Chapter361: The Biology Teacher Left Early
Realmspirit shrank on the ground like a turtle, the heavenly disposition from earlier had instantly disappeared without a trace. “I’m going to die, I’m going to die, I’m going to die…”
Zhu Yao could not help but throw one last kick before letting him go.
With a face covered in dirt, he sat up and looked at Zhu Yao resentfully. “Yaoyao… How can you do this to me?”
“Shut up.” Looking at how he was making such an immoral expression with that face, the image she had of him was collapsing, you know? She then pinched his cheeks and pulled them outwards. “Hurry and swap out from this face.”
“Ah! It h-h-h-hurts…” Realmspirit hissed as he breathed in the chilling air. He couldn’t avoid her demonic hands either. “You can’t blame me for this either! You’re the reason why I have this form.”
Zhu Yao’s hands stopped in mid-air. “What did you mean?” “Yaoyao, you already know about my true body, right?” Realmspirit said with a smile. “I don’t have a fixed appearance in the first place, so the me you’re seeing right now, is the appearance of the most beautiful person in your heart.”
She was dumbfounded, and at that moment, she understood what he meant. The person with the most beautiful appearance in her heart was naturally her master. After sizing him up for a moment, she could not help but grow a little suspicious. “Are you truly the spirit of the Three Realms?”
He instantly gave a large grin. “Correct. Beautiful maiden, you’re actually able to figure it out so quickly. You’re so smart.” As expected of the one chosen by me?
“Enough of that!” Zhu Yao rolled her eyes, but her heart felt a little stuffy. “So the things you told me before were all true. And this is what you meant when you said that there’s a problem with this world when I was first brought here?”
“Mn.” He nodded.
Zhu Yao heaved a sigh of relief. She finally understood everything that she hadn’t been able to figure out before, including why he had such incredible powers. Why was he able to grant her such strange cheats? Why were the River of Forgetfulness, Bai Yuan, and Wood Spirit all so familiar with him? Why could he claim that even the Heavenly Dao could change? The spirit of the Three Realms, a spirit formed by the Three Realms. He was this world, and the Three Realms was his true body. Even the Heavenly Dao and luck were all part of him, so he could naturally change them.
“Since you’re the Three Realms, then those bugs should have been easy to fix on your own. Why did you still have to drag me over to fix them?”
He shook his head. “Yaoyao, I can predict everything in this world, and I can clearly see everyone’s paths, but I don’t know how to cure them. Though I know where the bugs are, I don’t understand the specific methods to fix them.”
“What do you mean?” Zhu Yao was a little confused.
“A medical practitioner can’t cure himself.” Realmspirit solemnly said.
In other words, though he was the one who was sick, he was powerless to stop it? “But there are so many people in the Three Realms, so you can find anyone here to do it. Why do you have to go so far to another plane to drag me over here?”
“The living beings of the Three Realms are all part of it themselves, so they can’t clearly see the problem themselves, so how can they possibly fix it? No one in this world can do it, but you’re different.” His eyes shone. “You come from another plane, everything you know and the thoughts you have are all greatly different from ours. You can see things in a way that we can’t.”
“Why me?” Zhu Yao frowned. “I’m not an incredible figure, and I don’t have any astonishing talents. Furthermore, in our world, I’m just a regular person without any special traits that you can find a bunch on the streets. If you just want someone from another plane to help you find loopholes, isn’t it better to find someone more outstanding? Why pick me?”
Realmspirit retracted his smile and looked at her straight in the eyes. With an especially serious tone, he said. “Because we are friends.”
“…” So you’re the type that trolls your friends? “Yaoyao, I trust in our friendship. Of course, the most important thing is…” He solemnly said. “You have stronger conviction and principles than anyone else, and you never wavered even once. Even after you were in the Three Realms for so long, you kept holding onto your untainted heart. That’s why… you’re the most suitable choice.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me right from the start?” Zhu Yao frowned. If he had truly treated her as a friend, why the need to hide everything from her?
“Because…” He sighed. “I want you to see this world with your own eyes and have you personally understand everything. Only by doing that can you find the most suitable method to fixing the problems that occurred.”
Indeed, if she had known Realmspirit was the Three Realms right from the start, she would have simply given him suggestions on fixing the bugs and not understand the world in depth. It’s like playing a game. Only by going deep into understanding the game can one find the best way to fix the bugs.
“Then what’s with this tower clearing mission?” “It can be considered as the final dungeon, I guess.” He solemnly said. “Only by reaching the peak of the tower can you understand everything about me. When that happens… It’s also the time for the real patch to be implemented.”
Zhu Yao was shocked. “Real patch? Didn’t I fix a lot of bugs already?”
“No, everything has yet to start.” He shook his head, his smile grew even more dazzling. “Once you’ve understood everything, I will leave all the decisions to you. And you, my friend, is my final hope.”
“What do you mean?” What final hope? Zhu Yao wanted a clarification, but his figure had begun to fade. Even the space itself was beginning to dim.
“I will always believe you, my friend.”
“Wait a minute!” Clarify yourself. Zhu Yao grabbed onto his hand, but she instead was faced with a pair of familiar eyes. The face was the same, but the demeanor had completely changed. “What is it?” The person in front of her stroked her head, carrying a relieving, chilling intent.
“Master…” She’s back.
————————————
“No need to be afraid.” Yu Yan however thought that she was anxious and pulled her in a little. “Master is here.”
Only then did Zhu Yao realize the surroundings had changed. Mountains and rivers filled the lands, stretching beyond her line of sight. It wasn’t any different from the Divine Realm. “This is… inside the tower?” The map is a little too big, isn’t it?
“This place should be the lower ten floors of Lightning Divine Tower.” Yu Yan solemnly said. “Teacher once mentioned that the High Deity level is the lowest cultivation level one would have in Lightning Divine Tower. It’s best that we take caution.”
“Ou.” Zhu Yao nodded. Looking around, she did not see any human figures, though not far behind her, a black light flashed. Right after the flash, Yue Ying appeared. She knew that he would follow after her. Zhu Yao frowned, but chose to ignore him as usual.
“”What do we do now?” When it came to clearing the tower, they still had to figure out where they should clear from!
Yu Yan suddenly pulled out a gold talisman. “Teacher once said that if I enter the Lightning Divine Tower, I can use this talisman to contact him.”
Grandmaster! Zhu Yao’s eyes shone. There’s a ‘find guild member’ feature, say so earlier! “Hurry, hurry.”
He cast an art and instantly activated the talisman. A golden light flashed, but in the next moment, the talisman began to burn and turn into ashes.
“…” What happened.
“It seemed like teacher has already entered the upper ten floors.” Yu Yan sighed. Zhu Yao could faintly hear a notification saying: Finding guild member… failed!
“Let’s wait and see then.” Yu Yan had no other options either. After all, everything here was too foreign. They could only take a step at a time.
The two of them turned and flew forward. Zhu Yao was still thinking about Realmspirit’s words and did not pay much attention to her surroundings. After flying out of a forest, they arrived at a grass plain. Zhu Yao released her divine sense and scanned the surroundings, only to realize the plain was outrageously large. Her divine sense was actually unable to cover its entirety. After scanning around, she still did not see a single human figure. They could not even ask for directions.
For a moment, she was a little hesitant, not knowing whether they should continue moving forward.
“What should we do?” She turned and looked at her all- powerful master.
Yu Yan frowned. “This grass plain is boundless, and it seems even after venturing a thousand kilometers, we would not find a single town. It looks like we have to turn back.”
Great, we have to head back. Zhu Yao expressed that she was tired.
“Let’s rest for a moment before moving.”
Left with no other choice, Zhu Yao sat down. She wondered just what was going on in the tower? The population density was a little too small, wasn’t it? Even after flying for so long, let alone a person, they did not even spot a single living being. Even in this boundless grass plain, there were only a few long-eared rabbits.
Zhu Yao turned and looked at the rabbit that was currently squatting next to her, nibbling on the grass without the slightest sense of danger. She wondered just what breed it was, as it was actually not afraid of humans.
It even had such a rotten street name called Little White…
Eh? Name!
Zhu Yao rubbed her eyes. Was she seeing things? Why was she seeing two yellow words hanging above the rabbit – Little White? And below the name was a long red HP bar.
As a qualified game developer, she could not help but poke it with her itchy hand. A row of words then instantly floated above the rabbit’s head: HP – 1
She had a bad premonition…
In the next instant, the yellow words “Little White” turned red. The rabbit that was still one-mindedly nibbling on the grass just earlier turned its head and unceremoniously bit on her hand.
Blood flowed out…
“Mommy! It hurts…” Zhu Yao waved her hand forcefully, immediately flinging the rabbit away. However, a bone-deep wound was left on her hand. What a terrifying rabbit!
The moment the rabbit landed on the ground, it dove into the patch of grass. After that, shuffling noises could be heard from the grass, as one red “Little White” after another popped up like lights being turned on. It looked like the colour were infectious, as red instantly filled the entire grass plain.
Uh… It seemed like, she accidentally started a battle!
“Yu Yao?” Yu Yan was just about to ask. “What is it…”
“Run!” Zhu Yao grabbed onto her master and madly flew into the forest they came from. Shuffling noises followed after them from behind.
When she turned to look, her heart almost leapt out of fright. A large mass of red names rose into the air and chased straight after them. Aren’t they rabbits? Why can rabbits fly? What you
guys have are long ears, and not wings, hey! The biology
teachers are going to cry!
“Yu Yao…” Yu Yan pulled his flustered and stupid disciple and stopped in the air. With a solemn voice, he said. “No need to panic! Leave it to your master.”
With a short incantation, he summoned a bolt of purple lightning and struck it to the back. Just as the horde of mad rabbits were about to be zapped, the rabbit at the very front suddenly flapped its ears and propelled itself upwards. Ahmm!
It swallowed the lightning… swallowed it… swallowed…
“…”
Zhu Yao weakly turned her head. “Master…” What happened to the promise of leaving things to you?
His expression was still as calm as usual. With a wave of his hand, he called out his Life Artifact and grabbed onto his disciple. After taking a deep breath, he said with a serious look. “Let’s run then!”
With a speed ten times faster than earlier, he turned around and madly flew off…
“…” Thus, on their first day in the tower, the master and disciple duo ran to as if their life depended on it, while being chased by a horde of little white rabbits.
Chapter362: Look At My Pure and Clear Eyes
Zhu Yao whose biology teacher had died too early on, swore that she would never offend a rabbit so easily ever again in her life. Even when she were to spot one, she would make a detour if she had to. After all, not anyone would have the precious and deep experience of being chased by a horde of rabbits for three days and three nights.
Even now, she still did not know what mutated breed the horde of rabbits was from. They were actually immune to all types of divine arts. No matter how strong an offensive art she cast, they would swallow them down with an ahmn. Even Yue Ying’s devillic attacks were useless. The only differences were whether they would take a single or two bites, or two of them taking a bite together, or three of them taking a bite together.
Most importantly, no matter if they fled into forests, flew in the sky, or dove deep into the ocean depths, those rabbits would always chase after them. They were simply living beings that could live in the land, sky, and sea. As though they had activated invincibility mode, they chased after Zhu Yao and Yu Yan for three days and three nights, and only now did traces of them slowly disappear. Zhu Yao tiredly laid on her master. She did not want to move again, at all.
“Master…” She felt that her common sense had been struck with a heavy blow. She wanted to head back to the zoo and look at the animals again.
Yu Yan heaved a sigh of relief as well. He pulled over his disciple’s bitten hand and cast an art. However, he realized that it was completely ineffective, and his brows began to furrow.
“It’s still useless.” Zhu Yao looked at her own hand, feeling as though she wanted to cry. For some reason, the wound she received from the rabbit’s bite from before could not be healed by using arts. “Nevermind.”
Yu Yan’s face was ice-cold, he clearly had a slightly irritated mood. He kept silent as he stared at his disciple’s hand.
“I’m really fine.” After all, she was a High Deity as well, though it was a little embarrassing to be bitten by a rabbit. Even without arts, it’s been three days and her wound had already closed. It was already considerably healed. Yu Yan was still silent, though his face was growing colder by the minute. Even Yue Ying at the side was beginning to stare at her hand.
Don’t look as though I’m terminally ill, alright?
“… Then, shall we bandage it up a little?”
“Mn.” Only then did Yu Yan feel contented as he retrieved a white cloth from his storage ring. After tearing it into a strp, he then wrapped it around her hand. He wrapped it extremely meticulously, and at the event, he even tied a beautiful knot. While he was at it, he even embroidered it with something.
The corner of Zhu Yao’s lips twitched. Master, you’re embroidering a bunny into it, are you sure you’re not doing it on purpose?
“We should not stay in this place for too long.” Yu Yan solemnly said. “It’s best that we find a settle down in a divine city.”
“Mn.” Just as Zhu Yao was about to stand up, a shuffling noise could be heard in the bushes next to them.
A human figure popped out. “Eh? You guys…”
Before he could even finish, Yu Yan had already grabbed onto his disciple and disappeared without a trace.
“Eh!? Wait, wait a minute!” In a flash, that person immediately went to catch up with them.
Hearing this, not only did Yu Yan not stop, he accelerated even faster.
“……”
“…”
Zhu Yao turned to look at the person chasing after them, and the poked in front of her. “Master… The person behind is a Deity, not a rabbit!” A certain person’s face stiffened, as he then stopped in mid- air.
Uh… He had gotten used to it!
In an instant, that person caught up. He looked a little fatigued, his hair was dishevelled and even his clothes were covered in stains. For some reason, his blue robe was stained with yellow on one side and white on the other, a paste flavour was even floating around him. Above his head was a string of yellow words: Unknown Deity (Level 1)
The corner of Zhu Yao’s lips twitched, as the feeling of playing a net game overwhelmed her…
He seemed to have had a hard time chasing after them. After panting a few times, he said. “Why did you two run?”
