Chapter 241 - 153: Cloud-Stepping Immortal Leopard

Chapter 241: Chapter 153: Cloud-Stepping Immortal Leopard

Zhong Yi had initially only been somewhat interested in treating the Cloud-Stepping Immortal Leopard.

He had never treated an Immortal Tier Guardian Beast before and was curious to see how effective the Resurrection Celestial Lord’s Healing Ability was on Immortal Tier creatures.

But when he heard that the Cloud-Stepping Immortal Leopard’s injuries were extremely severe, with Origin-Level internal damage that had penetrated deep into its vital organs, his interest was truly piqued.

He hoped that by treating the Cloud-Stepping Immortal Leopard, he could store its injuries within the oasis swirling around the Resurrection Celestial Lord, building up power for his trump card.

After Wen Tao’s reminder, Cui Heng realized he might have been getting carried away.

If the Star Emperor found out he had asked a teenager like Zhong Yi to treat the internal injuries of an Immortal Tier Cloud-Stepping Immortal Leopard, he would never hear the end of it.

Just as Cui Heng was about to change the subject, he heard Zhong Yi say with keen interest,

"Elder Cui, why don’t you go ahead and summon your pet?"

Before Cui Heng could summon the Cloud-Stepping Immortal Leopard, Zhong Yi had already summoned his own Order Beast, the Resurrection Celestial Lord.

Seeing the humanoid Order Beast Zhong Yi had summoned, Cui Heng found it difficult to change the subject.

He had no choice but to release the Cloud-Stepping Immortal Leopard from his Storage Pouch.

The Cloud-Stepping Immortal Leopard was snow-white, its fur hiding faint, cloud-shaped patterns.

In the center of each cloud pattern was a deep purple spot.

A Cloud-Stepping Immortal Leopard that had reached the Immortal Tier would naturally have an immense true form.

But in its shrunken state of less than a meter, the Cloud-Stepping Immortal Leopard looked just like an energetic house cat.

Without waiting for Cui Heng to explain the situation, Zhong Yi had the Resurrection Celestial Lord cast the Basic Skill, Recovery Enlightenment, on the leopard.

A beam of green light filled with Healing Energy descended upon the Cloud-Stepping Immortal Leopard, causing it to squint its eyes in comfort.

Without even a pat from Cui Heng, the Cloud-Stepping Immortal Leopard let out a comfortable PURR.

The sudden roar, like a powerful engine, made the Guardian Beast Carriage tremble slightly.

Zhong Yi didn’t rashly use his All Things Exploration Ability on the Cloud-Stepping Immortal Leopard.

Given the leopard’s power, it would surely become wary if he used All Things Exploration on it.

Zhong Yi’s only goal was to treat the leopard’s injuries. The Resurrection Celestial Lord’s Healing Energy circulated through its body, and a single pass was enough for him to get a clear picture of its internal condition.

As the green light coursed through the Cloud-Stepping Immortal Leopard, Zhong Yi’s expression grew more and more solemn.

Cui Heng, who had never seen Zhong Yi perform a treatment before, thought to himself, ’Treating an Immortal Tier Cloud-Stepping Immortal Leopard really is too much for him.’

Zhong Yi’s grave expression made Cui Heng worry.

’He won’t be so discouraged by this setback that he’ll never recover, will he!?’

’If that happens, won’t I become a pariah in Starlight City?’

"Elder Cui, I can see you have a very deep bond with your Cloud-Stepping Immortal Leopard."

"For it to have six such severe wounds and still be in this good of a condition, you must have used a great many precious materials to care for it."

Zhong Yi’s words left Cui Heng, Wen Tao, and Sun Yushi, who was sitting off to the side, all with expressions of utter astonishment.

Wen Tao and Sun Yushi were astonished that Zhong Yi could actually discern the leopard’s injuries.

Cui Heng, however, was astonished for a different reason: the Cloud-Stepping Immortal Leopard clearly only had five internal injuries.

’Where did a sixth one come from!?’

Although he had only exchanged a few sentences with Zhong Yi, from their conversation so far, Cui Heng was certain the boy wasn’t one to make baseless claims.

"Xiaoyi, you said my Cloud-Stepping Immortal Leopard has six wounds. Why don’t you elaborate?"

After a moment of consideration, Zhong Yi explained what the Resurrection Celestial Lord had detected.

