Chapter 36 She did it

The Demon King's Palace, the sleeping quarters.

The once warm hall, filled with sunlight and the fragrance of grass and trees, is now shrouded in boundless oppression.

Chi Li gently placed the unconscious Tang Lu on the bed covered with the softest brocade, her movements careful, as if she were handling a rare and fragile piece of glass.

The little one's eyes were tightly closed, and long, curled eyelashes cast faint shadows on his pale, bloodless face. His breathing was so weak that it was almost imperceptible.

Her cheeks, which always had a healthy rosy glow, were now ashen and dull, and her once smooth and shiny blonde hair looked dry.

What tormented Chi Li the most was that what was transmitted through the soul resonance was no longer the liveliness, dependence, or slight jealousy of the past, but a deathly coldness and wisps of filth that lingered and could not be dispelled.

That was the wound left by the backlash of the "Nine Netherworld Spirit Devouring Array," which was constantly eroding Tang Lu's pure wood spirit essence and fragile spiritual consciousness.

"Summon the physicians! Summon all the elders who are skilled in healing spirits and proficient in the Way of Wood Spirits! Immediately! Right now!"

Chi Li's voice was hoarse, conveying urgency and an almost uncontrollable panic.

Her aura was extremely unstable as she forcibly suppressed her old injuries and emotions.

The crimson-gold divine light flickered erratically, and the oppressive aura it exuded made the air in the entire bedchamber heavy and suffocating.

Soon, the most outstanding physicians and elders in the demon realm were summoned.

Seeing Tang Lu lying on the bed, barely breathing, and feeling His Majesty's terrifying aura on the verge of exploding, they were all terrified and dared not be negligent in the slightest. They immediately surrounded him and used their respective methods.

A gentle light shone from a life-detection spell, and pure healing spiritual energy attempted to be injected. The elder, skilled in spiritual perception techniques, closed his eyes and concentrated, his divine sense cautiously probing Tang Lu's sea of ​​consciousness...

However, as time went on, the expressions of the physicians and elders grew increasingly grave, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on their foreheads.

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty..." The leading tree demon elder withdrew his divine sense, his voice trembling.

"The young princess... her wood spirit essence is severely damaged."

What's even more troublesome is that... spiritual consciousness is being eroded by that filthy power, and is... is constantly withering away.

Ordinary healing spells and spiritual infusions are not only ineffective, but may even accelerate the spread of that corrupting power…

Another medical officer added, his voice strained:

"That corrupting power was extremely strange and stubborn, and it was almost entangled with the little prince's spiritual consciousness."

Forcibly dispelling it might... damage the very foundation of the young prince's spiritual consciousness.

It could even lead to... the complete collapse of one's spiritual consciousness.

When the spirit dissipates, the soul is scattered, and there is no chance of reincarnation!

As Chi Li listened to their report, every word felt like a cold file scraping cruelly against her heart.

She looked at the tiny figure on the bed, seemingly about to vanish at any moment. Her mind was filled with uncontrollable flashes of the little one's bright smile in the sunlight, his soft, sweet voice when he was being affectionate, his puffed-up cheeks when he was jealous, and the resolute look in his eyes when she resolutely probed the array plate with her spiritual sense at the last moment...

It was her fault for not protecting her.

She is the one who put her in such a desperate situation.

"Useless!" Chi Li suddenly waved her sleeve, and the powerful shockwave forced the medical officers and elders to retreat repeatedly, but they dared not utter a single complaint.

Her chest heaved violently, and the old wound on her shoulder, which had been temporarily suppressed, was torn apart again by the surge of emotions. A metallic taste rose in her throat, which she forced down.

Now is not the time to assign blame.

She must remain calm.

Chi Li forced herself to take a deep breath, walked to the edge of the couch and sat down. She reached out and her fingertips trembled as she brushed against Tang Lu's cold face.

She restrained her divine power to its gentlest degree, like the finest trickle, and tried to probe into Tang Lu's body.

As the physician had predicted, it was indeed the case.

In Tang Lu's meridians, the originally vibrant wood spirit energy became weak and dim, and was occupied by a cold and viscous black aura, which continuously devoured the little life force left.

Her sea of ​​consciousness, that small world that should have been pure, bright, and full of the fragrance of grass and trees, was now shrouded in a gray-black mist. The core of her spiritual light was flickering weakly, like a candle in the wind, its edges being constantly eaten away and peeled away by the black mist.

Sensing the approach of the Crimson Glass Divine Power, the black mist immediately split into several strands, like sharks smelling blood, attempting to corrupt and devour her power.

Chi Li immediately withdrew her divine power, her expression becoming even more unpleasant.

This corrupting power is indeed domineering; it can even erode her phoenix divine power!

Is there really no other way?

No!

no way!

Chi Li's eyes were filled with a mad obsession.

She recalled how Tang Lu's pure wood spirit energy had comforted and soothed her when her old injury flared up before.

The spirit of wood represents vitality and purification...

An extremely bold, even insane, idea began to take root in her mind.

Since external forces cannot dispel it, let's purify it from within.

Using her purest phoenix essence, combined with Tang Lu's own wood spirit essence, they worked together to forcibly refine those filthy powers!

But the risks involved are enormous and immeasurable.

Her phoenix divine power is extremely yang and strong. If not controlled properly, it might not purify, but instead directly burn Tang Lu's fragile spirit.

