Book 5 - Chapter 11

B5C11: The return of Xiao Hei

In the Blood-red Cave in the Blood-red Ridge,

“Hah, Sang Mo indeed can no longer sit tight. He has even brought out that treasure Thunder Hammer.” Red-robed Cha Ge smiles broadly. It is obvious that he is in a very good mood. He has been waiting for this day for so long.

On one side of him, the silvery-armored guardian who has just delivered the message slightly bows and says: “Vice master, this Thunder Hammer is a high-grade holy weapon while the target is just a Xiuxianist who hasn’t even reached the Yuanying stage. This is really a piece of cake. There are quite a few Yuanying experts in the Blood-red Ridge. Perhaps most of them will emerge.”

“You’re wrong. This mission’s not simple at all.” Cha Ge stands up, slightly raises his chin then says smilingly in a haughty manner. “Tell me, when the target is only a Xiuxianist who hasn’t even reached the Yuanying stage, why has Sang Mo been unable to catch him for so long?”

That silvery-armored guardian becomes doubtful: “That’s right. What does this sub-Yuanying Xiuxianist rely on?”

Obviously having thought everything out, Cha Ge continues: “Let me remind you a bit again, Sang Mo even asked 30 members of the Green-eyed fish clan to help him.”

“Members of the Green-eyed fish clan?” The silvery-armored guardian is slightly startled. The northernmost area of 100,000 li in radius is really too far from this Blood-red Ridge — being several million li away — so most Xiuyaoists here do not know about some methods Sang Mo have used to chase Qin Yu.

Cha Ge was only able to find out about them thanks to the Blood-red Cave’s intelligence.

“That secret fish-controlling technique of the Green-eyed fish clan’s members is very capable. That Xiuxianist also doesn’t have a demonic aura so he must’ve been detected with ease. Once he was found out, given Sang Mo’s power, he should’ve been able to catch that Xiuxianist very easily.” The silvery-armored guardian says continuously.

However, as soon as he thinks about the outcome, he does not understand at all why Sang Mo has not been able to capture that Xiuxianist for so long.

“Why hasn’t he been able to catch him? Could this Xiuxianist have some special technique?” The silvery-armored guardian mumbles to himself. He really cannot figure this out.

Cha Ge however looks him and says confidently with a smile: “Right, what’s actually happened? I can see only 2 possible answers. First, that Xiuxianist has a special skill for hiding his aura, which can make it impossible for Sang Mo to catch him. Second, that Xiuxianist is extremely fast when riding his sword, so fast that Sang Mo can’t catch up with him.”

The silvery-armored guardian nods thoughtfully.

“It’s probably very hard for a mere sub-Yuanying Xiuxianist to hide his aura in front of Sang Mo.” He says after thinking for a while.

Cha Ge says with a nod: “Correct. Therefore it’s most probable that this Xiuxianist is simply too fast for Sang Mo to catch up with. Also, according to my info, Sang Mo has chased him many times, and even when the distance between them was only as short as several tens li, that Xiuxianist was still able to escape.”

The silvery-armored guardian says in amazement: “Such fast speed. Vice master, Sang Mo’s true form is an octopus. At his fastest speed, not even I can keep up with him. How was a Xiuxianist who hasn’t reached the Yuanying stage able to lose him?”

Cha Ge gives a brilliant smile and gently utters 2 words from his mouth: “Flying sword!”

The silvery-armored guardian is stupefied, but his eyes blaze after a short while.

When a person with not a lot of power can fly fast on his flying sword, it is highly possible that the flying sword itself is very good. Of course, another possibility is that he has a special method for riding swords. But Cha Ge really believes that the flying sword used by that Xiuxianist is of high quality.

“Judging from the info I got, this Xiuxianist’s flying sword is at least a high-grade holy weapon.” Cha Ge actually wanted to say ‘top-grade holy weapon’ because he knows very well how extraordinary Sang Mo’s speed is.

But how can a mere sub-Yuanying-stage Xiuxianist possibly have a top-grade holy weapon?

After all, even a Dongxu-stage expert has to be exceptionally extravagant to be able to possess a top-grade holy weapon. In the overseas Xiuzhen world, perhaps no schools are willing to give a top-grade holy weapon to a Xiuxianist who has not even reached the Yuanying stage.

Even if it is only a high-grade holy weapon, this will already be hard to believe.

“Perhaps that Xiuxianist had a lucky encounter or something in which he got this high-grade holy weapon by chance.” Cha Ge thinks so in his mind.

Suddenly —

Pa! Pa! Pa! ……

Clapping sounds rise behind him. A man who is very similar to Cha Ge walks out. Just looking at him, one would associate him with a sinister poisonous snake. This man is none other than the other vice master Cha Po.

“3rd brother, what you just said is very brilliant. Do you mind me going with you to capture that Xiuxianist?” Cha Po says smilingly.

