The demon chuckled softly, "Of course, haven't you realized yet? I am the ruler of this place." With a flap of its bone wings, an overwhelming and powerful aura instantly forced Ling Yun to involuntarily take several steps back. Such power far exceeded Ling Yun's imagination. Even if Ling Yun stood here unscathed, there was absolutely no way he could withstand a single blow from the demon.
Countless fleeting patterns, accompanied by crimson light, appeared behind the demon. Mysterious patterns and totems drifted through the space, and the laughter emanating from hell was so real and shocking, it struck Ling Yun's heart. A massive, nameless curse of ten thousand ghosts was rising from the ground, and as the demon grew taller and larger, Ling Yun's heart sank to its deepest depths.
Is it only demons who possess the method of Holy Healing? Or can one obtain it by defeating him? But with such immense power, my chances of winning are practically zero. Not to mention that Ling Yun, already frail and vulnerable, doesn't even need the demon to lift a finger.
I fear that before long, I will collapse here, becoming an unknown, decaying skeleton beneath the Demon Castle.
"Ling Yun, I know why you're here, and I know what you want. Your time is running out," the demon said softly. "Of course, you are a strong person, and I don't want you to die here in a lowly way. I'll give you two choices."
Ling Yun listened silently. Indeed, here, demons were the rulers.
"First, once you walk out of there, you'll escape the fifth stage of the simulation. Nothing will have happened, and you'll live a good life. Of course, your goal won't be achieved, but that's much better than losing your life, isn't it?" The demon chuckled unfathomably, stepping aside his massive and imposing body. Behind him, in the deep space, a gate of light stood tall. "Second, pour all your blood into this human girl's mouth, and she will die. However, with your blood, she will live, and she will leave the fifth stage of the simulation with the method of Holy Healing. Whatever unfulfilled wishes you have, she can fulfill them for you. How about that? Is that a fair deal?"
Ling Yun's gaze fell on the unconscious girl. He didn't know why she had been locked up here by the demon, who had cruelly pierced her collarbone. But Ling Yun had no time to think about these things that were unrelated to the Holy Healing Spell.
"Make your choice, Lingyun. Though I am a demon, I will not lie to you," the demon said slowly. With a wave of his pale green hand, a trident radiating a blood-red light appeared in his grasp.
Ling Yun silently walked towards the girl. If he had to choose one, he would rather give up his own life. This way, he could both save Gu Xiaorou and help this seemingly innocent girl.
With a clang, a gleaming blade of light emerged from the boy's arm, trembling as it slashed towards his wrist on his other arm.
The little girl seemed to sense something, opening her large, lifeless eyes in confusion. Seeing the blade of light, her gaze immediately turned to fear. The demon excitedly raised its trident, its long, thin, bright red tongue licking its lips, as if it could already smell the incomparably sweet aroma of human blood.
With a soft thud, the light blade pierced deep into the girl's neck, penetrating her pink head into the black pillar.
"I never believe the words of demons," Ling Yun said calmly, and with a gentle flick of his light blade, the girl's head flew off.
The demon's movements, brandishing the blood-red trident, abruptly froze. An expression of disbelief appeared on its pale green,狰狞 face, and its body began to fade into an almost ethereal state: "How did you see through it? With your abilities, this is simply impossible." A hollow and deep voice came from the demon's mouth, carrying a sense of illusion and mystery.
The headless girl's corpse eerily didn't spit out any blood; instead, it took a step forward. With a bang, the silver chains were broken into countless fragments by the small body, and a demon's head slowly emerged from the severed neck.
“After seeing you, I gained the third superpower granted by the barrier.” Ling Yun took a step back with difficulty. “The Eye of Illusion can see through all concealment and falsehood, so I saw long ago that the girl was your true form.”
"At the same time, after killing your true form..." Ling Yun's face was pale, but his eyes shone with excitement, "I also obtained the Holy Healing Technique!"
The demon opened its mouth, as if wanting to say something more, but said nothing. Its shadow quickly faded and then disappeared completely.
Ling Yun slowly turned around. In the panoramic view, the protective force field of the entire black castle was gone. Under the bombardment of heavenly lightning, the castle was creaking and cracking under the strain. The castle trembled violently, and countless white lights rained down from the sky, instantly reducing the castle to dust.
Everything suddenly shattered into countless fragments, vanishing before Ling Yun with a deafening roar.
Chapter Seventy-Eight: Awakening
"Teacher, I'm back." As he spoke, Ling Yun's figure slowly appeared in the first layer of the barrier, but as soon as he appeared, he lost his balance and fell to his knees. The boy tried to stand up straight, but his strength was insufficient.
He was incredibly old; his skin was wrinkled like rotting tree bark, his back was hunched, his eyes were deeply sunken, and his hair had turned completely white. The once elastic muscles beneath his skin had atrophied entirely as his energy dissipated. This caused Ling Yun to suddenly lose a full fifty pounds.
As he ascended, Lingyun resembled a flickering candle that could be extinguished at any moment in a gentle breeze.
