Chapter Eighteen: Confronting the Realm of Fusion, The Aid of Jade Eastern Grace

“Miss Dongfang, your great kindness will never be forgotten!”
Huo Qing solemnly cupped his fists, and Ye Hongling returned the gesture in kind.
The two quickly boarded the vessel and soon vanished beyond the horizon.

Dongfang Yushu stared after their disappearing figures, a sudden thought stirring in her heart as she asked,
“Did you get a clear look at his internal condition?”

Meng Yuanzheng stepped forward, shaking his head.
“His internal state remains extremely chaotic. His spiritual energy is turbid. The root cause of his condition is indeed not something easily resolved.”

“When he held off three late-stage Heavenly Spirit Realm warriors and even defeated all three consecutively, did we ever expect such an outcome?”

Dongfang Yushu murmured to herself,
“Huo Qing, I believe in you. You will find a way to fix this.”

...

Since Huo Qing and the others boarded the Void Crossing Spirit Ship, they had been speeding along as if driven by a gale, their pace surpassing their usual full speed by a hundredfold or more.

Inside the ship, Huo Qing sat cross-legged on the floor, eyes closed, brows tightly furrowed as he examined his body’s interior.

The damage to his meridians was severe; without the presence of the ancestral sword’s qi palace, his cultivation might have already declined.

“Sigh, what a headache. Seems I can’t recklessly overextend myself anymore.”

To have injured his foundational roots was truly troublesome.

Shaking his head in resignation, Huo Qing’s thoughts stirred, and the colossal light shadow of the ancestral sword swept across his being.

His qi palace, meridians, even his dantian were all formed from the ancestral sword. With its immense restorative power, it could likely reforge and perfect his meridians once more.

A low hum resonated.

Huo Qing closed his eyes, his spirit moving as the chaotic meridians within him writhed swiftly like newly sprouted branches.

“And the dantian...”

Under Huo Qing’s determined self-repair, two hours passed in the blink of an eye.

Ye Hongling was also cultivating, though her gaze kept flickering toward Huo Qing.

From her perspective, there was no trace of spiritual energy fluctuation on his body; he appeared like an ordinary person who had never cultivated.

“Could it be that you truly injured your foundation and cannot recover?”

Ye Hongling murmured, her face etched with unspeakable anxiety.

At this moment, within Huo Qing’s body—

Boom!

A surge of spiritual energy erupted like a volcanic explosion. The latent decay within was completely purged.

One by one, his meridians blossomed anew, overflowing with boundless vitality.

“Finally restored...”

Huo Qing opened his eyes, a sharp wave of energy flashing from them.

He felt that after this fierce battle, he had edged closer to the late Earth Spirit Realm. Perhaps the breakthrough day was not far off.

“Truly, misfortune and blessing go hand in hand...”

A smile graced Huo Qing’s lips just as his expression abruptly changed.

Rumble!

A violent tremor surged through the ship, which had been tearing through the void. Suddenly it stalled, rapidly slowing until it came to a complete halt.

---

Ye Hongling’s face darkened, and she whispered,
“Huo Qing, what’s happening?”

Huo Qing bowed his head, scanning their surroundings. Then his gaze turned icy cold.

Before them stood a dark figure, towering into the sky.

The black figure radiated an overwhelmingly terrifying spiritual power—an intensity far beyond what a Heavenly Spirit Realm cultivator could possess.

This was a Master of the Fusion Realm!

Han Liancheng exuded menacing hostility, staring fiercely at Huo Qing as he growled,
“Are you the one who killed two elders of the Han family? If so, then come with me. Use your flesh and blood to pay respects to their departed souls!”

With that, he suddenly thrust out a hand. The palm seal swelled with the wind and transformed into a massive eagle claw dozens of meters wide, accompanied by a raging gale, slashing straight toward Huo Qing.

The force behind this attack surpassed the late Heavenly Spirit Realm by an immeasurable margin!

Huo Qing’s face darkened. Was he going to have to unleash the Three Sword Halos again?

Just as Huo Qing hesitated, the enormous eagle claw, which was dangerously close to him, suddenly froze mid-air and then exploded with a loud bang.

The attack was completely nullified. Huo Qing and Ye Hongling stared in stunned disbelief.

Only Han Liancheng’s face turned pale and then flushed repeatedly.

