I Have a Friend (6k)

You Su understood, and her expression softened.

He stopped running away and started using the confined space to deal with Bai Ze.

With each leap and each turn, he skillfully evaded Bai Ze's attacks, gradually guiding the battlefield towards the neatly arranged Divine Radiance Stone.

Bai Ze seemed to have sensed You Su's intentions, roaring repeatedly and launching increasingly fierce attacks. However, with each swing of its claws, it had to stop midway because it was mindful of the Divine Radiance Stone.

Seeing this, You Su became even more determined. His figure was like a fox moving through the snow, light and agile. Every time he approached Bai Ze, he tried to leave a mark on it with the Ink Pine Sword. Although the effect was minimal, it was constantly wearing down the giant beast's patience and strength.

The stalemate in the battle kept the onlookers outside the cave on edge. Most of them were only at the Water Condensation stage, so they didn't have high expectations for You Su, who was also at the Condensing Water Realm.

However, if they didn't choose You Su, they might not even have a chance to atone for their sins and would die in that snowy plain. So it can be said that You Su, who fell from the sky, was their only choice out of desperation.

But the scene unfolding before their eyes left them speechless. They had never seen a cultivator at the Condensing Water Realm possess such strength. Watching You Su being accidentally knocked against the mountain wall by the aftershock of Bai Ze's collision, everyone imagined themselves experiencing that impact. Even if they didn't vomit blood on the spot, they would probably lose most of their mobility.

It's not that the physical bodies of the cultivators from the Northern Ao Continent are too weak. In fact, the people and cultivators of the Northern Ao Continent have all grown up through the trials of wind and snow. In terms of resilience alone, they are the best in the five continents. Therefore, their amazement at You Su's physical strength is completely from the bottom of their hearts.

However, the shock that You Su brought them was not only physical, but also his elegant fighting style. Cultivators in the Northern Ao Continent admired a rough and primitive fighting style, so Sword Cultivator was prevalent in the Central Yuan Continent and Southern Yang Continent, but it was a truly niche Dao Path in the Northern Ao Continent. Even if there were such paths, they were like the Wild Snow Venerable of the Northern Ao Continent, who emphasized the Way of the Sword being expansive and sweeping like a whirlwind.

"What kind of Swordsmanship is this, Immortal Master? It's so agile and ever-changing! This is the first time I've ever seen a Sword Cultivator who can wield the sword with such agility!"

"Oh no! The wandering immortal master is about to be captured!"

Someone with better eyesight exclaimed in surprise and kicked the person who had just praised You Su for her extreme agility in the leg.

Suddenly, You Su's figure froze in mid-air inside the cave.

Seeing this, Bai Ze thought he had an opportunity and lunged forward with his huge body. But at the critical moment, You Su had already planned to sidestep and easily dodged.

Just then, You Su's Mystic Qi surged, his sword intent blazed, and a dazzling black light condensed at the tip of his sword. He unleashed the Don't Cower Sword Intent that he had been condensing for a long time!

The sword light, like a dragon, pierced the darkness of the cave, pointing directly at Bai Ze's side.

This attack was premeditated by You Su; wherever the sword tip passed, even the moisture in the air was condensed into frost.

"This isn't agility, it's brutality!"

The person who had praised You Su's Swordsmanship for its extreme agility now deeply regretted his decision, realizing he had acted too hastily.

You Su had already discovered during the constant fighting that although Bai Ze appeared to be unarmored, its defensive capabilities were surprisingly strong. If there was any weakness, it was only its abdomen, which it had been quietly avoiding.

Bai Ze was suddenly struck by a severe blow. His massive body twisted in agony as he let out a deafening roar.

You Su did not stop there. Knowing that the opportunity was rare, he moved like a ghost, his sword flashing like a tapestry, each strike aimed precisely at Bai Ze's vital points, yet he skillfully avoided Bai Ze's counterattack.