The master and disciple duo’s lips twitched a little.
“Why did you chase after us?” Zhu Yao asked back. “I saw you two running, so I started chasing.”
“We saw you chase after us, so naturally we ran!”
“…” The man became a little confused. He then unmindfully waved his hand and said. “Nevermind, I finally managed to see a living person. Are you two returning to Hillriver City?”
Hillriver City? Zhu Yao glanced at her master. There was actually really a divine city nearby.
Thus, they immediately nodded.
“What a coincidence, me too!” That man replied. “Let’s go together. In this Lost Gallery, it’s safer with a bunch of people together.”
Naturally, it was a blessing for them if someone could guide them. The master and disciple duo immediately nodded.
“Let’s go, let’s go!” That man did not have any interest in making friends either. He basically did not make a self- introduction, as though he simply wanted to partner up and head on his way. He immediately flew up and moved past them. While casting a Dirt Removal Art on himself, he casually let out a complaint. “I sure had bad luck today. I wonder which idiot offended that horde of ‘Little White’ rabbits in the grass plain. I only managed to get rid of them after being chased for such a long time.”
The three idiots: “…”
“What’s even more unbearable is that not only did they offend the rabbits, they were even stupid enough to use divine arts to attack them.” The man grew angrier as he spoke. “Who doesn’t know that those Little Whites relied on divine energy for their meals? The more divine arts are used, the fuller they become, and they will have even more energy to give chase. Initially, they could have been gotten rid of in a hundred kilometers, but they actually chased after this daddy here for over a thousand kilometers.”
The group of three who were chased for three days and three nights received a sudden enlightenment.
The man turned around and glanced at the three people that were standing especially straight. “Did you people encounter those pestering horde of rabbits?”
The three of them turned back to face him, and with an especially stern tone, they said in unison. “Nope!” Their expressions were as pure as the white clouds in the sky.
“Ou.” The man pouted and did not suspect them either. “You guys have great luck.” After a moment, he suddenly thought of something and asked with a mysterious look. “Let me tell you guys this, earlier, among the horde of crazed rabbits earlier, I actually saw one shrouded in lightning. Clearly, it had swallowed a lightning art. It seems like someone from Lightning Divine Palace has entered the tower again.”
Zhu Yao’s heart skipped a beat. She exchanged glances with her master beside her, and intentionally asked. “So what if someone from Lightning Divine Palace enters the tower?”
“Naturally, we have to find that person immediately.” That man said matter-of-factly. “For so many years, only the people from Lightning Divine Palace can enter and leave the Lightning Divine Tower freely. Everyone has had enough of it. Furthermore, the previous one who entered the tower has already entered the upper ten floors, so naturally there’s nothing much we Deities can do about him now. Another one has finally entered the tower, so naturally we have to find him as soon as possible. Right now, Hillriver City has probably gone insane trying to look for that person. Who would have thought that he would appear within Lost Gallery? If I were to spread this news, I would be able to make some small change too.”
He looked as though he had thought of something happy, as his eyes even shone a little.
On the other side however, Zhu Yao’s heart had already sank, and as for her master… It seemed like Lightning Divine Palace did not have a good standing in this tower at all.
“Speaking of which…” The man suddenly turned around and glanced at the three people next to him. With suspecting eyes, he sized them up. “You three…”
Crap! He can’t possibly have seen through us, right?
“Did you see the Deity that cast the lightning-type arts?”
“…” Her heightened caution instantly came crumbling down. “Hoho, of course not!” Zhu Yao immediately shook her head. “Then anyone with the Daoist title ‘Yu’?” The man continued to ask. “The people of Lightning Divine Palace often like to venture alone. As long as someone is alone, that person is worth the suspicion.”
“None, at, all!” Look at my pure and clear eyes.
Only then did the man close his mouth with a disappointed look, and then, he sped up towards Hillriver City.
Chapter363: Don’t Be Abstract, Be Realistic
The Hillriver City the man spoke of was not that far away. In just a short while, they arrived at an enormous formation. The formation was floating in the air, and occasionally there were golden mystic symbols circling around it. It seemed like a teleportation formation, but it was evidently much more advanced.
The moment they crossed the formation, the surrounding scenery changed. They were now standing on a large street, and the place was filled with people even though they could not see even a single person just earlier. Zhu Yao raised her head, and all she saw was a sea of yellow names and red HP bars. Every single one of them had a string of words above their heads: Unknown Deity. Next to those words were levels, and most of them were Level 1s while a small bulk of them were Level 2s and even Level 3s.
The hell, net game mode can’t possibly have been activated for real, right? Then are these people NPCs or monsters? She anxiously turned around and looked at her own master, only to realize he didn’t have any. Yue Ying on the side did not have anything above his head either. Just what as going on? The moment they entered the city, the man waved his hand and and separated from them. Zhu Yao wanted to inquire about the present situation, but she realized that the people in the city were mostly in a hurry and did not have any intentions to tend to others. The street was pretty clean as well, without a single stall set up.
Five shining formations of different colours could be seen floating in the sky above the place they entered from earlier. Occasionally, there were Deities going in and out of them. After discussing with her master, they decided to look around the city. In the end, they discovered an extremely large formation at the very center of the city. At the very center of the formation were layers after layers of stairs. The staircase did not have any support around it, rather, they looked like layers of floating white jade stones. Furthermore, they were even constantly moving about. Sometimes they float high up into the air, entering the clouds, and sometimes, they would sink so low, to merely a few inches off the ground.
Next to this mystical staircase was a huge boulder, and a few golden words were slowly circling around it. There was even a flashing arrow right in front of the words labelled: This way to the lower second floor!
“Lower second floor, what does this mean?” This seemed like a passageway.
“It should be the second floor of the lower ten floors.” Yu Yan next to her said with a low voice. “I once heard from teacher that Lightning Divine Tower is separated into the upper ten floors and lower ten floors. This place must be the first floor of the lower ten floors, and this should be the passageway to the second.”
As expected of a tower, it really was separated by floors. According to the international guidelines of clearing towers, as long as the boss at the very top floor was defeated, then the challenge would be cleared. Reaching the peak of the tower was a necessity. She never expected that they would find the escalator so quickly. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s head up!”
Zhu Yao immediately took a big step and stepped on the lowest tile. She however ended up stepping on empty air and fell. Fortunately, her master caught her at the very bottom.
What happened? She actually couldn’t step on it.
“Hahahaha…” Laughter suddenly rang from the side, as a green robed man walked towards them. “Girly, you guys have only entered the tower recently, right?”
The person that came forward had a slim but tall figure, giving the impression that he was a walking bamboo pole. He possessed a rich amount of divine energy, yet he carried a hint of demonic energy. It was actually a Demonic Immortal.
“Without the clearance key, you can’t step on this Ascending Stairway.”
“Clearance key?” They finally managed to find someone who was willing to care about others. Zhu Yao immediately went forward and said with a smile. “This big brother, we’ve indeed just entered the tower, and we are still unsure of many things about this place. Big brother, I wonder if you can give us a pointer or two?”
This Demonic Immortal seemed to be in a very good mood. He sized her up with a glance, then looked at Yu Yan beside her, as well as Yue Ying at the back. “I don’t mind giving you pointers, but first, you have to tell me something. Have you guys… entered a group?” “Ah?” Enter a group? What’s that? The Communist Youth League? Does the Young Pioneers count? I’m once a fresh and bright red scarf!
“You guys haven’t entered a group yet!” The eyes of Demonic Immortal shone, and he instantly became enthusiastic. “Great! You guys are in luck. Coincidentally, my group is currently looking for members.”
Why did Zhu Yao feel as though she was being dragged into a cult?
“Hoho, do all Deities who enter the tower have to enter a group?” Zhu Yao asked.
“Of course!” He nodded heavily as he pointed to the few formations in the sky. “Do you see the five formations over there? Connected to them are dangerous secret realms, and a Nascent Divided Pearl is placed in each of these secret realms. Only by gathering all five Nascent Divided Pearl can the clearance key for the second floor be constructed. Furthermore, the five Nascent Divided Pearls must leave the secret realms at the same time, otherwise, they would be teleported back to its original spot by the formations. How can this possibly be done with the strength of a single person? That’s why we have to form various groups.”
Ou, so it’s a dragon ball collection quest. “Then, big brother, which group are you in?”
The slim and tall Demonic Immortal chuckled. Then, he stepped forward and spoke in a mysterious tone. “Girly, have you heard of Amway?”
“…” Zhu Yao was stunned for a moment. Then, she turned around and prepared to leave. “We’re not going to buy them, thank you.”
“Wait a minute, girly!” The slim and tall person pulled her and zealously recommended. “We Amway Group is the second biggest group in Hillriver City. The first group Blue Bird Group is already full. The reason why we’re taking in new members today is because our group coincidentally lacks of people right now. If you miss this opportunity, you might not be able to enter again, you know?”
There’s actually people who name themselves Amway! She doesn’t want to be recruited into Amway, what to do? ——————————————
After going through the slim and tall man’s constant recommendations, Zhu Yao in the end relented and got successfully recruited into Amway. Along with her master and Yue Ying, they had supposed become a part of the fifty-fifth squad. Only then did Zhu Yao understand the scale of these so- called groups. According to the slim and tall man, a small squad consists of five people at least. If there were fifty five squads, then there were at least two hundred Deities in the group.
“Then that’s it.” The slim and tall man was really happy that he managed to recruit some fresh meat. He pointed in a direction not far away and said. “You guys first register in the Amway Hall. We still have a member in the squad, I will call him over.”
Just as he was about to leave, he seemed to have recalled something. With an apologetic look, he said. “Oh right, I forgot to ask. I’m Nangong Cheng (Southpalace Orange), a Demonic Immortal. How do I address the three of you?”
“Uh…” Recalling that the Lightning Divine Palace did not have a good name here, Zhu Yao exchanged glances with her master and then activated her name changing mode. “Hoho, hi Nangong Cheng, I’m Dongfang Hong (Eastway Red)!”
“…” Eh, something feels off? He turned to look at Yu Yan.
“Beichen… Lan (Northday Blue)!” A certain master said without a change in his expression.
He then turned to look at Yue Ying who was silent the entire time.
“Ximen… Zi! (Westgate Purple)” He went with the flow.
Zhu Yao immediately gave a thumbs up to her team’s quick wits. What a neat naming style.
“So it’s Dongfang girly, Daoist Beichen, and Daoist Ximen…” Eh, these people have strange surnames? But… why do they feel so intimate? “Then, let’s meet up in a while.”
Nangong Cheng happily went to look for his little companion, while Zhu Yao and the rest entered the Amway Hall. According to rumours, this was where the headquarters of Amway Group was located, though the interior did not look the part, instead, it looked more like an inn. The counter was right in front, and there were resting tables and chairs in the surroundings. However, the place was empty and hence a little calm and quiet.
There was a Deity tending to the counter, and he was spinning a tablet in his hand. Zhu Yao stepped forward and explained their intentions, and then the Deity glanced at them. He took out three tablets and cast an art on all three of them. Then, he gave each one of them a piece. “This is your squad’s communication tablets, they have all the necessary information inside. Once the Nascent Divided Pearl is found, you can use it to directly communicate with with the people that found the other Nascent Divided Pearls.”
Zhu Yao received it and had a look at it. An unique formation was engraved on the jade tablet, and at the very center, the words ‘Fifty Five’ were written on it. Nangong Cheng said that the Nascent Divided Pearls had to be brought out of the five secret realms together in order to combine them into the clearance key. Otherwise, they would automatically return to their original positions. Most likely, this jade tablet was used to communicate with the other squads, making it convenient to discuss the time to exit the secret realms.
After a short wait in the Amway Hall, Nangong Cheng brought his little companion over. Compared to Nangong Cheng’s skinny and malnourished look, his little companion clearly was the type who was overnourished. That strong build and firm muscles made it look as though a mountain was moving. Yet, he was wearing a white robe that was a size smaller than his build, making his robe so tight it looked as though it was about to burst.
“Dongfang girly, Daoist Beichen, Daoist Ximen.” Nangong Cheng waved them over from afar. “Are you guys done with the registration?” He contently looked at the tablets in their hands, and then pointed at the mountain behind him. “Let me introduce him to you. This is my comrade, Zhonggu Lu (Centerancient Green).”
Great! North, south, east, west, and center! We can finally form a mahjong table.
Nangong Cheng then introduced each of them to Zhonggu Lu, but evidently, this Zhonggu Lu did not buy into our names. He looked at the three of them with narrowed eyes, and then turned his head around with a scornful look. “Enough, enough. Since we’re all here, then let’s go! If we don’t hurry up, the sky will turn dark.” He rubbed his firm arms, and then he suddenly pulled out a mirror out of nowhere. He looked left of himself, and then to the right. “I don’t want to rush in the middle of the night. It would be bad if my flowery and beautiful appearance is hidden in the darkness, after all.”
“…” The corner of Zhu Yao’s lips twitched. With those muscles of yours, just how are you beautiful? I can only see ‘flowery’ all over.
Clearly, Nangong Cheng was already used to his good friend’s personality. He pointed at the yellow formation at the very center in the sky, and said. “Then let us head over to Carnetian Jade Secret Realm then! I’m more familiar with the terrain there, and I’ve already inquired about the location of the Nascent Divided Pearl.”
Zhu Yao nodded. They were all newcomers, so naturally they did not have any opinions about his decision. Thus, they followed Nangong Cheng into the secret realm.
