Tuo Shishan bereaksi dengan kecepatan kilat. Ia sadar betul bahwa dengan tingkat dasar kultivasinya saat ini, ia sama sekali bukan tandingan Xu Qing dalam pertarungan jarak dekat. Lagipula, meski ia tidak menyaksikan langsung kematian Master Stillwinter, ia telah mendengar kesaksian tangan pertama dan mengetahui semua detailnya. Jadi, ia tahu jika ia tidak segera menunjukkan niat untuk membantu, ia mungkin tidak akan pernah mendapat kesempatan lagi.
Lalu ada pria bermata licik di samping Xu Qing, yang jelas-jelas seorang bajingan tulen. Saat Tuo Shishan memikirkannya, ia sadar bahwa pria berpenampilan kumal itu sudah bersama Xu Qing sejak bentrokan awal mereka di luar kota. Siapa pun yang bergaul dengan Xu Qing jelas bukan orang lemah. Semua itu membawanya pada kesimpulan bahwa ia akan sangat beruntung jika bisa selamat dari konflik dengan kedua orang ini.
Belum lagi fakta bahwa keduanya entah bagaimana telah memancing sesuatu yang mengerikan seperti ubur-ubur itu. Itu... bukanlah hal yang mudah dilakukan. Bukan sembarang orang bisa memancing reaksi dari entitas seperti itu, lalu berakhir dikejar tanpa henti.
Karena semua faktor ini, Tuo Shishan tidak ragu untuk membangunkan kakek tua itu dan melemparkannya ke arah ubur-ubur. Itu sudah cukup untuk menunjukkan sikapnya.
Kakek tua itu menggigil di tengah kebingungannya. Ketika ia melihat ubur-ubur merah raksasa itu, ia gemetar dari ujung kepala sampai ujung kaki.
"Bocah kecil itu..." Namun, tidak ada waktu untuk hal lain, jadi ia melepaskan kekuatan Dewa Membara miliknya dalam satu serangan ke arah ubur-ubur raksasa tersebut.
Suara gemuruh memenuhi langit dan bumi. Ubur-ubur agung itu sedikit bergetar, tetapi kemudian menerjang serangan itu dan terus maju.
"Benda ini seperti dewa mini!" Kakek tua itu menguatkan diri dan meluncurkan serangan lain.
Di belakangnya, Kapten dan Xu Qing memiliki ekspresi yang agak aneh karena Tuo Shishan tiba-tiba muncul dan membantu. Mereka bisa melihat betapa kuatnya kakek tua itu.... Mengingat perkembangan situasinya, tidak pantas bagi mereka untuk menyerang Tuo Shishan.
"Terima kasih banyak!" ucap Xu Qing sambil mengangguk, lalu melesat melewati Tuo Shishan.
Tuo Shishan juga melarikan diri ke arah yang sama, meskipun ia jelas tidak secepat Xu Qing. Yang bisa ia lakukan hanyalah memaksakan senyum di wajahnya dan berkata, "Kita saudara, kan? Tidak masalah!"
Kapten tampak terkejut mendengar kata-kata itu. Ia juga mengangguk ke arah Tuo Shishan, lalu mengejar Xu Qing. Dengan demikian, keduanya menghilang di cakrawala.
Tuo Shishan juga melarikan diri demi nyawanya, tetapi ia tidak secepat itu. Sementara itu, kakek tua itu mengeluarkan seruan kesakitan saat ia menggunakan berbagai metode untuk mencoba mengulur waktu.
Perlahan tapi pasti, Tuo Shishan berhasil menjaga jarak dari ubur-ubur itu. Ketika ia sudah cukup jauh, ia akhirnya menghela napas lega. Mengetahui dirinya aman untuk saat ini, ia memikirkan nasib kakek tua itu dan merasakan kepahitan di hatinya.
Bagaimana hal-hal berakhir seperti ini?
Di arah yang berbeda, Xu Qing dan Kapten, meskipun akhirnya berhasil melepaskan diri dari ubur-ubur raksasa, tidak melambat sama sekali. Mereka terus melaju selama beberapa jam lagi. Kemudian Kapten melambaikan tangannya untuk memutuskan benang karma yang menghubungkan mereka dengan ubur-ubur tersebut.
