11: Highly nourishing

Night, deep as ink.

The Luoyun Mountain Range had transformed into a dormant ancient behemoth. In the darkness, countless covetous eyes lit up, filled with bloodlust and slaughter.

Yet tonight, this cruel jungle welcomed a true king!

Swish—!

A massive shadow, five meters long, moved silently through the forest like a flowing abyss.

Wherever it passed, all was silent. Whether it was a ferocious wolf pack or a lurking venomous snake, upon feeling that supreme Aura originating from the depths of its Bloodline, they would tremble and prostrate themselves on the ground, not daring to even lift their heads!

It was none other than Mysterious Ink, who had been rushing over throughout the night!

After evolving into a Black Water Profound Python, not only had his size surged, but his speed had also become as fast as a ghost.

With his Peak First Level cultivation, combined with his higher-level profound grade Bloodline, he was like a fish in water in this mountain range, with no more rivals!

In his cold snake pupils, two clusters of eerie, cold flames burned.

In his mind, the faint, tenuous contract connection with Ye Feiyan was now like a candle in the wind, weak to the extreme, as if it could be extinguished at any moment.

This feeling of near-death weakness caused an unprecedented surge of rage and killing intent in Mysterious Ink's heart!

"Roar—!"

Just then, a roar filled with violence and anger came from a nearby mountain hollow, interrupting Mysterious Ink's rapid advance.

Mysterious Ink's massive body came to a sudden halt. He looked toward the sound and saw, under the moonlight, a giant ape covered in burning crimson flames, frantically pounding with its massive fists at the entrance of a cave blocked by rubble!

It was none other than the Peak First Level Yao Beast that had severely wounded Ye Feiyan—the Crimson Fire Demonic Ape!

It had evidently followed the blood trail and found Ye Feiyan's hiding place!

Inside that cave, Mysterious Ink could clearly feel that Ye Feiyan's already weak life Aura had become even more chaotic due to the violent tremors, as if it would completely dissipate in the next second!

"Seeking death!"

A bone-chilling killing intent erupted from Mysterious Ink!

He no longer held back in the slightest. His massive python body transformed into a black bolt of death, carrying a terrifying Aura capable of crushing everything, and shot toward the Crimson Fire Demonic Ape!

The Crimson Fire Demonic Ape, which was frantically pounding the cave, seemed to sense a fatal threat.

It turned around abruptly, and upon seeing that black afterimage that was fast to the extreme, its crimson beast pupils suddenly constricted!

Both were at the Peak First Level, but from the other party, it felt a Bloodline suppression originating from a higher level of life that made its Soul tremble!

"Roar!"

The Crimson Fire Demonic Ape let out an angry roar, advancing instead of retreating. The flames all over its body surged by several feet, and its massive fist, like a burning meteorite, slammed fiercely toward Mysterious Ink's head!

However, the strength and flames it was so proud of appeared so laughable before the current Mysterious Ink.

Facing this earth-shattering punch, Mysterious Ink didn't even have the thought of dodging. He opened his massive maw, and mysterious runes lit up in his throat.

"Pfft!"

A thick black water arrow, condensed from extreme cold Qi, shot out from his mouth, hitting the burning giant fist with precision before the ape's attack could land!

Sizzle—!

The collision between water and fire did not result in a heaven-shaking explosion. The black water arrow seemed to possess the property of devouring all things, and in the instant of contact, it extinguished most of the raging demonic flames!

The Crimson Fire Demonic Ape let out a painful roar; the extreme cold coming from its fist caused its movements to falter.

And this momentary pause was the distance between life and death!

Mysterious Ink's massive body had already approached like a ghost!

That massive tail, harder than steel, traced a deadly arc in mid-air, and with a terrifying sonic boom that tore through the air, it whipped fiercely against the Crimson Fire Demonic Ape's waist and abdomen!

Crack!!!

A teeth-gritting sound of bones shattering echoed through the mountain forest!

The Crimson Fire Demonic Ape's mountain-like sturdy body was folded in half on the spot by the force of that tail.

Its huge body flew sideways like a cannonball, snapping over a dozen towering trees before crashing heavily to the ground, vomiting blood, with only a faint breath left.

There was no pity in Mysterious Ink's cold snake pupils. His massive body slithered up instantly, and without waiting for the other party to react, he opened his blood-red maw and bit precisely onto its neck.

"Snap!"

Accompanied by a crisp sound, this fierce and prestigious Peak First Level Yao Beast tilted its head and ceased to exist.

The entire battle, from start to finish, lasted only a few breaths!

Clean, decisive, overbearing, and crushing!

Having dealt with the threat, Mysterious Ink immediately slithered toward the cave, gently swept away the rubble blocking the entrance with his tail, and slipped inside.

Inside the cave, Ye Feiyan was lying quietly on the cold ground, on the verge of death. Her beautiful face was pale as paper, with a trace of crimson blood hanging from the corner of her mouth; she was severely wounded and dying, having completely lost consciousness.

Mysterious Ink's heart tightened; he dared not delay in the slightest.

Relying on the Yao Beast's instinctual perception of Heaven And Earth Treasure, he quickly found a few healing Spirit Medicine plants emitting a rich life Aura near the cave.

