Chronicles of Heaven's Chosen - Chapter 93

Bastard, bastard, bastard!

Those were the curses Yuan Yao hurled inwardly before losing consciousness.

And here she had thought he had finally developed a conscience. He was still every bit as awful as ever!

…

Yuan Yao’s awareness gradually returned. Her eyes flew open, only to be met by a dazzling expanse of sunlight. She narrowed them against the glare.

Suddenly remembering something, she shot upright. Before she could even make out her surroundings, pain and exhaustion swept through her entire body.

“Yaoyao?” The moment Xiao Lingwei saw her wake, she hurried to her side.

Yuan Yao turned toward the voice and saw her own Second Senior Sister, Xiao Lingwei. “Second Senior Sister…”

As she spoke, Yuan Yao noticed that people lay sprawled everywhere around them—sect disciples and city residents alike.

Some had long since awakened.

Xiao Lingwei asked, “We were expelled from the Nightmare Space and woke up one after another, but you were the only person there who didn’t come to. Were you trapped inside the Nightmare Space?”

At that, Yuan Yao finally understood the situation. She nodded.

“Were you hurt?”

“No.”

“What about the Nightmare Beast?”

“A mysterious man killed it.” Yuan Yao truly did not know who Xie Yan was. All she knew was his name.

With strength as formidable as his, Xie Yan would certainly be a prominent figure if he came from the Ninth Continent.

Yet no such person existed among the Ninth Continent’s celebrated figures.

That meant he very likely was not from the Ninth Continent at all!

“So the Nightmare Beast is dead. No wonder…” Xiao Lingwei said.

“No wonder what?” Yuan Yao asked anxiously. “How are Eldest Senior Brother and the others?”

Xiao Lingwei said, “Don’t worry, Yaoyao. Eldest Senior Brother and the others aren’t in mortal danger. They’ve simply lost too much soul power and blood essence, so they won’t be able to wake up anytime soon.”

Yuan Yao could not bring herself to feel relieved at those words.

She got up to check on Eldest Senior Brother, Senior Sister Zong, Senior Brother Ao, and the others. Their faces were all ashen, like people nearing the end of their lives, and her heart grew heavier still.

The other city residents looked just as terrible.

The disciples of Heavenly Learning Peak from Xiaoyao Sect were doing everything they could to treat them.

At that moment, Yuan Yao spotted a white figure on the distant street.

Her heart stirred. She rose and was just about to head toward the white-clad youth when Fourth Senior Brother, beside her, caught hold of her.

“Where are you going?”

Yuan Yao paused. Just as she was about to answer, the white figure ahead had already vanished from the street. She fell silent and shook her head.

“Don’t worry,” Xue Jin said, making his voice as gentle as he could.

Yuan Yao drew a deep breath. “I’ll go help the senior brothers and sisters too.”

“Come back.” Xue Jin pulled her back and said coldly, “How much better off are you than the people lying unconscious here? Stay put, rest properly, and regulate the energy in your body.”

“But I—”

“Jin is right,” Xiao Lingwei interjected. “Your injuries are worse than ours. You need to recuperate. If you really want something to do, stay here and watch over Eldest Senior Brother and the others.”

Yuan Yao looked at her ashen-faced Eldest Senior Brother.

She nodded.

“Where are Third Senior Brother and Youngest Senior Brother?” She had not seen either of them since waking up.

Xiao Lingwei replied, “Ah Li and Wuji went to treat residents on the street ahead.”

“And the elders?”

“They’re treating city residents inside the inn.” Xiao Lingwei looked toward the inn across the way, her voice grave. “The people in there… are hanging on by a thread.”

Yunming City had a population of more than three thousand.

Half were now dead.

Most of the remaining residents were barely alive, so saving them would be no easy task.

“A team of physicians will arrive by tonight at the earliest,” Xiao Lingwei said.

Yuan Yao sank into silence.

Sensing her mood, Xiao Lingwei raised a hand and stroked her head.

“Get some proper rest.”

…

As time passed, rescue teams arrived one after another.

By nightfall, lamplight began to glow in the formerly lifeless Yunming City.

After regulating the energy in her body, Yuan Yao began caring for the unconscious Xiaoyao Sect disciples.

Once the sleepers’ conditions had stabilized, Yuan Yao was summoned before the elders of the various sects.

Elder Yan stared at her sternly and asked in a deep voice, “What happened inside the Nightmare Space after we left? Why weren’t you ‘expelled’ from it?”

Every elder present fixed their gaze on her.

Every elder but one. Zong Rao looked at her gently and secretly sent her a voice transmission: “Say whatever you want. I’ll cover for you either way.”

Yuan Yao said earnestly, “I destroyed the Nightmare Beast’s mental prison, so it bore a grudge against me. Instead of ‘expelling’ my consciousness, it kept me there. If a mysterious man hadn’t appeared and slain the Nightmare Beast, both my life and everyone else’s would probably have been lost.”

“A mysterious man?” Elder Fang of the Dual Poles Sect frowned. “What did he look like?”

Yuan Yao thought for a moment. “He wore a ghost mask and white robes.”

Elder Yan warned, “You had better not be hiding the truth.”

The corner of Zong Rao’s mouth curved upward. She regarded Elder Yan with a faint, mocking smile. “Elder Yan, what an interesting thing to say! Do you not believe that mysterious figure killed the Nightmare Beast and saved everyone? Or do you think our little Yao’er was actually the one who saved them all?”

After saying this, Zong Rao deliberately crossed one leg over the other and continued with an air of utter nonchalance, “If that’s the case, then naturally Xiaoyao Sect should receive the credit for this great achievement!”

Elder Yan’s expression immediately darkened. With a cold snort, he replied icily, “The credit clearly belongs to that mysterious man. How could Xiaoyao Sect claim it for no reason?”

Smiling broadly, Elder Fang of the Dual Poles Sect said to Elder Yan and Zong Rao, “Haha! Since this mysterious hero was unwilling to leave his name, why don’t we simply announce that Yunming City was successfully rescued through the joint efforts of all our sects?”

“Does anyone object?”

Elder Fang swept his gaze over the elders present.

They all voiced their agreement.

“No objections.”

…

Zong Rao led Yuan Yao out of the council hall.

Yuan Yao sensed that Zong Rao was in low spirits and immediately thought of Senior Sister Zong Yu’er’s injuries.

“Second Elder,” Yuan Yao said softly, “Senior Sister Zong will definitely get better.”

“She will.” Zong Rao paused, then affirmed, “Every disciple of Xiaoyao Sect will recover.”

That was her promise as an eighth-rank physician.

Zong Rao said, “We’ll return to Xiaoyao Sect first thing tomorrow morning.”

Only there could the unconscious Xiaoyao Sect disciples receive better treatment.

“Little Yao’er, go back first. I need to speak with Mentor Li and make arrangements for the remaining matters.”

Mentor Li was an instructor from Xiaoyao Sect’s Heavenly Learning Peak. This time, he had led a group of the peak’s elite disciples to handle the continuing treatment efforts in Yunming City.