Old Liu, despite his physical exhaustion, crawled over to her, a sense of urgency and curiosity pushing him forward.

One of the mercenary pursuers, noticing his action took out a small talisman before activating it. “Thunder Chain” he shouted as chains of lightning burst from the talisman.

The bright, crackling chain of lightning shot from the talisman, arcing towards Old Liu next to the fallen woman. But just as it was about to reach them, a burst of aura erupted from the woman's body, stopping the lightning chain dead in its tracks.

The air around her seemed to distort, as if the air itself was warping under the pressure of her aura. The aura was chaotic, with a sense of oppression that made the blood of every person present run cold.

Old Liu who was the closest was finally able to examine the body with his eyes, and his eyes widened to witness her skin corroded by hundreds of different energy signatures.

The energies were swirling on her skin creating a marbled effect that was both stunning and grotesque. Her injuries were severe but her closed eyes had a serene sense to it.

Old Liu was transfixed by the sight. He had seen many things in his long life, but this was beyond his comprehension. The woman was an enigma, a mixture of contradictions that both fascinated and frightened him.

He could see the confusion mirrored in the eyes of his pursuers. They too were unsure of what to make of the woman. The young master of the Yun clan was the first to break the silence, his voice filled with a mix of awe and fear.

“What...What is she?” he stammered, his gaze never leaving the woman. His bravado had evaporated, replaced by a sense of trepidation that was palpable.

Old Liu didn't respond, his focus solely on the woman. He reached into his robe, pulling out a small jade pendant. "Celestial Healer, awaken!" he commanded, placing the pendant on the woman's chest.

The jade pendant responded to Old Liu's command, glowing with a soft, soothing light that enveloped the woman's body. The energy that had been swirling around her seemed to calm, becoming more rhythmic and less chaotic.

Old Liu let out a sigh of relief, a glint of hope flickering in his eyes. "Just hold on," he murmured to the unconscious woman, a sense of urgency in his voice.

As he focused on the woman, a thought crossed his mind, ‘What is she?’ He thought, a sense of dread creeping into his mind. ‘Is she a monster? An immortal? A deity?’. Old Lou had to admit that if this was any other scenario then he wouldn’t have tried to heal this person, who knows what they will do once they are fully healed?

Before Old Liu could dwell further on his thoughts, he noticed that the healing pendant was not taking any effects, her wounds were not healing at all.

The pursuers, who had been momentarily frozen by the woman's aura, seemed to notice this as well.

"Enough games!" the young master of the Yun clan shouted, his voice laced with frustration and confusion. "Bind Old Liu!"

The pursuers exchanged worried glances, before two of the Yun clan members moved forward, although they didn’t want to approach that woman, they knew their lives were over if they defied the young man.

“Use iron chains, don’t use any talisman or pendants near the body” Young master Yun said, remembering the fear that had crept up in his heart before.

The Yun clan members, regaining their confidence didn’t waste any time and swiftly approached Old Liu, their iron chains at the ready. They quickly bound his hands and legs, ensuring that he wouldn't be able to escape again.

"Good," the young master said, a smug smile playing on his lips. "Now, let's deal with this mysterious woman."

The Yun Clan members nodded and slowly approached the woman with beads of sweat on their faces.

Click!!

Only after the last iron chain locked onto her leg did the worried faces of the Yun Clan members finally subsided.

“Young Master, it is done” one of the Yun Clan members asked, his voice filled with uncertainty.

Young Master Yun's cautious expression slowly faded, replaced by a smug expression, he walked up to the woman and slowly examined her face.

But as he bent to examine her face, he felt a sudden chill run down his spine. He froze in place, his gaze fixated on the woman.

A piercing gaze met the young man and he felt shivers down his spine. Her eyes were a striking shade of icy purple, filled with a mix of intelligence and a hint of danger.

There was something otherworldly about her, something that made Young Master Yun question his own power and authority.

The Yun Clan members took a step back, their confidence waning in the face of the woman's intense stare. The air around them seemed to grow heavy with an unspoken power, as if the woman's mere presence commanded respect and caution.

Young Master Yun slowly withdrew his steps, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead. "You... Who are you?" Young Master Yun managed to stammer, his voice betraying the fear within.

The woman remained lying on the ground, her gaze dazed, her expression unreadable. After a moment of silence, she looked around, surveying the area before turning towards Old Man Liu, the only other person in the same condition as her.

*
Meng Lin furrowed her brows as system panel after system panel began to appear within her vision.

Meng Lin blinked her dazed eyes, still not fully recovering from her shock, she had been fully trusting of Luang Chen to the extent of being sure that he would do her no harm.

And yet here she was, stranded in an unknown place with a body that couldn’t move a finger.

Honestly, she doesn’t know how she survived that spatial storm, and she was not in the mood to think about it.

What mattered was that she didn’t die. Luang Chen, no cultivators. She had forgotten how much betrayal happens within the cultivation world.

Why did she trust him so much?

Maybe it was because both of them have a special physique, or maybe because they had gone through life and death together, maybe that’s why, or maybe she had seen their relationship as more than it really was.

Was she blinded by him or by herself?

Meng Lin’s gaze was dazed as countless thoughts ran through her mind, slowly a strand of tear trailed from her left eye, glistening in the sunlight. The tear was a mix of frustration, anger, and sadness. She had trusted, and she had been betrayed.

But amidst the pain and confusion, there was also a glimmer of determination in Meng Lin's eyes. She refused to let this setback define her. She refused to let herself be consumed by bitterness and regret.

With a deep breath, Meng Lin focused her thoughts on the situation at hand. She needed to understand her current circumstances and find a way to heal herself.

Finally registering her surroundings, Meng Lin was taken aback by the sudden influx of system panels appearing in her vision. She frowned, her gaze flickering over each one.

[Congratulations for having witnessed a moment of enlightenment]

[Congratulations for surviving an impossible ordeal]

[Congratulations for entering another world for the first time]

[you have received a reward for witnessing a Dao Physique awakening for the first time]

[received the Physique Awakening Metal and the Physique Ranking Scrool]

[you have received a reward for surviving a spatial storm for 0.22 seconds]

[received the Weapon Enhancement Token and Spatial Storm Talisman]

[you have received a reward for entering the Qiankun World]

[received the Realm Travelers Map and the Qiankun Treasure Map]

[received Taoist Gacha wheel ticket x6]

[Do you wish to accept the rewards]

Meng Lin had no idea what some of them meant but they certainly sounded impressive.

As she was looking through them, she suddenly felt her conscience waver, as if really sleepy.

She turned her attention back to Young Master Yun and the Yun Clan members around her before her gaze turned cold.

“Purple” she muttered with difficulty as her vision faded into the darkness.