Chapter 33 Perhaps… we could try talking to the clan leader?
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Darkness. Endless, boundless darkness, like sinking to the very bottom of the deep sea. No light, no sound, no temperature.
Only consciousness drifted in a sea of Chaos, like a kite with a broken string, finding no direction and touching no boundaries.
Jiang Bai felt that he should already be dead.
That excruciating pain, the tearing sensation of eight spider legs piercing his body, the dull ache of his internal organs being crushed, the coldness of his vitality flowing away with his blood—it was all too real, too real to be just a nightmare.
The last image he remembered was Bibi Dong’s pair of cold, purple eyes, and that kick that sent him into the river.
Then there was darkness, eternal darkness.
But—why could he still think?
Dead people shouldn’t have consciousness.
Could this be the World after death? A void of Chaos?
He wanted to wake up, but could not open his eyes.
Outside, beneath the waterfall. This was a desolate river valley, with steep rock walls on both sides, the riverbed filled with boulders smoothed by the water.
The heavy rain last night had caused the water level to rise significantly, and the river was turbulent and muddy, carrying broken branches and fallen leaves as it rushed downstream.
In a sheltered depression in the rock wall, a figure lay quietly.
It was Jiang Bai.
The wounds on his body had stopped bleeding, but his complexion remained terrifyingly pale, and his breathing was so faint it was almost imperceptible.
Beside him, three Dragon beasts, shrunk to the size of children, huddled close.
They had not returned to the tower space but remained outside in this energy-efficient form, constantly monitoring their master’s condition.
The eldest, Fire Dragon, carefully rubbed its head against its master’s cheek, emitting low, sorrowful whimpers from its throat.
Its scarlet-gold Dragon eyes were filled with anxiety and worry.
The second, Earth Dragon, lay on Jiang Bai’s other side, pressing its warm body against its master’s cold arm.
The third, Wind Dragon, kept scanning the surrounding environment, alert to any potential threats.
Last night, when Jiang Bai was kicked into the river, the three Dragon beasts had rushed out from his body simultaneously. Watching their master’s body get swept away by the river, they pursued without hesitation.
Earth Dragon was the first to catch up, scooping Jiang Bai up and bringing him to the bank.
They brought Jiang Bai to this relatively dry cave and kept watch for the entire night.
The next day, the sky began to brighten.
Fire Dragon gently touched its master’s face once more, but those tightly closed eyes still did not open.
"Roar——" It let out a suppressed low roar.
Wind Dragon lowered its head onto Jiang Bai’s chest, carefully sensing that weak but steady heartbeat.
It pondered for a moment, a flash of determination in its emerald eyes.
"I have a plan!"
"We are not far from the Star Dou Great Forest. I used to live in the Star Dou Great Forest and am still quite familiar with it."
Fire Dragon and Earth Dragon looked at it simultaneously.
"I know where there are Emerald Swans."
Wind Dragon continued, "Their healing abilities are extremely strong. If we can find them, perhaps—perhaps we can save our master."
Emerald Swans?
Fire Dragon and Earth Dragon exchanged a glance, both seeing hope in the other’s eyes.
They were clearly aware of the top-tier Spirit Beast groups in the Star Dou Great Forest.
Emerald Swans were indeed famous for their powerful healing abilities. If they could obtain their help—
"But," Earth Dragon asked cautiously, "would the Emerald Swans be willing to help a human? And—we are only thousand-year Spirit Beasts, will they—"
Wind Dragon shook its head: "We can’t worry about that now. Although our master’s body has had its injuries stabilized by a mysterious power, those wounds are too deep and the internal organs are severely damaged. Relying solely on natural recovery is too slow, and the risk is too great. We must try."
It paused, looking at Jiang Bai’s pale face, a trace of firmness showing in its mental fluctuations.
"Furthermore, our Souls are closely connected to our master. If our master truly dies, we will also perish as our Spirit dissipates."
