The negative energy from fallen Servants is absorbed by the Holy Grail, then purified and fed back to the planet. The planet's will then returns faith, which is used to condense a divine position.
Lu Jingming could feel that the speed at which a certain divine position was condensing within the Holy Grail, utilizing the power of the planet's will, suddenly accelerated. It felt as though it was separated only by a thin veil, on the verge of fully manifesting in the world.
A smile he couldn't suppress spread across his lips. This way, he wouldn't have to worry about divine positions for the people around him. Whether it was Zhang Lexuan, Xu Jiujiu, or Meng Hongchen, achieving godhood without his help would be extremely difficult.
But with his help, with the Holy Grail, he could mass-produce divine positions and build his own Divine God Corps.
It was just like the first generation of Shrek's Seven Devils ten thousand years ago; Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai essentially didn't have the potential to become gods but managed to ride on Tang San's coattails.
The saying "Once one man achieves enlightenment, even his pets ascend to heaven" summed it up perfectly.
The gentle, life-filled white light slowly receded. Lu Jingming let out a long breath, and some color returned to his face, but the deep, soul-level fatigue stemming from entering the Deification Mode was not easily dispelled.
The moment he opened his eyes, a slender figure, accompanied by a familiar fragrance, rushed towards him.
"Xiao Ming!"
Zhang Lexuan's voice carried unconcealed anxiety and heartache. She didn't even care if others were around. Her slender, cool fingers gently stroked Lu Jingming's cheek, carefully checking his pale complexion and his still slightly unfocused eyes.
Her eyes, which were usually as gentle as the moon, were now filled with worry and lingering fear.
"How dare you... how dare you be so reckless."
Her voice trembled slightly, carrying a faint sob.
"That was a God King's divine consciousness. If anything had happened to you, I..."
She couldn't finish the sentence, biting her lower lip hard, her eyes slightly red.
Lu Jingming felt the cool, soft touch on his cheek and the slight tremor in her fingertips. His heart warmed, mixed with a hint of apology.
He raised his hand and covered the back of her hand resting on his face, gently gripping it. His fingers soothingly rubbed her smooth hand, trying to comfort her.
"Sister Lexuan, I'm fine."
He softened his voice, a reassuring, gentle smile on his face. "You know me, I never fight a battle I'm not confident about."
He deliberately spoke in a relaxed tone, trying to divert her attention. At the same time, he squeezed a little harder, clutching her slightly cool hand tightly in his palm, transferring his warmth to her.
Zhang Lexuan was not easily soothed. She gripped his hand in return, her gaze still fixed on him, as if she wanted to confirm every subtle detail of his condition.
"Don't try to fool me. I can tell how severely depleted your spiritual power is, and your body too. I've never seen you in such a weak state."
Her tone carried a rare sternness, but even more so, an intense, unshakeable concern.
She extended her other hand, her fingertips wreathed in soft, cool moonlight power, and gently placed it on his temple, attempting to relieve some of the spiritual throbbing.
Lu Jingming obediently closed his eyes, feeling the cool, soothing power permeate his spiritual sea, like sweet rain falling on dry earth.
He savored the moment of warmth, leaning his body slightly towards Zhang Lexuan, his forehead nearly touching hers.
"To become stronger, a little risk is worth it," he murmured, his voice close to her.
"Besides... Sister Lexuan, the Holy Grail's power is getting more and more abundant. It won't be long before you can be like me."
He opened his eyes, his deep gaze reflecting Zhang Lexuan's worried face, his tone becoming extremely serious and expectant.
"Soon, very soon, I will be able to condense the 'Moon God' divine position just for you using this Holy Grail. By then, you will no longer be limited by the plane's laws and will possess true eternal life and the power to protect yourself."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Lexuan's movements froze slightly.
The Moon God divine position, eternal life. Looking into Lu Jingming's eyes, a surge of emotion swelled in her heart.
But quickly, her expression changed. She glared at Lu Jingming, sighing in exasperation. "You're changing the subject again! Am I asking about the divine position? You know that compared to a divine position, you are more important to me."
She raised her hand and gently brushed her fingertips over his still slightly furrowed brow and pale lips, her movements full of tenderness.
