107 2 Days (2)
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"I think this is enough already. Our storage devices are filled with corpses," Bibi Dong sighed. It was evening already. Aside from the Hell Civet Clan's bounty hunters now extremely cautious after the disappearance of a small group of three spirit masters of the White Tiger Clan, Bibi Dong and her group had taken care of many. If it wasn't for their own storage devices, many spots would be layered with a pool of blood, and this sharp decrease in Spirit Masters was noted by many factions.
Yesterday's fervor had already disappeared quite a bit. All the assassinations also made the group mentally tired. This time, they were pushed to their limits except for Ja Sun, Bibi Dong, and Liu Erlong. However, what somehow pissed Bibi Dong off was that their targets, at least some of them, were well-known in the business. At least, Bibi Dong knew it because it was in her training to keep an eye out for news and a few of them were even in the bounties released by Spirit Hall yet none of them revealed any spirit bones.
Stabbing the limbs to find spirit bones is only best when there are hundreds of corpses. This time, the group inspected the corpses with spirit energy but found nothing. Aside from gold and a few spirit materials meant to help a lower-ranked spirit master, there was nothing of immediate use.
So, Bibi Dong's and others' reluctance to take part in any more attacks was quite understandable. Even Ja Sun only found that the best way to raise the rank of the mission would be by going after Ground Devil Douluo. But he had his chance. Although the rotting poison was still present and Ja Sun could sense it, somehow, he felt that this morning, the poison was miraculously extinguished by a lot. A strange form of corrosion acted against his own mental poison.
In fact, Ja Sun was only able to sense this mental rot because he not only used his fourth spirit ring but also his Death Astral Combatant. Now, feeling the lost chance, Ja Sun only felt like challenging a Titled Douluo for a chance at an S-ranked mission alone.
'He could be the shark to my S-rank mission,' Ja Sun thought silently.
A rank 54 Spirit King facing a Titled Douluo renowned to be rank 93. A ridiculous thought.
But what about a Spirit King with two spirit rings above the age of 83000 years and overwhelming mental energy?
"Hello? Are you listening?" Hu Lana's face suddenly appeared in front of Ja Sun as he blinked.
"Yes. We're all tired. We all have gained plenty from this fruitful endeavor and now need to rest before planning how to kidna—" Ja Sun coughed as Bibi Dong glared, "how to persuade Tang Yuehua I meant, and quickly take off to next point in training. There's a little time left and even if Tang Yuehua will only allow us the entry to the competition, we may be lucky to find a spirit master who is at least a Spirit Ancestor."
"Good, you actually listened," Ah Yin sighed.
"Oh, shut it," Ja Sun scoffed before leaning back and losing in his thoughts once again.
'Winning against Ground Devil won't just be a matter of how. It's already revealed that he cannot be taken out in a single move. Then... there will be sacrifices. Complications. Knowledge on him is already limited but what I do know is that he is the Elder of the richest clan to ever exist. He must have a... lot of things. The word 'lot' may not even give his wealth justice.
But that's it. His mind, it's different. His sea of consciousness was extremely simple but the way it keeps absorbing and turning spirit energy into mental energy and the way it feels so brittle but yet strangely solid...'
In Disorienting Ghost Canyon, Ja Sun had used the Death Astral Combatant to take care of many spirit beasts and by that, he meant too many. Only that way, he could increase the cultivation of his spirit souls. Although the concept of spirit soul should reduce the number of deaths of spirit beasts, for Ja Sun, his progress was worth a lot of things in this world and if it takes the life of strangers, much less spirit beasts crawling in a dark canyon filled with deathly yin qi so be it. But, this experience also made him extremely familiar with the sea of consciousness of a spirit beast. A sea of consciousness could be considered the central source of one's mind. Mental energy targets a sea of consciousness in its basic form and only extreme condensation of it can actually affect the physical world.
