Grinding EXP From a Demon Hunting Ship

「The Volcanic Grotto Heaven.」

WHOOSH.

A flash of black. A humanoid shadow flickered rapidly through the gloom of the many mountain ranges and barren hills.

Several minutes later, the shadow reached the volcanic fortress. It writhed within the darkness cast by a collapsed building’s crooked wall.

But at that very moment...

BOOM!

A deafening blast wave erupted.

A tremendous roar echoed from the center of the fortress.

The intense sonic vibrations caused spiderweb-like cracks to appear on the walls of many of the fortress’s more intact buildings, which then violently toppled and collapsed!

Accompanying the massive explosion was an incomparably intense fluctuation of Spiritual Power!

The reaction from the extreme, high-energy event even interfered with the shadow plane!

"Fuck!"

From within a patch of shadow cast by a shattered wall...

...a figure suddenly appeared. His black robes fluttered, and his eyes were the color of ice and silver.

It was Su Ye, his handsome, jade-like face marred by a grim expression.

’Am I too late?’

Su Ye looked up, his gaze fixed on the fortress’s center.

Earlier, when he had seen the Sun-Shining Divine Spear transform into a fiery meteor, his heart had skipped a beat, and he had rushed toward the volcanic fortress.

To save time, Su Ye had even disregarded the risk of exposing his identity and used the Netherworld Skill.

However, he was still a step too late.

Su Ye let out a long breath.

A flicker of sorrow crossed his eyes.

’I wonder how many of the Nascent Soul True Monarchs have fallen...’

That explosion had been truly terrifying.

Even he, while traveling through the shadows, had been briefly knocked out of the Netherworld by the aftershock.

It went without saying how terrifying the power at the core of the blast must have been.

’I hope... I hope they’re not all dead.’

’If they are, there’s no way I can break through the encirclement on my own...’

Su Ye sighed to himself.

WHOOSH!

He transformed into an Escape Light and flew off at high speed.

A few dozen breaths later, he arrived at the fortress’s core—a temple... Er, the ruins of a temple?

At this moment, the once majestic, sacred, and towering marble temple looked as if it had suffered a sustained bombardment.

The white marble was coated in a layer of black scorch marks. The temple’s semicircular dome had been completely blown off, and the surrounding walls had all crumbled and collapsed.

Rubble and debris were scattered everywhere, a scene of utter devastation.

Only a few broken stone pillars remained standing, sticking out like sore thumbs.

’Thank goodness... Thank goodness... There are survivors!’

Su Ye’s Divine Sense swept out, and a sharp light glinted in his eyes.

HUMMM.

He descended from his Escape Light, landing firmly in his tall boots. Facing the small mountain of temple ruins, he spread his fingers.

Ice-silver Magical Power surged forth, forming a pair of translucent hands of Magical Power. These tireless, immensely strong hands dug through the ruins in just a few breaths.

"Ugh..."

Beneath the rubble, a five-clawed true dragon, golden from head to tail, was revealed. Her body was curled up, her Scale Armor shattered, one of her horns broken. She was utterly weakened.

Without a doubt, this five-clawed golden dragon was Li Jinhua.

It was only thanks to her true dragon body that she had managed to survive.

But now, her breath was faint, and she was on the verge of death.

"Ngh..."

"You’re... Su... Ye?"

Sensing someone approaching, Li Jinhua’s golden eyes snapped open, full of vigilance. Only when she saw Su Ye’s face did she relax slightly.

"It is I."

"True Monarch Li, don’t speak. Take these pills and heal."

Su Ye stepped closer. With a flash from his Storage Ring, he took out a bottle of healing Spirit Pills.

He uncorked the bottle and poured out the entire contents. Using his Magical Power, he suspended them in the air, melting them into a pool of fragrant, emerald-green medicinal liquid, which he then guided into Li Jinhua’s mouth.

GULP.

Li Jinhua struggled to open her mouth, her dragon jaws parting as she swallowed the liquid.

As a dignified Nascent Soul True Monarch, the Cangyuan Dragon Maiden, this was the first time in her life she had ever been in such a pathetic state.

The medicinal liquid entered her stomach.

A warmth spread through her, and a trace of vitality returned to Li Jinhua’s eyes.

Then, Su Ye repeated the process, melting four more bottles of healing Spirit Pills into liquid and pouring them into Li Jinhua’s mouth.

These were mostly fourth-tier Spirit Pills. If Su Ye hadn’t seized the Flame Alliance’s treasury, he would never have been able to afford such an extravagance.

Finally, after she had consumed the liquid from four bottles of pills...

...the shocking wounds on Li Jinhua’s draconic body showed some improvement. The charred scales peeled away, and her flesh began to knit itself back together, closing the wounds.

Her golden scales flickered faintly, regaining some of their jade-like luster, and her aura finally stabilized.

Li Jinhua shook her head, refusing the fifth bottle of pills Su Ye offered. "I have the Divine Dragon Transformation and vigorous life force. I will recover on my own after a period of rest."

"Besides, even if you used up all your pills, it might not be enough to restore my true dragon body quickly."

"So it’s better to conserve them. When the divine spear shattered, it triggered a void tsunami that destroyed all of our Storage Rings."

"The other Daoist friends are counting on your pills to stay alive."

Li Jinhua moved her draconic body, sweeping aside some rubble with her long tail to reveal two Nascent Soul figures nearby.

One was a peerlessly beautiful young matron with a rosy, jade-like complexion, dressed in a Five-Colored Peach Blossom Feather Robe.

The other was a decrepit old man in a coarse, light-gray robe and a kudzu-cloth cap, his long eyebrows giving him the appearance of a physician.

Qixia.

Nanshan.

At that moment, both Nascent Soul True Monarchs were unconscious.

Qixia was cradling a pipa. A layer of light from the Dao Artifact enveloped her body. Her face was pale, making her look like a frail Sleeping Beauty.

Nanshan was in much worse shape. He was only at the Early-stage Nascent Soul realm and, unlike Li Jinhua, didn’t have a tough-skinned, resilient true dragon body with powerful life force.

As a result, his body was shriveled like a dried corpse. Only at his heart...

...could a faint heartbeat be heard. A small Glazed Jade Purification Bottle was attached to it, allowing Nanshan to cling to a sliver of life.