Bai Ze's attacks gradually became chaotic, each claw strike seemed powerless, and several patches of its white fur began to turn red. Even the strongest bones and muscles could not withstand the power of real steel, and this blindly ferocious Divine Beast gradually showed signs of defeat.

Finally, after a fierce exchange, You Su seized the opportunity, and the Ink Pine Sword drew a perfect arc in the air, carrying a biting cold wind, ready to pierce Bai Ze's heart.

But at this critical moment, an unexpected figure appeared in front of You Su Ze.

"No way!"

Upon hearing this You Su's brows furrowed deeply, and with a fierce determination, he continued the action of plunging his sword in without pause!

"No, Immortal Master!!"

The crowd outside the cave gasped in surprise, for what they saw beneath You Su's sword was not the Divine Beast Bai Ze, but their own patriarch Chen Yi!

The sword intent crashed to the ground, causing not only the entire cave but also the entire snow-capped mountain to tremble. The massive mountain shook off its thick snow, resembling a small avalanche.

To avoid the avalanche and to check on their chieftain, the group had no choice but to enter the cave again.

The candlelight illuminated the cave once more, and to their even greater surprise, the bloody scene they had imagined—the clan chief and Bai Ze being skewered through a gourd by You Su —did not occur.

The clan leader collapsed to the ground, trembling with fear. Bai Ze also shrank not far away, his scarlet eyes seeming to dim, revealing fear of You Su, but more so, wariness.

You Su stood in the shadows not far away, with dust swirling around him. The eerie black sword was deeply embedded in the floor, almost half of its blade inside, demonstrating the ferocity of You Su's attack.

I need an explanation.

You Su coldly stared at the clan leader, who was still shaken, her voice sharp and icy.

He went to great lengths and fought tooth and nail to defeat the guardians and retrieve the Divine Radiance Stone for the clan leader, so why was it the clan leader himself who stood in his way to stop him from killing Bai Ze at the very last moment of success?

This feeling of being played made You Su somewhat angry, and naturally her tone became less polite.

Those who had just entered realized that the young man before them possessed a coldness far beyond his outward appearance.

But the boy still managed to dodge the almost fatal sword strike; if he had wanted to, his clan leader would probably have already gone to the Yellow Springs with Bai Ze.

"Immortal Master... this Bai Ze... must not be killed!"

Chen Yi trembled. Some people tried to help him up, but he didn't take their hands. He just struggled to get up from the ground on his own.

Upon hearing this, You Su raised an eyebrow slightly and pulled out the Ink Pine Sword that was stuck in the ground.

Why can't he be killed?

Chen Yi's hands trembled, his eyes filled with complex emotions. He spoke slowly, his voice tinged with awe and sorrow. "Master Youxian, you are unaware that the Bai Ze is High Antiquity auspicious beast. Legend has it that it understands the feelings of all things and can speak human language. There has been an ancient prophecy that anyone who attempts to kill the Bai Ze will suffer endless misfortune, be destroyed by wind and snow, and be condemned by heaven and earth."

Upon hearing this, You Su's brows furrowed in surprise. Chen Yi's belief in auspicious beasts wasn't unique to Bai Ze; it was just that You Su had never believed in such things. He had already decided to take control of his own destiny, so why would he care about these things?

"You're willing to risk your life just for this rumor?"

Chen Yi smiled bitterly, a hint of helplessness and sorrow flashing in his eyes:

"Master Youxian is our benefactor, how could I possibly watch you suffer such misfortune while trying to help us?"

Upon hearing this, the others also felt guilty. As people from the Northern Ao Continent, they were all somewhat aware of the rumors that those who killed auspicious beasts would suffer misfortune. However, none of them stopped You Su from killing it, simply because their own thirty-year obsession was about to be fulfilled, and who would care about the karma that You Su would bear?

You Su remained silent for a moment, his gaze behind his sunglasses deep and unfathomable. "If you don't kill it, how will you take the Divine Radiance Stone?"

