“Was that the secret Totem Technique of the barbarian race? It was quite powerful; so much so that it crushed the huge ice ball you had formed.” Shi Mu looked at the Demon Witch. He then sighed and spoke in a sulking tone.

　　“It was my fault. I hadn’t expected that Zong Yuan would integrate the soul of a Thunderbolt Tiger into his body,” she stomped her foot and replied. There was a look of reluctance on her face.

　　“The luck was on his side today. So, he could escape from your hands. Don’t let this bother you. If you really care about this… then I’ll take care of him once I step into the Xian Tian realm,” Shi Mu blinked his eyes and spoke with a smile.

　　“I wonder if you’re ignorant… or just too full of yourself. Do you really think that it would be easy to advance to the Xian Tian realm? You must know that Zong Yuan – the barbarian that we just confronted – is considered to be one of the most formidable Xian Tian warriors. You won’t be a match for him… even if you successfully forge ahead with your goal… and enter the Xian Tian realm. So, don’t throw away your precious life in vain,” the beautiful maiden said with a smile. She seemed to be pleased and amused at the same time. Moreover, she found herself struck by a feeling of warmth in her heart. Even her tone had softened now.

　　“I – Shi Mu — will definitely do as I say,” Shi Mu spoke-up in an earnest tone.

　　“Humph! A man who can’t even stand-up on his feet dares to talk like this. Now, I’m sure that you’re an absolute fool,” the Demon Witch snorted and waved her jade ruler. The cluster of white clouds cradled Shi Mu and the girl surname Qi. Then, it rose and got suspended in the air. It seemed ready to depart.

　　“Wait a moment. Sister Ke is still outside. She was also injured by that Xian Tian Warrior – Zong Yuan. I wonder what happened to her. Can we take her with us?” Suddenly, Shi Mu remembered something. He then said promptly.

　　“Ke…” The Demon Witch wrinkled her delicate eyebrows. She looked at Shi Mu with a dubious look in her eyes.

　　“There’s nothing ‘special’ between us. We’ve been assigned to the same stronghold. She’s a wood-style magician of the Wonderful Sound Sect. She has helped me several times.” Shi Mu’s heart leapt into his throat. Then, he hastily explained.

　　“Humph! You don’t have to explain it to me. The girl has a defensive treasure with her… that resisted the major part of the attack. So, she didn’t receive any fatal injury. In fact, she’s awake now.” A gleam of blush flashed across the charming face of the Demon Witch as she replied in a cold voice. Then, she turned her eyes in other direction.

　　Shi Mu was startled. He turned his head with difficulty, and followed the Demon Witch’s line-of-sight. He was surprised to see Ke staggering towards them. Her face looked pale; there were bloodstains on the corners of her mouth. She was pleasantly surprised to see that Shi Mu was alright.

　　“Brother Shi, it’s good to see that you’re alright… It’s a great honor to see you here, Senior.”

　　Ke greeted Shi Mu and expressed her concern about him. Then, she bowed to the Demon Witch with veneration.

　　A gleam of suspicion flashed across the Demon Witch’s eyes as she looked at Ke. She waved her jade ruler, and a cluster of white clouds emerged under Ke’s feet. The white clouds then lifted her up into the air.

　　“It’s not safe here. Let’s leave this place. I must find a safe place to heal you,” the Demon Witch spoke in a low voice. Then, she floated upwards and sat beside Shi Mu. After that, her lily-white delicate hands rose once again.

　　Then, the three clusters of clouds started to fly towards the distant place at an extremely fast speed.

　　*** ***

　　The cluster of clouds continued to fly for more than an hour at an incredibly fast speed. They finally landed on a huge mountain peak.

　　Then, the Demon Witch took them inside a cave. After that, she began to heal the girl surnamed Qi.

　　That girl had received much lighter injures than Shi Mu. The Demon Witch fed her a pill. Then, she pushed her abdomen to invigorate the circulation of blood. This worked and the girl’s breathing stabilized. However, her eyes were still closed; she didn’t show the slightest sign of regaining consciousness.