He coiled the Spirit Medicine back into the cave, gently crushed them with his lower jaw, squeezed out the emerald-green medicinal juice, and then carefully pried open Ye Feiyan's pearly teeth, feeding her the life-saving medicinal liquid drop by drop.

After finishing all this, he quietly coiled to the side, surrounding her with his massive body, keeping watch silently.

...

I don't know how much time passed, but amidst a slight moan, Ye Feiyan's long eyelashes fluttered, and she finally slowly woke up.

The first moment she woke up, the vigilance engraved in her bones made her sit up abruptly, her eyes filled with caution and killing intent!

However, when she saw the familiar and massive figure before her, all her caution and killing intent instantly transformed into endless astonishment and relief.

"Mysterious... Mysterious Ink?"

She called out subconsciously, then immediately felt her internal condition.

The intense pain that had felt like tearing was now replaced by a cool and gentle medicinal power. Although the injuries were still severe, the most fatal internal injuries had been stabilized, and her life was no longer in danger.

She understood instantly.

It was Mysterious Ink who had found her and saved her.

An indescribable warm current flowed through her heart, causing her Empress heart, which had been frozen for ten thousand years due to betrayal, to quietly melt at one corner.

She looked at the Black Water Profound Python silently guarding her, her gaze becoming incomparably soft.

"Thank you."

This was the second time she had said these three words to him.

But this time, the emotions contained within were far more sincere and complex than the last.

After thanking him, Ye Feiyan finally realized and was startled, her beautiful eyes widening at Mysterious Ink's current appearance.

"Your body... how did it become so big? You... your Innate deficiency, has it been resolved?"

Facing her question, Mysterious Ink was well-prepared.

The System was his greatest secret and must never be exposed.

He turned his head and gently touched Ye Feiyan's lapel with his head.

There, the empty jade bottle that had contained the "nine revolutions origin returning liquid" was lying quietly.

The meaning was self-evident.

"Is... is it the credit of that bottle of Spirit liquid?" Ye Feiyan was stunned at first, then revealed a look of realization.

Although she still felt incomparably surprised in her heart, upon second thought, she felt it was reasonable.

The "nine revolutions origin returning liquid" was originally a Heaven-Defying treasure; even her own damaged Heaven Rank Spiritual Root could be perfectly repaired, so helping Mysterious Ink make up for his Innate deficiency and helping him recover the appearance he should have had didn't seem like something difficult to understand.

"So that's it, that's great." Ye Feiyan was genuinely happy for him.

She struggled to stand up and, with Mysterious Ink's support, walked slowly out of the cave.

But when she saw the already cold corpse of the Crimson Fire Demonic Ape outside the cave, her whole person froze in place again.

"This... this is..."

This was left deliberately by Mysterious Ink.

The corpse of a Peak First Level Yao Beast was undoubtedly a massive fortune for Ye Feiyan, who was currently in urgent need of Cultivate resources.

After all, only if she became stronger would the experience points he could gain per second be more.

He pretended to be in an "I just arrived too" state, flicked his tongue at the corpse, signaling that when he arrived, this guy was already dead.

Ye Feiyan naturally did not suspect him.

In her view, although Mysterious Ink had recovered his original size, he was ultimately just a First Level Yao Beast and could never possibly kill a Crimson Fire Demonic Ape that was also at the Peak.

She naturally assumed that this was another "unknown big shot" passing by who had done it as a favor, and she had gotten lucky again.

She stopped thinking about it, walked to the Crimson Fire Demonic Ape's corpse, and her eyes flashed with excitement.

She skillfully sliced open the Demonic Ape's chest, took out the heart that was still warm and contained massive vital blood, and handed it to Mysterious Ink.

"This is for you, a great tonic."

Immediately, she sat cross-legged, formed hand seals, and once again operated the "Myriad Dao Furnace Scripture"!

In an instant, the wind and clouds changed color!

Only to see that from the Crimson Fire Demonic Ape's massive corpse, streams of blood-colored Qi, more pure and massive than any time before, were forcibly stripped out, turning into a blood-red tornado that surged frantically into Ye Feiyan's body!

Boom! Boom!

Her Aura began to surge frantically at a terrifying speed!

Peak Fifth Level of Qi Refining!

The Bottleneck, under such overbearing energy impact, was fragile and vulnerable!

Sixth Level of Qi Refining!

The energy showed no signs of weakening and continued to climb!

Peak Sixth Level of Qi Refining!

Boom!!!

When the last trace of blood Qi was devoured, an Aura several times stronger than before erupted from Ye Feiyan's body!

Seventh Level of Qi Refining!

Success!

Relying solely on the corpse of a Peak First Level Yao Beast, it allowed her to break through two realms while in a severely wounded state!

Feeling the abundant power within her, Ye Feiyan's face was filled with ecstasy.

And on the side, Mysterious Ink, who had devoured the Demonic Ape's heart and also benefited greatly, watched this scene, a glimmer of light flashing in his snake pupils.

He seemed to have found a "super shortcut" that could allow this Empress to level up quickly.

From today on, he, Mysterious Ink, would not only be a guardian but also a part-time "gold medal hunter"!