novelraw Chapter 885 749: Envying Li Hongjiu
Chapter 885 749: Envying Li Hongjiu
"It seems that two more people have left."
Huang Yingying, who was watching outside, once again reminded.
Shi Chun calmly said, "It doesn't matter, we won't provoke others actively, only those who provoke us first."
He had enough patience. With the Nine Dragons of the Demon Altar dead and the Demon Altar unable to operate, they could only hide in the Extreme Abyss. With so many people suddenly disappearing, even for the safety of the Demon Altar, they had to send people to search everywhere.
He was in a position where he could advance or retreat at any time, ready for a hit-and-run strategy.
The night was dark with few stars, and the waterfall stirred up layers of mist.
Outside the Extreme Abyss, two figures flew out from within, hovering in the air. Pang Tiansheng gazed at the massive rift torn open; he didn't know who had destroyed his old lair like this. He had no memory of anyone attacking his old lair.
"It truly has fallen into decline." He sighed as he looked around.
Situ Zhen asked, "Master, would you like to take a look around, or find a place to take shelter?"
Pang Tiansheng asked, "Is it alright for my physical body to accompany you?"
No matter his past life, he's not a fool. With his current strength, he didn't want to risk an early demise.
Situ Zhen hurriedly said, "It's suitable. He is someone Shi Chun wants to protect, and Shi Chun and the others entrusted him to me. My physical body and Shi Chun are also in a relationship, so it's not inappropriate to travel together. You can make do with this body for now and find a better one after the battle ends."
"Cough, cough." Pang Tiansheng couldn't help but frown and ask, "What is the name of this sickly body?"
Situ Zhen remembered that he hadn't told the other about the name of the body he occupied and hurriedly said, "Pang Tiansheng, Pang as in colossal, Tian as in heaven, and Sheng as in sage."
"Pang Tiansheng, Tian Sheng... good." Pang Tiansheng's eyes lit up slightly, nodding in approval, "The name is very good, I like it. Since this body is convenient for our future interactions, let's use it without changing. Any minor ailments can easily be cured."
"..." Situ Zhen hesitated, wanting to remind him that the physique might be a bit overweight, possibly affecting the image of the Demon Path?
However, considering that he saw Pang Tiansheng's physique when borrowing her body, there's no need for a mirror. Since the master likes it, she dared not say more and agreed, "Yes."
She then asked, "Master, where would you like to look?"
Pang Tiansheng felt a bit melancholic as well, "Things have changed, might as well not look. How about finding a place to reshape this body?"
He wasn't familiar with the outside situation, so he refrained from acting on his own.
Situ Zhen nodded, "Master is wise! Now that the Master has descended, my wish is fulfilled. Those ants fighting below, better not watch to avoid contamination. It's best to wait quietly until it's over."
In agreement, the two immediately flew to another side of the abyss, over the sea.
After flying some distance, they both directly dove into the deep sea, descending to the seabed. Pang Tiansheng then took out the deep blue pearl, casually tossing it on the seabed. It emitted a gentle white light once again.
The two then entered the light one after another, instantly arriving in the daytime world inside the Demon Altar, bringing with them the roaring sea water.
With a wave of his hand, the white light on the altar disappeared, and the roaring sea water ceased, leaving only residual splashes.
The two of them then flew into the sky one after another...
Waiting, Shi Chun once again felt the harshness of reality. After a long wait, still, no one approached, and he sensed something was wrong, gradually becoming restless.
The actions of the Five Command Centers against the Extreme Abyss have also calmed down. On each Mountain River Map, dozens of Centurion Tokens handed over to others suddenly disappeared together, indicating that those centurions were all dead.
And many of the troops that entered the abyss disappeared as well, vanished without a trace, neither alive nor dead, with no sound of fighting.
Considering the disappearance of markers on the Mountain River Maps, it's not hard to guess what those missing people encountered.
The rumored danger of spatial engulfment seemed to be confirmed, frightening all the allies gathered outside the Extreme Abyss, preventing them from searching below.
The Command Centers, unaware of the situation below, could only control the periphery, unable to force people further, but the horizontal range of the Extreme Abyss was too long to cover with all participating personnel.
Mulan Jin also received a message from Han Bao, saying they had reached the vicinity of the Extreme Abyss following Shi Chun's instructions.
In response, Mulan Jin felt troubled. Shi Chun didn't want his daughter to go there, but Mulan Qingqing insisted on going when she saw others transferring. Han Bao had no choice but to follow.
The reasons for these people heading to the Extreme Abyss were simple. Shi Chun lost the Sky Splitting Sword, failing to report back to Commander Manxi, and had to recover it, leading a team to the Extreme Abyss to search for Situ Zhen.
Luckily, Shi Chun didn't let everyone enter the Extreme Abyss.
Not everyone was qualified to meet Shi Chun in the Extreme Abyss. An Wuzhi stayed with Han Bao, Mulan Qingqing, and Li Hongjiu.
In the night, a few from Tong Mingshan left their temporary hiding place and headed to where Wu Hong and others were hiding; Shen Moming was waiting for them, and Feng Chi was somewhat anxious.
Once everyone was present, Shen Moming, tasked with relaying messages, immediately led them into the Extreme Abyss, including Wu Hong's four.
Before leaving, Wu Hong and others kept glancing at 'Huang Yingying', but with Wu Jinliang missing, possibly in trouble, the Master summoned them down for help, and they couldn't refuse.
After they left, that 'Huang Yingying' quietly departed as well. Once entering the abyss, a black cloak donned, transforming into Xiao Sheng, who then took out the Jade Scroll given to him by Shen Moming in secret and swiftly followed its route in stealth.
Shen Moming led a group of people to the vicinity of Shi Chun's hiding place and asked them to wait while he flew towards Shi Chun's hiding spot.
