The mountains were the same mountains, the mine was the same mine, Xu Mu and Qiong Qi had not changed, but the roles of seeking help and being pursued had reversed.
"Brother Hao Han, save my beast life!"
Qiong Qi's cry for help echoed through the space.
Xu Mu stood on the mountaintop, looking at Qiong Qi, who was sprinting from a thousand meters away, his eyes narrowing slightly.
He didn't know what had happened at the bottom of the mine, nor why the Gan Jiang sword had suddenly turned against him.
It was only when Qiong Qi rushed out of the mine that he saw a sword qi soaring into the sky.
That sword qi was clearly unleashed by the Gan Jiang sword, carrying an ancient aura that pierced through time. There was no mistake.
But it seemed to have missed, hitting neither person nor object, merely carrying an incomparably sharp and chaotic might, flying aimlessly all the way into the heavens.
And where the sword qi passed, it naturally stirred up winds on both ends.
It was precisely because of this wind that Xu Mu sustained many tiny cuts.
On the mountaintop, Xu Mu squinted his eyes.
He raised his right hand, holding the demonic sword, which was already covered in many sword marks.
These wounds were not caused by the sword qi, but by the wind.
Yes, it was the sword wind stirred up by the flying sword qi. Within it seemed to be a trace of overflowing sword intent. As the spring breeze brushed his face, Xu Mu's body was covered in countless fine sword marks, and even the wild grass on the ground was cut in half.
What kind of sword strike was this?
From thousands of meters away, merely through the overflowing sword intent of the sword qi, it could injure his current physique. The fourth-stage lords behind him, who had no time to defend, had their robes torn apart.
Xu Mu found it hard to imagine how powerful the sword qi itself must have been.
Who could have withstood that sword head-on? Even Gray-White Eye, wielding the demonic sword with all his might, might not have been able to.
But Qiong Qi was asking him to save him.
Xu Mu felt like crying without tears. He understood that to fight this sword, perhaps Bite Fire, who had summoned his Dharma appearance, could try, but the problem was that the powerful figure on the World Ranking was not here.
Here, there were only a bunch of lords, still recovering from serious injuries, and him, the undeserving leader of the second stage. How could he save Qiong Qi?
"Running is impossible, and a desperate battle doesn't seem to offer much hope."
Xu Mu felt an infinite sorrow. Just as he had woken up, he was ambushed by Fang Jia. He had thought that after dealing with him, he could seek opportunities here, but now he had inexplicably fallen into a desperate situation again.
"If all else fails, I'll have to ask that person to try."
Charles's voice echoed in Xu Mu's mind. Xu Mu sighed helplessly, perhaps that was the only way.
And just as he was about to make up his mind and prepare to wake Gray-White Eye, Xu Mu suddenly noticed that the Gan Jiang sword, which had been clamoring to kill people below, had suddenly stopped on its own.
It hovered in the air, its body trembling slightly, whether from anger or something else.
"So it was him!"
The pursuit of the Gan Jiang sword abruptly stopped. It paused in place, filled with fear.
Because it saw Xu Mu standing on the mountaintop.
The sword spirit felt restless. It knew that Xu Mu possessed a holy relic.
Even when it resided in Yan Yu's sea of consciousness, it had sensed the extraordinary nature of the sword in Xu Mu's hand.
After seeing the demon god's clone escape from Ji Chang's body, it immediately guessed that what Xu Mu held was the legendary Demon God's Broken Horn.
Legend was the legend of its world, and such a legendary item would naturally be a holy relic. Later, it had witnessed Xu Mu's performance in the first level, and the power that erupted from him in desperation had even startled it.
Therefore, it suspected that Xu Mu possessed a second holy relic.
And now, it was about to face Xu Mu, who stood on the mountaintop, raising his sword as if accumulating a killing move.
The sword spirit did not know that Xu Mu was merely looking at the wounds on his hand.
"Damn it!"
"I am a sword spirit now, bound by the sword. The grade of this Gan Jiang sword is too far from that demonic sword. Even its breath makes me tremble. How can I fight!"
The sword spirit was enraged, both shocked and annoyed. It had only missed its target in the mine because of the might of the demonic sword. Otherwise, it would have obtained the Other Shore Flower long ago!
"Even if rebirth as a human is good, one must have the life to enjoy it."
"If I pursue now, there's a high chance I won't get the Other Shore Flower, and I'll end up dead!"
"Forget it!"
The Gan Jiang sword spirit thought this and forcibly suppressed its urge to pursue.
It stared at Ji Chang's retreating back and said venomously:
"I will return!"
"If the Other Shore Flower is no longer there by then, I will make your body be pierced by ten thousand swords, subjected to all the tortures of the world, and make you unable to live or die!"
After uttering its threats, the sword spirit controlled the Gan Jiang sword and fled in the opposite direction, soon disappearing from everyone's sight.
Xu Mu, standing on the mountaintop, watched the sword that suddenly departed, somewhat bewildered.
Why did it stop pursuing?
Buzz!
Before he could figure it out, Qiong Qi, carrying Yan Yu in its mouth, flew onto the mountaintop.
Its arrival startled the assembled lords, but Qiong Qi paid them no mind, directly placing Yan Yu on the ground and panting, "Quick... save him, your friend is not doing well!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Mu quickly bent down and placed his hand on Yan Yu's pulse. His divine power flowed into Yan Yu's body, and his expression gradually became solemn: httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
"The amplitude of his heartbeat is so weak, almost nonexistent, yet it still maintains a uniform rhythm."
"There's a penetrating wound on his chest, but it has already scabbed over. The blood supply in his body is sufficient, so there shouldn't be any problem. But why are his cells all degenerated?"
