"An extremely unique Independent Space?"

Wan Xianzhong was taken aback. Any Independent Space his father called "unique" had to be anything but ordinary. ’But where in the entire Extreme Martial Continent could there be a place his father had never visited? Or perhaps,’ he thought, ’this space isn’t part of the Extreme Martial Continent at all.’

Just as Wan Xianzhong was racking his brain, Wan Xianlin sighed. He seemed to have read his son’s mind. "Don’t think of me as some omnipotent god," he said slowly. "I’m just a mere mortal. This space is indeed quite unique. The only thing I can confirm is that it still belongs to our Extreme Martial Continent. The problem is, it’s completely cut off from the Outer Realm. It even masks the fluctuations from her Life-Protecting Talisman, which is why I lost Xian’Er’s trail."

Wan Xianzhong exhaled, then his expression filled with worry again. "But doesn’t that mean Xian’Er has just jumped from the frying pan into the fire? If it’s a place even you’ve never been to, Father, then no other Great Power could have found it either. Wouldn’t an undiscovered place like that be incredibly dangerous?"

Wan Xianlin sighed again. "All we can do now is hope that the Life-Protecting Talisman inside Xian’Er can emit even the faintest pulse. Otherwise, even I am powerless. But Xian’Er has always been fortunate; she’ll be alright. You focus on managing the Ding Palace’s affairs. Leave the search for her to this old man who has nothing but time on his hands."

Wan Xianzhong gave a bitter smile. "I suppose that’s all we can do. If even you can’t find a way, Father, then all my worrying is pointless."

Wan Xianlin nodded. His body shivered faintly, and without so much as a ripple in space, he vanished before Sikong and Wan Xianzhong as if he were never there.

Seeing Sikong’s face still etched with shame, Wan Xianzhong patted his shoulder. "You can’t really blame yourself for this. Even if I had been there, I’m not sure I could have saved Xian’Er in that split second."

Sikong’s expression was grave. "My shame doesn’t come from you blaming me. I watched Xian’Er grow up. She was suddenly in peril, and I failed to protect her. That is the true reason for my guilt."

With that, Sikong turned and walked away. Wan Xianzhong watched him go and asked where he was headed. The reply was that he was going to face a wall in penitent meditation until Wan Xian’Er was safely returned.

Gazing at the clear, boundless sky, Wan Xianzhong prayed silently, ’Please, be safe...’

Tossed through chaotic spatial turbulence, Mu Chen and Wan Xian’Er had drifted into a strange Independent Space. The two youths in white lay quietly on a patch of grass. Yet, it was hardly grass at all; the vegetation here was a bizarre, uniform gray. The two of them, Mu Chen and Wan Xian’Er, had drifted here after being swept up from the spatial turbulence.

One had to admit, their luck was incredible. Few Martial Artists below the Martial Venerable Realm could even enter spatial turbulence. The number of those who could do so *and* survive was practically zero. Yet, Mu Chen and Wan Xian’Er were two such miraculous exceptions.

Even now, Wan Xian’Er was still clinging tightly to Mu Chen as they lay on their sides. A dark, blackish-red patch had congealed over Mu Chen’s right shoulder blade—the wound from Xue Yan’s devastating palm strike. It was hard to see through his clothes, but if one were to tear them away, they would reveal a mangled mess of flesh and blood beneath. Mu Chen was already missing his right arm, and now, with his right shoulder blade shattered by Xue Yan, a wave of agony shot through the stump of his severed limb. His face was deathly pale.

Time ticked by, second by second. As a chill began to settle over the Independent Space, Wan Xian’Er’s brow suddenly furrowed. Her right arm, pinned beneath Mu Chen, was aching with an unbearable numbness. With a struggle, Wan Xian’Er finally managed to open her eyes.

"So sore." Pulling her arm out from under Mu Chen, Wan Xian’Er quickly rubbed it a few times. She stared blankly at the strange, unfamiliar scenery around her. "Where... am I?" she wondered aloud.

"COUGH! COUGH!" Mu Chen suddenly coughed twice, his already pale face turning even more ashen. Wan Xian’Er’s gaze snapped to him. Before she could even ask what was wrong, he wretched, spitting up a large mouthful of fresh blood mixed with grisly fragments of his internal organs.

Xue Yan’s attack had been utterly vicious. Even though the Profound Ice Wall had absorbed forty percent of its force, the remaining sixty percent had slammed squarely into Mu Chen’s back. The potent Primordial Power had only caused superficial, non-lethal damage to his exterior, but the concussive force had severely ruptured his lungs.

As a Sixth-grade Platinum Cauldron Master, Wan Xian’Er could tell with a single glance how grave Mu Chen’s condition was. If left untreated, he would undoubtedly die within six hours. In a panic, she activated the Medicine Cauldron within her, swiftly channeling its medicinal efficacy into his body. While she had given the Purple Elemental Crystals and clothes from her Storage Ring to the beggars, she was now immensely grateful that the vast supply of Healing Medicine stored in her Medicine Cauldron remained untouched.

