Wind Rising Overseas—Golden Silkworms Claim the Treasure
1,752 words
Han Li did not act immediately. Instead, he carefully released his spiritual sense to sweep the surroundings. Only after confirming that Extreme Yin and the other old monsters were truly not monitoring him did he raise a finger without further hesitation. A flicker of azure light appeared at its tip as a sword-light projection, several inches long, extended and retracted with a pulsing instability.
With cold precision, Han Li used the sword-light to trace a fist-sized circle on the cyan stone. With a wave of his hand, the projection vanished.
His other hand then tapped the circle with lightning speed. A hole appeared in the azure stone.
Knowing he had little time, Han Li thrust his hand inside without a second thought.
The space within was small. After a brief, blind rummage, his fingers closed around something.
Han Li’s expression shifted.
It was slender, perfectly cylindrical, and soft—it felt like a rod of some kind.
But when he retracted his arm from the stone, he saw clearly what he held: an old, yellowed scroll.
Surprised, Han Li was about to unroll it when his face suddenly changed. He swiftly stuffed the scroll into his bosom, then blurred backward to press himself against the cyan stone wall, completely covering the hole he had made. He pretended to be resting.
The moment he finished these actions, Extreme Yin Patriarch’s gloomy voice rang in his ears.
“Han Li. Return at once. Your master and the others are entering.”
A flicker of confusion appeared in Han Li’s eyes at these words.
Hadn’t they said they would rest? Why had they changed their minds so quickly? Had the three old demons sensed something amiss?
Thinking this, the moment he felt Extreme Yin’s spiritual sense disappear from the vicinity, he immediately turned, blocked the hole, and restored the stone to its original state. Only then did he walk back toward the platform as though nothing had happened.
By the time he reached the front, the several old monsters were standing on the steps, their expressions grave as they gazed up at the high platform. Behind them, Wu Chou and the Profound Bone Saint were doing the same.
A trace of surprise pricking him, Han Li looked up—and his expression tightened.
The blue light atop the platform was flickering in a dizzying, chaotic display. Within the shifting light, faint threads of gold were reflecting back.
Meanwhile, the ice around the stone platform had thickened by several inches in the brief time he had been away. If not for the white light barrier isolating it, Han Li would not have sensed the change at all.
Seeing Han Li arrive, Extreme Yin nodded at him, then turned to Man Brutal Beard and said:
“Brother Man, my disciple is here. Let us ascend. I do not know how Wan Tianming’s Golden Silk Silkworms managed to shake the Void Heaven Cauldron, but since they have, we had best go and see.”
Man Brutal Beard said nothing in reply. Instead, he shot upward, his actions serving as his answer.
Extreme Yin and the others followed closely onto the steps.
Boom—!
A thunderous crash.
Man Brutal Beard reached the light barrier at the top of the steps. Without a word, he raised a fist wrapped in demonic power and slammed it down. The barrier split open, creating a gap several dozen feet wide. Man Brutal Beard strode through, head held high.
Extreme Yin and the scholar-robed elder flickered into motion, flanking Han Li as they swept him up and carried him through without explanation.
The Profound Bone Saint and Wu Chou entered last.
It’s freezing!
Though Han Li had braced himself somewhat before entering the barrier, the moment he stepped through, the bone-chilling cold still struck him, forcing a shiver. He hurriedly activated his protective treasure-light, and only then did the cold abate slightly.
Man Brutal Beard paid no attention to anyone else. Without even a glance, he strode directly toward the center of the platform, where the blue light blazed the brightest.
The scholar-robed elder and Extreme Yin exchanged a glance, then could only give wry smiles as they hurried after him.
Even so, Extreme Yin did not forget to glance back at Han Li, who had fallen behind, his gaze carrying a deep meaning as he urged him to hurry.
Han Li silently cursed Extreme Yin Patriarch to the depths of hell.
It was not that he lacked the self-awareness to attempt an escape. He had simply wanted to hang back for a moment, to take the chance to see what exactly that scroll in his bosom was.
After all, the place where it had been hidden was highly suspicious. Perhaps it could be of some help in his current predicament.
But with Extreme Yin Patriarch pressing him like this, Wu Chou seemed to have been reminded as well. His eyes began to watch Han Li warily, never shifting away. Even the Profound Bone Saint cast him a suspicious glance.
Han Li had no choice but to quicken his pace.
He had not taken more than a few steps, however, before his speed slowed again.
This time, it was not intentional.
