Chapter 439: The Green Ox Kicks Its Hooves and Escapes

Above the ink-wash mountain range, Xu Qing and the Captain were fleeing rapidly through the firmament.

The blood-colored armor on their bodies was now more than half shattered, and they were covered in wounds that were shocking to the eye.

Many of the wounds had already begun to fester, and their auras were incomparably weak.

In particular, the two of them bore several fatal injuries; one of Xu Qing's arms was paralyzed, there were several holes in his abdomen, and the flesh around his heart was a bloody mess, as if it had been blown open and only barely saved.

The Captain was in a similar state; besides the most severe wound near his kidney, there was another at his neck that looked as if it had been a hair's breadth away from being severed.

Yet it had to be said that the Black Heaven race possessed tenacious vitality; even with such injuries, they still galloped at full speed, and as black blood spilled, both of their eyes held persistence and coldness.

It was as if death, to them, was of no consequence.

Behind them, Shan Shan Hezi and the others were in hot pursuit.

Kong Kong Xianglong was not among them; his figure was currently galloping at full speed in another direction, rushing toward the place where the signal had originated.

While pursuing, Shan Shan Hezi and the others were filled with baleful energy and intense killing intent, occasionally forming seals to strike, the fluctuations of their techniques causing the blood-Qi to grow even thicker.

The sound of roaring echoed continuously at this moment, and Xu Qing and the Captain were equally formidable; the Captain's eyes flashed with a cold glint, and suddenly a large number of spears manifested behind him, whistling toward the rear.

This was not a human technique, but a manifestation art of the Black Heaven race, and its power was astonishing.

Xu Qing's counterattack was even sharper; as black light filled his eyes, he turned his head abruptly, and the black light in his gaze suddenly flared, actually turning a patch of the area behind him black, like a black spot appearing in the firmament, rapidly expanding to form the shape of a palm that grabbed toward Shan Shan Hezi and the others.

The blackness within it seemed capable of devouring sunlight, and in the blink of an eye, it reached several hundred zhang, looking quite startling.

This scene caused the minds of Shan Shan Hezi and the others to shake, and they nearly thought they had encountered a true Black Heaven tribesman.

The Captain's heart also skipped a beat; such a method was truly an authentic Black Heaven technique.

Amidst the roaring, Shan Shan Hezi and the others were forced to dodge and strike with all their might to disperse the black light, and as their minds raced with various thoughts, Xu Qing's attacks did not end.

His body stopped abruptly, and as he faced Shan Shan Hezi and the others, his breathing was rapid, the black light in his eyes shining once more at this moment, emitting an extreme darkness.

His right hand slowly lifted and grabbed fiercely toward the three of Shan Shan Hezi.

Under this grab, a powerful, heaven-toppling spiritual force erupted, giving this simple grab of Xu Qing's a substantial force, but it was not the large black hand from before, but rather... control!

In an instant, Shan Shan Hezi, who was in the lead, trembled, his eyes showing a struggle, but this struggle quickly dissipated, and he turned his head abruptly to look at Wang Chen, his eyes filled with a fierce glint.

His entire body's blood-Qi erupted directly, and his frame, as if no longer under his own control, rushed toward Wang Chen at high speed, actually intending to strike at Wang Chen.

This sudden change caused Wang Chen's expression to change drastically, and Ye Ling was also shocked in his heart.

The two had no time to pursue and struck out rapidly to intercept Shan Shan Hezi; Ye Ling, in his demon-transformed state, even went so far as to spit out a mouthful of blood, which turned into a blood sword and slashed in front of Shan Shan Hezi.

This was a method specifically for dealing with mental control techniques; at this moment, Ye Ling instinctively thought of the method for dealing with the Black Heaven race's innate talent that Kong Kong Xianglong had told them about.

With one slash, there was a loud boom, as if an invisible thread had been severed.

Shan Shan Hezi trembled all over and recovered, but his expression was incomparably listless, and his eyes were filled with horror.

Xu Qing's mind buzzed, he spat out a mouthful of blood, his expression showing fatigue, and he fled rapidly without looking back.

Passing by the Sheng Lan race caravan below, he did not hesitate at all, his expression cold as he raised his right hand and grabbed toward the ground.

Suddenly, a four-legged beast trembled all over and was directly controlled to rise into the air, its body visibly twisting as if crushed by the void, and in the blink of an eye, it collapsed into a bloody mess, its life force being forcibly extracted and rushing toward Xu Qing.

Xu Qing took a breath, absorbing the life force into his body, and the fatigue in his expression clearly dissipated somewhat; just as he wanted to continue, Shan Shan Hezi and the others behind him caught up again.

