Chapter 0882: Restoring the Spirit
The group quickly made their way to the teleportation platform and left the Dark Domain, finally reentering the outside world again. When they stared at the coiled-up clouds and saw the comforting, blue sky, lightly caressed by the wind that was not filled with the depressive air nor buffeted by the endless whispering, the group felt a sense of peace.
They couldn't help but let out sighs of relief as the stress in their bodies was gradually washed away.
The expedition to the Dark Domain was riddled with dangers, and even the number of True Devil Others they had encountered couldn’t be counted on one hand. Although they had managed to leave relatively intact, one's heart would still palpitate in fear upon thinking back.
Perhaps it was because of Harmony, and although there were some shortcomings to it, it was the only way to deal with the True Devil Others. If not for it, they would have all just been slaughtered by a single one.
"I'm afraid I wouldn't dare to enter the Dark Domain without the protection of Harmony." Zhao Yanzhi smiled bitterly.
Li Shi, Mu Bi, and the rest also felt a little distressed in their hearts. Their Earth Fiend strength was simply insufficient within the Dark Domain. If they had wandered in alone, just a casual Heavenly Disaster-class Other would be able to wipe them all out, much less a True Devil.
It seemed that this location was truly a little too dangerous for them.
Li Fengyi, Li Jingtao, and the rest knew that their banner members had suffered from quite a fright. Thus, they ordered them to stand down and adjust their mental states before leaving for the sealed entrance where Li Feng and the rest were already waiting.
"Four Banner Leaders, you're back." Li Feng hurriedly stepped forward. Seeing that they were unscathed, he let out a sigh of relief.
Out of the four, three were direct descendents of the Lineage Chief and had exceptional standings. If anything happened to them in his city, he might very well lose his position as the City Lord.
"We saw the people from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao leaving like beaten pigs a few days ago. Zhao Jingyu lost both arms and seemed particularly pitiful. It caused me to worry endlessly, wondering what sort of dangerous situation you were thrown into. If none of you had emerged in the next day or two, we would have dispatched people to search for you." Li Feng grimaced at this point.
If not for the fact that each of these Banner Leaders could possess the strength of a first-grade Duke, he would have sent people to search for them long ago. So long as they did not forcefully plough their way through the Dark Domain, there should be few True Devil Others who could truly threaten them.
"Well, we did encounter some troubles, but we managed to emerge safely in the end." Li Luo smiled.
Li Feng nodded. "Now that you're out of the Dark Domain, we should start by purifying any of the corruption on you."
He waved his hand, and a Duke from the Western Region stepped forward. Holding a silver mirror, it released purifying rays of light that bathed the four banners.
However, Li Luo opted to avoid the purifying light. Seeing Li Feng's suspicious gaze, he pulled him to the side.
"City Lord Li Feng, can you guess who I saw in the Dark Domain?"
Li Feng shook his head with a look of suspicion.
Li Luo calmly replied, "I saw Elder Sister Li Lingjing."
The old man's eyes shrunk. "How can this be? Her spirit was harmed and she spent the day languishing in a confused state. She can barely leave the old manor, so how could she possibly be in the Dark Domain?"
Li Luo fell into silence for a moment. "You must remember the mysterious Soul Eater True Devil that swallowed half of her spirit, yes?"
When he heard these words, his expression became unbearably ugly, and spoke in a gloomy voice, "Lingjing told me about it. However, when the seal was released, we dispatched countless experts into the Dark Domain to exterminate that Other, but we have never even found a trace of it. Additionally, I have never heard of anyone else encountering it. Thus, I cannot even guarantee that such a thing exists. In the past, I had even thought that this mysterious True Devil was actually a figment of Lingjing's imagination as a result of the corruption that infected her."
At this point, his expression changed once again as he stared at Li Luo. "Perhaps you saw it, Banner Leader?"
Li Luo nodded.
He then proceeded to give an explanation of all that had happened to him.
When Li Feng heard that Li Lingjing had sealed half of her spirit within the jade ornament and took the initiative to pounce inside the True Devil's mouth in a bid to fight for her life, eventually leading to the current result, his wizened expression turned into one of complete shock which he was unable to hide.
"How could this be? How could Lingjing triumph over the True Devil?" Li Feng asked with disbelief.
