Chapter 835 - 270: Hand Over the Heaven-Burning Furnace! (Update 1)
The Flying Beast landed on the ground, and Mu Qingge leaped down from its back.
Just as she stored the Flying Beast back into her space, she saw the group of people pursuing her. These people, mounted on Flying Beasts, broke through the dense white fog, cloaked in black robes, wearing masks, concealing their appearances completely.
Those chasing her numbered three to four hundred!
Mu Qingge narrowed her eyes and turned to run into the dense fog.
The masked figures who were initially riding the Flying Beasts also jumped down one by one, chasing after her. They all held weapons in their hands, looking fierce and determined, certainly not coming to ask her for directions!
The Nine Springs Cave, a perilous location famous in East Continent.
Here, stretching for hundreds of miles, is filled with various caves. There’s a cave within a cave, a cavern within a cavern, caves interconnected, some above the ground, some beneath it, forming a labyrinthine cave system, hiding unknown secrets.
It’s called Nine Springs because there are nine underground springs here, each one with different properties.
Legend says some spring water can beautify and preserve youth. Some waters are poisonous, causing organs to decay just with a drop. Some can regenerate flesh. Others can cure all diseases.
However, even though the Nine Springs are magical, they are hard to find. Even if found, their uses cannot be determined, as all springs look identical on the surface, making them indistinguishable.
Some say the fog is emitted by the Nine Springs, while others say it’s from the beasts hidden in the caves.
In any case, there are many rumors about the Nine Springs Cave, and no one knows which is true.
The mysterious Nine Springs Cave, shrouded in dense white fog all day, appears even more cryptic.
Mu Qingge’s feet landed on the golden, polished smooth rocks, continuously leaping forward. Behind her, in the dense fog, that group pursued relentlessly.
The ground of Nine Springs Cave is made of pitted golden rocks. These rocks are smooth, resembling stacked plates.
Walking in the Nine Springs Cave requires utmost caution, as one could easily fall into the labyrinthine caves below.
"She actually escaped into the Nine Springs Cave! Follow me—!"
One masked person with a golden mask commanded in a raspy, grating voice, instructing his silver-masked subordinates. As his voice fell, three to four hundred silver masks rushed forward, accelerating their pursuit of the elusive red shadow in the fog ahead.
Mu Qingge did not turn back, only speeding up further. The Star Beginning Step under her feet varied unpredictably, causing her figure to leave multiple phantoms.
She could hide in her space.
But, her space cannot move her. If she hides inside, she can only stay in one spot. These people are so determined, they definitely will not leave easily.
In that case, what’s the point of hiding in her space?
’It’s not come to that yet!’ Mu Qingge muttered to herself, pursing her lips.
Currently, she possesses Golden Realm First Layer cultivation. If she has to hide from every chase, wouldn’t it be a waste of her cultivation?
’At the very least, I need to determine their purpose—is it indeed aligned with my thoughts?’ Mu Qingge narrowed her eyes and suddenly stopped, turning around.
Her right hand stretched out, grasping in mid-air; a flash of gold and silver revealed the Linglong Spear in her hand.
As she was about to be ready, the masked pursuers charged right in front.
Bang—!
Flames suddenly erupted around Mu Qingge, enveloping her entire body. This sight stopped the advancing masked figures, shock reflecting in their eyes behind the masks.
The fire receded, revealing an enchanting red battle armor on Mu Qingge’s body.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, with a cold gaze emerging through the slits of her eyes. The Linglong Spear slowly lifted, pointing at the masked figures.
Kill—!
The masked figures approached with knives drawn.
Fifty to sixty people instantly surrounded Mu Qingge, engaging in a melee.
As spiritual power light flashed, Mu Qingge realized these figures were Silver Realm experts!
’Silver Realm! Fifty to sixty Silver Realm experts, along with the remaining hundreds, who on earth possesses such grand capacity!’ Mu Qingge swung her Linglong Spear, fighting while contemplating in her mind.
Remaining masked figures arrived one after another, encircling Mu Qingge completely.
Suddenly, the crowd parted, and the leader in the golden mask, wrapped in a black cloak, emerged, standing at the forefront, watching the fierce melee.
"Hand over the Heaven-Burning Furnace, and you will be spared!" The golden-masked figure spoke.
The voice was raspy, sounding like it had been soaked in poison.
Mu Qingge frowned; she could tell instantly, this voice was altered using special medicine.
The ones pursuing her not only wore masks, concealing their entire forms, but even altered their voices with drugs... ’Either this person is someone I know and can recognize by voice! Or this person’s identity and status are not simple, and such covert actions can only be hidden away.’ Mu Qingge’s eyes darkened, a glimpse of cold light flashing across her eyes.
Most crucially, these people indeed came for the Heaven-Burning Furnace!
Mu Qingge’s lips curled into a cold smile.
Her belongings, are they so easily taken away?!
