Vol.2-Chapter 149 – Rank Seven Spirit Vein

Facing the grey slaughter aura at such close rage, Zhao Jiuge could clearly feel the slaughter intent inside this grey mist.

The orange fire suddenly appeared and acted like a wall that blocked the spirit force filled with slaughter aura from reaching Zhao Jiuge.

The fire continued to move and small, crackling sounds could be heard. The surrounding temperature increased.

When the blue spirit force containing grey touched the true fire, it was like a mouse encountering a cat—it suddenly stopped and seemed to retreat in fear.

The thunder and fire attributes were natural counters to all evil in the world. This slaughter aura was not considered too evil, just a bit gloomy. However, its power was overbearing, and if one was not careful while cultivating it, it would easily damage one’s cultivation. Even one’s intelligence would be greatly affected.

When the blue spirit force arrived before the wall of fire, the organe fire took the initiative and began to wrap around the grey mist.

When the fire came into contact with the grey mist, the originally soft crackling sounds intensified. Then the grey mist quickly disappeared.

“Hmph, only this much strength.” Zhao Jiuge let out a snort. He was quite frightened just a moment ago, but after seeing the Blue Thunder Rage Lion’s attack being dealt with, he heaved a sigh of relief.

While it's weak, take its life!

This was something Zhao Jiuge learned while hunting in the mountains. He would not show mercy when facing an enemy.

Another surge of ferocious fire gushed out from the Purple Gold True Fire Gourd. Then he put it away and instead took out a small drum with red edges.

Zhao Jiuge was starting to like using treasures against enemies more and more. Not only were treasures more powerful, they were also more practical. Although he cultivated the sword, his cultivation level was too low; therefore, treasures were more reliable. Before, he didn’t even think about using treasures, but through his own effort, he had earned four precious treasures.

He took out the Twilight Drum. Since he had already consumed a lot of spirit force from using the Purple Gold True Fire Gourd, it wouldn’t matter if he used the Twilight Drum as well.

Fortunately, Zhao Jiuge had reached the late stage of the Foundation Realm, so his spirit force had increased a lot. Otherwise, after using sword energy and two precious treasures, he would have less than 30% of his spirit force left.

When the terrifying true fire surrounded the Blue Thunder Rage Lion, there was a muffled growl and the blue light around its body trembled violently.

Light continued to ripple and then both the light and fire began to fade. Only after the true fire and blue light disappeared could one clearly see what had happened at the center of the collision.

Although the Blue Thunder Rage Lion had successfully resisted the fire, the fur around its chest and head were burnt. It no longer looked as majestic or domineering as before.

“So weak, but it is still a Foundation Realm spirit beast.” Zhao Jiuge was startled. This Blue Thunder Rage Lion should not be this weak.

Bai Qingqing still had a serious expression as she quietly said, “This is just the beginning, and something is strange. This Blue Thunder Rage Lion still hadn’t used its real attacks. Since it has ‘thunder’ in its name, it can use thunder-attribute spells.”

As a spirit beast’s cultivation level increased, not only could they take human form, they could also learn spells. Some spirit beasts could rely on their powerful bodies and inherited spells to force even cultivators one realm above them to dread them.

Zhao Jiuge carefully said, “I thought spirit beasts were very strong. Everyone says spirit beasts at the same cultivation level are much stronger, yet with just me alone, it is already at a disadvantage. Could it be that I’m simply too strong?”

“Shameless.” Facing Zhao Jiuge’s words, Bai Qingqing rolled her eyes and was too lazy to argue with him.

A heaven-shattering roar interrupted their conversation. This roar was much louder than before. The Blue Thunder Rage Lion’s body trembled and it raised its head up to the sky, its silver horn shining brightly.

The blue and white fur all stood up like needles while his body trembled.

The surrounding trees all trembled and the leaves fell to the ground. Zhao Jiuge felt a sense of vertigo and felt like he was going deaf.

Before Zhao Jiuge and Bai Qingqing tense gazes, the Blue Thunder Rage Lion lowered its head. Its two scarlet eyes were covered with strands of grey.

