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Yang Jian's condition was terrible; he was completely covered in red, and the others could smell the blood even from far away. Venerate Spirit Treasure was smeared red too.

Yang Jian's head and arm drooped, both still dripping with blood. With every stoop he took, he left a fresh, bloody footprint in the snow.

It seemed as if a beast had bitten his left arm. The wounds were so deep, even his bones were visible.

But the worst was his chest: the gash went all the way to his gut, and his was bleeding nonstop. He could no longer carry the Erlang Lance himself. Venerate Spirit Spirit Treasure had it over his shoulder.

"Lie him down." The Hermit Emperor. He indicated for the others to clear a space. As soon as Venerate Spirit Treasure set Yang Jian down, the Hermit Emperor got started treating his injuries.

To their surprise, instead of cooperating, he struggled to sit up, then limply drew several silver streams in the air.

They formed an image. Then, a portal to a separate, cut-off space appeared within the cave.

That dimension reeked of blood too. When the group looked inside, they saw that the Howling Celestial Dog, who they hadn't seen with Yang Jian at all this expedition, was inside. Yang Jian took him out, then said, "Save him!"

Placing war pets in a separate dimension was something Yang Jian had learned in the Outside. This was why, although the Howling Celestial Dog was rarely at his side, it appeared whenever Yang Jian needed it.

The once pitch-black, domineering Howling Celestial Dog lay limply on the ground. The fresh blood covering its fur caught the light brightly, and its breathing was so weak, it was clear that its situation wasn't optimistic.

None of them knew exactly what had happened to it and Yang Jian, but one look at their plight and it was clear they'd been through a brutal fight.

"Don't fuss. Hurry up and lie down. I have to treat your wounds!" shouted the Hermit Emperor.

"Save him!" Yang Jian roared, the exertion only making him bleed even harder. His life force was fading from blood loss, but from his gaze, it was clear that he wouldn't back down.

"Save the Howling Celestial Dog!"

The Great Sage looked at Yang Jian and sighed.

Perhaps, to other people, the dog was just a pet, but the Great Sage knew just how important this black dog was to Yang Jian.

For instance, back when Yang Jian faced his greatest challenge…

Although he always joked about killing the dog and making it into soup, no matter how poor or hungry he got, he'd always made sure to give the Howling Celestial Dog the best quality dog food available.

Back then, before they'd ascended, Yang Jian had been far weaker than the Great Sage. Why? Because Yang Jian couldn't bring himself to buy healing medicine. When he got hurt, he relied completely on his own divine power to recover, using the money saved on his dog.

The Howling Celestial Dog wasn't just his pet or battle companion. It was a brother-in-arms he'd fought alongside for tens of thousands of years!

After failing to convince Yang Jian, the Hermit Emperor had no choice but to treat the Howling Celestial Dog. Fortunately, he'd spent some time studying veterinary medicines too. Otherwise, even if Yang Jian brought the dog out, he couldn't have treated it.

Only when he saw the Howling Celestial Dog's situation take a turn for the better did Yang Jian take the medicine the Great Sage gave him.

"You're in for it now, pipsqueak." The Great Sage narrowed his eyes and glared at Gu Li, then turned to Venerate Spirit Treasure. "Brother Spirit Treasure, how did he wind up like this?"

"It seems you're recovering well." Venerate Spirit Treasure smiled at the Great Sage, but in a flash, his expression darkened. "I don't know either!"

Venerate Spirit Treasure didn't know!

When he rushed to the location of the lead snow ape to save Ye Zichen and Yang Jian, he only saw one of them. Yang Jian was surrounded by apes, fighting a bitter battle and barely holding on. However, there was no trace of Ye Zichen.

The lead snow ape was clearly a crafty old fox. When it sensed Venerate Spirit Treasure's aura, it fled without hesitation. As for the smaller beasts, Venerate Spirit Treasure disdained to dirty his hands with him. He simply unleashed his aura a little, sending them packing.

By the time the beasts fled, Yang Jian's life force was so weak, it was barely detectable. Venerate Spirit Treasure thus hurriedly brought him back for treatment.

"Ye-zi and Yang JIan weren't together?" asked the Great Sage.

Venerate Spirit Treasure shook his head. At the time, he'd scanned the area with his divine awareness. Perhaps others would fear provoking the beasts that dwelled here, but Venerate Spirit Treasure had no need to worry.

But the mountains were rather strange. Given Venerate Spirit Treasure's cultivation, his divine awareness could spread for tens of thousands of miles.

But he found no trace of Ye Zichen's existence within its range.

He couldn't let Yang Jian just die while he searched aimlessly for Ye Zichen, so he decided to bring Yang Jian back first. As for Ye Zichen, it was possible Yang Jian would know where he was.

"It was you, wasn't it?" The Great Sage reached out and grabbed Gu Li by the collar. "On our way here, the beasts were peaceful. Then, the moment you three set out, they turned vicious! And of course, you're the only one of the three who returned, leaving Ol' Yang and Ye-zi out there to die!"

