Nirvana Cauldron met with sudden disaster, everything came too abruptly, Ye Lingyue just felt a burning heat assaulting her entire body.

By the time she came to her senses, her body was already tightly embraced within a pair of iron-like arms.

"Wu Zhong?" As she and Wu Zhong tumbled into the Taiyin Nirvana Fire, Ye Lingyue caught the scent of the man, a familiar yet domineering aroma, and she instantly realized.

No wonder she felt that this disciple from the Fire Control Sect was so familiar, he was Wu Zhong.

But she didn't get an affirmative answer.

Below the Eight Earth-level Spirit Swords of the Taiyi Sect, there was a seal.

The successive attacks launched by Bo Qing and Wu Zhong broke the seal beneath the swords.

The Nirvana Fire was not ordinary, and Ye Lingyue, being closest to the Nirvana Cauldron, should have suffered the most intense flame damage.

But in the very last moment, Wu Zhong shielded her in his arms, blocking most of the Nirvana Fire.

The scorching flames caused skin to crack and flesh to burst open; having inhaled a large amount of smoke and dust, Wu Zhong and Ye Lingyue both fell into the cauldron.

When they hit the ground, Wu Zhong let out a muffled groan and passed out.

But even in unconsciousness, Wu Zhong's hands, still like iron bars, held Ye Lingyue tightly, his back already in complete disarray due to the Nirvana Fire.

Ye Lingyue hurriedly got up, but it took a lot of effort to extricate herself from Wu Zhong's embrace.

The man's hug was as domineering as his temperament.

Ye Lingyue's stature, though not short for a woman, seemed very thin in front of Wu Zhong.

She exerted some strength to drag Wu Zhong to the side.

Nirvana Fire could even melt Nirvana Iron, highlighting its extreme heat.

If not for Wu Zhong's high level of cultivation, he would have likely been burnt to death long ago.

Even so, his body still had large areas of burn injuries, even beneath the gold mask, his pale cherry lips were blistered.

Ye Lingyue looked around and found that after falling into the fire cauldron, they were not directly burnt to death, but rather ended up in a desolate plain.

Fortunately, there was no Nirvana Fire around, and aside from being remote and not knowing where the exit was, this place looked no different from an ordinary plain on the mainland.

Could it be that, like the Qian Cauldron, the Nirvana Cauldron also housed an Outer World Cave Heaven?

Ye Lingyue steadied herself, and when she looked up again, she saw the eight Earth-level Spirit Swords floating in the sky.

Wu Zhong, at the last moment, had gathered the eight swords into his keeping.

After he was injured, these eight spirit swords seemed to have recognized him as their master, loyally following by his side.

The man on the ground furrowed his brows in pain; the injuries on his body were not light, seeing that he was hurt on her behalf, Ye Lingyue decided to heal him first.

After all, in this unknown region, one more person meant one more chance to get out.

Having been reborn, Ye Lingyue, who could now be considered half a doctor, treated Wu Zhong's basic wounds.

Her gaze fell upon Wu Zhong's face, the gold mask symbolizing the identity of the Ghost Emperor, covering the man's three-dimensional features.

It was said that the Ghost Emperor was incredibly ugly, and everyone who had seen him was dead.

The gossip from Lan Cai'er echoed in her ears.

Unknown, what exactly lay beneath that mask of his.

Unspeakably ugly or just plain-looking... A strong curiosity drove Ye Lingyue.

Listening to the man's steady breathing, Ye Lingyue gathered her courage, her hand landing on Wu Zhong's mask.

The chilly touch of metal made Ye Lingyue's fingers slightly tremble.

Just as Ye Lingyue was about to lift the mask, those sealed eyes suddenly opened.

Their gazes collided.

Caught red-handed, Ye Lingyue's hand awkwardly paused in mid-air.

"Are you very eager to see what's under my mask?"

Despite being severely injured, Wu Zhong propped himself up as if nothing had happened.

This man, even in the face of serious injury, still possessed an astonishing presence.

Was he conscious all this time, or had he been awake from the very beginning?

"You're awake? Who said I wanted to look? I just saw some dirt on the mask," Ye Lingyue lied, but her sparkling eyes betrayed her intense curiosity to Wu Zhong.

The Ye Lingyue that Wu Zhong knew was usually like a cunning mother fox, with a mindset and shrewdness beyond her years.

Yet at times, she was like a naive little girl, with everything written on her face.

"Your mouth is deceitful, but your eyes are quite honest. Believe me, you definitely do not want to see my real face." Due to having inhaled smoke, Wu Zhong's voice sounded less domineering and more hoarse than usual, even carrying a hint of gentleness.

At this point, he paused.

The burns from the Nirvana Fire were much more severe than Wu Zhong had anticipated.

His limbs and chest were extensively burned.

Being in the desolate Nirvana Fire Array, they lacked the necessary medicinal herbs for treatment.

Ye Lingyue's Hong Meng Heaven did have some Medicinal Grass, but she dared not expose the secret of Hong Meng Heaven in front of Wu Zhong.

However, Wu Zhong's constitution was robust; lacking medicine, he could endure a few days.

Another issue, more troubling than the Medicinal Grass, occupied Ye Lingyue's thoughts.

Thanks to the injury and the Nirvana Fire, Wu Zhong's Bone Shrinking Technique had also failed.

Wu Zhong's original frame was much taller than the Sixth Junior Brother of the Fire Control Sect, and now that he had returned to his true size, his clothing was naturally unwearable.

Not to mention, most of his clothes had been burnt to ashes by the Nirvana Fire, leaving him almost completely bare. Only a piece of fabric resembling boxer shorts hung around his lower abdomen for modesty.

The man himself didn't seem to feel the slightest embarrassment as he stood up boldly in front of Ye Lingyue.

Compared to him, Ye Lingyue was absolutely dressed prim and proper.

"Could you not sway back and forth?" Ye Lingyue spoke "feebly," trying her best not to look, but her eyes uncontrollably drifted towards Wu Zhong.

Though she had treated patients and even had intimate contact with Feng Xun, the frail Feng Xun was entirely different from the half-naked man before her.

It could not go without saying that Wu Zhong had an excellent physique, tall but not overly muscular. He had long legs and a nicely defined six-pack.

As her gaze lingered slightly, Ye Lingyue noticed a tattoo in front of Feng Xun.

It was a fierce ghost face of a dark teal shade.

The pattern and color of the tattoo reminded Ye Lingyue of the tattoo on Feng Xun's body.

Impossible, the tattoo on Feng Xun's body was not like this.

As Ye Lingyue pondered.

"Have you had enough? If not, there will be plenty of time for you to look in the future," Wu Zhong walked up to Ye Lingyue, looking down at her with a teasing gaze.

~ Bonus chapter for 940 monthly tickets, any more monthly tickets left? Regarding updates, Da Fu will still try hard next month; you have summer vacation, but I'll be working overtime every day ~