Chapter 80: Energy Field!
Chapter 80: Energy Field!
Although they had already known these people’s identities, having Chen Yihan confirm it himself still surprised several people, especially Ahu and Bu Yunyan. The Imperial Family, to ordinary people, was a lofty and unreachable existence! An average person might not even see a City Lord in their entire lifetime, and above City Lords were numerous high officials and nobles… Yet the person before them stood above all those high officials and nobles! He was even someone the Emperor had to treat with respect!
Who would dare say his guarantee was empty words?
Learn martial arts well, sell them to the Emperor’s family!
These two sayings, not only applied in Qin Li’s original world, but also held true here on the Tianyuan Continent!
So, most obviously, Ahu, the filial son who always wanted to provide a better life for his parents, was breathing rapidly, his face flushed red.
Although Bu Yunyan was shocked by the identity of the white-haired, youthful-looking old man, as a woman, her enthusiasm for power was not that strong. So, after hearing his words, she only looked slightly moved, but not overly excited.
As for Leng Yao, she was completely unmoved. Her indifferent expression seemed to indicate this matter had nothing to do with her. Instead, she seemed very interested in the dead Black Water Kui Bull on the ground.
Although Ahu’s heart burned with excitement, he still glanced at Qin Li. In his view, there was no reason for Qin Li to reject such a good offer. Why did they fight so desperately? Wasn’t it to seek wealth and nobility! Now, a huge opportunity lay before their eyes. As long as they could leave Phoenix Lake alive, they would be people connected to the Imperial Family in the future!
At that time, the so-called Three Great Families of Huangsha City, the City Lord’s Mo Family, would pose no threat to them at all! Qin Li would no longer need to hide his identity and skulk around. He could also elevate his parents to become noble masters!
Chen Yihan was slightly startled. Ahu’s action couldn’t escape his notice as a super expert. He thought to himself, so this seemingly most incapable young man was actually their leader. Thinking this, he turned his gaze to Qin Li. He didn’t even apply any pressure on Qin Li because Chen Yihan was afraid that if he did, this young man might be scared witless!
This was not an exaggeration. The pressure from a Heaven-Rank Expert was something ordinary people could not resist.
“What? Does this require consideration?” Chen Yihan raised an eyebrow, his voice even, betraying no emotion. However, Qin Li clearly felt a flash of killing intent from this person.
The Innate Purple Qi was extremely sensitive. Chen Yihan never imagined that this young man he completely looked down upon was actually a martial artist hiding his true capabilities.
“Hehe, if I said I refuse, would you kill me immediately?” Qin Li asked back with a smile.
“What do you think?” Chen Yihan retorted coldly, his gaze icy.
Outmatched in skill, Qin Li was just about to nod and agree when suddenly, a terrifying pressure rose from the forest behind them. It was like a thick morning fog enveloping the mountains, overwhelmingly pressing towards them!
To be precise, it was pressing towards Chen Yihan!
However, Qin Li and the others were still somewhat affected. For a moment, they felt as if a weight of ten thousand pounds was pressing on their chests, almost suffocating them!
Fortunately, that pressure swept past them in an instant, focusing entirely on Chen Yihan.
Ah!
Chen Yihan roared fiercely, erupting with the full aura of a Heaven Rank Martial Artist to counter this pressure. But his body still retreated backward. When he reached the lake shore, he didn’t even have a chance to gather his energy to float on the water’s surface.
Splash! Splash! Splash!
Sounds of water echoed as Chen Yihan was forced directly into the lake!
Only when the water reached past Chen Yihan’s waist did the pressure suddenly stop. A voice, whose gender was indistinguishable, came forth, as if emanating from ten-thousand-year-old ice, incredibly cold.
“Who are you? How dare you kill the sacred beast of my lake!”
By now, the sky had darkened. Stars filled the sky, but there was no moonlight. The voice drifted erratically, carrying a tone of anger. Standing in the water, Chen Yihan still felt cold sweat instantly cover his forehead and back!
