Chapter 33

The gray-clothed demon cultivator followed the treasure-hunting rat's lead and moved forward, avoiding all the immortal alliance cultivators and not encountering them.

Not only is he an expert at concealing his evil spirit, he is also an expert at hiding his whereabouts.

It’s a pity that there is an even more powerful person named Xiao Mo following him.

Xiao Mo chased him, and after an hour or two, they had reached the edge of the black forest.

The beast tide riot in the Black Forest was caused by the spiritual veins. The spiritual veins are rich in spiritual energy, which can not only help monks to practice, but also produce spiritual stones. Twenty miles outside the Black Forest is a low-grade spiritual vein.

Low-grade spiritual veins can produce low-grade and medium-grade spiritual stones, medium-grade spiritual veins produce medium-grade and high-grade spiritual stones, and high-grade spiritual veins only produce high-grade spiritual stones.

Spiritual veins are all controlled by powerful sects and families, and have nothing to do with independent cultivators. No matter what kind of spiritual vein it is, people will be assigned to guard it carefully. If not, Xiao Mo actually wanted to take a walk in the spiritual vein.

Just make some money and go, just a little bit is enough.

The edge of Heilin that was closer to the spiritual vein could also enjoy the benefits of the spiritual vein. The spiritual energy became more abundant. Just taking a breath could be equivalent to half a day's normal practice. Even Chu Jinglan felt that his dantian, which hurt from time to time, felt much better.

However, both Xiao Mo and he frowned.

It would be fine if the treasure was hidden in the Black Forest, but if we really followed it all the way to the spiritual vein, we didn’t know what level of cultivation the person guarding it was. If someone with too high a cultivation level discovered them, we would be in trouble.

Xiao Mo said to Chu Jinglan in the Sea of ​​Consciousness: "If we really have to enter the spiritual veins in the end, we will withdraw in advance."

Chu Jinglan: “Yeah.”

When they are not arguing due to emotional impulse, they can always easily reach a consensus on major issues, which greatly improves the efficiency of cooperation and saves time and worry.

After following for a while, a cave of medium size appeared at the edge of the black forest, and the gray-clothed demon cultivator stopped at the entrance of the cave.

It looked like there was no need to go to the spiritual meridians, so Xiao Mo breathed a sigh of relief.

The gray-clothed demon cultivator's eyes gleamed, and he turned around the cave twice. After confirming something, he couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Haha, the old man really hid the treasure here, and I finally found it!"

As he spoke, he raised Zi Jiao from Xiaoqingmen and threw him into the cave entrance.

Zi Jiao did not roll into the cave.

There was a sudden bright red light at the entrance of the cave, and the originally bare mountain wall was suddenly covered with dense patterns. Zi Jiao bumped into the red light, and the evil cultivator's mute spell was lifted. He screamed miserably, and soon his whole body swelled rapidly, as if it was about to explode. Wounds on his body kept bursting, splashing blood.

Zi Jiao's eyes bulged out in horror, blood flowed from all his orifices, and his entire face was distorted beyond recognition. Just when his body was about to swell to its limit, he suddenly became like a deflated ball, with blood gushing out of his body. His body, which had been round and plump just a moment ago, shrank in the blink of an eye and turned into a mummy, falling to the ground from mid-air.

Zi Jiao’s screams stopped abruptly, and he died with his eyes open.

Su Baimo, who had fainted, woke up for a moment because of the scream. He saw a horrifying scene when he opened his eyes. His eyes rolled back again and he fainted completely.

Zi Jiao's blood was absorbed by the strange and shining patterns. The patterns were full of blood and dimmed. The evil cultivator waited at the entrance of the cave and tried to throw Su Baimo out to explore the way.

Su Baimo was thrown to the ground, and the pattern on the hole no longer responded.

The demon cultivator nodded with satisfaction, walked forward, picked up Su Baimo, and walked into the cave.

After his figure disappeared at the entrance of the cave, Xiao Mo flew in wrapped in black mist. The entrance of the cave was not high, but he did not get stained by any mud on the edge, or touch the mummy.

It’s no wonder that the evil cultivators are hated by all the righteous cultivators. Their method of killing people really makes people feel uncomfortable.