"I already explained myself. I don't want to explain myself again," said Gu Li coldly.

"Big Brother Great Sage…." An Li walked over, looking cute and pitiful. When he saw her, even the hot-tempered Great Sage got his emotions in check.

He irritably relaxed his grip on Gu Li's collar, then shoved him away. Gu Li simply straightened his lapels and said nothing.

"If you have time to argue, why not go look for Ye Zichen?" The rings of Pu Jingwan's eyes were bloodshot.

"I'll go now!" The Great Sage headed for the doorway, only for Venerate Spirit Treasure to pull him back.

"Don't be reckless. The beasts are still on a rampage out there. Go even just a hundred meters beyond the cave and you'll see several of them. Although your cultivation is exceptional, it's hard to fight off a whole wave of beasts. Yang Jian is a living example of this."

"But what do we do about Ye-zi? You went out but didn't find him. If he's alive, we need to save him. If he's dead, we at least have to find his corpse!" said the Great Sage.

"He's not dead!" said Gu Li suddenly.

"You're still talking? Don't you have any shame? Let me tell you: I'm not done with you!" The Great Sage glared at him.

As they argued, Yang Jian took several pills and recovered some of his energy. His injuries were still horrifying, but he at least regained enough strength to talk. "Monkey."

"Ol' Yang!" The Great Sage rushed to his side, his gaze showing hints of concern. Then, he pointed at Gu Li and snorted, "Tell me, did this guy hurt you two on purpose?"

"He…" Yang Jian glanced at Gu Li. He didn't deny the Great Sage's accusations, but he didn't confirm them, either. "I don't know, but at the time, Ye-zi really did lure the giant bird away of his own accord so that Gu Li could bring back the antidote."

"Really?" The Great Sage took a deep look at Gu Li. "Then where is Ye-zi now? Why isn't he with you?"

"I don't know!" Yang Jian shook his head, his eyes full of self-blame. "It's my fault. I couldn't protect him. When Ye-zi lured the bird over, I planned to attack, only for the bird to ignore me completely. It seized Ye-zi with its talons and carried him off. In the mountains, I can't fly, so I couldn't chase him. I just fought and killed my way towards the direction the bird flew off in, but…"

When they saw Yang Jian's wounds, the others couldn't bring themselves to blame him.

He'd done everything he could!

"Ol' Yang, you did well." Even the Great Sage, who was always at Yang Jian's throat, patted him on the shoulder. However, concern for Ye Zichen's safety still weighed down everyone in the cave.

"Ye Zichen really is alive and well," said Gu Li. "We're both Emperor Stars, so I know better than anyone. If he were really dead, his Imperial Celestial Fate would descend upon me, but I haven't sensed any increase in fortune. That means he's still alive."

"That was your goal, wasn't it?" The Great Sage snorted.

"I advise you to be rational," said Gu Li with a sigh. "If I really wanted his celestial fate, I have countless methods I could try, but this one? I'd never. Besides, I owe him a favor. It's true that I haven't always been exactly righteous, but I'm not the type to repay kindness with a knife to the back."

"Hah…" The Great Sage laughed coldly but said nothing. The atmosphere was awkward and unbearable.

When Xuan Ji saw this, she couldn't help but chime in, "There's no need to suspect each other at a time like these. Besides, since the heavens chose twin emperors, they ought to be able to sense each other to an extent."

Then, she turned to Gu Li. "Can you sense Ye Zichen's location?"

Gu Li shook his head. "These icy mountains are strange. I can tell that Ye Zichen is still alive, but I can't discern his location. Still, I ought to be able to figure out his general direction."

Xuan Ji nodded, then turned to the others. "Alright, let's do it like this. Those of us in the cave will recover our energy as quickly as possible, while the injured focus on recovery. If we wait a little longer, the beasts should calm their rampage. So long as they calm down, even just a little bit, we'll go out in search of Ye ZIchen. Before that, we can only hope that the celestial fate of the Emperor Star is enough to ensure his safety!"

….

….

….

Ye Zichen had no idea how long they'd been flying. In any event, his awareness was somewhat indistinct!

But he could sense clearly just how cold the air over the snowy mountains wave.

Frigid winds cut into him like knives. Although he resisted with all his might, his spiritual power reserves were starting to run dry.

He could sense that the bird had no plans to kill him. If it did…

It wouldn't even have to try very hard. All it had to do was let go.

Ye Zichen could sense that, even if he used spiritual power to protect himself, the impact would turn him into a meat pancake. And besides, his power reserves were already running dry.

He had no idea just where the bird was taking him. Ever taking hold of him, the bird just flew off, and it had been flying ever since. They'd flown past countless mountains already.

When the bestial inhabitants sensed the bird's presence, they all cautiously hid themselves. It was clear that the bird was a leader here. Ye Zichen guessed that it and the snow ape were each kings of their respective territories.

"Scree!" A sonorant cry left the bird' s beak. Then, Ye Zichen saw several other enormous flying beasts head straight towards them. Another, smaller group stood beneath them on the ground, their postures straight, like nobles welcoming their king.