Chapter 85 Northern Lands 2 She failed to catch her senior brother
"Senior Brother Shen! Senior Brother Xiang! Let's have a competition! Let's see who can mine the fastest!"
Zuo Qiuxu enthusiastically suggested that they throw their spiritual energy at the ore as if it were free.
Chen Du absentmindedly hummed in agreement, while carefully putting away the ore and subtly glancing at Xu Xing, who was selecting Rainbow Stones with Wen Yao.
In the half hour that my junior sister was picking a whole piece of Rainbow Stone, she looked at herself three times.
Shen Du subconsciously looked at himself to see if there was anything wrong, and secretly cast a cleansing spell.
During this period, he was either killing magical beasts or on his way to fight monsters, and inevitably got covered in corrosive poisons, bloodstains and other filth. So he couldn't bear to wear the magic robe made by his junior sister and changed into an ordinary piece of clothing.
Could it be because of this that his junior sister keeps looking at him?
Wen Yao turned her head and glanced at Chen Du, then gestured towards Xu Xing with her lips, silently mouthing, "Looking at you again!"
Xu Xing pretended not to see Wen Yao's hint. She seemed to be "seriously" mining, but her thoughts were wandering far away. Her senior brother seemed to be...
real……
Xu Xing couldn't help but look back again. Shen Du noticed her gaze, and his eyes instantly softened. Before he could speak, Xu Xing quickly turned her head away.
For some reason, she felt a little flustered. She looked down at the ore in her hands and thought to herself: Although my senior brother is aloof and doesn't like to talk, he has always been very attentive to her. Apart from his seclusion for cultivation, he always accompanies her everywhere.
What should she do if her senior really likes her?
Xu Xing had never had a romantic relationship in either of her lives, and in her previous life she didn't have many friends. She felt relaxed and comfortable staying at home by herself. But the thought that she might be tied to another person in the future made her feel inexplicably awkward.
But what if that person is my senior brother...?
Xu Xing gently bit his lower lip. If he rejected his senior brother, would he be sad? Judging from his senior brother's personality, he probably wouldn't, right?
But what if...?
No, no! Xu Xing blushed more and more as she thought about it. She fanned herself with her hand. She had been led astray by A Yao. What if her senior brother didn't mean it at all? Wouldn't she have been presumptuous?
Wen Yao saw through their subtle misunderstandings clearly, and with a soft snort, she wanted to see how long these two could keep up their act of pretending to be stupid.
They clearly liked each other, but they were being coy and hesitant, which made even an outsider like her anxious.
Senior Brother Shen is a genius sword cultivator, and Xu Xu is an even more prodigious alchemy talent. Aren't they a perfect match? They also share the same master. If they were to become Daoist partners, it would be like doubling the bond between relatives.
Wen Yao couldn't help but let her mind wander. When she thought about what gift she should give the two of them for their Dao Couple Ceremony, she couldn't help but laugh out loud, which drew a puzzled look from Xu Xing.
"I can't take it anymore! What kind of lousy immortal sect is this around here! Why are they doing this kind of evil!"
Zuo Qiuxu plopped down on a rock, legs spread wide, and said weakly, "It's definitely not just that the ore can't be put into the storage bag; they must have done something else!"
Otherwise, a Foundation Establishment cultivator like him wouldn't be so exhausted from mining!
At first, Zuoqiu Xu was the one who kept clamoring for a competition, but when he actually started mining, he was the first one who couldn't take it anymore.
Xu Xing gathered his jumbled thoughts and shook his head with amusement. "Senior Brother Zuoqiu, you certainly didn't listen carefully to the courses at the Immortal Academy back then."
Mining isn't something you can just do by throwing spiritual energy at it. Luckily, she had a skill. Although it was tiring, Xu Xing was in a good mood as she ate spirit-replenishing pills and watched her gold-mining experience increase rapidly.
Xu Xing tried it. Although the ores on the mountain couldn't be put into storage bags, her backpack was fine. When no one was paying attention, she secretly stuffed a lot of ores into her backpack.
