Chapter 646 : To Heaven's End Cliff (1)
Three days flew by quickly. Jun Wu Xie and all the others had prepared everything and they officially took the first step into their journey to the Heaven's End Cliff.
With the addition of Mu Qian Fan, there was a total of seven of them on the trip. Jun Wu Xie purchased a large sized horse carriage and they all squeezed into it. She had intended to hire a coachman but Mu Qian Fan rejected the idea. The exact location of the Heaven's End Cliff was not known to many people in the world and the less people who knew of its location, the better it was for them. He did it in order to prevent the location from being leaked, and also to not invite unnecessary trouble.
The task as the coachman, was taken up by Mu Qian Fan alone, and he politely refused when Qiao Chu and the others offered to take over for intermittent periods.
In Mu Qian Fan's mind, having met Jun Wu Xie had already changed his life completely and he would put in his whole heart in his endeavours for her.
The Heaven's End Cliff from Chan Lin Town would take about two weeks at least and they travelled tirelessly during the day, setting up camp to rest at night. They joked and laughed throughout the journey, making the long trip much more enjoyable.
Besides Jun Wu Xie, Fan Zhuo and the others' Spirit Rings had been reforged. When Fan Zhuo had attempted to forge Jun Wu Xie's Spirit Ring as the last one in turn, he had found that the Black Silver completely could not meld or take shape with her Spirit Ring and that phenomenon had greatly baffled Fan Zhuo, resulting in Jun Wu Xie being the lone one among the companions with her Spirit Ring still in its original state.
To be fair, Fan Zhuo was not to blame as the Spirit Ring that the Snow Lotus morphed into was invisible and even Jun Wu Xie could not see how it really looked like. She was not even able to ascertain its shape leaving Fan Zhuo feeling helpless with the Spirit Ring's reforging.
Day by day, time passed. Throughout the journey, Jun Wu Xie experimented with all kinds of materials trying to lengthen the period the Spirit Reinforcement would take hold, but the results were still not too encouraging.
When Jun Wu Xie brought up the matter to Fan Zhuo, Fan Zhuo was shocked for a rather long while. When he tried to implement the few Spirit Reinforcement runes that Jun Wu Xie gave him on Qiao Chu's, Rong Ruo's and his own Spirit Rings, they had resulted in failure.
That had puzzled Jun Wu Xie quite a bit. She had tried by using water to write the runes and applied them on Rolly, and the effects had manifested. But when Fan Zhuo had implemented the same set of runes when he forged their rings, there had been no effect at all.
"Little Xie had discovered something so amazing but it can't be put to good use. It's really such a shame." Sitting within the moving horse carriage, Qiao Chu was holding his hand over his chest, mourning the loss he felt. When he saw Rolly's imposing and grandiose form, looking incredibly ferocious, covered fully in roaring flames from the Spirit Reinforcement, he had almost been delirious with joy! However..... it had been shortlived. The fact that it would not work when imprinted on the Spirit Ring disappointed him so badly he was about to cry.
"No worries. When Little Xie learns how to forge Spirit Rings, she should be able to reforge all of your Spirit Rings as well." Fan Zhuo comforted Qiao Chu with a laugh before he turned to look at one side of the carriage, and saw Jun Wu Xie holding cinnabar and ink within her hands.
"I believe, Spirit Reinforcement and its runes, must be fully grasped by a person before it can be used or properly applied. I might have been able to fully duplicate the characters of the runes that you provided me with, but I am unable to confer the right kind of power behind it to make it work. Your intention to learn how to forge Spirit Rings is completely correct, or it would really be a big loss if this is not pursued fully."
Having seen for himself what kind of power and possibilities that Spirit Reinforcement held, Fan Zhuo was anxious to impart to Jun Wu Xie his skills as a Ring Forger. He strongly believed that after Jun Wu Xie learnt everything he knew, she would definitely be able to create and forge Spirit Rings that would astound everyone.
Jun Wu Xie nodded. What Fan Zhuo said was exactly what she had in mind.
