Chapter 158: Awakening and Return
As darkness fell, a young girl lay inside a dim tree hollow somewhere deep in the Star Dou Great Forest.
Her eyes were shut, clearly unconscious. Every so often, her brows would knit together, as if even in a coma she could not find peace.
It was Ning Rongrong.
She had been unconscious for half a day, but Yu Tianlin had checked her earlier and confirmed she was not injured.
Yu Tianlin sat cross legged at the entrance of the hollow. He was not meditating. He was simply keeping watch.
There were few traces of Spirit Beast activity nearby, which suggested this was not a major habitat. Even so, there was no guarantee that a wandering Spirit Beast would not pass through. In the Star Dou Great Forest, caution was never optional.
Yu Tianlin did not rely on meditation to restore his Spirit Power. Fortunately, he had supplies. He took a piece of Dragon Ganoderma leaf to clear his mind and stimulate his Spirit Power to recover on its own.
In half a day, his Spirit Power, which had dropped to only 30%, had recovered to about 80%.
At that level, Yu Tianlin could fight at full strength again. Even if something unexpected happened, he would not be helpless. Only then did he finally let out a quiet breath.
Why hasn't Ning Rongrong woken up yet?
Yu Tianlin turned to look at her, frowning slightly.
Ning Rongrong had only suffered mild suffocation and a shock that forced her into a coma. Yu Tianlin had not expected her to remain unconscious for half a day.
"Forget it. Waiting here won't help. I'll take her back first."
Once he made up his mind, Yu Tianlin stood and entered the tree hollow. He walked to Ning Rongrong's side and was about to pick her up when she suddenly let out a soft moan and slowly opened her eyes.
"Where am I? Am I dead?"
Her voice was small, her eyes unfocused and dazed.
"This is deep inside the Star Dou Great Forest." Seeing her awake, Yu Tianlin stopped and helped her sit up against the tree wall. "How do you feel, Ning Rongrong?"
"Cough, cough."
Her face was a little pale. After coughing twice, her eyes finally regained clarity.
"Yu Tianlin, it's you."
Then, as if the memory came rushing back, she shuddered.
"I just had a nightmare. I dreamed I got snatched away by a crested snake. It scared me to death!"
"This wasn't a dream. It happened." Yu Tianlin saw the fear still lingering in her expression and spoke calmly. "Half a day ago, you were captured by the Phoenix tailed Crested Serpent. I caught up in time, killed it, and saved you. You've been unconscious ever since."
Ning Rongrong froze for a heartbeat, then fully remembered everything. Her fear flared, but the moment she heard the snake was dead, she finally exhaled.
"Thank you, Yu Tianlin."
"It's what I should do." Yu Tianlin did not let her drift away from the question. "But how do you feel now?"
Ning Rongrong tried to stand, but her legs went soft and she dropped back down.
"I have no strength in my body, and I'm so hungry."
Yu Tianlin moved immediately. He took out food from his dragon patterned ring and handed it to her.
"Then eat first."
Ning Rongrong did not refuse. She ate, and even while starving, she still tried her best to keep her movements elegant.
While she ate and her strength returned, Yu Tianlin began explaining the situation.
"After the Phoenix tailed Crested Serpent wrapped around you, it fled deeper into the Star Dou Great Forest. I caught up, but at that speed, we traveled a long distance. We got completely separated from Teacher Zhao and the others."
"What about Teacher Zhao and the others?" Ning Rongrong asked, worry rising. "Without you holding back Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang, won't Teacher Zhao be surrounded by the Peerless Dragon and Snake couple? That's dangerous."
"Don't worry about Teacher Zhao." Yu Tianlin said evenly. "Before I chased after you, Teacher Zhao and the others had already captured Meng Yiran alive. With Meng Yiran in their hands, the couple won't dare act recklessly. Teacher Zhao and the others can handle it."
He paused, then his tone turned more serious.
"Instead of worrying about them, we should worry about us. We're already deep in the Star Dou Great Forest. We haven't met any Spirit Beasts yet, but once we do, they'll definitely be over 5,000 years."
"If it were just me alone, moving around here wouldn't be a problem. I can deal with Spirit Beasts over 5,000 years, even 10,000 years. At worst, I can escape. But if I have to protect you too, it becomes troublesome."
The moment she heard "5,000 years" and "10,000 years," Ning Rongrong's face tightened. She stopped eating, forced herself up, and said quickly, "I'm almost recovered. Let's not stay here. We should go back right away."
"Alright."
Yu Tianlin looked her over and saw some color returning to her face. He nodded, and the two of them left the tree hollow after confirming she could walk.
Which way do we go?
Once outside, Ning Rongrong was surrounded by trees that all looked the same. The sun was already setting, and she could not tell directions at all.
If they walked the wrong way and went deeper instead of toward the outer edge, they would be finished.
"The right direction is over there." Yu Tianlin pointed. "But we don't need to walk. I'll take you flying."
As he spoke, a pair of massive dragon wings spread open behind him.
Ning Rongrong's mouth parted in shock. "You can transform into a dragon and even grow wings?"
"Of course." Yu Tianlin nodded. "If I couldn't fly, how could I catch up to the Phoenix tailed Crested Serpent?"
"I heard from Dad that Spirit Masters of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan need to reach level 70 before they can transform with wings," Ning Rongrong blurted out. "Yu Tianlin, you can do it at level 44. That's amazing!"
"Alright, let's not talk about that." Yu Tianlin did not want to keep circling back to the topic. He opened his arms toward her. "Let's go back."
Seeing his posture, Ning Rongrong's cheeks flushed. But she said nothing and moved obediently to his side.
Yu Tianlin wrapped one arm around her slender waist. His dragon wings beat once, and the two rose into the air, quickly clearing the towering treetops and reaching open sky.
Just as Yu Tianlin was about to fly back, a deep, muffled roar suddenly entered his ears.
At first, it did not seem like much. But it did not fade. It echoed again and again, growing louder, heavier, until it finally exploded like thunder inside his head.
.....
[Check Out My Patreon For Advance Chapters On All My Fanfics!]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]
[Join Our Discord Community For Updates & Events]
[https://discord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9]