After digging for a while, she saw a mine ahead with a much denser spiritual energy, which she thought must contain high-grade ores. She said, "I'll go take a look there."
Shen Du didn't say anything, and followed along with an extremely natural expression.
Seeing this, Zuo Qiuxu was about to go over and see if there was anything good. Wen Yao was about to stop him when Xiang Yuquan spoke first, "Didn't you say you were out of energy? Why don't you rest for a while?"
"That's right! You can stay here!" Wen Yao, who had a lot to say but nowhere to say it, immediately looked at Xiang Yuquan with gratitude and gave him a thumbs up. "It's all thanks to Senior Brother Xiang!"
How could Senior Brother Zuoqiu, with his blockhead, not see that Senior Brother Shen really wanted to talk to Xu Xu alone?
Xiang Yuquan smiled slightly, exchanged a glance with Wen Yao, and everything was understood without words.
Zuo Qiuxu scratched his head, looking bewildered. What were Wen Yao and Senior Brother Xiang talking about? He couldn't understand a word they were saying.
The mine is deep and narrow at the entrance, but it opens up as you go further in. The ore on the cave walls gradually changes from low-grade rainbow stone to rainbow crystal. The pink luster of the crystal is layered, giving the mine a dreamlike quality.
"With so many essence crystals here, why isn't anyone harvesting them?" Xu Xing wondered.
"Be careful, there might be monsters."
Chen Du's voice came from behind, echoing in the enclosed environment of the mine, making it sound somewhat unfamiliar.
She paused, and under the pale pink glow of the crystal, her fair face flushed slightly. "Senior brother, why did you come? I could have done it by myself."
Xu Xing didn't turn around, touching this piece of ore and then that piece of refined crystal, looking very busy.
She felt like her senior brother had something to say, but should she listen or not? If she did listen, should she give him an answer? She hadn't decided yet, and was now perhaps not the right time?
Xu Xing was in a state of confusion, but his ears were quietly perked up. What exactly did his senior brother want to say?
"..."
After hesitating for a moment, Shen Du finally spoke up: "It's not that I don't want to wear the robes you made, it's just that I'm worried they'll get dirty when I'm killing demonic beasts..."
He explained softly, then took out a black robe he had never worn before from his storage ring and immediately put it on.
Xu Xing was relieved to hear what her senior brother was going to say. She couldn't tell whether she was disappointed or relieved. She composed herself and turned around with a smile.
Just as he was about to speak, he saw his senior brother, dressed in a black robe, with a tall and straight figure like a pine tree and an aura as cold and refined as jade. Xu Xing silently turned his head away and carefully wiped his nose, worried that his senior brother would notice his lapse in composure.
"No, it's nothing! It's a gift for my senior brother, so he can wear it if he wants."
It's just a robe; robes are meant for defense. Xu Xing didn't understand why his senior brother was making a point of explaining it.
Chen Du's eyes darkened slightly; it turned out she didn't care at all...
Why isn't my senior brother saying anything? Was her tone too harsh?
"Chen Du has liked you for a long time, haven't you noticed?"
Unconsciously recalling Wen Yao's words, Xu Xing turned his back to Chen Du, his face growing increasingly red.
Looking at the rainbow crystal, she thought to herself, "Luckily, this mine is pink, otherwise we would have been exposed."
Xu Xing wanted to turn around but didn't dare to, and accidentally broke a small piece of the Rainbow Ore in front of him.
"roar--"
Deep inside the mine, the Flame Lion Beast, which had been eyeing these two ignorant cultivators for a long time, finally couldn't hold back any longer. It suddenly spewed out a fireball, which struck the two men directly in the face.
Shen Du frowned, his body motionless. He raised his right hand, and the unsheathed Xuan Yue Sword spun rapidly in his hand a few times. The fireball vanished instantly, without causing the slightest damage.
"So this is the cave of the Flame Lion Beast. No wonder not many people come here to mine."
