The murderer, caught off guard by his long-planned attack being blocked, froze for a moment before swinging his sword again at Ling Xiao.
"How dare you, thief!" Ling Tao suddenly appeared, brandishing his spear and lunging at the murderer.
The murderer, forced to abandon his pursuit of Ling Xiao, parried Ling Tao's spear with a backhanded sword, then leaped into the air, attempting to escape.
Ling Tao's murderous intent was thick with rage. Someone had dared to attack his nephew in broad daylight. He roared, channeling his twelfth level of profound energy. His entire body glowed with golden light, and he thrust his spear at the murderer.
The sky was filled with golden light, and countless spears flashed. Streams of profound energy, seemingly tangible, emanated a dazzling radiance, striking the fleeing murderer.
The murderer cried out, forced to stop, and slashed dozens of times with his sword.
"Boom."
"Boom."
A glittering light erupted in the air. Although the murderer blocked Ling Tao's attack, he still had several wounds on his body, and his aura had been locked onto Ling Tao's body. Unless he was faster than Ling Tao, he would have no chance of escaping his pursuit.
"You thief, you're hiding your true identity. Why have you repeatedly harmed my nephew? If you don't explain yourself today, I will kill you!" Ling Tao shouted, pointing his spear at the murderer, who was cloaked in a black cloak and had his head tightly covered.
"Hmph, then we'll see if you have the skills," the murderer muttered in a low voice, swinging his sword and sending two yellow sword flowers flying towards Ling Tao.
"A trifle!" Ling Tao scoffed disdainfully, sweeping his spear across, instantly shattering the two yellow sword flowers.
However, Ling Tao hadn't anticipated that the other party was merely trying to distract him. As Ling Tao was stopped by the sword flowers, the murderer turned and fled at top speed, disappearing without a trace. Ling Tao was so angry that he struck the ground with his spear before turning around and rushing to Ling Xiao's side.
Bai Yuxi, holding Ling Xiao, who was spitting blood, cried uncontrollably.
Instead, Ling Xiao smiled bitterly and comforted her, "Don't cry. The young master is tough and won't die yet."
Ling Xiao had just gathered his strength to counterattack, but was shaken again, his internal organs churning. The meridians that had just stabilized the previous night began to ache again, truly frustrating him!
"Good boy, come on, Third Uncle will take you home first," Ling Tao praised. He then hoisted Ling Xiao onto his shoulders and sped off towards Ling Xiao's home.
Before Bai Yuxi could react, he was gone. She immediately ran home in a daze.
Soon, Ling Tao carried Ling Xiao back home.
Ling Zhan and Meng Xiyun couldn't help but feel worried again, especially Meng Xiyun, who burst into tears. "Don't worry, sister-in-law. I have Huilu Pills here. Xiao'er will be fine," Ling Tao said, pulling out a small bottle from his waist and pouring two black pills, each the size of a pinky finger, from the bottle.
Huilu Pills, a high-grade elixir, have the power to heal wounds, invigorate the joints, and restore vitality. They are a must-have life-saving elixir for warriors. Don't underestimate this small pill; it's worth a fortune.
"That's good. Quick, give Xiao'er the pills," Meng Xiyun urged.
Ling Tao placed the two pills in Ling Xiao's mouth, letting him swallow, then laid him on the bed.
"Alright, everyone, get out. Xiao'er should be fine after taking the Huilu Pills," Ling Zhan glanced at his son, then said, pulling his wife aside.
After the three of them arrived in the hall, Ling Zhan couldn't help but ask Ling Tao about what had happened.
Ling Tao didn't hold back and told him everything. Ling Zhan frowned and said, "According to you, the opponent's strength should be similar to yours."
"Probably. He retreated immediately after missing his attack. Even with my full strength, I could only hold him back for a moment. This proves the killer's strength is no less than mine," Ling Tao nodded.
Ling Zhan pondered for a moment and muttered to himself, "Could it be the same person?"
"Brother, what are you talking about?" Ling Tao asked.
"I'm wondering if he's the same person who attacked me twelve years ago. His strength doesn't seem like it. The person who attacked me back then was at least at the peak of the Xuanshi realm. Otherwise, with my strength back then, I wouldn't have ended up like this," Ling Zhan said.
"I can't figure this out either, but I think, apart from the Li family, no one else would do such a thing," Ling Tao said.
"Alas, my son has such a miserable life!" Meng Xiyun couldn't help but say with a hint of sadness. "Don't worry, sister-in-law. I'm going back to the clan now to ask my father to strengthen Xiao'er's protection. We absolutely cannot let Xiao'er get into any trouble again," Ling Tao consoled him, then turned and left Ling Zhan's house.
...
In Ling Xiao's room, after taking the Huilu Pill, the medicinal power began to take effect.
A gentle, cooling medicinal energy began to emanate from his internal organs, slowly nourishing his meridians and blood. Simultaneously, his Sanfen Guiyuan Qi began to heal on its own. Though the speed was slow, combined with the Huilu Pill's medicinal power, it was highly effective.
