### Chapter 297: The Eight-Foot Lady Has Arrived!
Yun Zhonghe’s meridian self-healing efficiency had obviously skyrocketed this time; he completed the repair in an instant! Maybe his body had developed a “memory” of this repair process, which made it all the more efficient.
But hey, this was a golden opportunity!
Once again, he condensed the Six Harmonies Sword Qi, and taking advantage of his body’s brief window of recovery, he unleashed a fierce burst of energy and surged a little closer to the shore.
Through the murky waters, he thought he saw Chen Leling on the opposite bank, frantically shouting for him.
But just as he was about to sail further with the push of the Six Harmonies Sword Qi, his meridians exploded again, courtesy of the evil energy wreaking havoc inside him!
With his meridians bursting, the once-smooth stream of spiritual energy lost its escape route, and the force that had urged him forward disappeared like a fart in the wind. He and Xia Linglong started sinking down, down, down.
Yun Zhonghe gritted his teeth, desperately clinging to the crumbling pieces of his will, using every ounce of strength to keep himself upright.
As soon as his meridians were repaired again, he seized the chance to push forward with the Six Harmonies Sword Qi.
Every small step counted—whatever that thing lurking below the bl**d pool was, it wouldn’t be surfacing before nightfall. Yun Zhonghe had to make it to the shore before darkness fell.
Time was trickling away. The sun dipped low in the sky, casting a grim shadow over the landscape.
Yun Zhonghe had been stewing in this bl**d pool for three whole hours, and he had never felt time drag on so torturously. Not even when being juiced by Xue Yunjian had it felt this slow.
In this despairing environment, he attempted to connect with Xue Yunjian again, but it seemed any contact with her was blocked here in the bl**d pool. She couldn’t show up, let alone help him even a little bit.
With Xue Yunjian out of commission and Chen Leling unable to assist from the shore, Yun Zhonghe and Xia Linglong were left high and dry.
“That’s enough, Junior Brother Yun! You’ve done more than enough; really, you don’t need to keep going like this…”
Xia Linglong couldn’t bear to watch. She sensed the agony Yun Zhonghe was enduring, and guilt filled her heart.
If it weren’t for saving her, he wouldn’t need to suffer such immense pain.
Yun Zhonghe didn’t respond; he didn’t even have the energy to reply.
Repeatedly shattering, repeatedly mending—each time, his consciousness nearly snapped like a dry twig.
Had it not been for his practice of Observation Heart Technique, his spiritual energy would likely not have remained so strong. He suddenly felt grateful to the Elder Xing Bu for giving him this technique, allowing him a sliver of clarity amidst the endless torment.
It was a huge help.
He touched his chest and sensed that the Yin energy there was almost gone.
He couldn’t recall how many times his meridians had exploded; his body was numb to the point of not knowing what pain felt like. But he remembered vividly that each time his meridians repaired, a bit of Yin energy vanished, which meant he was a step closer to being normal again.
If things continued like this, once the Yin energy in his chest was completely depleted, he’d be done for!
Meanwhile, Chen Leling’s anxious shouts echoed from the opposite bank, getting closer and closer. Yun Zhonghe calculated that with the tiny bit of Yin energy left in him, he surely wouldn’t have enough to crawl back onto shore.
The thing lurking beneath the bl**d pool was tightening its grip.
Huff—huff—
He was still halfway to the edge, and the bl**d swirling in the pool began to bubble violently. With the sunlight fading away, the terrifying entity hidden in the depths was slowly awakening, gradually rising to the surface.
Xia Linglong’s condition was deteriorating too; the pill Yun Zhonghe had bravely given her earlier had already expended all its spiritual energy.
“I’m so sorry, Junior Brother Yun, I’ve dragged you into this.”
Xia Linglong muttered softly, seemingly losing hope.
It looked like they were going to d*e together.
Although such thoughts shouldn’t arise, a sliver of comfort crept into Xia Linglong’s heart—at least she wasn’t facing d*ath alone. Yun Zhonghe was with her.
With someone by your side, it didn’t feel so lonely.
But Yun Zhonghe hadn’t given up. He still clung desperately to every opportunity for his meridians to mend, even if it was just a tiny step forward.
The sky grew darker, and the light in the center of the bl**d pool became more bl**d-soaked and blinding. A pair of pale, ghastly hands broke free from the water, emerging into view!
“That thing is coming out!”
Xia Linglong glanced back, catching sight of that nightmare-inducing sight, her lips quivering uncontrollably.
Yun Zhonghe darted a hasty glance and saw a ghost, towering a full eight feet tall, slowly crawling out from the depths of the pool. It was so massive, it nearly filled the bl**d pool’s exit!
With a huge frame combined with an indescribable air of dread, this had to be the legendary Eight-Foot Lady!
The true culprit behind the havoc!
Just by her figure, she was every bit as intimidating as Chen Leling, but as she slowly lifted the face buried in her long hair, Yun Zhonghe caught a glimpse of a truly chilling, grotesque countenance!
Her nose was flattened, cheekbones sunken, and her murky eyes glowed with a sinister red sheen.
This was definitely a ghost!
Dressed in a robe of bl**d red, as fiery as molten iron, every drop of bl**d that fell from her splashed into the bl**d pool like a grotesque firework.
As she stood fully upright, her thick resentment radiated like physical entities, causing Chen Leling on the shore to shudder in fear, feeling an innate suppression from the deepest corners of her soul, and she instinctively took a few steps back.
“ROOOAAAR!!!!”
The “Eight-Foot Lady” threw her head back and howled, and the entire bl**d pool seemed to respond to her call, foaming with even greater intensity. The bl**d surged like an angry tide, and the plants along the shore withered and died in an instant, their life force ruthlessly drained, leaving behind only a barren wasteland.
Simultaneously, a suffocating feeling of d*ath descended upon Yun Zhonghe and Xia Linglong.
“Junior Brother Yun, she’s here!”
Xia Linglong screamed beside him, as they were tossed up and down by the roiling bl**d waters, as if they were losing their sense of direction.
It was just a water pool barely ten meters in radius, yet it felt like they were stranded in a vast ocean, and they were but a tiny boat bobbing on the endless sea, liable to be smashed at any moment by the sudden rush of ravenous waves.
d*mn it, so close yet so far!
Yun Zhonghe screamed internally. They hadn’t made it ashore in time, and the thing from the bottom of the bl**d pool had already emerged.
The sun hadn’t even fully set yet!
At that moment, Yun Zhonghe’s heart felt as though it were gripped by some invisible giant hand, each beat accompanied by excruciating pain. He had never experienced such intense agony; he could almost hear the battle cry of his own heartbeat thundering in his ears.
Meanwhile, Xia Linglong’s expression was taut to a breaking point, her body shaking uncontrollably, her usually vibrant eyes now filled with terror and despair.
