137: Chapter 137 The Holy Mother Appears, and the Healers Are Helpless!

Chu Wanqing picked up her wine cup and used her sleeve to hide her face, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Su Yuxi sat very steadily.

However, the slight curve at the corner of her eyes that she couldn't suppress still revealed a bit of her mood.

Shen Qingyue stood quietly beside Lin Yi.

She didn't look at Xu Tian.

It was as if those offensive words just now weren't worth even a fraction of her attention.

The murmurs around the venue were kept very low.

Low as they were.

With so many people, it still turned into a collective buzz.

"The successor of the Heaven and Earth Gate got slapped as soon as he showed up. If word of this gets out, it'll make even old ladies laugh their teeth out."

"Heh! He was putting on such an air of a grand master earlier; I thought he'd be tough, but he's just a softie!"

"He really knows how to pick people. Of all the people not to mess with, he chose those around Saint Lin Yi!"

"That's not picking people; that's picking his own grave. He deserves to be beaten!"

Xu Tian's face tightened as he listened.

His knuckles cracked from his grip.

But in the end, he didn't lash out again.

It wasn't because he had great endurance.

It was because Lin Yi's slap just now had been too swift.

And too heavy.

So heavy that it shattered thirty percent of the arrogance he had brought with him from the mountain.

Just then.

A very soft ringing of bells suddenly came from deep within the lake's center.

It wasn't the grand sound of a jade bell.

But the clear chime of ornaments on a woman's skirt clinking as she walked.

One gaze after another turned toward the sound.

The cloud curtain behind the high platform slowly parted.

Several female Disciples of Yaochi walked across the jade bridge.

They looked solemn, lining up on both sides.

In the middle, an elegant woman walked out slowly, supported by Ji Yaoguang.

She wore a moon-white palace dress, with only a single jade lotus hairpin in her hair.

Her appearance was still breathtakingly beautiful.

That beauty wasn't the brightness of a young woman, but the dignity and nobility refined by the passage of time.

Only now, her face was white to the point of being nearly transparent, and there was little color on her lips.

Even her gait carried a weakness she couldn't suppress.

But even so, the pressure belonging to a Quasi-Emperor powerhouse still faintly enveloped the surroundings.

The entire venue instantly fell silent.

Many people rose to their feet.

"Greetings, Holy Mother of Yaochi!"

The voices rose one after another.

Ji Yaoguang supported the Holy Mother of Yaochi to the main seat, her eyes filled with unconcealable worry.

The Holy Mother of Yaochi waved her hand gently, signaling everyone to be seated.

Her gaze swept across the venue, finally pausing for a moment on Lin Yi's side.

That gaze was peaceful, yet very weary.

It was as if she were barely holding on to stabilize the situation.

"You all have come from afar; I should have welcomed you with a grand feast."

"But right now, Yaochi is facing some trouble, which has made us a laughingstock before you all."

She didn't speak quickly.

Her voice also carried the frailty of someone who was ill.

But no one present dared to look down on her.

"Yaoguang must have already mentioned it to you."

"I have been afflicted by a strange illness for many years, which remains uncured to this day."

"If anyone present can resolve this ailment for me, Yaochi will naturally offer a generous reward!"

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the crowd once more.

"Whether it be Medicinal Pills, Cultivation Techniques, Divine Springs, or even a favor, I can afford it!"

As soon as these words were spoken.

The venue immediately underwent a significant stir.

A favor from the Yaochi Holy Land was no small thing.

Let alone one personally promised by the Holy Mother of Yaochi.

This weight was enough to make many people's hearts race.

But as excited as they were, few actually dared to step forward.

The scene of Xu Tian being slapped was still fresh in their minds.

No one was a fool.

Since even Yaochi couldn't suppress this illness, it was likely not simple.

Attempting to mess with it without certainty would make looking like a fool the least of their worries.

If things went wrong, they might even lose their own lives.

The venue was quiet for a few breaths.

Finally, a middle-aged Cultivator wearing an Alchemy robe stood up.

"I am an Elder of the Danxia Sect, slightly versed in medical principles, and willing to try for the Holy Mother!"

