area51novel Chapter 67: The Weakened Yu Chen
Chapter 67: The Weakened Yu Chen
"Brother Chen..." Tang Wulin and Xie Xie exclaimed almost simultaneously, their voices filled with shock and worry.
"Chen!"
Gu Yue's reaction was the most direct. A hint of heartache flashed in her eyes as she quickly stepped forward, bent down without hesitation, and gently embraced Yu Chen.
She could feel the subtle trembling from his body and the slightly elevated body temperature emanating from his scales.
Seeing this, Tang Wulin and Xie Xie tacitly refrained from disturbing them, instead silently approaching and looking at Yu Chen and the corpses of the soul beasts scattered on the ground with complicated expressions.
They could easily imagine the fierce and solitary battle that had taken place here while they were absorbing spiritual energy.
"How much spiritual energy did you absorb?"
With a soft, warm body in his arms and the girl's unique, cool fragrance lingering around his nose, Yu Chen's tense mind seemed to relax a little. He spoke first, his voice slightly hoarse than usual.
Upon hearing Yu Chen's words, Tang Wulin and Xie Xie subconsciously became aware of themselves and then exclaimed in disbelief.
"I... I've actually absorbed over a hundred years' worth of spiritual energy!"
Afterwards, Tang Wulin couldn't wait to release his spirit ring, but what appeared under his feet was still that white ten-year spirit ring.
"Idiot, the spirit ascension takes place after you exit the ascension platform! Inside the platform, no matter how much you absorb, your spirit rings won't appear to change!"
Although Xie Xie was also excited, he crossed his arms and explained in a "senior" manner, but his eyes were full of gratitude as he looked at Yu Chen.
"Well done."
Hearing that both of them had reaped substantial rewards, Yu Chen's lips curled into a slight smile, offering his approval. This meant that their spirit ring ages would be significantly increased after their withdrawal.
"Brother Chen, this is all thanks to you! If it weren't for you..."
Tang Wulin's gratitude was palpable. He pointed to the corpses of soul beasts scattered around them, then looked worriedly at Yu Chen's face and neck covered in dragon scales.
"And are you really alright in this state?"
"Brother Chen, how many did you kill?!" Xie Xie's eyes were red, his voice filled with lingering fear and heartache.
"You could have easily woken us up to fight together! If we can't win, we can just quit. Why put ourselves through this?"
"Hmph, so eager to show off, always standing in front of everyone, are you getting carried away with your heroism?"
Gu Yue tightened her arms around Yu Chen's waist slightly, her tone tinged with reproach, but more so with undisguised heartache.
"hiss--"
Although Gu Yue didn't exert any force at all, Yu Chen still took a breath in compliance, then turned his head, leaned close to Gu Yue's ear, and whispered in a tone that only the two of them could hear.
"Of course I have to be strong... I'm determined to become the one and only hero in your heart."
The sudden sweet words and the warm breath on his ear allowed Yu Chen to provide precise emotional support even in his weakened state.
Gu Yue's ears turned slightly red, and she spat lightly, "Hmph, glib tongue." But she didn't loosen her embrace; instead, she held him even tighter.
Tang Wulin and Xie Xie watched in stunned silence. The tense and worried atmosphere from before was instantly dispelled by this display of affection.
"Ahem!"
Xie Xie forced a couple of dry coughs, trying to steer the conversation back on track.
"Brother Chen, let's get down to business! Is it really okay for you to stay in this... 'dragon form' state? Also, what's our next step? Continue exploring or give up?"
Yu Chen's joking expression vanished, and he said seriously:
"If I am released from this state, I will immediately fall into extreme weakness and lose the ability to move and fight for a short period of time. We must withdraw now."
Although my dragon aura and the stench of blood have temporarily deterred the nearby soul beasts, there's no guarantee it won't attract something deeper and more powerful. If we alert the truly formidable ones, all our previous efforts might be in vain.
He paused, then looked at Gu Yue: "Yue, what do you think?"
"I agree. The gains have far exceeded expectations; safety comes first."
Gu Yue nodded, his tone firm.
"Okay, let's evacuate then."
Having reached a consensus, the four of them no longer hesitated and pressed the red distress signal buttons on their wrists one after another.
……
As consciousness returned, the metal hatch slowly slid open.
The outside light was somewhat dazzling to the consciousness that had just emerged from the dark forest.
Yu Chen subconsciously squinted his eyes and tried to sit up, but a strong feeling of exhaustion washed over him like a tide, leaving his limbs weak. He tried twice, but couldn't even lift his upper body.
The feeling of having all the power drained from my body was even more pronounced than when I was inside the Ascension Platform.
