Money Power

Amidst the crackling sound of the special kerosene burning, Xu Yuan slept peacefully. The leaping flames cast long shadows of the three of them onto the dark inner walls of the passageway.

Nothing more was said that night.

In caves and underground dwellings, there is no day or night; one wakes up to the rising sun.

Silently propping himself up, Xu Yuan got up and washed up on his own.

Since there was no water, they used expensive Spirit Liquid directly.

Wash your face, rinse your mouth, and tidy up your messy clothes.

Life needs a sense of ritual.

After finishing everything, Xu Yuan glanced at the two women who were still sitting by the fire.

Bai Muxi sat upright, obediently kneeling beside the fire, but her beautiful eyes were fixed on the Spirit Liquid he used for washing, as if she felt sorry for him wasting such a precious resource.

Meanwhile, Li Qingyan, dressed in a red robe, stood by the fire, coldly wiping her crimson blade, seemingly aware of his gaze:

"Too much to do, shall we go?"

Stretching, Xu Yuan glanced at the dark, deep passageway leading back to the exit:

"Of course."

After saying that, Xu Yuan asked Bai Muxi:

"By the way, did you finish what I asked you to do last night?"

Bai Muxi's eyes curved into a smile as she replied:

"I would never dare to neglect your instructions, young Mu Xi."

"Very good."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan casually tossed the Sumeru Ring containing the array-patterned crossbow cart towards Bai Muxi:

"The crossbow is inside this Sumeru Ring; don't forget what I told you before I went to sleep."

Bai Muxi quickly reached out and caught it, looking down at the treasure in her palm that she had never seen before in the Underground Palace, her eyes filled with surprise and delight:

"Young master, this Sumeru Ring..."

"Why are you so excited about borrowing it from me?"

Xu Yuan patted his brocade robe, staring at her with a slight smile, "Once we get out of here, you have to return this Sumeru Ring to me."

Bai Muxi blinked her beautiful eyes, then lowered them, looking somewhat disappointed.

"Oh well."

"Oh"

Xu Yuan chuckled ambiguously, then ignored the seemingly innocent but actually cunning Little White.

He believed that Bai Muxi would be loyal to the Underground City, but being rich doesn't mean being stupid.

The Sumeru Ring is a strategic resource; it's not available on the market at all, and even the Big Ice Block didn't exist initially.

Even when bestowing rewards upon subordinates, it must be done in a gradual and progressive manner.

If they bestow such valuable gifts right from the start, what will they reward us with in the future?

He casually extinguished the fire, said nothing more, and sped away in a blur through the wide, dark passageway.

Soon, the three arrived at the location of the cat Strange Ghost's corpse.

Several hours later, the pool of flesh and blood on the ground had undergone tremendous changes.

The flesh that had been charred black by Li Qingyan's Dao energy had sprouted new shoots, with disgusting fleshy tendrils crawling among the scarlet flesh, wriggling on the ground and trying to gather together.

Upon closer inspection, one can discover that these nearly vanished pieces of flesh and blood are not driftwood or floating debris.

The Black Death Fungal Mat covering the entire passageway was continuously supplying the hairless cat demon with flesh and blood, and a faint rustling sound could be heard.

Staring intently at the scene before him, Xu Yuan pondered for a moment, then stroked his chin and chuckled:

"The Strange Ghost ' immortality is indeed legendary, but it seems that even immortality must abide by the law of conservation of energy."

"Conservation of energy?"

Li Qingyan hesitated for a moment, but her reaction was quick; she laughed and said, "That's an interesting term."

Xu Yuan glanced at her with slight surprise:

Do you know what that means?

Do you think I'm a three-year-old child?

Li Qingyan's phoenix eyes held a hint of helplessness as she said in a clear voice, "Mortals need to ingest food to move, while those who have cultivated to the Body Fusion do not need to ingest food, but still need to exhale and exhale Source Qi. Everything here is equivalent, so why don't I know this?"

"."

Xu Yuan gave an awkward laugh.

Well, everyone here is smart; a single word can't possibly cause such a stir.

Li Qingyan crouched down, examining the cat Strange Ghost she had burned to ashes. After sensing it slightly, she suddenly said:

"Changtian, have you ever heard the saying, 'When you reach the Origin Beginning, you can enter the realm through martial arts, and a drop of blood can make your physical body indestructible; when you enter the realm through Qi, your will and soul can be solidified and can leave your body to steal souls'?"

"Um?"

Xu Yuan walked to her side. "Of course I know. The two most famous paths for cultivators, besides these, there seem to be some minor paths like the Soul Path and Military Formations."

"Right."

Li Qingyan nodded slightly, then looked up at him:

"Don't you think the Strange Ghost count as one of them?"

Xu Yuan frowned slightly:

"What?"

Li Qingyan stood up from the ground:

"After the Origin Beginning, no matter what path cultivators take, they will gain some degree of 'immortality.' This is especially true for the path chosen by the Dachao People in the Great Desert. Even if a high-level cultivator's physical body is shattered, it can be rebuilt in an instant."

