535: A Moment of Clarity
Jiang Mo's wound was far from minor, but due to the divine beast's robust constitution, her recovery speed was surprisingly swift.
With the application of high-quality medicine and her Senior Sister's attentive care, the wound on Jiang Mo's back soon began to heal. Only when the wound had scabbed over and the pain had been replaced by the itchiness of new flesh growing did Yun Qingyue gently help her sit up.
At that moment, Jiang Mo was still somewhat dazed, her face ashen yet the corners of her mouth involuntarily curving upward. After Yun Qingyue examined her back and was amazed to discover that the demonic energy contaminating the wound had somehow dissipated without causing infection, she finally relaxed a little. She stroked Jiang Mo's nape and reminded her: "Ah Mo, focus." Then added with concern: "How do you feel now?"
Jiang Mo had been in such pain earlier that tears had welled in her eyes, and that watery glimmer still hadn't completely faded. Hearing the question, she blinked, displaying an expression of pure innocence: "I'm fine, I'm good, very good."
Hearing her emphasize this so strongly, Yun Qingyue felt something was odd, but upon confirmation that Jiang Mo was unharmed, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Her gaze fell again on Jiang Mo's back, where a deep red scab stretched across the snow-white skin, appearing both grotesque and jarring. Her heart ached with compassion, wanting to reach out and touch it but afraid of causing pain. Finally, she leaned forward and gently placed a kiss near the wound, then looked up and asked: "Are you really alright? Does it still hurt?"
Jiang Mo had regained her senses and was preoccupied with the itchiness on her back, but when her Senior Sister's gentle kiss fell, all her attention was immediately drawn away—Senior Sister's kiss was light, and landing on her back also caused a tingling sensation, but that tingling reached deep into her heart.
In comparison, the itchiness of new flesh growing in the wound seemed insignificant.
……
Time passed hazily. By the time Jiang Mo had fully regained her senses, not only had her Senior Sister applied medicine to her wound, but she had also been fed medicinal pills for her internal injuries, which were beginning to heal—she still remembered the pain of being injured, but the speed of recovery was unexpectedly fast, the process happening so quickly it was almost imperceptible.
Still nestled in her Senior Sister's embrace, Jiang Mo was gently pushed away as Yun Qingyue's voice reached her: "Ah Mo, let's see what's happening outside. Now that we've hidden in here, the Celestial Demon Sect Leader should have left, right?"
Jiang Mo responded with an "Oh" and waved her hand to open the water mirror connecting to the outside world, feeling vaguely disappointed.
However, their attention was quickly drawn to the scene in the water mirror, for the outside was not the tranquil setting they had imagined, but a chaos of flying sand and stones, as if heaven and earth were collapsing. Occasionally, the image in the water mirror would disappear momentarily. Yun Qingyue didn't understand why, but Jiang Mo, who controlled it, knew clearly—it was because space itself was being torn apart, affecting the water mirror.
There were people outside. Not just people, but experts engaged in combat!
The two exchanged a glance, immediately confirming this conclusion, and then Jiang Mo began manipulating the water mirror to gradually examine the external situation—viewing the outside through the water mirror wasn't very clear, especially since the three combatants moved extremely fast, making them even harder to capture through the mirror.
Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue stared wide-eyed for a long while, at most glimpsing a few edges of clothing. They couldn't discern whether the combatants were men or women, old or young, let alone identify who they were.
However, they had their guesses. Jiang Mo rubbed her chin and speculated: "Could it be Sect Leader Zhu who has arrived?"
Yun Qingyue, being more observant, noticed that there should be three people fighting outside, so she said: "Master should have arrived as well."
Hearing this, the little tiger's eyes brightened. She immediately took Yun Qingyue's hand and said: "Two against one, this time we have the upper hand. Ah Yue, shall we go out and join in beating this fallen dog?" She was quite vindictive.
Hearing this, Yun Qingyue pressed her lips together, glanced again at the scene in the water mirror, and shook her head: "I'll pass. I can't interfere in a battle of this level."
The battle outside was being transmitted through the water mirror, and the two in the space couldn't feel the power of those attacks. However, just by looking at the images, Yun Qingyue knew that the power of the three people fighting outside was much greater than when she and Jiang Mo had engaged the Celestial Demon Sect Leader earlier. Such a battlefield was only for Grand Achievement cultivators; she wasn't qualified yet.
Jiang Mo opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but seeing her Senior Sister's dimmed gaze, she obediently swallowed her words. The two were sitting casually in the space, and she tilted her body, directly lying down on her Senior Sister's lap: "Then forget it. I'm injured, and it's too dangerous outside, so I shouldn't go out carelessly. Sect Leader and Master are so formidable, they'll definitely have no problem taking down the Celestial Demon Sect Leader."
