Chapter 50 Chapter 50 “It looks like your pet…
As soon as Jiang Qing finished speaking, the farmer on the ridge of the field suddenly stopped what he was doing. The pig-shaped animal pattern on his wrinkled face glowed with a faint golden light.
She slowly turned around, her cloudy eyes looking straight in the direction of Jiang Qing and others, with a stiff smile on her lips.
"She saw us?" Zhao Peng suddenly tightened his grip on the weapon at his waist, and the Armored Bull issued a low warning sound.
Ma Chengying held his arm. "Don't be impulsive. Her action isn't hostile; it's more like a trigger mechanism."
Before he finished speaking, the scene in the village suddenly began to distort.
The figures of the children chasing and playing became blurred, and the old woman's movements of waving a palm-leaf fan became slower and slower, finally freezing into a stiff silhouette.
The farmer on the ridge of the field was surrounded by golden light, and the pig-shaped animal pattern on her face was spinning rapidly, like an accelerating vortex.
"Buzz—"
A buzzing sound exploded in the air, and the compass jade in Jiang Qing's palm suddenly vibrated violently. The gray mist suddenly broke free from the handle of the spoon and turned into a thin line that shot into the depths of the village.
At the same time, the surrounding scene cracked like broken glass, revealing a deeper scene underneath.
It was a charred ruin.
The smoke from cooking and the ridges of the fields had all disappeared, replaced by broken walls and charred wooden beams.
The air was filled with a faint smell of gunpowder, mixed with the smell of burnt grass and trees.
Several carbonized corpses were curled up in the corner with twisted postures, as if they had experienced great pain before death.
Jiang Qing's heart suddenly tightened.
This scene was exactly the same as what she saw in Zhu Tianba's genetic memory.
"Looking at the extent of the burning of these buildings, it seems like they were destroyed by some kind of concentrated high-temperature energy." Meng Yanlang's voice sounded trembling.
Huo Qiushan crouched down, his fingertips lightly brushing against a charred piece of wood. The Azure Treasure Spirit Snake slid down his wrist, spitting out its tongue to probe for residual energy around it. "There are fluctuations of Beast Core Source Power. It's the same source as the energy in the Thousand Worm Tumor, but purer."
Lin Qingzhou frowned, and the Flowing Phoenix flapped its wings nervously on her shoulder. "What caused the war?"
Jiang Qing didn't say anything, her eyes were attracted by something strange deep in the ruins.
It was a half-collapsed stone house with a vague symbol engraved on the door frame. Jiang Qing recognized it as the same animal pattern on the faces of the farmers at that time.
She walked over quickly, pushed aside the charred wood blocking the door, and the scene inside the stone house made her gasp.
This looks like the ancestral hall of this village.
The walls of the stone house are covered with densely packed murals.
In the first painting, a group of people wearing coarse cloth are kneeling around a green pig. The pig has a diamond-shaped mark on its forehead and emits a soft light all over its body.
In the second painting, the green pig disappeared, and the villagers had pig-shaped animal patterns on their faces. They began to cultivate the land, and the village gradually prospered.
In the third painting, the villagers discovered traces of other tribes, each of which had its own beliefs and pig-patterned images.
In the fourth painting, these villages united and developed rapidly.
......
The last painting was blurred by the flames, and only a ferocious-looking tiger and a blood-covered human figure could be seen.
It looked like a tiger lost control and injured someone.
"This pig..." Lin Qingzhou leaned over to look at the mural, his tone shocked, "It looks like your spirit pet."
Jiang Qing's fingertips gently stroked the figure of the green black pig on the mural, and a storm surged in his heart.
These murals clearly tell a story closely related to Zhu Tianba.
Suddenly, the place where Jiang Qing's fingers were touching felt hot. She groaned and retracted her hand as if she had been electrocuted. The entire space began to vibrate violently again.
Everything around me began to slowly melt away.
"The space is about to collapse!" Wen Zhuxi screamed. His predictive talent was ineffective in the extreme chaos, and only instinctive fear remained.
He held on to Lin Qingzhou tightly, and the latter's face was equally pale. The Flowing Phoenix flapped its wings and tried to fly, but there was nowhere to go.
"Retreat! Move closer to Jiang Qing!" Ma Chengying shouted sternly, reacting as fast as lightning.
Hong Ling's crystal scorpion tail hook instantly nailed into the ground, trying to stabilize her body. Zhao Peng's iron-clad bull growled, and its heavy body blocked the crowd from the space crack. Qiu Shan's green treasure snake coiled around his neck, and his cold vertical pupils stared at the collapsing void.
Jiang Qing felt as if his heart was being gripped by an invisible hand, and the seal of the contract was burning madly, far exceeding the pain he had felt when Zhu Tianba lost control.
A chaotic tearing sensation, like a torrent bursting through a dam, followed the burning fingertips and rushed violently into her spiritual world.
"Ugh..." She arched her body in pain, holding her head tightly with both hands.
Countless broken images entered her mind.
It’s Zhu Tianba.
The core of this force tearing at her spirit is Zhu Tianba.
But its current state was completely different from normal. It was forcibly tearing the space apart, trying to locate her.
"Jiang Qing!" Lin Qingzhou wanted to rush over to help her, but was pushed away by an invisible repulsive force.
The tremors lasted for about ten minutes, leaving only a dead silence and a lingering smell of burning in the air.
The village disappeared, and so did the angry people.
