Liang Chen loaded and charged another arrow, blood continuing to pour out from his seven orifices. Thanks to his Poison Soul technique, he couldn't even tell if he was in pain, allowing him to fight as recklessly as he wished. The arrow left the bow and vanished from sight, but it only managed to graze past the waist of one of the fleeing Moon Dragon Sect people. The moment the arrow left his bow, the girl, Yan Ling, once again grabbed onto him and threw him through the air. Being tossed for the fifth time, Liang Chen couldn't help but let out a slight complaint.
"Could you stop throwing me around?"
Were there no better ways to keep him in the air? Could she not just solidify the air beneath him as well? After hearing his complaint, Yan Ling placed her hands on her waist, letting out a slight snort.
"Why should I? Can you fly on your own? Can you move around in the air? Well, can you?"
Liang Chen's could only put on an awkward smile after hearing her questions. Since he wasn't able to use the element of wind, he would have to wait until he reached the Soaring Immortal realm before he could fly through the air.
"...No."
Because of their quick discussion, Liang Chen had started getting closer to the ground, so Yan Ling once again grabbed onto him and flung him into the sky. His body spun uncontrollably, but just as he was starting to get dizzy, Yan Ling grabbed onto his shoulders to stabilize him. After Liang Chen stopped spinning, Yan Ling quickly called out, pointing at one of the three fleeing men.
"Then stop complaining and just let me throw you around! Look, one of those three is getting closer to Fat Yong, kill him already!"
The fleeing man was weaker than Xiao Yong, but since Xiao Yong was currently engaged in a fierce battle, any distraction could prove fatal. Liang Chen quickly loaded up an arrow and charged it, taking aim at the back of the man and sending the arrow flying. The arrow rapidly approached the man, but since there was a bit of distance between them, he was able to dodge it in time, the arrow only grazing his shoulder.
The arrow failed to wound the person, but it did at least force him to change direction and leave Xiao Yong alone. Liang Chen's face, which was now completely covered in blood, couldn't help but twist slightly. He glanced at Yan Ling, who once again threw him through the air, his brows furrowing as he spoke out.
"Can you at least launch some attacks of your own? Or get a little closer?"
Because of the distance between Liang Chen and the three disciples was considerably large, his arrows needed a bit of time to reach them, giving them time to dodge. Yan Ling once again stopped his body from spinning uncontrollably, shaking her head.
"Fat chance. If I were to get closer, they would kill me with a single attack. And even if I were to launch some attacks, I wouldn't be able to penetrate their defenses."
Liang Chen could tell that Yan Ling had only reached the middle stage of the Xiantian Tower realm, so her words were likely true. He also guessed that her low cultivation was the reason she had to continuously throw him, she simply didn't have enough Qi to support the flight of two people. After hearing her statement, Liang Chen couldn't help but comment on what she had said earlier.
"And you said that I was the one dragging down Yan Ying?"
He might not be able to resist the attacks of the enemies, but he could at least wound them. In comparison, what could this Yan Ling do to the enemies? Yan Ling blushed slightly from shame, but she quickly sent a glare at Liang Chen, as if she was looking to take a bite out of him.
"Is that a complaint I hear? Want me to drop you?"
The bloody corners of Liang Chen's mouth couldn't help but twitch as Yan Ling glared at him. Was this what happened when one pointed out the faults in her words, one got threatened? Yan Ling once again threw Liang Chen through the air, proudly puffing out her chest while he shot out another arrow.
"I might not be able to wound them, but I can toss you around so that you can wound them, so that counts as my achievements. Hence, I am very useful here."
Liang Chen was uncertain if he should cry or laugh. He was the one doing all the work, to the point that all of his orifices were bleeding. Yet she said that it counted as her achievements? Seemingly realizing that her words were a bit too mean-spirited, Yan Ling quickly cleared her throat.
"Well, maybe 40 % of the achievements go to you, your lightning is rather powerful."
Yan Ling glanced at the faint arc of crimson lightning that coiled around the arrow Liang Chen had loaded. The glow from it lit up his bloody face, giving him a ferocious appearance. For the lightning to let someone like Liang Chen, someone who had a weaker cultivation than her, wound someone far stronger than them, it was truly powerful lightning. After shooting the arrow, Liang Chen couldn't help but let out a wry smile and give a sarcastic remark.
