The Brave Bai Ze

You Su stared intently and saw that the translucent pile of insect eggs was emitting a faint, eerie glow.

They were huddled together densely, some oval-shaped, some slightly twisted. In the dim light, tiny black shadows seemed to be wriggling inside the eggs, like strange life forms about to hatch.

The pristine white stone tablet was abruptly encased in the center of the insect eggs, gleaming with a nauseating sheen in the dim light. The eggs writhed incessantly, and just as one corner of the tablet peeked out from the pile of eggs, it was immediately filled by another. The eggs seemed to possess a life of their own, constantly moving closer to the tablet, enveloping it more and more tightly. This pristine white stone tablet resembled a holy fairy being defiled by a swarm of disgusting leeches, a sight that evoked a sense of unease in anyone who saw it.

You Su was certain that this was one of the stone tablets left behind by that senior. These sea lice could not absorb the pure Mystic Qi contained within, yet they still forcibly occupied it as a breeding ground for their offspring. These unhatched eggs were actually helpless against the Mystic Qi within the stone tablet, but they vividly demonstrated the evil spirits' greedy nature towards Mystic Qi.

"You Su, why did you react so strongly when I said the word 'intersect'?" Bai Ze leaned over and tugged at You Su's sleeve, his eyes brimming with curiosity.

You Su was still worried, but when he heard this, his lips twitched. He couldn't tell whether Bai Ze understood the situation or how much she understood. In any case, talking about these things with a girl like this made him feel like he was walking on thin ice.

"Let's find a way to get our hands on the stone tablet first," You Su said solemnly.

"Oh..." Bai Ze was obedient and didn't disturb You Su any further.

"Let me take a closer look."

You Su held Bai Ze's hand, signaling the girl to wait there. Bai Ze, however, took a few steps forward, showing her firm attitude that she would go wherever her brother went.

You Su glanced back at her, then took her hand firmly and walked ahead of her. The girl followed timidly behind him, a sweet smile playing on her lips in the dim light.

The two cautiously approached the pile of larvae, taking each step with extreme care, for fear of disturbing the dense swarm of sea lice.

However, to You Su's surprise, the group of sea lice quickly discovered their presence!

You Su approached the sea lice swarm from the side, thinking that these sea lice, engrossed in mating, would ignore them. However, she did not expect that the sea lice in this state were more vigilant than the group of sea lice in the normal state before her!

First, one sea louse stopped mating. It turned its head, its small compound eyes flashing with an eerie red light, staring intently at You Su and Bai Ze. Then, more sea louse evil spirits received the signal from their companions and stopped their movements, putting You Su and Bai Ze in a situation where they were "under the watchful eyes of everyone."

The entire area seemed to fall silent instantly, with only the occasional slight wriggling sound coming from the pile of insect eggs; the atmosphere was extremely tense.

You Su inwardly cried out in alarm. The dense swarm of sea lice surged toward them like a tide, their sharp spines gleaming coldly, sending chills down their spines.

He made a decisive decision and said in a deep voice, "Run!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he pulled Bai Ze back. But in the instant they turned around, You Su caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye that the egg-laying site with the stone tablet in the distance was now unguarded!

This group of united sea lice seemed to have an extremely strong aversion to the intruders. A thought suddenly occurred to him, and a plan to break the deadlock took shape in his mind!

You Su suddenly stopped in her tracks, gripped Bai Ze's hand tightly, and looked at her with unwavering eyes, leaving Bai Ze, who was anxiously trying to escape, somewhat taken aback.

"You Su, let's run!"

"Bai Ze, listen to me! They've swarmed out, leaving the defenses on the stone tablet vulnerable. This is our chance. You're wearing the necklace with the miscalculation array; they'll have a hard time detecting your presence. I'll distract these sea lice, and you take the opportunity to retrieve the stone tablet. Be extremely careful!"

"I?!"

Bai Ze pointed at himself with his other finger in surprise, then glanced at the surging army of evil lice, and immediately shook his head like a rattle-drum, "I... I can't do it! Let's run!"

After saying that, he made a move to run away.

You Su then grabbed the girl and said solemnly:

"This escape will only make the next approach even more difficult! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! You are Bai Ze, the nemesis of all evil, I believe in you!"

You Su's gaze was intense, and although Bai Ze stopped shaking his head, there was still some hesitation in his eyes. Seeing this, You Su decided to give Bai Ze one last boost of confidence:

"Without the stone tablet, we can't leave this place! Do you want to spend your whole life in this dark and gloomy place?!"

