41: Chapter 41: Escape from Danger and Return, Enforcement Team Provides Assistance

The three of them flew rapidly, quickly leaving the chaotic and bloody forest far behind. It wasn't until they could no longer hear the roars and howls of the Yao Beasts that they finally stopped in a relatively safe and secluded mountain valley.

"Phew—exciting! Too exciting!"

As soon as she landed, Chen Yaojia couldn't help but let out a long breath, patting her ample chest.

Her face showed no lingering fear; instead, it was filled with the excitement of surviving a calamity and a eager anticipation.

"If I had known Yue Li... uh, that your Puppet was so powerful, I should have turned back and used those Yao Beasts to test my newly Breakthrough Kaiyuan Realm power. It would have been much more satisfying than chopping wood!

Her beautiful eyes sparkled, clearly indicating that the surge in power from her perfect Breakthrough had made her extremely confident, eager to find opponents for a grand battle.

Li Siwen, hearing this, gave a wry smile and shook his head.

With a thought, he carefully sensed Yue Li's state within the Puppet's core through the contract, and his brows furrowed slightly.

"Sister Yaojia, it's not that simple!"

He said with a hint of helplessness, "Yue Li seemed mighty just now, but she expended a tremendous amount of energy. In just those few breaths of battle, her Soul Power residing in the Puppet was depleted by nearly one-third!"

"What? One-third?!" Chen Yaojia exclaimed in shock, "How could the consumption be so great? Her demonstrated strength was that of the Tianyuan Realm!"

"A Puppet body is ultimately not her original body and cannot perfectly integrate. Exerting power is twice the effort for half the result, placing an extremely heavy burden on her Soul Power," Li Siwen explained, then briefly recounted the principles of the Spirit Puppet Symbiotic Contract as Shang Ting had told him.

"Fortunately, this Puppet core seems to have the effect of nourishing the Soul Origin. As long as Yue Li resides within it and doesn't engage in intense activity, her Soul Power can slowly recover on its own, albeit at a very slow pace. But it's better than remaining in the grotto-heaven and slowly dissipating."

He paused, then added, "If we can find some Heaven And Earth Treasure that nourishes the Divine Soul and repairs the Origin in the future, perhaps it could not only help her recover quickly but even... offer a chance to mend some of her Soul Origin damage, allowing her to regain more memories and power. However..."

Li Siwen shook his head, "Her Soul body is too severely damaged. To restore her to her Peak state would be as difficult as ascending to the heavens, and the treasures required would likely be impossible to find in this world."

After listening, Chen Yaojia finally understood. The eager anticipation on her face completely vanished, replaced by a hint of regret and solemnity.

"So that's it... No wonder you were so eager for her to prioritize killing the third-rank Yao Beasts, collecting their corpses, and then leaving immediately. I was too naive."

Li Siwen nodded, saying no more.

He extended his hand to Yue Li, who stood quietly beside him, her face exquisitely beautiful but her eyes somewhat vacant, and said gently, "Yue Li, come back and rest first."

"Yes, Master!" Yue Li responded respectfully, her figure rapidly fading and shrinking, eventually transforming back into the palm-sized, unadorned Dao Yi Puppet, landing in Li Siwen's palm.

Li Siwen could feel a wave of weariness yet peace emanating from Yue Li's remnant Soul within the Puppet's core, as if she had returned to her most comfortable bed, spontaneously drawing energy from the core to slowly repair her depleted Soul Power.

He carefully placed the Puppet in the safest spot within his System space.

Just then—

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Several sounds of air being torn through approached rapidly from a distance, heading towards their mountain valley!

Li Siwen and Chen Yaojia immediately became vigilant, secretly raising their Internal Energy.

Soon, several figures wearing Xuanjian Sect Law Enforcement Team uniforms appeared at the mouth of the valley.

The leader, tall and upright, with a steady face tinged with concern, was none other than Chen Mingtao!

"Yaojia! Junior Sister Li! You really are here!" Chen Mingtao's face immediately showed a look of relief when he saw the two of them.

He quickly walked over with his team members and said, "When I heard the huge Yao Beast commotion and energy fluctuations from this direction, I was worried it might be you two! Thankfully, you're unharmed!"

