The spiritual energy that surged between heaven and earth was incredibly pure and vast, majestically flooding mostly into Delaney Hunter’s body, with a small portion entering the body of Carson Flores, who was holding her.
Carson didn’t want to take advantage of Delaney or affect her advancement, but he was high in the sky with Delaney unconscious. He couldn’t just drop her, could he?
Although he could land in the valley, Carson was worried that if he descended, the spiritual energy in the air might lose its target and interrupt the process—then what?
Fortunately, only a small amount of spiritual energy poured into Carson’s body. Gritting his teeth, he decided to indulge in this unexpected benefit.
Even though the proportion absorbed by Carson was small, he was in the Golden Core Realm. Delaney, who was undergoing Heavenly Tribulation to successfully ascend, would be a powerhouse at the Divinity Transformation Stage. What was a not-so-substantial amount of spiritual energy for Delaney amounted to quite a lot for Carson.
Carson had previously helped Delaney refine her Sword Bone, sitting motionless for three months—in other words, he cultivated for three months. His power had already increased significantly. Now with ultra-pure spiritual energy pouring into him, his Golden Core spun wildly, absorbing maniacally, and his strength rapidly climbed even more firmly.
The infusion of nature’s spiritual energy didn’t last long, but the effects were intensely potent.
The robust aura from Delaney kept climbing; her entire being emanated a wild and fierce air like that of a ferocious beast. Since Delaney was unconscious, this aura spread unrestrained, causing hearts to palpitate with its might.
As the spiritual energy infused like mad, Delaney’s many wounds healed at a visible rate, scabbing over and then peeling off, as her skin regained its supple whiteness free from the earlier gruesome sight.
Then came an awkward moment.
Delaney’s clothes had turned to ashes under the thunder and lightning, leaving her stark naked. Before, her body was covered in wounds, scorched and bleeding, presenting a terribly sorrowful sight that would only elicit sympathy and concern. But now, healed of all injuries, everything was restored to its original state, with the newly grown skin even appearing more smooth and pale.
An unexpected event had occurred when the refinement of the Sword Bone was completed, allowing Carson a feast for his eyes. Now it was even more exaggerated.
There was no cover at all.
Everything was clearly revealed at such close quarters!
No, she was even in Carson’s arms, held like a princess, with all her beauty displayed before him.
It had been over a year since Carson had last touched a woman, and the sight nearly made him bleed from the nose.
All Carson could do was to close his eyes, avoid looking or thinking about it, and desperately absorb the spiritual energy infused into his body to distract himself.
As time passed, the torrential spiritual energy from the sky gradually ceased, and the heavens returned to normal.
Carson opened his eyes, confirmed the infusion of spiritual energy had ended, and quickly descended the valley with Delaney. He took a wool blanket from the Space Ring, spread it on a smooth rock, laid her down, and covered her with another blanket.
At that moment, Carson finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as Carson was about to get up, Delaney opened her eyes, and for a moment, their gazes locked.
Carson immediately panicked.
"Senior sister, you’re awake..."
Delaney glanced at the blanket on her body, knowing without lifting it that she wore no clothes. Her face instantly reddened with a mix of embarrassment and annoyance in her eyes.
Carson hurriedly explained, "During the last lightning strike, you passed out and fell from the sky. I caught you, fearing you would get hurt. The spiritual energy started pouring in, and I didn’t want to interrupt it by landing in the valley. I had no choice but to hold you in mid-air to absorb the spiritual energy. I... I didn’t look..."
Carson originally wanted to say that he didn’t look but couldn’t bring himself to utter such a lie. After all, who would believe him saying he hadn’t looked?
Biting her lip, Delaney asked abruptly, "Did you like what you saw?"
Lost in his embarrassment and caught off guard, Carson responded, "It was lovely... uh, Senior Sister, I didn’t mean to; I closed my eyes afterward..."
Delaney watched as Carson fumbled with his awkward explanation, feeling a mix of bashfulness and more complex emotions.
Having seen and held her, what else could she do?
Of course, she had to forgive him.
He had done it to save her, after all. She couldn’t just kill him for holding and seeing her, could she?
Delaney huffed, "Turn around."
Carson quickly turned his back, and the sound of Delaney dressing followed.
Unwanted images popped into Carson’s mind, prompting him to take a deep breath and gaze into the distance to quell his thoughts.
After a while, Delaney, dressed and composed, looked at Carson’s tall silhouette and felt a ripple in her heart.
There had already been one awkward misunderstanding, and now another had occurred. How was she to interact with him?
Thinking of how she’d been naked in Carson’s embrace made Delaney’s face burn.
"We can go back now," she declared.
Carson turned around, saw Delaney apparently back to normal, and asked, "Senior Sister, did you successfully advance?"