"I'm flattered"
He wasn't able to tell whether or not Yan Ling was serious or not, so giving a sarcastic remark was the best he could do for the moment. Yan Ling didn't seem to notice that sarcasm in his voice, beating her own chest, her face carrying a satisfied expression.
"You should be, I rarely praise people."
Yan Ling continued to throw Liang Chen around, constantly repositioning him so that he could get clear shots at various people. After she tossed him for the 10th time, she took out a pill from her interspatial ring and stuffed it into his mouth, forcing him to swallow it.
The pill was the same one that Teng Yimu had given him after they faced the disciples of the Ghost Soul sect, his wounds starting to quickly heal. With the pill healing him, he could continue to shoot arrows without worrying too much about his own body. The battle continued on for some time, with Yan Ling feeding Liang Chen a pill every five minutes, keeping him in a state where his body wouldn't suddenly break down.
Having so many pills stuffed into his mouth, Liang Chen couldn't help but wonder if pills like these were nothing to the large sects. While the Moon Dragon sect disciples had the advantage in numbers, Yan Ying and his men had a slight advantage in cultivation levels. Adding on Liang Chen who was constantly harassing the disciples that were running around or were engaged in fights, the battle quickly started to favor Yan Ying's group.
As the leader of the Moon Dragon sect disciples, how could Guo Huashi fail to notice that the battle was slowly turning against them? In the end, she could only grit her teeth and give an unwilling order for retreat. With Guo Huashi and the other disciples fleeing, Yan Ling stopped throwing Liang Chen through the air, lowering him down to the ground after some troubles.
Once his feet finally stood on solid ground again, Liang Chen's legs couldn't help but go soft underneath him, his body quickly falling into a sitting position. Thanks to the abundance of pills he had swallowed, as well as his already rather strong body, most of his wounds were already healed. His legs had simply gone soft because his body wasn't used to being thrown through the air like a ragdoll. After putting down Liang Chen, Yan Ling quickly ran toward Yan Ying, who had only suffered a slight wound on his left arm.
"Big Broth-"
Yan Ling didn't even get to finish calling out to Yan Ying. He quickly stretched out his arm and hit Yan Ling on the head with his knuckles, shouting out so loudly that his face turned red.
"You absolute idiot! Are you insane, did some of your screws come loose because of the time you spent here?! What the fuck were you thinking, taking part in the battle instead of fleeing?! A single attack would have been enough to kill you!"
That was the reason he originally hadn't made Yan Ling reveal herself, she was simply too weak to be of any proper use in the battle, she was far more likely to die. Yan Ling quickly rubbed the top of her head, pouting slightly as she pointed at Liang Chen, who had managed to stand up thanks to the help of Xiao Qing and the others.
"But that's why I made sure to stay far away and let this little freak do the attacking, it was perfectly safe. Besides, I still have that talisman..."
The way Yan Ling saw it, little freak was a perfectly valid nickname for someone like Liang Chen. Not only because of how she had seen him fight, destroying his own body to kill the enemy, but also because of the downright strange amount of power he had been able to produce. But Yan Ying didn't calm down because of her excuse, hitting her on the head with his knuckles again, his voice hoarse and his eyes bloodshot red.
"Do you think that is a valid excuse?! Does that change the fact that a single attack would have either crippled you or torn you to pieces?! If that happened, how could I ever stand to face Father again?!"
Yan Ling didn't give a retort or excuse this time, because she could tell that Yan Ying had been truly worried. She obediently lowered her head, her voice downcast.
"I'm sorry for worrying you, I won't do it again."
Yan Ying raised his arm again, wanting to hit her on the head again. But in the end, he gently lowered his arm and pat Yan Ling on the head, pulling her in for a tight hug.
"You...! Haah. Fine, all's well that ends well. At least you didn't get hurt."