Moments later, it was not him who returned, but Shi Chun.
"What happened to Wu Hehe?" asked the one-armed Tong Mingshan upon meeting.
Shi Chun raised his hand to stop them and first led them to another place, inserting the group into a large cave previously discovered during reconnaissance.
There, he poured out a large number of gruesome, blood-reeking, semi-dry and semi-wet corpses before the group, numbering tens of thousands—a truly spectacular scene.
Zhu Xiangxin and others, who had just used Sandal Gold Flame Energy to illuminate the cave, almost vomited on the spot, but what made them feel even more nauseous was yet to come.
Tong Mingshan was shocked and asked, "Master, where did these come from?"
Shi Chun replied, "Don't ask because I won't say, and don't leak this information to the outside. In short, these are bodies from various battle teams; the people are dead, but their belongings remain, along with Centurion Tokens and the like. The six of you stay and clear these items out."
There's no other way. These things must be sorted here. With so many people, who can guarantee none of them has tracing devices on their bodies? Taking them out to search could easily lead to trouble.
He pointed at Tong Mingshan, Feng Chi, and Wu Hong among the others.
Of course, although Tong Mingshan was also there to sift through corpses, his task differed; being skilled in Artifact Refining, he was responsible for identifying any tracking devices among the retrieved belongings, leaving aside uncertain valuables.
The six looked displeased, but the master's decision was clear, and they couldn't refuse. Subsequently, someone indeed vomited.
Shi Chun did not see this; he left with Zhu Xiangxin and others.
This time they headed straight to another cave in the distance, one previously sealed.
Upon breaching the seal, familiar incense overtones reached Lao Changtai and Chu Jingtang, who exchanged glances, guessing what was happening.
After entering the cave, they resealed the entrance.
With Sandal Gold Flame Energy lighting the way, Zhu Xiangxin tentatively asked, "Master, what are we doing here?"
Shi Chun didn't explain. After reaching the end of the cave, he threw out a corpse and a jar of 'Death Refusing Incense' to Zhu Xiangxin, instructing: "Open the lid, scoop a bit with your finger, and set it on fire."
Zhu Xiangxin did as instructed.
Soon, the Two Realms Channel opened once more, and Zhu Xiangxin looked around inquisitively, wondering what caused this and assuming it had something to do with the environment.
Shi Chun then turned to Lao Changtai and Chu Jingtang and said, "Remaining here isn't suitable anymore; there's something more important inside. Contact Wu Jinliang immediately upon entry."
For him, safeguarding those 'fish' was of utmost importance.
Chu Jingtang asked, "What matter is to be handed over?"
Shi Chun replied, "When you meet Wu Jinliang, he will tell you. Go."
In the past, Chu and Lao would have eagerly escaped Netherworld; now they find it quite nice to hide in Netherworld, at least until the end of the great battle. Staying longer only risks unpredictable encounters, especially with strange occurrences constantly happening around the master.
The two bid farewell and quickly dove into the Two Realms Channel.
After the channel vanished, Shi Chun wanted to keep things simple and directly had Zhu Xiangxin set fire to turn the corpse into ashes.
Understanding not to ask questions where unnecessary, Zhu Xiangxin couldn't help but ask, "Master, where have they gone?"
As expected, Shi Chun waved his hand without answering, counterquestioning, "How is your injury?"
Zhu Xiangxin replied, "It's not a big issue; with pill assistance, adjustments over some time should suffice for recovery."
Shi Chun asked further, "How about Li Hongjiu's injuries?"
Zhu Xiangxin responded truthfully, "His injuries are quite severe, compounded by wounds to the point where standing is difficult; recovering by the battle's end would be hard. The Yanbao Sect really invested in him, providing the 'Sky Splitting Sword' and a rare healing holy medicine 'Rejuvenation Pill' for protection. Unfortunately, the medicine didn't match the symptoms. It was wasted when poisoned by 'Demon Dew', or his condition would be much better now."
This statement was in line with Shi Chun's thoughts. He wanted to discuss this and lamented, "It's a pity. We can't buy truly top-tier spiritual pills; what we can buy isn't top-notch. It would be great if we could make them ourselves. Being from an alchemical background—if I gave you enough medicinal materials, could you produce pills that revive the dead and restore flesh and bones?"
Zhu Xiangxin didn't know why he suddenly talked about this. The two were unexpectedly in such isolated surroundings, chatting, and she felt somewhat strange, yet she still shook her head and said, "Those pill recipes are mostly top-secret inheritances among alchemists, not freely accessible. My 'Ten Thousand Grass Hall' doesn't have such recipes either; Master, you're flattering me."
Shi Chun appeared somewhat silent. Where to obtain pill recipes now? It was impossible, so he altered his question, "If I gave you ample medicinal materials, whatever you wanted, could you craft pills for rapid recovery for Li Hongjiu—even if not a full recovery, at least for quick improvement?"
Zhu Xiangxin blinked, suddenly feeling a bit envious of Li Hongjiu. The master genuinely cared for him. She laughed, "Master, you're joking; if whatever medicinal material desired could be obtained, why make pills? Some materials themselves have miraculous healing properties, properly paired better than spiritual pills."
She felt the master's words were somewhat exaggerated.
But upon hearing this, Shi Chun was invigorated, his eyes suddenly lighting up, asking, "Can you identify those with miraculous properties?"
Zhu Xiangxin laughed, "Recognizing medicinal materials is basic training; if not seeing them in person, I've viewed diagrams. As an alchemist, broad knowledge is essential; missing out on spirit grass while gathering herbs would be a joke. Unless I've never seen certain materials documented, recognizing them shouldn't be a problem..."
As she said this, she paused, sensing the master's question was not casual but more focused, leaving her suspicious.