Ground Devil's sea of consciousness was similar to a spirit beast's. And already knowing that he ate children, Ja Sun now felt that Ground Devil wasn't a cannibal. But maybe... a spirit beast. A bold theory. Truly. How can a spirit beast be so human? How can he join a clan? And moreover, Qian Daoliu verified that he was present when Ground Devil was awarded his Title. Too many questions sprung in Ja Sun's mind but he swept them right away. He knew that he was missing a piece of key information. Something that might point in the right direction. But right now, his thoughts were concentrated on having a chance at Ground Devil.
Suicide?
It may just be one. But what Ja Sun feared was not even trying it.
"Great, now he is smiling like a pervert," Erlong narrowed her eyes and Ja Sun shook his head.
2 days. That's all he had.
---
"Oh? Are you sure Ah Yin's here?" A rather handsome man with short silver hair walked alongside a dark-haired woman. Both of them looked good when standing next to each other.
The couple was none other than Oscar and Jun'er. Someone Ah Yin and Ja Sun had the pleasure of knowing from way back. But a few changes could be observed from the duo aside from their mature look. Jun'er's hair had grown till her hips as she wore black shorts and a crimson top. Her eyes staring at everyone cautiously while her nose twitched every now and then. Meanwhile, Oscar had a natural scowl on his face as if everything in his life was going bad for a long time.
"She's here," Jun'er nodded.
"Look, Jun'er," Oscar whispered as he pulled Jun'er close to himself, "I know that Feng Long's departure... was hard. But leaving Brother Zhao..."
"It's because of that owl always harping on the monster Shrek during every campfire!" Jun'er clenched her jaws and glanced at Oscar, "Before leaving... Brother Zhao asked me... for us to leave his side. I don't think because he is trying to do something stupid. But I think because he found his place with that Pervert. He wanted for us to have the same."
Oscar couldn't help but frown, "But Ah Yin... she's already with the Spirit Hall."
"And that's why we need her help. I just don't want to keep running. And even if it doesn't work, I refuse to believe Ah Yin will attack us in an instant. She isn't like that," Jun'er held Oscar's hand, pulling him into an inn while speaking, "Anyway, we're here. And if you didn't want for us to be here then you wouldn't have let us enter the city."
Looking over the counter, Jun'er almost growled, "A room!"
---
"What's going on?" Tang Yuehua inquired as she entered the living room with only Tang Hao and Tang Xiao present. Both of them revealing solemn expressions as Yuehua felt a little ominous.
"Sit down, Yue," Tang Hao sighed and pointed at the chair in front of them. Silently taking a seat, Yuehua waited. The dusk and the somber surroundings made Yuehua stifled and seeing the look on her brothers' faces only reinforced the sensation.
"Bibi Dong and Ka-ul had a discussion with us today. It's..." Tang Hao scratched the back of his ear with irritation and Tang Xiao sighed.
"We need your help. Your advice, to be precise," Tang Xiao went straight for the point and Tang Yuehua went into a daze, forgetting all about her acquired etiquettes and blurting softly: "Huh?"
It wasn't a rare sight that her brothers wished to discuss something with her. Even their father would. Her sensitivity was the greatest in the Hammer family. It could be because of her very nature or the fact that she could never relate to spirit masters, much less those as overbearing as the Clear Sky Clan. But to discuss and request suggestions for official matters...
This was new to her.
"Eldest Brother, I—"
"Just hear us out," Tang Xiao waved his hand and recited whatever transpired this morning and then even told everything that the Speed Clan noted and learned about the changes in the City in a day and the great cut of bounty hunters.
Hearing the latter portion, Tang Yuehua finally realized why Dai Mu was feeling a bit irritated since evening.
"Now, we want to hear your thoughts," Tang Hao spoke earnestly as she hesitated. Brushing a few loose strands of her hair, Tang Yuehua thought deeply before asking with a wry expression.
"My thoughts... about what?"
"We all know Ka-ul just as much as you do. But out of us three, you are the only one who found it the easiest to understand the core of any issue. What do you think about Ka-ul? Why is he willing to help you?"
