342: Chapter 342 Treatment

Liu Ruyan, dressed in a simple and elegant long dress, quietly walked into the camp.

Her aura was restrained, yet she faintly gave off a feeling of having undergone a complete transformation; her cold eyes seemed to hold an indescribable depth.

When Su Liuli returned and saw Qin Yan, her eyes curved slightly as she waved with a smile, yet she did not disturb his cultivation.

Li Mu was supported by others as he entered, his face pale and his left arm hanging limply, clearly having suffered significant injuries.

...

One, two, three...

Qin Yan's heart sank bit by bit as the number of returnees remained sparse.

Night had completely fallen, and the twilight draped a layer of dark blue gauze over the ancient forest.

High in the sky, the giant emerald formation that enveloped the ancestral land and guided the returnees...

Its light began to gradually dim, and its rotation speed slowed down.

Finally, after a ripple of soft energy undulated outward, the formation quietly faded away like starlight merging into the night sky, leaving no trace behind.

The Hidden Dragon Assembly had officially come to an end.

This meant that all survivors had returned, while those who failed to return... would remain forever in that vast Ancient Yue.

Qin Yan withdrew his spear and stood up, his gaze sweeping across the entire camp.

By the campfires, near the tents, on the open ground... all the Elf Prodigies under Anya's command who had successfully returned were now here.

His gaze finally settled on the human area.

Five people.

Only five people.

Himself, Liu Ruyan, Su Liuli, Li Mu, and an unknown Martial Arts Academy student.

Qin Yan clearly remembered that three months ago, when they departed from this Elf Clan gathering point and stepped into the giant formation leading to the Canglin Ancient Peak, the human team was as many as thirty people strong!

They either came from noble families or prestigious academies, and all were the cream of the crop among their peers.

They had come carrying dreams and the expectations of their families and factions.

And now, only one in six had returned!

On the other side of the camp, although the number of Elf Prodigies under Anya's command was greater...

A rough glance showed that compared to the scale at the time of departure, it was also clearly reduced by about fifty to sixty percent.

Many of those familiar or semi-familiar elven faces would never appear again.

The withering of life was presented at this moment in such a direct and cruel manner.

"The struggle for the Martial Dao is as cruel as this."

Qin Yan sighed deeply in his heart; his desire to become stronger had never been as burning and clear as it was at this moment.

Just as the camp was shrouded in heavy silence and mourning, a strange phenomenon suddenly occurred.

In the night sky directly above the camp, a speck of emerald light lit up out of thin air, then rapidly expanded and extended.

A massive book, entirely emerald and seemingly woven from the finest jade and ancient wood textures, slowly emerged.

The book was about a foot thick and over ten feet in length and width; the cover was engraved with complex elven runes and natural totems, emitting an aura that was ancient, sacred, and filled with infinite vitality.

Immediately after, the book slowly "flipped open," and a vast, pure, and majestic life force filled with infinite vitality...

...poured down from the book like a warm spring tide, instantly enveloping the entire camp.

"Mm..."

All the prodigies in the camp, whether human or elf, couldn't help but let out a comfortable soft moan.

They felt as if their entire bodies were soaked in life-spring water of the perfect temperature. The bone-deep fatigue accumulated over the days, the dull pain from hidden injuries, and the lethargy after mental exhaustion were all being smoothed over and dispelled at an astonishing speed.

A warm sensation flowed through their limbs and bones; their spirits were refreshed, and even the circulation of their blood and qi seemed to become smoother and more lively.

Qin Yan cast his gaze toward that floating emerald ancient book.

After the trip to the Canglin Ancient Peak and seeing many strange objects, spirit weapons, and even an unusual existence like Xiao Hei, his horizons were no longer what they used to be.

He could clearly feel that this ancient book was a tangible spirit weapon possessing vast and mighty power!

As for its specific rank, with his current knowledge, he could not yet make an accurate judgment.

But one thing was beyond doubt: the grade of this book was definitely very high.

Just then, the ancient book flashed with light, and an elegant, tall figure gracefully appeared from within the green light, standing in mid-air like a descending nature goddess.

It was indeed Anya.

Today, she was still dressed in a simple yet noble moon-white elven robe, her silver hair cascading down to her waist like a waterfall.

Her emerald eyes were deeper and gentler than jade as her gaze swept over every returning prodigy below.

"Greetings, Your Highness!"

"Greetings, Princess Anya!"

The Elf Prodigies in the camp, regardless of the severity of their injuries, immediately knelt on one knee in unison upon seeing her, hands over their hearts, bowing their heads in salute. Their voices were filled with heartfelt reverence and excitement.

Qin Yan and the other four Human Prodigies also immediately bowed to show their respect.

"Everyone, you have worked hard."

Anya's clear voice rang out; it wasn't loud, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly.

Her gaze slowly swept over the clearly thinned-out ranks below, over those faces carrying injuries and filled with sorrow or determination, and a slight ripple appeared in her eyes.

Even for a princess accustomed to life and death and ruling over hundreds of millions of lives, her heart was inevitably touched facing the withering of so many young lives.

But she knew well that this was the necessity of the path of the Martial Dao, the price the race must pay while struggling for survival in the Heavens and Myriad Worlds.

Pity was hidden in her heart, while the path still required a steady forward march.

She gently waved her slender, jade-like right hand, and a soft but irresistible breeze swept through the camp.

All the kneeling or bowing elves and humans were gently lifted by this force, standing straight once more.

Immediately after, Anya did not return to the sky but instead gracefully descended, personally walking into the camp.

She first walked toward the most severely injured Elf Prodigies.

Coming before an Elven Warrior with a blood-soaked bandage wrapped around his abdomen and a weak aura, Anya extended her right hand, palm down.

Soft green light blossomed from her palm, quickly condensing into phantoms of tender green branches that looked as if they had just sprouted.

The branches gently brushed over the Elven Warrior's wound, and a life force so vast and pure it reached the extreme was injected into it.

The hideous wound could be seen wriggling and healing at a speed visible to the naked eye; necrotic tissue fell away, and fresh flesh and blood grew.

In just a few breaths, the severe puncture wound was healed as if it were new.

The Elven Prodigy's pale face quickly regained its color, and he opened his eyes in joy, too excited to speak.

Anya nodded slightly and moved to the next person.

She moved among the wounded; with a wave of her hand, green light fell like rain, or vines and flowers gently entwined, healing all sorts of heavy injuries: broken bones were reconnected, corroded skin and flesh were renewed, and exhausted bodies...

The entire camp fell silent, save for the faint hum of life energy flowing and the gradually steady and forceful breathing of the wounded.

All the prodigies watched with bated breath, their eyes filled with shock and reverence.

Soon, she arrived near Qin Yan and stopped in front of Xue Ye.

Xue Ye had lost his right arm long ago; the stump had already healed, but the empty sleeve was an indelible mark of his incompleteness.