Xu Mu was somewhat surprised. Yan Yu's physical condition at the moment was like that of an elderly person in their twilight years, yet he was clearly in the prime of his life at twenty.
"His life essence is almost depleted, yet his vitality and blood are still present. It doesn't look like he was drained by an alien. What did you all do down there?"
Xu Mu was perplexed. He had never seen such a situation where only the life essence was lost, but the vitality and flesh remained.
Even if he didn't know what had happened, he still had to save Yan Yu's life.
Xu Mu fumbled on his body for a while, then found the Six-Ingredient Earthly Yellow Pill he had previously prepared for Old Man Shu Ju, and fed it to Yan Yu.
"This thing can replenish some vital essence and blood, but it probably won't have much effect on his condition. I can only temporarily keep him from dying."
Qiong Qi lay on the ground, licking its wounds, and transmitted its voice to Xu Mu:
"I went to such great lengths to save him, you can't let him die. I'm still waiting for him to repay me!"
Xu Mu was somewhat speechless:
"So, what exactly did you encounter down there, and why did his sword become like this?"
Qiong Qi sighed:
"It's a long story. We encountered the Other Shore Flower underground. Yan Yu fought his way through, and just as he was about to succeed, who knew that thing was actually alive..."
Qiong Qi transmitted its voice, recounting the events in the mine from beginning to end to Xu Mu.
Xu Mu listened with increasing alarm. When he heard that the Other Shore Flower could revive the dead and allow them to reincarnate, his eyes immediately blazed with a sharp light:
"You mean, Ji Chang has the Other Shore Flower that can allow people to reincarnate?!"
Qiong Qi was startled by Xu Mu's sudden exclamation. It seemed to notice the gazes of the people around and quickly said in a low voice,
"Yes, he must have sneaked underground at some point and played the role of the mantis stalking the cicada."
Upon hearing this, Xu Mu immediately walked to the edge of the cliff.
He held the ink sword in his hand and looked towards Ji Chang, who was fleeing at the foot of the mountain. Various emotions flickered in his eyes:
"If I had the Other Shore Flower, I could let Uncle Kui reincarnate!"
Xu Mu's heart was heavy.
Except for the moment Wu Kui had just died, he had never thought of resurrection, because he had since learned that it was impossible.
But the appearance of the Other Shore Flower made him realize that resurrection was not impossible.
As long as he obtained the Other Shore Flower, Wu Kui could be revived, and he could wash away the sins of this body and gain salvation.
And there was only one Other Shore Flower.
Should he snatch it?
Xu Mu fell into a dilemma. In the cultivation world, everyone had the right to contend for opportunities. In front of this, there were no true enemies or friends.
If he fought Ji Chang for the Other Shore Flower, no one could say anything.
However, if he did such a thing, what would be the difference between him and the bandit-like actions of Nan Feng and his ilk?
"Brother Hao Han..." Qiong Qi saw Xu Mu clench his sword and suddenly became a little nervous.
It naturally knew what Xu Mu was struggling with. Under the temptation of the Other Shore Flower, no one could remain calm. However, it had already regarded Xu Mu as a friend, and it did not wish for its friend to do such a thing.
Xu Mu's heart was in a violent struggle until Ji Chang's figure disappeared from his sight. He watched him leave.
He suddenly sighed:
"Forget it."
"When a person dies, their lamp is extinguished. Kui Uncle would probably prefer to die than have me do such a thing."
Xu Mu shook his head and took half a step back. In the end, he did not make a move.
Every family has its own difficulties. Everyone might have something they cannot let go of. If he snatched this Other Shore Flower, it would be like killing the person or item that the other party cared about the most, once again.
Xu Mu asked himself, he could not do such a thing.
"Since I missed the chance to compete, it means I have no fate with it. Since it already has an owner, then so be it."
Xu Mu muttered to himself, bringing this matter to a conclusion.
Seeing Xu Mu's state, Qiong Qi inexplicably felt relieved.
"How is your injury? Is it serious?" Xu Mu looked at Qiong Qi and then asked.
"It's okay. I just used my innate divine ability too frequently, so I'm a bit tired." Qiong Qi closed its eyes and slowly recovered.
It had sprayed too much Samadhi True Fire in that mine. It was normal to be tired, as it had only recently entered the Lord realm.
"Brother Hao Han actually cares about me."
A warm current flowed through the little Qiong Qi's heart. For so many years, it had never met a demon of the same age within its clan, so it had never had a true friend. Xu Mu's appearance filled this void, which was why it had been so nervous earlier.
Although Xu Mu was human, his talent was no less than that of their divine beast clan. To put it broadly, it was like the friendship between Fuxi and their ancestor Qiong Qi in the past.
So, the little Qiong Qi suddenly became very happy.
"Well, it's good that you're alright." Xu Mu patted the little Qiong Qi's fur and then said, "Come with me. I want to go and take a look there."
The little Qiong Qi opened its eyes and then found that Xu Mu was pointing in the direction of the mine, which could collapse at any moment. Undoubtedly, it was dangerous.
Qiong Qi was puzzled:
"Why go there? The Other Shore Flower is already gone."
Xu Mu hummed and said,
"I know, but many great demons died there."
Qiong Qi was even more puzzled:
"So?"
Xu Mu thought of the golden egg that liked to drink blood and smiled mysteriously at Qiong Qi:
"I have an egg here. It likes to drink blood."
"Drink blood?"
Qiong Qi's eyes were confused. As a divine beast, it had never seen such a miraculous egg.
So it asked:
"What kind of egg is it?"
Xu Mu flipped over and climbed onto Qiong Qi's back, replying:
"It's a... dragon egg!"