Chapter 151
The two arrived at the small square where they had first comprehended the divine ability; the cave in the middle of the square had been fitted with many suspension ladders by martial artists, allowing those heading to the third layer to enter and explore.
"This restriction is truly annoying; without it, this height wouldn't require such trouble."
Gu Qiu, slowly descending via the suspension ladders, furrowed her brow and spoke.
Her cultivation was at the fifth level of Martial Venerable, but under the suppression of the ruin's restriction, she could not exert it at all.
"Just get used to it." Fang Xu said with a smile.
Returning to the ruin and feeling this familiar suppression, Fang Xu felt as if he had returned to his home ground.
In the ruin, as long as no veteran powerhouse of Martial Venerable Seventh Level or above appeared, he had confidence in handling it.
The two arrived at the square before the third layer's entrance; Gu Qiu surveyed the surrounding stone pillars and said: "Legend has it that beneath the Derivation God, there are seven subordinates, known as the Seven Luminaries Gods."
"Do you know about the Seven Luminaries Gods?" Gu Qiu looked toward Fang Xu and asked.
Fang Xu blinked slightly: "Sun and moon and the five stars?"
"Shall we go in?" Fang Xu asked.
Gu Qiu nodded: "That's how it's recorded in the ancient texts."
No way!
How could there be such a strange sight underground?
Gu Qiu nodded and said: "The Five Stars are the spiritual roots of sun and moon, the five viscera of the celestial embryo, the essence by which heaven and earth blend their qi, and the sun and moon system derives its clarity from them."
But the sight before them left Fang Xu dazed!
"This third layer!"
"I know, I know!"
"What is the realm above Martial Venerable?" Fang Xu pressed.
"The first layer of the ruin represents the Clear Ripple God; Clear Ripple is the Year Star; the second layer should be the Concealed Harmony God; Concealed Harmony is the Garrison Star."
"Does your meaning imply that the Derivation God is an existence that has broken through the ultimate limit of martial arts?" Fang Xu asked curiously.
"Hurry up and follow!"
"As expected of the legendary existence that stepped beyond the martial arts limit, these methods are indeed profound."
Gu Qiu nodded: "I made some preparations when we came."
"Little Black, get to work!"
"Alright, excessive curiosity is bad; these things, you'll naturally know when you become a core disciple later."
"Let's see what this ancient mighty one left behind."
Having not figured out why the third layer would be such a sight, Gu Qiu prepared to take Fang Xu to explore around first before saying more.
Squeak squeak squeak!
The little squirrel pointed at the ruins ahead and made a series of gestures; Gu Qiu, seeing this, nodded.
Gu Qiu said, chasing after the black little squirrel; Fang Xu followed closely behind.
"Wood... earth... fire... what pattern is this?"
Muttering under her breath, she stepped back a few paces to the passageway, then walked back to Fang Xu's side.
Under the guidance of the black little squirrel, the two quickly arrived before a collapsed structure.
After going back and forth several times, they still found nothing, and their curiosity grew stronger.
The two walked cautiously across the desolate Gobi beach; occasionally, they could see some ruined buildings standing, collapsed stone pillars, massive horizontal beams, and even some terrifying cracks.
Gu Qiu also seemed somewhat curious and puzzled by everything before her; looking at the desolate Gobi beach around her, she furrowed her brow and said: "Formation?"
"Which way should we go?" Looking around with no reference points, the pitch-black above—whether sky or ruin's stone wall—unknown, Fang Xu furrowed his brow and said.
He had spent a long time in this ruin, and as the inheritor of the Derivation God's legacy, but his understanding of the ruin was clearly inferior to Gu Qiu's, who was entering it for the first time.
The black little squirrel rubbed its eyes with its cute little paws, sniffed the ground, then swiftly ran off in one direction.
"All those without inscriptions are yours."
Gu Qiu stood at the entrance, muttering to herself, making Fang Xu feel a sudden headache.
"After entering the ruin, I carefully observed."
Gu Qiu, for a moment, had no decision; after thinking for a while, she pulled down the black squirrel that had been constantly hugging her head and snoring loudly on her shoulder.
Swinging her arms freely, she led Fang Xu into the third layer's entrance; along the way, Gu Qiu was full of curiosity about everything around her.
Seeing this, the little squirrel finally dove headfirst into the ruins.
"Let's go quickly."
It seemed that human activity had once occurred on this Gobi beach; it had once been prosperous.
"That person xiang said the third layer contains the Crimson Flame Winged Snake, corresponding to the Star of Mars, named Hao Kong Wei Zhun."
"Alright, let's go!"
Hearing his question, Gu Qiu looked at him with a half-smile: "It's not that I won't tell you; it's that if I did, you wouldn't understand."
The third layer revealed before the two was not like the previous two layers, filled with narrow passageways; instead, it was twenty-one pieces of endless Gobi beach!
Seeing this, Fang Xu momentarily doubted whether he had returned to the northern desert of Liangzhou.
Passing through a downward-sloping passageway, the two soon arrived at the true third layer.
"Does your senior sister know a lot about the Derivation God?" Fang Xu asked curiously.
Gu Qiu shook her head: "These boulders are too large; our cultivation is suppressed by the restriction, so we can't..."
Before she finished speaking, Fang Xu directly lifted the stone pillar before him that looked to weigh at least a thousand jin, then another even larger stone pillar, stone beam, massive stone gate...
In no time, the scattered boulders before the structure were all moved by him, revealing a dark entrance.
"Let's go."
Behind him, Gu Qiu stared, dazed!
Her cultivation was suppressed to the Martial Apprentice Realm, so she could only use her physical strength; she could even move boulders weighing thousands of jin.
