freenovelworld Chapter 375 Post-War Exhaustion
Chapter 375 Post-War Exhaustion
The smoke gradually dissipated, but the pungent smell of blood still permeated the air for a long time. Yun Yao and Chu Mochen collapsed on the ground covered with gravel and blood. Their clothes were torn and their hair was scattered messily on both sides of their cheeks. Sweat and blood intertwined and slid down their tired faces.
Yun Yao felt as if all the strength in her body had been drained away. Every inch of her muscles was aching in protest, and her bones seemed to be falling apart. Her spiritual power was almost exhausted. When she practiced the exercises, her body was empty, and only the weak spiritual power was struggling to travel through her meridians, causing bursts of stabbing pain. Her vision was a little blurry, and the scene in front of her was hazy as if separated by a layer of gauze. She barely raised her eyes and looked around. The originally solemn and majestic sect with pavilions and towers was now completely unrecognizable.
Half of the towering mountain gate collapsed, huge stones scattered all over the ground, and the plaque engraved with the history and glory of the sect was broken into several pieces and buried in the dust. On the martial arts field, deep gullies crisscrossed, which were the traces left by the fierce collision of spiritual power. The field where disciples usually practiced martial arts was now covered with broken limbs and arms, and blood dyed the ground dark red, which was shocking. In the distance, the library was on fire, and precious books turned to ashes in the flames. The light of knowledge inheritance was crumbling in this disaster. Most of the disciples' residences were also destroyed, and the faint groans of the injured were occasionally heard among the ruins.
Chu Mochen was not much better. He lay on his side, his chest heaving violently, gasping for air. His right arm hung limply, a deep wound that could be seen through the bone pierced through his forearm, blood gushed out, dyeing the ground beneath him red. The sequelae of overdrawing his spiritual power gave him a splitting headache. Every time he tried to gather spiritual power to suppress the pain of the wound, he was met with a stronger dizziness. He forced himself to look at Yun Yao, his eyes full of heartache and self-blame.
"Yun Yao, how are you?" Chu Mochen's voice was hoarse and weak, revealing endless concern.
Yun Yao wanted to respond, but found that her throat was so dry that she couldn't make a sound. She could only shake her head slightly to indicate that she was fine. However, this slight movement caused multiple wounds on her body to be injured, causing her to gasp in pain.
The two of them just lay there quietly, letting time slowly pass, as if only the quietness of the moment could comfort their exhausted bodies and minds a little. After a long time, Yun Yao gathered some strength and struggled to sit up. Seeing this, Chu Mochen, regardless of his own pain, quickly reached out to support her.
"Slow down, don't try to be stubborn." Chu Mochen said softly.
Yun Yao leaned on his shoulder, looking around at the tragic scene, tears welling up in her eyes. In this war, the price they paid was too heavy. Those familiar brothers and sisters from the same sect, who usually practiced and talked together, now have many of them closed their eyes forever; hundreds of years of foundation of the sect have been destroyed by the rampage of the dark forces. All of this weighed on her heart like a huge rock.
"We held on, but at a great price..." Yun Yao choked, her voice filled with tears.
Chu Mochen held her hand tightly, as if to give her strength, and as if to cheer himself up: "As long as you and I are still here, there is hope for the sect. Their sacrifice will not be in vain. We will definitely rebuild the sect and restore its former glory."
Having said that, both of them knew that the road to reconstruction was easier said than done. Not to mention the huge amount of resources required, just comforting the surviving disciples and boosting their morale was already a daunting task.
After a while, there were slight footsteps in the distance. It was a few disciples who were less seriously injured, supporting each other and walking over. When they saw Yun Yao and Chu Mochen, hope shone in their eyes.
"Senior Brother Chu, Senior Sister Yun, I'm so glad you're all okay!" a disciple shouted excitedly, his eyes red.
Yun Yao forced a smile and consoled him, "We are fine. Is everyone okay?"
The disciples looked gloomy when they heard this. One of them lowered his head and said sadly: "Many brothers and sisters... We tried our best, but the enemy was too strong."
Chu Mochen patted his shoulder and said in a deep voice: "Everyone has done their best. Next, let's work together to make the sect stand up again."