However, in an instant, large stone walls and canyons appeared in front of them. There were no longer any greens on the land, looking a little like a wasteland. In order to have newcomers familiarize with this lower first floor quickly, the information in the jade tablets they received earlier had detail introductions to the five secret realms. This Carnetian Jade Secret Realm was the smallest out of the five. Though it did have a huge land area, the place was filled with such canyons. The terrain was thus extremely steep, and finding the Nascent Dividing Pearl was not easy.
Though Nangong Cheng was a rather experienced guide. After entering the secret realm, they did not hurry with their search. Instead, he gathered everyone around for a meeting and shared his experiences.
“The Nascent Divided Pearl is in the deepest area of the secret realm. I heard that it’s about a kilometer away from the Purifying Pool. But, that place is guarded by demonic beasts.”
“Demonic beasts!?” Zhu Yao was stunned for a moment. This tower actually still had demonic beasts.
Nangong Cheng nodded as he picked up a twig and drew on the ground. “I’ve already clarified with the others. The demonic beast is extremely powerful. It does not have any spiritual intelligence, does not speak the human language, and does not even have a soul of its own. It cannot be considered as a living being. However, it has an incredibly powerful poison all around its body, and death would follow after being stained by it. Also, the breath that it spits out is even more venomous. Even divine bodies can be harmed by its venomous breath. And, the Nascent Divided Pearl is inside its belly.”
“Then how do we retrieve it?” From what he said, even approaching it would be impossible.
“We do not have to rush with that. Everything has its own strength and weaknesses. Though it’s a highly venomous being, the water of the Purifying Pool can coincidentally treat the poison on the demonic beasts’ body. We have to think of a way to lure it to the side of the pool and kill it there.”
“Didn’t you say that it doesn’t have a spiritual consciousness?” Zhonggu Lu raised his hand and asked. “Then will it follow us to the poolside like that?”
“That is something I’m worried about as well.” Nangong Cheng sighed and said. “Actually, many other squads tried this tactic before, but for some reason, that demonic beast was just unwilling to approach the Purifying Pool. I don’t have the confidence to lure it over either.”
“Then why don’t we bring the pool water over?” Zhu Yao suggested. When fighting monsters, it was natural to bring in HP and MP potions. “If the pool water can treat the poison, we can keep the water on our bodies. That way, even if we’re struck with the poison, the treatment wouldn’t be too late.”
“No!” Nangong Cheng shook his head and said. “The water of Purifying Pool only has the poison-curing effects if ingested next to the pool. If the water were to be brought out of the poolside, it would turn into regular water.”
It’s effect range was actually limited.
“If both doesn’t work, what should we do?” Zhonggu Lu glared at him a little irritatedly. The veins on his arms protruded out.
“So I decided that we should first observe that demonic beast.” Nangong Cheng said. “Let’s not make a move in a hurry. We should find out about its weaknesses before attacking. Oh right, there’s a large number of demonic beasts around here. In order to prevent you all from looking at the wrong target, I shall first draw its looks for you people. Remember, do not make a move on your own.”
The little companions all came crowding over, watching him closely. He hurriedly drew on the ground, and a moment later, he retracted his wooden baton. “This is how it looks.”
“…” A long silent pause.
“If you accidentally offend that demonic beast, remember to hurry into the Purifying Pool to treat the poison. Everyone, are you all clear?”
“…”
“Alright everyone, use this as a reference when you’re looking for it. For now, let’s rest a little before we depart!” As he said that, he stepped away from the squad and began to meditate.
“…” The corner of Zhu Yao’s lips twitched. She silently looked towards her master. “Master… Can you figure out what is being drawn here?”
Yu Yan was silent for a long while. Then, he said. “… Dog?”
“No, I think it’s a pig!” Zhonggu Lu refuted. “… Why do I see a sheep?”
Chapter364: Demonic Beast Raid Guide
“You’re certain that the demonic beast is nearby?” Zhu Yao nudged the muscular man that looked like a mountain next to her.
“Why would I lie to you!?” Zhonggu Lu glanced at her with narrow eyes. “The place ahead is shrouded by poisonous mist, there’s definitely a venomous creature within. If it isn’t the demonic beast, what else can it be?”
“But we have squatted here for three whole hours, yet we haven’t seen that demonic beast. Why don’t we enter and look for it?”
“No.” Zhonggu Lu immediately shook his head.
“Why?” It’s definitely better than growing grass here, right?
“It’s rumoured that the poisonous creature is extremely powerful. What if we’re discovered? Putting aside you being injured, if someone who is as beautiful and flowery like me is injured, are you going to take responsibility?” “…” Zhu Yao felt like her spirit was tainted. You’re already like a flower, why the hell do you want to be beautiful too!?
“Haah, you must understand that for a beautiful man that possesses such style and peerless beauty, there’s a need for more caution. You don’t understand.”
“…” Please swallow back the words ‘style’ and ‘peerless beauty’, hey! Just where the hell does his confidence come from?
“There’s movements!” His expression changed as he pointed to the mist up ahead. “It’s coming!”
Zhu Yao immediately stuffed back her three views and took a closer look. As he had said, a pitch-black figure appeared out of the mist made of layers of poisonous gas. Coarse breathing sounds could be faintly heard, and the poisonous mist seemed to have grown thicker as well.
A moment later, the figure grew bigger and a thick rotten stench suffused into the air. The figure began to grow clearer as well, until it revealed its rough silhouette. The corner of Zhu Yao’s lips twitched. “This… is the cow-like demonic beast that Squad Captain Nangong drew?” Just how did he draw a two-legged creature into a four-legged living being?
“It should be.” Zhonggu Lu nodded as well, and then said with a stern look. “Though the illustration was a little out there, it’s still looks rather similar to a pig.”
How is it similar!? Zhu Yao pointed at the demonic beast that was breathing poisonous gas. “How is that two-legged creature similar to a pig?”
“It’s figure is really similar. Dongfang girly, your eyesight is really poor.”
Your eyesight is poor, your entire family’s eyesights are poor.
“It has hands and legs, so it’s clearly…”
“A dog!” A cold confirmation sounded from behind. “Master, why are you here?” Zhu Yao was stunned. Wasn’t he teamed up with Squad Captain Nangong? They were headed to the other side to inspect the terrain.
“I was worried about you.” Yu Yan walked past his disciple, his face did not carry the slightest bit of guilt for acting on his own. What if my disciple courts death when I’m not looking again? He glanced at the black figure in front. “It’s a dog!”
“……”
“…”
“What’s with both of your eyes?” Zhonggu Lu rolled his eyes. “It’s clearly a pig.”
“No, a dog.”
“It’s definitely a pig.”
“Isn’t that supposed to be a sheep?” Another voice weighed in as well. Yue Ying… The corner of Zhu Yao’s lips twitched. Why was he here as well? What happened to splitting up in teams?
Zhonggu Lu: “You guys must believe me. That’s a pig.”
Yu Yan: “A dog.”
Yue Ying: “Sheep…”
Zhu Yao: “…” Was she the only worried that student Nangong was on his own right now?
Roar~~~
A loud roar interrupted the four’s debate. A large mass of poison gas came spraying in the direction where the four of them were hiding.
“Crap, we were discovered.” Zhonggu Lu’s face changed. In a flash, he retreated to the back. “Retreat!” Yu Yan grabbed onto his disciple, and then along with Yue Ying, they retreated several dozens of meters away. They then looked at the place were they were hiding just earlier. The bushes had already begun to wilt as they get dyed with layers of black, and they did not have any signs of life before long.
And that poisonous gas was beginning to spread towards them as well at incredible speed. That ferocious roar grew even louder and clearer.
“Let’s go!” Zhonggu loudly shouted. “To the Purifying Pond.”
The moment his voice fell, a black substance shot out of the mist and flew towards him.
“Watch out!” Zhu Yao called out to notify him. Zhonggu Lu materialized a defensive barrier at the nick of time, yet it was still useless. The black substance broke directly into the barrier. Fortunately, he was nimble enough to dodge it by shifting his body to the side, and the black substance grazed his body as it fell onto the ground with a long bang. In an instant, a large crater was formed, and it was even expanding still, corroding everything in its surroundings. The rotten smell grew thicker, and Zhu Yao was dumbfounded from this sight. This is basically a biological weapon, right? Zhonggu Lu’s body was grazed by it as well, and his mystic robe began to melt. Hurriedly stripping it off, he was saved from being corroded himself.
With such a powerful corrosion that could instantly corrode such a large crater, it was no wonder Squad Captain Nangong said that one would die from being touched by it. If the corpse and bones were melted as well, then wouldn’t that be certain death?
The surroundings of the crater began to emit out poisonous gas as well, and they had no choice but to make a detour out. The roar of the demonic beast sounded from behind once more, and the black poisonous substances from earlier suddenly came smashing at them like raindrops.
“Hurry and dodge!” Zhonggu Lu loudly reminded them. It was already too late for the four of them to run, so they had no choice but to dodge those raindrop-like poison as they flew. The surface of the ground looked as though they had been smashed by a rain of falling boulders, craters appearing one after another. The moment a crater was filled with poisonous gas, they would form a large mass of poison mist in the next moment. They had no choice but to stop. “What do we do? We can’t escape now!”
The demonic beast from behind caught up to them as well. A large figure stepped out of the poisonous mist. Possessing a muscular figure, there were a pair of ram horns on its head, and four limbs that were shaped like a dog’s. With its entire body made of purple, its two paws were raised in the air and two were on the ground. On the sides of its lips, two long teeth could be seen. It would occasionally ooze out a black liquid with incredible stench, and the mere sight of it was incredibly disgusting.
This demonic beast was neither a cow, sheep, pig nor a dog. If it were to put down its front paws, it would unexpectedly look the same as the creature that Squad Captain Nangong had drown.
Everyone present: “…” So it wasn’t student Nangong’s art being unrealistic, rather, this demonic beast was simply too abstract.
The surrounding poisonous gas was growing ticker by the second. Since they couldn’t get out, they could only fight! Zhonggu Lu immediately cast an art and summoned several hundred vines, trapping the demonic beast in front of them. Zhu Yao immediately materialized millions of icicles and shot them at the demonic beast. That strange-looking demonic beast however did not dodge either. Instead, it opened up its bloody mouth and madly shouted out. It was incredibly piercing to the ears.
The vines that were still lush green earlier instantly wilted and turned into ashes, while the icicles that filled the sky immediately turned into water as well. Furthermore, they were tainted by the poisonous gas, and they fell back to the ground as poisonous rain. Yu Yan immediately materialized a fire dragon which charged up into the sky. The sky was instantly filled with flames, burning the poisonous rain in time.
When they thought that things were finally settling down, Zhu Yao remembered what her biology teacher had told them a long time ago. If water were to encounter fire, it would turn into… steam! In the face of this venomous demonic beast, the situation became even more dire as poisonous steam was formed.
That’s right. The poisonous mist grew thicker. The four’s range of movements grew smaller, and in just a few moments, merely a few square meters of area remained untouched by the poisonous mist. That demonic beast suddenly opened its mouth wide, black sparkles could be seen from within, as though it was about to spit something in their direction. Naturally, it was definitely the poisonous liquid that smashed the ground into a crater from earlier.
What to do? Ice, fire, and wood type attacks were all ineffective, and the demonic beast’s magic defense was simply too high.
Yu Yan’s expression sank. With a twist of his hand, he summoned his Life Artifact – the lightning sword.
“Master…” Zhu Yao’s heart clenched. If he were to use lightning-type arts, their identities would be exposed.
“No matter.” Yu Yan stroked her head. They were left with no choice right now. At the very most, they would face some troubles in the future. Just as he was about to attack, a gust of wind swept past from the sky above, instantly scattering the poisonous gas that surrounded them. Student Nangong who was “abandoned” by his team was standing within the wind. He came to save them! As expected, he was definitely a great party member!
“Hurry and go!” He only had the chance to utter this, as the surrounding poisonous gas was already beginning to gather once more.
The four of them immediately caught up with him as quick as possible. While scattering the poisonous gas with wind-type arts like he did, they madly flew towards the direction of the Purifying Pool. The enraged roar of the demonic beast resounded behind them. They did not dare to stop. As they flew towards the Purifying Pool, they thought that the demonic beast would stop chasing after them. However, the moment they heard the ‘sousou’ noises, black poisonous liquid came shooting at the small group of five.
They immediately flew to the shores of the Purifying Pool, and with a few resounding bangs, craters once again appeared in the surroundings. Strangely, in a radius of a few squared meters from the Purifying Pool, the poisonous gas would immediately scatter.
However, the poisonous gas outside the Purifying Pool grew thicker, and in just a few momembers, the figure of that demonic beast appeared. However, it did not dare to approach them, and simply contained to patrol around several meters away.
“What’s going on?” Zhu Yao pointed at the demonic beast and said. Then, she looked towards student Nangong. “Didn’t you say that it wouldn’t follow us here?”
“I don’t know either.” Nangong was confused as well. “When I came here the last time, the demonic beast would return right after we arrive in this pool. No matter what we did, we could not lure it in. Today… it might have been in a good mood.”
“…” This reason was a little too nonsensical!
“Alright, with the Purifying Pool here, let’s take this opportunity to bring it down. “Squad Leader Nangong’s eyes shone and he said. “This is simply a god-sent opportunity.”
He inspected the terrain and said. “This poisonous mist is incredible, but it can still be scattered with wind-type arts. Adding that we have our divine physiques, even if we’re latched on by the poisonous gas, sustaining for seven minutes or so isn’t difficult. Not to mention this pool can instantly scatter the poisonous gas. We can use wind-type arts as our shield, and then take turns in pulling the demonic beast and coming back here to detoxify. As long as we aren’t injured by the poisonous liquid, defeating this demonic beast at a slow pace isn’t impossible. What do you guys think?”
