The cave stretched deep into the darkness, silent and boundless. Mu Qianxue carried Ling Feng forward for more than a hundred zhang before a small pool came into view. Spiritual energy shimmered above the surface, rising in soft bubbles. Wisps of bloodline power drifted upward, coiling together into mist shaped like dragons. The water glowed with a faint crimson hue, as if steeped in blood, and the energy within it nearly overflowed into the air. This was indeed worthy of its name as the Spirit Pool that filled only once in five centuries. No wonder Canglong Demon Ruler had been so anguished over its loss. Mu Qianxue lowered Ling Feng gently at the pool's edge. Her slender hand brushed his cheek, trembling as if in a dream. In a voice softer than a whisper, she said, "Big Brother Ling, do not be afraid. Soon, you will no longer suffer." Ling Feng's body was torn with wounds that cut to the bone. The backlash of Chaotic Rebirth had forced his cultivation down yet again, dropping below the Spiritual Element Realm. His breath was as fragile as a candle flickering in the wind. Without Zifeng sharing its vitality to anchor him to life, he would already have fallen under the siege of nine demon emperors. Even so, he hovered on the edge of death, his life clinging to the thinnest thread. Biting her lip, Mu Qianxue's cheeks burned as she stripped away Ling Feng's blood-soaked robes and eased him into the Dragon Transformation Pool. She shed her own garments and slipped in after him. Cradling him against her chest, she guided the raging bloodline power in the water to flow gently into his body, turning its fury into healing. Without her, that wild energy would have torn him apart, and his broken body could never have endured. At such a moment, Mu Qianxue no longer had the luxury of maidenly reserve. "Big Brother Ling, I will save you no matter what!" She sat cross-legged behind him, pouring her strength into his battered frame. First she steadied his blood and breath. Then, with patient care, she cleared his meridians and rebuilt the foundation of his cultivation step by step. Two days later, a flush of color returned to Ling Feng's cheeks. His wounds closed beneath the miraculous power of the Dragon Transformation Pool. His cultivation, however, did not return to its former peak. He had only risen again to the first level of the Spiritual Element Realm. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✶𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✶𝕟𝕖𝕥 Even this had cost Mu Qianxue nearly all of her strength. When she felt his breathing steady, she released a long sigh. She carried Ling Feng out of the water, put on his clothes and then left the cave. Outside, Night Weiyang waited at the entrance. Seeing her emerge, he breathed a quiet sigh. "Saintess, you even gave this boy your divine blood. Was it worth it?" "As long as it is for him, it is worth it." Her expression was cold. Without another glance, she tightened her hold on Ling Feng and walked past him. "How ironic," Night Weiyang murmured with a bitter smile. "In the end, in some sense, you still belong to me." His hand touched his right eye, his voice falling into a whisper. "No one escapes destiny. Not I, and not you. Everything this eye has seen has come to pass, one by one. Has it not? Fate cannot be altered!" After leaving the Dragon Transformation Pool, Mu Qianxue brought Ling Feng to the Purple Dragon Hall. In those two days, the Canglong Sanctum had been thrown into upheaval. Red Dragon Envoy, one of the Eight Canglong Envoys, had fallen. A new successor would need to be named. Yet at such a time, Canglong Demon Ruler had shut himself away. Mu Qianxue guessed that before they departed, that proud great emperor would not appear again. It was only natural. For someone of his stature, bowing and yielding to two juniors had already been a humiliation heavy enough to break his pride. Seeing Mu Qianxue appear before her again, Bai Su's emotions were deeply conflicted. But she quickly remembered the gap in their status and immediately bowed in respectful greeting, "Your Highness, Saintess!" Mu Qianxue drew a long breath. Ever since her true identity as the Saintess of the Jiuli Divine Clan had been revealed, everything had changed. Even her own master no longer dared call her "Xue'er." Only the cold title of Saintess remained. Her face betrayed no trace of feeling. She inclined her head slightly and answered in a calm tone, "Master, thank you for your care during my time in the Sanctum." "You… still call me Master?" Bai Su shot Mu Qianxue a look of pure disbelief, certain she must have misheard. "No matter what, you have taught me much." Mu Qianxue's gaze lingered on her master. "Master, I must leave. Big Brother Ling will soon awaken, and I ask that you watch over him in my stead. Take this as a token of my gratitude." She extended her finger and touched Bai Su's brow. In that instant, a refined cultivation method poured into Bai Su's mind. Bai Su's eyes widened in shock as she received it. "Uh… this is…" "Think of it as thanks for all you have given me." Mu Qianxue smiled faintly. She could tell Bai Su's feelings were genuine. This was a real connection between master and student. She looked at Ling Feng one last time, then placed his unconscious body into Bai Su's arms. Her teeth clenched as she whispered, "Master, I entrust Big Brother Ling to you. When he wakes, he will surely leave the Canglong Sanctum. Until then, let no one trouble him." "I doubt anyone would dare," Bai Su said softly. After a moment, she added, "Xue'er, why not wait for him to wake? Why not tell him yourself?" "And what would that change?" Mu Qianxue shook her head, fists trembling. "It would only make me falter. It would only make me unwilling to leave." Tears streamed down her face. Her lips trembled as she bent over Ling Feng's sleeping form, gritted her teeth and said, "Big Brother Ling, take care. Little Xue will no longer be at your side. You must look after yourself. And… Sister Yan'er, I believe she will keep you well." "Big Brother Ling, Little Xue has to leave!" Her body shook violently. She clenched her fists and turned away, not daring another glance. Each look would deepen her reluctance. Each heartbeat would weaken her resolve. "Master, ask him not to find me. If he remembers me now and then, that will be enough. No… better that he never remembers me again, never thinks of me again!" Her voice cracked into hoarse sobs. With that final cry, Mu Qianxue fled the hall. Night Weiyang was waiting outside, and together they soared into the sky. Their figures vanished in an instant, streaking across the heavens like twin stars. Perhaps their paths would never again cross in this lifetime.