Chapter 487: Soul Tracking

A gush of blood escaped Shi Lingyun's lips, perhaps from overwhelming grief and a sudden surge of anger. Her beautiful eyes grew hazy, and she suddenly swayed, falling backward.

Xu Yang gently raised his hand, and her light, soft body instinctively tumbled into his embrace.

"What happened? Sir, is the Saintess injured?"

Xu Yang's cultivation was so profound that he could clearly discern her condition simply by sensing the fluctuations of aura emanating from her. "Has she recently cultivated some heaven-defying technique? Her vital energy and blood are extremely weak!"

The female cultivators and elders of Ciyun Convent exchanged glances, then finally sighed, deciding not to conceal anything further.

"Sir, you might not know, but Saintess Shi Lingyun carries a heavy responsibility. Not wanting to disappoint the sect, she forcibly cultivated the Nine Apertures Exquisite Heart Realm using an ancient, almost lost, heaven-defying method. This technique uses her own vital blood as a guide to enhance her understanding of all the myriad paths of heaven and earth, allowing her to forcibly break through to this realm. Once cultivated, this method is inherently fraught with extreme danger. Our junior sister is exceptionally talented, born with seven apertures, making her a peerless prodigy among countless others. However, reaching nine apertures is a celestial realm, requiring immense serendipity and not something achievable through individual effort alone. She sacrificed everything to achieve this goal. Although the nine apertures are now complete, the depletion of her bloodline is almost irreversible."

After listening to the Ciyun Convent's Grand Elder, Xu Yang and the other two gained a clearer understanding.

"Long Kun, Ling Yao, you two help the others manage the sect's affairs. I need to heal Miss Shi first. If there are any further delays, her cultivation might be completely crippled."

Xu Yang was by no means exaggerating. Shi Lingyun had chosen a shortcut in cultivation, a path that involved sacrificing her physical body to solely pursue spiritual extremes, quite similar to the path Feng Xiu had chosen. The difference was that Feng Xiu's cultivation focused on physical strength, while this girl's method made her physical body incredibly fragile.

Inside Ciyun Convent's secret chamber, only Xu Yang and Shi Lingyun were present. Xu Yang sat cross-legged behind Shi Lingyun, his Phoenix Divine Domain subtly emitting a faint red glow, maintaining its intensity at an extremely weak level to prevent its overwhelming power from harming Shi Lingyun. The gentle domain force, however, effectively nourished her meridians.

Concurrently, Xu Yang gradually infused his purest primordial energy into Shi Lingyun's body and meridians, slowly mending the hidden ailments within her. Her meridians and flesh seemed to undergo a transformation and rebirth.

The entire process lasted for seven days and seven nights. Enveloped by this warm aura, Shi Lingyun gradually regained consciousness.

Within the spacious secret chamber, with only a man and a woman present, the atmosphere was inevitably a little unusual. More importantly, the two were not well acquainted.

Xu Yang, being a grandmaster accustomed to various situations, remained unperturbed even in the presence of beauty, his mind exceptionally steady. Shi Lingyun, however, who had been in a state of receiving, was deeply grateful for what Xu Yang had done for her, and at the same time, was captivated by the man's extraordinary demeanor.

"Thank you, Sir Xu Yang, for your intervention and for saving Ciyun Convent. Lingyun is endlessly grateful."

"You'd do well not to speak too much. Your meridians are extremely fragile right now. Let alone a master at the peak of the Tribulation Crossing Realm, even a top expert who has just entered the Tribulation Crossing Realm could easily kill you. With such a frail body, you wouldn't be able to do anything in a real fight."

Shi Lingyun understood Xu Yang's words perfectly. However, she still had a hidden difficulty.

"To be honest, Sir, the reason I chose this accelerated path is because my lineage at Ciyun Convent received a unique heavenly enlightenment. We need to send a representative disciple to Yunmeng Marsh to inherit a peerless opportunity. This is the crucial reason why the Nine Apertures Exquisite Heart was so urgently pursued."

"Oh? Heavenly guidance? Do tell me, what exactly is going on with this?" Xu Yang paused, not without surprise. Although he didn't know much about Yunmeng Marsh, the so-called heavenly guidance sounded highly unreliable. There was an eighty percent chance that some unknown conspiracy was hidden within it.

"It's like this: Three years ago, my master, Abbess Ciyun, had an overnight enlightenment of the Ciyun True Law. Listening to the heavenly guidance, she learned that there was a world-defying opportunity in Yunmeng Marsh. If a disciple of the Ciyun Convent lineage could awaken the Nine Apertures Exquisite Heart, they would have the chance to become a god. Though I am unworthy, my talent is considered good among my peers, and I was thus given the title of Saintess, also being a candidate for the next sect leader. After receiving this guidance, my master immediately informed me. She believed that she had no further chance of advancement in this life, likely to remain at the initial stage of the Tribulation Crossing Realm forever, and thus no opportunity to awaken the Nine Apertures Heart Realm. So, she entrusted me with the mission of expanding Ciyun Convent's influence. It was also from her that I learned only by achieving the Grand Realm of the Nine Apertures Exquisite Heart could one enter Yunmeng Marsh."

Naturally, Xu Yang didn't fully believe this statement. Entering Yunmeng Marsh was by no means a difficult task, but the significance of the Nine Apertures Exquisite Heart Realm was indeed profound. It was highly probable that the girl's master had concocted such a story to motivate Shi Lingyun. After all, once the nine apertures were awakened, even if only as a foundation, it would provide her with greater confidence for self-preservation when she eventually traveled to Yunmeng Marsh. However, he hadn't expected that the immense psychological pressure would lead this girl to seek quick success, resulting in hidden dangers.

"Enough. We can discuss other matters after you leave seclusion. For now, the only thing you need to do is concentrate on repairing your physical body."

***

When both successfully emerged from seclusion, Shi Lingyun had officially stepped into the initial stage of the Tribulation Crossing Realm, becoming a top expert on par with her late master. Moreover, with Xu Yang's assistance, the girl's Nine Apertures Heart Realm could now be fully utilized in practical combat.

"Boss, you're finally out. The matter with Abbess Ciyun is resolved, and the figure shrouded in black clouds hasn't reappeared. What should we do next?"

"Revenge!" Before Xu Yang could speak, Shi Lingyun, who had recovered to her peak state, spoke with a stern expression.

"Exactly. The hundred lives from the Carefree Dao Sect and the blood debt of the Ciyun Convent's sect leader must all be settled."

Long Kun, however, spread his hands helplessly: "Revenge isn't difficult, but the challenge is that we currently have no leads whatsoever and no knowledge of the black cloud figure's true identity. How can we achieve revenge?"

Xu Yang chuckled, glancing at Shi Lingyun beside him.

"Leave this to me. Ciyun Convent has a secret divine ability, never passed down externally, that can pinpoint the approximate location of a target from thousands of miles away by sensing lingering aura. With this method, we can make that guy unable to hide!"