Is he talking about swapping tanks? It is indeed a good plan. After everyone considered it for a moment, they all nodded their heads.
“Then that’s settled.” Squad Captain Nangong looked at the demonic beast that was still loitering outside. He did hand seals with one of his hand, materializing a shield of wind which instantly enveloped his surroundings like a spiral of wind. Then, he took the lead and charged out.
Just as Zhu Yao was about to cast an art, a shield of wind had already begun to envelop her surroundings. When she turned to take a look, her eyes landed on a certains someone who was just putting down his hand. “Master?”
“Don’t leave too far away from your master.” He instructed as he began to fly up.
Zhu Yao instantly felt her heart warming up. Who says “warmth” is useless?
Squad Captain Nangong’s plan may sound perfect, but it did not account for the boss’s tough muscles and hard skin. Furthermore, the various mystic arts that they threw on it earlier were all completely ineffective. Though the five of them were not injured, they did not have any advantage over it either.
Squad Captain Nangong seemed to specialize in wind-type arts, but at the very most, he could only drive away the mist. Whenever he were to throw a wind blade at the opponent, a ‘miss’ damage marker would float up. It lacked destructive power. Zhu Yao and her master did not find it good to simply use lightning-type arts either. Fortunately, her master’s sword skills were at the very peak as well. With a sky filled with spiritual swords, he firmly locked the demonic beast’s movements. Furthermore, his cold sword intent was the only thing that could break past its skin, and thus became the main DPS of the team.
Zhu Yao knew all five types of mystic arts. Other than the lightning-type arts, she was most familiar with either water or ice, which were the elements she researched deeply on in order to teach Little Radish well back then. However, this demonic beast was simply unafraid of them. When the icicles struck its body, not even a single scar was left on it. The words ‘miss’ constantly floated above its head.
Zhonggu Lu was even more unfortunate. His wood-type arts basically wilted before they could even form, leaving behind a bunch of dead grass. Yue Ying was still able to provide some help as he restrained the demonic beast with her master. He retracted all of the devillic energy in his body, and was using mystic arts to attack like everyone else. Zhu Yao did not know what he was thinking, and did not want to bother either, simply letting him do whatever he wanted.
“You guys hold on, let me catch my breath.” Zhonggu turned around and returned to the Purifying Pool to detoxify himself. With a defeated look, he said as he walked. “This demonic beast is really… It’s as though it’s born to be my mortal enemy. It instantly destroys all of the life within my wood-type arts.”
Life? Zhu Yao was stunned for a moment, as something flashed across her mind. She raised her head and looked carefully at that demonic beast. Ever since she entered the tower, all of the living creatures would have names and levels shown above their heads, as though she was looking at a net game’s point of view. She had asked her master about it, and it seemed like this was something that only she could see. Zhu Yao had thought that this was a cheat that Realmspirit had given her. This demonic beast was no exception, with the words ‘Early-stage Demonic Beast (Poison)’ floating about it, though its name was red in colour.
As for Zhonggu Lu and Squad Captain Nangong, the words above their heads were initially ‘Unknown Deity (Level 1)’. After making their introductions, the words above their heads turned into their own names, and their colours changed from yellow to blue.
Zhu Yao was not entirely mindful of these words in the beginning. Now that she thought about it, these names were truly similar to the settings found in net games. Red names signified enemy targets, like the current demonic beast. Yellow names referred to passive targets, where they would only turn red and counterattack when they receive an attack. Those heaven-defying rabbits in the plain back then chased after them because she poked it a little, and they did not bite her on their own initiatives. The reason why Zhonggu Lu and Nangong Cheng had blue names, was because they had formed a party with her! The names would only turn blue if they were party members of the same party.
In that case, in the brackets next to the names, that should be where the levels and attributes were displayed. This demonic beast was a poison-type, and according to the rules of net games, poison was a type that deprived life. Water, wood and fire type attacks were thus ineffective on it. It would thus make sense why a bunch of ‘miss’ would float above its head when she struck it with icicles.
If they wanted to deal with it, then the only choice would be…
Zhu Yao immediately flew towards the Squad Captain. She had to inform the Squad Captain of the raid guide. “Squad Captain…” Eh? What was the Squad Captain called again? “Nangong… Huang (Yellow)?”
“I’m Nangong Cheng!” Flips table! Who the hell is Nangong Huang?
“Aiya! Whatever! In any case, it’s all about the same~”
“…” How are orange and yellow about the same? The colours are different, alright?
“Why are you here?” His expression darkened as he released a wind blade to blow away the poisonous mist near Yue Ying and Yu Yan. He did his best to provide support to the main DPS players.
Chapter365: Exorcism Squad
“I have an idea. Our mystic arts are all ineffective, and I believe that this demonic beast’s poison is capable of snatching away the lives of all living beings, using them as its own.” Zhu Yao analysed. “The way to restrain it must be mystic arts that do not possess life.”
Nangong Cheng was stunned for a moment. With widened eyes, he said. “You’re saying, earth and metal type attacks are able to harm it?”
“Mn.”
“No wonder fellow Daoist Beichen and Daoist Ximen are the only ones able to harm it.” Nangong pondered for a moment, looking enlightened. “That sword formation is metal-type.”
“That demonic beast is nimble and fast, though the sword formation can harm it, the formation cannot restrain it for long. Nangong Huang, how’s your earth-type arts?”
I already told you I’m Nangong Cheng! “I don’t specialize in wood-type mystic arts, though…” He turned to look at Zhonggu Lu who had been producing negligible damage.
“What?” The muscular Zhonggu Lu said with a despised look. “I don’t want to go. That demonic beast is so disgusting! What am I supposed to do if I accidentally injure my flowery and jade- like face when I approach it?”
“…” Is this the time to care about your image?
Roar~~~
Suddenly, that demonic beast once again let out an angry roar. Under Yu Yan’s and Yue Ying’s sword formation all-round attack, its body was covered in injuries. As though it had grown anxious from being pushed back, its roar sounded especially violent and mighty. It suddenly placed its four limbs on the ground, changing its stance. Poisonous liquid began to pop out from all over its body.
“Not good, it’s about to use the poisonous liquid to attack.” Nangong Cheng’s face changed. It had intentionally released such a huge amount of poisonous liquid, and if it were to shake its body, the deadly poison would definitely fall in all directions. Even if they were to return to the Purifying Pool, they wouldn’t be able to hold on. What to do?
They could not drag it out any longer, they had to finish the battle quickly. However, the rough man Zhonggu Lu of the good-looking club actually backed out at this critical moment.
“Then that settles it.” Squad Captain Nangong Cheng said with a serious look, and he took this time to send a voice transmission to the two people at the front. “In a moment when the earth-type mystic art restrains it, the four of us will unleash our attacks at the same time and kill the demonic beast.”
“I don’t want to head over! That poisonous gas isn’t a joke.” Zhonggu Lu had a determined look. As he said that, he flew straight towards the Purifying Pool. “I have such good looks, I don’t want to…”
Before he could even finish, Nangong Cheng had already silently cast an art and summoned a human-sized water mirror in front of him. What reflected in it was a face that was stained with the purple poisonous gas. Two seconds later…
Nangong Cheng silently covered his ears. Before Zhu Yao could even understand his intentions, a scream instantly broke through the skies, causing everyone’s body to tremble.
“Ah——-! My faaaace!!!!”
After entering this poisonous mist, every single one of them had already been contaminated with a slight amount of poison, though he seemed to have been contaminated slightly more than the rest. Furthermore, the symptoms appeared directly on his face.
It felt as though Zhonggu Lu’s entire being had changed. The divine energy on his body instantly exploded forth. Zhu Yao could faintly see what might be known as ‘flames of fury’ being emitted out from his body, and it was burning with rage. Stomping his feet forward, his entire body was emitting out killing intent in all directions. He ruthlessly glared at the demonic beast behind him. “You trash, you dare to harm my face!”
In a flash, he suddenly charged out. A few rumbling sounds could be heard as earth thorns popped out from the ground, directly pinning the demonic beast’s two claws. The demonic beast let out a scream as its poisonous liquid attack was interrupted. However, that was not the end. Right below it, a fist made from the earth suddenly appeared at high speeds, directly smashing the demonic beast onto the ground. In an instant, countless earth thorns and stone pillars popped out from the ground, smashing the demonic beast from all directions.
“You granddaddy, you dare to harm my face, you motherf**king dare to harm my face! This daddy here has cultivated for so many years, yet no one has ever dared to harm my face. You garbage, you piece of trash, you actually dare to injure me! Die, die, die…”
As he pummeled and shouted at the demonic beast, his mystic arts were both quick and ruthless. Even his hair was standing straight up from his fury. Zhu Yao watched as the a bunch of damage counters floated above the demonic beast’s head. -1,000,
-2,000, -3,000…
The corner of Zhu Yao’s lips twitched. Was this truly that smug party member that only knew how paddle on water? Why did it feel as though some sort of incredible seal had been released, hey!? “Girly, let’s attack then.” Squad Captain Nangong waved at her with a calm look. “Mn, everything is going according to plan.”
“…” Plan my ass! Flips table! Don’t look as though everything is in the palm of your hand! You fellow gay friend has evidently gone berserk, hey!
After Zhonggu Lu vented off his steam with his earth-type arts, that pitiful demonic beast no longer had any strength left to retaliate. He managed to muster out a crazed growl, and then used his claws to slam away the thorns. It wanted to take back its dignity as a boss monster, but Zhonggu Lu suddenly circulated all of the divine energy in his body to cast an art. In an instant, the earth began to shake, and at the moment he finished his hand seals, he instantly activated the art. “Mountain Collapse.”
In an instant, the ground began to rumble and then split to the two sides like an earthquake. The demonic beast did not have a stable footing and ended up slipping into it. However, the moment it was about to fall, its body began to change. It grew out a pair of wings and flew. Just as it was about to escape the fissure, Zhonggu Lu gritted his teeth and in an instant, several stone pillars stretched out from the ground at high speeds. Like chains, they restrained its body and directly pulled it back down.
“Now!” Squad Captain Nangong commanded. The other four people circulated their divine energy at the same time. Four enormous spiritual swords with the size of mountains appeared in the air. Carrying boundless might, they instantly scattered the surrounding poisonous gas and smashed exactly downwards where the demonic beast was.
A scream instantly resounded through the entire secret realm. Four rows of the same numbers instantly floated above the demonic beast’s head. Fatal damage -100,000! It desperately flopped about for a moment, and then, slowly, it lost all signs of life.
The surrounding poisonous mist began to scatter at this moment as well, revealing the initial blue sky.
They succeeded!
Zhu Yao felt a little fatigued. That sword earlier had drawn out a large half of her divine energy, and for a moment, her legs were a little wobbly. Her body shook, and suddenly she felt a grip by her waist. In the next instant, she leaned against a familiar chest.
“Master…”
Yu Yan glanced at her, and after realizing that nothing serious had happened to her, he habitually stroked her head. He wanted to praise his disciple for her exemplary performance, but he did not know how he should go about doing it. I’m not familiar with praising people, what to do?
Zhu Yao however had already pulled him towards where the demonic beast’s corpse was. She had to say that this boss monster was really hard to beat. Compared to the monsters she had encountered before, it had hard skin and thick blood. Only Gods and Devils were stronger than it. The key thing here was that it even had enhanced magic defense, which made it highly resistant against divine arts.
Fortunately, they still managed to bring it down. Squad Captain Nangong mentioned that the Nascent Divided Pearl was located in its belly. Zhu Yao glanced at this mountain-tall corpse, and her expression darkened. “This… Do we really have to cut it open?” She had no interest in dissecting corpses at all! “Cut it?” Squad Captain Nangong looked at her strangely. “Why!?”
We’re not cutting it? How are we going to retrieve the quest item then? Just as she was about to ask, a lustrous light suddenly shone out from the pitch-black poisonous corpse. The corpse then slowly began to turn foggy, and finally, it actually turned into a dark purple poisonous mist. Compared to the
poisonous mist from before, it was at least a hundred times thicker. “This… This is?” She was frightened.
“Don’t you know these demonic beasts are undying?” Squad Captain Nangong had a expression that looked as if it was saying ‘my party member has no common knowledge’.
“Undying?” Zhu Yao was stunned for a moment. She then turned to look at the half-mistified corpse. “It can actually resurrect?”
“That’s right!”
“…” Do you have to tell me such a terrifying setting with such a calm look, hey? “This demonic beast is birthed from the poisonous gas of these lands in the first place.” Nangong explained with a matter- of-factly look. “After all, how can poisonous gas have life? We had simply scattered it off. In three days, these poisonous gases will once again gather and form a new demonic beast.”
“…” It really is a dungeon mob. It can spawn limitlessly, hey.
After Squad Captain Nangong finished explaining, he looked towards the center of the poisonous mist. A red light flashed, and following after, a red pearl slowly raised up into the air. It continued to fly even higher, and it looked as though it was about to charge out of the poisonous mist. Nangong had an excited look as he pointed at the pearl. “That’s the Nascent Divided Pearl. I shall first contact the groups from the other secret realms.”
Zhu Yao took a closer look. Above the red pearl, six white words were floating. One of the secret key fragments
Just as the pearl was about to fly out of the poisonous mist, Zhu Yao took a step forward and reached out her hand, attempting to retrieve the boss quest item. She then glanced at the strand of purple gas that was being carried by the pearl, and she could not help but hesitate for a moment. A figure suddenly flashed and appeared next to her. That person was a step ahead and obtained the Nascent Divided Pearl.
“I never expected that with just a few of you people, you were able to defeat this demonic beast.” A few foreign faces suddenly appeared in the air. Their attires were all different, and there were a total of seven men and one woman. Their eyes were faintly filled with excitement. And, the person who snatched away the Nascent Divided Pearl was a blue-robed male Deity that was leading them.