Setelah itu, mereka merasa jauh lebih lega. Namun, mereka terus terbang selama beberapa hari lagi sampai semua sisa rasa takut hilang. Bahaya dari ubur-ubur itu akhirnya berakhir.
Saat ini, mereka sedang beristirahat di atas jamur magis setinggi beberapa puluh meter.
Berjongkok di sana, Kapten mengembuskan napas pelan. Saat memikirkan kembali semua yang telah terjadi, ia tidak bisa menahan diri untuk menghela napas. "Lihat? Bukankah sudah kubilang tadi bahwa Tuo Shishan yang payah itu orang baik?" Kapten menjangkau ke bawah, menggali daging jamur magis itu, dan menelannya. "Makanlah. Jenis jamur ini adalah satu-satunya hal yang aman untuk dimakan di domain dewa ini."
Xu Qing menarik napas dalam-dalam dan menatap cakrawala. Hanya setelah memastikan bahwa benar-benar tidak ada karma yang menghubungkannya dengan ubur-ubur itu, ia mulai tenang. Ia menatap Kapten.
Kapten tersenyum kecut. "Sebuah insiden. Itu benar-benar hanya insiden kecil."
Kapten menggali lebih banyak daging jamur dan melemparkannya ke Xu Qing.
Meskipun Xu Qing sudah lama terbiasa dengan perilaku gila Kapten, ia masih butuh waktu untuk menenangkan diri. Mengambil daging jamur itu, ia tanpa ragu menelannya. Meskipun daging jamur itu tampak gelap dan tidak menggugah selera, rasanya sebenarnya sangat manis, dan bahkan memberikan nutrisi bagi jiwa.
"Bagaimana menurutmu, Adik Junior? Lihat, aku serius! Jamur ini cukup enak. Percayalah, dulu ada banyak jamur magis seperti ini di sekitar sini. Setelah aku tahu cara memanfaatkannya—"
"Jumlahnya jadi jauh lebih sedikit," sela Xu Qing blak-blakan.
Kapten terkekeh. Ia cukup ahli dalam menenangkan Xu Qing, jadi ia mengabaikan nada bicaranya yang ketus. Merangkul bahu Xu Qing, ia dengan bangga berkata, "Ah Qing Kecil, tidak ada yang mengerti aku seperti dirimu. Kau benar. Aku memakan sekitar tujuh puluh hingga delapan puluh persen jamur magis di sekitar sini. Mereka benar-benar luar biasa. Dan kurasa mereka tidak tumbuh kembali, itulah sebabnya kau tidak melihat banyak dari mereka sekarang. Ayo terus makan. Setelah selesai, aku akan mengajakmu melihat harta karun luar biasa lainnya."
Kapten menggigit lagi.
Dengan demikian, keduanya memakan daging jamur selama sekitar dua jam.... Pada saat itu, jamur raksasa itu sudah habis. Mereka telah memakan seluruhnya. Kapten makan lebih sedikit daripada Xu Qing, dan hasilnya, suasana hati Xu Qing membaik.
Memakan daging jamur sebanyak itu memberikan dorongan langsung pada kekuatan jiwa Xu Qing. Faktanya, itu adalah peningkatan sekitar empat puluh persen, yang menghasilkan pemahaman yang lebih jelas tentang keterbatasan dasar kultivasinya. Karena ia kekurangan dao surgawi, kemajuannya melambat. Namun, dorongan pada jiwanya membantunya meningkatkan koneksi ke lima gudang rahasianya. Yang jelas adalah gudang-gudangnya kosong, kecuali gudang keadaan dewa dan gudang mage.
Gudang dewa pertamaku memiliki naga biru-hijau, dan gudang mage tidak membutuhkan dao surgawi karena... antemage di dalamnya pada dasarnya adalah dao surgawi! Dengan kata lain, aku saat ini kekurangan tiga dao surgawi.
Setelah menghabiskan waktu di domain dewa ini, ia tahu bahwa ikan bertentakel bisa berfungsi sebagai dao surgawi... begitu pula ubur-ubur raksasa itu.