"Also," Wind Dragon added, with a hint of relief in its tone, "our bodies are very stable now, with no signs of dissipating.
This indicates that although our master’s Soul is sleeping, it has not perished, and the core contract of the Spirit still exists."
"His current condition shouldn’t be the most critical type—if the Emerald Swans don’t work, we still have time to find other ways."
The three Dragons reached a consensus and delayed no longer.
Their forms began to expand rapidly, returning from child-sized to their normal thousand-year Spirit Beast size.
Although this state would continuously consume Soul Power, they couldn’t worry about that in order to hurry.
Fire Dragon carefully lowered its head, gently gripping Jiang Bai’s collar with its dragon snout, lifting him up, and then placing him gently onto Earth Dragon’s broad, flat back.
Earth-yellow light flowed around Earth Dragon, condensing a soft, cushion-like energy layer on its back to securely fix Jiang Bai in place.
Wind Dragon took flight first, its cyan figure like a streak of light, rushing towards the gap in the rock wall above: "Follow me!"
Fire Dragon and Earth Dragon followed closely behind.
The three Dragon beasts carried their unconscious master and flew towards the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest.
The forest landscape below changed constantly, transitioning from mixed forest to older, denser primeval forest.
Towering ancient trees blocked out the sun, and a faint mist permeated the forest, with the occasional heart-palpitating beast roar echoing from afar.
This was already the Star Dou Great Forest region, where Spirit Beasts could be seen everywhere.
The three Dragon beasts held their breath and focused, minimizing their own aura as much as possible to avoid unnecessary conflict.
Time passed slowly during the flight.
The sun gradually rose and then gradually slanted westward.
Just as dusk was approaching, Wind Dragon suddenly slowed down, a look of surprise flashing in its eyes.
"There seem to be a few Emerald Swans ahead!"
Fire Dragon and Earth Dragon perked up, raising their heads to look ahead.
Through the gaps in the layers of tree crowns, a lake was vaguely visible ahead.
The lake water presented a dreamlike emerald green color.
The lake surface was as calm as a mirror, reflecting the sunset glow in the sky and the silhouettes of the surrounding ancient trees, beautiful beyond compare.
And on the shallows by the lake, a few elegant figures could be seen.
They had slender necks and snow-white feathers, with the edges of their wings shimmering with an emerald-like green luster—they were indeed Emerald Swans!
"We’re landing!" Wind Dragon lowered its voice, "Approach slowly, don’t disturb them!"
The three Dragons slowly lowered their altitude and landed in an open space not far from the lake.
Earth Dragon carefully placed Jiang Bai from its back onto the soft grass, while Fire Dragon and Wind Dragon looked around vigilantly.
Their appearance had already attracted the attention of the Emerald Swans.
The swans took off from the lakeside, glided elegantly, and landed not far away.
They watched these three strange Dragon beasts and the unconscious human vigilantly, their slender necks raised slightly, emitting clear, resonant calls, seemingly asking about their intentions.
Wind Dragon took a deep breath and stepped forward.
It did not display any aggressive posture; instead, it lowered its head slightly, conveying information with the gentlest mental fluctuations.
"We have no malicious intent. We have brought our severely injured master here, and we implore your noble race to extend a helping hand. We are willing to pay any price."
It spoke sincerely, and its posture was extremely humble.
The few Emerald Swans looked at each other, and one particularly large swan, with an exceptionally rich emerald color on the edges of its wings, stepped forward a few paces, its clear eyes examining the unconscious Jiang Bai and then looking at the three Dragon beasts.
Then, it spread its wings, and a jade-green light fell onto Jiang Bai.
The light dissipated. Although Jiang Bai’s wounds were no longer bleeding, the evil and corrosion of the Eternal Wound still remained.
Seeing this, the big swan touched its head with its right wing and exchanged glances with the other big swans.
"How about... trying to find the Clan Chief?"