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The two hugged for a short moment, Lu Ruogang and the others making sure that Liang Chen didn't have any wounds that would leave behind scars on his insides. Only when Old Chen assured them that his body was already slowly healing itself did they heave a quiet sigh of relief. Because of Liang Chen's personality and diligence, they had gotten rather attached to him over the half a month they had spent together, so they didn't want to see him ruin his own future just to aid them in battle. Yan Ying dragged Yan Ling over to Liang Chen, lowering his head slightly.
"Little Chen, I'm sorry that she dragged you into it and forced you to fight like that for an extended period of time."
Yan Ying and the others did not know how Liang Chen had managed to absorb the crimson heavenly lightning into his body with his low cultivation, nor did they know where he drew it from. But they could easily see that every time he used it, it would wound his body and bring horrendous pain so it was clear that fighting like that for any stretch of time was hard.
They also didn't intend to ask Liang Chen how he was able to use the heavenly lightning, as every cultivator had a secret or two, respecting these secrets was the unspoken rule among cultivators. Zhu Chun and the others quickly started to check the bodies of dead Moon Dragon sect disciples, leaving Liang Chen with Yan Ying and Yan Ling. Yan Ying placed his hand on Yan Ling's head, forcing her to lower it slightly.
"You, apologize to Little Chen!"
As he was the one who forced her head down, Yan Ying wasn't able to see Yan Ling give a slight roll of her eyes, a sly glint flashing past her eyes. She slightly stretched out her tongue, far enough that Liang Chen was able to see it, but not far enough that Yan Ying was able to see it.
"I'm sorry for keeping you safe, I won't do it again."
Yan Ying hadn't said what she should apologize for, how could she not take advantage of that fact? Yan Ying's expression sank slightly, raising his arm to rap Yan Ling on the head again.
"You-!"
Before he got to lower his hand, Liang Chen interrupted him, waving his hand with a light chuckle.
"It's fine, I don't mind, I'll just consider it a new experience. Just like you said, all's well that ends well."
Liang Chen could see Yan Ling's expression, so he could tell that she was simply trying to pull a joke. She was clearly older than him, but it seemed that she was quite a bit more childish than him. But that was only to be expected. Liang Chen had been forced to mature rapidly after the death of his parents, he couldn't afford to stay a child any longer. Yan Ying lowered his arm, letting it hang at his side as he let out a sigh.
"Let me introduce the two of you. This is my little sister, Yan Ling. Ling'er, this is the child I told you about, Liang Chen. As you see, you could stand to learn a bit from him, at least he doesn't recklessly fly into battles where he can't do anything."
Yan Ying wanted to give Yan Ling a slight lesson with his words, but after he spoke out, Yan Ling quickly raised her head and pointed at Liang Chen, seemingly pouting slightly.
"But, but he did just that! He did exactly the same as me!"
Yan Ying wanted to retort but suddenly realized that he couldn't. Liang Chen had a cultivation that was even lower than Yan Ling's, had it not been for his self-destructive use of the crimson lightning, he would be just like Yan Ling, recklessly joining a battle where he couldn't do anything. Yan Ying quickly shook his head, taking out a ceramic pot filled with pale yellow earth from his bracelet, handing it to Yan Ling and pushing her away.
"Just go and transplant the Gale Tulip."
The Gale Tulip that they had come for wasn't quite ready yet, it had to grow a bit more, that was why Guo Huashi hadn't just taken it away immediately. The pot he handed Yan Ling was filled with special earth that would let them take the herb away, even speeding up its growth somewhat. Yan Ling grabbed the pot and stretched out her tongue at Yan Ying, heading over to the flower. After looking at the back of the grumbling Yan Ling, Yan Ying turned back to Liang Chen, giving a slight sigh.
"Please forgive her. She doesn't get to leave the sect all that much, so now that she finally got to experience the outside world, she's gotten a bit too excited."
Yan Ying was truly apologetic. Yan Ling at least had a few lifesaving talismans, so even if things went wrong, she would likely get out mostly unharmed. But Liang Chen was different, any mistake could easily have cost him his life. Liang Chen simply shrugged his shoulders with somewhat wistful eyes, not too bothered by it.
