novelraw Chapter 174 - 172: Black Stone City
Chapter 174 - 172: Black Stone City
’This person is different from what our intel suggested. Could he have seen through something?’
After putting some distance between them, the two running figures came to a stop.
They stood atop a hill,
gazing back the way they came.
The one who spoke was Changzhu, who carried a Giant Sword on her back and looked to be only twelve years old.
At this moment, the hostile expression that had filled her face was gone without a trace.
In its place was a look of indifference.
It was as if she were a completely different person from before.
Her tone was tinged with confusion.
"I was so provocative just now, but he didn’t react at all."
Beside her,
Wu Yu’s brow furrowed slightly.
He also seemed not to quite understand.
"It is a bit strange. I heard he practices a Sword Technique called the Ghost Slaying Saber, which can amplify one’s killing intent. It has immense drawbacks. Logically, he shouldn’t be able to remain so calm."
At this point,
Wu Yu shook his head.
"Forget it. Still, thank you for your help this time."
"There’s no need for such pleasantries between us. If you hadn’t saved my life over a decade ago, I wouldn’t be here today."
Changzhu looked at Wu Yu’s handsome face. The iciness on her previously cold features melted away, replaced by a bright smile.
Hearing this, Wu Yu chuckled.
"Right, let’s go. We shouldn’t waste any more time here. I’ve heard rumors about *that thing* in this area. If the intel is true and we can obtain it, our Cultivation will surely advance to the next level..."
...
「A dozen or so minutes later.」
In the misty rain, amidst the dense mountain forest.
A gray shadow zipped rapidly through the trees.
The gray shadow was incredibly fast, covering over ten meters in the blink of an eye.
Suddenly.
WHOOSH!
A piercing sonic boom echoed through the air.
A pebble shot out. Along its path, raindrops exploded into mist, and leaves were pulverized into dust.
The next moment,
a spray of blood erupted from the gray shadow’s body.
It was sent flying, crashing into the trunk of a massive tree so thick it would take two or three people to encircle.
SCREECH...
The figure struggled to its feet.
Looking closely, it was revealed to be a gray rabbit, its fur grayish all over and its long ears drooping to the ground.
But unlike an ordinary rabbit, this one stood a full meter tall, could stand on its hind legs, and had exceptionally sharp teeth and claws that glinted coldly.
Beneath its gray fur, its muscles were knotted and bulging, as if from years of training.
Its red eyes stared to one side.
A figure was slowly walking out—it was Hu Qi.
The instant it saw him, a flash of hatred appeared in the rabbit’s eyes.
Its legs kicked violently against the ground. Amidst a spray of dirt, the gray rabbit shot forward, lunging at Hu Qi.
SWISH!
A Sword Light flashed, and a spray of blood mixed with gray fur scattered through the air.
A closer look revealed that the lunging gray rabbit’s head had been pierced straight through by a red Long Saber.
Its Crimson eyes were filled with astonishment, as if it couldn’t believe it had lunged right onto the blade.
It tried to struggle, but in the next moment, a terrifying suction force emanated from the saber’s blade.
Before the rabbit could react, its body rapidly shriveled.
All of its flesh and blood were absorbed by the blade, leaving only a gray rabbit pelt and the skeleton within.
With a casual flick, the remaining pelt, as if completely dehydrated, turned into a handful of Ashes that fell onto the soft black soil below, becoming fertilizer for the plants.
Modification Points +2 (13%)
’As I thought, the Inner Earth World is the origin of these Exotic Beasts.’
A peculiar look appeared on Hu Qi’s face.
Perhaps the biggest difference between the Inner Earth World and the Surface World is the higher oxygen content and the denser Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy here, making it more suitable for Secret Martial Artists to practice their Cultivation.
Not only that, but the abundant oxygen and Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy are also hugely beneficial to ordinary creatures, causing the lifeforms here to grow to enormous sizes.
Along the way, he had encountered quite a few creatures like this gray rabbit.
However, these animals, which should have been herbivores, were all armed with sharp teeth and fangs, incredibly ferocious, and extremely aggressive.
Hu Qi had no doubt that if he put that gray rabbit up against a gray wolf from the Surface World, the rabbit would definitely be the victor.
This seemed to be a characteristic of Exotic Beasts.
Compared to normal creatures, they are stronger and more savage.
Hu Qi didn’t mind this, however. What he cared about was that they could indeed provide him with Modification Points.
Thanks to the enhancement from his Three-Eyed Primordial Snake Bloodline, he could directly devour and plunder the Vitality from these Exotic Beasts.