He loudly stopped his companions on the ruins in the center of the lake, who had heard the commotion and wanted to come over. What a joke! With a super Spirit Beast beyond the Heavenly Rank here, anyone who came would be delivering themselves to death!
“Esteemed senior, may I ask who you are? This junior is Chen Yihan, the Chief Retainer of the Azure Dragon Kingdom’s Imperial Family. I came here with no intention of offending the various seniors of Phoenix Mountain. If I have overstepped in any way, I beg for your forgiveness!” Chen Yihan forcibly suppressed the fear in his heart. He didn’t even dare to circulate his energy to protect himself while in the water, fearing it might cause a misunderstanding with this super-powerful Spirit Beast.
“Hmph, if you want to go search for treasure in those dilapidated houses, then go search. The Black Water Kui Bull offended you, so its death was deserved. But you actually wanted to take its Mystic Elixir and absorb its Essence Blood? Do you not hold the Spirit Beasts of Phoenix Mountain in your eyes?”
Hearing this, Chen Yihan became even more terrified and fearful. Make enemies with all the Spirit Beasts of Phoenix Mountain? Not just him, but even the entire Imperial Family of the Azure Dragon Kingdom probably wouldn’t dare. It wasn’t necessarily that they couldn’t defeat these Spirit Beasts, but if a real fight broke out, they would suffer heavy losses even if they killed many. Who would do such a pointless thing?
Although he was somewhat suspicious about why the super Spirit Beast he encountered today was so reasonable and didn’t immediately swat him to death with a claw, Chen Yihan’s heart was currently filled only with relief!
Many things could be faked, but this presence… absolutely could not be faked! To pressure him, Chen Yihan, to such an extent, forcing him back into the lake, making him unable to even think of resisting… besides a Spirit Beast that had broken through the Heavenly Rank and achieved Transformation, who else could do this?
“Senior, this junior was wrong. I beg senior to forgive this junior’s mistake…”
Qin Li and the others stared dumbfounded at the scene before them. The Heaven-Rank Expert, the Imperial Chief Great Retainer, who had just been brimming with overwhelming power, now stood like an obedient child, his expression sincere enough to move even a cold-hearted person.
“You may leave. Do not harm the Spirit Beasts of Phoenix Lake and Phoenix Mountain again! Otherwise… oh, right, one more thing…”
Chen Yihan had just wanted to fly away, but hearing this, he had no choice but to stand obediently in the lake and say, “Please instruct me, senior!”
“These humans, I find them pleasing. You are not allowed to force them to do anything! If they want to enter those broken houses to search for treasure, you must protect them!”
Dizzy… Really?
Not only Chen Yihan, but even Qin Li and the others, upon hearing this, looked utterly incredulous. They thought, since when did super Spirit Beasts become so nice? Did they know about robbing the rich to help the poor?
Fortunately, Chen Yihan had heard that super Spirit Beasts had all sorts of quirks. He cursed inwardly, thinking, if he had known it would be like this, why did he insist on coming to the shore to pull these people out? Not only did he lose his meat shields, but he also gained four ancestors!
With their level of strength, entering the ruins would be no different from seeking death!
But right now, he didn’t dare utter a single word of refusal. He could only bow his head and say in a deep voice, “This junior understands.”
“Mm, you may leave!” The voice carried endless disgust, as if speaking to him was a disgraceful matter.
Chen Yihan took a deep look at Qin Li and the others. He thought to himself, if you lot dare to be ungrateful and treat the Royal Attendants as your bodyguards, the first ones I will kill inside the ruins are you!
Fortunately, Qin Li and the others showed no intention of going with him. Chen Yihan slowly rose from the lake, using his energy to dry his clothes. He was also an old man over one hundred and thirty years old. Although a Heaven Rank Martial Artist’s body was incredibly sturdy, standing in the cold lake water for so long without using his energy wasn’t a comfortable experience.
Bowing towards the pitch-black forest, Chen Yihan flew away. Moments later, he reached the ancient ruins, and the entire group promptly withdrew.
Obviously, they all believed today was not suitable for entering the ruins and planned to try again tomorrow.
