Huang Rong from The Return of the Condor Heroes: Brother Jing, let's get a divorce.

Twenty days have passed in the blink of an eye as the healing process begins.

During this period, Yang Guo's body underwent tremendous changes. His originally pale complexion gradually became rosy, his muscle lines became more defined, and he exuded a restrained and energetic spirit.

Although the lower dantian is still empty, the qi seas of the Jiang Palace and Niwan Palace have begun to take shape.

Huang Rong, Xiaolongnu, and Li Mochou's physical condition also improved significantly.

The three gradually adapted to this high-intensity output of true energy, and with the assistance of the Jade Bed, their internal energy was slowly recovering.

At noon that day, Lu Wushuang carried the food into the tomb chamber.

The four stopped practicing their internal energy cultivation, put on their outer garments, and sat around the stone table to eat.

The meal was extremely simple, consisting of brown rice and a few vegetable dishes.

Every day, the Fire-Worker Monk from the back mountain of the Quanzhen Sect would deliver ingredients to the entrance of the ancient tomb, and Lu Wushuang would then take them into the tomb to cook them herself.

Yang Guo picked up his rice bowl and shoveled rice into his mouth. His appetite was now astonishing; he ate three or four large bowls at every meal.

"Wushuang, these vegetables are a bit overcooked today. Be more careful with the heat next time," Yang Guo said, picking at the food as he ate.

Lu Wushuang, sitting beside him, rolled her eyes at him: "You're lucky to have anything to eat, why are you being so picky! The food sent from the Quanzhen Sect is getting worse and worse. Li Zhiqing sent word yesterday that although Shen Zhifan and his gang are imprisoned, there are still many people in Chongyang Palace who are dissatisfied with you and are making small moves behind your back. This food is probably deliberately withheld by those people."

Yang Guo paused in his eating and slammed the bowl heavily onto the stone table.

"These old fogies won't learn their lesson until they see the coffin," he sneered. "Once I get out of seclusion, I'll send them all to the back mountains to shovel manure!"

Huang Rong picked up a piece of green vegetable and put it in her mouth, chewing it slowly: "Guo'er, the Quanzhen Sect is full of factions, and killing and punishing won't solve the problem." She then imparted her wisdom on how to manage people: "You have to win over some people and suppress others. Li Zhiqing is loyal, but he lacks prestige and can't control the situation. You have to find someone with influence to take charge for you."

"Chief Huang is absolutely right," Yang Guo said, seizing the opportunity. "Then, Chief Huang, do you have any excellent candidates to recommend?"

Huang Rong glanced at Lu Wushuang, her meaning clear: she wanted to elevate Lu Wushuang to a higher position.

Li Mochou let out a cold laugh from the side: "Chief Huang, you've got a really clever plan." She put down her chopsticks and stared intently at Huang Rong. "You pushed this lame girl up there just to plant a Beggars' Sect spy in the Quanzhen Sect, right? Yang Guo, don't be fooled by her. This woman is full of cunning and deceit."

Huang Rong's face instantly darkened: "Li Mochou, don't you dare make false accusations! I'm doing everything for Guo'er's sake. Wushuang is a clever and sensible child, and she's deeply devoted to Guo'er. It's most appropriate for her to manage the miscellaneous affairs of the Quanzhen Sect."

"Infatuation? I'm afraid you're the one who secretly instigated it!" Li Mochou retorted, not giving an inch. "This girl probably hates me a lot. You helped her rise to power, are you planning to join forces against me later?"

The two women argued back and forth, neither willing to give in, and the tension in the tomb grew increasingly palpable.

Lu Wushuang lowered her head, twisting the hem of her clothes tightly with her fingers, not daring to utter a sound.

She truly hated Li Mochou, but she also knew that now was not the time to take action.

Yang Guo felt a headache coming on as he looked at the tense situation. These two women would fight whenever they had the chance, and he couldn't afford to offend either of them.

"Alright, alright, everyone, let's all keep quiet." Yang Guo quickly spoke up to smooth things over. "Let's eat properly. I know what's going on with the Quanzhen Sect. Wushuang is still too inexperienced to control those old Taoist priests. We'll discuss this later."

After saying that, he turned to look at Little Dragon Girl: "Teacher Dragon, you haven't been talking much these past few days. Could it be that you've messed up your breathing while practicing the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra? Should I check your body?" Yang Guo started talking nonsense again.

Little Dragon Girl silently put down her chopsticks and took out a white cloth to gently wipe the corner of her mouth.

"Once you've eaten, go lie down on the jade bed." She stood up and walked straight to the jade bed. "Don't waste your time."

Yang Guo was rebuffed and had no choice but to obediently put down his chopsticks, take off his coat, and climb back onto the cold jade bed.

Seeing this, Huang Rong and Li Mochou stopped arguing and sat down to prepare to practice their internal energy.

After Lu Wushuang finished cleaning up the dishes and left the tomb, a new round of healing began.

Three streams of true energy flowed smoothly into Yang Guo's meridians. He focused his mind and guided the true energy to circulate continuously within his body, and everything appeared extremely calm.

However, just as the true qi was circulating for the thirty-sixth cycle, a sudden change occurred.

Yang Guo suddenly felt a sharp, throbbing pain in his previously empty lower dantian, a tearing pain ten times stronger than when his meridians were being reshaped.

He suddenly opened his eyes, and a fine layer of cold sweat instantly seeped out from his forehead.

"What's going on?" Huang Rong immediately noticed the abnormality in Yang Guo's body. She felt an extremely strong pulling force in her Niwan Palace with her Nine Yin True Qi.

Xiaolongnu and Li Mochou's expressions changed drastically at the same time. The true energy they had channeled into their lower dantian surged uncontrollably, as if a bottomless pit had been opened there, frantically devouring all the power around it.

Yang Guo clenched his teeth and tried desperately to control the true energy within the Crimson Palace, but to no avail.

He looked down at his abdomen and saw a strange red and black light emanating from his lower dantian. The light penetrated his skin and looked particularly eerie in the dim tomb.

Yang Guo's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly recognized the source of this power.

This is the remaining violent energy from when the Nine Yin Manual and the Dragon Subduing Palm were forcibly fused together.

The old Taoist priest had predicted that this power would dissipate after destroying the dantian, but now it seems that the old Taoist priest was mistaken.

This destructive force has not disappeared; instead, it has remained dormant deep within the flesh and blood.

As the Qi Seas of the Crimson Palace and the Niwan Palace become increasingly full, this dormant power is being completely awakened.

The red and black light grew even more intense, and the suction force emanating from the lower dantian increased exponentially.

The true energy of Huang Rong, Xiaolongnu, and Li Mochou was forcibly pulled into that bottomless pit. Their faces instantly turned ashen, and their bodies trembled violently.

"Withdraw your hand!" Yang Guo roared hoarsely.

Unfortunately, it was too late. The three men's hands seemed to be glued to Yang Guo's body, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break free.

The two dantian within Yang Guo's body began to vibrate violently, and the violent, red and black intertwined energy surged upwards along his meridians, heading straight for his heart.

If this force were allowed to break through his heart meridian, Yang Guo would surely die, and the three women who were channeling his true energy would also suffer a complete qi deviation due to the connection between their qi and his body.

The air inside the tomb became extremely turbulent, and the cold white mist emanating from the jade bed was wildly stirred by this force, even creating a small whirlwind in mid-air.

Yang Guo stared intently at the top of the tomb, his eyes wide open. He knew perfectly well that the most deadly challenge of this forty-nine-day seclusion was only just beginning.