“Who are you people?” Nangong Cheng frowned deeply as he cautiously looked at this crowd of people who harboured ill intentions.
“Naturally, we’re people who are here to look for treasures.” The leader coldly snorted as he looked with contempt at the five people who were evidently fatigued. “Seeing how you lot took desperate measures to kill this demonic beast, you all hold merit for your hard labour. I won’t kill you guys. Leave now.”
“You’re trying to steal our treasure!” Squad Captain Nangong had a furious expression. “So what if I am?” That man said without the slightest of guilt.
Squad Captain Nagong clenched his fists, his teeth grinding. Stealing treasures was a very common occurrence, and such people could be found everywhere in these secret realms. The Nascent Divided Pearls were not hard to obtain, what’s hard were protecting the Nascent Divided Pearls and finding the opportune time to leave the secret realms together. That was why he had done the necessary countermeasures before attacking the demonic beast. However, he never expected that these people in front of his eyes would be this shameless. They charged right out to steal the treasure the moment the demonic beast was killed. Evidently, they had their eyes on Zhu Yao’s group right from the start. Yet, their divine energy had still yet to recover, after all, they used up a large amount of them during the battle earlier. This was especially so for Zhonggu Lu who seemed to have expended all of his strength. There was completely no victorious outcome when up against these people in their current states.
“You guys have already done pretty well. A mere five of you was actually able to kill this demonic beast, and even I can’t help but feel impressed.” Though that man was speaking a respectful manner, he looked as though he was gloating with that smile on his face. Squad Captain Nangong was already grinding his teeth noisily from his anger, while Zhonggu Lu looked like he wished he could destroy that person’s face. The other three on the other hand had slightly strange expressions. Yu Yan still had the expressionless face that looked like a block of ice from ten thousand years ago. Yue Ying was simply looking intensely at Zhu Yao on the side. Zhu Yao on the other hand, had a… worried look?
“Umm…” Zhu Yao could not help but call out to the leader who snatched their treasure.
“Oh?” That man coldly snorted. “What? There really is someone who is unafraid of death?”
Chapter366: Poke the Demonic Beast For Show
“I’m trying to say…”
“Mn?” That man frowned as he glared at her with slight dissatisfaction. “What? You still wish to go against us?”
“Uh… Not that. I just want to…”
“Let me give you an advice. Know the time and place. I’m already kind enough to let you all off alive.”
“I want to say…”
“If you lot stay stubborn, I don’t mind sending you all off on the road either!”
“… Fellow Daoist.”
“As for the Nascent Divided Pearl, heh, you guys can stop dreaming. Just treat it as though you’ve never obtained it.”
“Actually…”
“That way, I believe you lot will feel a little better.”
“Is your hand really alright?”
“My hand… What?” The man was stunned for a moment.
Zhu Yao weakly pointed at the pearl in his hand. “I’m saying… is it really alright for you to hold onto that pearl for so long? I just saw that there were still remnants of the deadly poison on it…”
“…” The man’s complacent face instantly turned pale. “What did you… say… urgh…”
His expression changed as his body was suddenly dyed dark purple. He began to break out into spasms, as he directly fell into the thick mist which the demonic beast had transformed into. Screams resounded as his body began to corrode at high speeds. Yet he could not unleash even a single hint of divine energy. “Save… Save me…”
He reached out a hand towards his party members in the air, pleading for their help. However, as he stretched it halfway through, his hand had already turned into bones, and in an instant later, the bones completely melted. This change happened so quickly, it hadn’t been five seconds since it began. The man’s figure was no longer in the mist, and what remained were the various screams filled with terror and despair that still continued to echo in the air. The party members that he had brought along did not even budge, all their faces were filled with dumbfounded expressions.
Zhu Yao frowned. That’s why… Antagonists die because they talk too much.
“Boss!” The crowd of people finally moved. A female Deity with a miserably pale expression cried out. Her voice was filled with fear. She then turned to glare at the five people on the ground, fury filled her lungs. “You… You lot killed him!”
“Oh please!” Zhu Yao rolled her eyes at her belated effort. If she was truly that worried, why didn’t she save him earlier? “We didn’t do anything at all?” “You… You knew that there’s poison on the Nascent Divided Pearl, why didn’t you say so earlier?” The female Deity said as she gritted her teeth.
The corner of Zhu Yao’s lips twitched. “Is your brain made of mush? You guys came here to snatch our loot, so we have to wash it clean and wait for you to snatch it away from us, is that it?” How are you acting all righteous right now?
“You!” The woman grew irritated.
“Who you’re calling ‘you’, you?” Zhu Yao however grew enraged. “So are you guys still going to snatch away the Nascent Divided Pearl or not? In any case, it has poison on it. If you guys want it, then this granddaddy here will give it to you. You can have it if you want it. Though if you guys really want to find, let me warn you that a starved camel is bigger than a horse. Don’t think we’re afraid of you. It’s either the fish dies or the net gets torn, we can all perish together! Hurry and make a decision, we still have to rush off to fight other mobs.”
“You…” The female Deity’s face turned green from anger. Just as she was about to step forward, next to her, a man dressed in a blue robe embroidered with white marks stopped her. This person was also the only one among them with the words ‘Unknown Deity (Level 2)’ shown above its head. “Wait a minute!”
“Why did you stop me?”
“Since it’s already a worthless object, why the need for an unnecessary struggle?” The man said with a solemn voice.
Only then did the female Deity grit her teeth and stand her ground. She ruthlessly glared at Zhu Yao, and then, with a unwilling look, she left with the crowd.
Only then did Zhu Yao heave a sigh of relief, though Yu Yan next to her was frowning. He held onto her hand and solemnly said. “No need to worry, your master…”
“I know.” Zhu Yao chuckled. If they really had to fight it out, though they might look disadvantageous in terms of numbers, with her master here, it would definitely be a stable victory for them even against a few High Deities. Though in this tower, the hatred meter for the Lightning Divine Palace seemed to be off the charts. If they need not expose themselves, then it would be for the best. “Haah, I never expected that we would obtain an useless pearl.” Squad Captain Nangong was saddened as he glanced at the red pearl that was still sparkling within the poisonous mist.
“Such a waste of this daddy’s efforts.” Student Zhonggu Lu was a little irritated as well as he unconsciously stroked his own face, looking as though it was aching a little. He wondered if the poison had vanished and hurriedly materialized a water mirror to inspect his face carefully.
“That might not be the case!” Zhu Yao chuckled as she cast a wind-type art. She used a huge amount of efforts to blow away the layers of thick mist and hurriedly set a formation to suck in the Nascent Divided Pearl. The pearl then rolled a few rounds and stopped by her feet. The poisonous mist once again gathered back together. Before being affected by the thick poisonous mist for the second time, the red pearl merely had a few black strands in it earlier. Now, black covered almost half of the entire pearl.
“Dongfang girly, what are you trying to do!?” Squad Captain Nangong looked at her anxiously. “You saw it for yourself earlier. This pearl has deadly poison on it, it must not be touched.” “I have an idea, Squad Captain Nangong Huang.”
“I’m Nangong Cheng!” Flips table. Why do you call my name wrongly whenever you have an idea!?
“Come on, don’t mind such details.”
“…” I mind, alright? He glanced at the white-robed male practitioner next to her. Manage your disciple properly, hey.
The latter maintained his expressionless look. As long as my disciple doesn’t court death, it doesn’t concern me.
“Squad Captain Huang, I think this pearl isn’t worthless.”
“…” Why did I turn into Squad Captain Huang again, hey? “This pearl is stained with deadly poison and can’t be held, how can we bring it out of the secret realm?” Take a deep breath, I’m a squad captain with principles!
“This demonic beast is undying, so it must have been challenged by several others. There’s so many practitioners who have risen to the higher floors, so we’re definitely not the only group that encountered this problem.”
“You’re saying there’s a method to remove the poison?” His eyes shone.
“Everything has its strengths and weaknesses. How do you think the Purifying Pool is formed?”
“Oh right!” He slapped his thighs as he recalled the Purifying Pool behind him. Since the pool could disperse the poisonous gas, then dispersing the poison within the pearl might not be impossible.
“Without further ado, let’s hurry and place the Nascent Divided Pearl inside the pool, Squad Captain Huang!” Zhu Yao waved her hand and then turned to Zhonggu Lu next to her. “Oh right, Little Teal, we have to trouble you to use your earth- type arts to move the pearl over. You’re more specialized in such matters.”
Nangong Cheng: “…” I already told you I’m Nangong Cheng. Zhonggu Lu: “…” Who the hell is Little Teal?
————————————
Zhu Yao’s idea was correct. The moment Zhonggu Lu threw the poisoned pearl into the pool, the poisonous gas inside the pearl began to disperse. Though it’s much slower than dispersing the regular poisonous gas, it finally began to revert back to its original red colour.
“I’ve already contacted the groups from the other secret realms.” Squad Captain Nangong sighed and said. “Looking at the current situation, only three out of the four Nascent Divided Pearls in the other four secret realms have been found. The last secret realm has yet to be cleared yet. It seemed like we can’t exit the secret realm right now.”
“Could it be that we have to wait like this?” Zhonggu Lu was a little irritated. “The poison in this Nascent Divided Pearl will most likely scatter in about a day, and when that time comes, there will definitely be possible who will try to steal it. We won’t be so lucky that before either.”
Zhu Yao frowned as well. Finding treasures was easy, but protecting them was hard. The robbers back then left because the pearl was poisonous, but now, the pearl was no longer poisonous. Once the news spread, it would lure in quite a huge number of people. No matter how high their cultivation levels were, they would not be able to fend off against a sea of people.
“Heh. And yet there’s still one Nascent Divided Pearl that hasn’t been found, so we can’t leave immediately.”
“Wait!” Yu Yan, who had stayed silent for everyone other than his disciple, suddenly spoke. His ice-cold gaze swept across everyone, and then when his eyes landed on his disciple, a little warmth returned. “Setting a formation down is enough.”
He did not care if they understood either, as he immediately placed down layers upon layers of concealment and defensive formations next to the pool. The half-purified Nascent Divided Pearl in the pool, along with the unpurified poisonous gas, slowly disappeared without a trace. The formations were extremely ingenious, as they were actually able to conceal the ripples of divine energy as well.
“Continue engaging the demonic beast.” He continued with a solemn voice. The group was stunned for a moment, and then, they immediately understood his intentions. “Good plan!” Nangong Cheng said with an excited look. “We shall hide the Nascent Divided Pearl inside the pool, and when the demonic beast resurrects naturally three days later, we shall act as if we haven’t obtained the Nascent Divided Pearl by engaging the demonic beast. As long as we don’t kill it, we will naturally not arouse the others’ suspicions. Once the final secret realm makes contact with us, we will then charge out together! It’s truly a great plan!”
“Daoist Beichen…” The more Nangong Cheng thought about it, the more he felt that the plan would work. He looked at Yu Yan with sparkling eyes. He looks ice and cold, but he actually has good ideas of his own, doesn’t he? Just as he was about to express his admiration, Zhu Yao suddenly squeezed in and slapped his stretched-out hand back to where it belonged.
“Hoho, Squad Captain Huang, let’s think about how we should conceal our traces for the next three days, shall we?” Zhu Yao smiled with a friendly and intimate look. I dare you to try touching my master with your claws!
“Uh…” Why do I feel as if Dongfang girly’s expression has suddenly become terrifying? In order to conceal the fact that they had already obtained the quest item, and adding that the demonic beast has yet to resurrect, the group pondered for a moment and decided that they might as well make a trip back to the city. There was already a squad that found out that they had already killed the demonic beast, so there would definitely be people who wouldn’t give up and return to investigate. Rather than staying, they might as well return to the city and make their presence known. That way, the suspicions that people still had would most likely be removed. Because according to the Nascent Divided Pearls’ setting, it would be ineffective if only one of them was brought back to the city, all five of them must be brought back together.
As expected, the moment they returned to the city, they received countless pitying or gloating gazes. Zhu Yao and her two companions were newcomers, so they were not affected that much, but for familiar faces such as Nangong and Zhonggu, they already had some connections in the city. They immediately received a large amount of questions from the various passers-by, and among them were some that added insult to their injury.
The two of them received all of these with gloomy expressions, perfectly unleashing the images of sad, unlucky young men who had been possessed by the god of misfortune. As for Zhu Yao, her master and Yue Ying, they stood quietly at the side as they watched their act.
Three days later, the few of them announced that they were once again entering the same secret realm to challenge the same demonic beast, in order to earn back their dignity. Not a single person suspected them. Instead, what the group received was a friendly bonus of taunts and mockeries, as the crowd watched the group enter the secret realm.
The fifty-fifth squad thus casually returned to where the demonic beast was, and the Nascent Divided Pearl was still safely lying in the pool. The few of them had talked it over, and agreed to poke the unfortunate resurrected demonic beast every two hours for show, in order to deal with the Deities that were to come spectating. Of course, other than Zhonggu Lu. The poisonous gas from back then had left a mark in his heart, and he was unwilling to move out again even if he had to die. Every day, he would squat by the pool and look at his own face with a water mirror, afraid that he would be poisoned again.
A month later, when the crowd of Deities saw that the five of them were still defending against the demonic beast and were unable to kill it for so long, one after another, they sighed and left. These people sure are idiots. This isn’t the only demonic beast in the secret realm, yet they seemed to have brought themselves into a stalemate with it. At that moment, everyone cleared off their thoughts of snatching away the treasure, and slowly, not a single one of them blocked their path any longer.
When the people in all five secret realms who found the Nascent Divided Pearls finally contacted each other, the group charged out of the secret realm together.
