Chapter 176
Chapter 176: The Relic Emerges!
Ye He Qi’s words were too on point, and Shi Zi Chu did not appreciate it.
She was the one being chased, the one forced to flee, and the one who had hidden in the lake only to find herself inside the relic!
Why should they both be punished the same?
She demanded compensation!
Shi Zi Chu’s indignation was so clear on her face that Ye He Qi couldn’t ignore it even if he tried.
He decided to offer her a suggestion, “You can go out half-dead and extort some compensation.”
If it involved making Shi Zi Chu half-dead, he would be more than happy to help!
“Master will be angry,” Shi Zi Chu muttered with a long face.
While asking for compensation was important, Xing Lan was no pushover! If she pulled a stunt that harmed the enemy while damaging herself, she would definitely end up at the Penitence Cliff.
Ye He Qi raised an eyebrow.
It seemed that Venerable Xing Lan held some weight in Shi Zi Chu’s heart, though he wouldn’t rule out the possibility that Shi Zi Chu was just afraid of the punishment afterward.
Knowing full well that Shi Zi Chu had ulterior motives, Ye He Qi smoothly changed the topic.
“I heard Daoist Shi uses a pipa as a hammer?”
Shi Zi Chu turned her head, and Ye He Qi’s face was filled with a mischievous smile.
She could tell he was up to no good!
At the mention of it, Shi Zi Chu’s eyes instantly lit up.
Ye He Qi had no doubt she wouldn’t be saying anything pleasant.
As expected, a bright smile appeared on Shi Zi Chu’s face, filled with a thirst for compensation, “I almost forgot! I still have a guaranteed compensation waiting for me!”
Ye He Qi was at a loss for words.
It seemed Venerable Xing Lan hadn’t treated her unfairly after all?
“Clan Chief Ye wouldn’t understand,” Shi Zi Chu sighed long and deep, “I’m terrified of being poor.”
Ye He Qi’s smile remained gentle, but his words were sharp and direct, “There’s no need to make acquiring wealth sound so pitiful.”
She liked money—nothing wrong with that—but “terrified of being poor”? Nobody was buying that.
…
With cultivation at the Fusion Stage, Ye He Qi’s thrilling tower-climbing life had turned quite calm.
As for the chaos outside, it had nothing to do with them.
On the top floor.
As soon as they arrived, the two of them saw an Immortal rank magic artifact lying quietly on a central pillar.
Ye He Qi and Shi Zi Chu split up to inspect it, confirming there was no danger before gathering in front of the pillar.
There was no powerful spirit beast lurking, no hidden danger—just a very fine Immortal rank magic artifact.
A little strange.
“Immortal rank magic artifacts are really starting to become a bit too common,” Ye He Qi chuckled lightly.
After deciding, Shi Zi Chu looked up at Ye He Qi, “Clan Chief Ye wants it?”
Ye He Qi didn’t answer but instead asked, “Does Daoist Shi want it?”
“This entire journey, Clan Chief Ye has been protecting me. This magic artifact should belong to Clan Chief Ye.” Shi Zi Chu’s face was filled with sincerity.
If someone else had said that, Ye He Qi would have taken it without hesitation.
But when it came from Shi Zi Chu, he had to be cautious.
“Truly sincere,” Shi Zi Chu raised a hand, gesturing for him to take the magic artifact.
Hearing those four words, Ye He Qi’s expression shifted into one of coldness.
After a moment, his gentle voice sounded, “Since that’s the case, I won’t be polite with Daoist Shi.”
Shi Zi Chu smiled brightly, her face glowing with congratulatory warmth.
Ye He Qi reached for the magic artifact, but suddenly, the ground beneath them trembled.
In an instant, they were thrown out of the relic.
Ye He Qi stowed the magic artifact away and pulled Shi Zi Chu from the lake, guiding her to the shore.
As Shi Zi Chu regained her senses, she saw the tranquil lake water suddenly boil. From the depths of the water, an ancient, solemn square tower rose up.
The strange occurrence drew many eyes.
“Zi Chu!”
Yao Ruo Ruo dashed toward Shi Zi Chu but was a step too late.
The fragrant, pleasant scent of flowers filled the air as she embraced Shi Zi Chu tightly.
Jiang Wan Sheng nearly pressed Shi Zi Chu into his chest.
He felt her warmth through their layers of clothing, and the worry that had been hanging over him for more than ten days finally dissipated, “Qing Qing, you nearly scared me to death!”