But the stone beams behind her and the final massive stone gate—she was certain they weighed at least nearly ten thousand jin!
Even without her cultivation being suppressed, she couldn't guarantee she could budge such weight.
"Really a monster..."
She muttered, and Gu Qiu didn't pay it much mind.
She had seen people with innate divine strength before; on the Immortal Island, there was a core disciple who possessed terrifying strength.
The two passed through the entrance and quickly entered the building's interior.
Squeak squeak squeak!
Not having gone far, the little squirrel ran to Gu Qiu with a broken long sword in its mouth.
Examining the broken long sword, Gu Qiu saw some simple patterns on it and happily put it into her Qiankun bag.
"Where did you find it? Take me there."
The little squirrel nodded and directly led Gu Qiu and Fang Xu to the corner of the building.
Before them, the ground was scattered with numerous dry bones and broken armor and weapons, some weapons still lodged in the bones—this place had clearly experienced brutal battles.
"Dead for a long time..."
Examining those bones, Gu Qiu muttered, then picked up a long sword that looked relatively intact from the ground, examined it, and shook her head disappointedly: "No inscription."
"Little Black, here you go." Hearing this, the little squirrel directly seized the long sword in its mouth and quickly gulped it down with a crunch crunch.
Seeing this, Fang Xu startledly picked up the little squirrel.
"This little thing has such a strong bite?"
Squeak squeak squeak!
The little squirrel waved its claws at him a few times, then broke free from Fang Xu's grasp and quickly gathered the scattered weapons and armor around them.
Gu Qiu picked them up one by one to inspect; those with inscriptions she kept, those without she gave to the little squirrel as snacks.
Fang Xu didn't care about these weapons.
Perhaps due to the long passage of time, these weapons had mostly rotted and held little value; Gu Qiu collected some only because they bore inscriptions.
Such inscriptions, in a sense, were a cultivation system of that era, and Gu Qiu seemed to like them quite a bit.
After a search, the two passed through a corridor and soon arrived at another spacious hall.
The dry bones and scattered weapons in this hall were even more numerous.
The little squirrel and Gu Qiu were like children who had found beautiful seashells on the beach, happily picking and choosing.
Fang Xu, meanwhile, boredly observed the murals on the wall.
Perhaps because fierce battles had once occurred here, many murals on the wall were severely damaged by swords, spears, halberds, and axes.
He could only roughly make out that these murals recorded daily life and rituals of that time.
Continuing inward, Fang Xu arrived at a hall with a giant one-legged stone statue.
The statue, tens of zhang tall, seemed to have had its upper body severed by a single sword, the cut surface shining with unusual brilliance.
Gazing at the upper half of the statue lying broken on the ground, Fang Xu approached and suddenly discovered the statue was covered in dense, intricate patterns!
What is this!?
Just as Fang Xu was about to lean in for a closer look, he suddenly sensed something flash behind the upper half of the statue!
The next moment!
Whoosh!
A monster snake, its entire body crimson and as thick as a child's arm, suddenly lunged at his head!
In midair, the monster snake had wings-like flaps on either side of its neck, its sharp fangs flashing cold light, and in the blink of an eye it was before Fang Xu!
Bang!
Fang Xu reacted swiftly, his fist glowing with red light as he directly blasted toward the incoming monster snake!
The monster snake's body was blown away by his punch, crashing hard into the upper half of the statue!
Although he didn't use full force, an ordinary Martial Master would certainly not withstand it.
Yet the giant snake endured his punch head-on, then slammed hard into the statue, landed on the ground without a single injury, and immediately lunged again!
Seeing this, Fang Xu's hand flashed with light as he directly summoned the strange long staff and smashed it down at the incoming monster snake!
Terrifying power lashed the monster snake's head, directly blasting it to pieces!
The headless corpse of the giant snake fell to the ground, blood flowing out, and the nearby floor instantly hissed with corrosion.
The commotion naturally startled Gu Qiu, who was scavenging in another hall.
"It's a Crimson Flame Winged Snake."
Gu Qiu rushed over, looking at the headless snake body on the ground and said.
"Also not too hard to deal with." Fang Xu shook the blood off his hand and said.
Gu Qiu had previously said the Crimson Flame Winged Snake was highly poisonous, immune to blades and spears, and very hard to deal with—yet this one was just smashed to death by her staff?
"You think there's only one Crimson Flame Winged Snake around here?" Gu Qiu said while pulling a strange medicine bottle from her waist and handing it to Fang Xu: "Quickly sprinkle it on yourself."
Fang Xu took the medicine bottle, just opened the stopper, when another Crimson Flame Winged Snake suddenly lunged out from the darkness beside him!
Compared to the previous one, this Crimson Flame Winged Snake had a more intense red glow on its body and was slightly longer.
Bang!
Fang Xu's form flashed, dodging the Crimson Flame Winged Snake's lunge, then backhanded it with his staff and smashed it down!
Yet after being smashed to the ground, this Crimson Flame Winged Snake actually clung to the ground, writhing its body rapidly toward Fang Xu's feet!
Bang!
Fang Xu's staff suddenly slammed down, directly pulverizing its head!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
At this moment, a large number of sonic booms rang out from the darkness around them!
"Not good!"
"Run fast!"
Gu Qiu's pretty face changed, and she quickly snatched the medicine bottle from Fang Xu's hand and threw it upward, then shouted: "Smash the medicine bottle!"
Upon hearing the sound, Fang Xu acted, directly smashing the medicine bottle in midair with his long staff, and a large amount of pale yellow medicine powder fell on himself and Gu Qiu.
Squeak squeak squeak!