He floated in midair, cupping his fists solemnly, voice low:
“Friend, this is a matter of the Han family. I beg you to stay out of it, lest you make an enemy of my house!”

As his words fell, the space ahead warped. A middle-aged man wearing a deep blue robe emerged.

A faint smile curled his lips, his eyes glinting with mockery as he chuckled softly:
“Oh? The Han family? What are they compared to a single strand of my lady’s hair?”

“You!”

Han Liancheng’s face instantly darkened, but he wisely held his tongue, sensing the dangerous and mysterious aura radiating from this man.

“Who are you? You’re not from Tianshu Commandery, are you?!”

Han Liancheng’s expression shifted wildly as he shouted.

The middle-aged man smiled faintly:
“So what if I’m not? Is Tianshu Commandery so great? Even if the Commandery Princess herself appeared here, she would have to show me some respect.”

Han Liancheng’s face grew even darker and was about to retort when the man lightly threw a punch.

With the punch came a roar: a giant azure dragon surged forth, carrying terrifying might, causing the very space to tremble.

Han Liancheng bellowed, hair bristling, unleashing his full power to counterattack with his strongest strike!

Boom!

But the moment they collided, Han Liancheng was defeated, coughing up a mouthful of blood, his face pale. Without hesitation, he fled in panic.

“I won’t let you off, Huo Qing! Next time, I’ll tear you to pieces! Let’s see who can protect you then!”

He left behind a chilling threat as he disappeared.

Huo Qing stared blankly at the scene, while Ye Hongling was wide-eyed in shock. To her knowledge, a Fusion Realm master was already formidable, yet this man had repelled him with a single blow!

Huo Qing cupped his fists midair:
“Sir, I am deeply grateful for your great kindness.”

The middle-aged man chuckled, his gaze lingering briefly on Huo Qing with a hint of surprise.

“No need to thank me; thank my lady instead.”

He clapped his hands, and from behind him, Dongfang Yushu approached with a graceful smile.

Huo Qing’s expression grew complicated once more.

Having twice benefited from this woman’s favor, he felt somewhat at a loss.

What intrigued him most was her identity—how she could summon a Fusion Realm master, and clearly, she held a high status.

Dongfang Yushu was elegant and poised as she walked over, smiling lightly:
“I knew the Han family wouldn’t give up. That’s why I sent my uncle and cousin to follow you. I didn’t expect trouble to arise.”

Huo Qing nodded:
“Words are futile. As I said before, if you ever need me, just call. I will go through fire and water for you.”

Dongfang Yushu smiled:
“Enough talk, let’s go. By my reckoning, the time should be about right.”

Huo Qing and Ye Hongling nodded in agreement and turned to leave.

“Third Uncle, what do you think of Huo Qing?”

The middle-aged man’s eyes were vast as the stars. After a moment, he spoke deliberately:
“His future is limitless. Perhaps he will truly be a great help to us. Yushu, your judgment this time was excellent.”

Hearing this, Dongfang Yushu’s smile blossomed brilliantly like a fleeting comet.

...

In a dense forest, occasional roars of spirit beasts echoed briefly before vanishing into the vast mountains.

Within the mountain range, several figures stood, some old, some young, but all radiating formidable energy. Even the weakest among them had reached the early Heavenly Spirit Realm.

Atop a tree lay a handsome youth, hands behind his head, a rebellious and bored expression on his face:
“Uncle Mu, how much longer must we wait?”

Below, Mu Tianguan opened his eyes and replied,
“What’s the rush? Two more are yet to arrive. Wait a little longer.”

“No way, it’s been so long and they’re still not here. Maybe they died in the Black Demon Abyss. Let’s just leave without them.”

The youth’s tone was casual, a hint of disdain flashing through his eyes.

They still hadn’t shown up, their strength was clearly lacking. He wondered how Zhao Yuanzheng could even consider them worthwhile.

Mu Tianguan sighed and turned to Zhao Yuanzheng beside him, asking,
“Senior Brother Zhao, those two you brought—are they any good? It’s been so long with no sign, and the time is nearly up.”

Zhao Yuanzheng opened his eyes, murmuring,
“They should be close.”

In the next moment, his eyes gleamed and a faint smile curved his lips:
“They’ve arrived!”