Inside a room at the military base, Mai Kanda lay quietly in Shawn Young's arms. Her eyes were closed, her usually cute face now as pale as paper, and dark red blood kept trickling from the corners of her mouth onto the floor. She was hanging by a thread—when Hayato Falcon blew up his Divine Core, the destructive force could have turned any ordinary person to dust! Thankfully, Mai was a Special Shinobi, protected by her Celestial Essence. Even so, when she threw herself over Shawn Young, the shockwave still ravaged her insides. Her back was a bloody mess, her organs severely damaged, and the only reason she hadn’t passed out was her cultivation—and a fierce will to survive.
Shawn Young had to give up chasing Hayato Falcon’s soul with his own Divine Core for now—Mai Kanda’s condition was way too critical. Without her help, his plan wouldn’t have gone nearly so smoothly, and her selfless rescue moved him deeply. Right now, he had to do everything in his power to save her life.
Without hesitation, Shawn Young locked the room, laid Mai Kanda on the bed, stripped her completely, then sat cross-legged and focused his mind, diving straight into the Heavenly Sanctuary. He didn’t even bother greeting the Fire Dragon couple—he just grabbed the essence liquid from the Frostfire River and left the Heavenly Sanctuary, applying it to Mai Kanda’s wounds. The power of the Frostfire River truly was magical: the bleeding stopped instantly, and her wounds began to heal at a remarkable speed.
But something still felt off—Mai Kanda’s spirit was dazed and unfocused. She hadn’t lost consciousness, but her mind was fuzzy, and her face was so pale it was scary, with a weird black mist swirling around her!
Alarmed, Shawn Young checked Mai Kanda carefully. After a long examination, he finally found the cause—when Hayato Falcon blew up his Divine Core, besides the insane destructive force, the explosion carried a fierce resentment. Because Mai Kanda had thrown herself in front of Shawn Young, she took the brunt of that resentment. Now, that vicious energy was spreading inside her, eroding her meridians and Divine Core with every beat of her blood.
This weird resentment was powered by Hayato Falcon’s own intense will, carrying a terrifying force that could destroy consciousness. The Frostfire River’s magic was amazing, but it barely touched damage to the mind. Shawn Young realized his only option was to use his own Divine Core’s power to help Mai Kanda recover!
With his mind made up, Shawn Young sprang into action—he circulated his Celestial Essence through his body, running a full cycle and pushing it to the max. Inside his Illusory Sea, everything became clear: his Divine Core split into two surging forces, yin and yang, twisting and flowing deep within the Illusory Sea.
Shawn Young tried to control these two forces within his Divine Core. He knew that if he could master his Divine Core, he could unlock the full potential of the Illusory Sea—a power so great it could turn the world upside down! Even a tiny bit of that strength would be enough to bring Mai Kanda back from the brink.
But Lei Juan hadn’t trained his Celestial Essence to the highest level, so controlling the Divine Core hidden deep in the Illusory Sea was way too tough for him. Shawn Young, however, never gave up. He kept focusing and channeling his energy, diving again and again into the deepest part of the Illusory Sea—a place shrouded in mystery, where the greatest potential of life was hidden.
Shawn Young’s consciousness followed the swirling yin and yang forces, sinking deeper into the Illusory Sea. He’d never gone this far before—the place was full of eerie, mysterious energy, holding the secrets of life’s origin.
His awareness spun downward, faster and faster... tumbling through darkness. Time seemed to lose all meaning—was it just a moment, or had a whole century passed?
Finally, the sky above faded to deep blue, then plunged into thunderclouds crackling with lightning. Bolts danced around Shawn Young’s consciousness like wild snakes. He knew it was just a hallucination, but the pain of those electric strikes felt all too real—a true test of endurance.
Soon, a dazzling red light appeared before Shawn Young, floating in mid-air and spinning slowly, growing larger and brighter. He could feel waves of scorching heat, and within that heat, a powerful mystical energy!
The yin and yang Divine Core forces churned beneath that glowing spot, swirling together in a twisting bagua yin-yang fish. Every now and then, they shot purple beams toward the light, and the floating spot absorbed each one, flashing and burning spectacularly!
“Divine Core! The power of the Divine Core!” Lei Juan’s mind jolted. He finally understood: this glowing spot was the legendary source of Taoist power—the Divine Core itself!
The Divine Core only appears when a cultivator reaches the highest level and gains the power of inner vision. It’s the very source of all mystical abilities—a wellspring of magical strength!
Excited, Shawn Young cautiously moved his consciousness closer to the glowing Divine Core. He knew that if he could tap into its power, he could heal Mai Kanda’s wounds.
But it was like there was an invisible barrier around the Divine Core. Shawn Young’s consciousness tried to enter, but that transparent wall kept him out—he could only circle around the edges.
The yin-yang fish swirling beneath the Illusory Sea kept shooting purple beams at the Divine Core, which spun and absorbed them. Shawn Young’s mind sparked—he finally figured out how to tap into the power of the Divine Core!
Shawn Young’s consciousness drifted to the base of the Divine Core, waiting for the right moment. Soon, the bagua yin-yang fish below shot another purple beam at the Divine Core, and Shawn Young’s mind followed it, slipping right into the heart of the Divine Core!
Inside the Divine Core, a surge of wild, powerful energy nearly crushed Shawn Young’s consciousness to dust. But he could feel his body rapidly gathering a strength unlike anything he’d ever known!
Shawn Young was thrilled—this was the power of the Divine Core! He carefully guided that mighty energy upward, inching his way through the endless darkness at the deepest part of the Illusory Sea.
Suddenly, everything lit up. Shawn Young’s dantian burned hot—he knew the power of the Divine Core was flowing out. He quickly formed the Celestial Seal with his hands, steadied Mai Kanda’s shoulders, made a sword gesture with his right hand, and chanted: "Heaven and earth, mysterious origins, all energies return to the root, across the three realms, prove my divine power—by law, grant!"
He traced an arc in the air with his sword fingers, pressing them to the center of her forehead. A burst of purple light shot from Shawn Young’s hand—whoosh!—right between Mai Kanda’s brows. To keep drawing on the Divine Core’s power, he shut his eyes and kept chanting, channeling Celestial Essence.
Almost instantly, Mai Kanda’s body trembled violently. Two minutes later, she spat out a mouthful of thick, black, foul-smelling blood. Her wounds, which had already begun to heal, quickly scabbed over and shrank, fresh skin blooming as if she’d just been born. The resentment trapped in her organs and blood drifted out as a faint purple mist, vanishing into the air. Her mind cleared, her eyes grew bright again—it was pure magic.
Her clothes had long since been stripped off by Shawn Young, and the terrifying wounds on her back were completely healed, replaced by baby-smooth, radiant skin. Her mind restored, she slowly opened her beautiful eyes, and the first thing she saw was Shawn Young—eyes closed, focused, his right hand channeling a dazzling purple light, his whole body wrapped in a glowing aura.
Mai Kanda watched the purple light moving up and down her body, washing through her meridians with mysterious power. She was bathed in a blissful divine glow, and she realized Shawn Young was using his true energy to heal her.
Mai Kanda just kept quietly watching Shawn Young. Who knows how much time passed before he finally finished channeling all the Divine Core’s power. Only then did he withdraw his energy, let out a long breath, and open his eyes, feeling lucky—and sensing his grasp of Taoist magic had just leaped to a whole new level!
"Master—you’re awake!" Mai Kanda gazed at Shawn Young, eyes brimming with emotion. She knew, from this moment on, she’d made up her mind—she would be Shawn Young’s woman for life, no matter what!