The little squirrel, seeing itself covered in medicine powder, looked somewhat annoyed and was scratching with its tiny paws, but Gu Qiu grabbed it and ran outside!
Fang Xu waved his long staff behind him, knocking down the attacking Crimson Flame Winged Snakes one by one, then followed Gu Qiu as they retreated outward.
The two quickly left the building, thinking they had escaped danger, but many Crimson Flame Winged Snakes still chased after them!
"Something's wrong!"
"This medicine powder mixed with realgar should have a very good counter-effect against serpentine ferocious beasts."
Seeing this, Gu Qiu said, somewhat puzzled.
"Senior sister, stop doubting—hurry up and kill them!" Looking at the increasing number of Crimson Flame Winged Snakes around them, some even as thick as his arm, Fang Xu shouted urgently.
Hearing his voice, Gu Qiu directly tossed the little squirrel onto her shoulder, a flash of light appeared in her hand, and that silver longsword emerged!
The two stood back-to-back, fiercely slashing at the incessantly lunging Crimson Flame Winged Snakes!
"Senior sister, was the medicine powder just now the method you said for dealing with Crimson Flame Winged Snakes?"
While fighting, Fang Xu asked.
Gu Qiu felt a bit embarrassed: "My medicine powder works wonders against serpentine demonic beasts, but I don't know why these Crimson Flame Winged Snakes are so frenzied..."
Fang Xu was somewhat speechless; he had originally hoped to hitch a ride on Gu Qiu's method to easily complete this mission, but now it seemed impossible.
Though both of them were not weak in strength, the number of Crimson Flame Winged Snakes around them was too great, especially those few as thick as Fang Xu's arm, which were not only extremely fast but could also spit out poison arrows even faster when flying halfway into the air!
If it weren't for Fang Xu timely controlling the Dragon Scale Shield to block, the two would surely have already been poisoned.
"This can't go on!"
"We have to go back inside!"
Gu Qiu spoke.
The two are now outside, with nothing to rely on, and these Crimson Flame Winged Snakes can charge from all directions, creating great pressure.
"Senior sister, hold them off for a moment—I have a plan!"
Spotting the boulder he had just moved aside, Fang Xu immediately leapt forward.
Gu Qiu seemed to understand his intention and immediately followed to help block the lunging Crimson Flame Winged Snakes, giving Fang Xu a chance to free his hands.
Boom!
Fang Xu lifted a huge boulder, then lifted the largest stone door beneath it, opening it at the entrance.
"Senior sister, come in quickly!"
Upon hearing this, Gu Qiu immediately flashed inside!
A large number of Crimson Flame Winged Snakes flew in pursuit; Fang Xu quickly summoned the Dragon Scale Great Shield to block, then strained to close the stone door!
Swish!
Swish!
Gu Qiu swiftly drew her sword and beheaded the few Crimson Flame Winged Snakes that had darted in, and the two finally got a brief chance to catch their breath.
"No! No!"
"I need to check if I missed something!"
After temporarily securing safety, Gu Qiu immediately took an ancient book from her Cosmos Bag, then also took out a luminous pearl to begin reading.
"Found it!"
After a moment, she suddenly exclaimed in delight: "I now know why this group of Crimson Flame Winged Snakes is so frenzied."
Fang Xu approached.
"It's the Snake King—there must be a Snake King among these Crimson Flame Winged Snakes here."
"And this Snake King is very likely currently in its molting phase!"
"The molting phase of serpentine ferocious beasts is their weakest time, so these Crimson Flame Winged Snakes are thus frenziedly trying to kill every intruding species in their territory."
"What should we do now?" Fang Xu asked.
Even knowing the cause of the Crimson Flame Winged Snakes' frenzy, they could do nothing about the frenzied snakes outside.
"Find the Snake King and kill it!" Gu Qiu said after putting the ancient book away: "The Snake King of the Crimson Flame Winged Snakes must be a demon, and a Snake King in molting phase will surely concentrate all its life essence into its demon core—kill it, obtain its demon core, and we'll strike it rich!"
Kill the Snake King?
Fang Xu wryly smiled: "Senior sister, in this vast wilderness, where are we supposed to find the Snake King?"
"Besides, we can't even get out now."
Gu Qiu gave a sly smile and snatched the little squirrel off her shoulder.
Squeak squeak squeak!
Squeak squeak squeak!
The little squirrel seemed to understand Gu Qiu's plan, its little head shaking like a rattle drum, squeaking nonstop.
"Xiaohei, now only you can help me."
"If you don't help me, I'll die here, and then you'll become a wandering squirrel."
The little squirrel stopped struggling, its tiny eyes fixed on Gu Qiu, as if pondering something.
After a long while—
Squeak-squeak!
The little squirrel chirped twice at Gu Qiu.
Gu Qiu had no hesitation, directly saying: "Deal!"
Seeing her agree, the little squirrel reluctantly approached the corpse of the Red Flame Winged Snake that Gu Qiu had slain, and with great distaste swallowed the corpse whole.
After eating the entire corpse of the Red Flame Winged Snake, the little squirrel's aura rapidly changed; in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a Red Flame Winged Snake with a squirrel's appearance.
Squeak-squeak!
The little squirrel chirped twice at Fang Xu.
Fang Xu looked blankly at Gu Qiu: "What does it mean?"
Gu Qiu said: "It wants you to open the stone door."
Fang Xu suddenly understood, pushed the stone door open a crack, and the little squirrel immediately darted out.
After a long while—
The sound of the Red Flame Winged Snakes outside striking the stone door gradually weakened, and then the striking sounds disappeared completely.
A smile appeared at the corner of Gu Qiu's mouth as she said: "Done!"
"Open the stone door."
