Chapter 74

Chapter 74: Beasts’ Send-off

“Do you want me to go down and take those fruits?” Rong Shu pointed into the pool, then looked back to ask the giant beast.

Receiving its nod, Rong Shu jumped into the basin and retrieved the three fruits from the bottom.

Their skins shimmered with different colors: one gold, two green-blue.

“Eh? Are these Wind Spirit Tribulation Fruit and Metal Spirit Tribulation Fruit?” she said.

The giant beast was a little surprised that Rong Shu could name them so precisely.

This human youngling looked weak, but she knew quite a bit.

Rong Shu’s knowledge of the three fruits all came from Senior Brother Lin Dao’s occasional “stories” back when she was at the inner peaks.

If one could take this kind of Spirit Tribulation Fruit, there was a high chance of purifying one’s spiritual roots and even a sliver of possibility of grasping the corresponding attribute’s Origin Power.

“Are these for me to take as well?” Rong Shu asked, holding the three fruits up to the beast.

When it gave no response, Rong Shu thought a moment and tried again: “Are they for me, or should they be left for the little one in the egg?”

At that, Rong Shu felt a certain disdain in the giant beast’s look falling upon her.

As if saying: you are very foolish.

Rong Shu pretended not to see the disdain and offered her final guess: “The little one is a Divine Beast White Tiger, aligned with wind and metal. Then I will take one Wind Spirit Tribulation Fruit. The other Wind Spirit Tribulation Fruit and the Metal Spirit Tribulation Fruit will be left for the little one in the egg.”

The giant beast stared at Rong Shu, then nodded lightly.

Humans were self-interested. Though this youngling seemed pleasing to the eye, a small benefit would ensure she tended the Divine Beast egg even more diligently.

Knowing its time was short, the giant beast could only make these last arrangements for the Divine Beast egg.

“Roar…” The beast lay down, fatigued, and said to the human and the egg: “You should go now.”

Rong Shu put all three Spirit Tribulation Fruits into the Han Chuan Cosmos Pearl, then asked on the Little White Tiger’s behalf: “Respected senior, will you not come?”

The giant beast shook its head.

It could no longer move.

Its gaze fell on the Divine Beast egg in Rong Shu’s arms and softened.

The next second, the beast let out a low, pained growl, and a single drop of golden blood condensed at its brow.

Before Rong Shu could react, the drop of golden blood flew over and fell onto the Divine Beast egg, which absorbed it.

Panting, the giant beast said to the egg in a weary tone: “This is your hatching gift in advance.”

Now Rong Shu could plainly feel its aura grow even weaker.

If before it had been a candle that might go out at any time, by now that flame was about to extinguish.

The giant beast looked at the human and the egg with gentle eyes: “Roar…” Go now, little one.

Rong Shu parted her lips, but no words came.

At last, cradling the Divine Beast egg, she bowed deeply to the giant beast, then turned and left.

After she went, the giant beast closed its eyes.

A moment later, it opened them again, raised its right claw, and struck the nearby rock wall.

Cracks split the stone and ran to the pool that had once held Immortal Jade Nectar.

A huge rock slab dropped from above and smashed the pool to rubble.

The entire underground cavern began to shake apart. Stones fell in torrents, sealing all the passages.

The giant beast lay down, breath growing ever more faint, and its four limbs began to petrify, bit by bit.

Finally, it ceased to breathe, and its entire body became a true hillock, fusing with the surrounding stone.

…

On the surface, by the river.

A Flying Boat burst up through the water and came to hover above the surface.

At the same time, a dull rumble rose from the riverbed, a section of the nearby channel collapsed, and the river was forced onto a new course.

Dawn was still dim, but there was enough light to see.

Rong Shu touched the warm Divine Beast egg in her arms.

The Little White Tiger kept sending waves of grief, and Rong Shu did not know how to comfort it. All she could do was let the cub settle its feelings in silence. [Be strong.]

Just as Rong Shu was about to leave, a sound came from the nearby forest.

Alert, Rong Shu immediately put the Divine Beast egg into the Han Chuan Cosmos Pearl, gripped the horizontal saber at her side, and fixed her gaze on the trees.

When she saw that what emerged from the woods was a group of demon beasts, she froze for a moment.

Looking more closely, she recognized the black bears and black wolves that had chased her before, and in addition several she had not seen before: black panther beasts, ape beasts. Counting them up, there were beasts of ten-odd clans.

This time, however, they did not attack. They held a distance, neither near nor far, and simply stood there.

Rong Shu glanced at the Divine Beast egg within the Han Chuan Cosmos Pearl and sensed what this meant. [So that’s it.]

She put away the saber, took another look at the gathered beasts, then guided the Flying Boat away from the place.

The demon beasts watched Rong Shu depart, then lifted their heads and howled to the sky, as if sending someone off.

Only after Rong Shu’s figure vanished did they return to the forest.

…

Two hours later.

Daylight had come, and Yu Ruan Ruan and her two companions finally reached the riverbank.

“Found it at last,” Yu Ruan Ruan said, a faint curve at the corner of her lips as she took in the familiar landscape.

Her half month of effort had not been in vain. This time, she would get that Divine Beast egg. As for the giant beast, with wounds that severe, it had surely been worn to death by now.

Yu Ruan Ruan pointed and ordered the Feng brother-and-sister pair into the water: “You two go down and see if there’s an underground river or an underground cavern.”

“Junior Sister Yu, I can go alone. Let Feng Li stay here to protect you,” the usually silent Feng Bin said at last.

“Hurry up,” Yu Ruan Ruan replied without insisting. So long as someone went to find the Divine Beast egg for her, that was enough.

Feng Bin dove in, but soon surfaced again and looked at Yu Ruan Ruan with a troubled expression: “Junior Sister Yu, the cavern underneath seems to have collapsed. The way is blocked.”

“How is that possible?!”

Yu Ruan Ruan’s eyes went wide. Her first reaction was that Feng Bin was lying, that he had not searched in earnest.

Just then, Feng Li noticed something odd with the distant current and spoke up: “Something definitely happened beneath this stretch. The river over there has changed course.”

At her words, Yu Ruan Ruan looked in disbelief at the diverted flow.

Going closer, she saw that the ground had sunk further.

The underground cavern had collapsed?

Then what about the Divine Beast egg?

And the entire pool of Immortal Jade Nectar?!

“Impossible… how could this be…” Yu Ruan Ruan muttered like someone bewitched.

Seeing this, Feng Li stepped forward in concern: “Junior Sister Yu, are you all right?”

Irritated, Yu Ruan Ruan snapped with an ugly look: “Shut up.”

Feng Li froze, then flushed with pent-up grievance and anger. [What is this? Does Junior Sister Yu really take me for a maidservant, to scold and throw her face around at whim?]