To everyone's surprise, these words made Bai Ze's eyes light up. The girl nodded gently and replied:

"Yes, I'm willing."

You Su's expression immediately froze, and she was speechless. She hadn't expected this answer at all, but the softest part of her heart was still touched.

He took a deep breath and gripped the girl's delicate wrist. "But I don't want to. The world is vast, and we're still young. How can we be trapped in this place? This world isn't just about the white of snowfields, nor is it just about the darkness here. There are so many sights you've never seen, and so have I. I want to take you with me to see them."

Bai Ze pursed his thin, rosy lips and murmured, "You're not lying to me...?"

You Su knew he was the second person she trusted, and she feared she would be deceived by him as she had been deceived by Ganlong Venerable. Despite the pain in her heart, You Su smiled and gently patted the girl's head, answering tenderly:

"Certainly."

As soon as she finished speaking, the girl's eyes brightened completely. She raised her head and faced the Evil Tide head-on, as if the approaching Evil Tide behind You Su was no longer so terrifying.

You Su felt a sudden surge of relief, like an older brother seeing his naive younger sister finally grow up.

"You hide first, and wait for me to lure them away a distance before you make your move. I trust you."

"Then, you must take good care of yourself." Bai Ze looked at You Su with concern.

"You're worried about me now?"

You Su felt increasingly gratified, and as if possessed, she reached out and subconsciously pinched Bai Ze's tender and smooth little face, her doting expression overflowing.

Bai Ze, however, did not react with displeasure at You Su's abrupt intimate gesture. On the contrary, she showed a hint of disappointment when You Su withdrew her hand. Suddenly, she clenched her fist and said excitedly:

"Now that I've completed the task, you have to reward me!"

The oppressive force of the sea lice army crashed against You Su's back like a giant wave; they had already wasted far too much time. With the situation so urgent, You Su had absolutely no room to bargain with Bai Ze. In fact, facing the girl who had become brave because of him, You Su had no intention of bargaining at all.

"Good!"

You Su drew his Ink Pine Sword, its blade gleaming with a chilling light. Without turning around, he said, "Only if you live!"

Immediately, he shouted, "Hide!" and charged into the Evil Tide with his sword.

His initiative was not suicidal, but rather aimed at attracting enough hatred.

As Ink Pine Sword, streaks of black Sword Qi swept towards the sea lice like a whirlwind. Enraged by this sudden attack, the sea lice pounced on You Su.

In an instant, You Su was overwhelmed by countless sea lice. He could be seen weaving through the swarm, fighting and retreating, gradually moving away from the place where he had previously stayed with Bai Ze. Every sword strike he made was aimed precisely at the sea lice's vital points, but there were simply too many sea lice, and new ones kept surging up, trying to pierce his defenses with their sharp thorns.

Bai Ze watched You Su, who was locked in a fierce battle, with deep reluctance in his eyes.

She took the necklace she had tucked into her collar, held it in her hand, and muttered to herself:

"I hope those ten thousand runes I made you copy back then weren't copied in vain..."

She didn't hesitate, but took the opportunity to carefully approach the stone tablet. She tried to keep her steps light without slowing down, and despite being in human form, she moved like a silent kitten.

The sound of the insect eggs wriggling echoed continuously in the space, sending chills down one's spine. Bai Ze was uneasy, but he kept moving, forcing himself to overcome his fear.

Just as Bai Ze was about to reach the stone tablet, a sea louse lurking in the shadows suddenly pounced on her!

The sea louse seemed to sense Bai Ze's presence. It opened its straw-like mouthparts, revealing sharp teeth, and lunged at her with a pungent, fishy odor.

It turns out these sea lice didn't all come out of their nests! They had already set up these hidden guards!

Seeing the terrifying mandibles of the sea lice, Bai Ze's heart clenched, and fear made her feel like a timid kitten again. But when she thought of You Su, who was still struggling among the sea lice, she bit her lower lip, her nails digging into her palms, forcibly calming her trembling mind.

She focused her mind, trying to mobilize the power that had mostly recovered within her. But under the pressure, the ice elements that should have been under her control became as unruly as startled birds.

Fortunately, she reacted quickly and dodged the sea louse attack by bending over.

Bai Ze took a deep breath, but the fear in her eyes disappeared, replaced by a fierce fighting spirit, making her look exactly like a stubborn girl who had been provoked.

