Su Zhiyun and A Ran had already grabbed the stretcher poles, one in front and one behind.
Xiao Mu quickly ran to the side of the stretcher and extended her small hands to help steady it.
“Go!”
Su Zhiyun barked in a low voice.
Her gaze swept over the distant black Heavenly Palace again, and the alarm bells in her heart still rang wildly.
The “High Danger” indicator on the system panel meant they could still fall into danger at any moment.
They had to hurry!
If this “High Danger” turned into “Extreme Danger” or “Lethal Danger,” given Jiu Baiyun’s condition, he couldn’t take them running again!
The three of them worked together to lift the stretcher off the ground.
Jiu Baiyun lay on it.
His silver-white hair, stained with dust and sweat, clung messily to his cheeks and forehead.
His fluffy fox ears drooped listlessly, swaying slightly with the bumps.
He truly hadn’t expected that using the ability of the Yao Fox Demon Venerable would have such severe side effects.
Not only was his body limp, but he had nearly lost all sensation.
“Yao Hu, why didn’t you tell me earlier…”
Thinking of this, Jiu Baiyun couldn’t help complaining to the Yao Fox Demon Venerable in his mind.
The Yao Fox Demon Venerable heard Jiu Baiyun’s complaint and said irritably.
“I thought you knew! How dare you use it without knowing the side effects!”
After a pause, the Yao Fox Demon Venerable added in a somewhat sarcastic tone.
“Besides, I don’t know who directly blocked me, so whatever I said was useless.”
The Yao Fox Demon Venerable’s words left Jiu Baiyun speechless.
For a long time, he didn’t know what to say.
After all, it did seem to be his own fault…
He was being a bit unreasonable…
He pursed his lips and directly gave up responding to the Yao Fox Demon Venerable, changing the subject.
“What’s this ability called… such strong side effects? And about how long will these side effects last?”
The Yao Fox Demon Venerable was somewhat displeased by Jiu Baiyun’s subject change, but took a deep breath without any intention of pressing the matter.
“You already have a general idea, yet you still come to ask me.”
“Isn’t it because I want an accurate answer…”
Although he didn’t say it, Jiu Baiyun’s body was very honest.
His fingers were intertwined and constantly fidgeting.
Asking the Yao Fox Demon Venerable these questions was simply because he felt too embarrassed and wanted to alleviate his own mood.
The main thing was that the two girls walking ahead kept turning back to look at him, their eyes full of curiosity.
‘It’d be strange if that weren’t embarrassing!’
The Yao Fox Demon Venerable saw through it but didn’t call him out.
He smiled and said softly.
“I remember you once said something like ‘Soul, return’?”
“Hey! How can you still remember that…”
Hearing the Yao Fox Demon Venerable suddenly bring this up, Jiu Baiyun’s face immediately flushed.
Back then, he had a chuunibyou episode.
Watching the treasure-hunting mouse he had raised for three days die like that, he was all “Soul, return” and “Revive! My…”
In the end, that Yao Hu guy heard everything and kept mocking him for it.
He had finally managed to forget, so why bring it up again now!
Seeing Jiu Baiyun starting to get red-faced, the Yao Fox Demon Venerable laughed again and then said.
“Alright, alright, I won’t tease you anymore.”
“This ability is called ‘Qi Stillness.’”
Although he had expected it, Jiu Baiyun’s mouth still twitched involuntarily upon hearing the Yao Fox Demon Venerable say it.
No helping it.
At a glance, it was obvious whose style this naming was.
“What does that mean? Do you have a problem with my naming style!?”
Seeing the expression on Jiu Baiyun’s face, the Yao Fox Demon Venerable frowned and said irritably.
“No! No! No! I think Yao Hu, your naming method for this ability is great!”
Feeling the Yao Fox Demon Venerable’s slightly murderous aura, Jiu Baiyun immediately answered from his heart.
The Yao Fox Demon Venerable’s slightly smug snort echoed in Jiu Baiyun’s mind.
“Hmph, that’s more like it.”
Jiu Baiyun opened his mouth to say something, but the next moment, Xiao Mu in front stumbled, causing the stretcher to suddenly lurch.
This made him feel like a fragile piece of porcelain.
Worse, his limp fox tail under the robe brushed against the inside of the fabric with the bumps, bringing waves of indescribable itching that made him wish he could crawl into a hole.
“Hey, Yao Hu, you still haven’t said how long these side effects will last!”
He tried to move his fingers, but only a heavy numbness came from his fingertips, as if they weren’t his own limbs.
“Hmph, who told you to act tough and use it recklessly.”
The Yao Fox Demon Venerable’s voice carried a hint of schadenfreude, but soon turned serious.
“Not to mention, my past cultivation level allowed me to recover quickly, but your current state… hmm, a conservative estimate is that it will take ten incense sticks’ worth of time.”
‘!?? Ten incense sticks!? That’s five hours!? No, in the current situation, are you serious about five hours? Can we really last five hours?’
Looking at Xiao Mu and A Ran who were already panting a little, and Su Zhiyun behind who kept complaining softly, Jiu Baiyun didn’t believe they could carry him for five hours.
Even setting that aside, the speed of carrying him was greatly reduced, and they would eventually be caught by that pitch-black palace!!!
“Hmph, now you’re panicking? What were you doing earlier?”
“I’m reminding you, the disturbing effect of ‘Qi Stillness’ on perception is fading. The one controlling the Mountain Sparrow Flock has likely reacquired our position. The running speed of those three mortals is nothing.”
Hearing the Yao Fox Demon Venerable’s words, Jiu Baiyun’s heart sank again.
“No, stop with the cynical remarks! Is there any other way? If we get caught, we’ll all die!”
Jiu Baiyun had just finished saying this to the Yao Fox Demon Venerable in his heart when Su Zhiyun’s movement suddenly stopped, and her face darkened visibly.
Xiao Mu and A Ran in front also stumbled because of Su Zhiyun’s stop, nearly causing Jiu Baiyun to roll off the stretcher.
His tail was bent sharply, causing Jiu Baiyun’s face to twist into a pretzel.
Obviously, Su Zhiyun’s system panel must have changed again, which almost confirmed what the Yao Fox Demon Venerable had just said.
This made Jiu Baiyun even more anxious.
Understanding the gravity of the situation, the Yao Fox Demon Venerable’s voice also became serious, no longer using a joking tone.
“Don’t worry, that’s just the time for full recovery. You’ll probably regain mobility in about half an incense stick.”
“The demon power hasn’t been spent much. Because spiritual energy and demon power have merged a bit more, I can now convert a small amount of demon power into spiritual energy.”
“It depends on how you handle it next.”
The moment the Yao Fox Demon Venerable’s words fell, Su Zhiyun’s voice came over immediately.
“Hey! Jiu Baiyun, things are a bit bad. Can you still make a run for it?”
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