Rumble!
Bang!
Black lightning struck Qin Chen!
The car swerved out of control and hurtled into the ravine.
Boom!
The car followed suit with a massive explosion.
**********
Smoke curled upwards from the forest, towering into the sky.
Bang!
The car door was demolished. Ning Yuan dragged out Qin Chen's body, singed from the lightning strike.
She was unscathed, barring a few scrapes. But Qin Chen was in a grim state; the majority of his body was marred by burn wounds.
She carefully laid Qin Chen on the ground, promptly checking his pulse. She let out a sigh of relief as Qin Chen was, against all odds, still alive, albeit with a dangerously weak heartbeat.
Without a moment's hesitation, she channelled her medicinal power to heal Qin Chen. A verdant aura cloaked her body.
Ning Yuan's face was set in a severe expression; she could feel Qin Chen's heartbeat dwindling.
"Hold on, Qin Chen, don't surrender to a mere lightning strike; you're stronger than this!" Ning Yuan implored.
She pushed her medicinal power to its limit. Qin Chen was far too young; she couldn't let him perish.
************
While Ning Yuan was thoroughly engrossed in her healing, back at the villa, Long Tian and Ling Han were discussing Long Tian's recent experiences.
"Seriously, I feel like I can absorb ten high-level spiritual stones in a matter of moments. I..." Long Tian's voice trailed off as he spotted a brilliant light emanating from the third floor.
Ling Han's attention was also diverted to the light. "What's that, young master?" He asked.
"It's Li Yue'er, she's in that room, let's go," Long Tian said with urgency.
They both rushed towards the third floor.
Upon reaching, they were both dumbfounded by the sight that met their eyes.
A woman of breathtaking beauty was standing next to the bed.
She was spectral, yet her beauty was enough to bewitch anyone.
Long Tian was stunned into silence; it was Shen Yulan. In the original plot, she was depicted as a gorgeous woman, but he didn't expect her to be this stunning.
"How is it? My spectral form has achieved perfection," Shen Yulan said.
Shaken from his stupor, Long Tian responded, "That's wonderful. So, how does it feel to absorb reiki from another world?"
As Shen Yulan was about to reply, she suddenly frowned. She noticed something peculiar about Long Tian. "What is it? I can't sense any spiritual energy from you," she said.
"Well, I just shattered my dantian and now it has restored itself," Long Tian answered nonchalantly.
"What?" Shen Yulan was shocked.
"Wait a minute, did you just say you shattered your dantian and now it's back? Don't jest with me, Long Tian," she chided, her brows knitted in confusion.
"I'm telling the truth," Long Tian didn't dodge her gaze.
Shen Yulan fell silent. She indeed didn't sense any spiritual energy in Long Tian, but she could also feel the existence of a dantian in his body, which left her perplexed.
But a few seconds later, she remembered something. "Is it the Thousand Star Training Method you told me about?" She asked.
"Correct, the method requires one to have a shattered dantian, and it worked. My dantian has healed, but my cultivation base has vanished. I am merely an ordinary human now," Long Tian explained.
Shen Yulan frowned. She never imagined such a training method existed. Restoring a shattered dantian was deemed impossible even in the upper realms.
"And now, I need your help, Lady Shen," Long Tian suddenly stated.
Shen Yulan frowned, asking, "What is it?"
"In your spectral form, you can take the soul of a living creature, right?" Long Tian asked, a smile playing on his lips.
"How do you know?" Shen Yulan raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"It's not important, now follow me," Long Tian said, taking the jade.
"Where to?" Shen Yulan asked.
"The Heavenly Demon Sect," Long Tian replied.
"What are you going to do there? Negotiate like in the Wudang Sect?" Shen Yulan asked.
"It's more of a threat than a negotiation. Anyway, let's go there. Uncle Ling, you come too," Long Tian instructed and promptly exited the room.
Ling Han nodded and followed Long Tian from behind.
*************
Meanwhile, in a ravine deep in a gloomy forest, Ning Yuan's expression was still etched with severity. Despite her valiant efforts and Qin Chen's much improved condition, a new issue had emerged.
His dantian was injured, and she was at a loss as to how to remedy it.
After a while, Qin Chen gradually opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Ning Yuan's face.
"Qin Chen, you're finally awake," Ning Yuan exclaimed, her face a mix of relief and joy.
"Miss Ning, where are we?" Qin Chen asked weakly.
"We are in the forest, you were struck by lightning and my car fell into a ravine. Luckily, you're still alive," Ning Yuan replied, her smile bittersweet.
Hearing this, Qin Chen looked at the sky. He felt like something within him was missing, an emptiness that brought an uncomfortable sensation.
"But Qin Chen, there's a serious issue. Your dantian was damaged by the lightning strike, and I don't know how to heal it," Ning Yuan revealed earnestly.
"What? So what should I do?" Qin Chen inquired earnestly.
Ning Yuan bit her lip, "There might be one way," she suggested.
"What is it?" Qin Chen prodded.
"The Heavenly Demon Sect, they possess a unique healing method that could potentially mend your dantian," Ning Yuan replied.
"Then let's head there."