"Can you give me some time to think about it? We have three days until the next meeting, right?"
The two nodded and Tang Yuehua walked away with a ponderous expression. As she entered her room, Tang Yuehua found another visitor already present. Who else could it be aside from Dai Mu?
Releasing a tired sigh inwardly, and with a calm smile on her lips, Yuehua closed the door and inquired without revealing her exhaustion after hearing the long tale from her brothers.
"Sister Mu, is everything alright?"
The blonde woman with delicate features shook her head, tears threatening to leak from her eyes as she sniffed softly.
Dai Mu sat on the edge of Yuehua's bed and shook her head.
"Sister Yuehua... I cannot contact my cousin at all. He came here to find Bibi Dong's students for me but..." Dai Mu bit her lips and began crying softly. With a complicated expression, Yuehua sat next to Dai Mu and began rubbing her back as Dai Mu cried her eyes out with her hands pushed against her face.
"I'm sorry *sob*, I really told him not to create any mess this time. Honestly. I didn't try to play with my intentions at all. I know this is important for you but he wouldn't listen. And now, even the members from my mother's clan cannot find them," Dai Mu whimpered and bent towards Tang Yuehua to hug her waist and bury her face into Yuehua's lap.
This was something everyone understood by now. At first, Tang Xiao was truly worried that Dai Mu might act rashly but this time, she didn't. But instead, a member of the White Tiger Clan came around with a haughty attitude leading a small group and now ended up disappearing. Surely, either at the hands of some ill-intentioned bounty hunter or the group this cousin of Dai Mu intended to capture.
If it was the latter, then Yuehua didn't know herself how to process her emotions. The longer she stayed here with Dai Mu, the longer it took for the chance of her breaking through her spirit rank, the more complicated she felt. But... Tang Yuehua's gaze dimmed momentarily. Dai Mu was here for the long haul. How could she not understand Dai Laohu's intentions? And even if Dai Mu might have been insincere before, she was finally honest. She had already achieved Tang Hao's trust... and affection.
"It's... it's going to be alright," Yuehua whispered. Her voice was drowned by Dai Mu's sobbing. But Yuehua kept repeating the same thing softly as if consoling herself instead of Dai Mu.
---
Ja Sun silently took out both of the 6000-year-old Cyan Wolf Left Arm Bones. One he traded with Liu Erlong, and the other one he received as a reward for his trait. Right now, he had nothing else to do in the dead of the night. He had already utilized the greatest treasure to upgrade his Vajra Gauntlets, the true use of which can only be revealed when facing a great threat. His mental energy would grow and refine automatically due to the existence of the Spirit Core, signifying that his mental energy was a little shy from an actual Titled Douluo's. His physical strength was comparable to a Rank 70+ Spirit Sage and his Spirit Energy was comfortably settled at rank 54, purified by Final Buddha Array and also quickly accumulated by Myriad Step Refining Array.
His Fiery Golden Pupils would need extraordinary treasures which he yet did not have to advance to its final rank. His practice of the Extreme Phantom Shadow Technique would need time and experience. And even more so if he wished to merge it with Storm Steps. There was still one S-ranked reward that Ja Sun did not know the use of: Evil Egg, but he had digested most of his gains.
All except for the spirit bones.
Right now, on the seat of his toilet, Ja Sun conducted an experiment that no other could imagine because none ever had the chance of obtaining two same spirit bones.
He held one arm spirit bone in each hand and looked at them ponderously. According to his trait, the act of absorbing the second Nightmare's Fantasy Skull Bone was equivalent to B-ranked difficulty. So, the difficulty of possibly combining these two arm bones should be equal to or lower than B-rank.
'But how do I achieve it?'
Ja Sun smacked the bones against themselves.
*Thck*
The sonorous sound made Ja Sun gasp in surprise.
*Thck* *Thck-a* *Thck* *Thck-a*
He instantly began to drum the spirit bones against each other with an amused smile when—
"We're trying to sleep!" Xie Xan shouted, making Ja Sun pause.