He spoke very tactfully.

Clearly, he was paving a way out for himself first.

The Holy Mother of Yaochi nodded gently.

The middle-aged Cultivator stepped forward quickly, first cupping his hands in greeting, then taking out a small Crimson Gold Seal that hovered in his palm.

As the small seal rotated, the fragrance of medicine dispersed.

Wisps of gentle Alchemy Qi descended into the Holy Mother of Yaochi's Meridians.

Lin Yi sat in his seat, his eyes moving slightly.

The Primordial Immortal Pupil quietly opened a crack.

With just one look.

He saw about seventy to eighty percent of the condition inside the Holy Mother of Yaochi's body.

There were no major issues with the Meridians.

The Divine Soul couldn't be called shattered either.

The real trouble was a very thin black thread of illness coiled deep within her internal organs.

That thing was very quiet.

As quiet as a dead object.

But whenever an external force approached, it would quietly shrink deeper, taking a bite out of her vitality in the process.

Strange!

Very strange!

At this moment, the Danxia Sect Elder's forehead had already begun to sweat.

He had been activating the Alchemy seal for a long time, and his expression grew increasingly solemn.

Finally, he took out three sticks of Divine Incense, lit them, and placed them around the Holy Mother in sequence.

But instead of improving, the Holy Mother of Yaochi's breathing faltered slightly.

Ji Yaoguang's expression changed slightly, and she hurriedly supported her mother.

The Danxia Sect Elder quickly withdrew his hands and stepped back two paces, his face full of embarrassment.

"I am ashamed!"

"The source of the Holy Mother's illness is hidden too deep; I am powerless!"

As these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the venue grew a bit heavier.

Chu Wanqing spoke in a low voice.

"He just went up and already surrendered and laid flat."

Xu Chen also lowered his voice.

"I thought he could show off some skills, but it turns out he's mainly here for the participation."

Su Yuxi glanced at the two of them.

"Watch carefully."

Xu Chen immediately shut his mouth.

But he still secretly stuffed a spiritual fruit into his mouth.

Since one failed, a second one soon went up.

This time it was a white-bearded old man who claimed to be from an Ancient Medical Family, with the inherited Nine-Turn Pulse-Probing Technique.

He was steadier than the previous one.

After going up, he didn't rush to use medicine but extended two fingers, placing them across the air onto the Holy Mother of Yaochi's wrist, closing his eyes to sense.

At first, his expression was relatively calm.

But after only a dozen breaths.

The old man's face changed.

A few more breaths passed.

He suddenly opened his eyes, his body swaying as if he had seen a ghost.

"Not right!"

"This illness isn't right!"

He murmured twice and hurriedly withdrew his hands, cold sweat densely covering his forehead.

"How can it be like this..."

"Clearly, the vitality is still there, yet it seems as if something is stealing it bit by bit."

"Halfway through my probing, the pulse went empty."

"After going empty, it turned full again."

"Chaos, total chaos!"

By the end, he couldn't even continue.

He could only give a bitter smile, cup his hands, and retreat.

The silence in the venue became even more profound.

Those who had some thoughts just now all suppressed them.

This illness was clearly more than just a little tricky.

Several more people went up in succession.

There were Alchemy Great Masters.

There was a female Cultivator from a certain Holy Land who specialized in the Path of the Wood Spirit.

There was even an old man who bragged as soon as he appeared that his ancestors had once extended the life of a Saint.

The result was without exception.

All failed.

Someone probed with Divine Thought and was shaken by that thread of illness until blood seeped from the corner of their mouth on the spot.

Someone sacrificed a divine medicine, but as soon as the medicinal power entered, it was like a stone dropped into the ocean, without even a sound.

And there was one most miserable.

He had just taken out an ancestral Jade Needle, and as soon as the tip touched the Holy Mother's wrist, with a 'crack', it snapped.

The Cultivators in the venue watched with their eyelids twitching.

Is this treating an illness, or is this just a joke?!

Xu Chen smacked his lips.

"It's over!"

"These noobs didn't come here to treat an illness today; they came to hold a funeral for their own medical paths!"