Murong Wan heard a familiar voice and struggled to open her eyes.

"You... why are you here too? Isn’t this what you wanted to see?"

A mocking smile appeared on her lips, not believing that Cheng Ruonan was remorseful, just regretting not being able to harvest the spiritual energy within her.

"No! I didn’t!"

Cheng Ruonan was somewhat agitated, grasping Murong Wan’s hand.

"Wan’Er, I admit I wanted to use you to absorb spiritual energy before, but I didn’t know the Gathering Spirit Technique would cause so much harm to your body. I never wanted you to die."

Murong Wan lacked the strength to shake off her hand but turned her face away, staring straight at Yang Cheng.

"Yang Cheng, am I dying soon? I’m still so young, not married or with children, I really don’t want to die."

Murong Wan let out a bitter smile, and then tears began to fall like beads breaking off a string.

She could clearly feel her life force slipping away, losing strength bit by bit, her consciousness slowly growing murky, even the people in front of her were getting blurry.

"I’m here, there’s no way I’m letting you die, don’t worry."

Yang Cheng’s voice was gentle.

Murong Wan gently nodded, then fell into a half-comatose state, unable to muster the energy to speak.

"Ms. Ruonan, later I’ll first inject True Qi to protect her heart meridian, and you act immediately to remove the Soul-Devouring Lotus Seal from her body."

"Okay!"

Cheng Ruonan hurriedly agreed, looking at Murong Wan with eyes full of worry.

She was so foolish back then, the Sect Leader said the Gathering Spirit Technique had no impact, so she deceived Murong Wan into cultivating.

It’s only right for Murong Wan to hate her now, if it were herself, she wouldn’t forgive such a master either. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Yang Cheng immediately activated his cultivation technique, continuously pouring True Qi into Murong Wan’s body.

Right now it’s vital to protect her heart meridian and stabilize her vital signs, or else she wouldn’t last until the Soul-Devouring Lotus Seal is removed, she’d exhaust her Essence Qi and perish.

But Murong Wan’s body seemed like a bottomless pit, he injected so much True Qi, yet only barely managed to protect her heart meridian, not enough to awaken her at all.

"Now’s the time to act, it has to be quick."

Yang Cheng quickly spoke.

Cheng Ruonan nodded, extended a hand, placing it above Murong Wan’s chest.

Seconds later, a faint pink lotus mark appeared on her white collarbone.

As the True Qi in Cheng Ruonan’s palm grew stronger, the mark’s color deepened, gradually turning dark red, flashing with a seductive glow.

The unconscious Murong Wan felt pain, her brows furrowed tightly, and pained whimpers escaped her lips.

That seductive lotus mark grew increasingly vivid, emitting a cold and eerie aura that gave everyone in the room an involuntary shudder.

Cheng Ruonan knew Murong Wan’s body was extremely weak at this moment, so there’s no room for error in removing the Soul-Devouring Lotus Seal.

Her face turned serious, continuing to channel her inner True Qi, trying to extract the Soul-Devouring Lotus Seal.

Yang Cheng’s eyes watched the lotus mark, noticing it gently spinning, emitting a red and eerie power.

According to what is recorded in the "Tome of the Ghost Doctor", once the Soul-Devouring Lotus Seal is planted inside, it merges with the soul, others cannot destroy the mark.

But for Cheng Ruonan, who initiated it, it shouldn’t be too difficult, yet why hasn’t it been done despite consuming so much time?

Yang Cheng pondered silently, but didn’t ask aloud, for fear of interrupting Cheng Ruonan.

Another five minutes passed, still with no changes, while beads of sweat trickled from Yang Cheng and Cheng Ruonan’s foreheads.

Continuously consuming True Qi without a moment’s recovery left them both unable to sustain much longer.

Especially Cheng Ruonan, she was merely at the Qi Refining Realm, completely unable to withstand such massive consumption.

"Ms. Ruonan, you should stop for now."

Yang Cheng finally couldn’t help but speak, though he continued steadily pouring True Qi.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Ruonan promptly ceased, her body swaying, almost collapsing.

"Ruonan!"

Cheng Qiyue hurriedly rushed to hold her, helping her sit at the bedside.

"How did it turn out like this, removing the Soul-Devouring Lotus Seal shouldn’t be so difficult, but I just tried so hard, and the Soul-Devouring Lotus Seal just wouldn’t come out, why on earth?"

Cheng Ruonan was panting, her pretty eyes full of disbelief and panic.

Before planting the Soul-Devouring Lotus Seal on Murong Wan, she had tested it on other disciples; whenever she injected True Qi and forcefully peeled off the mark, it could be removed.

Now her strength was even greater, peeling it off should be easier, why hasn’t the Soul-Devouring Lotus Seal had any change at all?

"Check if there’s any difference with the Soul-Devouring Lotus Seal from before."

Yang Cheng reminded her.

Cheng Ruonan immediately bent down, scrutinizing the mark on Murong Wan’s collarbone meticulously, ensuring not to overlook any detail.

Suddenly, her pupils contracted, and she exclaimed in alarm: "It really is different, there’s an extra flame-shaped petal in the center!"

"An extra petal?"

Yang Cheng furrowed his brows. He too didn’t understand why, urgently closing his eyes, seeking guidance within the "Tome of the Ghost Doctor".

The Soul-Devouring Lotus Seal is a forbidden technique, detailed in the "Tome of the Ghost Doctor". It clearly states the Soul-Devouring Lotus Seal would mutate over time.

But typically, mutations have prerequisites, like absorbing certain forces or undergoing powerful impacts.

Yang Cheng pondered carefully, roughly forming a conjecture, then spoke: "Perhaps she absorbed my essence before, causing the Soul-Devouring Lotus Seal within her to mutate."

"The Soul-Devouring Lotus Seal can mutate too?"

Cheng Ruonan’s brows almost knitted together, quickly asking: "Then what do we do now?"

Yang Cheng was also uncertain, but he promised Murong Wan he’d save her, so he couldn’t break his word.

"I’ll first use needles to temporarily protect her heart meridian, then the two of us will act simultaneously, jointly peeling off the Soul-Devouring Lotus Seal."

"Let’s do it your way."

Cheng Ruonan immediately complied, utterly at a loss, she could only follow Yang Cheng’s approach and give it her all.

"But right now Murong Wan’s body is too weak to endure a second peeling, so we can only succeed once. If we fail, she..."

Yang Cheng didn’t continue, but Cheng Ruonan already understood, her hands trembling with panic.

Seeing her so nervous, Yang Cheng quickly reassured: "With our combined strength, the probability of success is high. I’m just reminding you, no matter what happens later, don’t let yourself get distracted."

"I understand, I’ll give it my all."

Cheng Ruonan bit her red lips, silently praying in her heart.

Beside them, Cheng Qiyue listened to their conversation and suggested: "Yang Cheng, after you use the needles, I’ll protect her heart meridian. Although my True Qi isn’t as strong as yours, I can still buy her a bit more time, allowing you to act without worry."