Tang Bai Li

Chapter 9 Prelude to the Beast Mine Dispute

The mountain was the same mountain, the mine was the same mine, Xu Mu and Qiongqi were unchanged, but the roles of those seeking help and those being chased had reversed.

"Brother Hao Han, save this beast's life!"

Qiongqi's desperate cry echoed through the space.

Xu Mu stood on the mountaintop, looking at Qiongqi sprinting from a thousand meters away, his eyes narrowing slightly.

He didn't know what had happened deep in the mine, nor why the Gan Jiang Sword had suddenly turned on him.

The moment Qiongqi burst out of the mine, he had seen a sword qi erupting towards the sky.

That sword qi was unmistakably from the Gan Jiang Sword, carrying an ancient aura that pierced through time. It was unmistakable.

However, it seemed to have missed its mark, striking neither person nor object, but carrying an immensely sharp and chaotic power, flying aimlessly into the heavens.

And where the sword qi passed, wind had naturally whipped up at both its front and back.

It was precisely this wind that had caused many tiny cuts on Xu Mu's body.

On the mountaintop, Xu Mu narrowed his eyes.

He raised his right hand, which held the demonic sword, and saw numerous sword marks on it.

These wounds were not from the sword qi itself, but caused by the wind.

Yes, it was the sword wind stirred up by the sword qi's passage. It seemed to contain residual sword intent, and as the spring breeze brushed against Xu Mu, countless fine sword marks appeared on him. Even the wild grass on the ground was sliced in two.

What kind of sword strike was this?

From thousands of meters away, with only the leaked sword intent from the sword qi, it could wound his current physique. Even the fourth-stage lords behind him, who had no time to defend, had their robes torn.

The power of the sword qi itself was something Xu Mu could not imagine.

Who could possibly withstand such a sword head-on? Even Gray-White Eye, wielding the demonic sword with all his might, might not be able to.

Yet, Qiongqi was asking him to save him.

Xu Mu felt like crying, but no tears came. He understood that to battle this sword, perhaps Biting Fire, who could summon his Dharma Idol, could try. But the problem was, that powerhouse on the World Ranking wasn't here.

Here, there were only a pile of lords, still recovering from grievous injuries, and him, the undeserving leader of the second stage. How could he save Qiongqi?

"There's no running away, and fighting to the death doesn't seem to offer any chance."

Xu Mu felt an immense sense of despair. Just after waking up, he had encountered Fang Jia's surprise attack. He thought that after dealing with him, he could seek out opportunities here, but now, he had inexplicably fallen into a desperate situation again.

"If all else fails, I might have to ask that one to try."

Charles's voice sounded in Xu Mu's mind. Xu Mu sighed helplessly, perhaps that was the only way.

Just as he was about to make up his mind and prepare to awaken Gray-White Eye, Xu Mu suddenly realized that the Gan Jiang Sword, which had been aggressively pursuing him below, had suddenly stopped.

It hovered in mid-air, its blade trembling slightly, whether from anger or something else, he didn't know.

"So it was him!"

The pursuit by the Gan Jiang Sword abruptly ceased. It stopped in place, a hint of fear in its suspension.

Because it saw Xu Mu standing on the mountaintop.

The sword spirit felt restless and agitated. It knew Xu Mu possessed a holy relic.

Even when it resided in Yan Yu's sea of consciousness, it had sensed the extraordinary nature of the sword Xu Mu held.

After witnessing the demon god's clone escaping from Ji Chang's body, it immediately guessed that what Xu Mu held was the legendary demon god's broken horn.

Legend was from its world, and such a legendary item was naturally a holy relic. Later, it had observed Xu Mu's performance on the first floor, and the power he unleashed in his moment of desperation had even alarmed it.

Therefore, it speculated that Xu Mu possessed a second holy relic.

And now, it was about to face Xu Mu. The latter stood on the mountaintop, raising his sword, as if accumulating some killing move.

The sword spirit didn't know that Xu Mu was merely looking at the wounds on his hand.

"Damn it!"

"I am a sword spirit now, bound by the sword. The quality difference between this Gan Jiang Sword and that demonic sword is too great. Even with its every breath, I tremble. How can I fight this!"

The sword spirit was filled with rage, surprise, and annoyance. It had missed its mark in the mine earlier precisely because of the demonic sword's power. Otherwise, it would have obtained the Other Shore Flower long ago!

"Even if reborn as a human, one must have the life to enjoy it."

"If I pursue now, there's a high chance I won't get the Other Shore Flower and will die myself!"

"Forget it!"

Thinking this, the Gan Jiang Sword spirit forcibly suppressed the urge to pursue.

It glared at Ji Chang's retreating back and spat venomously:

"I will return!"

"If the Other Shore Flower is no longer here then, I will pierce you with ten thousand swords, make you suffer all the tortures in the world, and you will be unable to live or die!"

After uttering its threat, the sword spirit controlled the Gan Jiang Sword and fled in the opposite direction, quickly disappearing from everyone's sight.

Xu Mu, standing on the mountaintop, watched the sword suddenly depart, utterly bewildered.

Why did it stop pursuing?

Hum!

Before he could figure out the reason, Qiongqi, with Yan Yu in its mouth, flew up to the mountaintop.

Its arrival startled the lords, but Qiongqi paid them no mind. It directly placed Yan Yu on the ground and panted, "Quick... save him, your friend is in critical condition!"

Hearing this, Xu Mu hurried to bend down and placed his hand on Yan Yu's pulse. His powers flowed into Yan Yu's body, and his expression gradually grew solemn.

"The heartbeat is so weak, almost nonexistent, yet it maintains a steady rhythm."