She clenched her small pink fists and angrily yelled at the cockroach-like evil spirit, "I didn't even intend to kill you, and you actually wanted to kill me!"

The sea louse, which couldn't understand a word she was saying, flapped its tentacles at Bai Ze, which the girl saw as a provocation.

Bai Ze's bright eyes widened, and seizing the opportunity, she swung her jade hand forcefully, sending a gleaming ice shard shooting out like an arrow, straight at the sea louse.

The sea louse, unable to dodge in time, was pierced hard by the ice spikes, instantly making a "sizzling" sound, its body turning into a pool of foul-smelling black water as if corroded.

However, just as Bai Ze was gloating over defeating the ungrateful ugly cockroach, more sea lice lurking in the shadows were disturbed and surged towards Bai Ze from all directions like a black tide.

Bai Ze was immediately terrified and turned pale, but then she remembered that You Su had faced more than ten times her number of sea lice without backing down.

She took a deep breath, her hands moving rapidly, ice elements gathering wildly around her, filling the air with a bone-chilling cold.

The mastery of the ice element stems from Bai Ze's innate talent, an ability born from the Spirit of the Snow Mountain. Deliberate guidance only leads to Lower Vehicle, while natural expression reveals the true essence of snow.

In the blink of an eye, a huge and crystal-clear ice shield solidified in front of her. The sea lice, like mad dogs, recklessly crashed into the ice shield, making a series of crackling sounds. Their sharp spines pierced the ice shield, scattering strings of ice flowers, but only leaving white marks.

Bai Ze gritted her teeth, her forehead covered in fine beads of sweat, her hands trembling slightly from the effort. She dared not slacken her pace in the slightest, maintaining the ice shield with complete concentration. But these evil spirits were fearless and relentlessly attacked, making it extremely difficult to withstand them head-on.

A glint of light flashed in the girl's eyes. She remembered the strategy You Su had used when leading her through this dark seabed: if you can't dodge, then fight. Now that she couldn't fight, she had to find a way to dodge!

Without hesitation, she removed the ice shield and, before the sea lice could react, swiftly formed hand seals. In an instant, a thick layer of ice surged up from the ground, spreading rapidly toward the sea lice. The sea lice's movements were restricted by the ice; they struggled desperately to break free, their slender legs scraping across the ice with a screeching sound, but they only sank deeper and deeper.

Bai Ze seized the opportunity and pounced on the pile of insect eggs like a nimble cheetah. The wriggling eggs made her nauseous, her stomach churning as if a million ants were gnawing at her insides. But she endured the discomfort, her mind focused on only one thing: get the stone tablet!

She reached out her hand, and the moment she touched the stone tablet, a surge of pure Mystic Qi flowed up her arm, invigorating her spirit.

"I got it!" the girl shouted excitedly.

Meanwhile, You Su dodged and weaved through the sea lice swarm, like a lone wolf trapped in a swamp.

He wielded the Ink Pine Sword with impenetrable speed, each strike unleashing a black Sword Qi that swept towards the sea lice like a whirlwind. But there were simply too many sea lice, surging forth endlessly. You Su already had several wounds, blood staining his clothes and dripping down his hem, which only made the sea lice, drawn by the blood, even more frenzied.

While desperately fending off the sea lice's attacks, he kept a close eye on Bai Ze's movements. Finally, he saw the signal that Bai Ze had successfully obtained the stone tablet, and his heart leaped with joy. But the swarm of sea lice were like leeches, impossible to shake off no matter how hard he tried. They seemed to be enraged to the extreme, their attacks becoming increasingly fierce, their sharp spines constantly stabbing at You Su.

You Su frowned, his eyes scanning his surroundings, when suddenly an idea came to him. He took the first stone tablet he had obtained from his Universe Bag, aimed in a certain direction, and threw it forcefully. The stone tablet traced an extremely long arc before falling into the darkness in the distance.

The sea lice were extremely sensitive to Mystic Qi, and the purity of the Mystic Qi within the stele far surpassed that of You Su. Sensing the aura of the stele, they indeed lost interest in You Su and, as if drawn by an invisible hand, surged toward the direction where the stele had fallen.

You Su silently apologized for carelessly throwing away the senior's stone tablet, and then quickly ran towards the direction where he and Bai Ze were.

When Bai Ze saw You Su return safely, his eyes instantly reddened, and tears welled up in them.

Without hesitation, she rushed over and threw herself into You Su's arms like a swallow returning to its nest.

You Su smiled with relief and hugged the girl tighter.