With his last ounce of strength, David released all the remaining chaotic essence within his body, transforming it into a massive gray-black vortex that stretched across the crack.
The vortex spun wildly, devouring, shattering, and annihilating all the pursuing divine light of order.
“Run!”
David’s voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible, “This thing won’t last three breaths”
Ling Shuang carried David as they rushed out of the rift, but their feet slipped, and the two of them fell from the spatial rift above the secret realm.
Outside the secret realm, the sky above the outer gate of the Tian Shu Sect was still as white as ever, but the place where the two fell was right below a dense forest of spirit trees.
Ling Shuang used her last bit of strength to adjust her body and used her spiritual power to protect David’s body. The two of them crashed heavily into the spirit wood forest, breaking more than a dozen towering trees, and finally fell onto a thick layer of fallen leaves and humus.
Ling Shuang crawled out of the pile of fallen leaves, her whole body aching and blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
She glanced down at David and found that he had completely fainted, his face as pale as paper, blood still seeping from the wound on his chest, and his breath so weak that it was almost imperceptible.
She gritted her teeth, carried David on her back, and staggered towards the depths of the Spirit Wood Forest.
Behind them, the outer sect of the Tian Shu Sect was in an uproar.
Although Heng Xuan did not pursue them out of the secret realm, he had already ordered the entire territory to be sealed off. All patrol agencies simultaneously activated the highest alert, and tens of thousands of patrol soldiers converged from all directions to search for David and Ling Shuang’s whereabouts.
But Ling Shuang was prepared.
She had been lurking in the Tian Shu Sect for three thousand years, and knew the terrain, spiritual veins, and blind spots of surveillance around the outer sect like the back of her hand.
She carried David through the Spirit Wood Forest for about two hours before finally entering an extremely hidden underground river entrance.
The entrance to the underground river was covered by thick vines and moss. The interior space was narrow and deep. The water of the underground river carried a rich spiritual energy of heaven and earth, which washed away, covered and dissipated the aura of the two people.
Ling Shuang placed David on a dry rock on the bank of the dark river, then slumped down beside him, panting heavily.
Her back wound was still bleeding, but she didn’t have time to treat it. She took out a few healing pills from her sleeve and stuffed them into David’s mouth.
After giving him a few more mouthfuls of dark river spiritual water and confirming that his breathing had stabilized, he leaned against the stone wall and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.
This hiding lasted for seven days.
Seven days later, David finally woke up from his coma.
The first thing he did upon opening his eyes was to sense his cultivation level—late stage of the seventh rank of the Great Luo Golden Immortal.
Although it has fallen considerably from its peak, its foundation remains, the primordial chaos is slowly recovering, and the burns in its meridians are gradually healing.
He tried to sit up, his bones cracking and popping, making him wince in pain.
“Hold……”
David cursed under his breath, “That bastard really went all out.”
Ling Shuang sat on the opposite bank of the dark river, washing her wounds with spiritual spring water.
Hearing David’s voice, she turned her head. Although her face was still pale, the light in her eyes was a little brighter than before: “Awake?”
“woke up.”
David leaned against the stone wall and looked around at his surroundings. “Where is this place?”
“The underground river beneath the outer gate of the Tian Shu Sect. The patrol bureau’s detection network covers the surface and the air, but the underground river has a natural spiritual vein shield, so their divine observation cannot detect it.”
Ling Shuang tossed a healing pill to David, saying, “Heal your injuries first. In your current state, going out would be suicide.”
David took the pill and swallowed it. He closed his eyes and sensed for a moment, then suddenly opened them: “Where are Jiang Xuelan and the others?”
Ling Shuang paused for a moment: “I had them disperse and evacuate outside the rift in the secret realm. Ling Xiyue and the two guards led a group of people eastward, and that woman named Jiang Xuelan she said she has her own way of finding you.”
David breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Jiang Xuelan has a spiritual connection with him, and as long as the distance is not too far, she can sense his approximate location.
He closed his eyes, slightly activating the connection deep within his soul, sensing Jiang Xuelan’s direction.
A moment later, he opened his eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips: “She’s on her way. She should arrive in three days at most.”
Three days later, Jiang Xuelan indeed found the entrance to the underground river.
She arrived with Ling Xiyue, Canfeng, and the cripple, each bearing injuries of varying degrees, yet none of them fell behind.
Jiang Xuelan saw David’s pale yet still roguish face leaning against the stone wall, her eyes reddening slightly, but she suppressed it and simply said, “It’s good that you’re still alive.”