There was no need to eat them slowly, which saved him a great deal of time.
’There are so many Exotic Beasts here; they must be able to reproduce.
If I could bring these Exotic Beasts back to the Surface World to raise them, it would undoubtedly be a stable source of Modification Points. Although the Modification Points from Exotic Beasts aren’t as much as from Black Blood Species,
every little bit adds up, and it would become a considerable sum. Most importantly, it would be a renewable resource.’
This thought surged in Hu Qi’s mind, and he wished he could just pack up all the Exotic Beasts in this world and take them to the Surface World.
But he also knew this idea was completely unrealistic.
The Exotic Beasts here were massive. Take that rabbit, for example. Bringing one or two back would be feasible, but any more would be impossible.
’Looks like I’ll have to find a couple of smaller ones to take with me later.’
With this in mind, after casually slaughtering two more Exotic Beasts, Hu Qi didn’t linger.
’These Exotic Beasts are just a small part of it. The real source of large amounts of Modification Points has to be the Black Blood Species.’
He scanned his surroundings, expanded his perception, and after confirming there were no anomalies, a light flashed around Hu Qi’s body as he activated his Twisted Light Talent.
His figure transformed directly into an entirely gray falcon and shot into the sky.
Even with the power of a Qi Dao Grandmaster, his speed on the ground was terrifyingly fast.
But it couldn’t compare to the clear view from the sky.
Fa Ji and the others were wary of the Black Blood Species here, but he, Hu Qi, had no such concerns.
Although it was his first time in the Inner Earth World,
Hu Qi didn’t feel the slightest bit out of place. On the contrary, he felt as familiar with it as if he had come home.
The only slight shame was that this wasn’t the Plains Realm, where those two Middle Black Blood Species were located.
His gaze swept around.
The Inner Earth World was divided into seventeen great realms.
Each realm was ruled by a Food Master.
Each of these realms possessed its own unique and strange geography, including plains, forests, oceans, swamps, deserts, and so on...
The Dense Forest Realm, as its name implied,
was so named because its trees grew with extreme lushness and its rainfall was abundant.
From his high vantage point, he could clearly see human villages occasionally dotting the landscape below.
The humans there were no different from those on the Surface World; they didn’t have any bizarre or monstrous features.
Hu Qi didn’t stop. It was only when the outline of a massive city appeared ahead that his eyes flickered, he folded his wings, and his figure descended.
...
「Black Stone City.」
Tall city walls stood firm, built from blocks of hard, black stone.
A continuous, fine rain fell from the sky, drizzling down and splashing into tiny ripples on the uneven, muddy ground.
The people coming and going were all dressed in rain capes woven from brown hemp.
Compared to the uneven ground outside the city, the streets within were relatively wide and clean, paved with slabs of bluestone.
The streets were lined with rice shops, clothiers, and restaurants—everything one might expect.
At this moment, a soft, orange-yellow light emanated from these shops,
adding a touch of brightness to the gloomy sky.
...
「Time passed, and the sky began to dim.」
Inside a second-floor restaurant by the roadside,
two people were sitting at a table, eating a meal.
"Brother Lin, why the long face?"
One of them noticed his companion’s dazed and absent-minded expression and couldn’t help but ask.
Hearing this, the man’s eyes quickly reddened, and his voice was hoarse.
"The last ’ascension’ spot fell to my family... My mother, who is over fifty, took the place..."
The man who had spoken first fell silent for a moment.
Then, he offered some comfort in a low voice.
"Brother Lin, don’t overthink it.
To be blunt, your mother is already quite old. For her, isn’t ’ascension’ a good thing in a way?
With Lord Celestial God’s blessing, perhaps she can be reborn into a good family in the next life and live without worrying about food or clothing. You should be happy for your mother..."
At these words, the grief on the man called Brother Lin’s face lessened slightly.
He forced a smile.
But no matter how you looked at it, the smile seemed weak and bitter.
"You’re right. I should be happy. Come, let’s drink..."
...
As the two chatted, they failed to notice a figure sitting in a corner near the window.
It was a Young Man with an ordinary face.
The Young Man was dressed in gray sackcloth, his long, shoulder-length hair tied in a topknot. His attire was no different from those around him.
’The level of civilization is only equivalent to that of a feudal dynasty. But then again, this era is also the best... it’s easier to manage and control...’
Hu Qi leaned back by his table, picking up a thumb-sized peanut unique to the Inner Earth with his chopsticks.
He popped it into his mouth and chewed. The fresh fragrance and earthy taste of a raw peanut immediately filled his mouth.
His gaze followed the window down to the street below.