Chapter 81 Chapter 81 [New Neighbor]
"Are you sure it's this way?" Jiang Qing lowered his voice, holding onto the cold and rough stone wall.
Zhu Tianba nodded vigorously, his voice filled with strange certainty: "Yes! It said, 'Come and play here, it's safe here.'"
"Play?" Jiang Qing was stunned. This was totally different from what she had expected.
The dark passage was not long, and soon a soft light appeared in front.
After turning a corner, they stepped into a stone chamber that was much smaller than the main hall outside.
The walls were covered with moss that emitted a warm white glow, and the air was fresh, without any stale smell.
In the center of the stone chamber, the skeleton of the gigantic beast king was actually squatting there in a more... "relaxed" posture, its huge skull slightly tilted, its empty eye sockets seemingly "looking" in the direction of the entrance.
Unlike the majestic and dead silence felt outside, there is a sense of tranquility and peace here.
Zhu Tianba seemed to feel no pressure at all. He took a few steps forward curiously, looked up at the huge skull, and his nose twitched slightly.
"Hello!" Zhu Tianba suddenly greeted the skeleton with a crisp voice.
Jiang Qing's heart tightened, and he subconsciously wanted to stop it.
But the next moment, she clearly felt a soft and clear thought blowing through her heart like a warm breeze, without any coercion, only pure curiosity and... a hint of clumsy friendliness.
[…Hello…new friends…]
The thought echoed directly in her mind, with a hoarse voice that had been accumulated over the years, yet as innocent as a child.
Jiang Qing's tense nerves relaxed instantly.
She could tell the other person's good intentions from the tone of voice.
"Are you talking?" Jiang Qing asked tentatively, his eyes falling on the huge skeleton.
[…Yes…it’s me…] The thought seemed a little embarrassed.
[It's been a while since we've had any guests here... I'm feeling a little... lonely...]
Zhu Tianba obviously "heard" it too. It swung its tail happily, and its hair flickered with emotion. "Do you want to be friends with us?"
[Is it possible?] The Beast King thought with cautious anticipation.
[I won't hurt you... I just... want someone to talk to... and see the outside world...]
Jiang Qing looked at the huge skeleton, which should have been awe-inspiring, but now it looked like a large canine that was afraid of being rejected, if it had fur.
Her heart couldn't help but soften.
She walked forward, stood side by side with Zhu Tianba, and gave a sincere smile.
"Of course," she said. "I'm Jiang Qing, and this is Zhu Tianba. It's an honor to be your friend."
"Hello." The Beast King repeated the two people's names in his mind, as if he was tasting honey. The dim light in the entire stone chamber seemed to be brighter and more cheerful.
[My name... is Pansha.]
"Pansha?" Zhu Tianba thought of the name and found it very interesting. "Your house is so big!"
[It's too big, and a little empty.] Pansha's voice sounded a little lonely.
The thought-formed being took a deep breath and asked cautiously, "Can you tell me about the outside world? The sunshine, the wind, and those little scorpions that are always afraid to come in."
Zhu Tianba excitedly described the competition between him and Jiang Qing in the scorching sand dunes, describing the scorching sand, the huge cactus, and the flying posture of the Wind-Splitting Eagle.
Jiang Qing added details and occasionally corrected Zhu Tianba's overly exaggerated descriptions.
Pansha quietly "listened," occasionally asking curious questions like "Competition? What is that? Is it like playing?" or expressing envy like "It's great to be able to run around!"
It's like a child who has been cooped up at home for too long and is longing for friends and stories.
"Oh right," Jiang Qing thought of the sand scorpions just now, "Did those sand scorpions gather here because they sensed us?"
"Yes." Pansha's thoughts were filled with apology: "Are they my neighbors? Perhaps... They sensed a strange presence and perhaps wanted to protect me... Or were they simply curious? I let them disperse..."
As if to confirm its words, the disturbing rustling sounds outside the stone chamber completely disappeared.
"You are so nice!" Zhu Tianba said sincerely. He had completely regarded Pansha as a trustworthy partner.
[…It’s great to have friends…] Pansha’s thoughts were filled with satisfaction.
Then Pansha took them on a detailed tour of his home and introduced the image of his wreckage.
"How long have you been here?" Jiang Qing asked curiously.
Pansha was silent for a long time before he spoke vaguely, "I don't know either... I was suddenly awakened a month ago. If you count the time I've been awake, it should be a month. However, I must have been in this cave for a long time... I don't remember those memories clearly."
"Oh, right!" Pansha suddenly thought of something and added, "About a week ago, a new neighbor moved in next door, but I can't leave this palace. Jiang Qing, Tianba, could you please go visit this neighbor for me?"
Jiang Qing and Zhu Tianba looked at each other and saw curiosity in each other's eyes.
"New neighbor?" Jiang Qing asked, "What kind of neighbor?"
Pansha's mind drifted with confusion: "I can't quite sense it... It's very quiet, almost never moving. But its presence is unique, completely different from those small scorpions. It's in the cave next door, very close."
Zhu Tianba immediately became interested and nudged Jiang Qing with his nose. "Let's go and take a look, Jiang Qing! Maybe it's a new friend!"
Jiang Qing pondered for a moment and nodded.
It sounded reasonable to help a new friend, especially a Beast King soul, by visiting a neighbor, and since it was right next door, the risks shouldn't be too great.