"The Soul Eater True Devil had already been fighting with me and was grievously injured. Elder Sister Lingjing struck at an opportune moment, and her willpower and tenacity far surpass my imagination. The fact that she could still retain a sense of clarity despite having half her spirit constantly eroded by the True Devil Other is something even certain Dukes are unable to do," Li Luo calmly replied.
Li Luo then stretched out a hand, and a black pearl appeared. On the surface, a white face could be seen whilst emanating a strong air of corruption.
"Lingjing?" Li Feng gasped when he recognized the familiar visage.
Li Luo quickly stored the object. "Based on what Elder Sister Lingjing said, so long as this object is brought near her body, her spirit will be able to return. At that point in time, her talent and potential will also be restored."
Li Feng's face was full of complicated emotions. There was both happiness and sadness within. Happiness because Li Lingjing was an exceptional genius only seen once in a hundred years. If she was able to go back to normal, it would be wonderful news for the Western Region's Li Family. However, she had been tormented by the True Devil Other for far too long and possibly corrupted. No one could guarantee what she truly was right now, a human or an Other...
"The reason I'm telling you this is because I wish you to accompany me and closely watch Elder Sister Li Lingjing recover. After this has been done, no matter the result, to accompany me and her to Dragon's Fang Mountain and be inspected by the Respected Elder," Li Luo explained.
Li Feng sighed. "I understand."
Li Luo wanted him to accompany them, to ensure that he could watch over Li Lingjing and ensure nothing complicated arose.
"Then let us go ahead first," Li Feng suggested as he glanced at the four banners, who were undergoing purification.
Li Luo thought about it and nodded. He wanted to quickly resolve this issue as holding the black pearl truly felt like he was burdened with an exceptional task.
He then turned around to let the rest of the Banner Leaders know that they would regroup at Western City. Although the others found it a little strange, they simply nodded.
After making the arrangements, under Li Feng's lead, they hurriedly rushed towards Western City.
Half a day later.
The two arrived and rushed straight for the old manor without pause.
"How has Lingjing been these past few days?" Li Feng asked an old butler.
"Patriarch, Young Mistress Lingjing fell into a coma on the day after you left and has yet to wake," the butler anxiously replied.
Li Luo's gaze narrowed slightly. Li Feng had left for the Dark Domain with him, and the reason for the coma should be due to hiding the remaining half of her spirit within the jade ornament. Her body was now an empty husk and had naturally fallen into a coma.
Li Feng nodded as he hurriedly brought Li Luo into her room.
Inside were countless items that belonged to a young lady. Li Feng hurriedly chased everyone out while Li Luo approached the bed. All he saw was Li Lingjing quietly lying there, her beautiful complexion pale and lacking blood. She was breathing so lightly it was almost unnoticeable.
Li Lingjing had taken the initiative to separate her spirit from her body to achieve her aim. What she had done was extremely risky, and if they took too long, her spirit and body would be completely disconnected from each other and the body would degenerate, eventually decaying.
The choice she had made was a tremendous gamble. If anything had gone wrong, she would not have managed to return.
This conviction caused even Li Luo to feel a sense of respect for her.
With a thought, he flipped his palm and a black pearl appeared. With the pearl's appearance, the entire room seemed to turn dark and the air was plunged into coldness.
Li Feng's expression was heavy. Majestic amounts of energy surged out of him, and his Duke Bergfrieds appeared, emanating a suppressive aura. Forming a hand seal with both hands, energy enveloped the entire room, preventing any corruption from escaping.
Li Luo lowered his head as he focused upon the black pearl. On its surface was a familiar, pale face that seemed a little agitated.
"Sister Lingjing, I invite you to return to your body now."
Upon hearing Li Luo's soft voice, the face within the pearl turned into a ray of light that shot into the forehead of the sleeping lady.
Once her spirit left the black pearl, endless amounts of corruption surged out, and even a strange whisper could be heard in the room. At this point, it seemed to have gained some form of sentience as it too shot out of the pearl, heading directly towards Li Lingjing's body as well.
"Foul creature!" Li Feng bellowed angrily as his domineering resonant power formed countless wheels of light, directly protecting her body.
Alas, despite Li Feng's best efforts, the black light easily bypassed the protection and tunneled into Li Lingjing's lower abdomen.
This sudden development caused the two of them to look extremely sullen.