“Master hasn’t come to see me all day…”
In front of the bed in the small cabin, Li Qingran stopped her cultivation, propping her cheeks with both hands as she gazed at the void, a hint of sadness appearing between her brows.
Usually, even if Master was busy, he would at least check on her once a day.
This was the first time he hadn’t shown up all day.
Could it be that he encountered an insurmountable demon beast in that subspace and got seriously injured?
“If only the Central Continent Secret Realm could open earlier,” Li Qingran bit her lip and sighed.
Every day, she would use Dragon Pattern Waves to refine spiritual herbs, which was the only preparation she could do for crafting the Hundred Herb Detoxifying Pill. Aside from that, she could only cultivate hard; there was nothing else she could help with.
【Qingran.】
A familiar sensation of gaze washed over her, and Li Qingran’s eyes brightened: “Master!”
“Master, where have you been? Did you encounter something? Disciple misses you very much…”
【Hmm, I fought a great demon and was injured quite heavily, but it has been resolved… However, one of my companions sacrificed himself to save me; his body is shattered, and only a remnant soul remains.】
“Ah…” Li Qingran opened her mouth and fell silent for a moment. She didn’t utter any other comforting words but obediently took out a bottle of spiritual wine from under the bed belonging to Danzong and poured a cup for Master, softly saying, “Master, this is Danzong’s solution to worries. Although I’m not great with alcohol, I can still share a pot with you.”
Chen Huaian didn’t refuse, clicking 【Drink】, and the cup of spiritual wine appeared at his side, instantly filling the entire containment room with the aroma of alcohol, waking up Ba Ji, who had been dozing off.
He glanced at the nearby Nine Turns Spiritual Orchid, who was eyeing him hungrily, then continued to lie there in a state of fatigue.
Luck was against him; even a tiger would fall prey when down on its luck. If he were at his peak strength, how could he fear such a small grass spirit?
The Danzong wine was strong, and after just one cup, Li Qingran was already feeling tipsy, her cheeks flushed with color.
Taking advantage of the slight inebriation, her courage to speak grew a bit bolder.
“Master, please don’t be sad. For the sake of the people, you are a great hero. That senior definitely wouldn’t want to see you upset… Disciple will also work hard to cultivate, striving to become a sharp sword standing behind you, so that Master won’t have any regrets about life and death separations.”
Chen Huaian chuckled upon hearing this, replying with a smile, “What’s this? With you guarding my back, I’m invincible?”
Upon hearing this, Li Qingran’s face turned even redder, pouting slightly and murmuring, “Disciple… disciple will become very strong, very strong, and I can also protect Master…” As she spoke, she leaned against the head of the bed, her eyelids growing heavy.
She was drunk.
Her intoxicated face, unlike a typical girl’s bashful blush, resembled that of a raccoon that had stolen some celestial nectar, her cheeks rubbing against the sleeve adorned with embroidered koi, mumbling, “Master… this wine is much harder to recite than the Sword Classic…”
Moonlight cascaded over the intricate window, dyeing the half jar of spiritual wine spilled on the table a frosty hue. The copper bell at the eaves jingled lightly in the wind, startling the silver bell on the girl’s wrist, which had loosened, but it did not wake the person curled in the quilt, who was deep in slumber.
Chen Huaian couldn’t help but laugh silently and moved the spiritual wine a bit away.
What a joke. Li Qingran got tipsy with just one cup; if he had even a sip, wouldn’t he die right there in the containment room?
He might as well dilute it with water, maybe there was some special effect.
He used his finger to smooth out the quilt for Li Qingran.
His gentle gaze gradually sharpened.
There were several urgent matters he wanted to address.
First and foremost was helping Li Qingran through the challenges of the Central Continent Secret Realm, eliminating all threats; secondly, he needed to see if there was any way in the Cangyun Realm to resurrect the Wuzzy Beard, as he believed the so-called remaining consciousness was simply incomplete—Three Souls and Seven Spirits, it must be possible to summon souls. Being a smuggler was just a byproduct of that.
