Using his own pure Qi as a guide, the Righteous Sword Qi unleashed by condensing Cosmic Energy was Di Yi Ye's strongest technique. This strike was probably more powerful than a full-power attack from a cultivator in the Late Condensation Soul Stage, making it a simple matter to kill a mere Tier 2 Exotic Beast.
However, after unleashing this strike, he was almost completely depleted. The remaining Qi was barely enough to maintain the Golden Light, and the surrounding flames were still burning. Although their power had greatly diminished without the support of the Fire Mane Rat's pure Fire Attribute Qi, they were still enough to burn ordinary mortal bodies.
"I hope the flames extinguish soon. With my current body, I still have a chance to resist," Di Yi Ye muttered to himself. As he spoke, he had already collapsed to the ground and subsequently fainted.
The moment Di Yi Ye fainted, the Golden Light on his body completely dissipated. Under the scorching flames, although the specially made leather armor did not burn, his exposed body quickly turned yellow and then black under the roasting flames. The excruciating pain caused his body to twitch instinctively. Fortunately, because he had fainted, he was unconscious, otherwise, he would have had to endure this boundless agony.
The entire battle lasted less than two minutes. However, it wasn't entirely due to Di Yi Ye's insufficient Qi Quantity. The Consecutive Arrows he had shot earlier were no ordinary attacks; each arrow was infused with pure Qi. It was precisely because of this that the Arrow Feather's speed was extremely fast, making it difficult even for the Fire Mane Rat to dodge. Of course, it was also because of this that after hitting, it could easily pierce the Fire Mane Rat's neck.
Unleashing so many Consecutive Arrows at once had already caused Di Yi Ye significant depletion. Afterward, he engaged in close-quarters combat with the Fire Mane Rat and then used the even more draining Golden Light Spell, and finally unleashed the Righteous Sword Qi. It was only because his Physique was special, his Qi Quantity astonishing, and his recovery speed incredible that he could sustain so many attacks. Otherwise, even a cultivator in the Condensation Soul Realm would not be able to endure after unleashing so many attacks in succession.
Di Yi Ye's body was already charred black, and the flames still showed no signs of extinguishing. If he were delayed any longer, even an immortal would have trouble saving him, even with his rather special Physique.
"Crackle..."
A series of thunderous rumbles sounded, followed by large raindrops falling, gradually intensifying into a downpour. Although the flames condensed by Qi would not be extinguished immediately by the rain, their intensity greatly reduced. Most importantly, the flames around Di Yi Ye had been extinguished. The slightly cold raindrops further cooled him, forming a protective layer. The surrounding scorching flames could no longer threaten him.
"Lucky me, it's finally raining."
Di Yi Ye muttered. However, at this moment, he was completely unable to move and could only continue to lie there.
Circulating his Cultivation Method, his long-dry Dantian slowly produced a trace of Qi Flow. Under Di Yi Ye's conscious control, this Qi began to nourish his burned body. Otherwise, just the fire poison invading his system would be unbearable for him.
"Squeak..."
A series of angry roars sounded after the thunder subsided. Although the sound was somewhat muffled due to the distance, it was more shocking to Di Yi Ye than thunder. He struggled to turn his head and saw more than a dozen figures leaping towards him. Sensing the heat emanating from afar and the faint fiery red color, he could tell they were also Fire Mane Rats—unlikely as it seemed, these Fire Mane Rats were here to avenge their fallen companion.
"I just said I was lucky, and now over ten Fire Mane Rats are rushing over. Judging by their appearance, there are still three or four Tier 2 ones among them. Is heaven trying to kill me?" Di Yi Ye gave a wry smile.
Indeed, the more than ten Exotic Beasts were all Fire Mane Rats, with three or four of them being Tier 2. Not to mention that Di Yi Ye was currently completely depleted, even if he were in his peak condition, he would still be far from a match. If it were usual, he would have fled without hesitation upon seeing so many powerful Exotic Beasts, assuming he could move. Since he was currently unable to move, he naturally could not escape.