Fang Xu pushed the stone door open a crack with half-belief, and indeed saw no Red Flame Winged Snakes rushing in, so he fully lifted the stone door.
Outside, the originally dense swarm of Red Flame Winged Snakes had vanished completely, only the little squirrel remained crouched nearby.
Squeak-squeak-squeak!
Squeak-squeak-squeak!
The little squirrel made a series of gestures, pointing toward the distant Gobi desert.
Gu Qiu nodded and looked at Fang Xu, saying: "Xiaohei says it tricked the outside Red Flame Winged Snakes, a group of humans have already reached the Snake King's location, and those Red Flame Winged Snakes have all gone to protect the Snake King."
"We only need to follow the Red Flame Winged Snakes to find the Snake King."
"Let's go."
The two followed the little squirrel and soon arrived before a huge mound.
Hiding behind a large boulder, the two quietly poked their heads out, gazing at the dense swarm of Red Flame Winged Snakes surrounding the distant mound, and Fang Xu immediately stood up to leave.
"Hey!"
"Fang Xu!"
Gu Qiu grabbed Fang Xu and pulled him back, whispering: "Where are you going?"
Fang Xu gave a wry smile: "The number of Red Flame Winged Snakes around this mound probably runs into tens of thousands; under so many Red Flame Winged Snakes' protection, killing the Snake King—is it possible?"
Gu Qiu glanced again at the mound, her eyes flickering several times, somewhat unwillingly she said:
"Do you know what a demon core signifies?"
Fang Xu shook his head; he had never killed a demon, and even less knew what a demon core meant.
"A demon core is what a ferocious beast can condense within its body only after transforming into a demon beast; it contains ninety-nine percent of a demon beast's entire life essence, cultivation, and soul power."
"And then?" Fang Xu said lightly.
"Then! Then the demon core is the key for a Martial Sovereign to break through to the Elemental Martial Realm!"
Gu Qiu grew anxious, blurting out these words.
Elemental Martial...
It turned out the realm above Martial Sovereign is called the Elemental Martial Realm.
"Must a Martial Sovereign break through to Elemental Martial with a demon core?" Fang Xu asked solemnly.
Mentioning the demon core, he thought of the Old Ape.
As a demon beast whose qi and blood are about to exhaust, if the demon core is truly this miraculous, he couldn't help but worry whether Jiang Feng would develop greed over it.
"Naturally not, but the demon core can increase the success rate of a Martial Sovereign breaking through to Elemental Martial."
"Fang Xu, breaking through from Martial Sovereign to Elemental Martial is a qualitative transformation, with a failure rate as high as ninety percent; no martial artist would give up even a sliver of increased success chance."
"Is Elder Jiang at the Elemental Martial Realm?" Fang Xu asked again.
He now only worries about the Old Ape's safety, and has no desire to argue with Gu Qiu about the demon core.
If Jiang Feng's strength is already at Elemental Martial, then the Old Ape would be much safer.
If Jiang Feng has not yet reached the Elemental Martial Realm, he dares not guarantee that Jiang Feng won't harbor thoughts about the Old Ape's demon core.
Gu Qiu shook her head.
Seeing this, Fang Xu's heart sank instantly.
"I don't know; this is my first time seeing Senior Brother Jiang." Gu Qiu said: "The immortal dao senior brothers once mentioned, Senior Brother Jiang is an unparalleled genius within the Ascension Immortal Assembly, having long ago reached the peak of Martial Sovereign."
"These years, he should already be considered half-step Elemental Martial, right?"
Half-step Elemental Martial... that ultimate is still not Elemental Martial; one cannot guarantee he won't develop greed for the Old Ape's demon core.
"Senior Sister, I cannot accompany you on this adventure." Fang Xu said solemnly.
He must quickly complete this mission and return to Huayang Mountain to see Jiang Feng.
He must confirm the Old Ape's safety.
"Alright, alright!"
Seeing Fang Xu's solemn expression, as if burdened with thoughts, Gu Qiu suppressed her own greed and said: "The Snake King's shed skin cannot be completed in a short time; we'll talk about it later."
Seeing Gu Qiu yield, Fang Xu felt somewhat grateful: "Thank you, Senior Sister."
Gu Qiu waved her hand: "Indeed, slaying the Snake King is too risky; I am currently only a Martial Sovereign Fifth Level, too distant from the Elemental Martial Realm, so there's no need to take risks now."
Fang Xu nodded: "Right, there was a statue in the ruins we just entered, with dense patterns carved on it."
Gu Qiu liked collecting such items with ancient inscriptions, and this time she had compromised with herself, so Fang Xu also decided to compensate her a little.
"Really?!"
Gu Qiu exclaimed excitedly.
Fang Xu nodded: "I was attacked by the Crimson Flame Winged Snake precisely because I wanted to examine the patterns on the statue."
"Since those Crimson Flame Winged Snakes chose to stay in that ruin, they are very likely guarding the statue or something else inside."
"I think we can go back now while these Crimson Flame Winged Snakes are protecting the Snake King; we might gain something."
Gu Qiu nodded excitedly and immediately stopped worrying about the Snake King, saying directly: "Then let's hurry back."
The two cautiously left the hillock and rushed quickly toward the ruins they had visited before.
Before the huge statue, Gu Qiu examined the patterns on it, her eyes flashing with brilliance: "How beautiful!"
"This is a complete inscription!"
"Fang Xu, I want to make a rubbing of this inscription to take back and study thoroughly!"
"It might take several days; if you're free, you can first observe and contemplate it—perhaps you'll gain something."
Hearing her words, Fang Xu nodded slightly and immediately sat cross-legged beside her to begin observing the patterns on the statue.
