NOVEL NEXT Chapter 114:
Chapter 114:
Li Kuang had actually hidden himself within a city. This left Xiao Yang at a loss. Hovering high in the sky, he looked down at the bustling city below. This wasn’t an abandoned city; countless people lived here.
With Li Kuang blending into the crowd, finding him wouldn’t be easy. Worse, the city was full of people, making it the perfect place for Li Kuang to absorb life force and heal his injuries. If that happened, countless lives would be lost.
“Damn it!” Xiao Yang muttered. Having lived two lifetimes, he knew better than anyone how cruel and heartless those in the Demonic Sect could be. They would stop at nothing to achieve their goals, even if it meant sacrificing countless lives.
If draining the entire city of its life force could heal him, Li Kuang would undoubtedly go on a killing spree. Xiao Yang was certain that his presence alone was keeping Li Kuang in check. But if he left, Li Kuang would show no restraint. A demonic cultivator of Li Kuang’s level could easily massacre everyone in the city.
After some thought, Xiao Yang flipped his right hand, and twelve top-grade Fire Spirit Crystals appeared, floating above his palm. Using his powerful sword intent, he began carving intricate formation patterns into the crystals. His goal was to seal the entire city.
In his previous life, Xiao Yang had roamed the Northern Territory for a millennium, acquiring extensive knowledge of formations. Before long, he completed the engravings. With a wave of his hand, the twelve Fire Spirit Crystals transformed into streaks of fiery light and shot toward twelve strategic points around the city, embedding themselves deep into the ground.
“Sky-Sealing Divine Fire Formation, activate!” Xiao Yang declared.
A hum resonated in the void, and the spiritual energy of the surrounding heavens and earth was immediately drawn into motion. A faint, enormous barrier emerged in the air, enveloping the entire city. Once the formation was operational, the barrier disappeared, blending seamlessly into the void as if it had never existed.
This Sky-Sealing Divine Fire Formation created an invisible firewall around the city. If Li Kuang attempted to leave, the formation would activate, allowing Xiao Yang to react immediately.
After setting up the formation, Xiao Yang descended to the city gate. Looking up, he realized where he was.
“This is… Tianshui City?” he murmured in surprise. It dawned on him that he was now close to the Heavenly Medical Sect’s territory.
Tianshui City fell under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Medical Sect, one of the top ten sects in the Northern Territory, renowned for its vast influence and sprawling lands.
As he stood at the gate, Xiao Yang’s expression grew serious. He recalled an event from his previous life—this was seven days before the grand Hexagram Competition. Striding into the city, he quickly noticed something was amiss.
The streets were eerily quiet. Those who walked about did so hurriedly, their faces tense. Shops along the streets were closed, their doors sealed with notices that fluttered in the wind.
The once-bustling marketplace was deserted. Goods lay scattered across empty stalls, covered in layers of dust that spoke of long-lost prosperity.
Seeing this desolation, Xiao Yang felt a pang of sadness. It was just as he remembered. A plague had struck Tianshui City.
And she should be here, too.
Xiao Yang’s thoughts turned to his confidante from his previous life. His heart tightened with an unexplainable anxiety.
In his last life, they had traveled the Northern Territory together. She healed the sick, while he protected her. Those days, though simple, had been some of the happiest of his life.
She had been his only true friend, someone who understood him. Perhaps something more had begun to blossom between them, but Xiao Yang, preoccupied with his junior sister Jiang Ting, had been blind to it.
When he had heard that Jiang Ting was in trouble, he had left immediately, not thinking much of it at the time. Only later did he realize the look in her eyes as he departed—reluctance and sorrow.
Her death shattered him, and he had drowned himself in alcohol for three days and nights.
“In my past life, I promised to protect you, but I failed. This time, I won’t let anyone hurt you. Whoever dares to harm you will be torn to pieces!” Xiao Yang clenched his fists.
Her kindness had made her vulnerable, leading to her tragic end. Losing her had been one of the greatest regrets of Xiao Yang’s past life. Now, with a second chance, he vowed to keep her safe.
In his previous life, her death had been indirectly his fault. If not for him, she wouldn’t have been targeted.
As he walked deeper into the city, he saw that the windows of every household were tightly shut. An oppressive atmosphere hung over the city, heavy and suffocating.