Everyone supported each other and stood up, and began to search for survivors and treat the wounded in the ruins. Yun Yao and Chu Mochen also joined in, enduring the pain. Every time a stone slab was turned over, every time a weak cry for help was heard, their hearts tightened. In the process, they saw too many heartbreaking scenes: some disciples hugged the bodies of their fellow disciples tightly, and never let go until they died; some wounded people struggled under the ruins, just waiting for rescue, and breathed their last when they saw them.
As the rescue work progressed, the surviving disciples gradually gathered together. Some of them were seriously injured, some had empty eyes, and their faces were full of trauma and fatigue from the war. Yun Yao looked at these young but suffering faces, and her heart was full of compassion and determination.
“Dear fellow brothers and sisters, although we suffered heavy losses in today’s battle, we were able to repel the forces of darkness. The sect is our home, and even though it is now in ruins, as long as we work together, we will surely be able to reborn from the ashes. Everyone should rest and recover first, and we will rebuild our home together later.” Yun Yao’s voice was not loud, but it was filled with unquestionable power and echoed in everyone’s ears.
The disciples nodded when they heard this, and a glimmer of light appeared in their eyes. They began to help each other, build simple tents, and take care of the seriously injured. Chu Mochen took a few disciples who were in better health to count the supplies and check the damage in various parts of the sect to prepare for the subsequent reconstruction work.
Yun Yao came to the temporary place where the wounded were placed. The place was filled with the strong smell of medicine and blood. She checked the injuries of the wounded one by one, and sent them spiritual power to relieve their pain. Looking at those faces distorted by pain, Yun Yao secretly vowed in her heart that she must become stronger and protect the people around her.
After a long busy time, the sky gradually darkened, and the night was like a black curtain, slowly covering the ruins. Yun Yao dragged her extremely exhausted body to a relatively quiet corner in the back mountain of the sect. She could no longer hold on, and slowly sat down against a big tree, tears streaming down her eyes.
Today's battle had made her experience too many life and death separations, and also made her deeply aware of the limitations of her own strength. Although she had comprehended a new realm of martial arts at the last moment and turned the tide of the battle, if she could be stronger, would it be possible to reduce some casualties? Would it be possible to reduce the losses of the sect? All kinds of self-blame and regret surged in her heart, making her cry.
After an unknown amount of time, there was a slight sound of footsteps behind her. Yun Yao knew it was Chu Mochen without turning around. He sat down beside her and gently held her in his arms.
"Cry if you want to. Everything today is too heavy." Chu Mochen's voice was gentle and low, with endless tolerance.
Yun Yao leaned in his arms and burst into tears, as if she wanted to vent all her pain, grievances and pressure. Chu Mochen just held her quietly, patted her back, and gave her silent comfort.
When Yun Yao's crying gradually subsided, Chu Mochen spoke softly: "I know what you are thinking. We have all tried our best in this battle. Your performance today is already heroic. If you hadn't comprehended the new skills at the critical moment, we would have all died at the hands of the enemy today. Don't blame yourself. Let's work together in the future and never let such a tragedy happen again."
Yun Yao raised her tear-stained face and looked at Chu Mochen, her eyes full of emotion and determination: "You are right, let's work hard together. This battle also made me see a lot clearly. Strength is the foundation of protecting everything. I want to break through as soon as possible and become stronger."
Chu Mochen nodded and held her hand tightly: "I will accompany you. From now on, no matter the wind or rain, we will walk hand in hand."
The moonlight shines on the two of them, coating them with a layer of silver, as if lighting a lamp of hope in this dark ruin. They lean on each other, exhausted but full of strength, ready to meet the difficult challenge of rebuilding the sect and take a firm step towards the unknown future. On this post-war ruin, their feelings are like fine steel tempered by fire, becoming more and more tenacious, becoming the most solid support in each other's hearts, supporting them to go through the wind and rain, rebuild their homes, and explore a higher realm of cultivation.
As the night deepened, everything was silent, with only the occasional low moan of the wounded breaking the tranquility. Yun Yao and Chu Mochen knew that tomorrow would be another difficult day, but they were not afraid, because they had each other and the belief in common protection, and this power would support them through the darkness and greet the dawn.