Jiang Jichen raced through the forest, holding Little Yue'Er. His physical condition was dire.
The punch he had thrown earlier possessed such might—enough to injure the black-robed old servant at the Innate Third Layer—only because he had used a Secret Technique, regardless of the cost.
Blood-Burning Power Transformation Fist!
It burned his blood essence, refining it into power and erupting with ten times his usual strength.
That single punch had drained all of Jiang Jichen's Physical Strength and burned nearly a third of his blood. If he hadn't been practicing the Undying Scripture, which granted him immense Life Energy and the ability to rapidly regenerate blood and essence, Jiang Jichen would have collapsed unconscious long ago.
But that wasn't all. The damage from that wasn't too severe, but Jiang Jichen had then used another Secret Technique that dealt him a nearly fatal blow.
Violent Spirit Skill!
It instantly unleashed all his Spiritual Power to fuel his Spirit Cultivation Step Technique, increasing his speed several times over. He vanished like a bolt of lightning, allowing him to evade the black-robed old servant's wide-range attack without the man even noticing.
Normally, the amount of Spiritual Power one could output from their Qi Sea was determined by their Realm.
In the Mortal Realm, the more Spirit Veins one condensed, the more Spiritual Power they could use in an instant. Of course, aptitude varied, so the amount and quality of Spiritual Power output at the same Realm naturally differed.
Although Jiang Jichen had only condensed a single Spirit Vein, it was pale-gold in grade, making it extraordinary.
However, no matter how extraordinary a single Spirit Vein was, the amount of Spiritual Power it could mobilize was ultimately limited.
That was why he had used a Secret Technique. The Violent Spirit Skill could make his Qi Sea boil, allowing him to instantly unleash several times his usual amount of Spiritual Power.
Using two Secret Techniques in succession allowed him to escape for the time being, but the damage it inflicted upon him was also extremely severe.
SPIT!
Jiang Jichen coughed up a mouthful of blood. His face was pale, his mind grew incredibly groggy, and his consciousness began to fade.
He was now running purely on instinct. He could still sense a lingering thread of danger, so he kept running without stopping.
However, his body had reached its limit. Using two Secret Techniques in a row had nearly exhausted all of his Life Energy.
His arms had grown weak. Little Yue'Er, who was usually incredibly light, now felt as heavy as a mountain. He could barely hold on to her.
"Big brother, you... what's wrong? I'm sorry. Little Yue'Er is a jinx. You shouldn't have saved me. Just put me down!"
Little Yue'Er was on the verge of tears, her young voice filled with sorrow.
Hearing Little Yue'Er's voice, Jiang Jichen managed to regain some of his awareness. He wanted to give the little girl a gentle smile, but the expression he managed was incredibly strained, and his voice was hoarse and grating. "Little Yue'Er is kind, cute, and full of spirit. You deserve a lifetime of nothing but happiness. No one can say you're a jinx!"
"But... but... Grandpa and the uncles were all taken by bad men to save me. All the other uncles said Little Yue'Er is a jinx, a walking disaster."
Little Yue'Er's eyes glazed over as she thought of her family, her sorrowful expression stirring one's pity.
Her tears fell like crystalline pearls, shimmering with a faint moonlight—beautiful and dreamlike.
They all dripped onto Jiang Jichen's body and silently seeped into his skin.
Jiang Jichen was completely unaware of this at first. He only felt a sudden surge of strength returning to his body, and his consciousness gradually cleared.
He smiled faintly. "With your big brother here, no one will be able to hurt you ever again, Little Yue'Er!"
"But you coughed up blood because you saved me."
Tears still welled in Little Yue'Er's large eyes, all of them falling onto Jiang Jichen's body before transforming into wisps of moonlight that seeped into his skin.
Jiang Jichen felt a warm sensation spread through his entire body. His internal injuries were healing at an incredible speed.
His arms regained their strength, his eyes became focused, and his Divine Sense cleared.
Now, he could sense that lingering feeling of crisis even more clearly.
'Looks like that freakish old geezer used a Tracking Secret Technique. If I don't break his Secret Tracking Technique, he'll catch up to us sooner or later.'
As he pondered how to break the black-robed old servant's Secret Tracking Technique, he looked at Little Yue'Er's pitiful and anxious expression, and his heart ached slightly.
The girl was only four or five, yet she had already endured a heartbreaking past and suffered countless scornful looks. Despite it all, her heart was still filled with kindness.
"You're amazing, Little Yue'Er! Your tears have such a magical healing effect. They've already healed most of your big brother's injuries. I'm completely fine now."
By now, Jiang Jichen had realized the magical healing properties of Little Yue'Er's tears.
If not for her tears, he probably wouldn't have been able to keep running.
From the black-robed old servant's words, Jiang Jichen already knew that Little Yue'Er was extraordinary. Besides, the fact that she had been able to climb such a tall, ancient tree and suddenly appear before him had said it all.
'Tears that can heal... only the legendary Moon God Spirit Body is capable of that. That means Little Yue'Er is a Moon God Spirit Body! No wonder she's so extraordinary!'
In this world, there were essentially five categories of Cultivators!
The first category was the true mortal Martial Artists. They were the most numerous beings in the world, but in the eyes of the powerful, they were lowly existences, little different from ants.
The second was ordinary Cultivators. Although their progress was slow, they were people who had truly embarked on the path of cultivation. The commoner Spirit Cultivation Guards he had encountered earlier were examples of this. Their status was slightly higher than mortal Martial Artists, but in the eyes of the truly powerful, they were no different.