"There's a penetrating wound on his chest, but it has scabbed over. The blood supply in his body is sufficient, so it shouldn't be a problem. But why are all his cells degenerating?"

Xu Mu was perplexed. Yan Yu's current physical condition was like that of an elderly man nearing his twilight years, yet he was in the prime of his youth at twenty.

"His life essence is almost depleted, yet his spirit and blood are still present. It doesn't look like he was drained by an odd ghost. What exactly did you do down there?"

Xu Mu was confused. With only his life essence lost, but his vitality and flesh intact, he had never seen such a situation.

Even without knowing what happened, he had to save Yan Yu's life.

Xu Mu fumbled on himself for a moment, then found the Six-Taste Earth Yellow Pill he had previously prepared for the old man of the tree dwelling and fed it to Yan Yu.

"This might replenish some essence and blood, but it probably won't have much effect on his condition. I can only temporarily keep him from dying."

Qiongqi lay on the ground, licking its wounds, and transmitted a message to Xu Mu:

"I went through so much trouble to save him, you can't let him die. I'm still waiting for him to repay my kindness!"

Xu Mu was somewhat speechless:

"So, what exactly did you encounter down there, and why did his sword become like this?"

Qiongqi sighed:

"It's a long story. We encountered the Other Shore Flower underground. Yan Yu fought his way through, and was about to succeed when we realized that thing was alive..."

Qiongqi transmitted its message, recounting everything that had happened inside the mine from beginning to end.

Xu Mu listened, growing more astonished with each word. When he heard that the Other Shore Flower could allow the deceased to reincarnate, his eyes immediately blazed with a sharp light.

"You mean, Ji Chang has the Other Shore Flower that can grant reincarnation?!"

Qiongqi was startled by Xu Mu's sudden exclamation. It seemed to sense the gazes of those around them and quickly whispered, "Yes, he must have snuck underground at some point and played the role of the unexpected victor."

Upon hearing this, Xu Mu immediately walked to the edge of the cliff.

He gripped the ink sword in his hand, looked at Ji Chang, who was fleeing at the foot of the mountain, and a whirlwind of emotions flashed in his eyes.

"If I had the Other Shore Flower, I could let Uncle Kui reincarnate!"

Xu Mu's heart grew heavy.

Except for the moment Wu Kui had just died, he had never thought about resurrection, because he later learned it was impossible.

But the appearance of the Other Shore Flower had shown him that resurrection was not impossible.

As long as he obtained the Other Shore Flower, Wu Kui could be resurrected, and he could wash away the sins of this body and find salvation.

And there was only one Other Shore Flower.

Should he snatch it?

Xu Mu fell into a quandary. In the cultivation world, everyone had the right to compete for opportunities. In this arena, there were no true enemies or friends.

If he fought Ji Chang for the Other Shore Flower, no one could fault him.

However, if he did such a thing, what would be the difference between him and the bandits of Nanfeng and their ilk?

"Brother Hao Han..." Qiongqi saw Xu Mu clenching his sword and suddenly grew nervous.

It understood what Xu Mu was struggling with. Under the temptation of the Other Shore Flower, no one could remain calm. However, it now considered Xu Mu a friend and did not wish for its friend to do such a thing.

Xu Mu's heart was wracked with internal struggle until Ji Chang's figure disappeared from view. He watched him leave.

He suddenly sighed:

"Forget it."

"The dead are like extinguished lamps. Kui Shu would probably prefer to die than have me do such a disreputable thing."

Xu Mu shook his head and took half a step back, ultimately not making a move.

Every family has its own difficulties, and perhaps everyone has something they cannot let go of. If he were to snatch this Other Shore Flower, it would be akin to killing the person or item that the other party cared about the most, all over again.

Xu Mu asked himself if he could do such a thing. He could not.

"Since I missed the opportunity to contend for it, it proves I have no fate with it. Since it has already found a new owner, so be it."

Xu Mu murmured to himself, bringing this matter to a close.

Seeing Xu Mu's state, Qiongqi felt an inexplicable sense of relief.

"How are your injuries? Are they serious?" Xu Mu looked at Qiongqi and asked.

"They're alright. I just used my innate divine abilities too frequently, so I'm a bit tired," Qiongqi replied, its eyes closed as it slowly recovered. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět

It had expended too much Samadhi True Fire in that mine, so fatigue was normal, especially since it had only recently entered the Lord realm.

"Brother Hao Han actually cares about me."

A warm current flowed through Little Qiongqi's heart. For so many years in the clan, it had never encountered a demon of its own age, and thus had never had a true friend. Xu Mu's appearance had filled this void, which was why it had been so nervous earlier.

Although Xu Mu was human, his talents were no weaker than their divine beast clan. To put it broadly, it was like the friendship between Fuxi and the ancestor Qiongqi in ancient times.

Thus, Little Qiongqi suddenly became very happy.

"Yes, it's good that you're alright," Xu Mu said, stroking Little Qiongqi's fur. "Come with me. I need to go and see that place."

Little Qiongqi opened its eyes and found that Xu Mu was pointing towards the mine, which could collapse at any moment. Without a doubt, it was dangerous.

Qiongqi was confused:

"What are you going there for? The Other Shore Flower is already gone."

Xu Mu nodded and said,

"I know, but a lot of great demons died there."

Qiongqi was even more puzzled:

"So?"

Xu Mu thought of the blood-sucking golden egg and gave Qiongqi a mysterious smile.

"I have an egg here that likes to suck blood."

"Suck blood?"

Qiongqi's eyes were filled with confusion. As a divine beast, it had never seen such a miraculous egg.

So it asked,

"What kind of egg is that?"

Xu Mu flipped over and rode on Qiongqi's back, replying,

"It's a... dragon egg!"