"Seeing you like this hurts a thousand times more than if I were injured myself. I want a whole, sound you, one who can smile and be mischievous, much more than a divine position."
Lu Jingming caught the heartfelt distress in the depths of her eyes, and the softest part of his heart was severely touched.
He sighed, extended his arms, and gently pulled her into his embrace, resting his chin on the crown of her faintly fragrant hair.
"Alright, Sister Lexuan, I promise you, I won't take any risks again."
His voice was laced with affection and a touch of helplessness.
Zhang Lexuan nestled in his arms, listening to his strong heartbeat and low voice. Her previously tight heartstrings slowly relaxed.
She knew that since Lu Jingming had promised, he wouldn't recklessly take crazy risks like this time.
After all, fighting a God King's divine consciousness with a mortal body was far too reckless and crazy, even if Lu Jingming was confident and had many trump cards.
But things could always go wrong.
While Lu Jingming was comforting Zhang Lexuan, Meng Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen were leading the students of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, some ordinary civilians, and Xu Tianzhen towards their base.
Meng Hongchen was in contact with Lu Jingming and knew that he could send the civilians and students to a safe place, which was why she was leading the group towards him.
Just then, Xiao Hongchen, who was moving rapidly, suddenly stopped.
He looked at the back of his hand in disbelief—the three bright red Command Spells that had been clearly visible there were quickly fading and disappearing, as if erased by an eraser, until nothing remained but smooth skin.
It felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head. Xiao Hongchen instantly understood what this meant.
"Gongzi... Big Brother..." he muttered to himself. His usual pride and unruliness disappeared, replaced by unexpected shock and deep loss.
Although their time together was brief, he and the martial artist Executor from Snezhnaya were quite compatible. The Executor's straightforwardness and pure passion for combat had earned his goodwill.
He hadn't even had a chance to properly drink with the man and discuss martial arts from different worlds, and yet, the farewell had come so abruptly... without even a formal goodbye.
An indescribable sadness welled up in his heart, leaving him momentarily disheartened.
Meng Hongchen, who was beside him, keenly noticed her brother's abnormal mood. Following his gaze, she immediately understood the reason.
She looked worriedly at Xiao Hongchen's crestfallen profile. Subconsciously, she touched the three bright red Command Spells on the back of her own hand, which symbolized the intact contract with her Servant, Hoshimi Miyabi. She secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but then felt sad for her brother.
She gently tugged at Xiao Hongchen's sleeve, whispering, "Bro..."
Xiao Hongchen took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the surging emotions. When he looked up again, his face had returned to his usual expression, though a dark cloud lingered in the depths of his eyes.
He shook his head, indicating he was fine.
This was no time for sentimentality. The priority was getting everyone safely to Lu Jingming's location. They had encountered the Anti-Matter Legion along the way, but the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy was not to be trifled with, as they had many Rank 9 Soul Engineers.
They could even handle the Tramplers, which was the confidence they had in moving the students and civilians.
In a quiet corner temporarily set up within the base, Lu Jingming had just finished comforting Zhang Lexuan and was about to meditate and recover when the protective soul tool at the entrance showed a slight ripple.
Immediately after, a slightly hurried but rhythmic sound of footsteps approached from far away.
The first thing that came into view was Meng Hongchen's signature white hair. Her normally delicate face was clearly anxious. The moment she entered, her gaze frantically searched around, finally locking onto Lu Jingming, who was leaning against the wall, his face still pale.
"A-Ming!"
She practically gasped in surprise, hurrying over in a small run, completely ignoring her brother Xiao Hongchen and a group of startled, dusty Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy students who were standing nearby.
"You're injured?! I saw the commotion from a distance... I was so scared!"
Meng Hongchen's voice was tearful. Unlike Zhang Lexuan's reserved concern, hers was more external and direct.
As she spoke, she couldn't help but lightly thump Lu Jingming's shoulder, the force very light, more like a spoiled rebuke. "What's going on with you? How could you fight an opponent like that?"
Xiao Hongchen, who followed her in, looked at his sister, then at Lu Jingming and Zhang Lexuan next to him. His mouth twitched, and he ultimately just sighed, silently arranging for the surviving students and civilians to rest on the other side, distributing water and food, pretending not to notice the subtle atmosphere over here.