"Okay, we'll go and check it out for you." Jiang Qing said to Pansha.
Pansha's thoughts immediately brightened: "Great! Thank you! Go this way, there's a small crack in the wall. You should be able to get through... I'll be waiting here for you to come back and tell me!"
Following Pansha's directions, they indeed found a narrow crack in the corner of the stone chamber, which was only wide enough for one person to pass through sideways.
Zhu Tianba was small in size and was the first to get through, and Jiang Qing followed carefully.
Behind the crevice was a cave slightly smaller than the stone chamber where Pansha was. The light was dim, and the air was filled with a faint smell that resembled a mixture of metal and dust.
In the center of the cave, there was a huge, dark figure.
The figure almost merged with the shadow of the cave. With the faint light coming through the cracks in the rock, Jiang Qing could barely make out that it seemed to be a... giant snake?
But it looks too stiff and lifeless.
Zhu Tianba was brave enough to take a few steps forward, tilting his head to examine the figure, and whispered, "Hello? We are Pansha's friends!"
No response.
The huge figure remained motionless, as if it were just a sculpture.
Jiang Qing stood there vigilantly, his hand gently pressing on the dagger he carried with him.
She noticed that this "neighbor" was covered with a dark, rust-like shell covered with strange patterns.
"It seems... to be sleeping?" Zhu Tianba turned around and whispered to Jiang Qing.
Jiang Qing frowned slightly and raised his voice: "Excuse me, we are here to visit you at Pansha's request."
The words echoed in the empty cave for a few times before returning to silence again.
Just when Jiang Qing thought that this was really just a body without consciousness and was about to take Zhu Tianba away.
She suddenly felt a chill on her back, as if she was being stared at by some cold-blooded creature.
“Hiss—”
Two friction sounds slowly rang out in the cave.
Jiang Qing slowly turned his head and met a bright yellow gaze.
It had vertical pupils, a cold-blooded look in its eyes, and kept spitting out its tongue at her and Zhu Tianba.
Jiang Qing suddenly felt his scalp tingling.
Um... Pansha, your friend doesn't seem very friendly!!
The giant snake's huge body slowly squirmed in the shadows, with a cold look as if it were examining its prey.
Jiang Qing's muscles tensed instantly, and he subconsciously pulled Zhu Tianba a step behind him.
The giant snake's vertical pupils were ice-cold and devoid of any emotion, it just stared intently at the two uninvited guests.
"Pansha didn't say its neighbors were so... welcoming." Jiang Qing whispered to Zhu Tianba, his voice dry without him even noticing.
Zhu Tianba also sensed the danger and let out a warning growl from his throat. The glazed ice armor on his hooves shone coldly. He stared closely at the giant snake, ready to respond to the attack at any time.
"hiss--"
The giant snake's head slowly rose, raising a cloud of dust. Its huge body began to wriggle, and its scales rubbed against the ground.
It seemed to be disturbed from its deep sleep and appeared extremely irritable.
"It doesn't seem to welcome us," Jiang Qing slowly drew out his dagger, his eyes sharp, "Back off slowly, don't provoke it..."
However, just as they tried to retreat, the giant snake moved.
It was like a dark shadow running close to the ground, suddenly biting towards them at an astonishing speed.
"Get out of the way!" Jiang Qing shouted, and he and Zhu Tianba rolled to the sides respectively.
The snake's head slammed heavily onto the spot where they had just been standing, sending gravel flying everywhere.
"This guy is unreasonable!" Zhu Tianba was a little angry. He stood firm and a sharp icicle instantly condensed in front of him and shot towards the snake's body.
"clang!"
When the icicles hit the snake scales, there was a sound of metal clashing, leaving only a white dot before it shattered.
The giant snake's defense is beyond imagination.
The giant snake seemed extremely angry at its prey's resistance. Its thick tail swept across like a steel whip, raising a cloud of sand.
Jiang Qing's pupils trembled, and he hugged Zhu Tianba and fell to the ground again in a panic, barely dodging.
"Its scales are very thick." Zhu Tianba said calmly, its ice attacks have little effect.
Jiang Qing stared closely at the giant snake that raised its head again, ready for the next attack, his brain working rapidly.
The giant snake attacked again, opened its bloody mouth, and bit towards Zhu Tianba with a fishy smell.
Zhu Tianba jumped up nimbly, trying to avoid it.
Just as it leaped into the air and was at the same level as the snake's head, the dim light in the cave just happened to shine into the giant snake's bright yellow vertical pupil.
Jiang Qing's gaze suddenly froze.
Deep in those cold vertical pupils, she saw something unusual.
A yellow crystal the size of a fingernail, embedded in the center of the snake's pupil.
The crystal showed chaotic colors, as if it was slowly flowing, or like a solidified vortex, emitting an extremely weak breath that made Jiang Qing feel familiar.
Beast core power.
No wonder she fell on flat ground and happened to fall into the palace of the Beast King. It was such a coincidence that she came here under the guidance of the Beast King.
Chen Ming said that as Zhu Tianba's absorption awakening becomes higher, its body will become more sensitive to the core power of other beasts.
Jiang Qing's eyes passed through the giant snake's fleeting greed.
They are looking for the beast core source power, and similarly, the parasites of the beast core source power are also looking for them.
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