Surrounded by the bitterly cold blue light, even with his treasure-light protecting him, every step forward chilled his body a little more. After only a few paces, his face turned pale, and he was forced to seal his breath, afraid that the cold air entering his mouth would injure his lungs.
“I gave you that White Rhinoceros Pendant to ward off both fire and cold. Use it now—what are you waiting for?”
Just then, Extreme Yin’s voice sounded in his ear again.
Han Li suddenly realized and quickly took out the pendant, hanging it at his waist.
As expected, when the white light of the Rhinoceros Pendant flared, the surrounding chill immediately receded.
Only then did Han Li have a moment to glance around and observe how the others were dealing with the extreme cold.
Man Brutal Beard and the other Nascent Soul cultivators needed no discussion. The three of them simply relied on their own protective treasure-light and continued walking ahead as if nothing were amiss.
Around the Profound Bone Saint’s neck hung a string of crimson beads, glowing with red light. He felt no cold at all.
As for Wu Chou, who had somehow fallen behind him, a strange snake-patterned armband on his wrist was releasing a pink light shield that protected him.
Han Li withdrew his gaze after seeing this.
Because they had now reached the center of the high platform. There, a small, raised altar sat. On top of it, seven or eight balls of golden light were bouncing and pulsing. In the middle of those golden lights was a large hole, emitting a blinding blue glow.
Han Li’s spirit lifted. He strained his eyes for a closer look.
Within each of those golden light clusters was a jade-green giant silkworm, several feet long. They were spitting thumb-thick golden threads straight down into the hole, their bodies swaying as they pulled backward with all their might. Every tug made the blue light in the hole flicker wildly.
Standing beside the altar were three figures—Wan Tianming and his two companions.
The righteous-path cultivators had clearly already sensed the arrival of Man Brutal Beard and the others, yet the three of them acted as if they did not exist. They stared fixedly at the golden lights before them, their faces tight with tension.
Seeing this, a cold light flashed in Man Brutal Beard’s eyes. Without a word, he raised a hand, and two streaks of golden light transformed into rainbow beams, shooting toward the three.
Just as Man Brutal Beard’s golden light left his hand, Wan Tianming and Tian Wuzi each glanced over and coldly called out a name.
At once, a disturbance came from above. A beam of azure light and a beam of blue light shot down, intercepting the golden rainbows in midair and tangling together in battle.
“Return!”
Seeing this, Man Brutal Beard was briefly startled. He waved his hand, and the two golden rainbows flew back, re-forming into two golden daggers in his palm.
The azure and blue lights did not pursue. They circled once in place before revealing their true forms.
They were a small white flood dragon, several dozen feet long, and a strange, translucent giant tortoise.
When Man Brutal Beard clearly recognized the two creatures, his expression shifted sharply.
“That madwoman’s Cold Jiao! And Tian Yuanzi’s Li Gui!” The scholar-robed elder, who had just come up from behind, wore an equally shocked expression as the words tumbled out.
“No wonder Wan Tianming and his lot were so arrogant. They actually managed to borrow those two old monsters’ spirit beasts. But from what I know, those two old freaks treasure those spirit beasts above all else and never lend them to anyone. How did those two get their hands on them?” Extreme Yin Patriarch, who had witnessed the same scene, spoke in a tone of shock mixed with fury.
“Hmph! ‘Never lend’ depends on who’s asking. Wan Tianming is that madwoman’s own nephew. Tian Wuzi is Tian Yuanzi’s junior-disciple brother. What’s so strange about them borrowing those two spirit beasts?” Man Brutal Beard said in a gloomy voice.
“Then this is a bit troublesome! Those two beasts are no small matter. If they fight for real, the three of us might not be able to shake them off anytime soon.” Qing Yi Jushi stared at the white flood dragon and the giant tortoise, his voice laced with worry.
“Qing Yi, Xuan Yin! What are you keeping your Green Thorn Birds and Heavenly Capital Corpse for? They may not be a match for those two brutes, but they can hold them off for a while, can’t they? We don’t have to defeat Wan Tianming and his group. We just need to kill one of those Golden Silk Silkworms, and that will be enough.” Man Brutal Beard’s face twisted into a sinister grin as he spoke coldly.
Hearing this, the scholar-robed elder and Extreme Yin Patriarch exchanged a glance, their expressions hesitant.
“Don’t worry. I’ll send my own spirit beast into battle as well. Cooperating with the two of you is always such a hassle!” Man Brutal Beard cast a disdainful glance at Extreme Yin and the elder, a look of contempt flickering across his face.
Only then did the scholar-robed elder and Extreme Yin relax their expressions and nod in agreement.