But they did not return to the sticky intestinal space. In front of them was a dark cave. The air quality in the cave did not seem to be very good, and there was always a feeling of frosted glass stuck in the throat.
Above the head is a towering dome that blocks out the sunlight. Huge stalactites of various shapes hang from it, emitting a cold glow that barely illuminates the surroundings.
The air was damp and cold, with a strong smell of earth and minerals. The ground underfoot was uneven and rocky, covered with slippery moss.
"It's a mine." Someone in the crowd recognized the environment here.
It was the classmate who was in charge of monitoring the situation that Ma Chengying and Hong Ling had met in the camp outside the mine.
They did return to reality.
Not far away, Zhao Peng's armored bull stood up, shaking its head and letting out a low moo.
Ma Chengying leaned against the stone wall, coughing violently. Lin Qingzhou was pale, and the Flowing Phoenix fell listlessly on her shoulder, its feathers dim. Wen Zhuxi curled up on the ground, shivering. Meng Yanlang's glasses were broken, and he was groping for something. Hong Ling half-knelt on the ground, looking around vigilantly, with the crystal scorpion's tail hook slightly raised.
"Are they all here?" Ma Chengying asked breathlessly, his voice hoarse.
"exist……"
"Ahem...in..."
Everyone responded weakly.
Huoqiushan released Jiang Qing's hand and stood up swiftly. The Qingbao Spirit Snake raised its head alertly, sensing its surroundings.
He looked around, and finally his eyes fell on Jiang Qing: "How are you?"
Jiang Qing supported himself on the cold ground and sat up, feeling that all the bones in his body were protesting, but the severe pain from the seal of the contract had indeed disappeared, leaving only a deep fatigue and... a faint but clear sense of connection.
She shook her head: "No problem, thank you."
Just then.
"cough……"
A faint sound, filled with fatigue and grievance, came from behind a pile of scattered rubble not far away.
Everyone's nerves tensed up instantly, and weapons and spirit beasts were instantly put on alert.
Jiang Qing's heart suddenly jumped!
It’s Zhu Tianba!
Ignoring the pain in her body, she climbed up using her hands and feet and staggered towards the source of the sound.
Huoqiu Mountain was left aside by her. His outstretched hand froze in mid-air, and he withdrew it dejectedly after a long while.
After walking around the pile of rubble, Jiang Qing held his breath at the sight before him.
Zhu Tianba collapsed on the cold rock, his body shrinking like a deflated ball, returning to his original small size, and even looking weaker.
The green hair had lost its luster and lay limply on its neck. Its body was covered with dust and some dark red energy residue.
What was most worrying was the pair of eyes. The lava-like gold had faded and turned back into amber, but it had lost its usual agility and cunning, leaving only endless fatigue and confusion, wet, as if covered with a layer of moisture.
Its body was trembling slightly, and it seemed that it didn't even have the strength to lift its head. It could only make weak mosquito-like and intermittent humming sounds.
Seeing Jiang Qing staggering towards her, its amber eyes turned extremely slowly and focused on her face.
The sound of "Kang..." was so weak that it was almost inaudible, filled with deep grievance and dependence.
Jiang Qing's heart seemed to be tugged at.
She rushed to Zhu Tianba, carefully avoiding the dark red energy residues on its body that seemed to still be corrosive. She stretched out her hand, but did not dare to touch it, for fear of hurting it.
"Zhu Tianba." Her voice trembled slightly. "How are you?"
Zhu Tianba just blinked weakly, and his small body trembled again. He seemed to want to get closer to her, but he didn't even have the strength to move.
Ma Chengying and others also gathered around, looking at Zhu Tianba on the ground with extremely complicated eyes.
"Did it forcibly absorb that power!?" Meng Yanlang looked at the traces of source power remaining on Zhu Tianba's body, his voice dry.
"The price seems to be high." Huo Qiushan's voice was still cold, but his gaze froze for a moment when he saw the dimness in Zhu Tianba's eyes.
Jiang Qing took a deep breath and suppressed the turmoil in his heart.
She carefully extended her finger and gently touched Zhu Tianba's soft hoof that was close to her and was not stained with any energy residue.
A warm touch came.
Zhu Tianba's claws moved slightly, and he turned over his claws and rubbed Jiang Qing's fingertips very weakly.
A faint but clear emotion, carrying deep fatigue and attachment, was transmitted along the seal of the contract.
It's still alive.
Jiang Qing's eyes were filled with tears. He gently and carefully picked up the weak Zhu Tianba and used his arms to support him in a relatively comfortable position.
It found a place in her arms, rested its head weakly on her chest, closed its eyes completely, and only breathed weakly and steadily.
In the past, every time after absorbing energy, Zhu Tianba would take a nap, but today he did not faint immediately.
Perhaps it was the last two upgrades that significantly improved its body's endurance.
"Let's find a safe place to rest first." Ma Chengying made a quick decision and broke the silence. His voice was low and serious, and his eyes swept over the exhausted people and the unconscious Zhu Tianba in Jiang Qing's arms. "It needs time to recover, and so do we."
The huge stalactites above the head are like the fangs of silent beasts, casting strange shadows in the cold dim light.
In the damp and cold air, besides the sound of dripping water, there seemed to be traces of other strange beasts' activities.
The next step is the finishing work.
Ma Chengying quickly assigned tasks to the two teams. One team was responsible for searching and clearing out dangers, while the other team was responsible for clearing out the strange beasts that were "contaminated" by the beast core power.
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