"I know, but this is the only way we can escape. Staying here would mean facing the brunt of these fierce beasts head-on, and that would be even worse."
Due to the formation's barriers, they could only fly in the direction of the abyss, where an exit lay. Though the path was perilous, staying was even riskier; taking this chance was their only hope.
Lu Xueruo's decision proved wise. Although there were many beasts nearby, few had yet noticed them. If they didn't move swiftly, they'd lose any chance to escape once the beasts emerged in full force from the abyss.
The flying beasts in the air spotted them, but their cultivation was weak, and Lu Xueruo managed to evade them swiftly. She focused on dodging, never engaging. Before long, they had maneuvered past the airborne threats. As Lu Xueruo glanced toward the abyss, she saw that no more beasts had emerged and breathed a silent sigh of relief.
"Luckily, we got here in time. If nothing unexpected happens, we should be able to escape," she murmured, a hint of ease replacing her tense expression.
But then, just as they hoped for a smooth escape, a new threat loomed.
The holy beast in the abyss sensed their intent to flee. Though the ordinary beasts couldn't stop them, this formidable creature could.
"Roar!"
A sudden shockwave of spiritual power surged towards them with alarming speed.
"Senior Sister Lu, watch out!" Li Taixing shouted, noticing it first. Without hesitation, he activated his Tai Chi Array to block the oncoming blast.
Boom!
Bang!
"Ah!" Lu Xueruo cried out in pain, her spiritual sword slipping from her control as they both plummeted downwards.
"Senior Sister Lu!" Li Taixing looked over to find her unconscious. Checking their surroundings, he quickly grabbed her and, with a burst of teleportation, vanished from the scene.
After they disappeared, the holy beast searched for its targets but, unable to find them, redirected its fury towards Wang Xuanwu and Zhu Qing, who had arrived nearby.
Meanwhile, Li Taixing reappeared near the cliff of the abyss with Lu Xueruo, finding a cave and teleporting them inside.
Hiss.
A serpent-like beast in the cave attacked, but with a swift "Seven Injury Fist," Li Taixing blasted it to pieces, storing the remains in his ring.
To avoid detection, he sealed the cave entrance, layering it with the Tai Chi Array and the Hunyuan Pearl for additional protection. After this, he conjured a small bed and gently laid Lu Xueruo down, assessing her condition.
His face darkened. "I didn't expect the damage to be this severe."
The earlier shockwave had hardly affected him due to his resilient spiritual sea. However, Lu Xueruo's spiritual sea, while exceptional for her level, had shattered under the strain, and her spiritual energy was rapidly dissipating. Without swift intervention, she wouldn't survive, or she'd be left a mere shell of her former self.
He immediately administered various healing pills, stabilizing her condition and halting the worst of the external damage. However, her internal injuries—her broken spiritual sea—still caused her spiritual power to leak steadily, albeit at a slower rate.
"I need to repair her spiritual sea quickly," he muttered, knowing her cultivation would be lost if he didn't act immediately.
"Senior Sister Lu, you're lucky you have me here. Without my powerful spiritual sea, I wouldn't be able to save you."
Placing his hands on her back, he began channeling his spiritual energy into her, stabilizing the damaged spiritual sea. He finally managed to halt the spiritual energy loss and breathed a sigh of relief.
However, he knew this was only a temporary fix.
If Lu Xueruo could regain consciousness, they could work together to repair her spiritual sea. But seeing her condition, he realized she wouldn't wake soon.
"Helping her repair it myself would reveal my cultivation," he pondered, his thoughts torn.
But then, he recalled all the times she had shielded him during the trials. He sighed, "She risked herself for me countless times. Now, it's my turn."
Without further hesitation, Li Taixing revealed his Nascent Soul Realm cultivation, allowing his formidable spiritual power to flow into her spiritual sea. Under his guidance, the damaged spiritual sea began to mend, growing even more robust than before.
"Senior Sister Lu, this may turn out to be a blessing in disguise," he thought, a smile forming as he finalized the repairs. He tested her spiritual sea, ensuring it was fully intact with no lasting damage.
Through his immense spiritual reserves, he accomplished a feat few in the Nascent Soul Realm could achieve in such a short time. So engrossed was he in his task that he didn't notice Lu Xueruo stirring.
As she regained consciousness, she was overcome with a warm sensation, a feeling of safety.
'What happened?' she wondered, slowly becoming aware of Li Taixing's presence beside her, healing her injuries.