Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

The violent suction force pulled at everyone's bodies.

All around was an impenetrable darkness, and the only sound was the shrill whistling of the wind tearing through the air.

Chen Xuan wrapped his arms tightly around Su Chang'an's waist and pressed Su Chang'an's head against his chest.

His broad back was completely exposed to the turbulent currents surging up below.

The feeling of weightlessness makes your internal organs churn.

Chen Xuan gritted his teeth and mobilized the spiritual power that had just been restored in his body, condensing a layer of black protective qi on his back.

"Bang!"

A dull thud echoed in the darkness.

Chen Xuan's back slammed hard against a hard object.

The black protective aura shattered instantly. The enormous reaction force was transmitted through the muscles into the internal organs.

Chen Xuan's body sprang up suddenly, then fell heavily back down.

He heard his spine making a grinding sound as it struggled under the strain.

"puff!"

A mouthful of blood mixed with pieces of internal organs spurted from Chen Xuan's mouth.

Warm blood was spilled all over Su Chang'an's shoulder.

Chen Xuan's arms remained firmly in place. He held the person in his arms tightly until the force of the tumbling subsided, then collapsed weakly onto the cold ground.

Su Chang'an broke free from Chen Xuan's embrace. It was pitch black all around. She smelled a strong stench of blood.

"You unfilial son!" Su Chang'an's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible panic.

She reached out and touched Chen Xuan's back. What she touched was a wet, sticky substance.

Chen Xuan's clothes were soaked in blood. The muscles on his back were swollen, and several broken ribs had even pierced his skin.

"Are you out of your mind? Do I need you as a human cushion?" Su Chang'an cursed, but her movements were extremely swift. She sat cross-legged next to Chen Xuan, her hands forming a hand seal.

A crimson light shone in Su Chang'an's palm.

That was the origin of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, which had been infused with the True Fire of the Phoenix.

The red CD player dispelled the surrounding darkness, illuminating the environment beneath them. They had crashed onto a wide staircase paved with white bones.

Su Chang'an placed his warm palm on Chen Xuan's back.

The crimson primordial power surged into Chen Xuan's body through his damaged meridians.

This force was both domineering and gentle, rapidly repairing Chen Xuan's broken bones and damaged internal organs.

Chen Xuan's finger twitched.

He struggled to open his eyes, his vision still somewhat blurry.

His first reaction was to grab Su Chang'an's wrist with his other hand. His fingers were icy cold, but the force was astonishing.

"Are you... alright?" Chen Xuan's voice was terribly hoarse.

Ignoring the excruciating pain in his body, he stared intently at Su Chang'an's face.

Looking at Chen Xuan's pale yet obsessive face, Su Chang'an suppressed his anger with an inexplicable emotion.

She slapped Chen Xuan on the forehead with her backhand, controlling the force very lightly.

"What could possibly happen to me? If you keep acting tough, next time I'll just collect your corpse," Su Chang'an said irritably. She increased the output of her primal power, and Chen Xuan's pale face finally regained a trace of color.

Chen Xuan did not refute.

He felt the warm power within him, and his tense nerves slowly relaxed.

As long as Su Chang'an was still in front of him, he was not afraid of anything.

"Brother! Miss Su!"

Chen Mu's tearful shouts came from not far away.

Su Chang'an turned his head.

Using the red light emanating from her primal power, she saw Chen Mu kneeling on the white bone steps a dozen steps away.

Chen Mu held the unconscious Chen Fan in his arms.

Chen Fan's face had turned ashen, and black blood was seeping from all seven orifices. The poison of the Soul-Scattering Pill was destroying his last chance at life.

The other dozens of Chen family members from collateral branches also got up from the ground one after another.

They all had injuries of varying degrees from the fall.

They surrounded Chen Mu, looking at the dying Chen Fan with eyes full of grief, anger, and helplessness.

Su Chang'an withdrew her hand from Chen Xuan's back. Chen Xuan's injuries had stabilized. She stood up and walked to Chen Mu.

"Move aside," Su Chang'an said calmly.

Chen Mu was stunned for a moment, then quickly took half a step back while holding Chen Fan.

Su Chang'an squatted down. She extended two slender white fingers and placed them on Chen Fan's pulse.

The poison from the Soul-Scattering Pill had already invaded his heart meridian. If it were an ordinary doctor, Chen Fan would already be a corpse.

