Chapter 1524: Reporting to the Master Hall Headquarters

After an unknown period, the sky began to lighten, and the sun slowly rose from the horizon. Yu Ruoxin slowly awakened, struggling to her feet. Looking at the complete devastation, she swayed involuntarily.

The Glacier Palace had been established for tens of thousands of years and had endured several devastating wars. Each time, most disciples were killed or injured, yet the entire sect remained intact. Even if some buildings were destroyed, it was only a small portion. But now, it had been utterly reduced to ruins, with debris covering the ground.

Although none of the disciples or elders had died, all were severely injured. It seemed impossible for them to recover in less than ten days to half a month.

"One person summoning lightning... such immense power..."

She felt a chill.

To be honest, she hadn't taken Zhang Xuan seriously at all. She had thought he was merely a nobody in the Void Realm, someone she could easily crush. She never dreamed he would possess such immense power!

He merely underwent a Void Realm Tribulation, and the Glacier Palace ended up like this. If he were to undergo a Heavenly Tribulation, wouldn't even the headquarters of the Master Teacher Pavilion be unable to withstand it?

"Grand Elder... the Glacier Palace is ruined!"

The Second Elder struggled to fly over, his face filled with sorrow.

"Yes, it's ruined..." Yu Ruoxin nodded blankly.

She had controlled the Glacier Palace for so many years, believing this great power would become even more glorious under her leadership. She never dreamed it would collapse like this.

"As long as we are alive, there's hope..." Yu Ruoxin gritted her teeth and roared, "From today onward, Zhang Xuan is the greatest enemy of our Glacier Palace. If he is found, kill him on sight!"

The many elders and disciples who had woken up nodded simultaneously.

Turning to the recently awakened Elder Qu, Yu Ruoxin said, "Elder Qu, you witnessed this personally. This Zhang Xuan abducted the Young Palace Mistress and destroyed the Glacier Palace, committing heinous crimes. I hope you will truthfully report this to the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters and issue a pursuit order!"

"Don't worry, I will report this truthfully!"

Rubbing his forehead, Elder Qu nodded. This Zhang Xuan, as a Master Teacher, yet disregarding the rules, was truly audacious. Such a person must be dealt with severely; otherwise, if everyone relies on their strength to cause trouble, what rules will be left in the world?

After flying for an unknown period, Zhang Xuan could no longer endure it and fell from the sky to the ground. He had been attacked with full force by Elder Qu. Although the Palace Lord's Token had blocked some of the power, the aura that seeped into his body still ravaged and destroyed his vitality, leaving him severely injured. If not for the power infused by Zhao Ya, he would probably have died long ago, let alone breaking through to the Void Realm and attracting its tribulation. Even so, after flying continuously all night, he could no longer bear it.

The reason he didn't let the Qilin Beast do the flying this time was mainly because the latter's fiery aura was too strong; although fast, it could easily be tracked. He was different. With his Heaven's Path zhenqi, he could conceal his aura, and his Eye of Insight allowed him to see flaws. He left no trace as he flew away, making it likely that even true nine-star master teachers would be unable to find him.

Struggling to his feet, he found himself in a primeval forest with no one in sight. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

"Zhao Ya," he murmured, "I told you I could save you, and I will!"

He lowered his head and looked. The girl in his arms had her eyes tightly closed; although she still breathed, it was extremely faint, seeming as if it could cease at any moment. If he hadn't been holding her the entire time and continuously infusing her with Heaven's Path zhenqi to sustain her, she would probably have been beyond saving long ago.

He gently placed her on the grass, his fingers tracing her meridians, and whispered "Flaws!" in his mind. A book appeared, and he quickly looked at it.

"The injuries are too severe," he murmured. "All meridians are shattered..."

He shook his head. Zhao Ya's injuries were even more severe than he had imagined. All her meridians had turned to powder under the impact of the zhenqi. However, precisely because of this, the hidden danger of the Heaven-Binding Lock had disappeared. This meant that in her desperation last night, she had not only shattered her meridians but also shattered the Heaven-Binding Lock, removing its threat.

"If meridians are blocked, twisted, or even cracked, Heaven's Path zhenqi can repair them," he thought. "But... when they're shattered and no longer exist..."

His expression darkened. Heaven's Path zhenqi had an unparalleled effect on repairing meridians, far surpassing any medicinal material, but the prerequisite was that the meridians still existed. Just as a clever housewife cannot cook without rice, even the most skilled artifact forger couldn't forge a weapon without tools and ore. Currently, this was Zhao Ya's situation. Her meridians were pulverized, vanished without a trace. Even if his healing ability was stronger, what good would it do?

"Without meridians, zhenqi cannot reach the desired places in the body," he mused. "Healing the injuries will become very difficult..."

Meridians, like capillaries, crisscross the entire body, allowing blood to carry oxygen and vitalize all cells. Now that the meridians were shattered, it was like roads shattered after an earthquake; Heaven's Path zhenqi couldn't enter, and healing would be much slower.

"I'll use silver needles!"

With a flick of his wrist, he took out silver needles. Each one contained a wisp of zhenqi. With a flick of his finger, they were ready.

*Whizz!*

Hundreds of silver needles flew down, landing on acupuncture points all over the girl's body.

"Cough, cough..."

Zhang Xuan swayed twice, could no longer hold on, and sat back down on the ground. His own injuries were not light, and he didn't have much strength to begin with. Trying to save someone else had almost exhausted him. He took out a pill and swallowed it. Feeling his strength recover somewhat, he looked at the girl again. The hundreds of wisps of zhenqi carried by the silver needles entered her body, making her complexion slightly better. However, her injuries were truly too severe; it was unknown how long it would be until she regained consciousness.

"For her to fully recover, there's only one method," he mused, "and that is to reshape her meridians..."

Rubbing his forehead, Zhang Xuan's brow furrowed deeply. Although his medical skills were profound, this situation before him was not mentioned in any medical book. He seemed to have no solution at all. Reshaping meridians — not only did he not know how, he had never even heard of such a thing.

"Just because I haven't heard of it doesn't mean it's impossible," he thought. "If it doesn't exist, then I can be the first..."

His eyes gleamed. So what if no one has done it before? It doesn't mean he can't do it!

"But... to reshape meridians, what sort of material could replace them?" he wondered. "Something that allows zhenqi to flow unimpeded, and can also store power?"

Meridians are like high-speed channels for zhenqi. If he wanted to reshape them, he would have to find something to replace them. But what kind of material in this world could replace meridians, allow zhenqi to pass through, and not harm the body?

"It seems I'll need to search at the Artifact Forgers Guild, or the Physicians Guild..."

After half a day of contemplation, he still couldn't think of anything, so he could only shake his head. If worst came to worst, he could forge a new set of meridians for her. However, his forging skills were too poor. He could forge bricks, but creating delicate meridians that integrated perfectly into the body, down to the last millimeter, and still allowed zhenqi to flow unimpeded... that would be impossible! Furthermore, he wasn't even sure if meridians could truly be replaced by forged artifacts. He would need to consult more books to draw a conclusion.