Chapter 71: The Enchanting Demon

"What?! You encountered over a thousand Abyssal Bomb Bees?!" Dongfang Po exclaimed in disbelief. In his view, if someone ran into that many Abyssal Bomb Bees, the only outcome would be death.

After all, this world wasn't like the technologically advanced world of Douluo Dalu 3. The strongest defense structures here were no more than something akin to the Great Wall from Gu Chen's previous life.

"Yes, we were lucky enough to eliminate that swarm of Abyssal Bomb Bees, but we were severely injured in the process," Gu Chen nodded.

Dongfang Po looked at Gu Chen with a trace of wariness in his eyes.

"Nana, how's your body holding up?" Gu Chen asked via sound transmission.

Gu Yue Na replied via the same method, "I'm okay. I suffered serious injuries when I ran out of soul power, but thanks to the body-strengthening effects from the Ice and Fire Body Tempering, I'm not in a coma right now. Currently, I can only exert the strength of a Soul King."

Gu Chen nodded—her condition matched his own.

"What about the others?" he asked.

"Xiao Jiu and Xiao Yu are awake. The others are still unconscious," Gu Yue Na said.

"Oh? Is this your wife?" Dongfang Po asked with a smile.

"This is my younger sister, Gu Yue Na," Gu Chen replied.

"By the way, how are your companions doing? Can we see them?" Yuan Ye asked.

Gu Chen nodded and pushed open the withered-wood door.

Feng Xiaoyu was tending to the others, while Ling Xiaojiu was using her Nine-Leaf Sword Grass martial soul to heal them.

"Brother Chen, who are they?" Ling Xiaojiu asked cautiously upon seeing the strangers behind Gu Chen.

"Sister Xiaojiu, this is Yuan Ye, martial soul: Iron Pillar. He's the leader of this survivor base. This is Zhang Yixuan, martial soul: Green Lotus—she helped treat you all. This is Dongfang Po, martial soul: Flood Dragon-Winged Spear; Wan Tianyu, martial soul: Command Banner; Su Bai, martial soul: Lone Heart Sword; Lu Yan, martial soul: Strategy Chessboard; and Sima Da, martial soul: Soul-Cleaving Blade. They're all members of the survivor base," Luo Chen introduced, clearly already briefed on these people by Yuan Ye.

Ling Xiaojiu nodded and said softly, "Thank you all for saving us."

"No need to thank us. It's what we should do," Yuan Ye replied, though a flicker of contemplation flashed in his eyes.

Just then, Jin Zi, Hua Buluo, and Xuan Mo regained consciousness simultaneously. Ling Xiaojiu hurried to help them sit up.

Shortly after, Xue Youyou also woke up.

"Since everyone's awake, why don't we have dinner together?" Yuan Ye suggested.

Su Bai stepped out first, lit a bonfire with some dry wood, then took out a large slab of… wild boar meat! From his bracelet's storage space.

"Whoa! Where did you guys get this wild boar meat?!" Jin Zi practically drooled.

"Hehe, we smuggled it in," Dongfang Po chuckled.

"Nice!" Gu Chen gave him a thumbs-up.

"Tonight, consider this your welcome banquet. From now on, you're part of the survivor base. Starting tomorrow, we'll head out in groups to hunt abyssal creatures. Since you're all still injured, I'll go out with you," Su Bai offered.

The Next Day

Ling Xiaojiu, Feng Xiaoyu, and Luo Chen stayed in the wooden hut to take care of the still-recovering Hua Buluo and the others, while Gu Chen and Gu Yue Na left the survivor base with Su Bai to hunt abyssal creatures.

At first, the hunt went smoothly. But just as the three were exhausted and ready to return, the weather suddenly changed.

A Momei (Enchanting Demon) that had been secretly following them saw their guard drop—and struck with lethal intent.

Sensing the strong bloodline aura of Gu Chen and Gu Yue Na, the Momei immediately targeted the weakest one—Su Bai. In a flash, its claws pierced Su Bai's abdomen and ripped out his bloody intestines.

Gu Yue Na reacted first, teleporting to Su Bai and grabbing him by the collar. In another blink, she teleported again, pulling him away from the Momei's grasp.

Gu Chen hurled his Golden Dragon Spear, the five-foot-long spear radiating light as it flew straight toward the Momei's forehead.

But Momei was no easy kill.

The creature sneered coldly, tilting its body to the right just in time to narrowly dodge the golden spear.

However...

A Silver Dragon Spear, already lying in wait, pierced through the Momei's skull, carrying it several dozen meters before the demon disintegrated into a gray mist and was absorbed by the spear.

Though the Momei was dead, Su Bai was in critical condition.

His intestines were sprawled on the ground, and he had already lost consciousness. Without timely treatment, death was certain.

Gu Chen quickly rushed over, crudely stuffing Su Bai's intestines back into his abdomen, then shouted, "Nana, quick, teleport us back!"

Gu Yue Na nodded, placed a hand on Gu Chen's shoulder, and after five successive teleports, the trio returned to the survivor base.

Yuan Ye and the others were shocked to see the unconscious Su Bai. Dongfang Po nearly lost his mind, roaring, "What the hell happened?! How did Su Bai end up like this after going out with you for one day?!"

Gu Chen calmly replied, "We encountered a Momei. Su Bai was ambushed and severely injured. Nana and I killed the Momei and rushed back as fast as we could."

The word "Momei" dropped on them like a bucket of ice water, drenching their hearts with fear.

"Momei?!" Dongfang Po's voice trembled. "You managed to kill a Momei?!"

"Out of the way, he's still savable!" Zhang Yixuan pushed through with Ling Xiaojiu, brushing aside the stunned Yuan Ye and Dongfang Po.

Dongfang Po quickly stepped aside, afraid to hinder Zhang Yixuan's healing.

Yuan Ye also stepped back, but a dangerous glint flashed in his eyes.

Zhang Yixuan summoned her Green Lotus martial soul, activating her fourth soul ring. A stream of green light flowed into Su Bai's body, and the horrific abdominal wound began to close—visible to the naked eye.

But the healing was slow.

The wound was large, and worse, it carried a sinister aura that actively resisted regeneration.

"Nine-Leaf Spring Revive Grass!" Ling Xiaojiu used her healing soul skill to assist.

Even so, it took an entire night for Su Bai's wound to completely heal and for his complexion to regain some color.

But he remained unconscious.

"Su Bai won't be joining the hunt today," Yuan Ye said.

"I'll go with Hua Buluo and Xuan Mo," Jin Zi volunteered.

"I'll come too—I'll protect them," Gu Chen said.

The four of them left the base to hunt abyssal creatures, while the others stayed behind.

Honestly, staying in the survivor base was far more secure—only two people needed to keep watch each night, and the rest could sleep peacefully.

Clearly, encountering a Momei wasn't an everyday thing. After a day of hunting, Gu Chen's group only killed a few Ba'an beasts and some six-clawed bats before returning.

That night, another bonfire party was held—this time celebrating both Su Bai's survival and the safe return of Gu Chen's group.

"Thank you all. If it weren't for you, I really would've died out there," Su Bai said sincerely.

(End of Chapter)

4o