The usual silence accompanying the night sky was interrupted by a litany of curses and groans coming from the valley below.
An Zhao finally stopped to keep his breathless silhouette afloat as he slumped his back against a tiny hillock.
He figured that he was sufficiently away from that Yama-produced devil of a woman that he could begin to treat his wounds.
His pale face was scrunched in pain as blood still gushed out from the stump left by his severed limb.
Fortunately, his storage bracelet was on his left arm, and with a certain amount of focus, he managed to create a mental arm which allowed him to eat a healing pill that would at least stop the bleeding, and by all gods, relieve him of this insufferable pain he's been suffering for the past five minutes!
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Due to your healing, your Vitality and Stamina aren't debilitating anymore!
Remaining Vitality: 8.9 —> 10/ 100% ¤Recovering 1.1% Vitality every second¤
Remaining Stamina: 12 —> 12.5/ 100% ¤Recovering 0.5 % Stamina every second¤
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As he revolved his True Mana to facilitate the pill soothing effects, he realized that something was wrong.
While his bloody right side was now a clean stump—aside from the scarlet stained robes, he still felt the aftershocks of that mysterious energy lingering still across his body, producing a sucking and tearing feeling for each breath he took.
He sucked a cold breath.
What in the name of hell was this, that he a proud Elder of the Jiu Tian Sect, would suffer that kind of persisting injury that even his True Mana coupled with a superior healing pill couldn't fully disperse?
If he didn't take care of it, it would continue to stifle his energy and mental output, preventing him from using the full extent of his abilities!
He had to check his status, to see what was going on…
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[Cultivation level: 90] ~Personal Information~ [Next level: 33%]
[First Name: An] VITALITY :{37.4% + 1.1%} [Species : Troll]
[Middle Name(s): None] MANA : {100[-25%]} [Surname: Zhao]
[Sex: Male] STAMINA :{29.5% + 0.5%} [Cultivation status: Destroyer (9) Stars]
[Height: 6.1ft] [Body Weight: 287 lbs]
[Skeletal Age: 72 (Born: March 17th 2130)] [Blood Type: A+]
[Bone Frame: 7th Grade] [Epithet/Title: None] ~Status~
Injured — Sun Core Partially Crippled by an Unknown Crippling Affliction(i) [Jiu Tian Sect Inner-Court Elder]
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An smacked his dried lips.
They still called that an Unknown Crippling Affliction?
Don't they have any more data than his guesses?
He mentally clicked on the (i) to know more.
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The Unknown Crippling Affliction Affects Host Body in multiple ways:
1°) It slightly impedes the Host regular breathing.
The Ignorant Server believes that impediment reduces the Host regular breathing by 4.5%
2°) It impedes the Host regular body motor functions.
The Ignorant Server believes that impediment reduced the Host regular body motor functions by 11%.
3°) It impedes the Host full use of his True Mana.
The Ignorant Server believes that remnant foreign particles are partially sealing the Host True Mana, reducing his output by 25%, thereby preventing the Host from using his abilities at maximum capacity.
The Ignorant Server highly advises Host against exceeding the limits set by the affliction forcefully, or risk the Host Sun Core to be fully crippled, or worse!
More Data is required to analyze this foreign energy.
Would Host help the Data Orbital Station to further its knowledge by going to the nearest Ground Waypoint Station? Your data would update the Solar System knowledge!
__________________________________________________________________________________________|
"Get the fu*k out of my face!" An spat as he dismissed the shining screen.
Going there to be subjected by their local scientists in their mad pursuit of infinite knowledge?
No fu*king thanks!
Furthermore, these fools would be suspicious of his injuries' origins, and one thing would lead to another…
He couldn't afford to blow his cover!
He sighed, gazing at the darkness blanketing the violet sky.
A light squall crumpled his tattered clothes and disheveled hair, cooling the excess warmth caused by the pill efficacy.
Staring at the dull stars, he belatedly noticed that their data verbalized what he already sensed, but not this extent!
He couldn't use at least a quarter of his True Mana!
His body reactivity slowed over ten percent!
What kind of trouble did he get himself into?
He really kicked an iron plate, this time!
Suddenly, his mind shook.
This mysterious energy's color…
Wasn't it orange?
This pure, unaltered orange brighter than the first hue of dawn, could it be…?
No, it can't be!
But, feeling the throb of pain ebbing across his body, his doubts cleared.
He had no choice but to surmise what he never could a day ago: he was struck by the legendary Origin Energy!
The Energy from the Big Bang itself!
But if so, why would a princess from a foreign Empire harness it?
Wasn't she crippled from birth?
Or did her Empire managed to have a recent breakthrough in that field?
No…
Despite their technological advances, the southern continent shouldn't be more advanced than their continent, let alone the Planetary Sects and company!
It must have been recent, especially the way it manifested when he almost killed her!
She had no control over it, so where did she get it?
Wait!
An's eyes widened by what his guess implied.
There's a hidden facility on the Daojin Plateau researching Origin Energy!
Furthermore, it could only be seen by Grandmasters, the skilled ones able to open a crack inside to enter its premises…
It fitted the bill!
The same thing applied to the illusion used to conceal the dead Elder Xiaosi, which they obviously reaped the benefits before they could!
However, now that she was the first person alive —and sane—to potentially make use of that energy, he was a bit at a loss on how to proceed from now.
For all he knew, she could've voluntarily subjected herself to their experiments, but her attitude clearly showcased otherwise.
Plus, would they have let her go with the Long Artifact as well?
Naw…
He had to return to headquarters and inform the leader to figure what to do with her- and his half-crippled self…