However, the Black Fiend Ancestor was, after all, a cunning and treacherous old man.

Seeing that he had failed to break through the defenses and suffered heavy losses, he did not hesitate to burn his life essence and activate an ancient forbidden demonic artifact that he had kept hidden away.

A Soul-Devouring Shuttle emitting an ominous red glow.

This shuttle was designed to pierce the soul, extremely vicious, and incredibly fast. It transformed into a streak of blood, heading straight for Zi Xi's head.

At that moment, Zi Xi was fully engaged in dealing with the desperate counterattack of several experts in front of her and was unaware of what was happening.

Without a second thought, Mu Yuan flew to block.

At the critical moment, he turned around sharply, firmly protecting Zi Xi behind him, while his body erupted with dazzling protective immortal light.

The Soul-Devouring Shuttle crashed violently into the celestial light, unleashing a deafening roar.

That was, after all, a fatal blow launched by the Black Fiend Ancestor at the cost of his life force, and its power was immense.

Mu Yuan's protective immortal light flickered violently, and was eventually torn apart. The remaining power of the Soul-Devouring Shuttle pierced into his left arm.

Mu Yuan suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, his face turning deathly pale. He staggered and fell heavily forward.

"Mu Yuan!"

Zi Xi caught his limp body, her voice filled with unprecedented panic.

When she saw the shocking wound on his shoulder, an indescribable fear and pain instantly gripped her heart.

Mu Yuan leaned into her arms and struggled to lift his eyes. Looking at Zi Xi's face, which was full of panic and tears, he seemed to be trying to force a reassuring smile on his bloodied lips.

"Don't be afraid...it's alright..."

With his last ounce of strength, he held her hand tightly.

Before he could finish speaking, his head lolled to the side and he lost consciousness completely.

"Mu Yuan! Mu Yuan!"

Zi Xi held his cold body and called his name over and over again, her voice choked with sobs.

She poured her spiritual power into his body, only to find it was like throwing a stone into the sea.

The Hidden Peak members were already stunned by this scene, and only now did they react and hurriedly surrounded the crowd.

For the first time, Zi Xi clearly realized that this man, whose thoughts were always unpredictable, had somehow already occupied an important place in her heart.

It was important enough to throw her into a panic.

Mu Yuan remained unconscious for three whole days.

These three days were an unprecedented ordeal for Zixi.

Zi Xi stayed by his bedside without leaving for a moment, using various precious healing pills to carefully guide the medicinal power to repair the toxins that had spread from his arm to his internal organs.

Perhaps it was the effect of Zi Xi's medicinal pills, or perhaps it was Mu Yuan's unfathomable cultivation foundation that stubbornly healed himself.

He finally woke up slowly at dusk on the third day.

Mu Yuan's long eyelashes trembled a few times before he slowly opened his eyes.

Those fox-like eyes, which always held a thousand schemes and amusement, now appeared somewhat blurry due to weakness.

Yet, he still managed to pinpoint the haggard, pale figure by the bed in the very first instant.

He opened his mouth, but his voice was dry and he couldn't make a sound.

A glass of warm water was immediately placed to his lips.

Zi Xi's movements were still slightly stiff, but her eyes were fixed on him without blinking, with a barely perceptible tension.

Mu Yuan slowly drank a few sips of water from her hand, his parched throat was moistened, and his consciousness became much clearer.

He looked at her pale and tired face, wanting to force a smile to comfort her as usual, but the movement aggravated his shoulder injury, and he couldn't help but frown and groan.

"Don't move."

"Your shoulder injury is severe; you need to rest."

Zi Xi immediately pressed him down, her voice carrying a gentleness that she herself was unaware of.

"How long have I been asleep? Are you alright now?"

Mu Yuan obediently stopped moving, but looked at her with his eyes, which had regained some of their luster, and asked in a low voice.