Only then did the crowd of Deities regain their senses. They were fooled! Unfortunately, the results had already been decided.
Chapter367: The Three Levels of Bastard Aura
At the same time they exited the secret realm, the Nascent Divided Pearl flew out. Along with the other four pearls brought out by the other secret realm teams, they merged together. Then, they turned into several rays of white light and entered the foreheads of every single person that came out of the secret realms. A talisman inscription of the number ‘1’ could be faintly seen floating off their foreheads.
The stone stairs to the second floor that they were basically unable to step on earlier, automatically floated under their feet, and then they dragged the groups up towards the bright place above them. Zhu Yao curiously touched the number ‘1’ inscription on her forehead. It seemed like the inscription was their proof of passing the first floor, and the number was recorded based on the number of floors they passed.
The first floor was ‘1’, so the second floor should be…
Wait a minute!
The thought of having the number ‘2’ hanging above her head in the future instantly made her feel uncomfortable. With the successful gathering of the five Nascent Divided Pearls, there were a total of nineteen people this time that passed the stage, and together, they flew towards the white light above them. In just a few moments, the crowd was enveloped by the white light. Zhu Yao watched as the white light flashed in front of her, and she could see flowing streams of light encircling their bodies. She suddenly felt like her mind was clear and refreshed, and the speed of her internal breathing seemed to have increased twofold. In the next instant, the crowd was already standing on a white stone stage, and the names above the heads of these Deities had all been refreshed as well. ‘Level 1’ could no longer be seen, and most of them were all ‘Unknown Deities (Level 2)’. Was this a group level up?
This went the same for her squad as well. Above the squad captain’s head was ‘Nangong Huang (Level 3)’, while next to him, the muscular group member’s was ‘Little Teal (Level 2)’.
Eh, something seems off?
Zhu Yao once again glanced at her master next to her and Yue Ying who was at the back. The names and levels of the three of them were still not shown. Could the system have glitched out or something? However, even though they all fought the same mobs, why did Nangong Huang’s level rise twice while Little Teal only leveled up once. Was it because as a party leader, he gained more experience?
The white light in the surroundings scattered off, and suddenly, a cry could be heard up ahead.
“He’s here! Hurry and surround him so that he won’t escape.”
Zhu Yao heard a few shuffling sounds, and then, in front of her, she could see a large crowd of unknown Deities, with all their levels ranging between two and three. In an instant, they surrounded the nineteen of them with no paths of escape. Their pairs of eyes stared at the new groups intensely, and then, they looked at each one of them interrogatively and excitedly.
Zhu Yao was frightened as she looked at the people that surrounded them. Are they about to bully newbies to show off their power?
“Stop them. He’s definitely among them.” “Inspect them carefully. Do not let him escape.”
“This bunch is the first to come up here after receiving the news. He’s definitely here.”
“This is such a good opportunity, do not let him run.”
A large crowd of Level 2 and Level 3 Deities began to discuss among themselves, anxiety and excitement could be faintly felt. They seemed to be looking for a person. Zhu Yao’s heart clenched as she had a bad premonition. She could not help but tug onto her master.
“No need to worry.” Her master instantly sent a voice transmission over. “We’ve never received the Floor Master’s divine imprint. As long as we do not expose our mystic arts, they won’t be able to recognize us.”
Oh!? No wonder master wouldn’t become the Floor Master no matter what. So it’s not because of the trouble, but to prevent this? Master sure has thought things too far ahead, but isn’t this unfair for a certain Floor Master? But… I still have to give him a thumbs up! “Eh? None of these people have the aura emitted out by the divine imprints of the Lightning Divine Palace at all. Could it be that he isn’t here?” As expected, a Deity that was among the pursuers frowned as he scanned the few Deities that had just entered the lower second floor carefully.
They’re really looking for them!
“How’s that possible?” Someone else discovered the problem as well. “Didn’t the person that came up here before mention that he saw someone use lightning-type arts on the first floor? Theoretically speaking, he should be up here by now? Even if the Floor Master’s divine imprint has been passed down, its aura shouldn’t disappear so quickly. Could it be that we have to wait for the next batch?”
The surrounding crowd of Deities instantly had disappointed looks on their faces, and some of them had already begun to leave. Some still did not give up and squeezed their way in to inquire about the groups. “I don’t believe it. The new Lightning Divine Palace disciple is definitely among them. What are all your names? Every one of you take turns. Is there anyone here with the Daoist title ‘Yu’?”
Though the nineteen people that had just ascended were a little irritated and furious, they had just arrived here and they were not in the place to offend others. Every single one of them reported either their names or their Daoist titles. As more people reported their names, the more disappointed the surrounding Deities became. Very quickly, it was the fifty-fifth squad’s turn.
Zhu Yao was instantly filled with confidence, and she lied without the slightest hiccup.
“I’m called Third Zhang”.
Yu Yan: “Fourth Li.”
Yue Ying: “Fifth Wang.”
Zhonggu Lu: “Sixth Zhao.” What the hell?
Nangong Cheng: “Seventh Sun.” Eh? Why do I have to follow their naming conventions?
The faces of the Deities faintly twitched. Why did they feel as though something was off?
Only when the nineteen people had all reported their names did the crowd finally scatter with disappointed look on their faces. All of them returned to their various homes and find their mothers.
The bamboo-figure student Squad Captain Nangong was stunned for a moment as well. Why did I unconsciously speak out the name ‘Seventh Sun’, hey? Whatever. He turned to glance at his party members behind him. “Dongfang girly, we have to hurry to the Amway Hall to receive our next quest.”
“There’s an Amway Hall here as well?” Zhu Yao was stunned.
“But of course.” Squad Captain Nangong said proudly, acknowledging that there were someone of higher rank than his. “Our Amway Group can be found in every floor of the lower ten floors.”
“…” Just how many people do you have in your Amway Group? ————————————————
The divine city in the second floor was much larger than the one in the first floor. The five of them searched around for a long time before they found Amway Group’s sign at the corner of the east street. Compared to the first floor, there were more Deities in the Amway Hall in the second floor. They also saw the same flight of stairs at the very center of the streets, which should be headed to the lower third floor.
This time, when they returned to the Amway Hall, there wasn’t a Deity at the counter. Instead, there was a small formation currently flashing in the hall. After looking at it carefully, the formation seemed to be similar to the one that led to the third floor, just that it did not have the layers of stone stairs.
Only after she asked did she find out that the formation was used to send messages to newcomers. Zhu Yao immediately placed the jade tablet, that she received on the first floor, into the formation. She then scanned it with her divine sense, and as she was told, there were now many additional things in the jade tablet, including the quest clear requirements and the map for this floor. After taking a closer look, compared to the previous floor, the quest of this floor was much harder. In summary, in the previous floor, it was a quest that made a group of people attack a single monster, while in this floor, it was quest that made a single person go up against a group of monsters.
The description was similar as well. Gather the Nascent Divided Pearls in order for them to merge and form into a gate access key. However, the number of pearls this time was a little much. Every single person needed ten.
“This jade tablet did not mention how we should go about obtaining the Nascent Divided Pearls. This quest is surely more difficult than the previous one.” Squad Captain Nangong frowned. “Furthermore, the materials needed this time are too much. With just the five of us combining our forces, it would most likely still be a difficult task to achieve. Why don’t we…” He suddenly turned to look at Zhu Yao, his eyes were burning with sparkles as he said. “Dongfang girly, let’s use some backdoor methods!”
“…”
In a flash, a cold sword reflecting a chilling light was already hanging next to his neck.
“W-W-W-Wait, Daoist Beichen, don’t be too agitated… I’m talking about taking people in… taking people in… I made a mistake with my choice of words, it’s my mistake.”
This mistake of yours is too far off the mark, right? Are you certain you didn’t accidentally expose your true nature?
“Fellow Daoists, are you all from Amway as well?” A gentle, resounding voice suddenly rang out behind them.
When they turned to look, they saw a blast of clear wind. Radiant figures appeared in the entrance, and Zhu Yao suddenly felt the aura of bastar… Ah pui! She felt a tyrannical aura assaulting in their direction.
Chapter368: Meeting Another Mary Sue
Among the people that came, the woman was gentle and beautiful, while the men were dashing, making up a total of five men and one woman. At first glance, they were pleasing to the eye. Their bodies even seemed to be glowing, as though they were carrying special effects for making their first appearance. It would have been perfect if there was background music playing behind them.
The person who called out earlier was the woman walking at the center. She wore a pink long robe and had an especially sweet smile. She walked straight over and sized up the few of them. When her line of sight landed on Yu Yan who was next to Zhu Yao, she was slightly stunned for a moment. She then took a few steps forward and lightly asked. “Fellow Daoists, are you worried about the matter concerning the Nascent Divided Pearls as well?”
Though her words were directed at their entire group, her eyes were fixated on Yu Yan. She strangely blinked a lot more than normal, looking as though there were some things she wanted to say, but was too shy to do so. Clearly, Zhu Yao and Nangong Cheng were nearest to her, yet she covered a longer distance to ask her master. Zhu Yao’s heart turned stiff for a moment as she took a step forward. What are you doing, huh? This man has an owner. “Fellow Daoist, we are also worried about being unable to find helpers. Why don’t we work together?” The woman acted as though she did not see Zhu Yao, and continued to look at Yu Yan with a face filled with smiles. Her smile carried a hint of playfulness, like the typical neighbour’s little daughter next door. As for the five men next to her, they were looking at her with coddling smiles the entire time.
Yu Yan glanced at the person that suddenly barged her way in front of him and habitually frowned. The chilling air around his body grew a little heavier as he pulled over Nangong Cheng who was next to him. “Decide.” This is your job, why are you slacking?
Nangong Cheng: “…” She didn’t look for me, and you’re blaming me?
“Fellow Daoist, I’m the captain of this squad. May I know what you mean by working together, young lady?”
“Ah, so you’re the squad captain.” The woman was stunned for a moment, and then her expression changed. Her face turned red from shyness, as she meekly glanced at Yu Yan. “I’m sorry, I…” With pure eyes similar to a fawn, and the hint of redness on her cheeks, her gesture could arouse the feelings of pity in every male creature’s heart, making it unbearable for others to reprimand her for her actions. As a woman, Zhu Yao expressed that this was a skill that she hadn’t witnessed before.
As expected, Nangong Cheng’s expression immediately softened. “No worries. Daoist, do you plan on grouping with us?”
“Mn.” She nodded. “I’m Mei Xue, and I’m a recent newcomer in the Amway Group as well. Ten Nascent Divided Pearls are simply too many. Also, the places with the Nascent Divided Pearls on the second floor are all extremely dangerous. That’s why I wish to invite all of you to work together. May I know your answer?”
Nangong Cheng had a joyous look. The other party had six people, and including them, their numbers would total up to eleven. Their strength would ultimately double. Even if they had to face three demonic beasts at the same time, it wouldn’t pose a problem.
“What a coincidence, we wanted to find more people as well. Daoist Mei Xue, your invitation is well-timed. Let me discuss about this with my fellow teammates, as long as they…” “I object.” Zhu Yao raised her hand.
“Dongfang girly!” Nangong was stunned for a moment.
Zhu Yao patted on Nangong Cheng’s shoulder. “Squad Captain Huang, you and Little Teal can join their squad. My master and I shall not intrude.”
“Don’t do that, Dongfang girly. We all came from the lower first floor together, so we’re already considered to be tied by fate. Why do you want to leave?” Also, I’m not Squad Captain Huang.
Just as Zhu Yao was about to explain, Mei Xue suddenly stepped out and butted in. “This big sis… These Nascent Divided Pearls are very hard to obtain. With every new member, there will be a higher chance of success. Also, we have already been on this floor for several days, so we are extremely familiar with the terrain. With more helpers, we can definitely reach the third floor faster. Why is big sis making it difficult for your squad captain?” She said with a painful expression, as though Zhu Yao’s rejection towards teaming up with them was something unfair. “Does this concern you?” What does this have to do with you!? This person must be sick, right? Why the hell did you pull aggro towards me for no reason?
Zhu Yao rolled her eyes. She did not have a good impression of her in the first place. This time, she couldn’t be bothered to care about her and continued to speak with Nangong Cheng. “Squad Captain Huang, the Nascent Divided Pearls of the second floor are not in secret realms, and there’s no requirement of activating them altogether at once. Though the required amount is a little more than before, it isn’t impossible for us to gather them all slowly by ourselves. For now, I have no intentions of forming another group, let us say our goodbyes here then.” Actually, when she saw the information earlier, she already had the intention of moving alone. The hatred towards Lightning Divine Palace was simply too large, if they were to move together, not only wouldn’t they be able to cast lightning- type arts, there might be possibilities that they would be exposed somehow. If it was just her and her master, then they wouldn’t have much scruples about such things.
“Wait!” Mei Xue realized that they were truly intent on leaving. She suddenly stepped forward and tugged onto her sleeves. “Big sis, you…”
“Stop!” Zhu Yao interrupted her. “One, I don’t have a younger sister. Two, you already said that you’ve been on this second floor for several days. It’s my first day today, and I’ve never heard of you in the Divine Realm either, which proves that your stay here in the tower is much longer than mine, so you’re definitely older than me. Calling me big sis… don’t you feel you’re acting a little too cutesy? Third, this is our first encounter, so why the hell are you pestering me this much?”
“…” Mei Xue’s face stiffened, and suddenly, her eyes reddened, as though she had just suffered some great injustice. Zhu Yao instantly received five sets of killing intent from behind. “I… I’m doing it for your own good too. I want everyone to be together… If big sis isn’t willing, then I… I…”
“It’s fine, Xue’er.” A green-robed man on her right suddenly stepped out. He glared at Zhu Yao for a moment, and then coldly snorted. “In this world, there are always such people who are blind and do not know their place. Not everyone is as kind as you. You do not have to feel sad for such people.”