Xu Qing let out a cold snort and waved his hand abruptly; dozens of Sheng Lan race cultivators were lifted into the air in horror, and along with seven or eight four-legged beasts that were also lifted, they were controlled by Xu Qing to rush toward Shan Shan Hezi.

Their eyes also instantly filled with hatred, as if Shan Shan Hezi and the others were their mortal enemies, and they roared as they charged.

After doing this, Xu Qing whistled toward the distance.

The Captain on the side was somewhat dumbfounded; Xu Qing's performance was extremely unexpected to him and did not quite match the plan, but he quickly reacted, suppressed the waves in his heart, and galloped along with Xu Qing.

They flew far away.

In mid-air, Shan Shan Hezi and the others were filled with anger and immediately struck; amidst the roaring, the bodies of the Sheng Lan race members who had been swept up collapsed instantly, destroyed by the three of them like dry wood.

But what was eerie was that not a single one of these Sheng Lan race members let out a scream, and even in their final glance before death, they remained filled with hatred.

On the ground, following Xu Qing's previous actions, the Sheng Lan race caravan was already in chaos; the remaining Sheng Lan race cultivators were all terrified in their hearts, and even the Core Formation cultivators among them were incomparably anxious, their expressions changing rapidly.

At the same time, that youth with the combat power of the Liugong also rose abruptly into the air.

"Fellow Sword-Wielding Palace members of the human race, we are a caravan from the Heavenly Peak Kingdom of the Sheng Lan race, and we have a letter of authority from Yao Hou of your Feng Hai County!" As he spoke, the youth quickly took out a jade slip and crushed it, and immediately a rune manifested.

That was the rune of the Yao family, representing protection!

After doing this, he looked toward the three of Shan Shan Hezi with a gloomy expression.

The three of Shan Shan Hezi had ugly expressions; they snorted coldly and ignored the Sheng Lan race caravan, leaping directly over them to continue their pursuit in the direction where Xu Qing and the Captain had fled.

While pursuing, the three instinctively looked at each other, all seeing the doubt and shock in each other's hearts.

Chen Chen Erniu's actions, in their view, were still considered normal, but Xu Qing's... caused great waves to rise in their hearts.

It was truly because Xu Qing's two strikes were not only authentic Black Heaven methods but also terrifying in power, giving one the feeling that he was by no means an ordinary Black Heaven tribesman.

Even if they hadn't seen Xu Qing transform with their own eyes, and if Xu Qing hadn't shone with ten thousand zhang of light during the Questioning of the Heart, they would have had the feeling that the other party was truly a Black Heaven tribesman.

Especially the control over Shan Shan Hezi, which seemed to be only of the physical body, but Ye Ling and Wang Chen saw clearly that at that moment, Shan Shan Hezi was not just having his body controlled, but his consciousness was also being affected.

The same was true for those Sheng Lan race people.

As for the specifics, because their understanding of the Black Heaven race was limited, they could not explain it clearly, but they instinctively felt a sense of wariness.

"It was clearly just acting, so why do I feel like it was real..." Shan Shan Hezi smiled bitterly in his heart and sighed.

Ye Ling and Wang Chen smiled bitterly as well; as they continued the pursuit, the traces of Xu Qing and the Captain had already dissipated, and Kong Kong Xianglong soon arrived, ordering a search with a gloomy expression.

Just like that, time passed, and soon night fell.

Within the ink-wash mountain range, in a hidden cave, Xu Qing sat cross-legged, occasionally spitting out black blood as he healed his injuries with all his might.

The Captain sat to the side, his expression gloomy, not saying a word.

It was not until half an hour later that the black light in Xu Qing's eyes flickered slightly, and he raised his head, gazing at the moon in the dark night, and spoke in a low voice.

"The moon of the Sheng Lan Domain has no spirit."

The Captain looked at Xu Qing, and after a moment of silence, he also gazed at the moon outside and sighed softly.

"My lord, I miss home too."

Xu Qing glanced at the Captain; the address "my lord" was not part of their previous plan, but he did not show the slightest abnormality and spoke calmly.

"How is your contact with the Yi race going? We need to purchase the Profound Heaven Demon Moon Pill to turn back into humans as soon as possible."

"The Yi race... hmm?" The Captain had just spoken, but his expression changed instantly; he looked coldly at the cave entrance, and under his gaze, a muffled sound came from outside the cave.

Then, an urgent voice came from outside.

"A small cultivator from the Sheng Lan Heavenly Peak Kingdom of the lower race requests an audience with the two lords of the upper race."

A cold glint flashed in the Captain's eyes, and just as he was about to strike, Xu Qing raised his right hand slightly and spoke indifferently.

"Come in."

As his words were spoken, a figure soon walked cautiously from the cave entrance; it was precisely the youth with the combat power of the Liugong from the Sheng Lan race caravan.