Cha Ge curses in his heart while his face slightly changes color.

“Damn you Cha Po. You already got a high-grade holy weapon of your own. I’ve been waiting for so long for the appearance of the Thunder Hammer. Just now I got the news that it’d appeared and was able to guess that that Xiuxianist has at least a high-grade holy weapon. It was double joys for me, but you’ve come to fight me for them. Are you still my brother?!”

He is extremely furious inwardly. Even though he is suppressing his anger, his expression still looks very ugly.

“2nd brother, it seems big brother already gave you the high-grade holy weapon he got last time, right? But I don’t have any.” Cha Ge says indignantly. He has mentioned that past event immediately without beating around the bush.

When Cha Po hears this, he of course totally understands at once that his 3rd brother is thinking that he has come to contend for the holy weapons. He immediately says with a loud laugh: “3rd brother, you’re being a bit too petty. You should know me better than that. I already got a high-grade holy weapon, why would I hanker after another? It’s just that I’m feeling bored with staying in the cave so I want to go out together with you for a change.”

“Really?” Cha Ge is somewhat unconvinced.

Cha Po suddenly says with a stare: “3rd brother, I swear to Heaven that if I wanted to snatch those holy weapons, I’d be struck to death by a thunderbolt. Damn it, we’re brothers, do you think I’m the type who covets his own brother’s treasures?”

Cha Ge has a change of heart. Now he believes Cha Po. He knows his 2nd brother’s character very well, only that just now his mind was clouded by his concern. He says with a ha-ha laugh immediately: “2nd brother, don’t be angry. All right, let’s go right now.”

Cha Po says laughingly: “This is better. All right, I’ve messaged that Sang Mo to ask his 30 Green-eyed fish clan members help us monitor the area and to tell us when something happens.”

“Excellent. Let’s go!” Cha Ge also bursts out laughing. The 2 vice masters of the Blood-red Cave then leave the cave together. The true forms of this Cha Ge and his brother Cha Po are 2 blood-red aquatic pythons, which are a top-level species of snake.

In terms of power, even though Cha Ge is also at the early phase of the Yuanying stage, he is already stronger than Sang Mo, not to mention middle Yuanying-stage Cha Po.

In an underwater green mountain range that runs continuously for several thousand li, a man is sitting with legs crossed in a cave on the side of a seamount practicing. An indistinct cloud is spinning nonstop around his body while 3 jindans are floating in his vicinity.

After a long time, the indistinct cloud begins to shrink then fuses with that silhouette. Only now does the silhouette become clear. It is none other than Qin Yu. Compared to a half year ago, the current Qin Yu has a hint of coldness on his forehead.

He suddenly opens his eyes, shooting out an ice-cold clear look.

“After refining so many jindans, I unexpectedly haven’t reached the late Nebula stage.” A hint of powerlessness appears on his face.

When he refines a jindan, the impure energy, which makes up most of it, is burnt up by his Stellar Flame. Only the 10% essence of the jindan remaining in the end is absorbed by him. For the last half year, Qin Yu has killed 32 members of the Sang clan but most of them were at the early Jindan stage and only a few had reached the middle phase of the Jindan stage. As for late Jindan-stage Xiuyaoists, there were 3 of them altogether.

According to Qin Yu’s original estimation, he would have to refine 10 late jindans to reach the late phase of the Nebula stage.

He has refined 32 jindans for the last half year, but they unexpectedly have less energy in total than 10 late jindans. However, because the difference is not very great and, in addition, he has been practicing every day, he now has a feeling that he is going to reach the late phase of the Nebula stage soon.

“Currently I’m almost at the peak of the middle Nebula stage. In terms of speed, I’m also a bit faster than Sang Mo.” Qin Yu gives a faint smile.

For the last half year, he did not run to the 100,000-li radius northernmost area at all because he knew very well that this area had the most chasers. Therefore, he has always headed south, even when he was fleeing.

Sometimes he also turned east or west temporarily, but he has never returned to the north.

For the last half year, Qin Yu either practiced or hunted enemies down or hurried south with all his power. By now he has unexpectedly advanced more than 1 million li. He also used the Soul Examination when killing some members of the Sang clans so he has finally understood why his whereabouts have always been discovered.

“Green-eyed fish clan members.” Qin Yu’s heart is filled with frustration.

The fish controlled by the members of the Green-eyed fish clan look almost the same as common fish. At least Qin Yu cannot see the differences between them. Moreover, because fish are the most abundant animal in the boundless ocean, it is really difficult for him to avoid those controlled fish, which watch him from shoals of fish.

Therefore, the only thing Qin Yu has been able to do is bypass shoals of fish as much as possible. He could still be detected, but because has paid attention to shoals of fish, the frequency by which he is spotted has dropped sharply.