Xu Xing let out a soft breath, as if he had finally found a topic to talk about. He smiled and summoned Qing. The third-tier Qingyan Beast versus the third-tier Yanshi Beast was a good opportunity for Qing to sharpen its claws.
"roar--"
"Greedy human cultivator! Get out of my cave!"
Xu Xing waved his hand with a smile, "Oh, we'll just collect a few crystals and leave. If you behave, we definitely won't hurt you."
Before the Flame Lion Beast could even be surprised that this human cultivator could understand its thoughts, it was slapped to the ground by Qing.
It was panting heavily, incredulous. Both were at the third rank, yet the difference between itself and this Azure Flame Beast was so vast! How could this be? What did it eat to grow up like this?
Qing pinned the Flame Lion Beast down with one paw, then leisurely licked its other paw and let out a lazy growl.
"Of course, it's a Beast Spirit Pill that a wild demon beast like you could never get your hands on!"
The Flame Lion Beast struggled incessantly, snorting hot air from its nostrils, and scoffed, "Beast Spirit Pill? As if you've never eaten one before! It's just something humans make, and it doesn't even taste that great."
At this moment, Xu Xing tossed a Beast Spirit Pill over, which Qing swallowed accurately. It licked its lips with lingering satisfaction and gave a provocative look to the Flame Lion Beast under its paws, which was staring in disbelief at the aroma of the Beast Spirit Pill.
"My master's is different. Does it smell good? Heh, you can't have any!"
Distracted by the sudden appearance of the Flame Lion Beast, the atmosphere in the cave wasn't so awkward. Xu Xing quickly collected some Rainbow Crystals, which Chen Du put into his bag.
The two didn't linger for long and quickly left the cave without killing the Flame Lion Beast.
Outside the cave, Wen Yao stared wide-eyed at Shen Du, grinding her teeth. In such a short time, how come Senior Brother Shen had changed his clothes?! And they were made by Xu Xu. What exactly were they talking about in the mine?!
Noticing Wen Yao's undeniable gaze, Shen Du glanced at her expressionlessly, without giving it much thought.
Looking at Shen Du, who looked exceptionally handsome in his black robes, Zuo Qiuxu said sourly, "Senior Brother Shen's outfit must have been made by Xu Xu. She's so biased! She wouldn't make one for me!"
Almost amused by his junior brother's blockhead, Xiang Yuquan said helplessly, "If you regain your strength, go mining."
Having failed to obtain the robe and even being disliked by his senior brother, Zuo Qiuxu continued mining with a wronged expression.
Xu Xing touched her nose, remembering that she had indeed promised to help Senior Brother Zuoqiu modify his robes with spirit attachment, but she had been forgetting to do it. Seeing his accusing eyes, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
Moreover, since his senior brother was here, Xu Xing inexplicably didn't want to bring up the matter, so he remained silent.
"That's enough, let's leave here."
As dusk fell, the three senior brothers dutifully dragged the ore down the mountain, while Xu Xing and Wen Yao left empty-handed, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Before they even reached the foot of the mountain, Chen Du whispered a warning, "Something is following us."
In the dim light, Xu Xing could vaguely see several pairs of eyes that glowed faintly. He found it amusing. Could it be that the Flame Lion Beast was reluctant to part with the Beast Spirit Pill?
This wasn't the first time she'd encountered this situation. The monsters were always extremely eager for her Beast Spirit Pills, and there were almost no monsters that the Beast Spirit Pills couldn't subdue. However, Xu Xing was also very picky. She would never show mercy to monsters that looked like they had eaten humans. The Flame Lion Beast she had just encountered in the cave was rather silly and cute, which was why she spared its life.
Xiang Yuquan said in a deep voice, "Something's not right with these Flame Lion Beasts!"
Flame Lion Beasts mostly act alone and do not interfere with each other, so it is almost impossible for them to form such a group.
No sooner had he finished speaking than a group of Flame Lion Beasts that had been secretly following him pounced on him. Their eyes were bloodshot, clearly showing a fight to the death, and among them were three fourth-tier beasts! The sheer number of them made one wonder if all the Flame Lion Beasts on the entire mountain had gathered here.