After Chen Yihan left, deep within the dense forest, the White Fox girl finally let out a long sigh of relief. A trace of fatigue showed in her lively, beautiful eyes. If she weren’t injured, maintaining this presence wouldn’t be a problem. But now she was seriously wounded. Just this short moment had already exhausted her energy. Using the last bit of her strength, she said to Qin Li, “Young man, I can see you have the best aptitude. You should eat the Black Water Kui Bull’s Inner Core. It will be good for you. As for the rest, you can handle it yourselves.”
After saying this, the White Fox could no longer maintain her human form. She transformed back into a white fox and vanished like a ghost into the dense forest.
Qin Li and the others stood there dumbstruck. After a long while, Leng Yao finally said with an incredulous expression, “I’ve never heard of a Spirit Beast acting like this, letting a human eat the Inner Core of its own kind… This, this is too unbelievable!”
Bu Yunyan, on the other hand, wasn’t as surprised. She smiled and said, “What’s the big deal? Different species.”
“No, usually, among Spirit Beasts, even if they are mortal enemies, when facing outsiders, they are extremely united! Unless…” Leng Yao seemed to think of something, then shook her head and whispered, “Unless it’s to repay a kindness.”
“Repay a kindness?” Qin Li frowned and said, “That little thing? Impossible! It was just an ordinary animal!”
“Regardless, we’ve… struck it rich this time!” Ahu looked at the Black Water Kui Bull’s corpse and couldn’t help but praise. Then, with an extremely serious expression, he said to Qin Li, “Brother Qin, you should eat this Inner Core right away!”
Leng Yao chimed in at this point, “I have a feeling that Royal Retainer won’t give up easily! After you take it, refine it here right away. He won’t come looking for us again for a little while. Once you fully absorb it, we can leave this place! We’ve gained enough from this trip. There’s no need to venture into the ruins and take risks!”
“How long can a Spirit Beast’s Inner Core be preserved?” Qin Li asked, looking at Leng Yao.
“One year!” Leng Yao answered without hesitation. “If you have a superior container, even ten years is possible! A Spirit Beast’s Inner Core is formed from the condensation of the essence of heaven and earth. After it’s taken out, the Spiritual Energy will slowly dissipate. So it’s best to consume it within a year. But looking at the current situation, you’d better take it immediately. At worst, you can agree to Chen Yihan’s request and join the Imperial Family. It wouldn’t be too bad a deal!”
“Never mind. I won’t take it now. Sister Leng Yao, let’s extract the Inner Core and collect the Essence Blood. Brother Ahu, please skin the Black Water Kui Bull. Wait for me on the shore. I’m going to take a look around those ruins now. If I haven’t come out by dawn, you should immediately return to the peak of the mountain over there. I have a premonition that something has been protecting us all along! Otherwise, we absolutely wouldn’t have made it to this place. Wait for me there for one day. If I still haven’t come out, then you should go back. Leave the Azure Dragon Kingdom in the future and live under assumed names. Brother Ahu, don’t place any confidence in Chen Yihan. In his eyes, we are worthless!”
After saying this, Qin Li took a deep look at everyone and added, “As for the Inner Core… let Leng Yao keep it for now. If I don’t return, you can refine it into Alchemical Pills and sell them for a large sum!”
“No!” Ahu firmly refused. Although he really wanted to join the Imperial Family, hearing Qin Li’s words made him think there was some truth to it. He couldn’t rest easy letting Qin Li go alone to take such a risk.
“I’ll go with you!”
“Me too!”
“And me!”
Qin Li was deeply moved. He smiled as he looked at each of them and said, “Your willingness is enough. My true strength is something you can’t comprehend. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”
As Qin Li spoke, his body seemed to have no weight at all. In an instant, he floated more than ten meters away. In the blink of an eye, he was already a hundred meters away!
Ahu and the others stared, utterly stupefied, as if turned to stone. Even from the Heaven-Rank Experts just now, they hadn’t seen such a high-level Lightness Skill!
How could they know that turning a peerless Lightness Skill into a Combat Technique was unique in the entire Tianyuan Continent… there was no other like it!