Sayangnya, kedua jenis spesifik itu akan terlalu kuat untuk dikendalikannya.
Laba-laba akan berhasil, dan mungkin bahkan elang cangkang itu. Hanya saja mereka terlalu lemah. Selain itu, salah satu hal terpenting untuk dipertimbangkan adalah gudang rahasia Pedang Kaisar milikku....
Saat Xu Qing merenungkan hal-hal tersebut, Kapten berkedip beberapa kali lalu tersenyum.
"Memikirkan dao surgawi?" tanyanya sambil berbaring di tanah, menggosok perutnya dan sesekali bersendawa. "Harta karun luar biasa yang akan kutunjukkan padamu selanjutnya bisa membantumu mendapatkan dao surgawi. Jadi jangan terlalu memikirkannya, Adik Junior. Dao surgawi hanya menunggumu!"
Kapten berdiri dan menunjuk ke kejauhan.
Fakta bahwa Kapten dua kali menyebutkan 'harta karun luar biasa' membuat kewaspadaan Xu Qing meroket. Ia melihat ke arah yang ditunjuk Kapten.
Jaring laba-laba di sana lebih padat daripada di tempat lain, dan nyaris tidak mungkin untuk melihat sebuah planet di kedalamannya. Planet itu terbungkus dalam jaring laba-laba yang tak terhitung jumlahnya, membuatnya tampak kalah. Selain itu, Xu Qing bisa melihat beberapa tanaman yang baru baginya.
Itu sebenarnya adalah pohon-pohon layu yang tumbuh di jaring laba-laba, dan di batang-batang keringnya terdapat wajah-wajah dengan mata tertutup seolah sedang tidur. Saat mereka mendekat, semakin banyak pohon seperti itu terlihat.
"Itu tempat tugas besarmu akan berlangsung?" tanya Xu Qing dingin. Ia sudah memutuskan dengan tegas bahwa ia tidak akan pergi ke arah itu. Ia akan mencari tempat lain untuk mendapatkan beberapa dao surgawi.
"Adik Junior, aku khawatir aku perlu mengoreksimu. Aku tidak akan mengerjakan tugas besar. Kita yang akan melakukannya." Melihat tatapan tegas di mata Xu Qing, Kapten berdeham dan berkedip beberapa kali. "Adik Junior, aku sudah melihat gudang dewamu sebelumnya, dan... untuk gudang rahasia seperti itu, kau butuh dao surgawi yang mau bekerja sama!
"Meski begitu, pada analisis akhir, mendapatkan dao surgawi untuk gudang dewa tidak akan sulit. Yang akan sulit adalah gudang rahasia Pedang Kaisar milikmu! Tidak ada dao surgawi yang bisa memenuhi syarat untuk memasuki gudang rahasia seperti itu!"
Ekspresi Kapten sangat serius saat ia menatap Xu Qing. "Itulah mengapa aku perlu mengajakmu memeriksa harta karun yang kusebutkan ini. Kau sudah bisa melihatnya. Itu planet itu!" Ia sekali lagi menunjuk ke kejauhan. "Kau tahu apa yang ada di dalam planet itu? Makam kaisar!"
Mata Xu Qing menyipit. Ia telah memikirkan tentang gudang rahasia Pedang Kaisar, dan pada dasarnya telah sampai pada kesimpulan yang sama dengan Kapten. Dao surgawi yang cocok untuk gudang rahasia Pedang Kaisar bukanlah hal yang umum.
Menyadari tatapan berpikir Xu Qing membuat Kapten menjadi ceria. "Berdasarkan penelitian yang kulakukan, domain dewa ini tidak selalu terlihat seperti ini. Tempat ini sebenarnya dulu adalah seluruh dunia yang mirip dengan daratan Tetua Agung. Memang, ini bukan daratan seperti Tetua Agung, tetapi jika kau mengambil sekumpulan planet dan menyatukannya, itu hampir sama.
"Di masa lalu, tempat ini dulu memiliki kultivator, peradaban, dan spesies yang tak terhitung jumlahnya. Tapi suatu hari dewa laba-laba datang, melahap segalanya, dan mengubahnya menjadi domain dewa. Semua makhluk hidup di sini menjadi grues, kehilangan kecerdasan mereka dan berubah menjadi entitas ilahi."
