Chapter 546 - 238: Self-Destruction
Several elders flashed to Qin Fang’s side.
Qin Fang felt the world spin. Even with his eyes closed, he sensed a piercingly bright light.
At the same time, he heard his master’s horrified cry.
The next moment, he felt someone support him as a surge of powerful True Gang flowed into his body.
Only then did Qin Fang, as if waking from a dream, slowly open his eyes.
He froze for a moment when he saw the old man beside him, his eyes filled with anxiety.
Then, a smile of relief spread across his face, as if a great weight had been lifted.
"Master, I’m... all right..."
The string that had been pulled taut for who knows how long finally snapped. Qin Fang felt his head grow heavy, and his consciousness plunged into darkness.
He could only hear a series of anxious shouts.
"Linyuan!!"
"Linyuan!!"
...
When Qin Fang’s consciousness stirred again, he opened his eyes to the sight of a ceiling.
He felt a little dazed, his thoughts still fragmented.
’...Right, the rainbow light appeared. Did I... did I leave the Great Abyss?’
Still lost in a haze, a sudden CLANG pulled Qin Fang back to reality. He instinctively turned his head to look.
But before he could see what was happening, a fragrant scent washed over him, and he felt someone embrace him tightly.
Qin Fang’s body stiffened slightly. The familiar scent slowly brought his consciousness into sharp focus.
"Senior... Sister?"
He could feel the body holding him trembling slightly, which made him even more rigid.
After a long moment, she finally let go of him. He looked, and...
...who else could it be but his Senior Sister?
His Senior Sister’s eyes were rimmed with red.
"You’re finally awake..."
Her voice was a little hoarse as she tried to compose herself. "Martial Uncle said there’s nothing seriously wrong with your body, just that you’ve overtaxed your mind and your Sea of Consciousness shows signs of turmoil... But you’ve been asleep for a full seven days..."
Looking at the worry in her eyes, Qin Fang felt something gently nudge his heart.
He subconsciously swallowed. "Senior Sister... I’m fine. Just... so tired."
His Senior Sister watched him for a long while before letting out a soft breath. She released him, stood up, and went to the table to pour a cup of warm water. Carefully helping Qin Fang sit up, she brought the cup to his lips. "Here, drink some water first."
Qin Fang wasn’t actually that weak. He could already feel that the wounds on his body had been bandaged.
"Thank you, Senior Sister."
He took the cup. The warm water soothed his parched throat... It had been a long time since he’d felt something like this.
It made everything feel a little more real.
He looked around at the familiar furnishings—this was his residence in Linyuan Hall.
"I... I’m really back?"
He stared blankly for a long moment before murmuring in a daze.
"Yes, you’re back."
His Senior Sister gazed at his still pale and weary face.
Then she said softly, "The Sect Leader, Martial Uncle, my Master... and several other Hall Masters have all come to see you."
"While you were unconscious these past few days, Martial Uncle almost never left your side. Hall Master Xing just had to drag him away to discuss an urgent matter, which is why I’m the only one here... How are you feeling? Does anything still hurt?"
Qin Fang came back to his senses and tried to circulate the True Essence in his body.
The dim Gang Core in his Dantian slowly rotated, and the Profound Nether Gang Qi flowed steadily through his meridians. Although the total amount was less than what he had at his peak, its quality was undiminished. In fact, after being tempered by that final Gang Wind, it seemed to have become even more refined.
It was just that his Sea of Consciousness still ached faintly...
’...But that must be an aftereffect of overexerting my mind.’
"My True Gang is formed and my body is fine. My Divine Sense just needs time to recover."
Qin Fang reported honestly, then asked, "Senior Sister, how long was I gone?"
His Senior Sister looked at him and said slowly, "From the time you entered the Heavenly Gang Secret Realm until now... it has been five years and nine months."
Although he had a premonition, hearing the exact number still made Qin Fang’s breath catch in his throat.
’Almost six years?’
He had struggled to survive above that lonely, dark Great Abyss for nearly six years?
This far exceeded the time anyone had ever spent in the Secret Realm, according to the Sect’s records!
’No wonder...’
’No wonder my Heart Realm was on the verge of collapse at the end.’
"The others..."
Qin Fang asked instinctively.
"Those who entered the Secret Realm at the same time as you all returned one by one within the first year. For several years after that, there was no activity from the Secret Realm. Then, a few days ago, the Guiding Rainbow Bridge suddenly appeared on its own and sent you back."
"Junior Brother, what on earth did you encounter in there? And your injuries... how did you get them?"
His Senior Sister asked at last, her voice filled with worry and confusion.
Qin Fang was silent for a moment, his expression gradually turning serious.
"Senior Sister, that Secret Realm... it seems different from the records. I saw some... incomprehensible things."
He looked up at her. "Senior Sister, I need to see Master. There are some things... that I’m afraid I must report to him and the Sect Leader in person."
The terrifying great fish, the devastating golden meteor, the other secrets that might lie beneath the Great Abyss, and the vast, bizarre nature of the Secret Realm that far surpassed all understanding...
’This information is too shocking.’
’Of course I have to report it.’
His Senior Sister was stunned for a second, but she quickly recovered and nodded gently.
"You wait here. I’ll go get Martial Uncle."
After speaking, she stood up and gave Qin Fang another worried glance, but ultimately turned and left to notify Martial Uncle and the others.
Qin Fang lay on the bed, his eyes fixed on the familiar ceiling.
’I’m really back.’
’Was I always meant to stay in there for six years, only being sent out when the time was up?’
’...Or did I trigger something by chance when my mind finally broke and I suicidally charged into the Gang Wind high above, allowing me to return?’
He frowned slightly. Then, with a turn of his thoughts, he looked into his Sea of Consciousness...
There, in his Sea of Consciousness, the Golden Light hung high above like a ’Great Sun’.
Proving that all of it was real...