"Like I said it's no problem. It was my first time flying like that, and even though it was rather dizzying, it was kinda fun."
At first, it had been strange, but he quickly got used to it, even enjoying it. When he was thrown around high above the enemies, he felt like he stood at the top of the world, like a king who could decide everything. If he had been someone like that, could he have saved his parents before they were executed, could he have changed anything? Yan Ying could guess at what Liang Chen was thinking from his eyes, so he stretched out his arm and pat Liang Chen on the head, gentle and soft pats.
"I wish she had your mental state and wasn't this childish, her cultivation would skyrocket."
Cultivation didn't simply rely on talent and resources, determination and mental state were also important. If one's mind was easily disturbed, they could end up losing control over their Qi and suffer a backlash. This was the first time since the execution of his parents that Liang Chen had been pat on the head like this, so for a short second, even he couldn't stop himself from getting slightly emotional. That short second was quickly interrupted by the loud voice of Yan Ling.
"I can hear you!"
Yan Ying removed his hand from Liang Chen's head and turned around, shouting toward Yan Ling, who was carefully scooping up the light green tulip.
"Good, maybe you'll learn something!"
Yan Ling stuck out her tongue again, returning to her work. Yan Ying also turned back to Liang Chen, rolling his eyes slightly as he seemed to think about something. Liang Chen waited a bit, allowing Yan Ying to come to a decision.
"Little Chen, let me ask you something. Would you consider joining our sect?"
They had traveled together for about half a month, and despite the fact that Yan Ying had spent a lot of that time cooped up in his carriage, he felt that he had a good grasp of Liang Chen's personality. After all, they had even fought battles together, and there was no better place to figure out someone's personality.
Liang Chen was diligent, if perhaps a bit too diligent, strong-willed and determined, and most importantly, he was not someone who would betray others if things seemed to go wrong, something he proved when he didn't even beg for mercy or anything of the like when he was ambushed by the four Moon Dragon sect disciples. Liang Chen didn't immediately respond to the question, returning one of his own first.
"Your sect should be the Storm Wolf sect, correct? If you don't mind someone like me, then I won't refuse. But it will have to wait until I leave this hidden realm."
Liang Chen had seen the uniform of the Nightshield sect in the image he got of Qing Lan Yong, and he had encountered the other great sects one by one. The only ones he had yet to see were the Storm Wolf sect and the Dawn's Blade Alliance. And looking at how Yan Ying was talking to Guo Huashi and Li Delan, it was clear that he came from either of these two powers. He had been told that the Dawn's Blade Alliance controlled the western part of this planet, quite a distance away from this hidden realm, so it was uncertain if they had sent any disciples here. Because of that, he found it more likely that Yan Ying and the others came from the Storm Wolf Sect.
Liang Chen wasn't completely certain what it meant to join a sect, what sort of responsibility would be thrust onto his shoulders and what would be expected of him. But he knew that joining a sect would give him access to better resources and techniques, allowing him to increase his strength even further. And Yan Ying and his men were all good people, so even if he was wrong in his guess and they were part of a smaller sect, he would still join them. But it seemed like his guess had been spot on, Yan Ying nodding his head.
"You already guessed it, huh? Very well, should you leave this hidden realm after us, you can just come to the Storm Wolf sect, I will tell them to keep our doors open for you."
Yan Ying's face lit up with a smile. It had only taken Liang Chen a few months to reach his current level of strength, and that was without any proper resources or teachers! There was no telling how far he might go if they could give him some proper guidance and aid. Yan Ying turned his head slightly, looking at the massive pillar that loomed in the distance, the pillar that could be seen from any location within this hidden realm.
"Well, before we talk about any of that, we should probably focus on our present goal, breaching the inner parts of this hidden realm and reaching that pillar. Do you want to join us, or would you rather go back to where it's safer?"
This was what the five great powers had come for, to see what was located at the center of the hidden realm. That was why Guo Huashi had started to gather up all the members of the Moon Dragon sect that had entered this hidden realm, the final charge to breach the center of this hidden realm would soon begin. Liang Chen also turned his head to look at the distant pillar, giving a slight nod of his head.
"I'll join. I'm not worried about risks."