But the gray-clothed demon cultivator was watching with great interest. If Xiao Mo was watching a biochemical crisis, in the eyes of the gray-clothed demon cultivator it was probably a delightful drama.

Xiao Mo and Chu Jinglan were silent for a while. Chu Jinglan noticed that the consciousness of the small black mist ball beside him moved slightly.

Don't like this method of killing?

As a demon, he corrupts other people's hearts but maintains his own purity. In a way, this is actually the most terrifying thing. Because as he gradually grows up and his cultivation becomes more advanced, he will be able to overlook all the human hearts and all the farces in the world from the high and far clouds.

And these disturbances, human intrigues or desires cannot affect him, and his enemies will face a very difficult existence.

Originally, he should be the biggest enemy of the inner demon.

Chu Jinglan's consciousness was calm and quiet. The little black mist ball still showed his emotions, but the white snow ball hid them very well, with all his plans and thoughts wrapped inside without revealing a single bit.

After Xiao Mo entered the cave, he discovered that there was another world inside the small entrance. The cave extended to the ground, and a wide space was carved out. When he fell on the ground under the cave and looked up, he had the illusion that the ceiling was so high that he could pick the stars.

The temperature in the cave was very high. Xiao Mo did not feel it, but he saw steam coming out of the cave, which dried up the weeds in the cracks.

Xiao Mo wondered if he had dug too deep and hit the magma underground.

He had to add a few more layers of spiritual power protection to Chu Jinglan's body, and asked Chu Jinglan: "Is it very hot?"

Originally, it was, but after the spiritual power was added, it immediately became cooler. Chu Jinglan knew that now was not the time to show off. He had to tell Xiao Mo exactly how he felt and the situation so that Xiao Mo could make a judgment.

"It was very hot just now, but it's fine now," Chu Jinglan said, "The temperature is rising as we go further in."

When they reached the deepest part of the cave, Xiao Mo had already added five or six layers of protection on Chu Jinglan, and the scene inside was exactly what Xiao Mo had guessed, there was actually a rolling magma river flowing there.

The hot and sticky magma was bubbling, and every burst of bubble emitted a scorching breath. Su Baimo was thrown to the ground, and the skin that touched the ground had turned red and the exposed skin was covered in sweat. Even if he didn't faint from fright, he should have fainted from the heat.

The magma river meanders into a circle, and on the stone pier in the center of the circle, there is an egg.

It looked like fire but not fire, and like gold but not gold. The demon cultivator's eyes lit up and he reached for the egg.

However, as soon as he approached within three meters of the egg, the magma river flowing on the ground suddenly surged, and golden flames burst out from the magma. The demon cultivator was caught off guard and one of his arms was burned. The clothes and flesh were instantly turned into black residue where the flames passed, and fell down.

Even the blood was heated to high temperature.

The gray-clothed demon cultivator felt pain, with anger in his eyes, but also excitement, and was eager to try: "What if you defend against me? The Golden Flame Flowing Fire Phoenix is ​​mine!"

Golden flame fire phoenix!

Xiao Mo widened his eyes slightly.

It is a growing monster, born at level one, and can grow to level nine. Monsters value bloodlines, and its bloodline has bloodline pressure on most monsters. Its innate gilded flame allows it to have strong combat power even when it is at level one or two.

The flames burn whoever they touch.

Another point is that among the monsters that Su Baimo contracted in the future, there was a golden flame fire phoenix.

Even though he later had so many golden fingers, magic contracts with monsters, and a lot of divine objects, the Flowing Fire Phoenix was still one of his important fighting forces. It's just that readers have become accustomed to seeing it appear so often. Anyway, no one is here to watch him fight, so no one cares if Su Baimo takes out a treasure from time to time.

So, could it be that the Flowing Fire Phoenix was obtained during the trip to the Black Forest?

The original book doesn’t even mention this! ?

Xiao Mo looked at the demon cultivator who was fighting against the golden fire like he was injected with chicken blood, and then looked at Su Baimo who was lying on the ground and was almost steamed. Too many thoughts flashed through his mind at once.

Su Baimo had no power to fight against either magma or the demon cultivator. If Liuhuo Feng was really brought out of the Black Forest by him, then he could only be picking up a loose end.