The patterns on the statue were not unfamiliar to Fang Xu.
Similar patterns appeared on the bone steles of the second layer of the ruins, on the broken swords in the God Weapon Hall of the Heavenly Scripture Cliff Relics inside the Ascension Society, and elsewhere.
After multiple contemplations, Fang Xu had gained some understanding of these mysterious patterns; sitting cross-legged, he quickly entered a state of sudden enlightenment.
In this state, he seemed to find himself in a vast, desolate ancient land, where before him stood a terrifying giant over a hundred zhang tall!
The giant was naturally single-legged, wearing a tattered beast skin loincloth around his waist, his upper body bare; on his huge head, a pair of curved, jet-black ox horns protruded, radiating terrifying sharpness as if they would tear space apart, his entire body filled with a terrifying aura that made souls tremble uncontrollably.
Fang Xu was like a bystander, quietly watching the single-legged giant walk across the vast land.
The single-legged giant's power was terrifying, as if he were the master of this boundless land; wherever he passed, countless strange beasts fled in panic.
Yet the single-legged giant's speed was extreme—his single leg slightly bent, then a sudden burst allowed him to leap tens of thousands of zhang, the force of his leap pressing the hard ground into one deep pit after another.
Those strange beasts, once targeted by the single-legged giant, had none able to escape.
Fang Xu thus quietly watched the single-legged giant train, hunt, and wander aimlessly, time passing unknown, until finally, the single-legged giant encountered a Crimson Flame Winged Snake.
The Crimson Flame Winged Snake, as thick as a water barrel, appeared before the single-legged giant like an earthworm.
The single-legged giant seized the Crimson Flame Winged Snake in his hand, curiously examining it, no matter how the snake struggled, it was of no use.
After a long while—
It was unknown whether the single-legged giant found the Crimson Flame Winged Snake unpalatable or thought such a small earthworm insufficient to fill his teeth gaps, so he threw the snake away.
The Crimson Flame Winged Snake that escaped with its life immediately twisted its body, preparing to flee.
But at that moment, another colossal creature appeared, directly stepping on the Crimson Flame Winged Snake that had not yet escaped.
The Crimson Flame Winged Snake violently struggled, biting and tearing at the huge foot pressing down on it.
No matter how it broke its sharp fangs, it could not injure the colossal creature in the slightest.
Just as the Crimson Flame Winged Snake thought it would die here, the single-legged giant moved, delivering a flying kick that sent the colossal creature retreating, after which the two engaged in a fierce slaughter!
Around them, mountains, forests, and rivers suffered no mercy under the slaughter of the two terrifying giants.
The Crimson Flame Winged Snake trembled, hiding aside, not daring to move; the duration of the giants' battle was unknown, until it gradually ceased.
The Crimson Flame Winged Snake stretched its head out from the wreckage and saw the single-legged giant sitting nearby, happily devouring the corpse of the colossal creature.
Perhaps hearing the movement, the single-legged giant turned his head, looked at the Crimson Flame Winged Snake, then tore a piece of flesh from the colossal creature before him and threw it over.
The Crimson Flame Winged Snake cautiously tore and chewed that piece of flesh; as the flesh was consumed, its body underwent a wonderful transformation……
The vision gradually faded, Fang Xu slowly opened his eyes, and suddenly a hint of understanding arose in his heart.
"Awake?"
Gu Qiu's voice came.
Fang Xu hurriedly rose, looked at Gu Qiu and said: "Senior Sister, how long have I been cultivating?"
Gu Qiu counted on her fingers: one, five, ten, fifteen, twenty……
"About a month."
"Quickly say, what did you comprehend?" One epiphany equaled a month; Gu Qiu felt Fang Xu must have comprehended something good.
Fang Xu, upon hearing this, briefly organized what he had comprehended in his mind and said: "Ku Niu Jin, it seems like a secret technique."
Hearing this, Gu Qiu looked interestedly at the single-legged stone statue before her and said: "So this statue carves the Ku Niu!"
"I said why it felt so familiar."
"But why would the Crimson Flame Winged Snake protect this Ku Niu statue?"
Fang Xu pondered for a moment and said: "Perhaps the Ku Niu once showed kindness to the ancestors of the Crimson Flame Winged Snake."
At least in the vision I just saw, the Ku Niu first caught the Crimson Flame Winged Snake and chose to release it, then later gave it a piece of flesh from a terrifying ferocious beast, enabling the Crimson Flame Winged Snake to evolve.
"Senior Sister, do you want this secret technique?" Fang Xu said.
Having come to the third layer of the ruins, Gu Qiu had done fairly well for herself; now with a gain, Fang Xu also did not intend to be stingy.
"Show me how you perform it." Gu Qiu hesitated and said.
Fang Xu nodded: "Let's go outside."
The space inside the building was too cramped for some movements, so the two went outside.
On the desolate Gobi desert, Fang Xu's body suddenly surged with an ancient ferocious aura; the next moment, his body shot forward!
In midair, a huge sole faintly appeared; his body suddenly plummeted, his entire strength presenting a geometric increase!
Boom!
At the moment his body landed, the surrounding Gobi desert was as if struck by a meteorite, centered on his landing point, forming a huge depression!
The terrifying shockwave swept across, blowing all the debris on the ground into the air!
Then, with a sudden leap, his figure appeared hundreds of zhang away!
Bang!
Bang!
After a few leaps, Fang Xu returned to Gu Qiu's side, his face somewhat pale as he said: "This secret art consumes too much Blood Qi Power."
Gu Qiu's eyes flashed with sharp light as he said: "Looks like this secret art is quite good."
Fang Xu nodded and said: "It combines attack and burst into one, and at critical moments it can also be used to escape."
