that can harm the soul! It is also a top-grade auxiliary ingredient for alchemy; the value of one of its inner cores far surpasses that of a hundred-year-old snow lotus!"

Zhang Chen became more and more excited as he spoke.

"Especially for those who cultivate water-attribute techniques, this is an absolute treasure they've always dreamed of! They can directly absorb the pure water-evil energy within, saving them decades of arduous training!"

Hearing Zhang Chen's explanation, a strange light flashed in A Yue's beautiful eyes.

She did not respond immediately, but instead turned her gaze back to the inner core.

She didn't know as much as Zhang Chen, but from another perspective, she saw the almost irreplaceable value of this inner core to her.

She took a deep breath and no longer hesitated.

A wisp of extremely faint black energy swirled around his fingertips as he carefully picked up the Water Fiend Inner Core.

As soon as she obtained the inner core, a bone-chilling cold instantly spread from her fingertips, almost freezing the blood in her entire arm.

A-Yue groaned, and the Gu energy within her body quickly circulated, finally dispelling the chill.

She closed her eyes and carefully felt the vast and pure energy within her inner core.

A moment later, she opened her eyes, looked at Zhang Chen, and spoke with an undeniable determination.

"This thing has an extremely strong yin and cold aura, but its energy is very pure."

"If you refine it using my unique Gu technique, you can feed it to my Jade Blade Mantis."

She glanced at the dying, cracked natal Gu at her feet and continued.

"Not only will it fully heal its injuries, but it might even... allow it to undergo an evolution!"

evolution!

These two words sent a jolt through Zhang Chen's heart.

He knew very well that each evolution of his natal Gu meant a leap in strength for the Gu Master.

The two looked at each other and saw the same thought in each other's eyes.

This Water Fiend Inner Core is of little use to Wang Xiaoer, who is currently undergoing "Heaven and Earth Replenishment".

However, it was of great use to both of them.

Silence spread between the two.

Zhang Chen couldn't help but speak first. He looked at the inner core emitting a faint light on A Yue's fingertip and gave a bitter smile.

"So it wasn't all for nothing."

He paused, his tone tinged with self-deprecation.

"The waiters are in charge of fighting to the death, and we're in charge of... uh, collecting the spoils."

"In your words, shouldn't we call this 'winning by doing nothing'?"

This sentence broke the somewhat somber atmosphere.

For once, A-Yue didn't refute. She understood that if it weren't for Wang Xiaoer's earth-shattering final blow, the three of them would probably be the evil dragon's meal by now, let alone any spoils of war.

Zhang Chen looked at A Yue, his expression turning serious.

"I have a suggestion."

"Give me some of the energy from this inner core."

Before A-Yue could even frown, he immediately explained.

"I want to use it to make several high-level 'Sunflower Water Divine Thunder Talismans'. The remaining energy is all yours to heal and evolve your Gu worms."

Zhang Chen's eyes revealed an unprecedented determination.

"After what happened, you should understand that if you continue to stay with us, our future enemies will only get stronger. I can't just stand by and watch every time."

He needs more powerful offensive methods.

The Kui Water Divine Thunder Talisman is a powerful talisman that uses the power of cold, yin water to attract heavenly thunder, and its power far surpasses those he used before.

If he had this talisman with him, he would at least be able to fight back in a similar situation, instead of just becoming a burden.