Yu Xiujie glanced at him silently, his expression instantly changing. With a wave of his sleeve, Ling Yun felt a sudden brightness before his eyes, and in the blink of an eye, Yu Xiujie sent him out of the barrier. A faint voice echoed in Ling Yun's mind: "Someone outside will rescue you. We can continue our conversation after you recover."
When I opened my eyes, the barrier I had created was still bright and warm.
A pair of perfect, slender hands gently pressed against his forehead, and a soft, warm energy slowly flowed from their hands into his body. Although this was only a drop in the ocean for his severely depleted life force, a sense of comfort and gratitude still rose in Ling Yun's heart.
The girl's breathtakingly beautiful face was filled with a mixture of surprise and worry: "You're finally awake."
Ling Yun struggled to sit up, but only managed to lift half his upper body before suddenly losing all strength. He was about to fall backward when a soft, boneless yet strong arm caught his back. A warm, fragrant body, like the scent of orchids, tightly embraced Ling Yun.
Ling Yun slowly raised his withered, bony hand to his eyes, a jolt running through him. It seemed that even if only his mental energy field was damaged within the simulation, his real body would be affected in tandem. If he were to die in the simulation, he would have absolutely no chance of survival in reality.
But even if he survives, how much longer can he live? Back in his real body, Ling Yun truly felt the burning of his life force, and that it had already reached its end.
Gu Xiaorou leaned close to him and whispered, "I've been watching over you. Although I don't know what you've been through these past few days, the changes in your body are very clear. Can you tell me what's going on? Don't make me worry."
The girl's tone was full of anxiety and worry. Given her usual indifference, the fact that she could express such strong concern in her tone said a lot.
Ling Yun felt a warmth in his heart, but then he sighed heavily and silently took Gu Xiaorou's hand: "I told you, there would definitely be a way. Thank you for watching over me all this time."
Gu Xiaorou blushed, thinking to herself, "You seem honest, but you're actually quite bold. You just came back from your daydream and you're already holding a girl's hand." However, being held by Ling Yun like this, Gu Xiaorou felt a little happy.
She froze, a faint mental energy field transmitting from Ling Yun's palm. Countless pieces of information combined to form a complex and unique technique within her mental world.
"What is this?" Gu Xiaorou pondered the unfamiliar technique, and a sudden realization dawned on her. In just a moment, she understood the application of the Holy Healing Technique. This miraculous technique could easily dissolve the miniature barrier within her body and restore her injuries at the fastest speed.
A feeling of surprise and excitement welled up in the girl's heart. Originally, Gu Xiaorou did not have high expectations for Ling Yun. The miniature barrier had been inside her body for three years. She had tried every possible method, but none of them could solve the problem.
The miniature barrier is like a slow-acting poison. Although it won't kill you immediately, it will lurk deeper and deeper into your body over time until it merges with your mental field and becomes inseparable from it. Then it will slowly harm the mother body until she dies.
All the girl could do was wait to die in despair. Although Ling Yun's sudden appearance and unwavering attitude gave her unprecedented warmth and hope, Gu Xiaorou still lacked confidence. Having grown up amidst life-and-death situations, she wasn't afraid of death; perhaps the unbearable loneliness was even more terrifying, and she'd rather die.
But now, Ling Yun has returned, and he has somehow rekindled the girl's hope for resurrection. Perhaps Gu Xiaorou is unaware of the immense price Ling Yun paid.
Ling Yun, how many secrets do you hold? Gu Xiaorou thought silently, and suddenly felt that her life had undergone a huge change, and this change came entirely from this ordinary young man.
The transmission of spiritual information ended. Ling Yun's hand suddenly released its grip without any strength. Gu Xiaorou looked at Ling Yun strangely, and was immediately taken aback.
Lingyun's head drooped limply, and she lost consciousness in her arms. Crimson blood continued to flow from the corner of her mouth. After using her last bit of strength to transmit the Holy Healing Technique, Lingyun could no longer hold on, and her consciousness sank into darkness like water.
Gu Xiaorou's heart burned like fire. Looking at Ling Yun, whose breathing grew weaker and weaker, she placed her jade-like hand on his forehead, biting her lip and desperately channeling her supernatural power into him. This action had seemed to have brought Ling Yun to his senses. But now, all the power entering his body seemed to vanish without a trace.
Gu Xiaorou's heart sank instantly. Her sensitive mental energy field within Ling Yun's body only sensed a lifeless emptiness, devoid of the vibrant life force it once possessed. Now, Ling Yun's body was only a hair's breadth away from becoming a cold corpse.
The joy brought by the Holy Healing spell vanished instantly. A greater panic and fear gripped the girl, despite her independence and strength since childhood. At this moment, she became so vulnerable and frightened.
Would he be willing to pay the ultimate price for me? How can I save you? Gu Xiaorou asked herself these questions over and over, her heart pounding with sorrow.
Please wake up. Crystalline tears finally welled up in the girl's eyes. Even though Gu Xiaorou had never shed a tear since she was a child and had always faced the threat of death, she couldn't help but bury her face in Ling Yun's chest and cry loudly.