Jia Yushu saw his own Ancestor and Jian Dan standing over him, along with an unfamiliar female cultivator he didn't recognize, and he finally spoke with a raspy, weak voice.
"Zhēnzūn, Ancestor already told me everything yesterday while I was drifting in and out of consciousness. I don't blame anyone for this unfortunate situation; I will just take it as my own bad luck in this life. At least I still have you and Ancestor helping me find a way out of this predicament. I won't give up on myself, and I understand that loss always comes with gain, so I'm willing to give the method Zhēnzūn mentioned a try."
"Good. Yushu, your Dao heart is firm and your mind is broad despite the circumstances. Who is to say this isn't your own unique opportunity? I'm the best example of that kind of transformation," Jian Dan said with a warm smile. No matter what happened next, she had to let him see hope first. If he gave up on himself mentally, then no matter how many miraculous methods they had at their disposal, it would all be wasted effort.
Jia Yushu listened to her words, curved his lips into a faint, tired smile, and nodded. Then, under the soft blue light flickering deep within Jian Dan's eyes, his consciousness slowly faded into a deep sleep.
"I have temporarily led Yushu's divine sense into another space of my own making. His perception of physical pain will be greatly reduced during the procedure, which will make things much easier for us to handle."
Jia Zhēnzūn and Shou Chan both nodded in silent agreement.
"Jia Zhēnzūn, I will have to trouble you to guard the ritual for us and ensure no one disturbs the process."
"Alright!"
The Jia family's Ancestor raised his hand and directly unfolded his own domain, enclosing the four of them, including himself, inside a shimmering, translucent spherical space that cut them off from the outside world.
"Shou Chan, let your spirit beast enter Yushu's dantian first. Make sure you suppress his own aura completely before he makes contact. There can't be even the slightest leak of energy, or it will trigger that hidden insect into a violent frenzy."
Shou Chan nodded to show she understood the gravity of the instruction. With a slow lift of her hand, a small Bai Chan appeared in her palm. It looked somewhat like a silkworm, only as long as a thumb and as thin as a little finger, its body possessing a pearly sheen. Its eyes were no bigger than tiny sesame seeds, and they first turned to look up at its owner with a hint of intelligence.
After hearing the mental request through their contract, it nodded its tiny head, then gestured with its front legs toward Jian Dan before Shou Chan carefully placed it against Jia Yushu's dantian area.
Bai Chan clung to his skin there, and after a short while, it slipped inside from the outside world by passing through his pores. Once inside the dark expanse of the dantian, it shrank itself into a tiny, inconspicuous white dot and stayed completely still, hiding its presence.
Jian Dan could tell the little one was clever and had understood the instructions perfectly. Only then did she step forward, a strand of vibrant wood attribute energy thinner than a single hair spilling from her fingertip and glowing with a soft green light.
The energy followed Jia Yushu's meridians into the dantian, made a full circuit inside to map the terrain, and then enclosed the entire dantian area. It only loosely surrounded the damaged area of the spirit root, and it harmonized smoothly with the existing wood attribute energy already present in his dantian so as not to cause a rejection.
"It's starting."
Jian Dan raised her hand and removed the restriction talisman she had placed earlier with a quick movement. In the next breath, the spirit root that had been dormant began to melt at a visible speed, turning into a thick, swirling vapor. Jia Yushu's body trembled unconsciously from the internal shock, and his face quickly turned pale as a cold sweat broke out on his brow.
Jia Zhēnzūn immediately flicked out a sturdy vine of spiritual energy and secured him firmly to the jade bed, afraid his involuntary movements would interfere with the delicate work of the others.
After an agonizing incense stick's worth of time, the spirit root was completely dissolved into a concentrated essence. The small green mist that had absorbed all the essence of the dissolved spirit root began to drift slowly toward the center of the dantian.
The area where the spirit root had once been firmly planted looked as if a small, bloody hole had been dug out of his foundation. Jian Dan's expression didn't change as she watched the progress. The moment the green mist entered the main chamber of the dantian, she swiftly sealed the only exit with a dense layer of wood attribute energy.
The green mist started devouring the pure wood attribute energy accumulated in the dantian, acting like a hungry parasite. Jian Dan wasn't about to let it squander that precious energy. The wooden enclosure she had created immediately began to contract, and as it shrank, the wood attribute energy transformed into high-density chaotic energy.
Bai Chan, floating like a speck of dust in the corner, sensed the terrifying pressure of the chaotic energy and instantly stretched out its tiny body. It panicked a little, its tiny legs twitching. If it got submerged by that chaotic energy, it wouldn't even have the chance to turn into ashes. Could it still back out now?
It was almost in tears from the overwhelming pressure. That fear was transmitted through the contract to Shou Chan, who immediately spoke up to alert the elder.
"Zhēnzūn, my Bai Chan is very afraid of your energy."
"It's fine. I know my limits and won't hurt your little treasure. Tell her to move toward the center of the dantian. I will drive that green mist over to her position. She only needs to devour it completely once it's in range. Make sure she doesn't leave even the tiniest bit of that mist behind."
"Yes, Shou Chan understands."
After conveying the message through the contract and providing soothing words from her owner, Bai Chan relaxed slightly and shifted its tiny body toward the center.
Sure enough, the swirling chaotic energy never touched its shell. The enclosure just kept shrinking slowly, herding the mist. It rolled its sesame-sized eyes, flicked its tail inside the dantian, and darted in front of the green mist like a predator. Then it started circling around the vapor.
As it made circle after circle with increasing speed, the green mist grew smaller and smaller, and its path of movement tightened as well. By then, Jian Dan's chaotic energy enclosure had already shrunk to one corner of the dantian and stopped changing, forming a solid wall.
The mist sensed the impending danger and suddenly scattered into dozens of tiny particles, trying to break out of the dantian. Unfortunately, it ran straight into Jian Dan's chaotic energy barrier and was instantly broken down by the friction. When Bai Chan saw its food trying to escape, it sped up at once and began devouring the particles within the chaotic energy enclosure.
Another half an hour passed before Bai Chan finally stopped its frantic movement, clearly satisfied and looking a bit more plump. All the nourishment from the pest had been absorbed into its own body. This time, it should be able to use the energy to advance its own rank.
"Zhēnzūn, Bai Chan says that thing has been completely devoured."
"Good. Tell her not to move or leave the area. I will shrink the enclosure once more to check for any hidden stragglers. That thing was extremely tiny and easy to miss."
Shou Chan nodded her head in understanding. They were already ninety-nine steps into the process, so there was no reason to rush this last critical one.
Bai Chan followed her owner's mental instructions, curled herself up into a tight ball, turned back into a tiny white dot, and stayed perfectly still. Jian Dan controlled the chaotic energy with her divine sense, shrinking the enclosure until it barely surrounded the cicada like a tight cocoon.
The Bai Chan felt a little uneasy being so close to such power, but she knew she couldn't embarrass her owner at a time like this, so she stayed alert and kept her tiny mouth ready.
Just as the chaotic energy was about to brush against her, a tiny grain disguised as a speck of dust reacted to the pressure and tried to evade it. In the next instant, it was sucked straight into the Bai Chan's mouth. Only then was the hidden threat truly and completely eliminated.