noffsinger Chapter 37: Spirits and Monsters [Requesting Recommendation Votes]
Chapter 37: Spirits and Monsters [Requesting Recommendation Votes]
"They've actually set their sights on the two ancestors!" Yang Jiuli's divine sense took in the whole scene.
He remained quite calm about this and showed no intention of making a move.
He simply stared silently at the movements underground.
He wanted to see what kind of monsters these were, and whether they were as he had expected.
Under Yang Jiuli's watchful eye, a branch with an eye emerged from under the coffin in each of the two tents.
The eye on the branch carefully peered into the tent.
Inside the tent of Mingjian Manor, Qin Shisan sat cross-legged on a couch next to the coffin.
For Qin Shisan, the ancestor was related to the life and death of his daughter, so he dared not be careless and therefore personally guarded the place.
Inside the tent at Piaoxue Mountain Villa, Yang Xuan also stayed by the old ancestor's side.
He dared not be careless in the slightest, for if his ancestor were lost, he would not be able to face his clansmen.
A hundred years from now, we will not be able to face our ancestors.
However, they all have their eyes closed now, as if they are asleep.
The branch that emerged from the soil shimmered and turned, glanced at the sleeping Qin Shisan and Yang Xuan, and then shrank back under the coffin.
Then, beneath the coffin, the soil writhed, and in an instant, countless branches sprouted and coiled around the coffin.
These branches shone with a vibrant green light, but they were rather ordinary and did not sprout any eyes.
Clearly, these evil spirits also seemed to have discovered the coffin's extraordinary nature and wanted to steal it.
"They've actually set their sights on the two ancestors; they certainly have quite the appetite!" Upon seeing this, Yang Jiuli's gaze turned cold.
A thought suddenly occurred to him.
boom!
Just as the branches were about to wrap around the coffin, trying to steal it from the ground, a cold light suddenly shone from the coffin.
In the dim light, a talisman was activated directly in front of the coffin lid.
The next instant, a burst of cold air erupted, freezing all the branches that were wrapped around the coffin.
Even the ground beneath the coffin was frozen.
A chill swept in, startling Qin Shisan and Yang Xuan awake.
For a moment, inside the two tents...
The two grandmasters suddenly focused their eyes, and with a flick of their gazes, they saw the branches that were wrapped around the coffin and frozen.
It seemed that the grandmaster had been awakened.
Immediately, the sound of branches straining and trying to break free of the ice crystals came from the ground.
Qin Shisan's eyes flashed and locked onto the ground. He waved his hand, and the sword box beside him opened, with the Autumn Water Sword flying into his palm.
Then, with a swift stroke of the Autumn Water Sword, sword energy surged forth, severing the branch in two.
Some branches shone brightly, then broke off a section, shrank directly into the ground, and disappeared without a trace.
On the other side, Yang Xuan grabbed a long spear and slashed it horizontally at the branches that were wrapped around the coffin.
A branch was cut off.
In addition, several branches in the corner emitted a green light that melted the ice, disappearing directly into the ground.
They seemed to know that Grandmasters were not easy to deal with.
Hearing the commotion outside the tent, Qin Jianhe immediately went inside.
Yang Qin also walked into Yang Xuan's tent.
Their eyes flickered, and they each looked down at the coffin.
There were sections of frozen branches there.
The cuts on the branches are smooth, as if cast from gold and iron, and they even emit a green light.
Unless a grandmaster intervenes, an ordinary person would be unable to sever these branches.
"Master, what happened?" Qin Jianhe looked on in surprise as he saw the frozen branches scattered on the ground.
"Just now, branches sprouted from the ground, trying to steal the coffin," Qin Shisan said.
"You mean there are branches used to steal the coffin?" Upon hearing this, Qin Jianhe was stunned.
Qin Shisan nodded slightly.
"How is this possible?" Qin Jianhe gasped.
The presence of a fearless and ruthless "demon" already felt beyond the realm of common sense to him.
Was this branch used to steal a coffin?
Could it be that the trees have come to life?
"The 'Black Abyss' is no simple matter! Anything is possible!" Qin Shisan said solemnly. "Be careful in everything you do."
"Yes!" Qin Jianhe nodded.
"If it weren't for the tricks that my nephew Jiuli left on the coffin, the ancestor would probably have been stolen." Qin Shisan gasped, feeling a chill of fear. Those tree branches seemed to have the ability to burrow underground. Once the ancestor was dragged underground, how could he have caught up?
Without the support of their ancestor, how could they possibly compete with Grandmaster Wei?
"This Ninth Young Master is indeed a capable person!" Qin Jianhe said. "Where do you think he learned his extraordinary skills?"
"Perhaps the ancestor 'Yang Xiangru' obtained some ancient secret technique in the 'Black Abyss' and learned it!"
Qin Shisan said.
"The 'Black Abyss'...is indeed a fascinating treasure trove!" Qin Jianhe said, taking a deep breath.
Upon hearing this, he also wished he could obtain the opportunity in the "Black Abyss" and be as miraculous as Ninth Young Master.
……
In another tent.
"It was Ninth Young Master who had foresight, actually leaving a mark on the coffin beforehand."
When Yang Qin heard that tree branches were being used to steal the coffin, he secretly exclaimed in surprise how close it had come to disaster.
At the same time, he also admired his young master to the point of complete awe.
"Jiu'er's talent is rare in this world!" Yang Xuan nodded repeatedly, his eyes shining as he mentioned his son.
……
Seeing that the branches had receded, Yang Jiuli did not pursue them.
"It seems there is a tree demon in the 'Black Abyss'." Yang Jiuli withdrew his divine sense.
His brow relaxed, and his tense nerves were able to unwind.
At this point, he was certain that the one who had abducted Qin Xiaoyi and the others was a tree demon, not an evil cultivator.