Lu Jingming looked at the two beautiful women before him, each with a distinct style yet equally devastatingly attractive, one gentle like the moonlight, the other as passionate and direct as a dazzling aurora. Both were surrounding him, their eyes full of worry and reproach, and he immediately felt a headache coming on.
He was about to speak to comfort Meng Hongchen, but Zhang Lexuan acted first.
She looked up at Meng Hongchen as if finding an ally, gently nodding. Her tone carried a sense of shared helplessness.
"Little Meng is right. He was truly too reckless this time."
After she spoke, the gazes of both women focused on Lu Jingming simultaneously, one gentle, one pouting, forming an unprecedented united front.
Lu Jingming: "..."
He suddenly felt like his injuries might have worsened.
Emboldened by Zhang Lexuan's support, Meng Hongchen became even more indignant. "Exactly! Sister Lexuan is right. You risked yourself without considering our feelings. We can't let you off easily."
Zhang Lexuan nodded in agreement, her voice still soft but with a smile. "Mhm, Xiao Ming, you need to reflect deeply. Both Little Meng and I were very worried about you."
As she spoke, she exchanged a glance with Meng Hongchen.
In that instant, the two women formed an alliance, deciding to properly discipline the disobedient and worrisome Lu Jingming.
And so, Lu Jingming found himself subjected to an unprecedented 'sweet interrogation.'
The two women worked in tandem, one applying silent pressure, the other launching a verbal offensive, and they were surprisingly coordinated.
However, Lu Jingming was no pushover. He reached out and simultaneously held Zhang Lexuan's and Meng Hongchen's hands, placing their cool palms one on top of the other over his heart. His tone was sincere, with a hint of coaxing.
"Alright, alright, I know I was wrong. I apologize for making you worry this time, it's my fault. I promise, I will value my life more from now on and think things through more carefully, okay?"
Feeling the warmth from his palms and his strong heartbeat, and hearing him soften his stance and apologize, Zhang Lexuan and Meng Hongchen's hearts instantly softened by more than half.
Meng Hongchen sniffed, pulling her hand away but not withdrawing it. "Hmph, you only know how to say nice things to coax us..."
Zhang Lexuan gently squeezed his hand in return, whispering, "Remember what you said."
The joint interrogation targeting Lu Jingming temporarily subsided under his skilled appeasement.
The two beauties guarded him on either side. Though their methods differed, their profound concern and love, like the warmest healing light, slowly nourished his weary body and mind.
Not far away, Xiao Hongchen silently averted his gaze, feeling like he and the group of students were somewhat superfluous.
The other students kept their eyes to themselves, pretending they hadn't seen or heard anything.
Only Xu Tianzhen seemed to have recovered, becoming curious and lively again, looking at Lu Jingming and the two women with great interest.
"Sister Lexuan, you and Meng and Xiao Hongchen should evacuate together. The Holy Grail War is nearing its end. What happens next has nothing to do with you," Lu Jingming gently squeezed Zhang Lexuan's hand, his gaze sweeping over the core battlefield, which was still raging with wild energy and divine power. He spoke in a serious tone.
His implied meaning was clear: once Jingliu completely dealt with the sea god Tang San's divine consciousness clone, everything should be over.
Zhang Lexuan didn't hesitate, immediately nodding. "Good."
She knew the limits of her and Meng Hongchen's strength. Forcing themselves to stay here would not only be unhelpful but would also become a burden and a worry for Lu Jingming.
Her gaze gently lingered on Lu Jingming's face for a moment.
"Be careful. We'll wait for you at Sea Abyss City."
Her decisiveness and understanding made Lu Jingming smile slightly. Indeed, Zhang Lexuan was always so considerate.
However, Xiao Xiao, who was nearby, panicked upon hearing this news.
She and Jiang Nannan had chosen not to evacuate with the main group through the spatial gate, holding onto a sliver of hope to wait for Elder Xuan and the other teachers, or to see if they could help in any way.
Now, hearing that Sea Abyss City was initiating a full evacuation, she suddenly felt at a loss.
"Ah? Are we... are we leaving?"
Xiao Xiao subconsciously clutched Jiang Nannan's sleeve, her face etched with confusion and anxiety.
"What about us? Elder Xuan and the others are still fighting over there. We... we can't just leave them!"
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