Nero was besieged by a group of martial artists, who later used a high-level weapon to strike a final blow. Although Nero could withstand the attack, it cost him a lot more than only physical injuries. His meridians were mostly in shreds and his spirit core cracked all over. One had to remember that Nero's power far surpassed the martial arts of the mortal world… a world known as the Eternal Realm… the realm of Gods! This is a realm for those who have broken through the shackles of the mortal world, and into the infinite void.
However, he had to seal his powers to deter making his injuries any worse. Since he had done this, this was the first time he checked his body to know the realm he had regressed to; and it turns out to be the Late-stage Foundation Establishment Realm.
At the Foundation Establishment Realm, Qi starts to flow in a more orderly fashion, converging at the abdomen forming the dantian. The 106 minor meridians also start to slowly align themselves to the dantian making it easier for Qi to flow. However, there were still limitations that forced Nero back. These limitations were naturally normal for every martial artist who wished to advance in their path of cultivation. The higher one went the tougher it became, but the benefits were limitless.
Nero probed his condition to see how bad his injuries had gotten. The cracks on his spirit core had gotten deeper and wider, and his meridians were in a more pitiful state than it was before. His face instantly turned ugly. To a martial artist, injuries to the body might not be taken very seriously, but injuries to the soul, meridians, and core are not to be taken likely.
Healing the body is much easier than healing the soul, core, and meridians. To first find the medicinal ingredients to concoct such a potion requires a great deal of wealth… and luck. This is also where the five petal blazing flower comes into play. Its medicinal essence can help mend torn meridians, and they are likewise found in extremely hot places, like a volcano mountain range or the desert…. These places might seem regular, but for a plant to grow in such places, the condition for such a phenomenon can only be imagined.
At the beginning of the road to cultivation, the Qi essence gathering Realm, one undergoes a baptism of the Heaven and Earth Qi flowing into their body while cleansing and strengthen it. This is why the body of a weak martial artist is still many times stronger than that of mortals.
However, no matter how strong their bodies might be, their souls, core, and meridians would always be a weakness for any martial artist. Just like Nero, who regardless of being a powerful figure in the Eternal Realm, was still reduced to the Late-stage Foundation Establishment Realm because of his injuries. This is without a doubt fate worse than death; having to start all over again was a nightmare.
As Nero relished in his agony, some movements occurred at a distance not so far from him. Nero narrowed his eyes and secretly started to circulate his Qi. The rocks rolled away and a lady emerged.
"Oh, it's just you." Nero blankly said.
The lady who just emerged from the pile of rocks was the same lady who was imprisoned by Saburo.
"How are you still alive?" Nero asked, a bit surprised. The level of attack he used wasn't what anyone could escape so easily. The lady had her eyes widened like they wanted to pop out from her skull. She stood up and staggered towards Nero, lowering her head when she got to his feet.
"I didn't think I would make it out alive. Thank you for saving my life." Tears rolled down her eyes as she said this.
One can only imagine the days of torture she had gone through, and the many times her hopes of escaping were smashed to the ground.
Nero deeply looked at her, trying to probe her cultivation, "Divine sea Realm… and from the looks of it, she just broke through. But her foundation is unstable." He mumbled to himself.
The lady turned out to be a Divine sea Realm martial artist!
Nero replied dismissively, "I came here for a different reason. It's just a mere coincidence that you met me here. You don't have to thank me."
The truth was that Nero didn't come here to rescue anyone unless his five petal blazing flower can be considered that. It was by mere coincidence and luck that Nero met this young lady.
"You made it obvious that you weren't here because of me earlier. I'm just grateful that your reckless action got me out of this prison." The lady pouted. If she truly was a Princess, then it was normal she was expecting to be rescued. However it wasn't as she expected it to be, but it still worked in her favor.
"That's good. I believe you can find your way back to where you came from, so we separate here." Nero said indifferently and turned to leave.
"Wait!! Where are you going?" The lady shouted as she chased after Nero. "I haven't fully recovered. If you leave me here all alone these beasts might attack me. The ruckus you caused earlier wasn't small, so they could follow the traces to find me." The lady continuously lamented.
What she said was indeed the way it was. It was no exaggeration to say that the beasts in the Rhedaia forest had high survival affinity. They could easily pick up traces left behind by Nero's fight to find this place, to see if they could scavenge for what was left behind. Nero was well aware of how skilled the beasts in this forest were… but he still paid no heed.
"That doesn't seem to be my problem…." Nero replied indifferently. "If you don't want those beasts to find you, then you should find a safer place to recover your wounds." He replied but continued to walk.
The lady felt a deep sense of fear grow within her heart. She wasn't in her top condition, and even if she was, that wasn't a guarantee that she'll make it out in one piece.
Nero abruptly stopped. A foreboding feeling started to grow in his heart. He seemed to have remembered a crucial detail he had forgotten when he came to the Black Dragon mountain…
This place wasn't on the map!