“Xiao Hei is unexpectedly even faster than me. He’s to my southwest.” Qin Yu shuts his eyes. His mind can feel Xiao Hei’s general direction. Long earlier he felt that Xiao Hei was not very far from him, but Xiao Hei seemed to have been chased because he was rushing south nonstop at a very fast speed.

Qin Yu became very worried at that time as he thought the reason Xiao Hei was running extremely fast instead of meeting him had to be him encountering some danger. Qin Yu thus began to chase south with all his might. However, he found that, the more he chased, the further the distance between him and Xiao Hei grew.

Qin Yu therefore concluded that Xiao Hei’s speed was too fast, much faster than his speed when using the Passing Lightning Flashing Nine Times before, and that it was even possible that his speed had improved 100%. Unable to catch up with Xiao Hei, Qin Yu could only give up unwillingly in the end.

Qin Yu also guessed how Xiao Hei had been able to become so fast. He thought that Xiao Hei either had greatly improved his power thanks to eating up many demonic beasts or was using some secret travelling skill.

But he never thought that Xiao Hei had used a forbidden technique to change himself completely. Xiao Hei has remodeled himself entirely with it and is totally different from the past in every respect. However, because it is a forbidden technique, it is also not so perfect.

“I’ve even been away from Xiao Hei for a half year.”

He smiles then comes out of the cave like a beam of light. Immediately afterwards, he rushes southeast. Except for when he encountered some Xiuyaoist, he has always hurried towards Xiao Hei’s location.

“Oh, Xiao Hei is coming towards me as well.”

A happy expression instantly appears on his face. He begins to rush in Xiao Hei’s direction at once. But covering the distance is only a secondary objective to him. On the way, if he encounters weak unreasonable Xiuyaoists, or members of the Sang clan who want to chase him, he will not show any mercy.

……

As Qin Yu alternates between going and practicing, 3 months quickly passes.

It has been very strange during these 3 months because the Sang clan members seemed to have stopped hunting for him. Qin Yu has basically not detected any members of the Sang clan for the last 3 months, and as a result, he has been able to travel much faster than before. In only 3 months, he has travelled almost the same distance as in the previous half year.

He has already covered more than 1 million li. Having gone such a long distance, he cannot help getting emotional.

Since Xiao Hei has been coming towards him and they have yet to meet for such a long time, it can be imagined how far Xiao Hei went in the beginning. At the moment, Qin Yu is about 3 million li away from the Qian Long continent. The distance that Xiao Hei has travelled for the last 3 months is definitely not shorter than the distance Qin Yu has travelled over the last half year.

This also means that for the last half year, Xiao Hei has travelled at least 4 to 5 million li, or even maybe more.

He has not been chased so much like Qin Yu, but being able to cover such a long distance in just a half year shows how terrifying his speed is.

Qin Yu is riding on his flying sword to go through the water. His heart is filled with joy. At the moment he can feel that there are only several tens thousand li left between him and Xiao Hei and it will take them less than a day to reunite with each other. This kind of feeling is very mysterious but he totally believes it.

“Xiao Hei, I’m coming.”

Piercing through the water like a beam of light, he has reached his maximum speed.

######

Riding their flying swords, the 2 brothers Cha Ge and Cha Po are going through shoals of fish and coral reefs. It has been very comfortable for them for last 3 months because they have alternated between heading west with going to the mansions of some Xiuyaoists to indulge in extravagant eating and drinking.

“2nd brother, these Green-eyed fish clan members are really very useless.” Cha Ge says spitefully.

The Green-eyed fish clan members now have much lower efficiency in gathering information about Qin Yu than before. Of course, the reason of this is that Qin Yu became aware of the threat that shoals of fish pose to him through using the Soul Examination and subsequently often avoided them. Currently the Green-eyed fish clan members can only get a piece of information in every day or two.

The message they received the day before yesterday says that theoretically Qin Yu is only 100,000 li away from them.

Cha Po says with a smile: “Don’t worry. According to the message we got 2 days ago and judging from that Xiuxianist’s speed, perhaps there’s only a short distance left between us and him. We can encounter him anytime in the next 2 days so you better be watchful using your holy sense.”

“Rest assured, I definitely won’t let him go.” An evil smile appears on the corners of Cha Ge’s mouth. He has been longing for a high-grade holy weapon for such a long time now.

Suddenly Cha Po says with glittering eyes: “Hah, a late Jindan black eagle. It’s very hard to come by a bird that dares to go deep into the ocean. You stay here first, 3rd brother. I haven’t tasted a bird’s flesh for so long already.” As Cha Po is saying this, he shoots northwards like a beam of light.

“Wait for me, 2nd brother. I’ll come to try its flesh too!”

Cha Ge gives a loud laugh then chases after Cha Po like a beam of light as well.

End of b5c11.