### Chapter 296: Tangle
For Chen Leling, the bl**d Pool was the ultimate nemesis—she simply couldn’t move any closer.
At that moment, only Yun Zhonghe was bravely slogging through the bl**d water, finally reaching Xia Linglong. The instant he grabbed her, he swiftly pulled out a precious Dan Pill and unhesitatingly shoved it into Xia Linglong’s mouth.
The pill melted instantly, and its medicinal power spread throughout Xia Linglong’s body, allowing her consciousness to regain just a touch of clarity.
“Yun Shidi, you… what on earth are you doing here?!”
She thought she might be seeing things—after all, Yun Zhonghe shouldn’t be lurking in such a dangerous spot.
However, before Yun Zhonghe could respond, the bl**d Pool seemed to go haywire at his intrusion, powerful forces surging from its depths, as if some ancient and terrifying entity was awakening, mercilessly dragging Xia Linglong down.
In the center of the bl**d Pool, a massive whirlpool suddenly formed, swirling like a colossal abyss, desperately trying to s*ck both Yun Zhonghe and Xia Linglong into endless darkness.
The bl**d-red water was whipped into towering waves by the whirlpool, each droplet of splashing bl**d as sharp as a blade, slicing through the surrounding air.
“Get out of here! This is not a place for you!”
Although Xia Linglong instinctively craved rescue in this moment of life-and-d*ath peril, now that she was more lucid, her sense of responsibility as a senior sister welled up within her.
She was a senior sister, how could she let her junior brother risk his life for her?!
“Leave now! You’ll d*e!”
The whirlpool’s pull grew stronger; she exerted every ounce of strength to try and push Yun Zhonghe away.
Yet Yun Zhonghe seemed deaf to her pleas; instead of retreating, he moved even closer to her.
“Xia Shijie, don’t struggle! I’ll definitely save you!”
Yun Zhonghe’s eyes were half-open, evidently feeling pressure from the bl**d Pool’s tumult as well!
Did he really need to go this far for Xia Linglong?
Yun Zhonghe didn’t think much; his body instinctively sprang into action.
Xia Linglong stared at the figure struggling in the bl**d water, strange emotions bubbling up within her.
He’s really risking everything for me!
Before she knew it, Xia Linglong found herself leaning against Yun Zhonghe.
Yun Zhonghe pulled her into his arms tightly!
He caught her!
Yun Zhonghe felt a rush of joy as the Sword Qi beneath his feet erupted wildly.
But regular Sword Qi alone wasn’t enough to battle the terrifying pull of the bl**d Pool; he even unleashed the Six Harmonies Sword Qi, the spiraling energy providing immense thrust like a propeller.
Ever since his meridians healed after the break, he found them wider and tougher.
Using the Six Harmonies Sword Qi felt almost the same as using ordinary Sword Qi.
Taking a deep breath, he roared, “Ughhhhh—!!!”
His Spiritual Root erupted at that moment. Aside from the Spirit Energy used to fend off the bl**d’s erosion, he converted the remaining into Six Harmonies Sword Qi, channeling it into his legs to break free from the bl**d Pool’s clutches.
However, the bl**d water was just too formidable.
It felt as if countless hands were tightly gripping Yun Zhonghe and Xia Linglong, refusing to let go. Deep down, he sensed that something terrifying in the depths of the bl**d Pool was watching them coldly, its gaze penetrating through the bl**d, piercing their souls.
Yun Zhonghe felt like he might just wet himself.
This bl**d water was too wicked! If he didn’t want to be devoured, he had to escape the bl**d Pool quickly with Xia Linglong!
But at this critical moment, he suddenly felt a jolt of excruciating pain coursing through his body, as if countless ants were gnawing at his heart, exceeding his limit for endurance. A pained scream escaped from his throat.
At that moment, the light in the bl**d Pool surged, the thing below writhing with indignation. Although it didn’t reveal its true form, it was clearly enraged by Yun Zhonghe’s attempt to take Xia Linglong away.
This rage transformed into endless malevolence, like surging waves that broke through Yun Zhonghe’s Spirit Energy defenses, cruelly rushing into his body, tearing and crushing every inch of his flesh!
The agony was simply atrocious; even Yun Zhonghe felt he was on the verge of passing out under this power.
His forehead was drenched in beads of sweat, and his face turned as pale as a sheet.
No! Absolutely not! He couldn’t pass out! Otherwise, they would both be doomed.
Yun Zhonghe’s will was astonishing. Even so, he managed to stay conscious, gritting his teeth and desperately swimming towards the shore with Xia Linglong.
However, the thing below seemed even angrier now, malevolence rushing into his meridians. Those stubbornly repaired meridians were once again under unbearable pressure, snapping open again!
“Pffft—!”
Yun Zhonghe finally couldn’t hold back any longer and spat out a mouthful of fresh bl**d.
The Six Harmonies Sword Qi was interrupted due to his disrupted meridians, and the two lost their forward thrust.
“Yun Shidi?!” Xia Linglong gasped in alarm. “Let go of me! It’s after me, you don’t need to do this!”
“Cough cough…” Yun Zhonghe wanted to say something, but the violent coughing fit left him nearly speechless, every cough accompanied by a spray of black bl**d, laced with thick malevolence, looking horrifyingly grotesque.
The thing under the bl**d Pool clearly had no intention of erasing Xia Linglong, but for Yun Zhonghe, it was merciless.
Perhaps it was because he was male; only women were worthy of being refined, especially those pure and highly skilled ladies.
Yun Zhonghe was completely unnecessary for that thing.
Xia Linglong’s voice grew increasingly frantic, her eyes turning red, tears welling up. She tried to convince Yun Zhonghe to let her go.
Yun Zhonghe wanted to as well, but due to severe injury, his body couldn’t move, only maintaining his tight hold on her.
His flesh had suffered another enormous injury, and the damage to his meridians was critical. If he were a normal person, he’d probably be dead by now.
Yet oddly, Yun Zhonghe felt fine. He noticed that although his body was ravaged by malevolence, it was slowly self-repairing, prioritizing the restoration of his meridians.
The recently severed meridians reconnected at an astonishing speed.
This situation left Yun Zhonghe in shock.
Could it be that he had become immortal?
No!
Yun Zhonghe keenly realized that the Yin Energy in his chest was drastically depleting due to this severe injury.
He began to speculate that after being consumed by Yin Energy, he should have become a zombie, possessing immortal traits. But thanks to Chen Leling’s help in siphoning away a great deal of Yin Energy, he had avoided complete zombification.
This ability to heal his body must stem from zombie powers. Therefore, each time he healed, a portion of Yin Energy was consumed. Once the Yin Energy in his chest was entirely depleted, he might revert to being a normal person, but at the same time, he would lose this self-healing ability that came from being a zombie.