　　Shi Mu lay on the ground, and watched the Demon Witch bustling around in front of him. There was a trace of a soft smile on his lips.

　　His external injuries had already been cured by the Demon Witch before they had arrived here. So, he wasn’t bleeding now.

　　Ke sat on a side with closed eyes. A green beam of light was twinkling on the surface of her body. She seemed to be healing her injuries on her own.

　　The Demon Witch stood-up after a while; she seemed to have healed the girl’s injuries. She then turned and walked over to Shi Mu’s side.

　　“You’ve just gone through a fierce battle. You’ve also carried all of us here. This would’ve consumed a huge amount of your Real Qi. So, you also need to take rest. My injuries won’t get worse if you take a short rest,” Shi Mu said; he had noticed her pale and exhausted complexion.

　　“It doesn’t matter. Healing your wounds won’t consume too much of my strength,” she replied in a low voice. The, she waved her hand gently. Another cluster of clouds lifted Shi Mu up into the air.

　　A beam of red light flashed as a short dark-red stick appeared in her hand. She stooped it down, and began to draw something on the ground.

　　Her movement appeared exceptionally skilled. Then, a dark-red charm character appeared on the ground with a flick of her wrist.

　　A gleam of astonishment flashed across Shi Mu’s eyes as he saw this. He had never thought that the Demon Witch could also draw a magic circle.

　　The beautiful maiden seemed to be extremely proficient in drawing a magic circle. Moreover, her attainment was worth noticing. She finished drawing a complex magic circle within a mere quarter-of-an-hour.

　　Shi Mu was still swaying in the tide of amazement when the Demon Witch waved her hand. Suddenly, Shi Mu found himself sitting in the center of the magic circle.

　　Then, a beam of bright-red light fled from her hand, and submerged into the magic circle.

　　Buzz! Buzz!

　　The Charm Spell drawn on the ground got activated. It formed a red light beam that enveloped Shi Mu’s body.

　　Then, a stream of warmness was released from the red beam of light. It permeated inside Shi Mu’s body. It rendered an inexplicable amount of comfort and warmth to him.

　　“The bones and muscles of your entire body have been badly crushed. So, I’ll have to rebuild your broken bones by recombining them with your veins and arteries,” the Demon Witch explained. She pulled-out a red jade box, and opened it. There was a blood-red pill inside it. It was as big as a pigeon-egg. A red light was gleaming on its surface. A faint image of a ferocious tiger could also be seen in the light. It emanated a strong wave of magic power.

　　“The Black Blood and Soul Pill…” a surprised voice was heard from behind. Ke opened her eyes and saw the blood-red pill. She covered her mouth and spoke in astonishment.

　　“I never thought that a little girl like you could be so knowledgeable. That’s right. This is the Black Blood and Soul Pill. The essence and soul of a Blood Wind Tiger are sealed inside it… You’ll have to endure extreme pain… and accept the black blood vessels in your veins. This will rebuild your broken bones and muscles if you can do that… In addition, the massive amount of fire element Qi stored inside the pill will also get stored within your body. This will benefit you a lot in your future cultivation.” The Demon Witch shot a glance at Ke. Then, she explained to Shi Mu in an expressionless tone.

　　Shi Mu’s complexion changed as he gazed at the pill in the jade box.

　　This pill had to be extremely precious if it was so wonderful. So, the Demon Witch wasn’t devoid of feelings for Shi Mu if she really wanted to use it on him.

　　Shi Mu felt extremely cheerful as this thought crossed his mind. He took a long and deep breath and spoke, “You don’t need to worry. I can endure it; no matter how painful it is.”

　　The Demon Witch burst into a giggle as she heard his words. The pleasant sound of her giggle was like a lotus flower that had blossomed on a glacier. Shi Mu seemed to be lost in a dream; as if her melodious giggle had cast a spell of dizziness on him.

　　Ke had realized by now that there was something unusual between Shi Mu and this beautiful maiden. She was left stupefied for a moment. A trace of perplexed look appeared on her face.

