"What is this kid up to?" The Heavenly Dao Elder had a bad feeling. He watched Zhang Er Gou's actions, not daring to relax his vigilance.
Liao Yiyi had greatly reduced her consumption and felt much more at ease by altering her control over the Aurora Curse. The Aurora Curse was a significant drain on her, but it was nothing compared to Zhang Er Gou's spatial power.
Through the vortex surrounding Zhang Er Gou, Liao Yiyi saw him pull out another handful of pills and frowned. Just in case, Liao Yiyi quickly urged her spiritual energy, increasing the output of the light enveloping Zhang Er Gou.
Zhang Er Gou raised his head and gave Liao Yiyi a mysterious smile. He opened his mouth and swallowed the pills. Instantly, his depleted spiritual energy was fully replenished.
"Not good," the Heavenly Dao Elder's sense of danger grew stronger. After swallowing the pills, Zhang Er Gou's face hardened as he poured all his spiritual energy into the vortex around him. In an instant, Zhang Er Gou's figure began to blur. Even more terrifying, the vortex beside Zhang Er Gou seemed to freeze, but upon closer inspection, faint cracks appeared around it.
"Damn it, this kid is risking his life!" the Heavenly Dao Elder cursed in frustration. As the cracks grew larger, the light of Liao Yiyi's Aurora Curse was completely extinguished, as if it had never existed. Liao Yiyi lost all connection to it. The cracks continued to spread forward, and in the blink of an eye, they were about to reach Liao Yiyi.
The Heavenly Dao Elder could no longer afford to worry about anything else. He flashed to the Wind and Cloud Stage and pulled Liao Yiyi away from it. Then, he set up a protective barrier on the Wind and Cloud Stage. Still not entirely at ease, the Heavenly Dao Elder immediately ordered the elders to organize the disciples to move a thousand meters away from the Wind and Cloud Stage.
The cracks spread silently but rapidly. In the blink of an eye, the space above the entire Wind and Cloud Stage appeared to have been cut into fragments by a knife. The Heavenly Dao Elder stood quietly suspended in the air above the Wind and Cloud Stage, in a spot not yet reached by the cracks. At this moment, he found Zhang Er Gou's actions incredibly difficult to comprehend. This technique Zhang Er Gou had unleashed was so formidable that even the Heavenly Dao Elder found it exceedingly troublesome. All they could do now was wait for Zhang Er Gou's spiritual power to be exhausted. If he were to force his way in, the Heavenly Dao Elder could not guarantee his own safe return.
"How many secrets does this kid still hold?" Even the Heavenly Dao Elder felt a pang of jealousy towards Zhang Er Gou. Spatial power was something he had only read about in ancient texts. Today, he truly witnessed the destructive power of spatial energy. Liao Yiyi's Aurora Curse, which had never been resisted by an opponent before, was rendered useless against this rare spatial power. Even more terrifying was that spatial power could devour light, directly causing it to vanish. This was an incredibly rare and potent weapon.
Zhang Er Gou, at the center of the spatial energy vortex, was not faring well. As the spiritual energy in his body was depleted, he felt the spreading spatial forces gradually slipping out of his control. This was a power that, at his current stage, he could not truly command. Zhang Er Gou paid the price for his recklessness. The backlash of spatial power came swiftly. First, the spiritual energy around Zhang Er Gou was completely drained, and then he felt his life force ebbing away. He wanted to stop, but he was completely unable to control it. Sue Dan Novel Network. His hair was the first to change, his black strands turning white. Following that, his skin became rough and shriveled, wrinkled and protruding. His entire being became withered, and gradually, he lost consciousness.
...
"Er Gou, you're finally awake?"
Zhang Er Gou slowly opened his eyes, and what greeted him were several anxious faces. Liu Cui Lan's cheeks were still streaked with tears. Chi Ling and Chi Yu also looked worried. Lin Yi Chen, Xiao Qing Yu, and Wang Teng paced back and forth, fearing the worst and afraid to look at Zhang Er Gou lying on the bed. When they heard Chi Yu say Zhang Er Gou was awake, they rushed to his bedside.
"What happened to me? Why am I lying here?" Zhang Er Gou was confused. Wasn't he fighting Liao Yiyi on the Wind and Cloud Stage? Why was he in his own bed on Spiritual Jade Peak?
"You damn kid, risking your life for a mere victory, was it worth it?" The Heavenly Dao Elder's voice came from outside, filled with anger. Upon hearing the news of Zhang Er Gou waking up, he had rushed over immediately.
"Elder Heavenly Dao, what happened to me?" Zhang Er Gou asked again. He tried to struggle to sit up but had no strength at all. He had never felt so weak. Even before he started cultivating, Zhang Er Gou had always been healthy. This was the first time he had been in a state where he lacked the strength to even sit up in bed.
"Kid, how do you feel?" Glancing at Zhang Er Gou's withered skin and white hair, the Heavenly Dao Elder did not answer him.
"I feel weak all over, unable to muster any strength," Zhang Er Gou replied truthfully. Hearing this, Liu Cui Lan, Lin Yue Ru, and Lu Xiao Yu, several female disciples, shed silent tears again. Liao Yiyi, who had also been staying at Spiritual Jade Peak these past few days, looked at Zhang Er Gou with a complicated expression.
"Any other sensations?" The Heavenly Dao Elder attempted to infuse spiritual energy into Zhang Er Gou's body. However, his body seemed like a bottomless pit; the spiritual energy entered without causing the slightest ripple. The Heavenly Dao Elder remained composed and infused an even more potent stream of spiritual energy. Still, just like the first time, Zhang Er Gou's body showed no change.
"You should rest well for a while. You suffered a backlash from using that forbidden power," the Heavenly Dao Elder finally decided to tell Zhang Er Gou the truth.
"Forbidden power?" Zhang Er Gou was confused. Could it be that mysterious power that devoured his own strength before he collapsed? To this day, Zhang Er Gou had not noticed the changes in his body. He only felt a complete lack of strength. Having just woken up surrounded by people had drawn his attention, so he hadn't yet noticed his physical deterioration.
"Wait here, I'll go find Elder Qiao." After failing to infuse spiritual energy into Zhang Er Gou twice, the Heavenly Dao Elder was also somewhat at a loss. He stood up and walked out, heading to find the only fourth-grade alchemist in the Misty Sect – Qiao Yan Yun.
"Er Gou, you'll be fine. Just sleep well, and when Master comes, he'll save you." Lin Yue Ru, taking advantage of the Heavenly Dao Elder's departure and clearing some space, quickly said to Zhang Er Gou.
"What do you mean?" Zhang Er Gou looked at Lin Yue Ru beside him with confusion. As he turned his head, he finally noticed that his skin had become unbearable to look at.