It profoundly looked at Zhao Jiuge and Bai Qingqing for seven or eight seconds. Then it turned ?around and ran frantically into the canyon with its back turned toward Zhao Jiuge and Bai Qingqing.

The Blue Thunder Rage Lion had not only gained intelligence, it was also very smart. It knew that these two humans were no weaker than it was. It had taken a profound look and memorized these two humans in its heart.

Zhao Jiuge and Bai Qingqing were both startled because they thought the Blue Thunder Rage Lion was going to erupt in rage. What kind of situation was this?

After a brief moment, Bai Qingqing reacted and her expression changed greatly. “Not good, it's trying to run. We need to give chase!”

Bai Qingqing’s words awakened Zhao Jiuge. Although he didn’t know why the Blue Thunder Rage Lion had gone crazy and was now running, he wasn’t going to let his sect contributions escape.

The two of them did not chase with flying swords. Right now, a dangerous battle was at hand, and they couldn’t afford to waste spirit force to blade soar. At the late stage of the Foundation Realm, their physical power was enough to catch up to the Blue Thunder Rage Lion.

The scenery started to change. Zhao Jiuge saw that there were hints of thunder moving around the Blue Thunder Rage Lion’s feet. As it ran, it created a muffled sound of thunder that was gradually revealing its true power.

At this moment, Zhao Jiuge found that the Blue Thunder Rage Lion was very tricky. During the previous encounter, the Blue Thunder Rage Lion was not fighting at full power. He didn’t know why it was behaving so strangely, but there was no turning back now. His spirit force surged to its peak and he was on high alert for any unexpected occurrences.

As the thunder under the Blue Thunder Rage Lion’s feet surged, the sound of the wind created by it running became even louder. The difference between Zhao Jiuge and the lion was increasing.

When Zhao Jiuge was about to lose the Blue Thunder Rage Lion and it was only a speck of light in the distance, his pupils suddenly shrank. He found that the Blue Thunder Rage Lion had actually slowed down.

He looked up and observed the surrounding scenery. He was even more vigilant than before.

After an unknown amount of time, the two of them arrived under a cliff. The left side of the cliff was covered in luscious flowers. Perhaps due to the dense spiritual energy here, these flowers were almost as tall as a person.

On the right was a protruding cliff.

The tall flowers covered Zhao Jiuge and Bai Qingqing’s vision. Zhao Jiuge held the durm in his left hand and his sword in his right while he looked around. The Blue Thunder Rage Lion had slowed down here.

Then Zhao Jiuge suddenly saw a flash of light through the gaps between the flowers more than a few dozen meters away.

He pushed apart these flowers and quickly rushed toward where he saw the flash of blue light with Bai Qingqing.

When the two of them closed in, a cave appeared before them. The two of them could clearly feel looming spirit force fluctuations inside the cave.

Zhao Jiuge and Bai Qingqing looked at each other, their expressions serious. They knew that the Blue Thunder Rage Lion must have gone into this cave.

However, no one was sure what was inside this wave or what would happen. The unknown was the most terrifying. The Blue Thunder Rage Lion was already behaving strangely. Even though it was a spirit beast, it had gained intelligence. Perhaps there would be danger awaiting them inside.

“What should we do?” Zhao Jiuge was a bit uncertain in his heart. The stronger you were, the more sure you would be about an encounter, but he was only at the Foundation Realm. He also lacked insight and vision, and this was only the third time he had left the sect.

As Bai Qingqing stared at the dark cave, her brows moved lightly, but she didn’t hesitate too much. “Let’s go in. After all, this is still within the Xuan Province, so there shouldn’t be too much danger. As long as there isn’t some kind of accident, I’m confident we can withdraw safely.”

After she finished speaking, she looked at Zhao Jiuge with a questioning gaze for his opinion. This was a matter of life or death. Although her treasures and hidden aces made her pretty confident in escaping if needed, she still had to see what Zhao Jiuge’s opinion was.