Internal injuries were notoriously difficult to treat. Fortunately, the Medicinal Herbs in Wan Xian’Er’s Medicine Cauldron were of a high enough Grade. Within a mere two hours, she had managed to mend his external wounds and seal the ruptures in his organs. Mu Chen was no longer in mortal danger. All that remained was a slow period of recuperation.

With his injuries promptly treated, Mu Chen’s consciousness quickly returned. After all, he had compressed and refined his Spiritual Power to a terrifying degree back in the Senluo Tomb, so it was no surprise his mind would recover swiftly.

"Nngh..." Mu Chen’s lips moved slightly. His tightly shut eyes slowly fluttered open, revealing a pair of startling, demonic purple slit pupils. They stared in surprise at Wan Xian’Er, who was sitting beside him.

"Miss Xian’Er!" Mu Chen exclaimed, trying to sit up straight. The moment he moved, a sharp pain shot through the right side of his body. Even for someone who had endured the crushing of his very spirit, he couldn’t help but frown—though it was only a slight frown.

After gritting his teeth through the pain, Mu Chen asked in astonishment, "Why are you here?"

Wan Xian’Er’s expression was frosty. "You have the nerve to ask?" she said coldly. "If I wasn’t here, you’d be dead already." With that, she pulled her elegant arm back from his chest, straightened her clothes, and continued, "You’ve sustained extremely severe injuries to your bones and internal organs. I’ve treated you, but you must not use any Primordial Power for the next week. Understand?"

Seeing her stern expression, Mu Chen nodded in embarrassment. Though he had just woken up, he had enough time for a quick Introspection. He could see signs that the fissures in his organs had been stitched together by medicine, and he realized Wan Xian’Er must have been treating him for quite a while.

He gently pressed his chest, and a sharp pain stabbed through him. He winced. "It seems it really was serious," he said, frowning. "I remember Xue Yan hitting me in the back with a palm strike, and then I passed out. But... Miss Xian’Er, how did you end up here with me?"

Wan Xian’Er stood up and brushed some white grass flecks from her legs. "I don’t know either," she said nonchalantly. "I was with about twenty other people, waiting for you all in front of the Blood Python Family’s Snake Carving. For some reason, a huge Spatial Rift suddenly ripped open in front of the carving. Before anyone could react, we were all sucked in by an immense Adhesive Force. The next thing I knew, I was inside. Before I could even get my bearings, I saw you get hit by a man in red. You came flying toward me like a broken kite. I don’t know why, but my first instinct was to save you. The impact was too strong, though, and we were both thrown into the spatial turbulence. As for how we ended up here... I have no idea."

Mu Chen marveled at her story. He knew Wan Xian’Er wouldn’t lie, so they really had been thrown through spatial turbulence and miraculously ended up in some Independent Space. He slowly pushed himself to his feet and scanned the unchanging gray landscape. A jolt went through him. ’Why... does this place feel so familiar?’

’Come on... have you found me?’

An ethereal, childlike voice echoed directly in Mu Chen’s mind. The moment he heard it, the Extreme Ice Dantian inside him began to thrum violently, like it had just been reunited with a long-lost relative.

Mu Chen froze, his expression turning solemn. He had heard that voice once before, back in a hotel in the Blood Soul Empire. At the same instant, a snow-white figure SHWOOPED out from between his eyebrows. The figure landed on the ground and instantly transformed into a three-meter-long, snow-white Qilin. The moment it appeared, the Snow Qilin fixed its golden eyes on a single direction.

Mu Chen was taken aback. "Xiaobai, what are you doing out here?"

The Snow Qilin turned to look at Mu Chen. "Father, this place... it seems to hold a power that I desperately need. If I can obtain them, I’m certain I can break through to the Sect Realm and become a Sect Beast!"

This one sentence left Mu Chen utterly astounded. He knew perfectly well what realm Xiaobai was in; it had only just broken through to the Spirit Realm. At its current rate of growth, it would take at least ten years to reach the Sect Realm. But now, Xiaobai was saying it only needed to obtain ’them.’ ’What,’ he wondered, ’are ’them’?’

"But..." The Snow Qilin’s gaze was fixed on two different directions, its expression grave. "...this area has two auras that are so powerful they even frighten me."

Beside them, Wan Xian’Er was first startled by Mu Chen’s strange reaction, then horrified by the snow-white beast that had appeared at his side. What shocked her most of all was that the man and beast were actually communicating. And it even called Mu Chen ’Father’! ’Is he even human?’ she thought, bewildered.

Mu Chen was oblivious to Wan Xian’Er’s thoughts; if he had known, he would have broken out in a cold sweat. But he had no time to worry about that now. With a light leap, he soared a thousand meters into the air. Instantly casting Elemental Power Materialization, he hovered effortlessly, taking in a bird’s-eye view of the entire region.

"This place is..." Mu Chen’s pupils contracted violently. An expression of both shock and elation appeared on his face as he murmured, "...It’s the Netherworld Purgatory..."