Xu Yuan recalled the Tachao, whom he had killed in the Imperial Capital, and after a moment's thought, asked:

"Are you saying that the path of the Strange Ghost is also one of them, a path that takes immortality to its extreme?"

Li Qingyan exhaled and pointed her slender index finger at the Strange Ghost on the ground:

"Yes, even those Origin Beginning of martial arts and wish to achieve rebirth through a drop of blood must retain their original essence. But this Strange Ghost doesn't need to. I can't sense its presence at all right now, but it is definitely still alive."

Xu Yuan roughly understood Li Qingyan's meaning and smiled:

"My princess, these things were studied by our predecessors ten thousand years ago, and many of the Strange Ghost ' Cultivation Method have even been passed down."

Li Qingyan shook her head, a glint of malice flashing in her crimson phoenix eyes:

"No, what I mean is, if we follow the plan you described last night, could I preserve some of its immortality during the process of its transformation into Strange Ghost?"

As she spoke, a gleam of excitement flashed in her eyes:

"If possible, perhaps we could assemble an army with immortality."

I disagree.

Xu Yuan quickly interrupted the woman, "It's too dangerous."

madman.

She discovered that this princess with the bodice could be incredibly crazy at times.

Do you even know what it means to play with fire and get burned?

The Heavenly Oversight Pavilion has already said that a great calamity is coming for the world.

In the end, the great calamity was created by the higher-ups of the Great Yan themselves, who simply copied the classic films and television series from his previous life.

Xu Yuan's resolute statement silenced Li Qingyan for a moment, but she quickly smiled.

"I was just joking. Shall we begin?"

"."

Xu Yuan gave her a deep look, but didn't say anything more. He glanced at Bai Muxi and said:

"She and I will go to the other end of the passage to prepare. In a quarter of an hour, Qingyan, you will begin absorbing the Black Death Fungal Mat in this area. Once you've absorbed enough, the Ink Snake will sense it."

After saying that,

Xu Yuan beckoned to Bai Muxi, then turned and sped away into the distance.

He had witnessed the battle between Origin Beginning and Mortal Shedding.

The scene of the Washboard Saintess and Yuchu Imperial City's duel is still vivid in my mind.

Now that Old Man Luo is no longer protecting him, it's best for this Soul Condensation expert to stay a little further away and observe from the edge.

"Boom!"

Fifteen minutes later.

As the earth shook violently, a ferocious Ink Snake with wings on its head arrived as expected.

The battle between Li Qingyan and the Ink Snake was about to erupt.

The tremors, the howling wind, and the ferocious roars instantly echoed throughout the cave!

Because of the great distance, Xu Yuan could not see the battle in the dark tunnel in the distance, but he could feel the air currents blowing from there stinging his cheeks.

Time passed second by second.

The continuous tremors in the tunnel caused Xu Yuan's heart to beat slightly faster, and he tightened his grip on the Clear Speech Sword.

He believed in Li Qingyan's strength, and even more so in the strength of the Barbarian King, the world boss. But no matter what, that Ink Snake was a boss at the Mortal Shedding Realm.

The darkness at the end of the passageway seemed like the maw of a giant beast ready to devour its prey.

In the boundless darkness, the only light came from the Source Crystal deeply embedded in the groove at the end of the crossbow, which was fully drawn back to a depth of several meters.

The firing rate of the array-patterned crossbow is not fast. Even without considering the loss of array patterns, it takes half a minute to fully charge and fire a single bolt.

Fortunately, Bai Muxi's aim was very accurate.

Each time a crossbow bolt pierced the air, a painful hiss of Ink Snake could be heard from the other end of the passageway.

The crossbows with array patterns used for the defense of Beifeng City are military weapons. Even the military array patterns are military artifacts with the Great Yan Array Pattern that can be pierced through. They also seem capable of breaking through the scales of that Ink Snake Strange Ghost.

I wonder if the poison Lou Ji gave him was effective against the Strange Ghost.

Just as I was thinking,

Bai Muxi's pupils suddenly contracted as she saw the Ink Snake charging towards them in the distance as if it had no regard for its life!

Without the slightest hesitation, Bai Muxi raised her delicate hand towards Xu Yuan.

The next moment,

Xu Yuan felt his "Void-Stepping Slash," which had been gathering power within him, being activated by external force.

"Boom--"

A deafening roar echoed in my ears, and flying debris stung my cheeks.

By the time Xu Yuan realized what was happening, he was already more than ten feet away at the edge of the passageway.

The spot where he had just stood was now occupied by a huge and ferocious Ink Snake.

The speed was so fast that it was completely invisible to the naked eye.

The wide passageway, which was over twenty zhang in diameter, was directly occupied by this Ink Snake, which had sharp black horns on its head and a pair of ferocious fleshy wings growing on both sides of its huge head.

Among Demon Beast, this Ink Snake is not particularly large; it is even smaller than Ji Qingyue's original form Seven-Life Python.

Its dark scales, covered in unhealed wounds, told of the severity of its injuries. Even so, the terrifying pressure emanating from the Ink Snake made Xu Yuan feel breathless.

