In the distance, Gu Han’s demonic qi rapidly receded, and he reverted to his previous appearance. Waves of sharp pain arrived, causing him to spit out several mouthfuls of blood.

Just as the shadow had said, he was even more mangled and decayed than before. He would probably have collapsed if not for that wisp of Transcendent Substance from earlier.

Zuo Yang and Gu Tian rushed to his side.

“Junior Brother!”

”Han’er!”

Gu Han waved his hand, indicating he was fine. He glanced at Ah Sha in Gu Tian’s arms and calmed down. Only after confirming that her soul had been temporarily sealed did he sighed in relief.

He offered thanks to the shadow with his thoughts. Gu Han knew the shadow’s nonstop cursing was just to save face. The shadow had intended to help him all along. Otherwise, he could have used Ah Sha’s matter to secure the greatest benefit for himself, or simply stood by and watched. Instead, the shadow made what seemed to be the stupidest and most ungrateful choice.

Even though the shadow was already weakened to the extreme, he still put up a brave front. “Help you? Don’t flatter yourself! If those cannon fodder hadn’t died, what would happen to my disciple? It has nothing to do with you at all, you brat! Otherwise, given what you did to me before, skinning you alive would be letting you off easy!”

Gu Han didn’t refute him, nor did he find the shadow’s scolding particularly harsh.

After a moment of silence, Gu Han said again, “Anyway, I won’t live much longer. This body is useless to you now. I’ll release you right away.”

Unexpectedly, the shadow showed not the slightest joy, but instead was somewhat frantic with anger. “What?! Trying to harm me?! You want to cross the river and burn the bridge?”

Gu Han was silent for a moment. “What’s wrong? Didn’t you always want to get out?”

The shadow’s weak tone carried a trace of grief and indignation. “That was before! In my current state, I’m afraid even possessing an ordinary mortal would be difficult. Going out would be no different from courting death...”

He had become extremely faint and unstable, about to dissipate at any moment. Clearly, treating Ah Sha and executing the secret technique placed an enormous burden on him.

Gu Han asked, “How can I help you?”

This was the first time the shadow had witnessed kindness from Gu Han.

He was stunned for a moment, then said dejectedly, “Forget it, forget it! Given my power level, even if you took out ten or eight stalks of saint herbs, it wouldn’t help. Worry about yourself first! Your soul power is extinguished, flesh decayed, with less than two months of life left! You’d better find a way to survive first, you brat!”

Gu Han didn’t answer. He certainly understood his own physical condition clearly. In fact, if not for those alchemists blocking the time power for him at the last moment, he would have already turned to dust. Not that he regretted it one bit. Besides, the flames of vengeance in his heart were far from extinguished.

Thinking Gu Han was worried about his state, Zuo Yang comforted him. “Junior Brother, don’t worry. Once we go back, we—hmm?”

A sharp ripping of air rang out in the distance, interrupting him. A stunning beauty in a flaming red dress was leading her group toward them.

Upon seeing her, Zuo Yang was stunned, then overjoyed. “Senior Sister? She’s back!”

As far as Gu Han could recall, the last time Zuo Yang had lost his composure was when Gu Han had shattered the piece of profound jade. Instinctively, his gaze also shifted over.

However, with his soul power extinguished and only a trace of spirit light remaining, he couldn’t see very clearly. He could only vaguely make out the flutter of her red dress as she moved. She was a striking beauty, her powerful aura setting her apart from ordinary women.

In an instant, three figures descended. Everyone’s gazes were all focused on her.

She wore a red battle skirt cinched with a jade belt, her black hair cascading to her waist like a waterfall. Part of her hair was tied into a bun, with a fiery red jade hairpin set askew, scorching heat faintly flowing from it. Dressed entirely in red, it accentuated her fair skin more. The wine gourd hanging at her waist didn’t seem out of place at all, instead adding a touch of unrestrained and untrammeled spirit.

Her beauty was even a cut above Zhao Mengyou. Moreover, if Zhao Mengyou was a green lotus in a pond, then this woman was a snow lotus above the polar regions.

Perfection! This word suddenly surfaced in everyone’s mind. It was also the only way to describe her.

In the distance, although Di Kan’s aesthetic was somewhat distorted, his judgment was still good.

He glanced at Zhao Mengyou. “Divine Maiden Zhao, how does it feel to be outshone?”

Zhao Mengyou bit her lip and said nothing, feeling a bit jealous.

Di Kan ignored her again. “This woman is very strong. Transcendent realm.”

Behind him, the huge follower was very confident. “She’s definitely not an ordinary Transcendent realm expert as well! Also, Young Valley Master, in my opinion, she seems even younger than you.”

Di Kan was flabbergasted. Are you saying I’m trash?

Meanwhile, Zuo Yang was overjoyed. “Junior Brother, this is Senior Sister!”

Gu Han performed a bow. “Greetings, Senior Sister.”

He suddenly understood why Zuo Yang and the others held her in such high esteem whenever they mentioned her. Regardless of her status, the feeling this woman gave him was of great power. She most likely made the Dao Bell ring nine times.

The woman nodded and glanced at Zuo Yang, her expression unchanging. “Is it him?”

Zuo Yang understood what she meant. “Yes! Senior Sister, Junior Brother is very good, not bad at all!”

The woman understood Zuo Yang’s personality and grasped the deeper meaning in his words. It wasn’t just about cultivation base, but also character.

After a moment of silence, she asked again, “Who injured all of you?”

She didn’t ask about the process but only asked about the result. Clearly, her nature was not just strong-willed, but very protective.

Gu Han didn’t speak and simply glanced at the eight headless corpses on the ground.

Suddenly, a somewhat grating voice sounded. “Sister, is this the remarkable junior brother you’ve been thinking about all this time?"

The golden-armored youth’s expression shifted slightly as he tugged at the other youth’s sleeve. “Ninth Brother, be nice!”

The noble-looking youth ignored him entirely. “Hmph! I thought he’d be some unparalleled genius, but... heh, it turns out he’s just a useless cripple who won’t live much longer!”