"This kid's got guts." Su Chang'an withdrew her fingers, and a ball of crimson primordial power condensed in her palm once more. Without hesitation, she slapped this precious power into Chen Fan's chest.

The rebirth power of the Phoenix True Fire erupted instantly.

The domineering flames traveled through Chen Fan's body, burning away the black toxins little by little.

The essence of the celestial fox nourished Chen Fan's parched meridians.

Chen Fan's body convulsed violently a few times.

He suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of foul-smelling black blood.

Black blood fell onto the white bone steps, making a harsh, corrosive sound.

After spitting out the poisonous blood, Chen Fan's ashen face visibly regained its color, and his weak breathing became steady.

"His life is saved. Half of his cultivation is gone, but he'll have to practice slowly from now on." Su Chang'an stood up and clapped her hands. She looked down at the Chen family's collateral branch, her tone carrying a hint of admiration, "He dared to swallow real poison; this kid has guts. Not all of you collateral branch members are spineless."

Chen Mu's eyes were red-rimmed.

He kowtowed heavily on the bone steps.

"Thank you so much, Miss Su, for saving my life!"

Other members of the collateral branches also knelt down and kowtowed. Their awe of Su Chang'an was no less than their worship of Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan gripped the broken sword and stood up from the ground.

His movements were still somewhat stiff, but the murderous aura around him had already been rekindled.

He walked to Su Chang'an's side, his gaze sweeping into the depths of darkness.

Several flames lit up a few dozen paces away.

The goddess of the Wang family, along with a dozen or so remaining elite guards, stood warily on another set of bone steps.

They also survived the fall, and the goddess of the Wang family looked terrible. She held a faintly glowing array talisman in her hand, her eyes darting back and forth between Chen Xuan and Su Chang'an.

Chen Xuan gripped the broken sword, ready to make his move.

"Don't move." Su Chang'an pressed down on Chen Xuan's wrist. Her gaze wasn't on the goddess of the Wang family, but rather fixed on the area not far from where the Wang family members were standing.

There lay a severed arm.

That was Chen Tianyou's right arm, severed by Chen Xuan. A tattered sleeve of a purple-gold robe clung to the severed arm. Purple imperial blood flowed slowly from the cut, seeping onto the stark white bone steps.

A bizarre scene unfolded.

The purple blood had not dried up.

They spread rapidly along the patterns on the bone steps that were barely perceptible to the naked eye.

The once lifeless, bone-paved steps suddenly lit up with a layer of dark red array patterns. These patterns intertwined to form a massive net that stretched all the way into the bottomless abyss of darkness beneath their feet.

The temperature in the air suddenly dropped.

An ancient, cold aura, carrying a strong smell of blood, rose from the bottom of the abyss.

The goddess of the Wang family also sensed something was wrong. She led her subordinates to retreat quickly, increasing the distance between themselves and the severed arm.

"What's that sound?" Chen Mu gripped his long sword tightly, staring nervously into the abyss.

A heavy breathing sound came from the darkness at the end of the steps.

The voice was extremely deep and heavy, carrying a sense of oppression that sent shivers down one's spine.

Chen Xuan stepped forward, shielding Su Chang'an behind him. His spiritual energy surged wildly, and the black aura on the broken sword flickered erratically once more.

Two enormous red lanterns suddenly lit up in the darkness at the bottom of the abyss.

A pair of eyes filled with the rage, greed, and endless ages of an ancient, ferocious creature.

Those eyes slowly lifted up.

His gaze passed over the Wang family members who were on high alert, over the Chen family members who were gripping their weapons, and over Chen Xuan who was blocking his way.

The ferocious creature's gaze was fixed on Su Chang'an behind Chen Xuan.

The aura of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox emanating from Su Chang'an's body was like an irresistibly tempting lure in the darkness. A low roar escaped the ancient beast's throat, causing the surrounding bone steps to tremble.

At the same time.

The broken sword in Chen Xuan's hand suddenly began to tremble violently and uncontrollably.

"Zheng—"

The broken sword emitted a high-pitched sword cry, and the black baleful aura on the surface of the sword churned violently.

An ancient power, originating from the depths of the abyss, awakened within the broken sword. The tip of the broken sword automatically shifted, pointing directly at those enormous red eyes.

Chen Xuan gripped the sword hilt with both hands, forcefully suppressing the restlessness of the broken sword.