Shen Du and Zuo Qiuxu put down the ore and went to meet them first.
Wen Yao also quickly took out her long whip and faced off against a second-tier Flame Lion Beast.
The blazing flames illuminated the dim sky.
Although fourth-tier demonic beasts are somewhat troublesome, for Xu Xing and Shen Du, who possess numerous magical artifacts, it's just a matter of spending a little more time dealing with them.
Xu Xing frowned, puzzled, and said, "The Flame Lion Beast we just saw didn't seem like it would be chasing after us so frantically..."
Upon hearing this, Xiang Yuquan glanced at her and asked, "Junior Sister Xu, did you encounter the Flame Lion Beast today?"
He pondered for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Junior Sister Xu, if I may be so bold, do you possess something that can attract demonic beasts? Perhaps the Flame Lion Beast has its eye on that thing, which is why it summoned its companions in an attempt to seize it."
"It does contain Beast Spirit Pills."
Xu Xing didn't hide anything, but looking at those ferocious-looking Flame Lion Beasts, she couldn't reconcile them with the cowardly and greedy one she knew in the mine. These Flame Lion Beasts had an abnormally ferocious look in their eyes, more like...
Before she could think, Xiang Yuquan grabbed her arm and pulled her backward.
"Junior Sister Xu, let me take you away from here first!" Xiang Yuquan said hurriedly. "The Flame Lion Beast is watching you. If you stay here, Senior Brother Shen might be distracted!"
Three fourth-tier Flame Lion Beasts are indeed troublesome, no wonder Senior Brother Xiang is worried about her.
Xu Xing nodded, but did not leave. She took out a few spirit beads and pulled Xiang Yuquan behind her. "Senior Brother Xiang, don't worry about me. I have plenty of magic artifacts! But you are still injured, so be careful."
After saying that, she picked up her magic weapon, summoned her contracted beasts, sat on Silver Snow, and charged into the horde of monsters. Her deer hooves, carrying wind blades, directly knocked away two Flame Lion Beasts.
Xiang Yuquan: "..."
He frowned slightly as he watched Xu Xingyong's fierce figure.
Shen Du lured away the two fourth-tier Flame Lion Beasts. He had just blocked one of their claws with his sword when the other took the opportunity to spew out a fireball. Although he dodged it, the hem of his robe was touched by the fireball and instantly burned.
Although the robes offer high defense, they cannot withstand the demonic fire of a fourth-tier demonic beast.
Shen Du reacted quickly and extinguished the fire, but several large holes were still burned in the hem of his clothes. His expression turned cold, and he swung his sword to sever the left claw of a third-tier fire lion beast that was attacking him.
"Senior brother! Let me help you!"
Xu Xing's Entangling Spirit Wheel absorbed the demonic fire from several Flame Lion Beasts in succession, and then attached the fire absorbed from them to the Threading Rope, using it to attack them in return.
The Flame Lion Beasts were stunned and became sluggish, unable to understand why their own demonic fire would turn around and attack them.
Shen Du knew the power of the magic weapon in Xu Xing's hand. Although he was not worried about her getting hurt, he still tried his best to take the two fourth-tier fire lion beasts away.
With the two working together, even the fourth-tier Flame Lion Beasts couldn't cause any trouble. If things continued like this, they would all die here.
Xiang Yuquan stood at the back, gripping the jade flute that Xu Xing had repaired, and silently watched this scene.
"Strange! They are clearly no match for us, so why won't they run away?"
The Flame Lion Beasts were showing signs of weakness, but they still fought to the death. Xu Xing looked at their cloudy, scarlet eyes and couldn't help but wonder if they had taken the wrong medicine.
Xu Xing saw that Wen Yao was being targeted by a third-tier fire lion beast and was about to turn around to help when a sudden change occurred.
A strange yet familiar aura suddenly descended, and a gale howled!
Xu Xing and Yin Xue were instantly pulled backward by a terrifying suction force. The speed was so fast that they could hardly react. At this moment, no magical artifact was of any use, because she was not harmed in any way.
