An old man with a face full of wrinkles appeared in the plaza.
Di Xiao's brows twitched ever so slightly.
This was…
A Mahayana realm spirit of grass and wood!
On the path of cultivation, it was already far harder for beasts to advance than humans. For a spirit born from vegetation, the path was harder still. A Mahayana realm plant spirit. Just how many countless years of cultivation had it taken to reach this stage?
Yun Mu gazed at the dying Tongtian Hou cub and, without hesitation, used a secret art: Life Guardian.
He had once used this skill to preserve the final sliver of vitality within the spirits of Luoyun Mountain, allowing them to eventually recover. Now, he used it again to grasp the final breath of the Tongtian Hou cub.
Under the protection of Life Guardian, the cub's life force slowly steadied. The technique clung stubbornly to his last wisp of vitality.
Sang Qing looked down at her Xiao Bao, whose body had suddenly calmed. Her tears overflowed uncontrollably.
"Mother, don't cry," the cub whispered weakly, his voice strained.
Sang Qing wiped her tears and forced a trembling smile. Could it be… her child still had a chance to live?
Her gaze instinctively turned toward Yun Jin, full of fragile hope.
"Life Guardian." Di Xiao's voice remained calm. "Indeed a powerful skill. To snatch even a moment from Heaven's decree is no small feat. But it only holds onto the last breath. If I am not mistaken, the duration of this art is limited. When the time is spent, the cub's life will still be forfeit. Sect Master Yun, am I wrong?"
His eyes fixed upon Yun Jin.
The technique had surprised him.
Yet when he probed it carefully, he saw its flaw.
Life Guardian could preserve the final strand of life. But once the protection ended, death still came. Unless within that window the life force was fully restored to its peak.
Yun Jin had already poured life energy into the cub once before. That infusion had prevented his immediate death, buying Yun Mu the chance to apply his art.
But the cub's current state was even worse than before. His fragile meridians could not withstand another reckless surge of life energy. Forcing it again would destroy him outright.
"Senior Di Xiao is as keen as ever," Yun Jin said calmly. "But Yun Mu has improved. This Life Guardian can hold Xiao Bao's life for twelve hours."
Twelve hours.
An entire day.
Sang Qing tightened her hold around her child. So even if Heaven demanded his life, would she be forced to watch him slip away again after a single day?
And yet… she found herself grateful to Yun Jin.
Originally, Xiao Bao had been destined to die shackled as a slave, drowning in despair.
Now, even if his fate remained death, he had been freed. At least, he would walk his final journey as himself.
Sang Qing gazed quietly at her child, unwilling to look away for even a heartbeat.
"So, how do you intend to save him?" Di Xiao's voice carried a note of curiosity. "The cub has only this last breath left. When the protection ends, Heaven may punish once more. If that happens, he absolutely will not endure it. And your life infusion… too crude, too violent. He cannot take a second attempt."
His eyes narrowed slightly. "What will you do?"
His instinct told him Yun Jin's means did not end here.
"Direct life infusion is indeed too violent. He cannot endure another," Yun Jin admitted. "So, there is a great path in this world that can transform the brutal into the gentle, turning force into nourishment."
Di Xiao's eyes sharpened. "The Dao of Alchemy?"
Yun Jin nodded. "To save Xiao Bao, only a ninth-grade pill will suffice. Within Wushuang Sect, there is a pill formula called the Shangqing Rejuvenation Pill. This pill can restore youth to the aged, turn white hair into black. Most importantly, it is exceedingly gentle. While nourishing, it also protects the meridians, allowing Xiao Bao to endure it fully."
Di Xiao's eyes lit up.
Even Sang Qing's gaze snapped toward Yun Jin.
"So, you have brought such a pill?" Di Xiao asked impatiently.
Yun Jin shook her head. "The Shangqing Rejuvenation Pill is extraordinary. But it has one condition. Once refined, it cannot be stored in any container. It must be consumed within one hour, otherwise it loses all effect."
Di Xiao frowned. "If so, then what use is there in speaking of it?"
Yun Jin raised a brow. "If it must be freshly made, then simply refine it on the spot."
Di Xiao actually laughed in anger. "You yourself said it is a ninth-grade pill! Where am I supposed to summon a ninth-grade alchemist right now? Even if I could find one, do you know how long it takes to produce a ninth-grade pill? The cub has only twelve hours. Who in this world could refine such a pill within that time?"
This Yun Jin was infuriating.
Time and again, she raised their hopes, only to crush them.
To demand the refinement of a ninth-grade pill in twelve hours—did she take ninth-grade alchemists for turnips? Did she think ninth-grade pills grew like cabbages in a field?
"Senior need not worry." Yun Jin grinned. "I promised to save Xiao Bao. I will refine the pill myself."
"Yun Jin!" Di Xiao could not restrain himself any longer. "Are you telling me you are a ninth-grade alchemist as well?!"
Even if he were killed, Di Xiao would not believe such absurdity.
Off to the side, Cheng Feng Zhēnzūn's expression flickered with doubt.
Rumors had long swirled outside—that Yun Jin was a prodigy of alchemy, that she had personally refined even seventh-grade pills.
Given her young age, the feat indeed marked her as a peerless talent of the pill dao. Otherwise, why would Qing Yun take her as disciple?
But to leap from seventh-grade to ninth-grade so quickly? Impossible. To be able to refine a ninth-grade pill was to already stand among the ninth-grade alchemists.
Cheng Feng Zhēnzūn instinctively denied it in his heart.
Yet recalling Yun Jin's past feats, he couldn't suppress a faint anticipation. If any other person spoke such words, he would dismiss them as madness. But Yun Jin… even if she sneezed, the heavens might split.
Yun Jin scratched her head with a sheepish look. "I never sat for the formal assessment. But barely, I should count as a ninth-grade alchemist."
As she spoke, she was already calling upon her system, summoning the formula for the Shangqing Rejuvenation Pill.
Back then—
Even while only at the Golden Core stage, she had managed to refine a seventh-grade pill, leaping several entire realms of skill.
Now—
She had already reached Tribulation stage.
Refining a ninth-grade pill was still a leap, but with the system's aid, it was a leap she could make.
The moment she learned of the Tongtian Hou cub's plight, she had already simplified the pill formula, spending an enormous amount of Emotional Value to prepare it.
She had felt heartache at the cost, but no hesitation.
Xiao Bao's life was too important. Whatever it took, she would save him.