Ascending from the mortal realm to become an immortal begins with taking charge of a grotto-heaven.

He stepped forward and cleared away the pile of rubble above, revealing the dying Qin Mu.

At this moment, Qin Muhun's clothes were torn and stained with blood. He had fallen into a deep coma, with a noticeable cave-in in his chest and a weak breath. If Zhang Li had arrived any later, he would have breathed his last and died here.

Given Qin Mu's current condition, Zhang Li couldn't move him freely. He could only take out a healing pill, put it in Qin Mu's mouth, and then channel his magic power into Qin Mu's body to help him refine the medicinal power and gradually stabilize his life force, which was on the verge of collapse.

After doing all this, Zhang Li withdrew his hand, stood up, and cleared away the surrounding rubble. That was all he could do. Whether Qin Mu could survive and endure this severe injury depended entirely on his own fate.

Zhang Li glanced one last time at Qin Mu, who lay unconscious and weak on the ground, then turned and walked toward the Marrow Cleansing Fruit Tree growing in the center of the pool.

The eight marrow-cleansing fruits hanging on the fruit tree are fully ripe, displaying a crystal-clear red color and emitting an enticing fragrance.

Zhang Li swallowed hard and picked all eight fully ripe spiritual fruits.

The moment the eight Marrow Cleansing Fruits were completely picked, the once lush and leafy Marrow Cleansing Fruit tree, which was more than half a meter tall, withered and died instantly, turning into fine ashes in the blink of an eye.

Zhang Li raised his hand, creating a gentle breeze that dispersed the accumulated ash, revealing a seed the size of a melon seed, a vibrant green.

This seed is the hope for the regeneration of the Marrow Cleansing Fruit Tree. If it is left here, a new Marrow Cleansing Fruit Tree will grow in a dozen years, and after another hundred years, it will bear new Marrow Cleansing Fruit again.

But now that this spiritual seed has fallen into Zhang Li's hands, there's no need to wait that long. The hundred-year growth period can be completed in the blink of an eye, which means he will have a continuous supply of Marrow Cleansing Fruits in the future.

After storing the spirit seed and the mature marrow-cleansing fruit in his storage bag, Zhang Li glanced at Qin Mu, who was still unconscious. "Fine, I'll wait for you for one more day. If you still don't wake up within a day..."

He paused slightly, his eyes calm and expressionless, "It is simply that your fate has run its course, and you have no one to blame but yourself."

He has done everything he could, and it is impossible for him to stay here indefinitely for the sake of a seriously injured and dying outsider. Although the cave is full of spiritual energy, it is not absolutely safe.

After saying this, Zhang Li gathered the bodies of the other people together and laid them out side by side, while taking off the storage bag from Zhou Xuan's body.

As for the others, he didn't touch them for the time being. If Qin Mu couldn't withstand the attack, he would send Qin Mu's body and the bodies of all the Qin family disciples back to the Qin family.

If Qin Mu manages to withstand the attack by sheer luck, then we absolutely cannot take it.

Zhang Li, at least, still has some sense of shame.

Zhang Li knew exactly what he could and couldn't take.

After dealing with the corpses, Zhang Li cleared a clean spot by the pool and sat down cross-legged.

A day is neither a long nor a short time.

The next day at noon, the cave was quiet. By the pool, Zhang Li calmed down and focused on regulating his breathing to recover from his internal injuries.

suddenly!

A faint cough broke the silence of the cave.

Qin Mu, who was unconscious on the ground, suddenly twitched his fingers and slowly opened his eyes.

"Cough...cough cough..."

A series of faint coughs rang out, each vibration pulling at the broken sternum and bringing excruciating pain.

Qin Mu's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his face was as pale as paper. He struggled to turn his neck, and his vision gradually focused from blurry to fixed on the figure sitting cross-legged not far away.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang..."

His voice was so weak it was almost incoherent. With each word he uttered, a tearing pain shot through his chest. Memories of his previous unconsciousness rushed back to him, including the scene of everyone surrounding and killing the Azure Python, and how he was violently whipped away by the python's tail.

"Feng'er..."

Qin Mu turned his neck to search for Qin Feng's figure. When he suddenly saw that young and familiar face among the neatly arranged corpses, his throat felt sweet and a trace of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth. Then he saw the other corpses lying next to him.

A group of Qin family members went out with him to hunt the Azure Spirit Python, but now only he is left alive; the others have all died here.

Almost all of the core members of the Qin family perished here.

Thinking of this, Qin Mu's vision went black, and he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. The life force he had barely managed to hold on to began to dissipate once again.

A person who has suffered serious injuries should avoid extreme sorrow or joy.

Just as the last glimmer of light in Qin Mu's eyes was about to fade, a gentle magical power suddenly flowed in from the outside, gradually gathering the dissipating life force.

"Stay calm and don't let your mind get out of control, or even the Heavenly King himself won't be able to save you." Zhang Li's voice was calm, revealing little emotion, but he didn't stop channeling magic power into his hands.

After saying that, Zhang Li put another healing pill into Qin Mu's mouth.

Thanks to his all-out efforts, Qin Mu's dilated pupils regained focus, and his breathing stabilized once more.

After injecting some more magic power into Qin Mu's body, Zhang Li decisively withdrew his hand.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, do not forget that the Qin family of Xiaohuan Mountain is still waiting for you to return. If you also die here, then the Qin family will truly be close to destruction."

Although Zhang Li's words were harsh, they precisely struck at Qin Mu's weak point.

Qin Mu's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he finally had the will to continue living. He said in a hoarse voice:

"Thank you for saving my life, Fellow Daoist Zhang, but I..."

"Fellow Daoist, there's no need to say more. Focus on recovering from your injuries. I can wait a while."

Zhang Li raised his hand to interrupt Qin Mu and spoke.

Now that Qin Mu has awakened, Zhang Li naturally doesn't mind seeing things through to the end and waiting a few more days.

Everything at Crescent Lake Spirit Site is proceeding smoothly, and with Li He and Wang Mu overseeing things, nothing is likely to go wrong in the short term.

Thank you.

As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Mu closed his eyes and used all his remaining magical power to slowly guide the medicinal power of the pill to nourish his damaged meridians and collapsed sternum.

Two more days passed in the blink of an eye, and Qin Mu's injuries had improved considerably. The tearing pain in his chest had lessened by most, and although he still couldn't move around much, he was no longer in danger of dying at any moment, and he could speak much more fluently.

During a break from recuperating, Qin Mu slowly opened his eyes and looked at Zhang Li, who was sitting quietly by the water, feeling a mix of emotions.

The Marrow Cleansing Fruit tree that was rooted in the center of the pool is now nowhere to be seen. He naturally knew that the fruit and the seed had all fallen into Zhang Li's hands.

But Zhang Li not only saved his life, but was also willing to wait for and escort the remains of his disciples and friends back to Xiaohuan Mountain. Given the current situation, he couldn't bring up the previous agreement again.

Qin Mu sighed inwardly and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, in another half a day, I should be able to get up with difficulty. At that time, I will trouble you to take me back to Xiaohuan Mountain."

"Fellow Daoist Qin, please rest assured and recover from your injuries. All of this is negotiable," Zhang Li replied calmly.