Zhao Jiuge was never an indecisive person. In fact, as long as he could increase his strength, no matter how difficult or impossible, he would do it.

Reward could be found in danger. If one wasn’t willing to take a risk, how could there be any reward?

“Let’s go, I’ll take the lead.” Zhao Jiuge quickly made a decision and revealed a determined look. He stepped forward past Bai Qingqing.

Zhao Jiuge was about to march inside, but he suddenly turned around. His expression became serious and looked at Bai Qingqing. “If we encounter some danger we can’t resist or face some urgent matter, don't worry about me and escape. I believe that with your ability and background, you can get away.”

After he finished speaking, his serious expression gradually faded. Then a hint of loneliness and self-deprecation appeared on his face. “You and I are different. I’m an orphan with no one to worry about me. Even if I die, no one will be sad, no one will remember. However, you are different. I know you have something you worry about. Every time you become quiet, I can see it in your eyes.”

Bai Qingqing still didn’t speak; her face was as calm as water. She stared at Zhao Jiuge with a pair of eyes that seemed to speak.

Zhao Jiuge began talking by himself again. It seemed like he wanted to say everything he had bottled up in his heart.

“There are still three things I haven’t completed. I feel a bit of regret.”

After Zhao Jiuge finished speaking, he let out a sigh.

Bai Qingqing, who was staring at him, finally blinked. There was a hint of emotion in her eyes and she curiously asked, “Which three things? Tell me about them.”

This time, it was Zhao Jiuge’s turn to become startled. He pondered for a bit and said, “After this mission is over, I’ll tell you.” Then, to hide his embarrassment, he turned and walked into the cave.

While he was walking, he whispered, “No humanity at all. I thought you would be at least moved by what I said. Even I was almost moved by my own words.”

“What did you say? I didn’t hear you clearly!” Bai Qingqing’s cold voice echoed and she pretended to put on a vicious expression.

Zhao Jiuge was terrified and immediately shook his head. He didn’t dare to speak again. Right now, Bai Qingqing was not like her weakened self like that day back on Wu Hua Peak.

Behind him, Bai Qingqing suddenly smiled. Her beautiful eyes carefully looked at Zhao Jiuge’s back.

She muttered in her own heart,?“If something bad really happened, would I really abandon you?”

……

After the two of them entered the cave, their figures were quickly engulfed by darkness.

Walking in front, ?Zhao Jiuge observed his surroundings. He was clenching the Big-Dipper Sword and his palm was covered in nervous sweat. The frequency of his breathing slowed down and he carefully listened to his surroundings.

His surroundings were completely dark. This cave was not damp like he expected, but it was a bit desolate. The walls revealed an almost bone-chilling coldness.

Fortunately, the Big-Dipper Sword in his hand and Bai Qingqing’s Wind Flower Sword shined, illuminating the cave.

The looming spirit force fluctuations were still there. Only after feeling the Blue Thunder Rage Lion’s aura did Zhao Jiuge’s heart settle down a bit.

There were obvious traces left by the Blue Thunder Rage Lion on the ground. Zhao Jiuge followed these large footprints. As Bai Qingqing followed him, her expression could not be seen.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the Blue Thunder Rage Lion finally stopped and let out a constant growl. It seemed to be filled with pain, and although he was far, his growls were deafening inside the cave.

Zhao Jiuge put up his guard and his spirit force surged. It wouldn’t be long before they caught up to the Blue Thunder Rage Lion!

“Be careful, we are about to catch up,” Zhao Jiuge carefully reminded Bai Qingqing. There were no accidents during the long pursuit. After getting used to the stuffy atmosphere in the cave, Zhao Jiuge’s nervous mood relaxed slightly.

After going down a slope, there was a right turn, and there was grey light coming from around the corner, reflected onto the wall. When Zhao Jiuge saw this, he became even more vigilant as he moved forward. He knew that the Blue Thunder Rage Lion was ahead and was very close.

When the two of them turned the corner, the grey light became even more intense. The scene they saw before them shocked their hearts.