"The first wound is in its tailbone. It must have been broken before. Even after it grew back, that severely damaged vertebra never fully healed."

"The second is a claw mark on the left lung, the third is a claw mark to the left of the heart, and the fourth is a piercing wound in the liver."

"The fifth wound is to its gallbladder, which I believe is still shattered."

"All of these wounds carry a distinct Undead aura. The aura is consistent, suggesting they were all inflicted by the same Undead Creature."

Zhong Yi’s words perfectly matched Cui Heng’s own understanding of the leopard’s injuries.

Moreover, the second through fifth wounds he described had indeed been inflicted by an Immortal Tier, Undead-Element Guardian Beast.

Cui Heng had sought out many Healers to treat his Cloud-Stepping Immortal Leopard.

Many of them failed to diagnose that the injuries were from an Undead-Element Guardian Beast, assuming instead that they were caused by some Bizarre creature of the Curse Element.

The fact that Zhong Yi could so clearly describe the leopard’s injuries was enough to prove his skill.

"Xiaoyi, didn’t you say there were six wounds?"

"Where is the other one?"

Zhong Yi asked Cui Heng,

"Elder Cui, this Cloud-Stepping Immortal Leopard is usually by your side, correct? I wonder, does it exhibit any abnormal behavior at night, when the Dark Elemental Energy is dense?"

"Perhaps convulsions, fainting, or even suddenly becoming savage and briefly losing control."

From Cui Heng’s expression, Zhong Yi knew he already had his answer.

"The sixth wound... is in the Cloud-Stepping Immortal Leopard’s soul."

"That Undead Creature must have possessed a method for attacking the soul, or perhaps the Cloud-Stepping Immortal Leopard accidentally inhaled some of its Soul Fire during the battle."

"As a result, the creature’s Soul Fire has partially fused with the leopard’s soul, causing these symptoms."

The moment Zhong Yi finished speaking, the faces of the three men in the carriage fell.

The Cloud-Stepping Immortal Leopard also slumped listlessly to the floor, burying its head in Cui Heng’s arms.

Wounds to the soul are far more difficult to treat than physical ones.

This is especially true for cases where a soul is corrupted by that of an Undead Creature, causing it to change.

The souls of Undead Creatures are extremely potent; one might even say the soul *is* the creature’s true self.

A soul altered by the Soul Fire of an Undead Creature is considered impossible to restore.

Furthermore, this alteration only worsens with time.

Wen Tao looked at Cui Heng and asked softly,

"Elder Cui, back during the battle, did what Xiaoyi described happen?"

After a long moment, Cui Heng shook his head.

"My own injuries were too severe at the time. I don’t know the specifics of what happened."

"When I woke up, the Undead Creature was already dead. The Cloud-Stepping Immortal Leopard and my Lifebound Guardian Beast, the Great Dark Blood Scythe Bat, were both heavily injured and unconscious beside me."

"However, the symptoms Xiaoyi described are real. At night, the leopard has had problems with fainting and convulsions."

"In the past two years, it has started to occasionally lose control of its body during these convulsions."

As he spoke, Cui Heng couldn’t help but pull the leopard’s head into his arms, and a sorrowful atmosphere instantly filled the Guardian Beast Carriage.

Zhong Yi cleared his throat, shattering the mood.

"Well, I’ll begin the treatment then!"

"I’ve never treated an Immortal Tier Guardian Beast before, so I can’t make any promises."

"However, Elder Cui, even if the Cloud-Stepping Immortal Leopard’s soul has been corrupted by the Soul Fire of an Undead Creature, it doesn’t necessarily mean it can’t be restored."

Since boarding the Guardian Beast Vehicle, Zhong Yi had already surprised the three men more than once.

But his latest words still left them utterly shocked.

Cui Heng had always been puzzled as to why the Cloud-Stepping Immortal Leopard exhibited those strange behaviors at night.

At first, he had assumed its behavior was related to its damaged internal organs.

He never imagined the problem actually lay with its soul.

While rare, cases of a soul being altered by the Soul Fire of an Undead Creature were not unheard of.

But there had never been a single precedent of such an injury being cured.

When Zhong Yi had diagnosed the leopard’s injuries, Cui Heng had already confirmed the boy’s skill.

Still, Cui Heng found it hard to believe that Zhong Yi could actually heal the wound to the Cloud-Stepping Immortal Leopard’s soul.