The demon cultivator might be killed by the golden fire.

Su Baimo is now unconscious, and there is a third person in the cave... Well, let's just count him and Chu Jinglan as the same person for now.

They are still here, conscious and intact.

Sorry, it’s not Su Baimo’s turn to take this opportunity.

Previously, whether it was disrupting the relationship between Su Baimo and Dai Zisheng, or strictly guarding against sparks between him and Chu Jinglan, there were uncertainties. Maybe there would be a reversal at any time in the future, so it was a long-term job, but seizing opportunities was different.

A monster can only have one master in its lifetime. As long as Liuhuo Feng returns to Chu Jinglan, even if he gets stupid and wants to give it to someone else, he won't be able to give it away.

Regardless of whether this Fiery Phoenix is ​​Su Baimo's chance, Xiao Mo has decided to get it.

If so, it's double the joy.

But Su Baimo is really lucky, because he is the protagonist of the original novel, so he is favored by heaven? Other people who are also classified as protagonists, such as Chu Jinglan and Mu Jian, have all suffered a lot.

The occasional suffering that Su Baimo endured was nothing compared to theirs.

For example, this time, although he was captured by the evil cultivator, he was not injured and even encountered the Golden Flame Flowing Phoenix. Who dares to say that this is not a great opportunity.

As Xiao Mo was thinking, on the other side, the remaining golden flames in the magma slowly disappeared. The demon cultivator was seriously injured. His entire arm was burnt to pieces, his dantian was empty, and his internal injuries were severe, but he still won.

The demon cultivator's mask was also burned off, revealing a ferocious face. His facial features were not actually ugly, but temperament and expression would determine a person's beauty or ugliness. He looked obsessed and crazy, and no matter how good-looking a face was, it couldn't withstand a scary look.

He completely pressed the golden flame back into the magma. He stepped onto the central stone platform, picked up the phoenix egg, and flew back steadily.

The demon cultivator just spat out some blood, and when he grinned, his teeth were still stained with blood. He grabbed the phoenix egg and said, "Haha, it's finally mine—"

Before he could finish his words, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his sea of ​​consciousness, his vision went dark, and at the same time, a huge force attacked him from behind, and without hesitation, slammed him into the magma!

The phoenix egg slipped out of the demon cultivator's hand, and his vision went dark for only a brief moment. However, life and death for a cultivator depend on the blink of an eye, and that moment was enough to take his life.

His entire body was thrown into the magma. The remaining golden flames still remembered the breath of this hateful man and quickly surged up to burn his entire body. The demon cultivator didn't even have time to scream before he was wrapped in flames and dragged into the magma.

In the end, he only saw a pair of bony hands catching the phoenix egg.

The man chuckled and said, "Sorry, it's mine."

Mo Xiu: You dog——

The curses he failed to utter, along with the person, were completely dissolved by the magma.

The number of Flowing Fire Phoenix is ​​rare, and the gray-clothed demon cultivator had obviously received the news in advance. It seemed that someone hid the Flowing Fire Phoenix here, so he brought the treasure-hunting rat here.

It’s a pity that the treasure-hunting rat, as the demon cultivator’s contracted monster, died, otherwise Xiao Mo would have wanted one too.

Xiao Mo held the egg in his hands, feeling very satisfied. It was round and very cute. Xiao Mo touched the eggshell and said, "It looks good. From now on, I'll call you Golden Ball. The nickname "Qiuqiu" also has a good meaning, meaning wealth and fortune. Your house will be filled with gold and jade."

Chu Jinglan was shocked: "..."

It seems that Xiao Mo really cares about their current poverty.

As Xiao Mo was about to cut Chu Jinglan's fingers and force out her blood to seal the bond, Chu Jinglan suddenly said, "Wait."

Xiao Mo stopped his fingertips and asked, "What's wrong?"

Chu Lan looked at the round egg in shock: "Are you sure you want me to form a bond with it?"

"What else?" Xiao Mo thought for a moment, "You don't like it? The demon cultivator just said that this is the Golden Flame Flowing Fire Phoenix, which is very powerful. You won't lose out if you make a contract with it. Anyway, if you encounter other monsters in the future, you can still keep them if you want."