She had already picked up some basics of forging Spirit Rings from Fan Zhuo but she did not possess any Soul of Flames to experiment with. A Ring Forger's Soul of Flames was one with the Ring Forger. Unless inherited from someone from the same bloodline, or it would be useless even if the Soul of Flames was put right into the hands of others.
~
~
~
Chapter 647 : To Heaven's End Cliff (2)
Even Fan Zhuo did not know where his own Soul of Flames had originated from. He had inherited it from his mother who passed it down to him. Fan Zhuo was able to use it only because of their link in their blood ties.
Throughout history, it had remained a great mystery how Ring Forgers got their Soul of Flames as not a single Ring Forger had disclosed that fact to anybody.
Even Fan Zhuo's mother had never mentioned it to Fan Zhuo before.
That had caused Jun Wu Xie to be unable to act on her desire stopping her from becoming a Ring Forger.
Dusk fell. The horse carriage was within the mountain roads. They had completed about half the journey and it was estimated that they would reach the Heaven's End Cliff in another five days.
By now, Jun Wu Xie and her companions were far from civilization and there was nobody around them for a hundred miles. They couldn't see a single town all around from their high vantage point and they haven't even sighted a single person for miles.
Mu Qian Fan stopped the carriage at the side of the mountain road and Jun Wu Xie and the others stepped out from the carriage one after another. They lit a fire under a overhanging crop of rock and pitched their tents, getting ready to rest.
Although they had remained in the horse carriage all this while, but the ardours journey in the past ten days had greatly jarred their bones with the bouncy ride over much uneven terrain. Mu Qian Fan was recovering well from his injuries and more than half of the bandages that covered his body had already been removed. Although the new flesh that had grown over the wounds were badly scarred, but they were much less garish looking than before. His face was however still covered in bandages as there were times he needed to speak and it inadvertently tore at the skin, causing it to take a longer time to heal.
"I'll go find some firewood." Mu Qian Fan saw that night was approaching and he stood up and walked towards the trees.
"Mu Qian Fan is really such a great help. Throughout this journey, with the way he had been taking on all the tasks singlehandedly, I almost feel like an invalid person." Qiao Chu said as he massaged his sore knees. In the first few days of the journey, he had wanted to help Mu Qian Fan with some of the chores but he had been flatly rejected and asked to go back to join the others.
Mu Qian Fan always fought to take on all the menial tasks and never allowed them to lift a finger.
"I'll go check the vicinity to see if I can find a water source." Rong Ruo stood up, and the Spirit Ring on her finger glowed. Hell Butterflies fluttered and danced in the air around Rong Ruo, as they emerged from the ring's glow.
"I'll go with you." Fei Yan said, standing up after.
The duo followed the Hell Butterflies' lead and walked towards where they might find a water source.
Lord Meh Meh stayed near Jun Wu Xie's feet, having chewed up all the grass into a bare patch. It was still unsatisfied and it was nudging Jun Wu Xie's legs with its little wooly head.
"Meh!"
[Lord Meh Meh..... still hungry!]
The little black cat translated Lord Meh Meh's words for Jun Wu Xie and Jun Wu Xie raised her hand to pat Lord Meh Meh on the head.
Lord Meh Meh shouldn't be blamed for its voracious appetite. In the day, they all remained within the horse carriage as the wheels rattled along. Sitting in the carriage, the humans were still able to nibble on the dried rations, but Lord Meh Meh only ate fresh greens. Although its body looked tiny at the moment, Lord Meh Meh's real body was extremely huge and several square metres of grass would not be adequate for one meal. If they allowed Lord Meh Meh to have its fill every mealtime, their journey would take a whole lot longer.
"I'll go take a look around." Jun Wu Xie stood up. If it continued on like this, Lord Meh Meh would very soon protest.
Qiao Chu looked up at Jun Wu Xie with a laugh and nonchalantly reminded her to watch out for dangers before his hands quickly dived into the packs searching for dried meat, for him to roast them slowly over the fire.