Shi Zi Chu gently patted his back, offering comfort, and then casually tugged at her braids, which hung loosely behind her.
Lin Qing Yu, standing to the side, pretended not to see anything.
Jiang Wan Sheng released her, his face shifting from anxiety to helplessness, “Is this how you bully people?”
“Not at all,” Shi Zi Chu handed him a storage pouch and then turned to walk toward Yao Ruo Ruo.
Jiang Wan Sheng curiously probed the pouch with his spiritual sense, only to be overwhelmed by a buzzing in his head.
Inside, there were countless rare spiritual plants, some even renowned in the cultivation world.
Did Qing Qing go on a heist?
Over by the lake, Yao Ruo Ruo threw herself at Shi Zi Chu again, “You have no idea how worried I was!”
Her sweet voice carried both a sense of relief and accusation, but Shi Zi Chu smoothly and warmly reassured her, “A few Immortal rank magic artifacts were destroyed to block the attacks for me, but I’m fine.”
Among the crowd, Chu Zhi Rou watched with envy and a fleeting expression of regret in her eyes.
Elder Ye Cheng hadn’t even managed to kill Shi Zi Chu!
The saying “trouble lasts a thousand years” was truly no exaggeration!
After comforting Yao Ruo Ruo and Pei Luo Xiu, Shi Zi Chu walked up to Lin Qing Yu and gave a polite bow, “Aunt Lin.”
“It’s good you’re back,” Lin Qing Yu raised a hand and gently patted Shi Zi Chu’s head, her tone warm and reassuring, “Qing Qing, don’t be afraid. This matter won’t be left unjust.”
Even without Xing Lan, Qing Qing still had her!
Shi Zi Chu, moved, threw herself into Lin Qing Yu’s arms, sweetly and playfully saying, “Aunt Lin is the best!”
Jiang Wan Sheng couldn’t hide the envy in his gaze as he looked at his mother.
Lin Qing Yu smiled tenderly.
It was at that moment that many began to piece things together.
So Madam Jiang had come to Blue Rain Marsh not for Young Master Jiang, but to back Shi Zi Chu?
At this time, the square tower that had risen from the lake fully revealed its true form.
The rusted, weathered doors creaked open with a sound that was both grating and ominous. A plaque above the door read: Ascending Towers.
“Creak…”
The heavy, nauseating sound rang out as the rusted doors slowly opened, silently inviting cultivators to enter.
“Ascending Towers? Isn’t that an ancient relic?!”
The crowd suddenly erupted in astonished gasps.
“It’s said that the Ascending Towers is an ancient relic, a place of trials, filled with countless heavenly treasures!”
As soon as those words were spoken, countless eyes turned toward Ye He Qi and Shi Zi Chu.
After a brief exchange of glances, both Shi Zi Chu and Ye He Qi wore expressions of surprise.
“I was too focused on escaping to know,” Shi Zi Chu, weak and fragile, leaned into Lin Qing Yu’s arms, her pale face still full of lingering fear.
Ye He Qi wore a gentle yet helpless expression, with a hint of exhaustion, “I was focused on bringing Daoist Shi out and didn’t pay attention to the situation inside the tower.”
Seeing that neither of them knew anything, the onlookers reluctantly shifted their gaze.
“Boom!”
A thunderclap split the sky, and dark clouds swiftly covered the area.
The next moment, raindrops the size of beans began to fall, and in an instant, a torrential downpour flooded the area.
Luckily, the cultivators present were all wearing defensive magic artifacts, so they weren’t drenched.
“The relic of a Demi-God rank magic artifact has emerged!”
The already restless crowd erupted into even more chaos.
The wind and rain couldn’t dampen the commotion, and after speaking a few words with Lin Qing Yu, Shi Zi Chu tried to minimize her presence and stepped back.
At times like these, she had no intention of standing out.
The wild winds and torrential rains battered down, and even with the protection of magic artifacts, Shi Zi Chu still felt cold.
Suddenly, a thick cloak landed on her shoulders.
Jiang Wan Sheng had somehow sneaked over and was helping her put it on.
“How did you get here?” Shi Zi Chu asked softly.
Jiang Wan Sheng lowered his head, “Mother and the second elder are here. They don’t need me.”
The next step would be entering the relic to fight for the Demi-God rank magic artifact.
With his cultivation, he wasn’t a match for the venerables, but when he was by Qing Qing’s side, he could still protect her.