Too close.

Xu Yuan realized that he hadn't been this close to death in a long time.

Fortunately, the Ink Snake's target was not him, but the arrayed ballista that exuded terrifying power.

Everything seemed to freeze at that moment, and everyone's gaze was fixed on the direction of the snake's head.

Then,

He saw her in a red dress.

Li Qingyan gripped the hilt of the knife with one hand and placed the other on the blade, which stood directly in front of the horn-like weapon atop the Ink Snake's head.

Two miles.

The solid stone wall beneath Li Qingyan's feet shattered, leaving a deep ravine that stretched from afar. About ten feet behind her was the ballista controlled by Bai Muxi.

In an instant, she was propelled from two miles away by the powerful force of the Ink Snake.

Li Qingyan's hand gripping the crimson blade trembled slightly, but the next instant, she hissed angrily:

"Bai Muxi, what are you standing there for?!"

After saying that,

With his long hair flowing freely and his body radiating fiery red Source Qi, Li Qingyan resembled a burning phoenix. His Lotus Boots stomped on the ground, instantly shattering it, and he swung his sword upwards with a fierce strike.

"Roar!!!"

She lifted the massive body of the Ink Snake directly up along the sharp horn on its head.

"Dang--"

Bai Muxi controlled the crossbow with its array patterns to fire the final arrow.

The crossbow bolt, imbued with unparalleled force, shot towards the Ink Snake's jaw!

"Pfft!"

Without any resistance, the tough scales on the Ink Snake's lower jaw were pierced directly, and the crossbow bolt pierced its skull, but this was not the end.

The sharp crossbow bolt, nearly half a meter long, pierced through the brain with undiminished force, spinning as it penetrated deeper into the strong fascia within the skull.

In an instant, the crossbow bolt pierced through the Ink Snake's head, protruding from its horn and embedding itself deeply into the cave ceiling!

A moment of emptiness,

Void-Stepping Slash.

Xu Yuan's figure vanished from his original spot and appeared behind the two women. Just as he was about to speak, he felt a fragrant breeze waft towards him.

Bai Muxi stomped her foot and hooked him, rushing backward.

Even with its head pierced and its horns destroyed, the Ink Snake was still alive!

In silence,

The Ink Snake with wings on its head continued to thrust upwards, but at the same time, its huge, coiled tail transformed into an invisible whip that lashed out at Li Qingyan, who was swinging his sword upwards!

"Bang!"

A muffled thud,

A fiery red afterimage vanished from its spot like a cannonball, flying backwards into the darkness in the distance, its speed so great that it overtook Bai Muxi, who was dragging Xu Yuan away.

"Cough."

A mouthful of bright red blood spurted from Li Qingyan's mouth.

The power of the Mortal Shedding Strange Ghost was too great. Even though she blocked it with the blade just before the Ink Snake's long tail struck her, it still caused a reversal of the Source Qi.

But almost instantly,

Li Qingyan adjusted her posture in mid-air, condensing her Source Qi into a block of Qi. With a powerful stomp of her Lotus Boots, she charged towards the heavily injured Ink Snake once again.

The darkness of the passageways on both sides receded rapidly.

Feeling the earth-shaking tremors behind him, Xu Yuan instinctively hugged Little White's soft, boneless body tightly, finding a rare sense of security only through her warm body temperature.

Li Qingyan followed behind them, simultaneously crashing down caves to slow the Ink Snake ' pursuit while sprinting rapidly deeper into the cave.

Plans never keep up with changes, and the unexpected still happened.

The initial plan to hunt the Ink Snake failed.

Back in the Qionghua Secret Realm, Tianyan was able to fight Origin Beginning Yuchu, not to mention that Yuchu was able to use the Dao Domain, a domain technique that was overwhelmingly powerful.

He thought that even if our Princess with the bound chest couldn't compare to that Xu Changge, she was at least on the same level as the Washboard Saintess. With the help of the array-patterned crossbow, she should be able to deal with a heavily injured Strange Ghost that couldn't use the Dao Domain.

But reality is always much crueler than ideals.

People's physical constitutions cannot be generalized.

Although Princess Bandao is very strong, she is not strong enough to fight against opponents of higher levels like Tianyan.

Thinking of this,

Xu Yuan sighed and asked telepathically:

"Mu Xi, we should be almost there, right?"

Bai Muxi hesitated slightly upon hearing this before replying:

"Reporting to Young Master, Her Highness the Princess should already be preparing to detonate it."

Before the words were finished,

"Buzz----"

A deafening roar shook the heavens and earth, and a burst of light, almost blinding, suddenly erupted from the dark passageway!

The light began to spread at a visible speed, and even after swallowing the relentlessly pursuing Ink Snake, it continued to expand outwards.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

Xu Yuan's eyes flashed with a blood-red light as he stared intently behind him, his fists clenched tightly.

The crossbow with array patterns is no good.

Li Qingyan also no good.

The Source Crystal Bomb I bought for 1.2 million taels of silver, how could it not kill you, you son of a bitch?

It's a bit late.