Chapter 124: TOO EARLY, TOO EARLY

Li Hanye reached the Apothecary Hall without stopping for even a moment, carrying Li Yan tightly against his chest.

The journey from the town had taken longer than he wanted. Although Li Yan had remained unconscious the entire way, his breathing was so faint it was almost inaudible.

Every time Li Yan became unusually still in his arms, Li Hanye’s heart would clench violently, and he would immediately lower his head to check his breath. The high fever had not receded in the slightest, and the blackened skin around his wrist had actually spread further since the mortal physician examined him — a sight that made Li Hanye’s expression darken more and more.

That mortal physician had found no swelling, no sign of venom. Yet he could not determine the cause. The medicinal decoction had only suppressed the fever temporarily. Left with no other choice, Li Hanye could only bring him directly to Fu Hanzheng.

Fu Hanzheng was inside his private chamber when Li Hanye barged in. He looked up from the pill formula in front of him, and the instant he saw the unconscious figure in Li Hanye’s arms, his brows furrowed.

Thud!

He rose to his feet abruptly. "Put him down! Quickly!"

Li Hanye carefully placed Li Yan onto the jade bed, his movements so gentle as if he were handling fragile porcelain. "Elder Fu, Yanyan collapsed after the mission. He was completely exhausted after fighting the Rank Nine demonic lizards, but his condition worsened after we left the mountain. His whole body is scorching hot, his breathing is weak, and he hasn’t woken up since. A physician in town gave him medicine, but said he couldn’t figure out the rest."

Fu Hanzheng did not reply. His face was already solemn. He sat beside the bed and placed two fingers on Li Yan’s pulse, sending a thread of pure spiritual Qi into his meridians.

The instant his Qi entered—Fu Hanzheng’s pupils constricted sharply!

What?!

The spiritual Qi inside Li Yan’s body did not flow smoothly at all. It was in complete chaos! It would gather in one place before suddenly withering, as if something was forcefully devouring it. And whenever too much Qi accumulated, another domineering force would drag it deeper into his body!

How can this be?

Fu Hanzheng’s heart stirred, but he forcibly suppressed his shock. He did not jump to conclusions. His expression turned grave as he continued — first checking the twelve main meridians, then his spiritual sea, before carefully probing toward his primordial spirit.

Fortunately, his primordial spirit remained stable and vibrant, without any sign of damage. Fu Hanzheng inwardly let out a sigh of relief.

But when his gaze fell to the blackened area around Li Yan’s wrist —His eyes narrowed.

"This..."

The discoloration did not behave like an ordinary injury. There was no swelling, no poison aura of the demonic lizards. Instead, this strange force was devouring spiritual Qi! It greedily absorbed everything around it, consumed it entirely, and then forced the leftover violent energy deeper into Li Yan’s meridians!

Fu Hanzheng followed that movement carefully, and the moment he understood the pattern, his entire body shook.

BOOM!

It was as if a thunderclap had exploded in his mind!

This symptom... this domineering devouring power... could it be...

Abnormal hunger for spiritual Qi, chaotic circulation, violent reaction to miasma, and sudden transformation of the physical body...

There was only one possibility!

Fu Hanzheng’s face turned completely ashen. Even with his centuries of cultivation and calm mind, his hand trembled imperceptibly.

The Devouring Phoenix bloodline... it has begun to awaken!

He fiercely withdrew his spiritual Qi and looked at Li Yan’s pale, feverish face before turning to Li Hanye. He must not say it. Li Hanye had only seen his brother collapse — there was no need to burden this junior with such heaven-defying information.

He forced his expression to return to calm, though his sleeves hid his tightly clenched fists.

"His condition is more complicated than ordinary Qi exhaustion," Fu Hanzheng said in a low, serious voice. "His spiritual Qi has become unstable, and his body is struggling to regulate it. The fever is part of that reaction. The decoction from town can temporarily control his temperature. Do not give him anything else unless this elder instructs you to."

Li Hanye’s expression tightened, his fists clenching so hard his knuckles turned white. "Is his life in danger, Elder Fu?"

"Not at this moment," Fu Hanzheng answered. "His primordial spirit remains stable, and his foundation has not yet been damaged beyond repair. However —" His tone became severe. "He absolutely cannot cultivate while his condition remains like this. If he forces spiritual Qi through his meridians before they stabilize, he may injure his foundation and fall into Qi Deviation!"

Qi Deviation?!

Li Hanye’s face paled instantly. He sucked in a cold breath of air. Qi Deviation was a nightmare for any cultivator! His shoulders, which had been tense the whole journey, finally relaxed slightly after hearing that his brother’s primordial spirit was unharmed, but his heart was still hanging in suspense.

"When will he wake up, Elder Fu?"

"Let his body recover naturally," Fu Hanzheng replied. "There is no need to forcefully awaken his consciousness. Once his body can support itself again, he will wake on his own."

Li Hanye nodded stiffly and reached over to straighten the blanket covering Li Yan. His fingers paused briefly near his younger brother’s shoulder, his eyes full of heartache and self-blame, before he reluctantly withdrew his hand.

"I will leave him here then. I should go recover as well before reporting to the others."

"You should," Fu Hanzheng said, his voice carrying a hint of exhaustion. "You fought two Rank Nine demonic lizards and then carried Yanyan down an entire mountain. Even if your dantian still has spiritual Qi remaining, your physical body still needs time to recuperate."

Li Hanye walked toward the door, each step heavy. Before leaving, he looked back at Li Yan for a long, long moment. His gaze was so sorrowful, so unwilling, as if he wanted to engrave Li Yan’s sleeping face into his heart before he could force himself to step away.

"Please take care of him, Elder Fu."

Fu Hanzheng watched Li Hanye leave.

Creak

He waited until the door had completely closed and the sound of footsteps faded, before his calm facade completely shattered.

Swish!

He turned back abruptly and placed his fingers against Li Yan’s wrist once more, his spiritual sense pouring in without reservation!

Without Li Hanye present, the reaction became even clearer — and more terrifying! That strange devouring force was rampaging like a starved beast, greedily absorbing all surrounding spiritual Qi! Every time it consumed more than Li Yan’s body could handle, the leftover energy would explode through his meridians in a chaotic, violent current!

The fever was only one consequence! The blackened skin showed how much unbearable pressure this premature awakening had already placed on his weak mortal frame!

Fu Hanzheng’s gaze remained fixed on Li Yan’s wrist, his expression heavier than ever before. His mind churned like a stormy sea, unable to calm down.

Too early... it is far too early!

The bloodline had awakened without waiting for Li Yan to reach the realm Fu Hanzheng had deemed necessary to control it! And the bloody battle against the Rank Nine lizards had accelerated the process far beyond what Li Yan’s current body could safely endure!

He withdrew his hand, looking at the unconscious youth who still had no idea what heaven-defying secret had just begun to awaken inside his own body.

His voice was barely a whisper, filled with disbelief and dread.

"The Devouring Phoenix bloodline... has actually awakened far too early..."