Inside the distorted spatial channel, due to its unstable formation, countless tiny cracks appeared, mercilessly tearing at Nuobai’s body.
Fortunately, Spatial Adaptation provided some resistance, and the cracks only scraped away a layer of skin and flesh.
There was nothing to brace against here, and the spatial cracks appeared randomly. Nuobai couldn’t dodge them, forced to let the chaotic currents toss her about wildly.
Carefully securing Bai Luxin with her tail against the safest part of her abdomen, she curled her body up, preparing to endure.
“Nuobai… get smaller… for me…”
Bai Luxin was dizzy and nauseous, her face a mask of pain. Her sense of direction was completely shattered.
Like a drowning person, she could only cling to the fur on Nuobai’s body.
Her head hurt so much it felt like it would explode…
She wasn’t listening again…
In the dim channel, a pale, blood-trailing meteor streaked past.
Every second felt like a year. The areas on Nuobai’s back and arms directly exposed to the outside were scraped raw, flesh stripped away.
Sensing the spatial power was about to dissipate, the end should be near.
Just as the channel was about to shatter, a four-meter-long crack appeared horizontally within it.
Nuobai slammed right into the very center of the crack, not sliding past it as before.
Her waist was brutally torn open. Only when the crack ground against her spine did it finally dissipate.
Nearly cut in half, Nuobai vomited a large mouthful of blood that drenched Bai Luxin.
Bai Luxin pleaded desperately.
“No…”
“Please… get smaller!”
By now, Nuobai could no longer hear her clearly. The claws embedded in her body slowly loosened, revealing the Bai Luxin who had been so carefully protected in her embrace.
“Nuobai!”
The channel shattered completely. The tail wrapped around Bai Luxin’s waist was severed.
She frantically tried to grab Nuobai but couldn’t see clearly or reach her.
An intense vertigo overwhelmed her, so strong she couldn’t even cry. Following the severed tail stump at her waist, she lost consciousness.
…
An unknown amount of time later, a scorching, burning heat woke her.
Bai Luxin rose dizzily, touching scalding hot sand. Her body was covered in dried blood.
“Nu… cough…”
She tried to call for Nuobai, but her parched, cracked lips couldn’t form a sound. Shielding her eyes from the sun overhead, she looked around.
The Space Button on her collar had been destroyed by a spatial crack. The supplies inside were scattered around her. There was no sign of Nuobai.
The Contract Power was depleted. She could only sense that Nuobai was also somewhere in this desert, but couldn’t pinpoint the location.
The Compass!
Remembering the compass Zhou Huimin had given her, Bai Luxin knelt on the sand, digging through it with both hands.
Many of the scattered items were buried by the sand. Not daring to waste time, she crawled on her knees across the burning sand.
Her vision went dark. Bai Luxin felt a wave of dizziness. Leaning on the sand, she forced herself not to faint again.
Feeling slightly better, she took a sip of water and finally found the compass wrapped in a piece of clothing.
Holding the severed tail stump, Bai Luxin wept as she squeezed out a drop of blood onto the compass.
Tears mixed with blood and grime streamed to the corner of her mouth. Under her gaze, the compass needle pointed in a direction.
Thank goodness. Trembling, Bai Luxin tucked the compass close to her chest. Her original backpack was lost, and she had no time to search for it.
She tied clothes together into a makeshift bundle, filling it with all the water she could carry. Of the other supplies, she only took what Nuobai might need.
Shouldering the heavy bundle, she followed the compass’s guidance and set out on the path to find Nuobai.
The sun in the sky seemed immovable. Bai Luxin didn’t know how far she had walked. Every part of her body directly exposed to the sun was covered in blisters.
The bundle on her shoulder grew heavier, but she didn’t dare stop, stumbling forward. Nuobai needed her.
Holding onto this belief, Bai Luxin swayed unsteadily but never fell.
Under prolonged exposure to the intense light, her vision began to blur. Every stretch of the way, she had to shield her eyes and carefully check the compass needle.
Found it!
The compass stopped moving!
Nuobai was somewhere in the area beneath her feet.
Overcome with joy and tears, Bai Luxin frantically dug into the sand below, not caring that her hands were getting cut.
The yellow sand was stained red.
Bai Luxin felt Nuobai’s body.
“Sob… sob…”
Weeping, she dug her out from the sand.
Nuobai’s back was a bloody, sand-caked mess. A horrifying wound at her lower back revealed white bone.
Her tail was severed, and there were other wounds of varying depths from before…
Bai Luxin took a mouthful of water, forcing herself not to swallow it, and gave it all to Nuobai.
She covered Nuobai’s relatively intact areas with clothes and began cleaning the sand from her wounds.
It was stuck fast. Bai Luxin had to take another mouthful of water, spit it onto a cloth, and wipe.
Finding this ineffective, she remembered how Nuobai had helped her on the mountain peak. She began using her tongue to clean the wounds.
For every patch of sand cleared, Bai Luxin applied a little medicine, and whatever tiny bit of Contract Power she recovered, she transferred to Nuobai.
After treating the severe wounds, a white light flashed before Bai Luxin’s eyes, and she could see nothing.
Letting out a sigh of relief, she recalled Nuobai into the Beast Taming Space, covered herself with clothes, and took small sips of water.
She needed to stay alive a little longer, so Nuobai could recover a bit more.
This time, she finally listened…
It was Nuobai’s first time staying in the Beast Taming Space for so long. Bai Luxin’s Beast Mastery power slowly but steadily repaired her injuries.
It felt warm and comfortable here, like returning to the very source of life…
Nuobai suddenly opened her eyes. An intense pain in her waist made her lose control of her lower body.
Through the Contract, she could sense she was inside Bai Luxin’s Beast Taming Space. Her current condition was extremely poor.
Nuobai shifted into human form and dragged her lower half out of the Beast Taming Space.
Bai Luxin lay unconscious under the sand, her skin sunburned, lips cracked, fingers covered in wounds, clutching the remaining supplies in her arms.
Even though she held water in her arms, she was severely dehydrated to the point of coma.
Nuobai guessed she had been saving it, perhaps never intending to survive herself.
In this vast desert, clearly, Nuobai alone had a better chance of survival.
Using the little power she had left, Nuobai constructed a small cave. Inside, she carefully fed Bai Luxin water, sip by sip.
The medical supplies were completely exhausted. Nuobai had no healing skills. Searching through the supplies, she couldn’t even find food to replenish Bai Luxin’s strength.
“I won’t let you die.”
Nuobai bit open her own wrist and fed the flowing blood to Bai Luxin. Her blood, enhanced by Twilight Power, should have some healing capability.
Only after stabilizing Bai Luxin’s condition did Nuobai begin to sense her surroundings.
Desert. Nothing but desert in all directions. Not a trace of life could be felt.
Now, with her own severe injuries and Bai Luxin still unconscious, they could only wait for the sun to set before making plans.
Nuobai lay beside Bai Luxin, focusing on repairing the wound at her waist.
The supplies they had left were enough for them to survive for a week at most. They had to find an oasis within seven days.
…
In her coma, Bai Luxin repeatedly felt a clear, sweet taste in her mouth, like a mountain spring carrying the icy chill of melting snowflakes.
Driven by physiological instinct, she greedily gulped it down until satisfied, then reluctantly released the “spring water.”
Had she died?
She hadn’t expected to taste spring water after death.
So sweet…