The third was genius Cultivators, the elites of the major sects and noble families. People like Murong Qingshu, Lü Yinghao, and Jiang Haijian belonged to this category, with Murong Qingshu being among the more prominent ones.
The fourth was those with an Innate Bloodline. These individuals inherited the bloodlines of ancient ancestors. Upon reaching a certain level of cultivation, they could undergo atavism, becoming as powerful and terrifying as their progenitors. Of course, Innate Bloodlines had different strengths and levels of purity. For some horrifying bloodlines, even inheriting a mere sliver of it granted unimaginable power. This showed just how terrifying those with an Innate Bloodline could be.
The fifth was those with an Innate Spiritual Body. They were beings of legend, favored by the heavens. Once they began to practice, their cultivation would advance by leaps and bounds with no barriers to speak of. They could reach the Invincible Realm at a young age. It was said that an Innate Spiritual Body could not exist in the Mortal World. Even in the Celestial Realm, they were exceedingly rare, with typically only a super-faction having one hidden away.
Jiang Jichen recalled that the Moon God Spirit Body was ranked among the top twenty Innate Spiritual Bodies in the Six Realms. But wasn't it said that an Innate Spiritual Body couldn't exist in the Mortal World? How could one be here?
Jiang Jichen's heart pounded with excitement. To think that the little girl in his arms was a legendary Innate Spiritual Body.
If word of this got out, the whole world would probably go mad. If the Heavenly Dao Realm learned of it, people would likely cross realms and stop at nothing to snatch Little Yue'Er away.
If he hadn't discovered the healing properties of her tears, even Jiang Jichen wouldn't have realized she was a Moon God Spirit Body. It would be even more impossible for others to find out; at most, they would only see her as somewhat unusual.
'So, what did that freakish old geezer's mysterious master want by kidnapping Little Yue'Er and bringing her to the Moonlight Forest?'
At that moment, Jiang Jichen realized this Mortal World was far from ordinary. Even a place like the Moonlight Forest seemed to hold endless secrets, far more than the people of the Heavenly Dao Realm imagined.
The arrival of a Secret Treasure, the appearance of a Moon God Spirit Body, and the advent of other mysterious experts... the Moonlight Forest seemed to be growing more and more mysterious and complex.
Hearing that Jiang Jichen was fine, Little Yue'Er's crying immediately turned into a smile. She cheered, "Big brother, is it true? My tears can heal your injuries? Then I'll cry some more to heal you completely!"
However, as soon as she said that, her little face scrunched up, and she said sheepishly, "But... I'm so useless. I can't cry anymore right now!"
Seeing how adorable she was, Jiang Jichen couldn't help but burst out laughing, the gloom in his heart swept away.
He pinched Little Yue'Er's tender little cheek and said, "Thank you for your tears, Little Yue'Er. Your big brother is all better now. From now on, you only need to laugh happily. No more crying, okay?"
Hearing that Jiang Jichen was completely healed, Little Yue'Er laughed happily, her large eyes crinkling into two beautiful crescents.
Before he knew it, Jiang Jichen had reached the edge of the Moonlight Forest's outer region. Soon, he would reach the central area. It was much darker here than on the outskirts, and he could sense powerful Spirit Beasts lying in wait within the Darkness.
Behind him, Jiang Jichen could intuitively sense the black-robed old servant approaching. He was no more than five thousand meters away.
ROAR!
A black bear leaped out from the Darkness, its roar shaking the forest and its aura terrifying.
Black bears were Spirit Beasts known for their thick hides and immense strength. A single pounce could shatter hard rock and topple massive ancient trees.
BOOM!
Jiang Jichen had already sensed the black bear's presence. He executed Shadow Step and gracefully dodged aside. A half-meter-deep crater appeared where he had just been standing, a testament to the bear's frightening power.
However, this black bear was only equivalent to an Eighth Level Body Refiner. With his injuries now fully recovered, Jiang Jichen was naturally fearless.
And he had just thought of a way to break the black-robed old servant's Secret Tracking Technique.
"Don't be scared, Little Yue'Er. Watch your big brother tame this big bear."
Jiang Jichen said, patting Little Yue'Er.
Little Yue'Er nodded. "Okay! I'm not scared. I'll watch Big Brother chase the big bear away."
As they spoke, Jiang Jichen had already raised a fist. Coordinating with Shadow Step, he landed a punch right on the black bear's nose before it could react.
The black bear collapsed, unconscious and motionless.
"Huh? Big brother, the big bear fainted?"
Little Yue'Er wasn't the least bit scared; instead, she asked curiously.
"A big bear's weakness is its nose. One punch and it faints. So, if you ever run into a big bear in the future, just punch its big nose!"
Jiang Jichen replied with a smile. At the same time, he tore off a piece of his blood-stained shirt, tied it to the big black bear's leg, and then kicked the bear, sending it flying.
ROAR!
The big black bear was kicked awake by Jiang Jichen, but it didn't dare provoke him again. Instead, it fled for its life toward the eastern side of the Moonlight Forest.
"Let's go, Little Yue'Er! We'll let that freakish old geezer chase after the big bear, haha..."
Jiang Jichen let out a hearty laugh. Then, holding Little Yue'Er, he activated Shadow Step and dashed toward the central area of the Moonlight Forest, which was to the north.