The Captain narrowed his eyes and, without changing his expression, moved closer to Xu Qing, standing in the position between Xu Qing and the youth.

The Sheng Lan race youth walked over, and upon seeing Xu Qing and Chen Chen Erniu, he took a deep breath and immediately knelt down, his expression showing reverence.

"Greetings, lords of the upper race!"

"How did you find us?" The Captain's pitch-black eyes revealed a cold, ghostly light as he spoke slowly.

"Reporting to the lords of the upper race, this small cultivator has a rare spirit pet that can track traces based on the scent of blood... After seeing the two lords of the upper race during the day, I secretly searched for blood along the road, which is how I found you."

The Sheng Lan race youth spoke in a low voice.

Xu Qing did not speak, watching him calmly.

"Why have you come here!" The Captain asked in a low voice upon hearing this.

"Two lords of the upper race, the Sword-Wielders are currently searching outside, and no matter what plans the lords have, they will be difficult to carry out. Why not... let me escort the two lords back to my Sheng Lan race first?"

"If the lords have any needs, my Heavenly Peak Kingdom will do its utmost."

"I only ask that after the lords are satisfied, you can bestow upon me the blessing of the Black Heaven!" The Sheng Lan race youth raised his head, his eyes filled with fanaticism as he looked at Xu Qing and the Captain.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, outside the ink-wash mountain range, hundreds of red-skinned four-legged beasts of the Sheng Lan race were striding along as usual, galloping toward the distance amidst the booming sounds of the ground shaking.

The carriages on their backs rose and fell with the jumping of the four-legged beasts, but not a single piece of the mica stone inside fell out.

Only the scolding of the Sheng Lan race cultivators and the special whips in their hands were constantly brandished, lashing out at the four-legged beasts to make them run faster in their pain.

In this continuous running, dust was kicked up all over the ground, only to be scattered by the wind.

Thus, looking from afar, dust was constantly rising here, as if a storm had started, and everything was a blur.

It was not until noon that the intense sunlight fell, attempting to pierce through this moving storm, but it was powerless to do so.

However, soon... amidst the sudden onset of rapid whip sounds, the roars of the fierce beasts became intense, and their footsteps stopped one after another, as if their bodies had been forcibly restrained.

The storm stopped along with them.

As the dust gradually dissipated, it revealed the figures of the hundreds of four-legged beasts within, as well as the highly vigilant Sheng Lan race cultivators standing upon them.

"Human Sword-Wielders, what is the meaning of this!" A voice filled with gloom and a hint of anger came from the top of the ninth four-legged beast.

Immediately following, the youth with the Liugong combat power and the notable Sheng Lan race bloodline stood up and gazed into the distance.

Where he looked, the void twisted, and soon four figures formed.

The person in front was none other than Kong Kong Xianglong; his expression was cold, his eyes filled with a fierce glint as he swept his gaze over the four-legged beasts, as if searching for something.

The three people beside him were Shan Shan Hezi, Wang Chen, and Ye Ling; they were currently spread out, also paying attention to those four-legged beasts.

"We have a letter of authority from Yao Hou!" The Sheng Lan race youth's expression changed, and he spoke again.

"Noisy!" Kong Kong Xianglong waved his hand, and with a slap, the Sheng Lan race youth spat out blood directly, his right cheek instantly swelling high, and his body was sent rolling several hundred zhang to the left, crashing into a mountain rock.

"Search carefully!" Kong Kong Xianglong did not even look at the Sheng Lan race youth and spoke calmly.

The three of Shan Shan Hezi immediately flew into the caravan, searching the four-legged beasts one by one, and every cultivator was also inspected by them; until they had searched everything, they found nothing.

Kong Kong Xianglong snorted coldly and strode away, and the three of Shan Shan Hezi also followed rapidly, going to other areas together.

It was not until they had gone far away that the Sheng Lan race youth stood up, returned to the ninth four-legged beast, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and spoke as if nothing had happened.

"Continue the journey."

Soon, the earth rumbled, dust rose again, and the convoy moved forward in the direction of the border.

An hour later, the youth stood up, his right hand forming a seal, and his body rapidly shrank, vanishing in the blink of an eye as he transformed into a tiny speck of dust.

The red skin on the four-legged beast also magnified infinitely in his eyes, becoming a crimson land with no visible end.

It was covered in crisscrossing gullies and countless massive, translucent hairs, like trees or pillars, yet they were very soft.

At this moment, within the shadow cast by one of these massive hairs, which was bent like a canopy to block the sunlight, Xu Qing and the Captain were sitting cross-legged, practicing their breathing.

"Greetings, noble clansmen. Please rest assured, my lords; the Sword-Wielders have gone far away." The Shenglan youth arrived at high speed, knelt on one knee before Xu Qing and the Captain, his eyes filled with fanaticism.