He carefully examined the two of them. Seeing that Chen Yaojia's Aura was full and profound, not only was she unharmed, but... his pupils contracted slightly in surprise, "Yaojia, you... you've Breakthrough to the Kaiyuan Realm?!"

Chen Yaojia also sighed in relief upon seeing her elder brother. Hearing his words, she lifted her chin slightly, with a hint of smugness, "Mm! I just Breakthrough! A perfect Breakthrough!"

Joy and relief flashed in Chen Mingtao's eyes, but were immediately replaced by doubt: "That's great! But... why are you here? And why did you cause such a big commotion?"

Li Siwen and Chen Yaojia exchanged glances, a tacit understanding already in their hearts.

Li Siwen (Li Shiwen) stepped forward, a perfectly feigned look of lingering fear and fatigue on her face, and explained softly:

"Senior Brother Chen, it's like this. At that time, Sister Yaojia was injured, so I alone lured away the beast horde. I originally intended to take a detour back, but I accidentally startled more Yao Beasts and was pursued all the way to this area. More and more Yao Beasts gathered, and we were almost in a desperate situation."

Her tone paused, and she looked at Chen Yaojia, her eyes showing "sincere" gratitude.

"Fortunately, Sister Yaojia disregarded her unhealed injuries, forcefully came out to find me, and arrived just in time at the most critical moment. She even Breakthrough to the Kaiyuan Realm during the battle. With the two of us working together, we barely managed to break through the encirclement and escape to here."

Chen Yaojia immediately nodded in cooperation, adding, "Brother, you don't know how dangerous it was! Several third-rank Yao Beasts surrounded us! If I hadn't just Breakthrough and my power surged, plus Junior Sister Shiwen's agile movement technique, we almost wouldn't have made it back alive!"

Her tone carried lingering fear, yet cleverly highlighted her own "contribution."

The two of them, in a perfect duet of half-truths, simplified and condensed the thrilling process, cleverly concealing all key secrets such as the grotto-heaven, the Ancient Remnant Soul, and the Tianyuan Realm Puppet, attributing the outcome solely to Chen Yaojia's Breakthrough during battle and their desperate struggle.

Chen Mingtao listened to their narration, his brows slightly furrowed, his gaze sweeping back and forth between his sister and "Li Shiwen."

He always felt that something wasn't quite right.

It was good that his sister Breakthrough to the Kaiyuan Realm, but how could a perfect Breakthrough be so easily achieved in a battle?

Moreover, looking at their current state, apart from a slight depletion of Qi and fatigue, there were no signs of serious injury, which was unlike having experienced a deadly battle surrounded by several third-rank Yao Beasts.

More importantly... he keenly noticed that the atmosphere between his sister and this "Junior Sister Shiwen" seemed... extraordinarily different.

The two stood very close, and their eye contact carried an indescribable tacit understanding and... intimacy? Even more subtle than before.

His sister's gaze towards "her," besides camaraderie, seemed to hold something else?

And "Junior Sister Shiwen's" protection and concern for his sister also seemed to exceed ordinary fellow disciple friendship.

But he couldn't find any evidence, and their explanation sounded reasonable enough; after all, anything could happen in the Yao Beast forest.

In the end, he could only suppress his doubts, nodded, and said in a deep voice, "So that's what happened... That was truly fortunate! You must never take such risks again! Since you're both alright, follow me back to the Law Enforcement Hall to rest, and then give a detailed report."

"Yes, Senior Brother."

Li Siwen and Chen Yaojia responded simultaneously, both secretly sighing in relief.

Chen Mingtao looked around again and asked, "What about those Yao Beasts that attacked you?"

"We killed a few, and the rest, seeing that they couldn't break through, seemed to have been startled away by Sister Yaojia's Aura during her Breakthrough, scattering into the mountains," Li Siwen replied without changing his expression.

Hearing this, Chen Mingtao didn't probe further. Being able to repel the beast horde and escape unharmed was already a great fortune.

He waved his hand, signaling his team members to stand guard around them, preparing to escort the two back to the Sect.

Li Siwen and Chen Yaojia followed behind Chen Mingtao, exchanging another glance, both seeing a hint of relief and a smile in each other's eyes.