"Brother Chen! Brother Chen, how are you?" Tang Wulin's anxious voice rang in my ears.
Before Yu Chen could respond, a slender yet determined figure had already arrived in front of his cabin.
Looking at Yu Chen's pale and weak appearance inside the cabin, where he even had difficulty getting up, a resolute glint flashed in Gu Yue's purple eyes.
She bent down, put her arms under Yu Chen's armpits and knees, and with a little effort, she lifted Yu Chen out of the metal cabin in a standard princess carry!
Suddenly suspended in mid-air, Yu Chen instinctively reached out and wrapped his arms around Gu Yue's neck to maintain his balance, but his brain briefly went blank due to the unexpected situation and intimate physical contact.
The girl's cool and pleasant scent was refreshing, and even through her clothes, one could feel the softness and warmth of her body.
Yu Chen's warm breath inevitably brushed against Gu Yue's fair neck and sensitive earlobe.
"Um……"
Gu Yue's body stiffened almost imperceptibly, her arms around Yu Chen tightened slightly, and the tips of her ears quickly turned a faint pink.
Yu Chen snapped out of his daze and keenly noticed the subtle reactions of the girl in his arms.
Mischievous thoughts surfaced in his weakness, and instead of restraining himself, he deliberately turned his head to breathe his warm breath closer to her ears and neck, even lightly brushing against her with the tip of his nose.
This time, Gu Yue seemed to be mentally prepared. She only glared at him lightly, but held on even tighter and walked steadily toward the rest area.
Yu Chen wanted to go a little further, like gently tasting the slightly red earlobe that was so close to him, but when he saw Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Wu Changkong and the others who were staring in amazement, he had no choice but to give up the idea and stay obediently in her arms, enjoying this rare "special treatment".
When Tang Wulin saw it, he first covered his mouth in shock, then his eyes lit up, sparkling with curiosity and excitement, clearly finding this even more interesting than the battle in the Spirit Ascension Platform.
Just then, Tang Wulin suddenly felt something strange. A warm sensation, initially faint, quietly grew from deep within his spine.
As they left the Spirit Pagoda and headed back towards the academy, the warmth became increasingly pronounced, quickly spreading throughout their bodies.
While he felt warm and comfortable, an irresistible, intense weariness swept over him like a tsunami.
"Hmm..." Xie Xie, who was walking beside him, suddenly noticed that Tang Wulin swayed and his steps were unsteady.
"Wu Lin? What's wrong?" Xie Xie quickly helped him up.
Tang Wulin felt as if his last bit of support had been taken away by Xie Xie's touch, and his body went limp, causing him to fall directly towards Xie Xie.
"Hey!" Xie Xie exclaimed in surprise, catching him in a fluster and letting Tang Wulin lean against him.
Tang Wulin's eyes were closed, and he was in a semi-comatose state. A faint halo of light, interwoven with pale gold and blue, flowed across his skin, and his breathing became unstable.
The commotion immediately drew everyone's attention.
Wu Changkong withdrew his slightly meaningful gaze from Yu Chen and Gu Yue, and turned his dark green eyes to Tang Wulin, a knowing glint in them.
He flashed and arrived in front of Tang Wulin, reaching out to touch his wrist.
"What's wrong with him?"
Long Hengxu also rushed over. When he saw the strange phenomena on Tang Wulin's body and his unconscious state, his expression changed, as if he remembered something bad.
"Don't worry."
After examining the situation for a moment, Wu Changkong released his grip, his tone calm yet carrying a subtle hint of approval.
"That's a good thing. He's absorbed enough spiritual energy to reach a critical point, and his soul is beginning to evolve."
After saying that, he gestured for Xie Xie to let go, and then easily carried Tang Wulin on his back. "Let's go back to the academy first; he needs a quiet environment to complete his evolution."
As soon as Wu Changkong finished speaking, the group exhibited two completely different reactions.
Yu Chen and Gu Yue exchanged a calm glance, and then understood.
Inside the Spirit Ascension Platform, the countless corpses of soul beasts left behind by Yu Chen's solo battle, along with the pure spiritual energy that Tang Wulin had personally absorbed over a hundred years of, had already foreshadowed this inevitable outcome in their minds.
Tang Wulin's already weak ten-year-old soul spirit was like parched land suddenly receiving sweet rain; evolution was a natural outcome.
Yu Chen even had a vague premonition of this moment when the countless spiritual energy points surged into Tang Wulin's body.
However, for Xie Xie, Zhang Yangzi, and Wang Jinxi, this was undoubtedly a bombshell.