"This is their trick... They placed the Divine Radiance Stone here, even using the Divine Beast Bai Ze to guard it, because they are still afraid of having their secret hidden so deeply discovered... And anyone who wants to take the Divine Radiance Stone will be hesitant to act against Bai Ze, because the Curse dares not forcibly seize it."

The old man shook his head stiffly, then seemed to grow even older, and sighed deeply:

"If we make the wandering immortal master bear other sins in order to wash away our sins, how can I ever atone for my own sins?"

Looking at the elderly clan chief before him, You Su felt a complex mix of emotions welling up inside him.

The old man's sense of responsibility moved You Su. Faced with his lifelong wish, he actually chose to put it aside for the sake of You Su's fate.

Those around them were also infected by the sentiment, felt deeply ashamed, and echoed the sentiment.

You Su pursed her lips, but focused her attention on Bai Ze, who was hiding in the back.

Its long, white fur was dull and lifeless, completely lacking the graceful bearing one would expect of a Divine Beast. It glared at You Su with its scarlet eyes, baring its teeth, and arched its back as if warning You Su not to come closer.

You Su was not afraid of it. This Divine Beast had no divinity whatsoever; its dragon tendons and tiger bones were useless.

He slowly walked towards the Divine Radiance Stone behind him, trying to touch these ancient and heavy stones. Sure enough, Bai Ze immediately stood up again despite the pain in his body, letting out a lower, deeper roar in an attempt to drive him away. Judging from his posture, it was clear that he was determined to fight to the death.

"Bai Ze can speak human language, does this look like it?" You Su stopped, still not pressing it completely. "If it's not Bai Ze, then killing it shouldn't bring me bad luck, right?"

The clan leader and the others were slightly embarrassed upon hearing this, but Bai Ze seemed to understand what You Su said as well, and he bared his teeth and grinned even more fiercely.

"If you're not Bai Ze, then who are you?!"

In the empty cave, a child's voice, incredibly innocent and tender, suddenly echoed and swirled from the cave ceiling.

Everyone was startled, looking left and right as if searching for the source of the child's voice, thinking that some ignorant child had also followed them.

But when they finally arrived, they all looked at each other in disbelief at the spiky mythical Divine Beast.

There are no outsiders here, so it seems the only one who could make that sound is Bai Ze...

You Su suppressed his astonishment. He had met Elder Eleven, the peak master of Beast Taming Peak, when he was in the Xuanxiao Sect, but even that divine beast Suanni, which was said to have dragon blood, could not speak human language. Was Bai Ze actually a real divine beast?

"What are you looking at! Look again and I'll eat you up!"

Such threatening words, shouted in such a childish voice, were quite comical, yet they were followed by a fierce roar from Bai Ze in his true form, making it difficult to tell whether to describe them as terrifying or adorable.

You Su found it amusing, and a slight smile appeared on her lips:

"It's good that you can talk. Let us take the Divine Radiance Stone, and I won't kill you."

No sooner had You Su finished speaking than Bai Ze let out another childish snort, as if expressing his disdain.

Its massive body trembled slightly. "You think you can just say you won't kill me? Who do you think you are?"

You Su chuckled and placed his hand on the Divine Radiance Stone, feeling the warm touch emanating from it. This seemingly casual action made Bai Ze feel as if it were facing a formidable enemy. It roared and, ignoring the pain from the previous battle, charged towards You Su.

Its enormous body carried an unstoppable momentum; however, it was utterly powerless against the currently dominant You Su. You Su easily dodged, neutralizing its attack.

In order to avoid colliding with the Divine Radiance Stone behind You Su, it forcibly twisted its massive body, causing it to crash heavily to the ground, sending snow and dust flying. Bai Ze's eyes were filled with resentment and anger, and its two small horns shimmered faintly, as if it were ready to fight to the death.