It was a wide cave filled with grey slaughter aura, and everything shined with a grey light.

There was a faint, grey mist in the air. It was the same slaughter aura that was inside the Blue Thunder Rage Lion.

Bai Qingqing’s eyes widened, she shouted, losing her composure, “Spirit vein!” This was the first time Zhao Jiuge had seen her like this.

After hearing Bai Qingqing’s cry, Zhao Jiuge looked around in shock. He found that everything here was similar to the spirit vein inside the Mysterious Heaven Sword Sect. The difference was that it had a lot less spirit force and its attribute was actually slaughter. No wonder this was so similar to the grey mist inside the Blue Thunder Rage Lion’s spirit force.

Zhao Jiuge didn’t know what rank this spirit vein was, as he lacked the knowledge. He only knew that it was a lot weaker than the spirit vein he had tempered his body in. A rank two spirit vein was very rare.

Bai Qingqing was somewhat surprised and said, “It’s actually a rank seven Absolute Slaughter Spirit Vein.”

The spirit force in this spirit vein was not strong and the grey mist was very sparse. However, the slaughter aura it contained was extremely domineering.

Due to Bai Qingqing’s background, her vision and knowledge could not be compared to Zhao Jiuge’s. From observing the spirit force, she only pondered for a moment before knowing what type of spirit vein it was.

Bai Qingqing faced the spirit vein and revealed a charming smile. “Brat, I don’t know if you were born lucky or what to find such a spirit vein. Although it's only a rank seven, it’s still very valuable. It contains enough spirit force for you to cultivate alone.”

“One person? You don’t absorb the spirit force and attribute from it?” Zhao Jiuge raised his brow in surprise.

Bai Qingqing cutely shook her head and casually said, “I don’t need it. If I wanted to, I could absorb as much as I want. However, I have to absorb one that cooperates with my cultivation. It’s enough that you absorb it. I don’t want to condense my spirit core yet, so I’m deliberately suppressing my spirit force.”

Her words were plain, devoid of any arrogance or deliberate bragging. She spoke like it was something ordinary.

𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

The temperament she revealed made Zhao Jiuge concede, so he just calmly nodded. He didn’t thank her or continue asking. Since Bai Qingqing had said so, she naturally had her own plans. He was not going to act sentimental; he would remember some things in his heart.

He gently looked up toward the spirit vein.

“Before thinking about how to absorb the spirit vein and its attribute, I think we should think about how to deal with it first.”

After Zhao Jiuge finished speaking, Bai Qingqing looked in the direction Zhao Jiuge was pointing toward. Right now, the Blue Thunder Rage Lion looked like it was in pain and its body was trembling. It was absorbing the spirit force and slaughter aura like crazy from the spirit vein.

Seeing this, Bai Qingqing revealed a smile of disdain. “Dealing with a late stage Foundation Realm spirit beast is as easy as waving my hand.”

Seeing the Blue Thunder Rage Lion constantly absorbing the spirit force, the worry Bai Qingqing had disappeared completely. At first, she thought there would be some kind of danger or trap from the Blue thunder Rage Lion’s strange actions, but after seeing this, all her worries were gone.

The strange slaughter aura in its spirit force must have come from this Absolute Slaughter Spirit Vein. It must have obtained it while tempering its body inside this spirit vein. The reason it had chosen not to fight was because it was trying to increase its strength.

The Blue Thunder Rage Lion had found this spirit vein by chance. Bai Qingqing and Zhao Jiuge had received the mission from the sect and found the Blue Thunder Rage Lion here. Everything seemed like a coincidence, like everything was destined to be.

But was the Blue Thunder Rage Lion really here to simply cultivate?

With the pride of a spirit beast and its powerful strength, would it really let two human cultivators who had injured it go?

The answer was obvious. When the Blue Thunder Rage Lion saw the two humans who injured it come to its secret place, it let out a thunderous roar.

The roar contained a sense of provocation and battle intent that didn’t exist before. Its eyes were filled with pain and grey fog, and the grey fog seemed to contain a hint of excitement and pleasure.