Wajah Kapten adalah topeng kenangan. "Adapun daratan Tetua Agung kita, derajat kemanusiaannya ada pada tingkat yang jauh lebih tinggi. Tapi di masa depan... kemungkinan besar ia ditakdirkan untuk menjadi seperti tempat ini.
"Dan itu karena wajah dewa yang rusak jauh lebih menakutkan daripada dewa laba-laba! Juga, makam di dalam planet itu adalah milik kaisar leluhur dari sistem planet ini. Dalam hal identitas dan statusnya, yah, bayangkan saja dia seperti Kaisar Kuno Dark Serenity! Mereka pada dasarnya sama.
"Dan makam itu pasti memiliki sesuatu dengan derajat kemanusiaan yang diperlukan untuk berfungsi sebagai dao surgawi bagi gudang rahasia Pedang Kaisar milikmu! Aku mengatakan yang sebenarnya, Adik Junior. Jika kau tidak bisa menemukan dao surgawi yang cocok di sana, maka kau bisa menjadi Saudara Tertua mulai sekarang!"
Kapten tidak memalingkan matanya. Nadanya tegas. Agar Xu Qing mau bergabung dengannya, ia bersedia mengabaikan segala kehati-hatian.
Xu Qing tampak tergerak. Ia mengenal Saudara Tertuanya, dan dengan demikian menyadari sifat kejam dari janji yang baru saja dibuatnya. Ia menatap planet yang terbungkus jaring laba-laba yang tak terhitung jumlahnya, dan tatapan gila muncul di matanya. Beberapa napas berlalu, dan ia melesat.
Kapten menjilat bibirnya dan mengejarnya dengan penuh semangat.
Sesaat kemudian, keduanya melesat menembus jaring laba-laba.
Tuo Shishan reacted with lightning decisiveness. He knew full well that, given the level of his cultivation base, he wasn’t anywhere near a match for Xu Qing in close quarters fighting. After all, though he hadn’t personally witnessed the death of Master Stillwinter, he had heard firsthand accounts and knew all the details. So he knew that if he didn’t make it immediately obvious that he wanted to help, he might never have a chance to do so.
And then there was the shifty-eyed fellow next to Xu Qing, who was obviously a scoundrel through and through. Now that Tuo Shishan thought about it, he realized that the sleazy-looking fellow had been with Xu Qing during their initial clash outside of the city. Any person who hung around with Xu Qing was obviously not going to be a weakling. All of that led him to the conclusion that he would be lucky to live through a conflict with these two.
Then there was the fact that these two had somehow provoked something as terrifying as this jellyfish. That... wasn’t something easy to do. It wasn’t as if just anybody could get a reaction from an entity like that, and then end up being chased relentlessly.
Because of all these factors, Tuo Shishan didn’t hesitate to wake up the old grandpa and throw him toward the jellyfish. That was enough to show his attitude.
The old grandpa shivered in the midst of his confusion. When he laid eyes on the huge red jellyfish, he shivered from head to toe.
That little brat... However, there wasn’t time for anything else, so he unleashed his Smoldering God power in a blow toward the giant jellyfish.
Rumbling sounds filled heaven and earth. The majestic jellyfish shivered slightly, but then just powered through the attack and kept coming.
This thing is like a miniature god! The old grandpa steeled himself and launched another attack.
Behind him, the Captain and Xu Qing had somewhat odd expressions on their faces as a result of Tuo Shishan suddenly showing up and helping. And they could see how strong that old grandpa was.... Given how things had developed, it wasn’t proper for them to take action against Tuo Shishan.
“Many thanks!” Xu Qing said with a nod, and then shot right past Tuo Shishan.
Tuo Shishan was also fleeing in the same direction, although he clearly wasn’t as fast as Xu Qing. All he could do was force a smile onto his face and say, “We’re bros, right? No problem!”
The Captain looked surprised to hear such words. He also shot a nod in Tuo Shishan’s direction, then sped after Xu Qing. And thus, the two of them vanished over the horizon.
Tuo Shishan was also fleeing for his life, but he wasn’t quite as fast. Meanwhile, the old grandpa was letting loose pained exclamations as he used a variety of methods to try to buy time.