　　“The Nine Reincarnations Spell drawn on the ground can reduce your pain to an extent.” The smile stayed on the Demon Witch’s face for a fleeting moment. She then resumed her cold and indifferent expression.

　　After that, she moved and stepped out of the circle.

　　Shi Mu took a deep breath and nodded.

　　The blood-red pill flew out from the jade case, and made its way inside Shi Mu’s mouth as the Demon Witch waved her hand.

　　Shi Mu’s complexion changed as soon as the pill entered his mouth. The pill felt like a piece of burning red charcoal had been put in his mouth. He almost slipped into unconsciousness for a moment.

　　He then opened his eyes and slightly raised his head. After that, he swallowed down the pill.

　　He felt as if a group of blazing fire-ball had floated down his throat and landed in his lower abdomen. A hot wave of flame spread throughout his body.

　　Shi Mu’s complexion became deathly pale out of severe pain. Soybean-sized beads of sweat started to slide down his forehead. Blue veins protruded out of his skin. However, he clenched his teeth, and refrained from groaning out in pain.

　　The Demon Witch threw a glance at him. Then, she started to chant a strange incantation in a clear voice. She also continued to wave her hands every now and then.

　　The Nine Reincarnations Spell started to exude a dazzling red light. This red light twined around Shi Mu’s body – like a band of silk. It wasn’t very effective, but it forcefully suppressed the burning pain within his body.

　　Shi Mu’s body quivered as the pill turned into a ball of burning flames in his abdomen. One could see a group of bright-red flames in his lower abdomen with naked eye.

　　The burning pain had grown much fiercer, and it rapidly spread to every part of his body. He felt as if every inch of his flesh was burning. At the same time, he felt as if his entire body was being cut with countless sharp knives. It was an extremely torturous process. An ordinary person would wish for immediate death rather than going through this process.

　　“Stabilize your mind… Don’t let yourself loose. Otherwise, it’ll ruin my previous efforts,” the voice of the Demon Witch resounded in Shi Mu’s ears.

　　Shi Mu tried hard to suppress his pain. He started to practice the Art of Accumulating Spirit Power in order to adjust his mind and control the violent fluctuation of his spirit power.

　　The severe burning pain continued to rush to his mind. But, his mind gradually regained its steadiness under the influence of the Art of Accumulating Spirit Power.

　　Suddenly, the stream of scorching heat-wave started to spread from his abdomen. It passed through his veins and arteries, and started to circulate all over his body. He could feel his fractured bones getting repaired as the heat-wave passed through every part of his body.

　　This sensation filled Shi Mu’s heart with a joyous feeling. He began to practice the Art of Accumulating Spirit Power more carefully.

　　The Demon Witch’s eyebrows snapped into a frown, and a gleam of astonished look streaked across her beautiful eyes. She started to mumble something, and pointed her finger at Shi Mu.

　　The Demon Witch was relieved to see Shi Mu’s improved condition. Her eyes twinkled as she gazed at the cocoon-like red light wrapped around Shi Mu’s body; she seemed to be lost in thoughts.

　　Time passed-by really fast. The sky turned bright before anyone of them could notice.

　　The Demon Witch sat motionless on the ground with crossed legs. She was staring at the blood-red cocoon standing upright in the magic circle.

　　The girl surnamed Qi had also regained her consciousness. She and Ke stood next to each other.

　　The Nine Reincarnations Spell was still active. It was emitting a buzzing sound along with a faint-red light from its surface.

　　Suddenly, the Demon Witch’s vision moved and ran over the cocoon. She nodded to herself, and resumed to chant an incantation in a low voice.

　　The red light gradually dissipated from the surface of the charm spell. However, the faint-red light on the blood-red cocoon hadn’t been diminished.

　　“Senior, how is Brother Shi now?” Ke asked hesitatingly.

　　“His bones and veins have been rebuilt. It happened only because he went through such an extreme suffering. But, he still needs a couple of days to rest and fully recuperate.” The Demon Witch’s eyes turned towards Ke. Then, she spoke in a low voice.

　　Ke heaved a sigh of relief as she heard this.