Although Zi Lingling heard Elder Du's words, she had no time to say anything now.
The moment Elder Du's soul withdrew, she felt her entire body in a state of severe oxygen deprivation, her internal organs about to explode under the pressure of the Saint King realm.
But in just an instant, she felt her breathing become smooth again, and a sense of relief from surviving a disaster washed over her.
It turned out that although Elder Du only held on for ten breaths, he had bought time for Ye Lingyuan to react.
Ye Lingyuan felt a surge of pressure sweep over him. At the same time, he saw Zi Lingling spit out a mouthful of blood. The cold aura around him instantly solidified.
He took a step forward, directly blocking Zi Lingling, and at the same time, his peak Yuan Transformation realm spiritual power surged out, intercepting the pressure. This was also why Zi Lingling suddenly felt relief.
However, Ye Lingyuan was only at the peak of the Yuan Transformation realm. Facing Ji Ran, who was in the mid-Saint King realm, he was at a direct disadvantage in terms of strength.
Coupled with his existing injuries, as he met the pressure, a trace of blood overflowed from the corner of his mouth. The already torn wound completely burst open, and his chest was instantly soaked in blood.
Yet, he made no sound, gritting his teeth and persevering.
Ji Ran was stunned. He never expected this black-clothed youth to be able to withstand his Saint King realm pressure. He was enraged, and the pressure intensified.
Ye Lingyuan couldn't help but let out a muffled groan. His legs trembled violently, but he stubbornly supported his body, like a mast swaying in the wind and rain, seemingly toppling but still standing firm.
By the time Zi Lingling recovered, she saw this scene. Her heart ached suddenly, and a strange emotion sprouted from the depths of her heart.
"Ye Lingyuan!"
Seeing the drops of blood falling from beneath Ye Lingyuan's feet, her eyes reddened, and she was about to rush forward recklessly.
Ye Lingyuan turned his head with difficulty to look at Zi Lingling, his voice trembling as he shouted, "Don't come over!"
Only those within the Saint King realm pressure could truly feel its intensity. He, a peak Yuan Transformation realm cultivator, was already at his limit. How could Zi Lingling, who couldn't cultivate, possibly withstand it? If she entered, she would likely explode and die!
Ye Lingyuan instinctively did not want Zi Lingling to be in danger. That strong desire to protect her made him determined to shield her behind him.
"No!"
Zi Lingling replied unequivocally and was about to step forward again. However, lacking spiritual power, as soon as she lifted her foot, she was sent flying by the edge of the pressure.
"Ah..."
Seeing Zi Lingling fly away, Ye Lingyuan roared in anger. At the same time, the spiritual power outside his body suddenly retracted, and then an even more powerful spiritual power surged out.
Saint King realm! Ye Lingyuan actually broke through to the Saint King realm under such circumstances!
Being a Saint King realm cultivator at seventeen was unprecedented in the history of the Tianyuan Continent.
This powerful Saint King realm spiritual power clashed with Ji Ran's mid-Saint King realm pressure, creating a tremendous force. Situ Yunfeng, who was closest to Ye Lingyuan, was instantly thrown out, landing a zhang away from Zi Lingling.
Situ Yunfeng spat out a mouthful of blood, feeling as though his internal organs had shifted.
He laboriously got up, took out a white porcelain bottle from his embrace, which contained the Great Returning Pill personally refined by his old man.
The Great Returning Pill was an excellent medicinal aid for healing, categorized from one to nine turns. One to three turns were considered high-grade pills, capable of curing all internal and external injuries. Four to six turns were master-level pills, capable of removing scars, regenerating severed fingers. Seven to nine turns were emperor-level pills, capable of resurrecting the dead and regenerating flesh and bones.
As Situ Jing Lei was only a high-grade alchemist at the moment, he could only refine up to three-turn Great Returning Pills. Although they could not bring people back from the dead, they were undoubtedly excellent for healing.
Situ Yunfeng took out a Great Returning Pill and swallowed it. Instantly, he felt a warmth spread through his body, and even the throbbing pain in his internal organs vanished without a trace.
After the medicinal effects of the Great Returning Pill were completely absorbed, Situ Yunfeng felt his cultivation had advanced further.
He stood up and was about to stretch his limbs when he saw the unconscious Zi Lingling not far away.
"Xiao Lingling!"
Situ Yunfeng hurried over, half-carried Zi Lingling into his arms, and began to take her pulse.
Zi Lingling's condition was dire. If she had only had one-third of her meridians ruptured before, now more than two-thirds were broken. If not treated promptly, her life would be in danger.
Without a second thought, Situ Yunfeng took out another Great Returning Pill and fed it to Zi Lingling, saying, "Xiao Lingling, encountering this young master means your fate is not yet sealed!"
The Great Returning Pill lived up to its reputation as a high-grade pill. Zi Lingling's pale complexion gradually faded, and her breathing began to stabilize.
However, what puzzled Situ Yunfeng was that the coveted Great Returning Pill only had this much effect on Zi Lingling. As for the broken meridians, there was no change at all.
Of course, he had only focused on Zi Lingling's internal meridians and had not noticed that a flash of light had streaked across her dantian.
However, since he had confirmed that Zi Lingling was out of mortal danger, he refocused his attention on Ye Lingyuan and Ji Ran.
Ji Ran was no longer using pressure but real mid-Saint King realm spiritual power.
Despite Ye Lingyuan's recent breakthrough to the Saint King realm, his spiritual power was exceptionally abundant due to accumulated strength, allowing him to contend with the mid-Saint King realm Ji Ran.
However, at this moment, Ye Lingyuan had closed his eyes.
He had entered a wondrous state. He seemed to be able to perceive the activity of every elemental spiritual energy and feel their mental fluctuations!
That's right! It was the mental fluctuations of elemental spiritual energies, as if he could hear them conversing. Could this be the gift bestowed after forming the consciousness sea by a Saint King realm expert?
Just then, a red fire spiritual energy flickered and said, "It seems something inside that woman is calling me!"
The golden metal spiritual energy beside it followed, "Her aura feels so comfortable."
The blue water spiritual energy was not to be outdone, "I want to go inside her and take a look!"
The yellow earth spiritual energy followed, "Wait for me, I'm coming too!"
The green wood spiritual energy trailed closely behind, "Let's go together!"
Thus, the five elemental spiritual energies rushed towards Zi Lingling one after another.
But in a short moment, all the elemental spiritual energies surged out, dejectedly saying, "Her body cannot accommodate us!"
Ye Lingyuan watched the unfolding events with astonishment, a hint of inquiry flashing in his eyes.
What was going on? Wasn't she naturally unable to cultivate? Why did she have an affinity for various elemental spiritual energies?
Could it be... she had a spiritual root within her?