Chapter 254: He Hanshi’s Spiritual Power Collapses Again
Ye Ming was right. Someone in the Bai Family really did possess the energy the Insect Mother wanted.
Others didn’t know, but she knew the plot of the novel she had transmigrated into. In the later stages of the book, Bai Rao had a fateful encounter on a Deserted Star. The Golden Finger granted to him in the story was likely this very energy.
Just as the Insect Mother had appeared when she’d taken the energy before, perhaps the same thing had happened with Bai Rao, attracting the creature to the Capital Star.
However, this was just a guess based on the original plot. She had been in this world for a while now, and with He Hanshi and the others having left Black Star, the story had already changed significantly. She couldn’t jump to conclusions. All she could do was wait and see if Bai Rao’s Spiritual Power Level would increase.
Just then, Ye Ming said, "We’re at the treatment room."
Shi Lan snapped out of her reverie. Right now, He Hanshi’s injuries were more important.
Ye Ming opened the door to the treatment room. As a Prince, his Treatment Pod was a more advanced model, and the room was equipped with an emergency call button to summon a medical team at a moment’s notice.
Most of the time, however, the Treatment Pod could resolve over 80% of all issues, so the Imperial Palace’s exclusive medical team was rarely needed.
He walked toward the Treatment Pod. Through its transparent door, he could see He Hanshi lying peacefully inside, his eyes closed.
The pod’s systems were active, emitting puffs of white mist that steadily repaired every wound on He Hanshi’s body. The stark, rose-colored marks on his face had already faded to a light pink.
He Hanshi’s skin was a cool, pale white. Lying in the cold apparatus, he looked as if he were coated in a layer of frost. The pale color of his lips only made him appear more sacred and pure.
However, the wounds on his face marred his beauty somewhat, while also lending him the tragic, broken aesthetic of a battle-worn warrior.
Still, just as Ye Ming had said, the injuries were indeed minor.
Shi Lan looked him over. After confirming that he had no other visible wounds besides the red marks on his face, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you, Ye Ming. It’s so late. You should get some rest, too. Just have He Hanshi come back after his treatment is finished."
"Alright. You get to sleep early too, Lanlan."
The corners of Ye Ming’s lips curved up slightly. Just as they were about to end the call, the Treatment Pod blared a piercing alarm. "Warning! Warning! Patient’s spiritual power is unstable. Collapse value is rising."
"35, 36, 37..."
Amid the Treatment Pod’s mechanical voice, He Hanshi’s collapse value slowly climbed past 50%.
The pod finally detected an anomaly and automatically shut down its functions, ceasing the reports. The collapse value came to a temporary halt at 56%.
Ye Ming’s dark green eyes widened in shock.
’What’s happening? How did He Hanshi’s collapse value suddenly shoot up to a High Level again?!’
It wasn’t just Ye Ming; Shi Lan was also in utter disbelief.
"How could this be..."
The pod door slid open. He Hanshi’s tightly shut black lashes flew open in an instant, and a scarlet hue began to creep into his azure eyes.
Unable to maintain his human form, he transformed into his beast shape. Sensing another male with High-level Spiritual Power within his territory, the crimson in his eyes deepened, and he lunged at Ye Ming without a moment’s hesitation.
Fortunately, Ye Ming, like He Hanshi, possessed 3S Spiritual Power. He managed to dodge the first attack, but the White Lion thrashed its tail frantically, bared its teeth with a dangerous snarl, and charged again.
"This is bad. Admiral He’s collapse value has suddenly spiked to a high-risk level. He’s in the throes of a collapse episode—he’s lost consciousness."
Ye Ming frowned, dodging instinctively. He was an acquaintance, after all; he couldn’t bring himself to inflict any serious harm.
But a Beastman in the middle of a spiritual collapse was clearly far more powerful. After just a few exchanges, Ye Ming was already at a disadvantage. His clothes, which had survived the battle with the Insect Clan unscathed, were now slashed in several places by He Hanshi’s sharp claws, revealing a bleeding gash on his arm.
The call between them was still active, and Shi Lan, watching the scene unfold from the other side, cried out anxiously, "He Hanshi, snap out of it!"
Shi Lan had sent Jiang Xia home not long ago. Making a split-second decision, she told Ye Ming, "Ye Ming, I’m on my way."
Her spiritual power could soothe a rampaging Beastman. ’He Hanshi needs me.’
Ye Ming was worried. "Lanlan, Admiral He is completely unconscious right now. He could hurt you."
"He won’t. I can use my spirit body to knock him out first."
As Shi Lan spoke, she was already rushing out the door. But to Ye Ming’s surprise, He Hanshi’s assault had already slowed considerably.
Perhaps it was because he heard Shi Lan’s familiar voice. A flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes. The White Lion froze, slowly lowering its massive raised paw. A few gentle, confused mumbles escaped its throat. "Lanlan... Lanlan..."
Shi Lan immediately replied, "He Hanshi, I’m here! Wait for me, I’m coming right now."
She had already boarded a Hovercar; it wouldn’t take long to reach Ye Ming’s residence.
Hearing her response, the White Lion’s blue eyes brightened. Its gaze shot to a nearby window, and abandoning Ye Ming, it leaped through the window and fled.
He was incredibly fast, and with his spiritual power heightened by his frenzied state, not even the palace guards noticed him leave. They only vaguely sensed something rush past, but a closer look revealed nothing at all.
"Admiral He!"
Ye Ming shouted his name anxiously from behind, but the White Lion vanished in the blink of an eye.
His brow furrowed, his expression grave. "Lanlan, Admiral He has run off."
"His spiritual state is unstable. I’m afraid he’ll attack someone. If that happens, it’ll be a disaster."
The Empire had specifically isolated and confined the few Beastmen with High-level Spiritual Power prone to collapse on Black Star precisely because their destructive capabilities increased exponentially during an episode.
The Capital Star was home to the Empire’s most powerful and aristocratic families, and it also had the highest population of females. If He Hanshi caused any irreversible harm in his current state, it would be nearly impossible to quell public outrage, even if his spiritual power was restored.
No matter how illustrious his past military achievements were, if he harmed a large number of females, the crimes pinned on him would only multiply.
Shi Lan had clearly thought of the risks as well. "Then what do we do?" she asked nervously.
"Oh, right! I’ll try contacting He Hanshi."
With that, she immediately ended the call and dialed He Hanshi. Meanwhile, Ye Ming summoned Jiang Xia, Yan Huoshui, and Mu Tangfeng to help.
They all had High Level spiritual power, so they should at least be able to slow down a rampaging He Hanshi.
Meanwhile, after running out of the palace, the White Lion took a wrong turn and ended up in a side palace. The Imperial Palace was divided into a main palace and left and right side palaces. The left was the most prestigious, belonging to the heir; the main palace belonged to the Monarch; and the right palace belonged to Ye Yan.
The White Lion bounded along the walls of the right palace. As it happened, Ye Yan had just finished freshening up and was in a good mood, enjoying a drink in the courtyard and admiring the moon. But he was caught completely off guard when a behemoth dropped from the sky, crushing his beloved Energy Stone table designed for warming wine. Then, something whipped past with a frigid gust of wind and slapped him across the face.
He yelped in pain, "Guards! Guards! It’s a sneak attack!"
But when he whipped his head around, the dark figure vanished in the blink of an eye.
When the guards finally arrived, they found only a mess of spilled wine and shattered Energy Stone on the ground. They looked up to see a bloody red welt on the Second Prince’s face, conspicuous and humiliating.