A monster can only have one master, but a human can contract with many monsters.

Moreover, Xiao Mo had confirmed it with the system, and it was indeed the Golden Flame Flowing Fire Phoenix.

Chu Jinglan was silent for a moment before he slowly spoke: "I mean, you want to give it to me?"

He knew that the Golden Flame Flowing Fire Phoenix was a great treasure, but unlike spirit stones, storage containers, and the magic weapons they had now, the Flowing Fire Phoenix was precious and only recognized one owner. It was not something that could be divided in half to be shared.

Xiao Mo finally understood what Chu Jinglan meant.

He said calmly, "It takes blood to make a covenant, so naturally only you can do it. After all, I can't do it. Just take these things."

Xiao Mo did not show any pain or reluctance: "Since you don't dislike me, then I will make a pact with you?"

Chu Jinglan stopped talking, and Xiao Mo knew that he had acquiesced.

So Xiao Mo used the black mist to cut open Chu Jinglan's fingers, forced out the essence and blood, drew the runes according to the contract method given by the system, and pressed them towards the eggshell.

The rune of the bond smoothly melted into the eggshell. The golden-orange eggshell glowed faintly, as if it sensed something and rubbed Xiao Mo's palm.

That is the palm of Chu Jinglan's hand.

The feeling of being handed over by an egg is quite fresh. Through a thin layer of shell, there is a sense of mystery and opportunity waiting for the emergence of life. Xiao Mo touched it and said: "It seems to like the name Golden Ball."

Chu Jinglan: Even if it doesn't like it, it has no ability to refute it.

According to system observations, the Liuhuo Phoenix will be able to break out of its shell within a month. Xiao Mo tidied up Chu Jinglan's storage ring, cleared out a small space, took out a box, and put it in.

There are also herbs in the box, which serves as its temporary nest.

After putting away the treasure, Xiao Mo turned his gaze to the other living creature that was still breathing in the cave.

Su Baifo.

The trip to the Black Forest was mentioned in the original novel, but judging from the dispute outside the entrance to the second level of the Fantasy Sword Gate, if Xiao Mo had not shown up, Dai Zisheng would most likely have relented and taken Su Baimo into the second level.

As for how he came to meet Liu Huo Feng while following the Illusion Sword Sect, whether they got separated or a disciple of the Illusion Sword Sect was also killed, it is unknown.

Having said that, it is not certain that this Floating Phoenix is ​​the one that Su Baimo had.

Now it seems that it is of no help to guess the plot that was skipped in the original book, so——

Xiao Mo said to the system: "If I leave him here, will he die?"

In an overheated place, even if he is dehydrated, he will die of heat.

The system's tone showed that it didn't care whether Su Baimo lived or died. "No, even if you were to draw your sword and kill him now, the cornerstone character wouldn't die now."

System: "If we leave him here, he might encounter other adventures. And according to analysis, if he gets hurt in the process, Dai Zisheng will most likely blame himself. With your previous interference, Dai Zisheng's feelings for him are not as developed as in the original novel. But if there is a little more moral kidnapping, plus Su Baimo's deliberate seduction, it's hard to say."

In the original novel, Su Baimo and Dai Zisheng became intimately involved not long after she joined the Illusion Sword Gate. Now, Chu Jinglan shared half of the gratitude for saving his life. Although their engagement has been cancelled, Dai Zisheng still remembers that Su Baimo liked Chu Jinglan.

When Xiao Mo thought about how leaving Su Baimo here could bring him so many benefits, his face darkened.

That won’t work. How can we let him get away with it?

So Xiao Mo pinched his nose, wrapped Su Baimo in black mist, and wanted to take him out of the cave.

Chu Jinglan: "You want to save him?"

Although Xiao Mo did show that he cared about Su Baimo, it was definitely not love for her. The inner demon was not a good person. He could be kind to the three children he brought back, but he could also kill people without blinking an eye. He acted according to his own preferences. According to this logic, Xiao Mo should have ignored Su Baimo at this time.

I actually thought of taking him out.

Xiao Mobang reads: "Ah, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda."

Chu Jinglan was shocked: "..."

Do you believe this yourself? Does Zijiao, who was thrown out for blood sacrifice in front of you, believe this?