However, if one were to extend their primordial power deep into another's sea of ​​consciousness, the slightest mishap could result in severe damage to both of their spiritual consciousness, leading to utter destruction!

This was nothing short of a high-stakes gamble, risking both her and Tang Lu's lives!

Seeing Tang Lu's breath growing weaker and weaker, and the light of her spiritual consciousness fading at a visible speed, Chi Li could no longer hesitate.

"Everyone, leave the palace! No one is to approach within a hundred miles without my order!" she commanded sternly, her voice filled with a resolute determination.

The physicians and elders exchanged bewildered glances, but dared not disobey. They could only retreat with heavy hearts, setting up multiple protective barriers around the perimeter.

Inside the bedchamber, only Chi Li and the unconscious Tang Lu remained.

Chi Li sat cross-legged on the couch, helped Tang Lu up, and let her lean against him.

She closed her eyes, focused her mind, and forcefully suppressed the churning blood and qi within her body and the stinging pain from her old wounds, sinking her entire being into the deepest part of her body.

A drop of phoenix heart essence, a crimson-gold color containing supreme power and boundless vitality, was slowly forced out from the source of her heart.

This drop of essence blood is different from the one she swore an oath to before. It contains her most core life essence and fragments of laws. Losing even a single drop will severely damage her vitality and cause her cultivation to regress.

But she didn't care at all.

Her essence and blood floated on her fingertips, like a miniature sun, radiating a warm and sacred light.

She carefully channeled the drop of blood essence through Tang Lu's brow and slowly transferred it into her sea of ​​consciousness, which was shrouded in black mist.

At the same time, she separated an extremely subtle wisp of divine consciousness, which she had suppressed to the gentlest state, and attached it to the essence blood, entering together.

This is a desolate and chaotic battlefield.

The moment the crimson-gold essence blood entered the sea of ​​consciousness, it was like the first ray of dawn rising in the darkest hour before sunrise, instantly illuminating a small area.

The lingering black mist seemed to have encountered its natural enemy, letting out a silent shriek as it surged up madly, trying to extinguish the ray of light.

"Tang Lu...can you hear me?" Chi Li's divine sense transmitted a gentle call, trying to awaken Tang Lu's dormant self-awareness, "Follow me...together, let's drive these filthy things out..."

She controlled the drop of essence blood, emanating a gentle and continuous purifying power. Instead of attacking aggressively, it melted away the approaching black mist little by little, like the warm sun melting ice and snow.

At the same time, her divine sense, like the most nimble fingers, gently plucked at Tang Lu's faint ball of spiritual light, attempting to stimulate its inner vitality.

Time passed little by little.

Chi Li's face grew paler and paler, her forehead was covered in cold sweat, and her body trembled slightly due to the immense exertion and extreme mental focus.

The power of that drop of blood essence was being continuously depleted, while the black mist's counterattack remained fierce.

Just as she felt a slight exhaustion, and the light of her essence began to dim slightly...

Suddenly, Tang Lu's faint spiritual light flickered very slightly, as if in response!

As if its dormant consciousness had caught a reassuring and familiar aura, a trace of incredibly pure and faint wood spirit life force struggled to seep out from the center of the light cluster, actively binding itself to the light of Chi Li's divine consciousness and essence blood!

It's done!

Chi Li's spirits lifted, and a surge of immense joy and hope welled up within her!

She immediately guided this newborn power to merge with her own essence and blood.

The combined power was no longer a purely domineering purification, but rather possessed a tenacious, ever-renewing quality, which dramatically enhanced its ability to restrain the filthy black mist.

The green vitality intertwined with the crimson golden divine light, like a wildfire, and began to actively, slowly and steadily advance and purify the surrounding black mist.

This is a slow and painful process.

With each wisp of black mist purified, Tang Lu's spiritual light trembled slightly, likely due to the immense pain it was enduring.

Chi Li's heart clenched, and she could only control her power more carefully, using her divine sense to firmly protect the fragile core of her spiritual consciousness.

I don't know how much time passed.

When the last wisp of stubborn black mist was completely annihilated in the interwoven light, Tang Lu's sea of ​​consciousness finally regained its clarity.

Although still weak, the ball of spiritual light stabilized, emitting a faint but pure green light.

Chi Li let out a long sigh of relief, almost completely exhausted, as her divine consciousness and the remaining power from her nearly depleted essence slowly withdrew.

She opened her eyes and first looked at Tang Lu in her arms.

The little guy was still unconscious, but his face was no longer so ashen, his breathing became more steady and long, his furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and he fell into a deep sleep.

On the other end of the soul resonance, the deathly coldness has disappeared. Although it is still faint, that familiar and warm bond has been reconnected.

With trembling hands, Chi Li gently stroked Tang Lu's slightly warm face.

Her tense nerves suddenly relaxed, and the immense fatigue and backlash from her injuries surged like a tidal wave, causing her vision to go black. She coughed up a mouthful of blood, swayed, and nearly collapsed.

But she forced herself to stay upright, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth with her sleeve, carefully laid Tang Lu down, and covered her with the blanket.

She did it.

Her tree spirit was saved for the time being.

As for her own depleted essence and aggravated old injuries... they are insignificant compared to the safety of the little one in her arms.

His Majesty the Demon King stood guard by the bedside, holding Tang Lu's slightly cool little hand, not daring to look away for a moment.