In his past life, Xiao Yang had only heard about the plague in Tianshui City. Now, chasing Li Kuang, he had witnessed it firsthand.
A plague in the city, coupled with Li Kuang hiding in the shadows—Xiao Yang felt a headache coming on. Though he had no fear of the plague, Li Kuang’s presence posed a significant threat.
Xiao Yang strode forward and soon arrived near the city square. The air here carried the faint scent of medicinal herbs.
As he approached, he was shocked to find the square packed with people. The sick had gathered here en masse. Large tents had been set up, and disciples of the Heavenly Medical Sect moved among them, tending to the patients.
Xiao Yang scanned the crowd until his gaze locked onto a familiar figure. His heart surged with excitement.
There she was, dressed in white, her hair tied with a red ribbon, moving gracefully among the patients. She seemed like a celestial being descended from the heavens, pure and transcendent.
She was feeding medicine to a little girl covered in red sores, some of which had ruptured, oozing pus and a foul stench. Yet the woman showed no trace of disgust, carefully holding the girl and feeding her a pill.
“Big sister, will I die?” the little girl asked weakly.
“No, big sister will cure you,” the woman replied softly.
Her familiar voice reached Xiao Yang’s ears, bringing a wave of nostalgia. She was still the same—gentle, kind, and dedicated to saving lives.
She was none other than Ning Shu, the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Medical Sect.
In Xiao Yang’s previous life, Ning Shu had been like a beacon of light, illuminating his dark world. She had redeemed him, making him believe in the goodness of humanity.
But in his past life, he had failed to protect her, and she had fallen victim to vile schemes. A healer of her caliber, gone too soon.
“This time, I will protect you and ensure you achieve your dreams,” Xiao Yang vowed silently.
“Big sister, please don’t comfort me anymore. I know my illness can’t be cured. If I die, will I see my parents and little brother again?” the girl murmured before coughing violently, blood staining her lips.
Clearly, the medicine she had just taken had no effect.
“Holy Maiden, what kind of poison is this? It’s terrifying!” a veiled female disciple of the Heavenly Medical Sect exclaimed in shock.
The so-called plague was, in truth, a widespread poisoning. This poison was so peculiar that even Ning Shu couldn’t immediately neutralize it. Worse, it was contagious, affecting even martial artists below the Divine Realm. Several disciples of the sect had already fallen victim to it.
Ning Shu didn’t reply. Instead, she retrieved a small jade bottle from her belongings. Uncorking it, she poured out a green pill and fed it to the little girl.
“Holy Maiden, that’s your life-saving pill! You’re just giving it away?” the female disciple cried out, stunned.
Xiao Yang, too, was moved. The pill was a Heaven-Replenishing Life Pill, an extremely rare treasure. Each generation’s Holy Maiden was granted only one by the sect, and once used, it was gone forever. The pill could cure any poison and even bring someone on the brink of death back to life.
Such a precious pill, and Ning Shu gave it to a little girl without hesitation.
Watching this, Xiao Yang couldn’t help but feel admiration for Ning Shu. If she had kept this pill in her past life, could it have saved her? She had given away her chance at survival to save someone else.
Damn Qin Fei! How could he have harmed someone like her? In Xiao Yang’s previous life, Qin Fei had learned of his connection with Ning Shu and targeted her.
Qin Fei deserved to die! Xiao Yang clenched his fists in rage. This time, he would not spare Qin Fei or any of his accomplices. They all belonged in hell.
“It’s just a pill,” Ning Shu said lightly.
The little girl stopped coughing after taking the pill. The swelling on her body subsided, and her condition improved rapidly. The pill’s miraculous effect was undeniable.
Seeing this, the other patients grew excited and rushed toward Ning Shu.
“Fairy Ning, save me!”
“Fairy Ning, I don’t want to die!”
“Fairy Ning, please help my child!”
The crowd surged forward, believing that if Ning Shu could save the girl, she could save them too. They had no idea how rare the Heaven-Replenishing Life Pill was.
“This…” Ning Shu hesitated. She only had one pill. To save all these people, she would need countless pills, something even the Heavenly Medical Sect couldn’t provide.
As more people swarmed toward her, the situation threatened to spiral out of control. The disciples of the Heavenly Medical Sect panicked, and Ning Shu was visibly flustered.