Gu Qiu nodded.
Within the ruins, there are restrictions suppressing things; in a certain sense, the power of Kui Niu Jin has been greatly reduced.
If it were used outside, she felt the power of Kui Niu Jin could still be enhanced somewhat.
From the effect Fang Xu just displayed, Kui Niu Jin might not yet reach the threshold of "shu," but at least it is a second-grade or first-grade secret art.
The rarity of secret arts surpasses martial techniques; a first-grade secret art sometimes rivals the value of divine abilities.
Kui Niu Jin is a comprehensive secret art, with attack, burst, and even escape capability—its value is not insignificant.
Gu Qiu indeed wanted it, but...
"Fang Xu, this secret art is very valuable; I only have over a hundred thousand contribution points on me. You see..."
Hmm?
Upon hearing Gu Qiu's words, Fang Xu was stunned for a moment.
He had originally planned for the two of them to travel together, jointly explore the third layer of the ruins, and share the good things they obtained with her.
Never did he expect Gu Qiu to actually intend to give contribution points.
One hundred thousand!?
A month has passed, and the contribution points I currently owe are around 170,000. With this hundred thousand, I can later find a way to earn some more and clear my debt.
"What contribution points? Without Senior Sister's protection, I couldn't even peacefully comprehend this secret art." Fang Xu spoke.
Politeness should still be observed.
As a core disciple of the Ascension Immortal Society, Gu Qiu's status is even higher than that of a sub-division steward. Building a good relationship with her will be of great use in the future.
"Senior Sister, don't move." Upon arriving before Gu Qiu, he immediately extended his finger to touch her forehead, transmitting the Kui Niu Jin secret art to her.
After receiving the Kui Niu Jin secret art, Gu Qiu carefully contemplated it for a while and indeed discovered that this secret art was even more profound than she had imagined.
She had a feeling that this secret art had already stepped into the threshold of "shu."
"Take out your identity token." Gu Qiu spoke.
Fang Xu pretended to refuse slightly, but Gu Qiu seriously shook her head and said: "Contribution points are easy for me to obtain. You are in the Yu State branch, where contribution points are used in many places, so don't stand on ceremony with me."
Upon hearing this, Fang Xu then handed over his identity token.
Gu Qiu took the token and directly transferred all her contribution points to Fang Xu.
"In total, it's 104,000. This secret art is worth far more than this; consider it a favor I owe you." Gu Qiu spoke.
"What favor or no favor—if it's useful for Senior Sister, that's enough." Fang Xu smiled as he took back his identity token.
"Fang Xu, I feel the Kui Niu Jin secret art might help us hunt the Snake King of the Crimson Flame Winged Serpents. How about..."
Obviously, Gu Qiu is still thinking about that Snake King's inner core.
Fang Xu hesitated for a moment, his gaze falling on the large pit he had just "blasted" out using Kui Niu Jin, and a plan formed in his mind.
If he fully operated Kui Niu Jin combined with the Demon Ape Three Transformations, he should be able to shatter or blast away all the Crimson Flame Winged Serpents around that small hill.
At that time, as long as he quickly slays the Snake King, before the myriad Crimson Flame Winged Serpents return, using Kui Niu Jin to escape, the chances of success should be quite high.
"Good, let's give it a try."
The Snake King's inner core is tied to the success or failure of breaking into the Elemental Martial Realm; if I help Gu Qiu obtain this inner core, this favor would be much greater.
The two made a slight adjustment and then rushed straight toward the small hill where the Crimson Flame Winged Serpents reside.
As they approached the small hill, Fang Xu estimated the distance and then said to Gu Qiu: "Later, I will directly blast the surrounding Crimson Flame Winged Serpents away; Senior Sister, seize the opportunity to rush in."
"Among these Crimson Flame Winged Serpents, there are not a few powerful existences; Senior Sister must seize the time, and we must leave before the Crimson Flame Winged Serpents re-encircle this place."
Gu Qiu nodded.
Fang Xu slowly adjusted his state, and behind him, a blood-red Demon Ape phantom gradually emerged!
But due to the existence of the restriction, the blood-red Demon Ape phantom, upon appearing, was immediately pressed back into Fang Xu's body.
In this situation, although the power of the Demon Ape Three Transformations cannot be fully exerted, it at least retains fifty percent of its power.
After the Demon Ape Three Transformations surged forth, Fang Xu's body suddenly erupted with a vast and murderous aura, his body directly shooting out, and in the blink of an eye, he arrived above the small hill!
A terrifying pressure came from above; below, countless Crimson Flame Winged Serpents raised their heads, lunging toward Fang Xu in the sky, opening their mouths to reveal sharp fangs!
Fang Xu's figure plummeted rapidly; due to the excessive speed, his entire body was enveloped by a terrifying red light, resembling a burning meteor!
Boom!
His figure crashed onto the ground!
The terrifying power crushed all the Crimson Flame Winged Serpents within a three-zhang radius into meat paste, while those farther away were blown away by the shockwave!
At that moment, Gu Qiu's figure flickered, directly charging through the scattered Crimson Flame Winged Serpents and killing her way into the hill through a low entrance.
Inside the hill, Gu Qiu patted the black squirrel on her shoulder: "Little Black, get to work!"
The squirrel shot out with a squeak, darting at extreme speed through the winding passage.
Soon it brought Gu Qiu before the Snake King.
Holding a silver longsword, Gu Qiu was about to strike when she suddenly noticed that the Crimson Flame Winged Serpent Snake King before her was already on the brink of death.
Beside it, the freshly shed snake skin wrapped around three millstone-sized snake eggs.
"Human, I know what you want."
