Xiao Tian sighed and instantly appeared beside the woman, supporting her as she fell.
"Forget it. Seeing how beautiful you are, I shall see this rescue through to the end—escorting the Buddha all the way to the West, as they say."
The protagonist, naturally, was not acting out of lust. He was simply completely unfamiliar with this place. This person might know where they were—perhaps she was even a native.
Xiao Tian surveyed his surroundings and found himself encircled by trees. In the distance, he could faintly discern several towering peaks.
He studied the mist-shrouded area far off. To his left lay a dense bank of fog, while to his right the forest appeared no different from an ordinary woodland, teeming with gigantic trees.
Xiao Tian lifted the young woman and strode into the forest on his right. After flying at full speed for roughly ten minutes, he carved a small cave dwelling into the face of a secluded mountain.
He concealed the entrance with vines and large boulders. Without careful inspection, it would be impossible to tell anything was there.
Xiao Tian embedded numerous Moonlight Stones into the walls, illuminating the entire stone cavern.
He retrieved the White Flame Tiger pelt he had peeled away earlier and spread it over a makeshift stone bed before laying the young woman atop it.
Seeing blood still seeping from her wounds, Xiao Tian withdrew a set of his own clothing and placed it nearby.
"Pardon me, miss."
Xiao Tian's Dou Qi surged outward, shattering her outer garments and leaving only her underclothes.
He produced a fourth-grade healing pill and fed it to her. The moment the pill entered her mouth, the bleeding from her wounds began to subside. Xiao Tian circulated the life energy of the Life Spirit Flame to speed her recovery.
As the treatment progressed, the young woman's wounds began to scab over. Xiao Tian took out strips of cotton cloth and bandaged her injuries, then lifted the robe from beside him and dressed her in it, laying her back upon the tiger pelt.
After all this, Xiao Tian sat to the side and attempted to establish a connection with the Eternal Dream Realm, only to find he could not open it.
"It seems this secret realm is quite formidable, capable even of sealing off a small world. There may be many treasures within."
The young woman remained unconscious. Xiao Tian sensed that her soul had also been significantly depleted.
Her soul power was exceptionally strong, reaching the peak of the Mortal Realm. Paired with her incredibly unstable Dou Emperor cultivation, he surmised that this woman might be an alchemist.
"It seems you, too, entered this secret realm. I only wonder where you hail from," Xiao Tian murmured, his brow furrowed as he studied her.
While Xiao Tian tended to the young woman, several figures appeared at the site where the White Flame Tiger had been slain. A young man in purple robes led them. Observing the chaotic battlefield and the skinned magical beast, he addressed those around him with a grim expression.
"Her trail vanishes here. Find her. She is our family's greatest hope. Nothing can happen to her. Even as her brother, I would not escape death should she come to harm."
The others immediately scattered to search.
A day slipped by in quiet. Xiao Tian roused from his cultivation, took out another healing pill, and walked toward the young woman.
This was already the fourth time he had fed her a healing pill. Her injuries were nearly healed. After this dose, her body would likely recover fully, though her soul was still mending slowly—hence her continued unconsciousness.
Xiao Tian gently parted the young woman's lips. Just as he was about to place the pill inside, her eyelashes fluttered, and she abruptly opened her eyes.
Seeing her awaken, Xiao Tian's movements stiffened momentarily. The pill nearly slipped from his fingers.
He met her gradually clearing gaze and asked softly, "You are awake?"
The young woman's eyes held a trace of confusion. She glanced around, then looked at Xiao Tian and the pill in his hand. In a slightly hoarse voice, she asked,
"You saved me? Where is this?"
She still remembered Xiao Tian. Before she had lost consciousness, it had been this man who killed the White Flame Tiger that had regarded her as prey.
Xiao Tian placed the pill into her mouth, then withdrew his hand.
"This is a stone chamber I excavated. It serves as a temporary shelter."
When the pill first entered her mouth, she had instinctively wanted to resist. But upon sensing its potent life energy, she relented.
"This is a healing pill. It is the fourth one you have taken. Rest assured, the pill is entirely safe." Xiao Tian offered a gentle smile, noting the wariness still lingering in her eyes.
The young woman assessed her physical condition and discovered her injuries were nearly fully healed, though her soul still felt somewhat uncomfortable.
But as her gaze dropped, she realized she was clad in a pale blue robe. She tugged the robe slightly open and saw that her own garments were gone. Her body was wrapped in layers of cotton bandages.
Then she noticed the fragments of clothing on the ground and recalled the faint apology she had heard after collapsing...
Her entire body stiffened. It appeared that everything except her most private areas had been seen. She was utterly stunned.
"Cough. It was an emergency. Your clothes were soaked in blood. To stop the bleeding and dress your wounds, I had no alternative but to do so." Xiao Tian cleared his throat lightly, apologizing as he sensed her unusual reaction and connected it to her actions.
"Thank... thank you. You were saving me. I understand. It is fine."
The young woman was dazed for a moment, her voice trembling slightly, but she still displayed understanding.
She stole a secret glance at Xiao Tian. When she beheld his face—like an immortal cast down to the mortal realm—her cheeks flushed faintly. An unconscious thought even surfaced: *It does not seem like much of a loss.*
Indeed, handsome looks came with privileges. It was akin to being saved by someone attractive—when there was no way to repay such kindness, one offered oneself. Had her savior been unpleasing to the eye, with no way to repay, one could only toil as a beast of burden in the next life to settle such an immense debt.
"Do you know this forest, or what manner of place this is?" Xiao Tian asked, relieved that the woman showed no signs of suicidal despair.
"This is the Phantom Forest. A secret realm. Did you not know?" She regarded him with some confusion. Before entering, all families and affiliated powers were thoroughly briefed.
"Could you explain in detail? I entered this place by accident. I am utterly unfamiliar with it. Are you a native of this realm?"
"Yes."
Following this, the woman recounted to Xiao Tian everything she knew about the secret realm.
From her words, Xiao Tian learned that this was a secret realm jointly discovered by several families and a major power of the Central Plains. Countless precious medicinal herbs grew within, and there were even regions they had yet to explore.
Rare and priceless medicinal herbs flourished here. There were even substances capable of enhancing soul power.
The herbs and other treasures all grew within the dense, mist-enshrouded forest. To obtain them, one had to venture into the mist.
However, not only did illusions pervade the mist, but certain herbs were also guarded by magical beasts, rendering it exceedingly difficult to advance and harvest them. One could easily perish within without exercising extreme caution.
"Have you entered this secret realm before?"