Chu Jinglan didn't understand what was so good about Su Baimo that was worthy of Xiao Mo's attention. Based on Xiao Mo's confusing reply just now, he knew that if he asked now, he would definitely not get an answer.

Xiao Mo probably felt that what he said was a bit dry, so he added: "He is your ex-fiancé after all."

This reason was even less convincing, because they both knew how watered down the marriage forced upon them by the Chu family was.

When passing by the cave entrance, Xiao Mo stared at Zi Jiao's emaciated body, an idea came to his mind, and he stopped.

Chu Jinglan was shocked to see him using the black mist to search through the air and found Zijiao's storage container and disciple badge.

Even though Xiao Mo disliked Qi Zijiao's dead look, he still had to lick the bag. He didn't have time to chase the demon cultivator just now, but now he had some free time.

There was an imprint of Zi Jiao's consciousness on the storage container. Xiao Mo's cultivation was far superior to his. After his master died, he easily wiped off the mark, probed his consciousness into it, and searched for the things inside.

You don’t know until you see it. When you see it, you’ll be shocked. Xiao Mo murmured: “Chu Jinglan, we don’t have to work anymore. He’s so rich.”

Chu Jinglan was surprised to hear the word "dagong" for the first time, but considering the context, it was not difficult to guess the meaning of these two words. It should refer to working.

Chu Jinglan's storage was only a few square meters, but look at the other person's storage, which was over a hundred square meters, with a sea view room filled with spiritual stones, magic tools, and elixirs, as well as many secret manuals, and even an unactivated communication jade token. It was like a small treasure trove. Their huge sum of thirty demon pills immediately paled in comparison!

Xiao Mo counted the spoils beautifully, picked and chose, took out all the things with the special mark of Xiaoqingmen and threw them away. He was very reluctant to throw them away, but he had no choice, because the things with the mark were too eye-catching and inconvenient to use.

After making his selection, Xiao Mo cleaned the storage container and put it in his backpack. He was in a good mood: This trip was not in vain, I made a fortune!

As for the disciple card, Xiao Mo was still holding it in the black mist. Chu Jinglan couldn't guess what he wanted to do.

Until Xiao Mo chose another way to send Su Baimo directly out of the black forest, picked a place where no one could see him for the time being, put him down without anyone noticing, and then threw Zi Jiao's badge into Su Baimo's arms.

Xiao Mo was very satisfied: "Give him some trouble."

Chu Jinglan was shocked: "..."

Although no one knows how Zi Jiao was captured, all disciples of large sects have soul lamps or soul seals in their sects. By now, the Xiaoqing Sect must know that Zi Jiao is dead. When the people from the nearby Xiaoqing Sect follow the disciple seals on their waist badges and find Su Baimo...

Even if Su Baimo woke up and explained that he was caught, why did they let you go while he was so anxious to death?

It's hard to explain.

I don't know if the man in gray got carried away and exposed his identity as the demon cultivator when he was holding the two of them. If Su Baimo knew and told it, it would be even more interesting. The demon cultivator actually spared your life. What is your relationship with him? Are you connected with the demon cultivator?

Xiao Mo's move is quite bad.

Chu Jinglan replied to someone's words: "I remember someone just said, he is my ex-fiancé after all?"

Xiao Mo: "Yes, 'front'."

Xiao Mo argued: "You see, it's not like you parted peacefully. You took good care of him before. After you suffered, the only time he came to see you was to break off the engagement. It's not too much for me to cause him some trouble."

Chu Jinglan: Well, this guy can always find a reason to make excuses.

He didn't understand. If Xiao Mo didn't like Su Baimo, he would have just left him alone. Instead, he saved him and now he's causing trouble for him. Is this the fickleness of his inner demons?

After Xiao Mo finished the arrangement, he thought for a while and said, "Let's go back and hunt a few monsters. Just to make it look good, we'll probably be able to see some fun when we come out."

Chu Jinglan had no interest, but Xiao Mo wanted to watch and said, "It's up to you."

When Xiao Mo seems happy and reveals some clues when he relaxes, maybe he can further figure out why Xiao Mo cares about Su Baimo and solve some of the mysteries surrounding Xiao Mo.

Then go and see with him.