The waterfall cascaded down from the mountain peak, filling one pool before flowing into the next, with varying heights between them. Ordinary people wouldn't dare to leap into the unknown, but Gu Shi Yi was driven to desperation. Following the current, she jumped down, plunging into the roar of another deep pool below. This was her good fortune—the difference in height between these pools wasn't much. Had she encountered a massive waterfall of seventy to eighty feet, Shang San wouldn't have needed to catch up; she would have doomed herself!
Even so, she was dizzy and her ears buzzed. By the time she climbed out of the third pool, she felt stifled in her chest and couldn't bear it anymore,
"Ugh..."
she vomited a large mouthful of dark, blackish blood. After spitting out the blood, Gu Shi Yi felt the tightness in her chest ease. Just as she was about to get up using a nearby boulder for support,
Suddenly...
a chill surged from her belly. Before she could straighten up, she stiffened and toppled back into the water, losing consciousness into darkness.
Her rigid body, like a piece of driftwood, half-floated, half-sank in the water, and soon the rushing current above carried her into the next pool...
Meanwhile, Shang San had neutralized the medicine's power and suppressed his injuries. He leapt from the rocks, soring through the air towards the cliff from which Gu Shi Yi had fallen. His Divine Sense swept over and detected the Seal's aura at the bottom of the pool. With a pinch of a Magical Incantation, he reached out towards the water,
"Splash!"
and something was drawn out of the water into Shang San's hand. He examined it and his face drastically changed—it was a Talisman, thoroughly soaked and ruined by the water,
"The Talisman has been exposed!"
Shang San was shocked. He reached into the water again in a flurry,
"Splash... Splash..."
Several more drenched Talismans were retrieved, and Shang San's face was beyond description at this point,
"Someone has silently disengaged the Seal without triggering any Prohibitions. What kind of trickery is this?"
The Talismans were unharmed, but the Spiritual Power on them had vanished. This wasn't the work of a Great cultivator—what kind of trickery?
However, it wasn't the time for Shang San to investigate. The Talismans were there, but where was the jade box? Where could it be?
Shang San's Divine Sense scoured the bottom of the pool more carefully and finally detected the jade box buried in the mud. Fortunately, there were still traces of the Seal's aura on it. Had he come half an hour later, even with his Divine Sense, he would have struggled. He reached into the void and,
"Splash..."
the jade box emerged from the water. Before it even broke the surface, Shang San saw the open lid of the box, which was completely empty. Where was the Blood Corrosion Grass?
Not even a single leaf was left!
"Ah..."
Seeing this, Shang San felt his blood rush to his head, his Power of the Five Elements raging within him. He let out a long howl to the sky, spit out a mouthful of fresh blood, and collapsed heavily onto the ground...
Meanwhile, Gu Shi Yi, oblivious and unconscious, had been carried to the shallow waters downstream. She lay rigidly on a bed of gravel,
"Shiyi... Shiyi..."
Little Mud Man crawled out from her chest and called desperately near her ear, but Gu Shi Yi showed no response other than some heaving in her chest,
"Shiyi... Shiyi!"
Little Mud Man trembled with urgency, climbed onto her face, and stomped down hard on her philtrum. This action had an effect. Gu Shi Yi winced from the pain, turned her face, and Little Mud Man immediately tumbled to the ground. Gu Shi Yi slowly opened her eyes,
"Mmm..."
Blinking, she looked at Little Mud Man in front of her. It took her a long moment to remember where she was,
"Shiyi, how are you feeling?"
Gu Shi Yi tried to move her arms and legs but found that except for her neck, she could not move anything. She told Little Mud Man with a pained expression,
"Yanyan, I'm in bad shape. I might really be beyond saving this time. It must have been that damn old thing who sabotaged me secretly—I've fallen for his schemes!"
That old thing broke his word; he deserves to rot in the eyes, hands, and feet. Did he touch the Zhong Worm, or did he poison himself again?
Li Yaner ran anxiously around her, both nervous and worried,
"Then... what should we do... How can we save you?"
Gu Shi Yi thought for a moment but couldn't come up with any good solutions. She could only say,
"Wait for me... to catch my breath... Maybe it will... will pass..."
Hadn't she passed out earlier?
Now that she was awake, that meant there was still hope!