She wasn't lying—her external wounds had mostly healed, but the blade energy from the Celestial Demon Sect Leader was still within her body, constantly damaging her meridians. To truly recover, she would need at least a few days of recuperation.
Of course, in extreme circumstances, the system mall didn't lack excellent medicines that could instantly restore her, but there was no need for them now.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · · · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
As it turned out, Zhu Baiyi and Qingyu were quite reliable, fully deserving of the little tiger's trust.
Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue ultimately didn't rashly go out to interfere. They remained in the space, watching the battle broadcast from outside. The intermittent battle scenes continued for who knows how long. Suddenly, the wind stopped, everything became still, and the image returned to normal.
Looking closely, they saw that the Celestial Demon Sect Leader had been subdued by Sect Leader Zhu. Beside him was an empty space where his sword-wielding arm had been severed by someone, leaving only a short stump oozing dark red blood.
Had they won just like that?
The two were somewhat surprised. Although their cultivation levels were inferior to the Celestial Demon Sect Leader's, they had estimated that his combat power should be considerably stronger than Sect Leader Zhu's. At their level of cultivation, the gap in realm and combat power wasn't something that could be easily bridged by numbers. So when Jiang Mo had earlier mentioned "two against one," it was a joke; she had actually wanted to go out and help.
However, upon further reflection, Jiang Mo realized that going out to help with her half-crippled body might be more hindrance than help, so she ultimately abandoned the idea. But regarding the battle outside, she had been on edge, ready to retrieve people at any moment.
Yet in the end, both Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue were surprised—not only had Sect Leader Zhu and the others won, but judging by the situation, the Celestial Demon Sect Leader had suffered a crushing defeat. Cultivators naturally had ways to reattach limbs, but having one's sword arm severed in battle was undeniably a crushing defeat, beyond dispute.
Jiang Mo clicked her tongue, not dwelling on it too much, and turned to ask Yun Qingyue: "Ah Yue, shall we go out now?"
They certainly should go out, because after the victory, Sect Leader Zhu had bound the captive and begun searching for them—judging from the blood at the scene, she determined that Jiang Mo was seriously injured, and not finding the two at the scene, she was preparing to search further afield.
Yun Qingyue naturally nodded, and as they emerged from the space together, the two elders were discussing which direction to search. When two people suddenly appeared beside them, both Qingyu and her companion were startled, only relaxing after recognizing who had appeared.
Zhu Baiyi asked first: "Qingyue, how are you? Are you injured anywhere?"
Both mothers were very concerned about Yun Qingyue's condition, but fortunately, the tiger cub had protected her well, and her minor injuries had already been treated. Zhu Baiyi then remembered Jiang Mo's injuries, and seeing her complexion, knew they were indeed serious. The mother-in-law, unusually gentle, even lightly patted the little tiger's shoulder and praised: "Well done."
Jiang Mo smiled, happy to be acknowledged. But realizing this wasn't the place for idle chat, she glanced at the bound Celestial Demon Sect Leader and asked: "Sect Leader, are you planning to take him back?"
Returning to the matter at hand, Zhu Baiyi frowned and said: "His status is different, but bringing him back might be a hidden danger."
Clearly, Sect Leader Zhu was hesitant about bringing him back. On one hand, the Celestial Demon Sect Leader's status was high, likely still having some use, and capturing him alive wasn't easy. On the other hand, she had seen many demons outside these days, but the demonic energy on the Celestial Demon Sect Leader was definitely the strongest among them. She feared bringing him back might contaminate Xuanqing Sect.
Peak Master Qingyu obviously shared this hesitation, hence her furrowed brow.
Seeing this, Jiang Mo thought for a moment and still shared her earlier discovery: "Sect Leader, Peak Master, I've noticed that the Celestial Demon Sect Leader might be different from other demonic humans. He seems more thoroughly controlled, but I believe he hasn't completely lost his consciousness."
There were two types of demon-controlled humans: one type was crudely and directly turned into mindless puppets, while the other retained some consciousness. The former were complete cannon fodder, while the latter were slightly higher-grade cannon fodder, generally stronger in cultivation. Logically, the Celestial Demon Sect Leader shouldn't have become a mere killing puppet—it would be a waste of talent. But perhaps he refused to submit?
Zhu Baiyi and Qingyu had naturally considered this point. The two exchanged a glance and asked Jiang Mo: "Do you have a way to restore him?"
Hearing this, Jiang Mo glanced at the back of the Celestial Demon Sect Leader's head, eagerly rubbing her hands: "We can try."
The two elders had no objections and let her try. They then watched as Jiang Mo delivered a heavy blow to the back of the Celestial Demon Sect Leader's head. Even with their profound cultivation, they couldn't help but wince, feeling as if the blow might have knocked out his brains.
The vindictive little tiger showed no mercy, but under this strike, a hint of clarity indeed returned to the Celestial Demon Sect Leader's completely black eyes.