"Those aren't my farts! I promise!" Ja Sun replied with a shout before growing quiet once again.
He didn't dare inject his spirit energy into the two spirit bones. Since they were left arm spirit bone, there was a chance that he might just end up absorbing them which was by no means any benefit. After all, he had two 80000-year-old spirit bones lined up for his two arms.
After an hour of tinkering, Ja Sun let out a defeated sigh and walked out of the bathroom, finding a beautiful blue-haired woman in a white gown sitting on the edge of his bed. Her fair legs waving idly and she seemed to be lost in her thoughts. Although it was night, the woman still wore a brilliant necklace with golden veins and a shimmering diamond embedded in the center.
"You know, it would be a lie if I didn't think my existence would have inevitably forced you to enter my room," Ja Sun sighed deeply and walked towards Ah Yin before sitting next to her. "But you need to know, sweet Yin... nothing can happen between us until I'm a Spirit Emperor with six spirit rings. You have to control your urge to not burn up like a moth in the flame that is me."
Ah Yin smiled hearing all this. Her smile turned into a scoffing chuckle before she leaned back and supported her torso with her arms pushed back.
"Of course, that's the promise. Until you reach rank 61."
Ja Sun blinked.
"No... forget it. Let's just keep your promise. It's quicker!"
After all, Ah Yin only needed a spirit ring while Ja Sun still had ways to go.
"So? What happened? Are you here because of the noise?" Ja Sun questioned and Ah Yin shook her head. For a moment, Ja Sun couldn't help but glance over at Ah Yin's body. With such a thin cloth covering her, the curves of her body looked more prominent.
'To think she's just 20... well, I mean, how would she look when she is matured enough?' Ja Sun thought deeply.
"You are going to try and find that Ground Devil Douluo tomorrow, right?" Ah Yin inquired.
"Did you tell others?" Ja Sun questioned. Behavioral patterns can be noted and given that he had stopped acting in front of his team, it was just a matter of 'when' they all understand his expressions. Being the longest with him, and also seeing his rather bloody side, Ah Yin was clearly quicker in the matter.
"I thought about it. But... I think they would have tried to stop you," Ah Yin murmured.
"You won't?" Ja Sun questioned in surprise.
"The death of Titled Douluo means a high chance of spirit bone. Not to mention, Ground Devil Douluo is an Elder of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. He must have a lot of good things."
Ja Sun almost teared up. She had grown so well!
"And?" Ja Sun smiled, "You will risk it all for benefits? You didn't even participate in the war."
"That was different," Ah Yin frowned.
"How?" Ja Sun only grew more amused.
"I... don't wish to speak of it. Not now, anyway. But, if I'm with you, your chances of surviving will be higher. They always are when I'm with you."
Ah Yin suddenly stopped speaking before coughing and exhaling slightly, "I mean—"
"If I lure Ground Devil to the nearest forest, our chances will surely be greater," Ja Sun smiled and dodged Ah Yin's stare, "And I know what you meant. But... let's ask others about it, too. If they want to take a part in the greatest assassination of their lives or not," Ja Sun stood up and pulled Ah Yin with him.
"Almost lied to all of you!" Ja Sun chuckled happily when Ah Yin snorted, "Let me change clothes, at least."
Stopping with a confused expression, Ja Sun looked up and down at Ah Yin before smiling, "You look nice—"
"I'm changing clothes!" Ah Yin pulled her hand out before walking towards Ja Sun's bathroom. Before she opened the door, she turned to look at Ja Sun and inquired with a very dangerous stare, "That really was just... noise, right? I'm not judging. Even you can have a bad stomach."
Ja Sun glared at her and smirked coldly, "Oh? And you finally care? I thought you loved what everyone finds in the toilet."
"Bastard!" Ah Yin scoffed and entered the bathroom, much to her relief, it was clean.
"Petty bitch is what you are," Ja Sun walked out with a smile and woke everybody up.
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