In the chaos, Xu Xing only had time to return Yin Xue and Qing to his spirit beast space, but Tuanzi, who was closest to the cave entrance, was instantly swallowed by the black hole!
All of this happened too fast. Xu Xing only had time to shout "Tuanzi" before she had to struggle to keep her body upright, otherwise she would be the next one to be sucked into the black hole!
Zuo Qiuxu and Wen Yao stared in disbelief at the enormous black hole that had suddenly appeared on the hillside! The surrounding low-level Flame Lion Beasts and even some rubble were instantly sucked into the black hole!
Xiang Yuquan quickly stepped forward and erected a shield to protect the two of them. "Get behind me!"
He was, after all, at the Golden Core stage. Although his internal injuries were severe, he was still in much better condition than his junior brothers and sisters at the Foundation Establishment stage. Moreover, this place was the farthest from the black hole, so he could barely hold on.
The suction was too strong, and blood trickled from the corner of Xiang Yuquan's mouth. He still insisted on throwing the jade flute towards Xu Xing and said urgently, "Junior Sister Xu, grab it quickly!"
In desperation, Xu Xing threw out the tethering rope to grab the ground, but the rope was cut by something flying in the gale. Her grip loosened, and half of her body had already sunk into the black hole.
At the critical moment, a jet-black longsword flew from the side and intercepted her at the waist. The powerful force carried her away from the black hole and brought her to Xiang Yuquan and the others.
With the pressure suddenly reduced, Xu Xing immediately pinned the Spirit-Chasing Dagger firmly to the ground, breaking free from the last trace of suction.
Xu Xing's wildly beating heart finally caught its breath. Just as she was about to help her senior brother Xiang strengthen his shield, she saw Zuo Qiuxu and Wen Yao in front of her widen their eyes in shock and exclaim in horror, "Senior Brother Chen!"
What? Xu Xing turned around and saw a dark figure being swept into a black vortex in the dim light.
In that instant, a white light exploded in her mind. Without thinking, she leaped forward. She had never been so fast before, but it still wasn't enough.
She's too slow!
Xu Xing reached out in vain, but couldn't even grab a piece of the black robe; she failed to catch her senior brother.
Her senior brother was like a gentle breeze; he vanished before he even reached her.
"Senior brother—"
Looking at Xu Xing one last time, Shen Du felt relieved. He thought to himself that he hadn't had a chance to tell his junior sister his feelings.
Fortunately, he didn't have time...
The black hole disappeared.
Xu Xing fell heavily to the ground, still holding out her hands. She looked dazed, as if she didn't understand what had happened. She tried to reach her hands around, but only touched gravel and dust.
Wen Yao's eyes were already red. She stepped forward to help Xu Xing up, choking back tears as she said, "Don't panic, let's think of another way. We'll definitely be able to find Senior Brother Shen."
However, having already heard Xu Xing recount the events that occurred within the Flowing Cloud Sect's secret realm, Wen Yao knew in her heart that behind the black hole lay the Abyss of Corrosion, a place even powerful beings avoided. If Senior Brother Shen had been drawn into it, it was likely...
Xu Xing's body was stiff and motionless, his lips trembling as if he were saying something.
Wen Yao moved closer and heard what she said—
"I created it, I changed the direction, it was me..."
Xu Xing's expression was blank.
She reversed the direction of the black hole teleportation to save the Flowing Cloud Sect, and now, her senior brother has been caught in it.
My senior brother was taken to the Abyss of Eclipse.
She's the one who ruined her senior brother.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Thank you to Sleep a Little Longer, Blue Feather Tears, Account Deleted (I hope it's not really deleted~ [please]), Rabbit Demon Osmanthus Cake, Fanma Hanma, Shang Yumeng, Jade Ball's Knife, Thea (What a big bite! *kiss* [heart emoji]), Lychee Without Peel, Smoked Millet, He Xiaotu, and Kabula. And thank you for the nutrient solution I provided! [sprinkling flowers] Thank you everyone~
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
