Chapter Nineteen: Awakening of the Mind

“What happened?!” Yue Qi hurried forward. Yang Yuqi appeared to have lost consciousness, beads of sweat the size of peas rolling down her forehead, as if she was enduring excruciating pain.

“It seems she was bitten by a zombie during the chaos just now!” Bai Lian quickly answered from the side. The earlier scene had been so chaotic that she hadn’t noticed it herself; if she’d known right away, she would have severed Yang Yuqi’s leg without hesitation.

“She was bitten? It doesn’t look too serious, otherwise she would have already turned…” Yue Qi frowned as he spoke. He’d seen how quickly others—like his own father—had mutated.

“It was just a single bite…” As Yue Yunsheng spoke, he rolled up Yang Yuqi’s trouser leg. For an unmarried young woman, exposing her leg in front of so many people would have been utterly ruinous to her reputation, but Yue Yunsheng, desperate to save her, cared little for such things.

“The wound isn’t deep, but she’s been poisoned…” Yue Qi admitted he had no idea how to handle such an injury. He turned to Bai Lian for guidance. “Sister Lian, what do you think…”

Bai Lian shook her head. “I’m not sure if this virus can be dispelled with spells. The fourth-tier spell of the water element, called Celestial Dew, not only heals wounds but also expels evil. But a fourth-tier spell… even when my cultivation was intact, it was extremely difficult for me. Besides, with your current level, you couldn’t use such an advanced technique even if you had the method.”

With that, Bai Lian had all but pronounced a death sentence for Yang Yuqi. Yue Yunsheng’s face instantly turned ashen, disbelief filling his eyes.

These were cultivators—immortals in their eyes. If even immortals declared there was no hope…

Yue Yunsheng dared not think further. Yuqi was everything to him. If she died, or became a zombie, he was certain he wouldn’t continue alone.

“Let me try again, Yunsheng,” Yue Qi noticed his friend’s distress but still clung to a sliver of hope. “Step aside and let me try once more.”

He summoned his inner spiritual energy, though his head spun. He had just broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage and had not yet consolidated his new realm before using a second-tier earth spell. Now, to save Yang Yuqi, he would have to attempt another Water Nourishment spell…

Forcing himself to focus, Yue Qi crossed his hands, murmuring an incantation. Instantly, a dense mist of water droplets formed in the air—far more potent than the first time he had used Water Nourishment to heal his mother. After all, Foundation Establishment was a world apart from Qi Condensation.

The droplets gathered over Yuqi’s wound, and the injury began to heal before their very eyes! Slowly, new flesh swelled up, and the wound that had been oozing black blood gradually turned pink.

“It’s healed! Qi, look! She’s healed!” Yue Yunsheng cried out in joy, his face alight with excitement. At that moment, Yue San and his group came over as well.

Yue Qi said nothing, his face pale, eyes shut tightly, and his eyelids trembling uncontrollably.

“Something’s wrong! He’s in danger!” Bai Lian exclaimed, grabbing Yue Qi’s jaw with one hand, pulling a crimson pill from her bosom, and forcing it into his mouth.

“Get water!” Bai Lian instructed quickly. Yue Si hurriedly handed her a bamboo flask from his belt. Without hesitation, Bai Lian uncorked it and helped Yue Qi swallow the pill.

“Sister Lian… what’s happening?” Yue Yunsheng’s heart ached at Yue Qi’s state—after all, he had only asked for help.

“He’s suffering from Qi deviation. He just broke through, his spiritual energy hasn’t stabilized, and he just depleted a huge amount all at once…” Bai Lian explained calmly, then urged Yue Qi, “Steady your mind. Circulate your energy. That pill will help you recover.”

Yue Qi’s brow slowly relaxed, but his face remained pale, as if he had suffered a grave internal injury.

“This shouldn’t be… Could it be something else?” Bai Lian thought. The pill her master had given her could save even a ruined foundation and shattered meridians. Though precious, in this world Yue Qi was the only cultivator left; these pills would be wasted on ordinary people and might even harm them. But what puzzled her most was that Yue Qi still hadn’t woken up. Such a pill, effective even on those at Nascent Soul stage, should have worked instantly for someone at Foundation Establishment.

