The Ethereal Domains

Chapter 1064: Left and Return

Left and Return . . .

Xuan Bing had departed, but life continued, and the need to eat persisted. Cha Eun Xiao took a bite of a hot steamed bun before shifting his focus back to his spiritual mind. He had been certain that he had seen the stele and the image of Wood Space the previous day, yet he now found himself unable to access that knowledge.

Frustration set in as Cha Eun Xiao attempted to push through the overwhelming sleepiness that had plagued him once more. His resistance was feeble, and soon he was overcome by fatigue, his head resting on the table, the half-eaten steamed bun forgotten.

His sudden collapse alarmed Han Bingxue. Without hesitation, he swiftly carried Cha Eun Xiao to his room, attempting various methods to wake him. However, to his mounting anxiety, Cha Eun Xiao remained unresponsive.

The cultivator's condition left Han Bingxue perplexed and deeply concerned for his well-being. Cha Eun Xiao might appear weaker in the eyes of Xuan Bing and Han Bingxue, but he was still at the seventh level of the Dream Origin Stage. Such a cultivator should not experience this level of extreme sleepiness, nor should they lose their protective qi shield when sleeping.

This troubling state had persisted for two days, and even during sleep, Cha Eun Xiao displayed none of the typical alertness that any cultivator should possess. Han Bingxue feared that anyone capable of penetrating his automatic protective qi shield could easily take advantage of Cha Eun Xiao's vulnerability.

"Could it be that Cha Eun Xiao was attacked in the fourth layer and is now suffering some hidden effect triggered by that attack?" Han Bingxue wondered. After contemplating various possibilities, he could only consider this one.

As Cha Eun Xiao's thunderous snores filled the room, Han Bingxue mulled over his options. He felt a sense of urgency to solve the issue, but he had no idea who in their realm could offer an explanation.

"Should I seek the help of Ghost Doctor?" he pondered. "What could I offer to convince that enigmatic old man? It's not exactly convenient to ask for his assistance."

In the latter part of the night, there was a glimmer of hope as Cha Eun Xiao's snores gradually grew quieter and then fell silent altogether. Han Bingxue dared to think that Cha Eun Xiao might possess some form of self-healing capability, which could explain this change for the better.

But the reprieve was short-lived, as Cha Eun Xiao resumed his thunderous snores with renewed intensity.

Han Bingxue remained baffled by the situation. He decided to wait until Cha Eun Xiao awoke to discuss their next course of action. For now, he left his friend to sleep and kept a vigilant watch outside the room.

As Cha Eun Xiao's snores echoed through the room, the window opened noiselessly. A shadowy figure, practically weightless, glided into the room.

This intruder moved with extraordinary grace, producing no sound as their sleeves cut through the air, and their feet made no impact on the floor. Even Han Bingxue, stationed just outside the door, remained oblivious to the presence.

Inside the room, the newcomer raised their hand, establishing an energy barrier. The moment it was in place, the volume of Cha Eun Xiao's snores diminished significantly. Six more barriers followed, muffling the sound completely.

No sound could penetrate these barriers, allowing the person inside to act with complete discretion.

In the end, Han Bingxue was met with silence from within the room, and it became evident that any tumultuous events transpiring within would remain soundless on the other side of the door.

The mysterious figure finished erecting the barriers, rendering the room utterly impervious to external sounds. Swiftly, they drifted toward Cha Eun Xiao, approaching his bedside with measured steps. Their gaze, filled with complex emotions, remained fixed on his slumbering visage. A subtle, natural fragrance lingered in the air, an unmistakable scent reminiscent of a woman's body. novelenglish.net . ꜰirᴇ

This enigmatic presence was none other than Xuan Bing, the same Xuan Bing whom Cha Eun Xiao and Han Bingxue believed had departed. She had indeed made the decision to leave, but the separation left her with a profound sense of loss, compelling her to return in secrecy.

She had intended to leave behind a written message, an expression of her true feelings that she had never shared with Cha Eun Xiao. As she watched him snore, oblivious to her presence, she pondered the same questions that plagued Han Bingxue's mind.

With a sigh, Xuan Bing moved closer to the bedside, where she took a seat and tenderly grasped Cha Eun Xiao's left hand. Her delicate fingers rested upon his wrist as she carefully assessed his pulse.

"He appears physically fine, but... What could this be?" Xuan Bing furrowed her brow, her murmurs filled with concern. "I need to try again."

Despite employing eight different diagnostic methods, Xuan Bing remained perplexed by the strange ailment afflicting Cha Eun Xiao. In the end, she resorted to examining his body with her spiritual mind, and therein, she uncovered the anomaly.

"His soul power is severely depleted, and he has ventured into a realm surpassing his own capabilities. Unable to bear the strain, he's now afflicted by narcolepsy," she concluded. "However, his spiritual soul remains untouched, and there are no signs of soul damage. What could have triggered such a baffling condition?"

Xuan Bing, being far more experienced than Han Bingxue, found herself just as bewildered and at a loss when confronted with Cha Eun Xiao's inexplicable predicament. What neither Xuan Bing nor Han Bingxue knew was that Cha Eun Xiao's spiritual soul had been impacted by an immensely potent force, subjecting it to relentless shocks, dispersals, reassembly, and reforms, a ceaseless cycle of torment and transformation.