Seeing this, Chen Yi quickly stepped forward, standing between You Su and Bai Ze. He took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice calm and reverent:

"Lord Bai Ze, please calm down! We did not mean to offend you, we are not evil people! We just want to retrieve these Divine Radiance Stones..."

Bai Ze got up from the ground, shook his huge head, and said in a gruff voice, "Retrieve the Divine Radiance Stone? With your bunch of mortals?"

It glanced disdainfully at Chen Yi and the clansmen behind him, its eyes filled with contempt.

"With just us mortals..." Chen Yi paused, seemingly reluctant to reopen old wounds, but there was no need to hide it now. "We were the ones who took the Divine Radiance Stone back then, and today it's our turn to return them."

"So it was you who moved these big rocks here! These rocks are not to be moved, you know that?!"

Bai Ze's somewhat childish complaint only made Chen Yi and the others feel more ashamed. They knelt down with Chen Yi said in a deep voice:

"Back then, we were also deceived and blinded by greed, which led us to commit such a wrong act... We have been lying in wait in the far north of the snowy plains for thirty years, just to atone for the mistakes we made back then!"

After speaking, he secretly observed Bai Ze's reaction. He saw Bai Ze's huge body tremble slightly, and its scarlet eyes narrowed, as if it were thinking about something.

Seeing this, Chen Yi was overjoyed, knowing there was hope, and quickly continued, "I know that Lord Bai Ze must have a reason for Divine Radiance Stone; he doesn't want these foundations of the Five Continents to fall into the hands of those with ulterior motives. But we are by no means evil. We have only one goal: to return these Divine Radiance Stones to their rightful place!"

"Impossible! You're liars!" Bai Ze's voice was sharp and childish, a stark contrast to its massive body.

"Everything I said is true, otherwise I could have simply let this immortal master forcibly seize the Divine Radiance Stone," Chen Yi explained.

Following the old man's words, Bai Ze glared at the boy in black, and the tense atmosphere between the man and the beast was once again on the verge of exchanging blows.

"They told me! No one but them can take the big rock away!"

Them?

Chen Yi's heart sank when he saw Bai Ze's alarmed appearance. He knew his guess was right. The conspiracy thirty years ago was far more complicated than he had imagined.

"Who are the 'them' that Lord Bai Ze is referring to?"

"A good person!" Bai Ze exclaimed without hesitation.

Chen Yi's eyelids twitched, and he turned to ask:

"Was Lord Bai Ze brought here thirty years ago?"

"Thirty years... I can't remember anymore..." Bai Ze shook his head.

Chen Yi thought to himself, "As expected, Bai Ze is Divine Beast born in accordance with the will of Heavenly Dao. Such creatures possess natural divinity, and it is almost impossible to forcibly control them with one's mind. Judging from Bai Ze's childish voice, it was probably just used by that group of people back then."

"Was there also a very tall person... with very short hair, and whose nose had been cut off...?"

"You know him too?"

You Su watched quietly from the side. In his opinion, Bai Ze's intelligence was obviously not very high.

"It was he who ordered us to move the Divine Radiance Stone... Later we regretted it, and he wanted to kill us all, so we hid in the far north of the snowfield," Chen Yi whispered.

"Impossible!" Bai Ze lowered his body, his attitude fierce.

"Little one, what did they tell you back then?"

You Su weighed the Ink Pine Sword in his hand. Bai Ze bared his teeth at him again, but was wary of the sharp blade in You Su's hand and dared not step forward.

But this chilling threat did indeed calm it down; its massive head drooped, as if lost in some kind of memory.

Bai Ze slowly raised his head, the crimson in his eyes growing dimmer, a hint of confusion and pain flashing in his gaze. "They said it's for the safety of the Five Continents, that I need to protect these important Divine Radiance Stone... They also said..."

"What did you say?" You Su suddenly pressed.

Bai Ze took a deep breath, seemingly trying to suppress his inner emotions.

"They also said that as long as I protect these stones, I can... I can..."