"My demon core can be given to you, but please do not harm my children."
When the Crimson Flame Winged Snake Snake King looked at the three snake eggs, its icy pupils rarely showed a hint of tenderness.
Gu Qiu was stunned for a moment, then looked at the three snake eggs and shook his head, saying: "Even if I do not intervene, your three children will not survive."
The Snake King of the Crimson Flame Winged Snake was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly crawled with difficulty to the snake eggs to examine them closely.
"How... how could this be?"
In its perception, the vitality within the three snake eggs was slowly diminishing; clearly, its three children would perish soon.
"Snake King, I have a way to save one of your children, but I must take it away—you decide for yourself." Gu Qiu spoke.
Upon hearing this, the Crimson Flame Winged Snake's expression became very complex.
After a long while—
"Human, I agree to your request."
"Please take good care of my child."
Gu Qiu nodded: "Rest assured, I will certainly take good care of it."
Seeing Gu Qiu's sincere attitude, the Snake King reluctantly glanced at the three snake eggs, then suddenly erupted with terrifying aura from its entire body!
In the next moment, a purple light sphere resembling a pearl was spat out by it.
"Human, I entrust it to you."
As the demon core was spat out, the Snake King's life instantly reached its end.
Gu Qiu collected the demon core, looked at the three snake eggs before him, selected one with slightly stronger vitality as the main body, immediately employed a secret method to transfer the vitality from the other two snake eggs into that one, then held the snake egg and the shed snake skin of the Snake King as he left the cave.
"Fang Xu, let's go!"
After leaving the cave, Gu Qiu shouted.
Fang Xu immediately grabbed her arm, the Kui Niu strength erupted instantly, leaping hundreds of zhang away in one bound, then another leap, vanishing into the distance.
On the desolate Gobi beach, Gu Qiu took out the Snake King's demon core, the shed snake skin, and that snake egg.
"Actually, the corpse of a great demon is also very valuable."
"But a mother, for her own child, voluntarily offered her demon core—I... I cannot bear to further mutilate its corpse."
Gu Qiu spoke.
Fang Xu nodded, thinking that perhaps he would do the same if it were himself.
The Snake King of the Crimson Flame Winged Snake may have slaughtered countless in its lifetime, but at least in the matter of maternal love, one cannot bear to destroy its corpse.
"I will shamelessly take the snake egg and demon core; this snake skin I give to you." Gu Qiu said: "The Snake King's cultivation before death was equivalent to the peak of Martial Venerable; if this snake skin is used properly, it can be crafted into several sets of excellent inner armor."
Fang Xu nodded and stored the snake skin into his Qiankun bag.
The Snake King's demon core was originally what he intended to help Gu Qiu obtain; now he is merely a Martial Scholar, still far from breaking into the Elementary Martial realm.
Exchanging it for a favor is still quite worthwhile.
"Senior Sister, since the demon core can increase the chance of breaking into the Elementary Martial realm, why are Elementary Martial cultivators still so rare?"
Looking at Gu Qiu playing with the demon core in her hand, Fang Xu asked curiously.
In the depths of Mount Tilian, there are demons, and their numbers may not be few.
Judging by this, those cultivators who have reached the peak of Martial Venerable should not miss the opportunity to obtain a demon core.
"Do you think demon cores are so easy to obtain?" Gu Qiu put away the demon core and said solemnly: "After a feral beast gains intelligence and becomes a demon, it needs nearly ten years to condense a demon core."
"At this stage, demon beasts generally possess strength equivalent to the ninth level of Martial Venerable, peak Martial Venerable, stronger than ordinary human Martial Venerable peak cultivators."
"Moreover, demon beasts possess intelligence; if faced with a life-or-death crisis, they will immediately detonate their demon cores to perish together with their enemies."
"Therefore, to obtain a complete demon core, luck, strength—none can be lacking."
"Fang Xu, this time I was able to obtain this demon core—I owe you a great favor."
Having come to the ruins of Mount Tilian, along the way, due to some inexplicable reason, she lost a substitute puppet.
I thought this trip would result in a loss, but unexpectedly, upon arriving at the ruins, I gained a secret method comparable to divine abilities, as well as a complete demon core.
These two combined far exceed the value of that substitute puppet; Gu Qiu was very happy.
"Fang Xu, is your task this time to find the entrance to the fourth layer?"
My gains this trip are not bad; Gu Qiu has not forgotten Fang Xu's task.
"Yes."
Fang Xu, while sketching their route simply, spoke in reply.
"Then let's go look for it—I also intend to go see the fourth layer."
The two continued on their journey.
On the vast Gobi plain, Gu Qiu walked while calculating their direction.
"Wood... earth... fire..."
"The next layer should be metal or water..."
"The metal element corresponds to the west, water to the north, earth to the center, the next layer..."
"Fang Xu, we should go this way."
After the calculation, Gu Qiu slightly adjusted their forward direction, and the two soon arrived before a massive cliff.
"Senior Sister, there is no way forward."
Looking at the cliff stretching across the entire Gobi plain, Fang Xu said helplessly.
"No, this direction is definitely correct." Gu Qiu firmly believed she had not miscalculated, she leaned forward to look down at the cliff: "Perhaps the entrance to the fourth layer lies below."
Below?
Fang Xu lowered his head to look; this cliff was bottomless, suppressed by a restriction, making it difficult for them to descend.
"Leave it to me." Gu Qiu smiled, took down the small bamboo basket from her waist, opened its lid, and from it flew out two black beetles.
Go check the situation below.
Gu Qiu waved her hand and said something to the two black beetles.
The two pitch-black beetles immediately flapped their wings and flew toward the cliff below.
