When Yan Yu was struck by the plague beam released by the plague beast, she was instantly infected. A wave of feverish heat surged through her body, her head grew heavy and dizzy—it felt like a severe flu. Unable to stay airborne, she plummeted straight to the ground.
Wen Ning, who had also been hit by the plague beast’s beam, wasn’t faring any better.
Despite being a devout follower of the Plague Lord—and even the bishop of the entire Plague Lord’s cult—he was still human, not a creature of the abyss.
Gasping for breath, struggling to stay conscious, Wen Ning knew that staying here any longer would only lead to disaster.
So, he quickly issued an order to the already half-dead plague beast—the one Yan Yu had beaten to near-oblivion—commanding it to kill her and cover his retreat.
Obedient to Wen Ning’s will, the abyssal monstrosity—a writhing mass resembling a tentacled horror—forced itself up from the ground and charged toward Yan Yu.
Seeing the plague beast carry out his command, drawing the attention of Yan Yu’s allies and buying him time to escape, Wen Ning seized the opportunity.
Staggering to his feet, he pulled out an abyssal artifact that would allow him to escape the black barrier, intending to flee back to the real world.
But just as he moved, Yan Qi—who had been observing the situation through her doppelganger, the Daoist Empress Daoyan—sensed his malicious intent.
Without hesitation, she directed her doppelganger to lunge forward, delivering a sharp kick that sent the abyssal artifact flying from Wen Ning’s grasp, thwarting his escape.
“Why? Why stop me?” Wen Ning, weakened by the plague beam and the empress’s strike, lifted his head in confusion. “Aren’t you afraid my plague beast will kill your friend?”
“Why should I be afraid?” The Daoist Empress replied coolly. “Did you really think my ally would be as helpless as you after being hit by that green beam?”
“What?”
Before Wen Ning could process her words, the answer became clear.
As the heavily wounded plague beast lunged at Yan Yu, a bolt of white lightning suddenly struck it from above. Though the attack didn’t deal significant damage, it froze the beast in place for several seconds.
Seizing the moment, Yan Qi—now in her fox-loli form—didn’t hesitate.
She lowered her hand, grabbed the enchanted gourd strapped to her back, and activated her skill, directing it at Yan Yu, who lay on the ground, severely ill from the plague beast’s supernatural infection.
A stream of emerald-green liquid surged from the gourd, rushing straight into Yan Yu’s mouth before she could react.
The moment the liquid took effect, Yan Yu’s sickness—inflicted by the abyssal power—vanished instantly.
Her eyes snapped open.
Spotting the plague beast mere meters away and recalling the hazy words she’d heard earlier, she realized the wretched cultist had ordered it to kill her.
Anger flared.
Without even thanking Yan Qi, she snatched up her Bloodthirsty Sword and swung.
The frozen plague beast split cleanly in two.
Watching her sister rise and slay the beast in one stroke, Yan Qi—who had been about to rush over and check on her—paused mid-step.
“Well, she looks perfectly fine.”
Yan Yu, gripping her sword like she could slaughter dozens more abyssal beasts, clearly wasn’t suffering any lingering effects.
Wen Ning, still sprawled on the ground, gaped in disbelief.
“H-How? How did she recover so quickly?!”
“Because someone healed her,” the Daoist Empress replied flatly.
Wen Ning’s mind raced. “That green cloud earlier… Was that the same person?”
“No comment.”
Meanwhile, Yan Yu frowned, recalling the strange green liquid forced into her mouth.
“What was that? It cured me instantly…”
Shaking off her thoughts, she turned to the fox-eared girl with the giant gourd.
The emerald rain, the glowing droplets, the introduction to “Hu Yao’er”—it all clicked.
“Yao’er… was it you? Did you heal me?”
Yan Qi saw no point in hiding it.
“Yeah. It was me.”