Bai Ze's voice grew softer and softer until it was almost a muttering to itself. Chen Yi and the others held their breath, not daring to disturb it.

After a long while, Bai Ze spoke again, its voice much softer than before, seemingly lacking confidence in its recollection:

"They say the reason my house is becoming increasingly dilapidated is because I haven't been protecting everyone... so fewer and fewer people come to my house because they no longer believe in me... But now I have a chance to make amends. As long as I protect these important large stones, I am protecting everyone. When the mission is completed, everyone will know how powerful I am, and my house will return to what it used to be..."

"Your home? Where do you live?" You Su asked.

Bai Ze raised his head and looked around:

"This is it."

Silence reigned all around, broken only by the low whimpers of the Bai Ze echoing through the cave. Chen Yi and his people exchanged bewildered glances. They had never imagined that the once sacred Azure Mountain was the very birthplace of the Bai Ze. They also had no idea that the sacred mountain people prayed to was actually a place to pray for the Divine Beast Bai Ze. And this had become the root cause of the innocent and kind Bai Ze being exploited.

"So..." You Su slowly began, breaking the silence in the cave, "You've been deceived."

Bai Ze suddenly raised its head, its scarlet eyes fixed on You Su, filled with anger and hatred. Its massive body trembled again, as if it might suddenly attack at any moment.

"No! I wasn't lied to!" Bai Ze's voice was sharp and piercing. "You're the liars!"

Looking at the stubborn Divine Beast before him, You Su sighed helplessly, as if he were looking at a stubborn, bratty child. The most effective way to deal with such an unruly child is to slap her and then give her a piece of candy.

"People don't come to Azure Mountain because of the increasingly severe blizzards. They can't even get through the blizzards, so how could they possibly reach Azure Mountain? And no one doubts you, because they don't even know you're on this mountain, so what's the point of believing or disbelieving?" You Su said, stating the cold reality.

Chen Yi felt a little guilty about his directness, wondering if it was too cruel to a mythical Divine Beast with a childlike heart. He tried to interrupt several times, but Bai Ze didn't give him a chance to explain.

"Shut up!" Bai Ze suddenly raised its head and roared repeatedly, its scarlet eyes blazing with fury once more. "You're a liar! You're all liars!"

Its huge claws slammed down on the ground, and another loud bang echoed in the cave, causing the snow to fall.

"I'm going to find them! I'm going to find them and get to the bottom of this!" Bai Ze's voice was filled with anger and determination.

Seeing this, You Su knew the time had come. He walked up to Bai Ze and said calmly:

"I can help you."

Bai Ze suddenly raised his head, his scarlet eyes fixed on You Su, filled with suspicion and vigilance.

"You? Can you take me to them?"

"That's suicide. I'm not as stupid as you."

You Su said calmly, which made Bai Ze wish he could chew this annoying young man in black to pieces.

"Northern Ao Continent is a vast place; justice will eventually prevail. Once you find the person who can truly uphold justice, you will naturally know who has been deceived."

Upon hearing this, Bai Ze's massive body trembled slightly, the red in its eyes fading into a deep black. As if remembering something, it excitedly stomped its front hoof:

"I know who to ask! I have a friend who says she's a highly respected figure here!"

"You still have friends?"

You Su found it hard to believe. It was clear that only a small number of people knew of Bai Ze's existence, and those people must all be exceptionally powerful. Whether these people were truly friends with a spirit beast was entirely questionable.

"Don't tell me it's just another case of someone using your fake friends." You Su shook her head.

"You! You definitely don't have any friends!"

Bai Ze retorted sharply, then raised his head and said smugly, "She definitely didn't lie to me!"

"Then tell me, who is she?" You Su showed no reverence for this divine Divine Beast worshipped in the Northern Ao Continent.

Bai Ze's eyes darted around, and he suddenly said:

"The Lord of the Dragon Seeing Palace!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Yi and the others were so frightened that they fell to the ground with a thud.