Finally, he needed to improve his strength.
The reality of the situation had changed dramatically, and the emergence of the Corpse King Emperor Jiang had left him feeling utterly insecure. With the sudden appearance of the Corpse King Emperor Jiang, who knew if an even stronger foe would appear next?
He certainly did not have a second Purple Cloud Divine Thunder Talisman.
Opening his character bag, Chen Huaian saw three new items.
【Demon Cultivator Fragment, Broken Soul-Settling Nail, Emperor Sword – Sunken River】
“Got some loot!” Chen Huaian felt a weight lift off his heart. It could be confirmed that the Corpse King Emperor Jiang had been obliterated by the Purple Cloud Divine Thunder Talisman—this was great news, no need to guard against the sixth elder’s trickery.
However, the items dropped were quite peculiar.
For instance, this broken Soul-Settling Nail; he vaguely remembered it should have been nailed to Emperor Jiang’s face. Yet, incredibly, the nail had a string of numbers inscribed on it—137.
What does this mean?
A serial number?
Employee number? Or is this the 137th Emperor Jiang, implying that there are at least one hundred thirty-six others? Or perhaps it’s just part of a mysterious code, with the complete code linking to a tremendous secret or vast treasure?
Chen Huaian shook his head, “No, is there a possibility that this is simply the number stamped on the nail when it was produced, indicating it’s the 137th Soul-Settling Nail, and that collecting all the other Soul-Settling Nails would give you a silicone doll of Emperor Jiang?”
His imagination was still too rich; he should probably rein it in a bit.
Looking at the Emperor Sword – Sunken River, the scabbard was wrapped in the skin of a wyrm, encasing a millennium-old dark wood. The sword’s hilt was made from dragon bone, intertwined with black wyrm silk, while the blade was forged from underworld iron and cold crystal from the Milky Way, presenting a dark silver color, with water ripples appearing faintly along both edges.
The main feature was the blade covered in chilling aura; a sword with such effects was undoubtedly a valuable item.
【Emperor Sword – Sunken River (Superior Spiritual Artifact / Missing Sword Soul): Emperor Jiang, the merchant emperor. In the midst of great drought, rivers dried up, Emperor Jiang forged the sword “Sunken River,” drawing water from the Milky Way to save the people. Upon completion, Emperor Jiang collapsed from exhaustion, transforming his soul into a celestial dragon, eternally entrapped within the sword.】
“Oh, it even has a background story!” Chen Huaian blinked at the detailed information that appeared in the game, muttering to himself, “It seems this Emperor Jiang is quite a character, serving the country and its people, a good emperor. How did he turn into a Corpse King after death? With so many Soul-Settling Nails hammered into his face… Could it be that his tomb was dug up by someone out of spite?”
He pulled Sunken River out of his bag.
The Emperor Sword immediately appeared between his knees, with a faint majestic aura emanating from the blade.
“Good sword, good sword!”
Chen Huaian reached out to touch the sword’s hilt.
But before he could reach it, a layer of frost enveloped his hand, and he realized if he got any closer, his hand would freeze.
The hilt of this sword was not for him to touch!
“Bah!”
Chen Huaian’s lips twitched, and he directly hung Sunken River on the wall.
This sword was constantly exuding cold air, making it a perfectly good air conditioner, right?
In winter, it wouldn’t be useless either.
As long as he put it in a cardboard box, the box would become a refrigerator.
“My Black Scaled Sword is better; it can chop vegetables and kill enemies outside, and keep the bed warm at night.”
Chen Huaian shot a disdainful glare at Sunken River hanging on the wall, scoffing, “You broken sword can stay there and reflect on your life.”
He reopened the electronic girlfriend game.
With a hundred million in savings in hand.
It was time for the demon cultivators in the Cangyun Realm to feel the malice of the heavenly machine’s divination.