Slowly but surely, Tuo Shishan managed to put some distance between himself and the jellyfish. When he was far enough away, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Knowing that he was safe for the moment, he thought about the plight of the old grandpa and felt bitterness in his heart.
How did things end up like this?
In a different direction, Xu Qing and the Captain, despite having finally shaken the giant jellyfish, weren’t slowing down at all. They kept going for several more hours. Then the Captain waved his hand to sever the karma threads connecting them to the jellyfish.
Afterwards, they felt much more relieved. However, they kept flying for a few more days until all lingering traces of fear left them. The danger from the jellyfish was finally over.
At the moment, they were resting atop a magical mushroom some several dozen meters tall.[1]
Squatting there, the Captain exhaled softly. When thinking back to everything that had played out, he couldn’t help but sigh. “See? Didn’t I say earlier that that crappy Tuo Shishan is a good guy?” The Captain reached down, dug out some of the flesh of the magical mushroom, and swallowed it down. “Have some. This type of mushroom is one of the only safe things to eat in this god domain.”
Xu Qing took a deep breath and looked at the horizon. Only after confirming that there really wasn’t any karma connecting him to the jellyfish did he start to calm down. He looked at the Captain.
The Captain smiled wryly. “A mishap. It was really just a little mishap.”
The Captain dug out some more mushroom flesh and tossed it to Xu Qing.
Though Xu Qing had long grown used to the Captain’s crazy behavior, he still needed more time to regain his composure. Taking the mushroom flesh, he unhesitatingly swallowed it down. Though the mushroom flesh looked dark and unappetizing, it was actually very sweet, and even provided some nourishment to the soul.
“What do you think, little Junior Brother? See, I was being serious! This mushroom is pretty good. Believe me, there used to be a lot of magical mushrooms like this around here. After I figured out how to make use of them—”
“There were a lot fewer,” Xu Qing interjected bluntly.
The Captain chuckled. He was quite an expert in calming Xu Qing down, so he ignored his surly tone. Throwing his arm over Xu Qing’s shoulders, he proudly said, “Little Ah Qing, nobody understands me like you do. You’re right. I ate about seventy to eighty percent of the magical mushrooms around here. They’re really that amazing. And I guess they just don’t grow back, which is why you don’t see many of them now. Let’s keep eating. When we’re done, I’m going to take you to see another amazing treasure.”
The Captain took another bite.
And thus, the two of them ate mushroom flesh for about two hours.... By that point, the gigantic mushroom was gone. They had eaten the entire thing. The Captain ate less than Xu Qing, and as a result, Xu Qing’s mood was improving.
Eating that much of the mushroom flesh provided a direct boost to the strength of Xu Qing’s soul. In fact, it was about a forty percent boost, resulting in an even more clear understanding of the limitations of his cultivation base. Because he lacked heavenly daos, his progress had slowed. However, the boost to his soul did help him to improve his connection to his five secret troves. What was more than clear was that his troves were empty, with the exception of the god state trove and the mage trove.
My first god trove has the bluegreen dragon, and the mage trove doesn’t need a heavenly dao because... the antemage inside basically is a heavenly dao! In other words, I’m currently lacking three heavenly daos. [2]
Having spent time in this god domain, he knew that the tentacled fish could serve as heavenly daos... and so could that huge jellyfish.
Unfortunately, those two specific types would be too powerful for him to control.
The spiders would work, and maybe even those shell eagles. Except they’re too weak. Furthermore, one of the most important things to consider is my Emperor’s Sword secret trove....
As Xu Qing pondered such things, the Captain blinked a few times and then smiled.
“Thinking about heavenly daos?” he asked as he lay on the ground, rubbing his belly and burping occasionally. “The amazing treasure I’m going to show you next can help you get heavenly daos. So don’t put too much thought into it, little Junior Brother. The heavenly daos are just waiting for you!”
The Captain stood and pointed off into the distance.
The fact that the Captain had twice mentioned an ‘amazing treasure’ caused Xu Qing’s vigilance to skyrocket. He looked off in the direction the Captain was pointing.