Not only did his meridians gradually stabilize, his profound energy also began to recover.
An hour later, Ling Xiao's complexion gradually regained its color, and his brows relaxed.
Two hours later, Ling Xiao opened his eyes, quickly sat cross-legged, and immediately began cultivating Sanfen Guiyuan Qi.
The Huilu Pill, crafted from over a dozen first-grade spiritual herbs, not only heals injuries but also restores vital energy. Ling Xiao had twice depleted the profound energy within his meridians. Now, with the help of the Huilu Pill, not only had his meridians stabilized, but his profound energy had also returned to peak levels. Furthermore, Ling Xiao discovered that the Huilu Pill's medicinal properties were still potent, suggesting there was still room for improvement. So, without hesitation, he began practicing, intent on breaching the eleventh meridian today.
Three-Part Returning Origin Qi, three different internal energiesky Frost Qi, Cloud-Repelling Energy, and Wind God Power ontinuously extracted and fused them, absorbing the medicinal properties before compressing them again, repeating this cycle endlessly.
After an incalculable number of times, he felt the moment had arrived. All the compressed energy formed a surging, rolling wave of heat, surging towards the abandoned eleventh meridian.
"Boom."
"Crack."
After being twice injured, the eleventh meridian finally broke through with the Huilu Pill's effects. Ling Xiao jumped off the bed and burst into laughter. "Haha, I didn't expect a breakthrough! I just need to open up one last meridian and I'll be able to store profound energy. How refreshing!"
Eleven meridians within his body were nourished by the warm profound energy, which in turn began to nourish his internal organs, filling them with vitality and vigor.
At this moment, Ling Xiao no longer looked injured at all; instead, he appeared radiant with energy and fighting spirit.
Just then, the door opened.
"Xiao'er, are you okay?" Meng Xiyun immediately ran over and asked with concern.
Ling Xiao's heart warmed, and he nodded immediately, "Mom, I'm fine."
"You, child, really scared me to death. Don't go out anymore. Just stay home and play," Meng Xiyun said with lingering fear.
"I understand, Mom. I won't worry you anymore," Ling Xiao replied. At this moment, Ling Zhan spoke, "This time, it's all thanks to your Third Uncle. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to come back."
Ling Xiao understood and smiled, saying, "Dad, I understand. By the way, where is Third Uncle?"
"He went back to the inner courtyard," Ling Zhan said.
Ling Xiao casually replied, then asked where Bai Yuxi was. It turned out the girl was in the kitchen, making him some nourishing soup.
After chatting with his mother for a while, Ling Xiao was summoned to the study by Ling Zhan. Ling Zhan said sternly, "Xiao'er, although you can now cultivate your profound strength again, I hope you won't be so arrogant in the future."
Ling Xiao understood his father's concern, so he nodded obediently and said, "Dad, I'll take note."
"Well, I was too arrogant back then, which led to this fate. However, you have inherited my personality and have suffered the same blow. I hope you can learn from these two lessons and learn to be patient. When we have the strength to surpass all others, all enemies will retreat. How dare they jump out and die?" Ling Zhan admonished.
Ling Xiao had a deep understanding of this and immediately understood his father's earnest intentions. Maintaining a low profile is the key! When your strength reaches a level that others can no longer threaten, then you can unleash your might and sweep across the land!
"It seems I'd better not be so arrogant in the future, otherwise I won't be so lucky if I encounter such a sneak attack again," Ling Xiao warned himself. In a dense forest outside Meteorite City, the killer who had attacked Ling Xiao pulled back the black cloth covering his face, revealing a face so hideous it would terrify anyone.
Suddenly, the killer turned and called out, "Who's coming out? Stop sneaking around."
A masked figure in a golden robe slowly emerged from the other side. The mask was painted with eerie patterns, and the two bloodthirsty fangs in front of his mouth were terrifying.
The killer tightened his sword, staring at the masked figure in the golden robe, and asked, "Who are you? Why don't you show me your true face?"
The masked figure uttered a sinister voice, "The dead have no right to see my face."
"What a boast!" the killer shouted, then leaped into the air, his sword swung out in a burst of yellow light, swiftly and fiercely striking the masked figure.
Where the yellow sword light struck, trees were cut in half, until it struck the masked figure. "Boom..."
The murderer breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the masked man take the blow. "So he's just a fool."
"Really?" The murderer had barely finished speaking when the masked man's voice echoed.
The murderer looked at the masked man, his jaw dropping. He had taken his full-strength attack with such force and remained unscathed. Fear welled up in his heart.
His only thought now was, "Escape."
The masked man sneered, his figure flashing before he instantly appeared before the murderer. A withered, old hand grasped the murderer's neck.
The murderer's face shone with fear. "You... you're a spirit..."
Before he could even finish the word "Master," the masked man's neck was broken.
"You dare to harm my grandson? You deserve death!" the masked man uttered, then instantly vanished into the dense forest.