“Could it be?!” Bai Lian realized there was only one other possibility.

After Foundation Establishment, a few rare cultivators could sense their own spiritual sense—a powerful sea of consciousness. Normally, such awakening occurred only at late Foundation Establishment or upon breaking through to Core Formation. Spiritual sense was incredibly useful: it allowed greater control over spiritual energy, making spells more flexible, and could even, against foes with weak wills, launch spiritual attacks. However, to use it offensively required enormous reserves, usually only possible for Core Formation or Nascent Soul cultivators.

“Could I have stumbled upon a true prodigy?” Bai Lian thought. Awakening spiritual sense at Foundation Establishment was rare indeed; she hadn’t expected the only cultivator left in this world would have such potential.

“If only I could still use my own spiritual power…” Bai Lian’s voice was tinged with bitterness. Spiritual energy and spiritual sense complemented each other; without both, neither could be used fully.

She exhaled softly and crouched by Yue Qi’s side, bringing her lips close to his ear. When giving him the pill, she had already lain him down to rest more comfortably.

“Relax… No one can help you now. Relax…” Bai Lian’s breath was fragrant as orchids. Yue Qi’s brows twitched, and he felt a faint itch at his ear.

But who could know the turmoil within Yue Qi’s body? He had indeed suffered Qi deviation, but Bai Lian’s medicine had helped greatly. In fact, he felt his spiritual energy stabilize, no longer as unsteady as when he first broke through.

Still, his mind was in chaos. He didn’t know what had happened. While healing Yang Yuqi, he’d felt only a little strained, but then, suddenly, a power surged in his mind, eager to break free. Losing control, he let it out.

At first, nothing seemed wrong. But then he saw this force burrow into Yuqi’s wound. That was when things went awry. He felt an evil, icy, violent power—like a king of the underworld gazing down at a mere insect. And he was that insect.

Ignoring the oppressive force, Yue Qi yanked his own power back, but found it gravely wounded. A splitting headache followed, as if something had been torn from him. Then his spiritual energy destabilized, resulting in Qi deviation.

Fortunately, Bai Lian’s voice in his ear reached him. Though he was nearly unconscious, he was still sensitive to sounds, and clearly heard her words.

That voice was a guiding light—Yue Qi, a lost ship in a storm, suddenly found his bearings and sped toward the shore. He sensed that once he reached it, he would awaken.

“It’s all my fault…” Yunsheng kept blaming himself. Yue Liu, who had grown up with them and, though older, was just as close, consoled him.

Yunsheng glanced again at the woman he loved. The pain in his heart was overwhelming. He himself was wounded—how could he expect Bai Lian to help him? But Yuqi’s fate weighed on his soul. Though her injury had healed, her brows remained furrowed, and she showed no sign of waking.

“Don’t worry, Yuqi is blessed—she’ll be alright!” Yue Si came over to comfort him.

Suddenly, Yue Qi gasped and woke with a start. His face, once pale, grew rosy again. He stared in surprise at the people gathered around him. He had heard their voices while unconscious, but hadn’t expected so many to be watching him.

“Are you alright?” Bai Lian was the first to react, her gaze complex.

“I’m fine, really,” Yue Qi replied, still unclear on why he had collapsed.

Bai Lian studied him again to make sure he hadn’t lost his wits, then relaxed. She dispersed the crowd, giving him some space—after all, it was embarrassing to be gawked at like a spectacle.

“Yunsheng,” Yue Qi took a deep breath and looked at the still-unconscious Yang Yuqi. “I’m sorry… I wasn’t able to save her. Please… accept my condolences.”

“It’s alright…” Yunsheng forced a bitter smile. “As long as you’re okay. As for Yuqi… we’ll leave it to fate. If you were harmed because of me, I couldn’t forgive myself…”

“Yunsheng…” Yue Liu said, deeply worried for the youth who was like a younger brother to him.

“Don’t lose hope. There might still be a way…” With that, hope rippled through the crowd like a stone cast into still water.