The Linglong Spear seemed to understand its master’s mood, emitting a clear, bright sound in tandem. The spear tip gleamed with cold light, and with every swing, a life was harvested.
Mu Qingge was in the Golden Realm, dealing with this group of Silver Realm people was naturally not difficult.
Since these people wanted to hunt her down, they naturally had to be prepared to be killed!
"Ah—!"
"Ugh—!"
The screams before death rose continuously, and out of the fifty to sixty people encircling Mu Qingge, thirty to forty soon fell to the ground. Blood flowed everywhere, staining the strange rock surface of the Nine Springs Cave red.
The remaining dozen or so people didn’t dare to attack at this moment, they just surrounded Mu Qingge, with fear in their eyes, continuously retreating backwards.
However, just as they retreated a few steps, suddenly, over a dozen lights shot out from behind them, slicing directly into their spines.
Their screams followed one after another.
These dozen people didn’t die by Mu Qingge’s hand in the end, but by the hands of their own companions.
"Those who flee in battle, kill!" said the person in the golden mask coldly.
His voice was very calm, as though these dozen lives meant nothing to him.
Mu Qingge stood in place, at her feet, besides corpses, there was just blood. She stood tall, her long hair moving without wind, the Linglong Spear exuded an imposing aura, wild and unrestrained, truly godlike in battle.
Her features were covered with a chill, her clear gaze looked faintly at the person in the golden mask.
"Golden Realm First Layer, it seems my preparation for coming here wasn’t wrong." The person in the golden mask said indifferently. That tone seemed to be very familiar with Mu Qingge’s strength.
Familiar with her, could it be for the Heaven-Burning Furnace?
Who could it be...
"Hand over the Heaven-Burning Furnace, and you can walk out of here. If you choose meaningless resistance, you, this peerless genius, will meet your end today in the Nine Springs Cave." The golden-masked man spoke again.
Mu Qingge sneered, "You’re dreaming."
In the eyes of the golden-masked man, a cold gleam reflected fiercely. He snorted coldly, "Ignorant!"
Those four words made Mu Qingge’s lips curl up, her eyes filled with mocking sarcasm. "A bunch of rats too afraid to show their true faces, only daring to howl from dark corners. Want me to submit, you’re either overestimating yourself or underestimating me?"
"You’re courting death!" the golden-masked man raged.
His previously lofty demeanor was easily overshadowed by the anger Mu Qingge had stirred.
His eyes revealed killing intent, and his hoarse, harsh voice carried lethal intent as well.
"It’s not certain who is courting death!" Mu Qingge sneered. She didn’t bother asking who they were; since they wrapped themselves up so tightly, it was obvious they didn’t want anyone to know their identities.
At this moment, Mu Qingge deliberately provoked this leader, just trying to find some clues from the flaws he exposed to uncover his true identity!
Mu Qingge’s words made the golden-masked man incensed with shame. With a wave of his hand, another hundred masked men rushed towards Mu Qingge.
This batch was obviously stronger than the ones before, almost all possessing cultivation above Silver Realm Fourth Layer. Mu Qingge’s eyes narrowed suddenly, her gaze becoming solemn.
The strength displayed by those hunting her was already beyond what some small families could muster.
This only indicated that the power behind the scenes was many times greater than what she currently saw! In the Middle Ancient Realm, what kind of power had such capabilities?
The battle resumed, yet Mu Qingge still maneuvered with ease.
And the golden-masked man didn’t seem to want to kill Mu Qingge immediately, seemingly wanting to toy with her, torture her before forcing her to hand over the Heaven-Burning Furnace.
"Give up, you can’t escape. I’m not afraid to tell you, even if you kill these people, your fate today is already sealed." The golden-masked man constantly tried to break down Mu Qingge’s will to fight with words from the side.
Yet Mu Qingge was completely unaffected by this. Instead, the more she fought, the more she felt in tune with her actions, growing more spirited the longer she fought. It was as if these Silver Realm people being sent to her were merely for honing her skills.
And she made the most of it, using these whetstones as best as she could.
This made the golden-masked man’s eyes show an even fiercer glint.
He narrowed his eyes, launching another fierce move. With a wave of his hand, a dozen people moved to his side.
"Mu Qingge—!" he suddenly shouted.
Mu Qingge’s gaze sharpened, her spear piercing through a person’s throat, her eyes swept towards him.
Only to see that the golden-masked man, with a forceful grip of his fist, gold spiritual power glowed simultaneously over the dozen people surrounding him. The strength of that spiritual power was as strong as hers.
"Do you see? They are all strong men of Golden Realm Second to Third Layers, a dozen against you alone, do you think you can still escape?" The tone of the golden-masked man couldn’t hide his satisfaction.
He very much wanted to see a look of fear or panic on Mu Qingge’s face. But he discovered that after Mu Qingge saw his side’s strength with her own eyes and heard his words, she merely frowned slightly, then resumed fighting.
What does it mean to infuriate you to the utmost extent? It means to ignore you completely?!