In terms of powers, although Jun Wu Xie was not like them who could raise their levels to purple, but with the little black cat and Lord Meh Meh, her two ferocious protectors with her, Jun Wu Xie could very well be the one who possessed the most dominating might among all of them.
Jun Wu Xie walked towards the trees at the side with the little black cat in her arms as Lord Meh Meh followed happily, its hooves tapping on the ground, and its woolly tail bobbing behind.
~
~
~
Chapter 648 : To Heaven's End Cliff (3)
Under the thick canopy of leaves, silvery moonlight shone through, creating droplets of glowing light upon the grass, looking like a reflection of the starry sky. Jun Wu Xie stood among the light quietly, allowing Lord Meh Meh to circle around her feet, relentlessly persecuting the innocent plant life around the area.
Suddenly, Jun Wu Xie detected a slight scent of blood in the air, and she frowned at the sudden offensive smell.
Under the darkness of night, the wind was tinged with a slight chill among the trees as it softly brushed Jun Wu Xie's face, bringing with it the slight bloody scent.
"It's human blood." The little black cat exclaimed, its nose sniffing the air.
Jun Wu Xie stared in the direction that the smell was coming from. The mountain was completely deserted and not a Spirit Beast had been spotted. Even the most common beasts had not been sighted and when the scent of blood had so suddenly appeared here, it would invariably make Jun Wu Xie find it rather strange.
"Shall I go see?" The little black cat stretched, looking at Jun Wu Xie.
Jun Wu Xie nodded.
The little black cat darted away and quickly disappeared.
At the little black cat's departure, Lord Meh Meh who was still circling Jun Wu Xie's feet only looked up once lazily, staring in the direction the little black cat had disappeared into a moment, before it lowered its head once more, and continued to graze on the grass.
It was quiet all around, only the swishing of the leaves in the wind could be heard.
Suddenly, Jun Wu Xie's heart winced! That feeling gave rise to a strong feeling of unease in her heart. That was a signal transmitted from the little black cat!
Jun Wu Xie immediately picked Lord Meh Meh off the ground and ran quickly towards the direction the little black cat had disappeared into.
Among the dimly lit forest, a massive dark shadow was moving fast, weaving between the trees. Several arrows whizzed past the darting shadow, their sharp points driven deep into the tree trunks!
A massive black beast, agile like a panther, used the complicated terrain to its advantage, trying to shake off the pursuers' attacks, coming from not far behind it.
Mu Qian Fan was covered in blood as it lay upon the back of the massive black beast. His blood covered fists gripped tightly onto the skin around the black beast's neck as he vomited out mouthfuls of blood, staining the black beast's jet black fur, a dark scarlet shade.
On his back, it was a just dark blotch of red. The clothes on his back were torn and several garish wounds were clearly visible, the cut up flesh, looking alarmingly gory.
As the black beast sprinted and leapt, it left behind a trail of blood behind, on the grass.
"I won't make it..... You just escape on your own. With me dragging you down, they will catch up very soon." Mu Qian Fan said weakly, the exertion making him cough out another mouthful of blood.
"GRRR!" The black beast growled, as if refuting Mu Qian Fan's suggestion.
Mu Qian Fan gritted his teeth and released his grip. But, just as he was about to slip off the black beast's back, the black beast's tail curled tightly and held Mu Qian Fan against its back.
"My Mistress saved you, not to let you die in a place like this. Even if you don't want to live on, you still must!" The highly anxious black beast spoke in human tongue and Mu Qian Fan's eyes widened in shock, but he was too weak to say anything else.
He had been attacked earlier and just at the moment that he thought he was to die, he had suddenly spotted the little black cat that always accompanied Jun Wu Xie. Before he could even react in the slightest, the little black cat had suddenly transformed, turning into the massive black beast he was slumped across at the moment!
The black beast had pulled him out of his predicament and they had fled, but they had not been able to throw off the pursuit.
Seeing that the pursuers behind were about to catch up, Mu Qian Fan was feeling highly anxious, but he was at a loss on what to do!
Carrying Mu Qian Fan on its back, the black beast continued to sprint. But Mu Qian Fan was not like Jun Wu Xie, he was a full grown man and was heavy built. His hefty weight had greatly affected the black beast speed!