“…” The hell. I just want to leave the party, and I’m not leaving your party either. How am I blind and unaware of my place? Who are these brain-deficient people?
“I’m alright.” Mei Xue shook her head. Then, she looked at Zhu Yao again and said. “I just feel that big sis will definitely regret her insistence on acting alone, and it will definitely implicate the Daoist that is with you.” She then looked at Yu Yan with sincere eyes. “This Daoist, I hope that you think this through as well. The second floor cannot be compared to the first floor.”
“Hoho!” Zhu Yao side-stepped and stood in front of her master. Those eyes of hers gave Zhu Yao the feeling that she was being robbed. “From what you’re saying, for someone like me who insists of working alone, all the more I shouldn’t join your group and drag all of you down. Shouldn’t you thank me for that?”
Mei Xue was stunned for a moment, and instantly, her eyes turned even redder. Her expression grew even pitiful than before and the glittering from the reflection of tears could be seen. “I… I, big sis doesn’t like Mei Xue? Is that why you don’t agree to teaming up with my group?”
“That’s right!” Zhu Yao nodded.
Everyone present was dumbfounded. No one had expected that she would admit it so directly. “I don’t like you!” Zhu Yao seriously said. “I don’t even know where you come from, yet you insist of preventing me from leaving. There must be something wrong with me if I were to like you. I thought you knew, but you actually didn’t?”
“You…” The green-robed male Deity from earlier was instantly enraged. “You dare to be impolite towards Xue’er!” In an instant, a powerful pressure came pressing down at her, and it was filled with killing intent.
Zhu Yao was startled. She never expected that he would attack her so straightforwardly, and she couldn’t react at that moment. Just as the pressure was about to land on her, the side of her waist tightened as she was pulled directly into Yu Yan’s embrace. In the next moment, an even more powerful pressure that carried a chilling intent was sent back. In an instant, a terrifying aura enveloped the entire Amway Hall. The green- robed male Deity was unable to stabilize himself, and he puked out a mouthful of blood from the divine energy rebound.
“Big brother Ye Yu!” Mei Xue cried out in surprise. She hurriedly held onto him before he could fall onto the ground. The others were not in great shape either. Though the pressure was not targeted at them, their hearts clenched, and cold sweat dripped down. The other four men instantly paled as they looked at Yu Yan with bewildered eyes. Someone who had just arrived on the second floor actually had such incredible strength.
Yu Yan coldly glared at the crowd. In an instant, the temperature of the room fell by a few degrees. “Argument, yes. Fight, no!” Daring to injure his disciple right in front of him, were they treating him as blind?
At that moment, everyone present did not utter a sound. The few men with peerless looks especially had heavy expressions on their faces. The female Deity called Mei Xue on the other hand, had a hint of dazzling light flashing past her eyes as she looked at Yu Yan. Then, the light immediately disappeared as she changed into a worried expression and held onto the injured green-robed male Deity. Zhu Yao frowned. A strange feeling welled inside her the depths of her heart. She faintly sensed that something was amiss, but she couldn’t figure it out.
Yu Yan turned around, looked at Nangong Cheng, and coldly spoke these two words. “Leaving group!”
“Ah?” Nangong Cheng was stunned for a moment, and then he immediately nodded. “Ou.” Yu Yan did not stay for idle chatter either. He grabbed onto his disciple and left. This time, their exit was a success with no one daring to stop them. See? Who says violence can’t solve problems?
————————————
They flew straight towards a forest south of the divine city, seeking the whereabouts of the Nascent Divided Pearls. Recalling the incident from earlier, the strange feeling in the depths of Zhu Yao’s heart grew even heavier. That Mei Xue was constantly giving her a strange familiar feeling, especially that party configuration consisting of five men and one woman.
The looks and demeanour of those five male Deities were all decent. Even in the Divine Realm where the people’s appearances were beautiful to the point of being off the charts, they were considered to in the upper tier, and they were not lacking much compared to her master either. Furthermore, their levels were all three, which meant that they were leaders in their own rights on this second floor. She just couldn’t figure out why they would bring along Mei Xue who was level one.
That’s right! Mei Xue was level one! When Zhu Yao noticed her level, she was shocked as well. She was the first level one player that Zhu Yao saw in this lower second floor. Furthermore, from the eyes of those few men, they were not your average companions among Daoists. Instead, they looked like… the eyes of lovers! Five to one, uh… their taste was incredibly heavy.
Wasn’t this the standard of a Mary Sue story?
Zhu Yao stopped her feet, as something rang in her mind. She linked up the clues and figured out what this strange feeling was. She was too similar to Yi Ling from before. They both had appearances of a white flower, they both had the Mary Sue attribute, and they were both surrounded by a bunch of men that would die for their sakes. Furthermore, they both wanted to pull beautiful men into their harems at first sight. However, why didn’t her face have the word ‘bug’ on it?
She was simply walking on the harem route, but not the world destruction route? Or was the Lightning Divine Tower a separate world? Why did she feel that a person like that was even more terrifying!? That girl’s a human-shaped biological weapon that attracts attention wherever she goes!
“Master…” She pulled the man next to her and hugged him tight. Raising her head, she said with a stern tone. “Promise me, just like how the Fifth Prince promised Xiao Yanzi, cherish your
disciple and stay far away from Mary Sue Mei Xue, alright?” If you dare to have a change of heart, I will take my revenge on society.
Yu Yan was stunned for a moment. He looked at stupid disciple a little strangely, and then, with a frown, he asked. “Who is Mei Xue?”
“…”
Alright then. Face-blindness saves the world.
Chapter369: Please Call Me Lei Feng
Zhu Yao carefully looked at the map, and then glanced at the surrounding trees that were as tall as the clouds.
“Master, why are we here?”
“Naturally, to find the Nascent Divided Pearls.” Yu Yan replied seriously.
“Are you certain we can find one here?”
He reached out his hand to stroke her head. “Previously, the Nascent Divided Pearl was inside a demonic beast’s body, and demonic beasts usually conceal themselves within dense forests.”
“But master… We have already circled around for a month?”
“Demonic beasts do not emit out auras, so we are unable to find them with our divine senses.” “But we have already walked through this path three times today.” Are you sure we’re not lost?
The white figure in front of her stiffened for a moment. Then, he immediately said with a stern look once more. “Do not be anxious.” Saying that, he turned towards another small road.
“Master, we came from that road earlier.”
“…” His figure paused for a moment, and then, he decisively turned towards another road. Mn, he simply wanted to have a closer look. He definitely wasn’t lost.
Zhu Yao caught up to him with a darkened expression. So her master was not just face-blind, but had a poor sense of direction as well. Without the GPS known as divine sense, he was completely unable to find his way. It’s no wonder he’s a shut- in?
In the next few days, a certain master completely demonstrated his basic conduct as someone with no sense of direction. “Master, we walked through that road before.”
“Master, at the end of this road is the riverside which we rested at earlier.”
“Master, we crawled up from that boulder over there earlier.
Did you forget?”
“Master, stop marking on this tree. You have already marked it four times, this makes it the fifth.”
“Wait! Master, why are you turning back? We just came from there.”
“Master…”
“Yu… Yao!” Yu Yan frowned as he finally stopped. He pulled in his disciple and said with a stern expression. “Your master feels that it’s best that we search from the sky, and use our divine senses to probe the area.”
The corner of Zhu Yao’s lips twitched. “Master, weren’t you the one who said that we can’t use our divine senses to search for demonic beasts?” You’re just trying to escape the fact that you have no sense of direction, right?
“Your master feels that for something such as Nascent Divided Pearls, they might not all be inside demonic beasts.” He analyzed with a serious look.
“… Master, are you certain you’re not lost?” Enough, enough! I know you have no sense of direction already. Please pass me the authority to lead the way, alright?
“Nonsense.” A certain master still kept up his stern expression. “Previously on the first floor, among the five Nascent Divided Pearls in the five secret realms, not all of them were found within demonic beasts. It must be the same for this place as well.”
“Then master thinks that…” Enough! Though having no sense of direction isn’t an illness, please do not give up treatment!
“The Nascent Divided Pearls. They might be somewhere else.”
“Hoho…” Master, the way you’re quibbling is so refreshing. She took a deep breath, and casually picked an unknown fruit from the tree next to her. “If it’s not inside demonic beasts, are you saying they can even be grown from trees?”
Ting!
You received 1 Nascent Divided Pearl. Gate Key 2 – Completion Rate: 1 / 10
Zhu Yao: “…”
Yu Yan: “…”
Yue Ying: “…”
She looked at the fruit in her hand that suddenly turned into a green pearl, staring at it silently for three seconds…
They’re really growing from trees, hey!
Where’s your most basic conduct as a quest item? Do you have to be this random?
“Mn, it seems the path that your master has chosen isn’t wrong.”
“…” Master, do you have to be this shameless?
————————————————
Zhu Yao carefully inspected the tree, and it looked extremely normal. If not for it being filled with fruits hanging on its branches, it wouldn’t even have any decorative value either. Furthermore, the fruits on the trees were extremely green. Just by looking at it, she knew that they were the type where their sourness would seep into her tastebud with just a single bite. However, a tree like this was actually filled with Nascent Divided Pearls. At that moment, Zhu Yao felt that she had truly stepped on dog shit.
It seemed like them circling around this forest for more than a month was not a fruitless effort.
All of them grabbed ten each. After hearing a series of notification bells, the ten Nascent Divided Pearls merged into a colourful marble-like pearl. Written on it was ‘Gate Key (2)’.
Zhu Yao never expected that they would pass this stage so easily this time. It was so easy, she couldn’t believe her own eyes. After adjusting themselves, they decided to hurry back to the previous divine city and head up to the third floor.
This time, they did not need to look for demonic beasts, and so they could wantonly use their divine senses to look for the path back. In the end, after scanning through, she found out that they were actually at somewhere extremely north of the second floor. Zhu Yao recalled that when they left the city back then, they had clearly gone south. Yet, they actually managed to find their way to the northern side. She had to admit that her master’s standard of direction sense was already beyond godlike.
“Let’s go.” Yu Yan held his disciple with his usual look, and flew up into the air. They, he headed straight in the direction of the divine city. In the depths of his heart, he was already experiencing waves of joy. With the powerful GPS known as the divine sense, a certain master had instantly turned into an expert guide as he picked the nearest road. He could finally fly confidently, fly freely, and fly willfully! His disciple no longer had to worry about him not having a sense of direction either! Because they made an incredibly huge detour in the beginning, they naturally did not pick the same road as before. Zhu Yao thought that their speed would increase dramatically, but her master suddenly stopped after flying for an hour and stayed in the air.
“What is it?”
Yu Yan frowned as he looked towards the distance. “There’s people in front of us.”
Zhu Yao swept her divine sense through, and indeed, there were auras of Deities in the surroundings. However, they were quite a distance away, so she couldn’t get a clear sight of them. Furthermore, a faint scent of blood was lingering in the air. “Who is it?”
He did not reply, instead, his expression simply turned heavier.
Though, Yue Ying at the side spoke up. “It’s the people we formed a squad with before.” “Our former squad?” Zhu Yao was stunned. “Squad Captain Nangong Huang!? Let’s go over!”
She increased her speed and immediately flew in the direction where the scent of blood was coming from. As she had expected, fifty kilometers away, Former Squad Captain Nangong was lying on the ground covered in blood. He was missing an arm, and the wound there was uneven, as though it was tore out by something. A large pool of fresh blood stained the ground as he panted, half-kneeling on the ground. His aura was unstable, and even the number above his head was constantly flashing between ‘2’ and ‘3’. Was he about to drop a level?
“Nangong Huang!” Zhu Yao could not help but call out.
“I’m called Nangong Cheng.” The person on the ground roared back out of habit, and then he was stunned when he saw Zhu Yao. “Why is it you? Why… are you all here…”
“I’m the one who should be asking you that. Why are you injured so heavily? Where’s the others?” Zhu Yao cast a few arts to stop his bleeding. Wasn’t he in a squad with that Mary Sue? Why was he here alone? “The others…” Just as he was about to explain, he suddenly recalled something and pushed her away. “Hurry and leave this place. Otherwise, it will be too late.”
“What?” Before Zhu Yao could even figure out the situation, she hearing a sharp and terrifying roar. The surrounding atmosphere felt as if it had dropped by several dozen degrees as a bone-piercing chilling wind blew.
“It’s too late!” Squad Captain Nagong’s face instantly turned miserably pale.
“Yu… Yao!” Yu Yan pulled up his disciple and shielded her behind him. Forming hand seals with his two hands, various inscriptions instantly flew out of his hands. At that moment, spanning a territory of several dozen meters in radius, a transparent barrier was instantly erected. Dozens of enormous spiritual swords descended from the sky, circling around the surroundings and firmly protecting the people within.
This was… the Five Ways Sword Spirit Formation! A defensive formation that merely second to the Nine Tribulations Five Ways Lightning Formation of Lightning Divine Palace! The moment the formation was completed, the surroundings rumbled. Several hundreds of demonic beasts of various types and sizes appeared. They then began to wildly crash against and bite the barrier.
Zhu Yao was stunned. Earlier, there wasn’t even a single movement. Just where the hell did all these demonic beasts come from?
“It’s no use.” Nangong Cheng’s face turned ash-grey in defeat as he looked at the three people in front of him with eyes filled with guilt. “This demonic beast is lured over by an Annihilation Formation. More and more of them will appear. Forget about the three of you, even if there’s thirty of us, we definitely wouldn’t be able to defeat all of them.”