"Haha, Bing Yu, we're quite lucky, aren't we? To encounter so many Tier 2 Exotic Beasts."
A hearty laugh came from not far away, and with that voice, a tall figure appeared within Di Yi Ye's line of sight.
"Bing Yu is not a name you can call me."
A clear, cold voice rang out, devoid of any emotional fluctuation.
Following this voice, a slender figure appeared in front of the tall figure. Di Yi Ye struggled to turn his neck, catching a glimpse of the figure out of the corner of his eye.
She was an incredibly beautiful woman, about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a slender build and an elegant figure. Her tight white clothing accentuated her exquisite form. Her skin was as fair as jade, her bright eyes like the moon, and her delicate nose was like fine jade. However, despite such exquisite beauty, her face was as cold as ice, exuding an aura that kept people at a distance.
Of course, this was not the main point of Di Yi Ye's attention. What surprised him the most was that under the falling raindrops, not a single drop of water touched her. If one looked closely, they would see that within a Zhang Xu radius around her, the falling raindrops could not get close. It was as if an invisible barrier surrounded her, repelling the surrounding rainwater, making her appear mysterious and extremely peculiar.
"Nangong Bingyu, why is she here?"
Di Yi Ye wondered in his heart, but he also breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that since Nangong Bingyu had arrived, his life was saved.
Nangong Bingyu was a rare genius in Luo City. Legend had it that she began cultivating at the age of six, had her Initial Awakening at ten, and reached the Condensation Soul stage at fifteen. Now, after only two or three years, she was already a master in the Late Condensation Soul Stage. Her cultivation speed was astonishing, and her Realm and strength were far beyond what Di Yi Ye could compare to.
Of course, Nangong Bingyu would only be considered an ordinary genius if that were all. What was most talked about was that when she had her Initial Awakening at the age of ten, she awakened a Special Ability—a Water Elemental Ability. This meant her Qi contained the Water Element attribute, much like how the airflow sprayed by the Fire Mane Rats contained Fire Element Energy. The perfect fusion of Special Ability energy and Qi could greatly enhance the Power of Qi, and also allow for the use of various corresponding techniques, such as the flames sprayed by the Fire Mane Rats.
Awakening a Special Ability was a miraculous power discovered by humans after embarking on the path of cultivation. When combined with Qi to unleash combat power, it could lead to a significant increase. Of course, Special Abilities were varied and strange, such as Fire Control, ice freezing, and some people could even foresee the future or control thoughts, among other things.
As for Di Yi Ye, although he had his Initial Awakening at the age of eight or nine, he did not awaken any Special Ability. In fact, even now, he was only in the Late Initial Awakening stage. Although the Qi he cultivated was much purer than that of cultivators of the same level, it was ordinary Qi, and its Power was much weaker than Qi with Fire or Ice attributes. Otherwise, he would have easily dealt with those Fire Mane Rats before and would not have been in such a sorry state.
Di Yi Ye knew Nangong Bingyu not because they were close or liked each other, but because the latter was well-known throughout Luo City, and he had only seen her from afar.
Thinking of this, Di Yi Ye couldn't help but feel envious. He envied not only Nangong Bingyu's rapid breakthrough to the Condensation Soul Realm but more importantly, he envied her ability to awaken her Water Elemental Ability so early and fuse with it perfectly.
Of course, at this moment, Di Yi Ye felt more fortunate than anything else, fortunate for Nangong Bingyu's arrival. He knew very well that with her strength, she could easily resolve over a dozen Fire Mane Rats simultaneously, even if three or four of them were Tier 2. Moreover, she had a similarly powerful companion by her side.
"I never expected to owe her a life."
Di Yi Ye sighed softly, feeling quite helpless. After all, owing favors was the last thing he wanted, especially owing a life.
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