This Taoist priest is so unprofessional!

A-Yue fell silent.

She looked at Zhang Chen's face, covered in dust but brimming with determination, and then looked down at the dying Jade Mantis at her feet.

She understood what Zhang Chen meant.

The strength of a team is not the strength of any one person, but the collective growth of everyone.

After a moment, she nodded.

"Can."

Without any hesitation or delay.

The two reached an agreement.

Without delay, A-Yue sat down cross-legged and held the Water Fiend Inner Core in her palm.

She bit her fingertip, and a drop of bright red blood fell onto her inner core.

"laugh--"

The moment the blood came into contact with the inner core, a wisp of white smoke rose up. The blood droplet was frozen at a speed visible to the naked eye, and then quickly melted away, turning into a blood streak that seeped into the inner core.

A-Yue began chanting obscure and difficult-to-understand incantations.

As she cast her spell, the dark blue inner core began to tremble slightly.

Pure, icy energy was forcibly extracted from her inner core by her Gu technique, transforming into streams of blue-black energy.

These air currents swirled in the air and eventually split into two.

Half of them, guided by A-Yue, surged toward Zhang Chen.

Zhang Chen was prepared and immediately took out a palm-sized dark jade box from his pocket and opened the lid.

The bluish-black airflow seemed to be drawn in, and it all entered the jade box.

"Smack."

Zhang Chen quickly closed the jade box, affixed a sealing talisman to it, and then breathed a sigh of relief.

The other, even larger portion of energy, under A-Yue's control, transformed into an energy vortex and slowly poured into the body of the Jade Mantis.

"Hiss..."

The Jade Mantis let out a cry that was both painful and yearning.

Its body was enveloped by that immense energy, and its originally cracked jade shell began to emit a shimmering glow.

Those jagged cracks are healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Its dim compound eyes once again gleamed with a terrifying, menacing light.

An aura far more powerful and solid than before slowly rose from its body.

After dealing with the distribution of the spoils, the two dared not linger for even a moment longer.

Zhang Chen walked over to Wang Xiaoer and checked his condition. He found that Wang Xiaoer's breathing was steady and his complexion was much rosier, but he still showed no signs of waking up.

Without further hesitation, he carried Wang Xiaoer on his back.

A-Yue withdrew the Jade Blade Mantis, whose aura was steadily increasing, and walked ahead to clear the way.

Together, the two quietly left the devastated Moon Bay.

The morning mist gradually enveloped their departing figures.

What they didn't know was...

Shortly after they left.

Several all-black SUVs with unusual license plates, like ghosts, silently drove into the Moon Bay area.

The wheels rolled over the gravel without making a sound.

The car door opened.

A group of men and women dressed in black uniforms, with stern expressions, got out of the car.

Their movements were silent and their coordination was impeccable, clearly indicating that they had undergone extremely rigorous training.

The one in the lead was a tall woman.

She had short, neat hair, a cold and beautiful face, and eyes as sharp as an eagle's.

Ignoring the chaotic battlefield, she took out a silver-white, detector-like professional instrument from her waist.

She pressed a button.

"Buzz—"

The instrument emitted a soft beep, and a pale blue light screen was projected from the front of the instrument, slowly sweeping across the entire mountain valley.

next second.

"Beep! Beep! Beep! — Alarm! Alarm!"

The instrument suddenly emitted an extremely piercing alarm sound, and the red light flashed wildly.

The expressions of all the team members around them instantly turned extremely solemn, and they all placed their hands on the weapons at their waists.

The woman's beautiful brows furrowed as she watched the residual energy value on the instrument's screen instantly spike to the maximum.

Her gaze swept over the huge crater blasted out, over the charred marks left on the ground, and finally landed on a series of complex readings representing energy properties.

"Such a strong pure yang energy clashing with the demonic energy..."

Her voice was cold and clear, carrying a hint of barely perceptible shock.

"A major battle just took place here."

She put away the equipment, her eyes becoming extremely serious, and issued an order that left no room for argument.

"Seal off the scene completely, and don't overlook any clues."

"Report to headquarters and request the 'Sky Eye' system to review satellite images of this area."

"The incident level is tentatively set as 'Level A'."

She paused, looked at the shimmering lake in the distance, and uttered the last three words.

"Code name: 'Moon Bay'."

……

three days later.

The morning sunlight filtered through the gaps in the blinds, casting dappled shadows on the office floor.

Wang Xiaoer woke up leisurely in his bed.

He felt as if he had slept for a century.

Every muscle and every bone in my body felt a soreness, as if it had been repeatedly crushed.

However, in stark contrast to his physical exhaustion was his spirit.

His consciousness was clearer than ever before, and his perception was sharper than ever before.

He could even clearly hear the footsteps of early risers on the street outside the window, and smell the faint aroma of soy milk floating in the air from the breakfast shop downstairs.

Wang Xiaoer slowly closed his eyes, his mind sinking into his body.

Look inward at yourself.

He was momentarily stunned by the sight before him.

The dantian, which was originally as vast as the sea but had dried up due to the use of forbidden techniques, has now been filled up again.

They resembled a slowly rotating golden vortex composed of liquid true energy.

Each drop of "liquid" contains terrifying energy that is even more refined and concentrated than before.

They are no longer qi, but "yuan".

It is a qualitative change at a higher level.

At the center of that golden vortex, the nebula representing his own destiny also underwent a tremendous change.

It was no longer ethereal smoke, but had condensed into a fist-sized, golden star core radiating brilliant light.

Its radiance is restrained, its texture is solid, like a true star suspended in the universe, calm and majestic. It continuously emits a mysterious rhythm, subtly resonating with the aura of the entire firm and even this world.

The foundation is more solid than before.

The power is purer than before.

This restoration of heaven and earth not only replenished all his deficiencies, but also served as an ultimate tempering and purification, elevating the pure yang energy and fortune within his body to a new level.

Wang Xiaoer slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath.

In the morning light, the aura even took on a faint golden hue.

He stretched his still sore muscles and bones, feeling the surging yet perfectly controlled power within him, and couldn't help but smile slightly.

"So, this fight wasn't a waste of time, it even escalated."

A voice, tinged with surprise and exhaustion, came from the side.

"You're finally awake!"

Wang Xiaoer turned his head and saw Zhang Chen and A Yue sitting on chairs that had been temporarily moved to the side. Both of them had heavy dark circles under their eyes, obviously they hadn't slept much in the past few days.

Upon seeing him wake up, the tense expressions on their faces finally relaxed visibly.

"How are you feeling?"

A-Yue asked, her voice carrying a hint of concern that she herself didn't realize.

"Haha, it's alright!"