The spider webs there were denser than in other places, and it was just barely possible to see a planet in their depths. It was wrapped up in countless spiderwebs, making it seem defeated. In addition, Xu Qing could see some plants that were new to him.
They were actually withered trees that were growing on the spiderwebs, and on their dried up trunks were faces with their eyes closed as if sleeping. As they got closer, more and more such trees became visible.
“That’s where your big job is going to take place?” Xu Qing asked coolly. He had already firmly decided that he wouldn’t be going in that direction. He would find somewhere else to get some heavenly daos.
“Little Junior Brother, I’m afraid I need to correct you. I’m not going on a big job. We are.” Seeing the determined look in Xu Qing’s eyes, the Captain cleared his throat and blinked a few times. “Little Junior Brother, I’ve looked at your god troves before, and... for secret troves like that, you need a heavenly dao that’ll cooperate!
“That said, in the final analysis, getting a heavenly dao for a god trove won’t be hard. What’s going to be hard is your Emperor’s Sword secret trove! There’s no heavenly dao that can qualify to enter a secret trove like that!”
The Captain’s expression was very serious as he looked at Xu Qing. “That’s why I need to take you to check out this treasure I mentioned. You can see it already. It’s that planet!” He once again pointed off into the distance. “You know what’s inside that planet? An emperor’s tomb!”
Xu Qing’s eyes narrowed. He had been thinking about the Emperor’s Sword secret trove, and had essentially come to the same conclusion as the Captain. Heavenly daos suitable for the Emperor’s Sword secret trove were anything but common.
Noticing Xu Qing’s thoughtful look caused the Captain to brighten up. “Based on the research I did, this god domain didn’t always look like this. This place actually used to be an entire world similar to the Revered Ancient mainland. Granted, it’s not a land mass like Revered Ancient, but if you take a bunch of planets and put them together, it’s almost the same thing.
“In the past, this place used to have cultivators, civilizations, and countless species. But one day the spider god came along, devoured everything, and changed it into a god domain. All the living things here became grues, losing their intelligence and transforming into godly entities.”
The Captain’s face was a mask of reminiscence. “As for our Revered Ancient mainland, its personhood exists on a much higher level. But in the future... it’s most likely doomed to become like this place.
“And that’s because the broken face of the god is far more terrifying than the spider god! Also, the tomb inside that planet is that of the ancestral emperor of this planetary system. In terms of his identity and status, well, just imagine him as being like Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity! They’re essentially the same.
“And that tomb definitely has something with the requisite personhood to serve as the heavenly dao for your Emperor’s Sword secret trove! I’m telling the truth, little Junior Brother. If you can’t find a suitable heavenly dao in there, then you can be the Eldest Brother from now on!”
The Captain didn’t avert his eyes. His tone was decisive. In order to get Xu Qing to join him, he was willing to throw caution to the wind.
Xu Qing was visibly moved. He knew his Eldest Brother, and was thus aware of the vicious nature of the promise he had just made. He looked at the planet wrapped up in countless spider webs, and a crazy look appeared in his eyes. A few breaths worth of time passed, and he burst into motion.
The Captain licked his lips and raced after him excitedly.
A moment later, the two of them were whizzing through the spiderwebs.
1. Because it’s not relevant to the plot, and is only mentioned in this chapter, I’m not going to get into the weeds when it comes to the specific type of mushroom mentioned here. Surely some of you are used to the ‘lingzhi’ mushroom that comes up in wuxia and xianxia a lot. The mushroom mentioned here is essentially a lingzhi mushroom, but it’s a specific type with a different name. Again, the point is that it’s an edible mushroom (that has magical properties if you’re superstitious or live in a xianxia universe), so I’m going to keep the translation simple in this case. ☜
2. In a previous chapter, the author very specifically said that Xu Qing had two ‘ordinary’ troves, and then three that are god, mage, and emperor specifically. However, starting in this chapter, he switches to calling them all “god troves,” at least most of the time. I didn’t even notice this change until it was pointed out to me in proofreading, so there may be some inconsistencies in upcoming chapters. This is one author mistake (or shall we say inconsistency), that I’m not going to attempt to edit away, as there are too many references, and frankly it doesn’t seem super important. ☜
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