In comparison, tree demons are easier to deal with than evil cultivators!
……
The camp returned to calm.
Nothing happened that night.
The following day, September 17th, was sunny.
The members of the three major families packed their bags early and set off for the 'Black Spirit Pool'.
The Black Spirit Pool is not large, covering an area of 120 square meters.
The pool was shrouded in mist, and in the center was a small island platform, six zhang wide.
There is a pond in the middle of the island, where lotus flowers are in full bloom, making it look beautiful.
There was no black fog here, and the view was extremely open.
Beside the Lingtan Pool, there is a path paved with bluestone.
There are also rows of willow trees growing vigorously.
Most willow trees can grow to over twenty meters tall, but there is one willow tree that occupies an entire area by itself.
The willow tree is a hundred meters tall, its branches drooping down, its shade covering most of the spirit pool.
It carried an inexplicable, invisible force, seemingly poised to engulf the spiritual pool at any moment.
After walking for two hours, Yang Jiuli and the others arrived at the edge of the Black Spirit Pool.
"My lords, my imperial lord has been waiting at the Spirit Pool for quite some time."
At that moment, a figure flashed by; it was Wei Da.
They came to inform us well in advance.
The three factions followed Wei Da toward the spirit pool ahead and stopped on the bluestone path beside it.
Tang Yuan and Yang Xuan looked around and breathed a slight sigh of relief when they found that there was no one lying in ambush.
Then, they looked at the spirit pool in front of them.
Yang Jiuli glanced around at the surroundings and then looked away, focusing his gaze on the spirit pool ahead.
He did not release his divine sense, appearing no different from an ordinary person.
On the bluestone path, Qin Shisan's eyes flickered as he looked ahead through the mist.
But on the small island platform in the spirit pool, Wei Wuji and Wei Zhan were looking at them.
Seemingly noticing Qin Shisan's gaze, Wei Wuji smiled slightly and gestured.
Wei Zhan's gaze shifted, looking at Yang Qin and Qin Jianhe, who were carrying coffins among the three families, his face grim.
"Father..." Qin Zhixue looked at Qin Shisan and was about to speak when Wei Wuji reached out and pressed her acupoint to silence her.
Qin Zhixue was speechless.
She looked at Qin Shisan with a face full of anxiety.
"Xue'er, don't be afraid, Father is here!" Upon seeing this, Qin Shisan frowned and then quickly comforted his daughter.
This master swordsman showed his tender fatherly love at this moment.
"Master Qin, I've brought what I asked for!" Wei Wuji held his sword in his left hand and put his right hand behind his back, looking at Qin Shisan with a dignified air, and said word by word.
"I've brought the items!" Qin Shisan flipped his left hand, and a token made of purple-gold appeared in his palm.
Beside him, a token also appeared in Yang Jiuli's left hand.
Tang Yuan also took out the Black Abyss Ancient Token.
The three families had already agreed that as long as Qin Zhixue was rescued, they would kill Wei Wuji immediately and take back the 'Black Abyss' ancient token.
What if Wei Wuji wants to escape?
Are these two grandmasters just sitting around doing nothing?
Therefore, Tang Yuan also took out the "Black Abyss" ancient token.
"Good, good!" Upon seeing this, Wei Wuji's eyes lit up, and he said "good" twice.
"I have brought the ancient decree as promised. Please release my daughter, Mr. Wei!" Qin Shisan said, looking at Wei Wuji.
"Hand over the ancient token first, and I will release Miss Qin!" Wei Wuji said coldly.
"Hand over the ancient token first?" Qin Shisan said. "What if you take the token and then back out?"
"Since Master Qin has reservations, you can hand over one ancient token first. Then, we'll exchange the remaining two tokens for the person in one hand and the tokens in the other... How about that?" Wei Wuji said.
Qin Shisan looked thoughtful; the Black Abyss Ancient Token was his biggest trump card.
What if Wei Wuji takes the ancient token and tries to cooperate with the other two companies?
After all, in this world, there are no eternal enemies, only interests.
Rather than fighting and killing with the Wei royal family, it would be better to explore opportunities together.
"What, Master Qin is unwilling?" Wei Wuji's gaze sharpened, and he said in a cold tone, "Is a 'Black Abyss' ancient token more valuable than a thousand pieces of gold?"
Qin Shisan's gaze sharpened as he looked at Qin Zhixue on the small stone island in the pool ahead, a look of struggle on his face.
"Master Qin, to tell you the truth, your daughter obtained an opportunity in the 'Black Abyss' a few days ago, and is expected to break through to the Grandmaster realm in the future... If it weren't for the 'Black Abyss' ancient token, I would have nipped her in the bud long ago. Since you are unwilling to change her, I will eliminate this scourge today!" Wei Wuji said coldly, extending his right hand from behind his back and pointing his fingers as if it were a sword.
Purple sword energy flickered from his fingertips, about to pierce Qin Zhixue's neck.
The purple aura was about to pierce her neck. Qin Zhixue felt a chill run down her spine, as if death was approaching. Fear surged into her heart. She struggled immediately, but her body was bound by the purple aura and she could not break free. Helplessness was evident in her eyes.
With a glimmer of hope, she looked at her father by the pool.
"I'll hand it over!" Upon seeing this, Qin Shisan frowned and immediately shouted. With a flick of his hand, the 'Black Abyss' ancient token in his palm transformed into a rainbow of light and flew directly towards the stone platform in the lake ahead. Wei Wuji flicked his hand, and purple energy swirled out, enveloping the ancient token.
The next instant, the ancient token was rolled into Wei Wuji's palm.
"Hehe, not bad, not bad!" Wei Wuji laughed. "Master Qin is indeed a benevolent father."