After a long while—
The two black beetles flew back up from below.
They fluttered in front of Gu Qiu for a moment, then perched on her shoulder, vibrating their wings; only then did Gu Qiu open the small bamboo basket and let them crawl inside.
"The entrance to the fourth layer is down there." Gu Qiu smiled and looked at Fang Xu.
Fang Xu was quite surprised.
This time, I'm fortunate to have chosen to follow Gu Qiu; otherwise, even if beaten to death, I wouldn't have thought the fourth layer's entrance would be hidden beneath a cliff a thousand meters deep.
"Should we go down to confirm?" Fang Xu said.
Gu Qiu shook her head: "This matter will certainly not go wrong."
"This cliff is too high; we're unprepared. Let's go back first."
Fang Xu nodded slightly. This mission was to find a route to the fourth layer; now that the entrance has been found, there's truly no need to go down.
The two returned the same way. After exiting the third layer, they discovered some martial artists preparing to enter the third layer.
"Have you two found the entrance to the fourth layer?" Seeing Fang Xu and Gu Qiu, the leading martial artist said: "If you have, we are willing to purchase it."
Gu Qiu waved her hand: "We haven't found it, and we nearly got surrounded and killed by the Crimson Flame Winged Serpent."
"I advise you all: the Crimson Flame Winged Serpent has been unusually agitated lately; it's best not to enter the third layer for now."
The Crimson Flame Winged Serpent's serpent king died, so the Crimson Flame Winged Serpents in the third layer will surely go mad and retaliate against any martial artists entering the third layer during this period.
After giving a few words of advice to several people, the two hurriedly returned to the second layer.
"Senior sister, can I take the Renxian clan out with me?" Fang Xu suddenly said.
Gu Qiu shook her head: "The Renxian prefer darkness; without finding a suitable habitat, taking them out would leave them nowhere to settle."
"The second layer of the ruins has hardly any treasures left; as long as the Renxian clan doesn't actively attack martial artists, I believe no one would want to clash with them."
Upon hearing this, Fang Xu shook his head: "The group from the Yanshen Sect has always been capturing Renxian to conduct some evil experiments."
Yanshen Sect?
Gu Qiu's expression flickered with a hint of strangeness, then she said: "How much do you know about the Yanshen Sect?"
"Not much." Fang Xu thought for a moment and said: "I just know they seem to care deeply about the inheritance of Yanshen, constantly attempting to use some ritual to decipher the secret of Yanshen's inheritance."
"I heard from the elders of the Broken Horn that the Yanshen Sect is a group of traitors."
Gu Qiu's expression turned strange, and she said nothing.
After a long while—
"That bunch is really over the top."
"Alright, let's go."
The two no longer searched for the Renxian clan and directly left the ruins along the passageway.
Maple Forest Town courtyard.
When Fang Xu returned here, a group of martial artists was lurking suspiciously around the courtyard.
"What do they want?" Gu Qiu asked curiously.
Fang Xu coldly snorted: "Naturally, they want to see if the person living in the courtyard is the one they're looking for."
Gu Qiu's expression shifted slightly; she immediately turned and swept her gaze over the martial artists, saying calmly: "I am a core disciple of the Ascension Immortal Association. Go back and tell those behind you: anyone who dares to trespass this courtyard is an enemy of my Ascension Immortal Association!"
Fang Xu couldn't step forward, so she naturally took care of this matter for him.
She could tell that Fang Xu cared deeply about this courtyard, and he wouldn't be coming often in the future, so she might as well help him out.
Core disciple of the Ascension Immortal Association!?
Upon hearing this, the surrounding martial artists' faces all showed shock.
Meeting Gu Qiu's gaze, these people hastily fled the area.
"Should we go back now, or stay another night?" Looking at the already sunset dusk, Gu Qiu said.
Fang Xu surveyed everything in the courtyard, then smiled and said: "Let's go now."
Staying another night or leaving—now I truly can't stay here anymore.
"Senior sister, wait a moment; I'll go say my farewells." Fang Xu said, arriving at the Wang family's home.
At this moment, Madame Wang had just returned from the blood food shop; seeing Fang Xu arrive, she looked delighted and said: "You haven't eaten yet, have you?"
"I'll go to town to buy some wine and dishes, then keep you company with a drink tonight?"
Fang Xu shook his head: "Sister-in-law, I'm leaving."
Upon hearing this, Madame Wang's body stiffened, her face showing a hint of resentment: "Leaving now?"
Fang Xu nodded.
"Can't you stay one more night?"
Fang Xu said nothing.
Seeing this, Madame Wang sighed with some disappointment: "Then go."
"Maple Forest Town is too small; in the end, it can't keep you."
After saying this, she walked toward the room with a somewhat dim and sorrowful expression.
"Sister-in-law..."
Madame Wang's body paused.
"I will still come back." Fang Xu said.
Madame Wang turned her head, saying nothing.
Fang Xu glanced at her, then turned and left the small courtyard directly.
"They all say cultivation knows no time; if one day you return, I will already be an old woman with faded beauty… alas!" Madam Wang murmured, her eyes full of sorrow.
On the official road outside Maple Forest Town, two Cloud-Stepping Colts raced swiftly toward Zhongzhou.
"After returning, will Senior Sister go back to the Immortal Dao?"
Gu Qiu shook his head: "No rush; you've already completed two of your promotion tasks, right?"
"When the time comes for the third task, I'll go to the Affairs Hall to arrange something for you."
"Coincidentally, I also need someone to help with my upcoming matters."
Hearing this, Fang Xu frowned slightly; he always felt that whatever Gu Qiu was about to do next would not be simple.
(End of Chapter)
End of Chapter
