Mo Qian's lips bled, his eyes slightly closed, clearly gravely injured.
Although Lin Yan'er was protected in Mo Qian's embrace, she also spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, her delicate face losing its color as she fainted.
"Yan'er! Junior Brother Mo!"
Liu Fuyao cried out in surprise and quickly approached the two, examining their injuries.
Though both were severely wounded, they were still alive.
Liu Fuyao breathed a sigh of relief and immediately took out medicinal pills to feed them.
Meanwhile, Xin Ci and Li Jianxing watched the Nine-Headed Blood Dragon Lizard approach, unleashing their martial skills to resist, but to little effect.
Even the initially fragile nine heads had now become as hard as metal, having broken through to the King realm.
Mu Qingqing, observing the scene from within the consciousness space, frowned and said, "If this battle continues, the male lead and the others are doomed!"
The turn of events had exceeded her imagination, and it seemed she needed to intervene. After all, the male lead could not die here.
Li Jianxing turned to Xin Ci and said in a deep voice, "Junior Brother Xin, you take the others and leave quickly. This Blood Dragon Lizard is mine!"
"Senior Brother Li, you don't need to trouble yourself. I alone am enough for this Blood Dragon Lizard," Xin Ci shook his head.
As Li Jianxing was about to persuade Xin Ci,
he noticed Xin Ci's eyes flashing with a blue light, and a phantom image of a star wheel appearing in his pupils.
Concurrently, Xin Ci's cultivation realm instantly surged to the Half-King realm before Li Jianxing's eyes.
At the same time, his aura was growing explosively.
"What!?" Li Jianxing was utterly shocked.
Xin Ci now seemed like a completely different person in his eyes. It was the first time he had seen Xin Ci in such a state.
Mu Qingqing's second personality was now in control of Xin Ci's body, but Li Jianxing did not realize this.
With only ten seconds, Mu Qingqing had no time to explain to Li Jianxing.
Because the Nine-Headed Blood Dragon Lizard had already reached everyone.
All nine heads simultaneously opened their mouths and spewed nine streams of scorching fireballs at Xin Ci and the others.
"Be careful!" Li Jianxing exclaimed.
His long sword spun rapidly, as he was about to deflect the incoming fireballs.
But "Xin Ci" charged directly forward.
A burst of extreme cold energy rapidly emanated from his hands, freezing the incoming fireballs into ice.
This was Mu Qingqing's first use of the Four Seasons Art, Winter's Annihilation.
Li Jianxing was astonished by Xin Ci's strength, surprised that he possessed such a move.
Taking advantage of the frozen fireballs, Mu Qingqing quickly charged towards the Nine-Headed Blood Dragon Lizard.
"Sorry, big lizard, I'm in a hurry," Mu Qingqing said to the Nine-Headed Blood Dragon Lizard.
"Roar..."
The Nine-Headed Blood Dragon Lizard let out a deafening roar, its nine heads lunging at her simultaneously.
Mu Qingqing remained calm, conjuring a spiritual sword with her spiritual energy in one hand.
Simultaneously, the Undying Phoenix Flame wrapped around the spiritual sword, and she fiercely swung it at the Nine-Headed Blood Dragon Lizard.
This move was named Crimson Lotus Phoenix Sword.
With a single strike, she slew the nine heads of the Blood Dragon Lizard, severing them and sending them tumbling to the ground.
Taking advantage of the Blood Dragon Lizard's flesh wriggling, about to regenerate,
Mu Qingqing swiftly swung her sword again at the beast's body, directly slicing through its flesh.
She extracted a fist-sized, blood-red, agate-like crystal core.
Having lost its Blood Soul Bead, the Nine-Headed Blood Dragon Lizard's flesh stopped healing and it perished completely.
Returning to the ground, Mu Qingqing's ten seconds had just ended.
Xin Ci also returned to his normal state.
Li Jianxing snapped back to attention.
"Junior Brother Xin, are you alright?"
Although Xin Ci was somewhat surprised, seeing the fallen Blood Dragon Lizard, he understood the reason and shook his head.
Li Jianxing's gaze towards Xin Ci was filled with astonishment. Two sword strikes had killed a King realm Nine-Headed Blood Dragon Lizard.
Even more astonishingly, as a sword cultivator, he had sensed wisps of sword intent flowing within the two strikes Xin Ci had just unleashed.
That sword intent was deeper and more powerful than his own.
"Junior Brother Xin, how did you do that just now?" Li Jianxing asked.
"I used a secret technique that greatly increases my cultivation realm, but it only lasts for ten seconds," Xin Ci replied.
He did not reveal the mysterious girl within him to Li Jianxing.
Li Jianxing was not foolish. While secret techniques could boost one's cultivation, sword intent could not be hidden.
With a little attention, one could still detect a trace of residual sword intent on Xin Ci.
It was just significantly weaker than before.
He couldn't be sure if Xin Ci truly possessed sword intent, but his strength was undeniable.
"It's good that you're alright, Junior Brother Xin. We should go back and check on Junior Brother Mo Qian and Junior Sister Lin's condition," Li Jianxing said.
Although he was very curious about Xin Ci's performance just now, everyone had their own secrets, and he couldn't force it.
Due to Mo Qian and Lin Yan'er's severe injuries, Xin Ci and the others found a secluded and quiet place to set up camp.
Xin Ci and Li Jianxing were responsible for the night watch.
After a night of care from Liu Fuyao, Mo Qian and Lin Yan'er's injuries had recovered by seventy to eighty percent.
Regaining consciousness, the two woke up in a panic.
"Where... where are we?" Lin Yan'er asked hazily.
"Right, that Blood Dragon Lizard!" Mo Qian suddenly recalled.
Liu Fuyao smiled, "Don't worry, that Blood Dragon Lizard is already dead."
Following that, Li Jianxing explained to them how Xin Ci had slain the Blood Dragon Lizard.
Mo Qian and Lin Yan'er were both stunned.
"I didn't expect Junior Brother Xin's strength to be so formidable," Lin Yan'er exclaimed.
Xin Ci replied humbly, "Senior Sister Lin flatters me. That was not my own power."
Only he knew that it was the mysterious girl within him, not himself, who had slain the King realm beast.
Xin Ci had no intention of telling Mo Qian and Lin Yan'er about her.
Then, thinking of something,
Xin Ci took out seven Red Sun Fruits from his Sumeru ring and said to Liu Fuyao, "Senior Sister Liu, please distribute these Red Sun Fruits."
Liu Fuyao shook her head. "Junior Brother Xin, you obtained them, and they should belong to you."
Li Jianxing and the others also nodded in agreement. If it weren't for Xin Ci, they would likely have perished in the belly of the Nine-Headed Blood Dragon Lizard.
However, Xin Ci still gave each of them one Red Sun Fruit, explaining, "Senior Brother Li, Senior Sister Liu, as you know, Red Sun Fruits are only effective the first time they are consumed, so please accept them."
Li Jianxing and the others no longer refused and nodded.
Just as they were about to consume the Red Sun Fruits to cultivate, rustling sounds came from the surrounding grass.
Everyone immediately turned their gaze vigilantly towards the nearby bushes.
"Ouch, my lady, stop rushing me, alright? I saw a light up ahead, it must be our group."
"How dare you say that? If you hadn't run off everywhere as soon as we entered the Thiên Khẩu Secret Realm, would I have ended up getting separated from the Qinglong Institute people?"
"Ouch, my dear lady, I was wrong, please stop pulling my ear."
The crowd followed the sound and saw two young boys and girls, not much older, emerge from the bushes.