~
~
~
Chapter 649 : Nobody Messes With My Patient (1)
Suddenly, they were surrounded by several Beast Spirits, cutting off their route forward!
"ROAR! !" The black beast gave out a threatening roar. The other Beast Spirits leapt towards the black beast.
The black beast suddenly found himself battling with several other Beast Spirits.
"Go on! Run! Why are you not running anymore! ?" The pursuers caught up quickly, numbering about ten of them. They were all well built men and when they saw the black beast caught in a tangle with their ring spirits, their faces broke in gleeful smiles.
"The man's ring spirit had already been defeated by us. This black beast here is not his ring spirit. We don't know where it had sprouted out from, it seems that he has other companions around. Dispose of him quickly, to rid ourselves of more trouble." The leader of the band of men ordered with a frown, watching as their Beasts Spirits battled with the ferocious black beast.
The huge black beast was heavily surrounded. It could have easily escaped with its superior speed but it had been bogged down with a severely injured Mu Qian Fan upon its back, who greatly reduced its agility and ease of movements. Besides having to stop the attacks of the other Beast Spirits, it still had to ensure Mu Qian Fan did not come under attack.
The other Beast Spirits were not targeting the black beast. After they managed to seal off the black beast's escape, two lion type Beasts Spirits launched an incessant attack on the black beast from the front, while the other Beast Spirits circled around to the sides and back of the black beast, leaping towards Mu Qian Fan upon the its back!
"Roar!" Ignoring the attack coming from the front, the black beast suddenly stood up on its hind legs and swung its paw in a powerful swipe, smashing it onto the head of one of the other Beasts Spirits.
A loud smack resounded through the air!
That Beast Spirit was sent flying through the air and smashed onto the trunk of a tree. The overwhelming force bent the tree trunk and with a shudder, the trunk snapped!
At the same moment the black beast had sent the Beast Spirit flying out of the melee, the black beast had left itself open to attack from the other Beast Spirits. In that briefest of moments, the black beast found that a sizeable chunk of flesh had been torn from its underbelly by a smaller Beast Spirit that had slipped in under the chaos!
Even for a spirit body, having suffered from such an attack, would find itself in great agony.
The black beast dived into a roll to get out from the enemies' encirclement and it stood up panting heavily, its body twitching from the pain it felt from its underbelly.
If not for Mu Qian Fan on its back, it would have swallowed all these pesky miscreants whole one by one!
Several cold gleaming flashes came streaking towards it and the black beast leapt away quickly as three arrows thudded loudly into the ground at the spot where the black beast had just been standing!
An archer had his bow strung and he had the arrow fully pulled back, aimed right at the black massive beast, a cruel smile on his lips.
"Poor beast, I had wanted to toy with you a little more but a pity our Boss has given the word that the man upon your back must die." The archer sneered cruelly.
The black beast wished for nothing more than to tear the archer into shreds but the other Beast Spirits had once again surrounded it and was attacking from all directions. The black beast was slowly succumbing under the endless onslaught as more and more wounds appeared on its exhausted body, and it was unable to find a way out of its dire predicament!
"Leave me behind....." Mu Qian Fan pleaded with the black beast, as his heart wrenched in pain. He knew he would not live through this and if this continued on, the black beast would be dragged down together with him.
His benefactor had saved his life, and he could not cause his benefactor's ring spirit to sustain such heavy injuries!
The black beast knocked away another Beast Spirit that charged at it, not showing the slightest sign of releasing Mu Qian Fan.
Just in the band of men saw that the black beast was slowly sinking into their deathtrap, a sudden sky splitting roar tore through the earth!
All the leaves in the trees around them rustled loudly as the deafening roar reverberated around them!
The Beast Spirits that had the black beast hopelessly surrounded suddenly froze upon hearing the terrifying roar, and they found themselves trembling helplessly. Their tails drooped and curled up tightly against their bodies, their eyes suddenly filled with endless terror!
