Chapter 157: You’re Acting All Aggrieved
"Xixi entered the Hopeless Abyss."
"Yes. We were attacked by demonic beasts and Mutant Beasts in the Hopeless Abyss. That’s when Xixi got separated from us. We’ve been walking in circles here and can’t find our way out."
A cold, eerie light glinted in Sunxiao’s serpentine eyes.
"You’ve entered the Dream Forest. Some of the trees in the Hopeless Abyss have absorbed the power of dark origin stones over many years and have given rise to evil spirits. When beastmen approach, they release a white mist to bewilder you and then use the opportunity to kill you."
As he finished speaking, Sunxiao whipped his long tail, striking the tallest, most towering tree with immense force.
The tree was snapped in half at its trunk and let out a sharp, bloodcurdling scream.
It was the first time Qiao Ang and Qiao Qiao had ever seen a sentient tree, and they clutched their father’s fur tightly in fear.
Sensing the cubs’ unease, Feiyan gently swept his long tail over them reassuringly.
Sure enough, after the tree fell, the surrounding view became clear.
Sunxiao turned back to Jin Ling. "Take me to the place where you were separated from Xixi."
Jin Ling nodded and ran ahead.
Meanwhile, just as night was about to fall, Qiao Xixi finally finished burying the Bubble Fruits in all the necessary spots.
"Xixi, what do we do next?"
Qiao Xixi shook her head. "Nothing. Let’s just stand a bit further away."
Sangze obediently stood further away with Qiao Xixi. The two cubs were also curious about what she was going to do.
Qiao Xixi placed a few Bubble Fruits in Sangze’s hand.
"Sangze, can you help me and throw these Bubble Fruits over there?"
Sangze was confused, but he nodded. "Okay."
He took the Bubble Fruits and quickly threw them.
"BOOM!"
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
The moment the Bubble Fruits landed, the entire mountain range echoed with thunderous explosions.
The violent tremors under their feet almost made them lose their balance.
Sangze’s eyes widened in shock. ’How could those fruits be so powerful?’
At that moment, a team of beastmen walking through the mountain forest also felt the impact of the explosions. They stopped in their tracks. Tulun dropped to the ground, listening intently, and quickly confirmed that the sound was coming from the direction they were heading.
"Captain, it’s almost dark. Such a huge commotion... it couldn’t have been caused by him, could it?"
Tulun’s expression changed drastically. "It’s highly likely the power of the dark origin stone inside him has weakened. Hurry, pick up the pace!"
As the last ray of golden light from below the horizon swept across Sangze’s face, his heterochromatic eyes rapidly transformed.
He looked at the scene before him, slightly stunned and very surprised.
"Little female, did you do all this?"
The moment Qiao Xixi heard that voice, she knew the dark Sangze had arrived.
Qiao Xixi picked up a branch and held it out to him. "That’s right. Got a light?"
Sangze looked at her and chuckled. The two deep dimples at the corners of his mouth were still there, but the sweet, naive aura from the daytime was completely gone.
With a flick of his fingertip, Sangze ignited the branch with a cluster of flames.
Qiao Xixi walked onto the blasted-open hillside with the torch. "Little Demon, the top layer of soil has been blown away. All that’s left is to start digging, right?"
"No need, Host. There’s a tool you can borrow."
"A tool? What tool?"
"Host, look out!"
Before Qiao Xixi could finish speaking, she felt a tremor beneath her feet. Before she could figure out what was happening, she was already falling.
"Female Mother!"
"Female Mother!"
By the faint light of the torch, Qiao Xixi quickly saw a massive, bloody maw opened wide underground, waiting for her to fall right into its trap!
Just as she was about to throw a Bubble Fruit into that gaping maw, a black figure flashed by, grabbing her by the collar and pulling her up.
"Little female, that was dangerous."
Qiao Xixi met those bewitching, heterochromatic eyes, a little surprised.
The monster below, denied its meal, squirmed unhappily and rushed upward in pursuit.
Sangze carried Qiao Xixi back to solid ground. The moment they were steady, the monster burst out from the earth right after them.
Its body was as long as a giant python, but its head was round, making it look like a gigantic earthworm.
"What is that?"
"An Earth Escape Beast."
Sangze set Qiao Xixi down. "Keep your eyes wide open, little female. Today, I’ll let you see for yourself just how powerful I am."
As he spoke, his black-clad figure flickered. By the time Qiao Xixi looked again, he was already in front of the Earth Escape Beast.
A black mist instantly enveloped the Earth Escape Beast, and a strange, wretched cry filled the air.
’The sound this Earth Escape Beast makes is really awful.’
The Earth Escape Beast, severely injured by Sangze, fled back into the ground.
Sangze looked at the bottomless hole at his feet and the corner of his lip curled.
"Trying to run? It won’t be that easy."
In the next instant, his figure vanished from the hillside.
Qiao Xixi hugged Sangqi, asking worriedly, "Sangqi, can your father handle it?"
Hearing this, Sangqi’s dark eyes sparkled. "Female Mother, are you worried about Father?"
’Uh...’
’Well, he did just save me again,’ she thought. "Mhm."
Receiving an affirmative answer, Sangqi happily patted Qiao Xixi’s hand with his paw. "It’s okay, Female Mother. Father is very powerful."
Sangqi hadn’t even finished speaking when a tremor ran through the ground beneath Qiao Xixi’s feet. In the next moment, the Earth Escape Beast burst out of the ground again.
"Little female, want to come up and try my new ride?"
Qiao Xixi focused her eyes in the faint moonlight and, my goodness, Sangze was sitting on the Earth Escape Beast’s head!
Sangze and the Earth Escape Beast were like a wild horse and its tamer. No matter how its body thrashed, burrowing in and out of the ground, it couldn’t shake off Sangze, who was sitting on its head.
In the end, the Earth Escape Beast had no choice but to submit to Sangze’s tyrannical might. It lay completely still on the ground. From a distance, it really did look like a giant, mutated earthworm!
"Little female, come here."
Out of curiosity, Qiao Xixi walked over. When the Earth Escape Beast saw her, it had lost all of its earlier ferocity and was as docile as a dog.
"This ugly thing can lead you to the holy crystals."
’Ugly thing!?’
The Earth Escape Beast had just raised its head to protest when Sangze slapped it back down.
"Wuuu~"
"Still feeling wronged? Behave."
Qiao Xixi: "..."
If it weren’t for Sangze, Qiao Xixi would have never known this thing could be tamed!
"It can find the holy crystals?"
"Of course. Why else do you think this thing grew so big? It’s because it has been absorbing the energy of holy crystals for many years. How could it not know where they are?"
Qiao Xixi quickly sought confirmation from Little Demon. "Little Demon, is what Sangze said true?"
"Yes, Host. However, there are other potential dangers in the ground. you’ll need someone to protect you. I think this Sangze is a very good choice."
Qiao Xixi had indeed witnessed Sangze’s power. But from her two encounters with him, she had also come to understand his temperament a little. ’He would never help me for no reason.’
Qiao Xixi looked at Sangze and asked tentatively, "Are you willing to lend me your new pet to look for the holy crystals?"
Sangze gave her a bewitching smile. "I am."
The more he smiled like that, the more uneasy Qiao Xixi felt. "What’s the catch?"