Chapter 46: Who Will Save Me!

The flames continued to rage, engulfing the entire Phoenix Creek. One by one, desiccated corpses crawled out of the sea of fire, as if fiends from the depths of hell. Yet Ning Xiu observed that these corpses seemed unable to stray far from the creek, bound by some mysterious force; once they reached a certain distance, they would simply vanish.

By now, the people on both banks had long since fled. Those who failed to escape had become cold, lifeless bodies. Ning Xiu stood atop a high slope, lifting his gaze to the sky. Dawn was near; the faint starlight hid behind the blue-grey heavens. The flames gradually receded, and the enormous merchant ship followed a dense mist, sailing once more into boundless darkness.

Feeling the moisture in the air, Ning Xiu extended his right hand. A cold raindrop fell from above, landing in his palm. Though he had fought through the night, his face showed no trace of weariness; instead, he was unusually alert—more lucid than he had ever been.

“So this is the anomaly—immortal, indestructible...” Ning Xiu murmured, his body trembling slightly, not from fear, but from deep-seated excitement and exhilaration. The monsters that had destroyed Shouchun County in his previous life had finally revealed their true form.

If not for the cold bodies lining the riverbank, one might have thought the events of last night were nothing but a nightmare.

At this moment, Iron Sword Sect and Bamboo Grove Society tacitly agreed to a ceasefire. Merely cleaning up the corpses and handling the aftermath was enough to keep them busy.

Ning Xiu sent a letter to Yuan Hao, instructing him to dispatch someone to headquarters. The reply was to designate Phoenix Creek as forbidden territory, barring anyone from entering. In other words, Ning Xiu’s task was simply to maintain order at the creek, a task not difficult for him.

The letter also mentioned that in seven days, someone would come to replace him. For whatever reason, according to the previous promise, Ning Xiu had not resolved the matter, and thus the elder’s position should not be his.

Ning Xiu was unconcerned. After last night’s battle, he discovered that the quantity of blood-red crystals in his system had surged. Based on last night, those corpses were endless. For him, Phoenix Creek had become a training ground.

Returning to the branch, he prepared to strengthen himself before nightfall. He took from his pack the Shaolin Great Recovery Pill—the only valuable item from his previous ten draws.

“Name: Shaolin Great Recovery Pill.”

“Type: Elixir.”

“Grade: Two-star.”

“Description: Exclusive medicine of the Shaolin Sect, effective for healing internal injuries, strengthening vitality, increasing power, fortifying tendons and bones, warming the core, and enhancing spirit; its efficacy is beyond description.”

Originally, Ning Xiu had planned to reserve the pill for emergencies, but since he had already exchanged many healing pills at Bamboo Grove Society headquarters—though not as potent as the Shaolin elixir, they sufficed—he decided to use it now.

He gazed at the smooth, brownish pill and swallowed it whole. The medicine dissolved instantly upon entering his mouth. He felt a surge of burning energy in his abdomen, stirring his inner force to life. The true energy coursed through his meridians, growing stronger as it circulated.

If one listened closely, they could hear the meridian points emitting sounds like rushing water.

Ning Xiu activated the Nine Yang Divine Skill, guiding this renewed power through his body. As a first-rank master, all three hundred sixty-five acupoints in his body had been opened; only a few remained. Now, taking advantage of the opportunity, he broke through them all.

Boom!

The Nine Yang true force, carrying the pill’s spiritual essence, pressed forward relentlessly, bursting open the remaining barriers with a series of crisp sounds.

Ning Xiu slowly opened his eyes, feeling his bones and sinews relax. He understood he had broken through to the first rank of the Great Qian martial world, and the pill’s spiritual power exceeded his expectations.

This only strengthened his resolve for what he intended to do next.

That night, Ning Xiu once again walked to the banks of Phoenix Creek. With the area now forbidden, the wilds were empty—only he stood there.

Gazing at the burning river, Ning Xiu’s lips curled into a slight smile as he drew his killing blade.

For three days in succession, Ning Xiu found his plan proceeding smoothly. The ghosts were not particularly strong and stayed within their territory; as long as he was cautious, they posed no threat. As the number of blood-red crystals in his system rose, Ning Xiu sensed something amiss.

Everything had gone too smoothly, contradicting his life experience; such windfalls always seemed unreliable.

On the fourth day, something happened.

Yuan Hao came to report that some of the brothers at the branch were having issues.

“What’s going on?” Ning Xiu asked, frowning.

“Elder Ning, you’d better come take a look. I’ve never encountered anything like this,” Yuan Hao replied.

Despite the headquarters’ notice, Yuan Hao still addressed Ning Xiu as “Elder.” Led by him, Ning Xiu arrived at a medical clinic—a property of the Bamboo Grove Society—whose hall was now packed with people.

“Hiss… It itches, so itchy!”

Ning Xiu looked up to see everyone in the hall crying out, scratching themselves furiously, oblivious to the bloody marks covering their bodies.

“What happened? Why didn’t you report this earlier?” Ning Xiu asked sternly.

“It’s not Head Yuan’s fault. At first, only a few prospectors from town came to seek treatment; I thought it was ordinary sores, but then realized something was wrong,” said Doctor Wang, head physician of Jade Phoenix Town’s branch. While leading the way, he said, “Elder Ning, please come this way.”

Ning Xiu nodded and followed.

The three stopped before a wooden cabin inside the clinic.

“Doctor Wang, it itches so badly—please save me!” Even before they approached, cries echoed from within, followed by violent banging.

Doctor Wang opened a small window and motioned for Ning Xiu to look inside.

Ning Xiu stepped forward, peering through the window, and his pupils contracted sharply.

Inside, the floor was covered with mangled flesh and blood. A young woman was frantically scratching her back, tearing off chunks of flesh with every desperate swipe.

Hearing movement, she rushed to the window, her wide eyes fixed on Ning Xiu.

“Save me, someone please save me!”