Annihilation Formation…
The Annihilation Formation that would annihilate all living beings! Who would place down such a formation?
Yu Yan frowned even deeper. He directly called out his own Life Artifact, the lightning sword, and took a few steps forward. “I’m sorry… for pulling you all down.” Nangong Cheng looked at Zhu Yao with a face filled with guilt.
“Do not speak for now.” Zhu Yao cast an art to temporarily stop his bleeding, and then entered his body to inspect it with a strand of divine sense. She realized that his internals were damaged especially heavily, and even his meridians were about to turn into mush. His Dantian even had the dangerous traces of cracking. She immediately sat down in a lotus position behind him. “Focus and calm yourself, I will help restore your Dantian and heart meridians.
“Nevermind!” Nangong however shook his head. “We are not even able to escape now. You will just be wasting your divine energy. Dongfang girly, don’t care about me any longer. I can’t live for long anymore. If you all of you charge out with all of your strength, there might be a sliver of hope…”
“What’s with all these nonsense that you’re spouting!” Zhu Yao ignored his words and immediately slammed her palm onto his chest and inserted a strand of divine energy into his body. This strand stabilized his collapsing Dantian with all its might.
Nangong Cheng still insisted on explaining. “There are so many demonic beasts, and not to mention, they are demonic beasts with an extremely dark attribute. If you bring me along, you guys basically can’t escape at all. Take this opportunity where the demonic beasts are not stacking up yet and flee.”
“Shut up!” She did not realize it before, but he was even a chatter.
“I’m being serious, Dongfang girly!” Nangong Cheng was anxious. He persuaded her while spitting out blood. “This gratitude for helping me, this old man shall pay back in my next life.
However, this crowd of demonic beasts are all extremely dark beasts that stay in the north. Only lightning can deal with them effectively. You guys beat them.” The more he spoke, the more he felt despair. “If we don’t leave now, we won’t make it in time. Unless you guys are capable of inviting the people of Lightning Divine Palace…”
Rumble!
Before he could even finish, lightning sparks lighted up the entire sky. Lightning bolts with the width of a bucket and descended from the sky. The lightning bolts that surrounded the encircling demonic beasts struck fiercely. In the sky, a snow-white figure was currently holding onto a lightning sword. Even with a light swing, lightning sparks continued to fill the sky.
Eh!?
“Light… Lightning… Lightning Divine Palace!” There must be something wrong with how I got injured. Why the hell does Daoist Beichen know how to wield lightning-type arts!? “Dong… Dongfang girly!”
“What?” Zhu Yao used this opportunity to guide out her divine energy and sealed four out of five of his damaged meridians. Then she stabilized his near-collapse Dantian, before standing right up.
“He… Is he really your master?”
“Mn.”
“Direct disciple?” “Of course!” If he’s not my direct master, are you telling me that you’re my master?
“…” Didn’t they say that only a single person from Lightning Divine Palace had entered? When did it become a total of three?
Chapter370: It’s Definitely Not That Easy
“Yu… Yao.” Yu Yan swept away the demonic beasts and immediately flew over. He glanced at Squad Captain Huang who was no longer in a critical state. “Let’s go.”
Zhu Yao nodded and then grabbed Nangong Huang off the ground. “Off we go!”
“Wait!” Nangong Cheng reached out towards the ground and seemed to have picked something up, before allowing himself to be pulled by Zhu Yao. Following Yu Yan, they flew towards the cleared path which was blasted open by the lightning strikes.
After flying up did they realize just how many demonic beasts were roaming in the surroundings. The entire place was shrouded in thick darkness. At the very least, their numbers were up in the high thousands. It was no wonder they had circled around the forest without bumping into a single demonic beast. They had all run over here.
Yu Yan summoned a lightning dragon. Zhu Yao did not stay idle either and directly summoned her Life Artifact – ‘Patch’ Sword. With a light swing, she easily released her sword intent. A phoenix which was formed by red lightning bolts, along with her master’s lightning dragon, instantly swept open a single road in front of them.
The demonic beasts that were scattered towards the surroundings, once again began to gather.
“Charge out!” Yu Yan grabbed onto his disciple and flew towards the swept-open path while blowing away the leftover demonic beasts. Zhu Yao was just about to catch up, when she suddenly stopped once more. Lowering her head, she looked at the bottom, at the figure that was standing at the very center of a formation. She could not help but call out. “Hurry.”
The figure below was stunned for a moment, and then immediately after, the corners of his lips stretched upwards, looking as if he had just felt the spring breeze. His smile, that looked as though he had been given a new lease of life after being frozen in ice for so long, was as if he had just found hope to continue living on.
Zhu Yao’s heart sank, and she somehow began to feel a little irritated as she continued forward. Only then did the figure on the ground flash and appear behind her. He still maintained that considerable distance, but compared to the complete lack of presence before, he seemed to now possess a hint of life. They flew straight back towards the forest they got lost in, and only after they could no longer hear a single beast howl did they finally stop.
Yu Yan searched for a rather concealed valley so that Nangong Cheng could tend to his wounds. Though his injuries were really severe, since Zhu Yao was able to seal his meridians and protect his Dantian in time, his foundations were not damaged. Adding that he was Demonic Immortal in the first place, he had a powerful body and his recovery power was much faster than regular Deities. After a few hours, the wounds on his body had all begun to close,. Though, a little more time was needed for his severed arm to regrow.
The level above his head dropped by one, from the initial ‘3’ to the ‘2’ now. He was now exactly the same as his gay friend Zhonggu Lu.
“Dongfang girly, really, thank you very much. I… I…”
“No need for thanks, call me Lei Feng! Oh right, where’s Little Teal?” Zhu Yao suddenly recalled. “Did the two of you split up? Why are you the only one here?” “I’m not. He’s right here!” Nangong Cheng reached out his hand to pick up a bloodied object that had been placed next to him.
Zhu Yao took a serious look at the thing in his hand. It was completely stained in blood, and was something similar to a bundle of withered grass roots. “This… Is this straw?” And it’s harvested too.
“This daddy is a Flower Deity!” The withered grass on Nangong Cheng’s suddenly leapt up, and then shook four of its branches about. “You actually compared me to those extremely ugly grass roots. How are they as handsome and suave as me?”
This voice is…
“Little Teal!?” Zhu Yao was shocked. She cast a Dirt Removal Art on it, revealing a yellow branch that looked as though it hadn’t been watered for several hundred years. A flower was grown at the center of it, though its four petals were all distorted together, as though they could wilt and fall off at any moment. “You’re actually a Flower Deity? There are not many spirits capable of cultivating in High Deities. You’re rather incredible.” The cultivation of spirits were usually quite low. This was the first time she saw one that could reach the level of a High Deity and enter the Lightning Divine Tower.
“W… Well, at least you have some… eyes.” It shook about its dried plum-like leaves, and then, at the same time, folded them a little. “But, even if you praise me like that, I… I won’t be really happy either.”
(￢_￢)
Even though he was clearly really happy!
“Why are you back in your original form?” Zhu Yao looked at the two of them back and forth. Did you two formed a group with Mei Xue? Why are you two the only ones left here? Where are they?”
The leaf that Zhonggu Lu raised once again wilted down. Nangong Cheng had a furious look as well, as he gnashed his teeth audibly.
“Don’t bring it up. My eyes were blind for mistakenly trusting those shameless people.” Nangong Cheng angrily told them the events that happened after they left. “Initially, we agreed to come over to the north to search for demonic beasts with Nascent Divided Pearls in them. However, that ridiculous Mei Xue wanted to head to the depths of this dense forest, explaining that she had just obtained an ancient secret formation. She said that as long as we bring in all the demonic beasts inside the formation, we can obtain Nascent Divided Pearls without even lifting a finger. However, who knew that the so-called formation she spoke of, was actually an Extermination Formation?”
“This daddy here has lived for so long, yet I’ve never seen such a stupid person before.” Zhonggu Lu interrupted. “That Extermination Formation is capable of exterminating all living beings, but those demonic beasts cannot be considered living beings in the first place. They are unkillable and unexterminable, their births are tied to fate itself. They are creatures without souls. The moment she unleashed the Extermination Formation, all other living beings died, leaving behind the demonic beasts. How is that seeking Nascent Divided Pearls? We’re clearly seeking a beating there!”
Uhh… She certainly was not aware that this particular Mary Sue’s thought process would be this surprising and fresh.
“Haah… We actually had a chance to escape.” Nangong Cheng continued. “The moment the Extermination Formation activated, I realized something was amiss, and informed everyone to hurry and retreat. However that girly called Mei Xue insisted that the formation was effective, and wasn’t willing to leave even if she had to die. And those squadmate of hers, every single one of them was blind as well. The moment she put it that way, all of them actually believed her. Only when the demonic beasts come chasing were they finally willing to believe that was an Extinction Formation.”
“Then why were you two there?” When she discovered them earlier, there weren’t presences of any other formations in the surroundings, and the place did not look as if a formation that could exterminate all living beings had been activated. This proved that they had already escaped.
“Haah…” Nangong Cheng’s expression grew even uglier. “We desperately wanted to slaughter out way out. By combining the strength of all eight of us, it shouldn’t have been impossible. Who knew that the female Deity Mei is merely a decoration? Forget about crying throughout the entire journey, the others even had to split some of their attentions to protect her. There were several times where we were this close to being devoured by demonic beasts, but those five people seemed to have taken the wrong medicine and all went to protect her. In the end, Brother Zhonggu Lu and I were the only ones left killing the enemies.” The longer he spoke, the angrier he became as he painfully gritted his teeth. “I simply told her off a little, and then she began bursting out in tears, making a ruckus and saying things like wanting to commit suicide, not wanting to pull us down. The hell, just what kind of situation did she think we were in back then? Yet she still wanted to make a ruckus. If she wanted to cause a ruckus, then do it. Charge right into the mouth of a demonic beast and end it right there and then. Yet she still wanted to go crazy and wanted to snatch my weapon away to commit suicide using it.”
“Uh…” This is an Oscar award nominee, young man. “And then?”
“Then…” His expression darkened, his teeth gnashed resoundingly. “After that, the other five Daoists went crazy as well. They actually wanted to fight me because of her, initiating duels and whatever! The hell, just what kind of situation did they think we were in? They actually wanted to duel me right there and then! If not because she was female, I really wanted to bite her to death!”
It seemed like there were deep internal conflicts huh. “Then… how did you guys get out?”
Nangong Cheng took a few deep breaths, before he slowly said. “Brother Zhonggu Lu used up all the divine energy in his body and ignited a shattering technique, blasting open a crack. We were then able to escape the Extermination Formation and arrive in that dense forest. That was how my arm was shredded off as well. After we got out, we split from the group. After that, because my injuries were too severe, I could no longer muster any energy to fly and fell into that dense forest. I was then caught up by those demonic beasts.”
It’s no wonder Little Teal reverted back to his original form.
“If Dongfang girly hadn’t appeared in time, even if I wasn’t eaten by those demonic beasts, my Dantian would have most likely been shattered, and my cultivation would been destroyed.” He said with a gratitude. “Thank you, Dongfang girly.”
“We were passing through anyway.” Zhu Yao patted on his shoulders and said with a proud look on her face. “You don’t have to be courteous with me now, Squad Captain Nangong Huang.”
“…” I’m Nangong Cheng!
“Your Dantian is fine now, but it will take some time for your meridians. As for Little Teal…” She looked at the withered plant next to her, and inspected it with her divine sense. She discovered that there really wasn’t the slightest bit of divine energy in his body. How was she going to heal a damaged plant?
Could it be…
“Hey, what’s with that face of yours that looks like you’re about to give me fertilizers?” Zhonggu Lu suddenly straightened up. It shook its two leaves forward, making a large cross.
“Little Teal, you don’t have to be so sensitive! I never thought of giving you fertilizers.”
“Then it would be something close to…”
“I just wanted to water you.”
“……”
“…”
—————————————— Student Zhonggu Lu firmly resisted against all unreasonable cultivating actions. Through its words, it resolutely rejected all of Zhu Yao’s kind intentions of watering it and providing it fertilizers. Zhu Yao expressed that she was really sad. Raising flowers or whatever, was something she specialized in. In the modern era, the flowers and plants that she raised were all immensely beautiful. Her techniques were definitely on the professional level. She never expected she would be despised for it.
Left with no other choice, they could only plant it in soil. In order to make it convenient for travel, she even especially used earth-type mystic arts to make it a flower pot, so that it can be carried around easily. Mn. I’m a little excited as to what type of plant Little Teal is!
The moment student Little Teal entered the flower pot, it sank into deep sleep. Squad Captain Nangong’s injuries still needed to be tended to as well. Zhu Yao had no choice but to put aside her floor rising plan and stay in this valley for a night. Tomorrow, she would then head over to the center of the divine city and raise her level.
Turning around, she glanced at the two people who were in meditation and deep sleep. She could not help but let out a sigh. “They sure were unlucky.” Mary Sues were terrifying alright. She didn’t do anything much, and she ended up landing them in such pitiful states. Zhu Yao then pulled her master over from the side and once again reminded him. “Cherish your life, stay far away from Mary Sues.”
“Yu… Yao.” Yu Yan glanced at the two people and frowned. “I’m afraid this matter isn’t that simple.”
“Ah?” Zhu Yao was stunned for a moment.
“From what I know, though Extermination Formations are powerful, they do not have the capabilities to lure in demonic beasts.”
“What do you mean?”
“Have you ever wondered why these two people were still constantly chased by those demonic beasts even after they left the formation?” He said with a calm look. “Or should I say, just the two of them?”
“…” Zhu Yao’s heart sank, her eyes widened. “Master, you’re saying…” He nodded. “I believe the Nascent Divided Pearls within the Extermination Formation had all been cleared out by now.”