Before she could finish speaking, Mu Xiaoxiao's body suddenly rose into the air like a puppet on strings. Han Feng tried to catch his breath and give chase, but he spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs. The backlash from the Return to Nothingness style began to destroy his meridians.
"Stop him... We can't let the tiger return to the mountain..." Han Feng shouted hoarsely.
Zhang Jingcheng and Dongfang Lin leaped up simultaneously, flanking them from the left and right. However, the Youjing Clan Emperor merely waved his hand in mid-air, and the two were sent flying backward as if struck by lightning. Even with only a tenth of his strength remaining, and even with the Youjing Clan Emperor's realm greatly diminished, his casual strike was still beyond the reach of those at the Innate Realm.
"Ants." The Nether Crystal Clan Emperor sneered, grabbing Mu Xiaoxiao's mangled body and soaring into the sky. "Next time we meet, I will take your life!"
The sound waves rolled across the sea like thunder, causing rocks to fall off. As he went away, the barrier covering the sea began to crumble—first, spiderweb-like cracks appeared in the blue light shield in the sky, then the surrounding spatial barriers peeled away like glass, revealing the original night sky.
Han Feng watched the blue light disappear into the clouds, his tense nerves finally relaxing. He tried to draw the Star Soul Blade, but found his fingers wouldn't obey him. His vision began to darken at the edges, and he heard Liu Mengran, Su Wanwan, and Dongfang Wantang's anxious calls, but it was as if they were coming through a thick layer of frosted glass.
(Can't sleep yet...)
His remaining consciousness struggled desperately, but the side effects of the Return to Nothingness technique overwhelmed him like a tidal wave. Before plunging into complete darkness, Han Feng's last sight was the complete collapse of the barrier, with starlight pouring down like rain. Within those starlight, it seemed as if a pair of eyes were watching him, familiar yet strange...
"Han Feng!"
"Star Lord!"
The shouts faded into the distance. Han Feng fell forward, only to be caught by Wang Hao, who rushed over. His former friend was now filled with terror; Han Feng, lying in his arms, was almost covered in blood, his breathing so weak it was barely perceptible.
"Quick! Return immediately!" Zhang Jingcheng quickly examined the injuries, his voice trembling. "His meridians are completely shattered; if he doesn't receive treatment soon..."
"Quick! Hemostatic powder!"
Dongfang Wantang frantically pulled a jade bottle from her bosom and poured the fragrant medicinal powder onto Han Feng's gruesome chest wound. The powder sizzled upon contact with flesh and blood, but it couldn't stop the blood from gushing out.
"It's no use... the backlash from his meridians is too severe..." Zhang Jingcheng placed his palms on Han Feng's back, continuously channeling his innate true energy, but it was like throwing a stone into the sea. "We must return to China immediately. Perhaps the Dongfang family's star platform can stabilize the chaotic energy within his body!"
Wang Hao picked up Han Feng, his arms bulging with veins from the effort. The body in his arms was terrifyingly light, as if it were just a thin skin covering broken bones. He dared not look down at that deathly pale face—his once spirited friend now had blood and foam from fragments of internal organs hanging from the corner of his mouth.
"Helicopter! Have you made contact?" Su Wanwan screamed into the communicator, her fingers flying across the keyboard.
Chen Feng had just ended the call, his expression grave: "The nearest carrier strike group has dispatched rescue helicopters, but it will take at least twenty minutes..."
"He can't hold on that long!" Liu Mengran knelt beside Han Feng, gripping his cold fingers tightly. Her usually calm eyes were now brimming with tears, yet she stubbornly refused to let them fall.
A faint groan came from afar. Aya Ikegami curled up among the rocks, the blue crystal patterns around her body flickering, and her cultivation level plummeted to the mid-stage.
"What should we do with her?" Chen Feng asked, frowning. "Take her back or...?"
Liu Xiaoran silently walked to his sister's side and draped his coat over her trembling shoulders: "I'll stay." He glanced at the unconscious Chi Shangling, "She poses no threat now, but if we leave her unattended, she might be taken away by the remnants of the Youjing Clan."
Liu Mengran suddenly looked up: "Brother! It's too dangerous! What if the Youjing Clan Emperor suddenly turns around and attacks..."
"The barrier has been broken; they dare not take the risk." Liu Xiaoran gently ruffled his sister's hair, his voice unusually soft. "Go, that kid needs you."
Dongfang Lin made a decisive decision: "The Dongfang family will leave a team to assist Nephew Liu." He selected eight elite men, instructing them to report any unusual movements immediately.
Chen Feng answered the satellite phone again: "Commander, the situation has changed... Yes, Han Feng is seriously injured... He needs immediate..." Lin Zhengguo's outburst came from the other end of the phone, which could be heard clearly by everyone around.
"It's all arranged." Chen Feng hung up the phone, speaking rapidly, "The East China Sea Fleet has dispatched its fastest patrol boat to provide support. Once in international waters, they'll transfer to a medical helicopter. The entire Longyuan medical team is on standby."
Several black dots appeared on the distant horizon, and the roar of propellers could be faintly heard. Wang Hao carefully transferred Han Feng to a stretcher made from a makeshift coat, with Su Wanwan and Liu Mengran supporting him on either side.
"Go!" Zhang Jingcheng waved his hand, creating a wall of air to block the increasingly large waves.
The group quickly moved towards the shore, while Liu Xiaoran stood still and watched them go. When his sister turned back to look, he straightened his back and made a gesture unique to Longyuan—"Mission accomplished."
The helicopter landed on the nearest gentle reef, and the medics nearly got blown over by the strong wind as they jumped out. Everyone hurriedly lifted Han Feng onto a stretcher. Liu Mengran was about to follow when a medic stopped her: "Only one family member can come!"
"I'll go!" Su Wanwan suddenly said, her eyes gleaming with the light of electronic data. "My ability allows me to monitor his vital signs in real time." She looked at Liu Mengran, "You take the next seat..."
Liu Mengran shook her head, unusually firm: "I must go with him." She turned to the medic, "I am his wife."
This clumsy lie made the medic raise an eyebrow—he knew Han Feng's file by heart, so where did this fiancée come from? But seeing the girl's reddened eyes, he finally stepped aside: "Hurry up!"
Amidst the raging winds as the helicopter ascended, Dongfang Wantang placed a jade pendant into Liu Mengran's hand: "The Dongfang family's 'Soul-Nourishing Jade,' it can protect his consciousness from dissipating..."
Before the words were even finished, the helicopter roared into the sky. The rest of the people watched in silence as it became a tiny dot on the horizon, until Chen Feng broke the silence:
"The second evacuation will begin in one hour. Elder Zhang, you and the members of the Aristocratic Alliance will go first..."
"No need." Dongfang Lin waved his hand. "I will advance and retreat with you all. But young friend Wang Hao..." He looked at the young man still staring at the sky, "You can go with the second group."
Wang Hao clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white: "I want to kill that blue-skinned monster with my own hands..."
"There will be opportunities." Zhang Jingcheng patted him on the shoulder, "But right now, as the Star Soul Priest, we need you to stay calm even more."
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