~
~
~
Chapter 650 : Nobody Messes With My Patient (2)
The black beast was in great pain, but upon hearing the ear splitting beastial roar, its eyes lit up. It raised its head and looked in the direction the roar had come from!
The ten men standing on the sides had still not recovered from their shock when their eyes suddenly saw a gargantuan black silhouette appear under the cold moonlight charging recklessly right at them. The saw that swaths of trees were being crushed like toothpicks under the black silhouette's unwavering beesline charge!
The ground below their feet trembled!
The cruel Beast Spirits' tails curled up tightly, their ears flattened against their heads, and they quickly turned in retreat.
Under the illuminance of the cold moon, the black silhouette's real looks were finally revealed before their eyes!
An immense and gigantic Spirit Beast towered over them before their eyes. Those supposedly "huge" Beast Spirits suddenly became miniscule and insignificant before the immense form of the Spirit Beast before them.
"What..... What in the world is that....." The leader of the band of men stared wide eyed with his tongue twisted as he stared incredulously at the unimaginably enormous Spirit Beast, its pure white body was further illuminated in a glow by the moonlight shining down upon it, as its magnificent nine white tails waved mesmerizingly behind, but it was in turn the most horrendous sight, a unbelievable monstrosity that had just climbed out from the deep abyss to the enemies!
They had never seen a Spirit Beast so gigantic!
"It's a Guardian Grade Spirit Beast! That is a true blue Guardian Grade Spirit Beast!" A scream sounded from among the men. None of them had expected that in such a faraway and deserted cluster of woods, would they come to encounter a Guardian Grade Spirit Beast only heard of in legends!
The group of men who had been ferociously aggressive suddenly found their legs go weak, their earlier bravado quickly seeping into the cold hard ground beneath their feet, in the face of the Guardian Grade Spirit Beast. They were frozen in their spots, unable to move an inch, praying fervently that the Guardian Grade Spirit Beast that towered over all of them would not notice their tiny and insignificant forms.
"There..... there is someone on top of the monster!" A sharp eyed man exclaimed loudly, suddenly raising up his hand, pointing at the head of the incredible massive Spirit Beast.
On top of the gigantic Spirit Beast, a tiny figure stood facing into the wind under the illuminating moonlight, staring at them with a pair of eyes that suddenly chilled them to their bones.
What shocked them further was when they discovered the figure standing on top of the Guardian Grade Spirit Beast was a human youth!
[How was that possible?]
[Spirit Beasts could never be tamed, moreover, this is a legendary Guardian Grade Spirit Beast which possessed near human intelligence!]
Jun Wu Xie stood high upon Lord Meh Meh head as she stared down with undisguised contempt in her eyes at the bunch of trembling men below. Her frosty gaze turned and she saw the heavily panting black beast standing on one side, with an unconscious Mu Qian Fan slumped across its back, fainted from an excessive loss of blood. The garish sight of Mu Qian Fan covered in bright red blood, reflected in Jun Wu Xie's chilling eyes.
"Did all of you, just injure my patient?" Jun Wu Xie's eyes were slowly bubbling with rage as she turned them upon the band of hopelessly terrified men.
"Wh..... What....." The leader of the men stammered inaudibly, as his teeth chattered loudly.
[Who was this youth! ?]
[He was actually able to make a legendary Guardian Grade Spirit Beast completely subservient to him! ?]
"Who..... Who..... are you..... We are not your enemy....." The man's mind was in a confused whirl, and Jun Wu Xie's words did not register on him.
"Oh?" Jun Wu Xie's eyebrow arched dangerously, as her lips curled up into a slight murderous smile.
"What a shame, I merely feel like killing all of you."
Her cold chilling words struck deep into the men's hearts. Their minds screamed and they suddenly found their legs. They immediately turned around and ran heedlessly back the way they had come from.
They had clearly felt the chilling murderous rage emanating from Jun Wu Xie. They were not given to opportunity to find out why the youth had suddenly wanted to kill all of them, but that did not matter anymore. They knew one thing for sure.....
If they did not run immediately, their lives would be forfeit!