Chapter 114

Translator: Myriea_ActiasLuna Editor: Nou

Fang Xing might be small compared to his giant saber, and his cultivation level might also be low, but his presence was not easily missed inside the valley. He swung his blade left and right to save all of the remaining Qing-Yun disciples one at a time. Near the entrance of the valley, Xu Linyun was giving her best as well, taking on both stone golems at once in order to secure an open path for these disciples Fang Xing saved.

“Fang Xing….”

A man and woman were in the deeper portion of the valley with their hair messed up and their Flying Swords embroiled with the beasts. These two were none other than Qin Xing’er and the dark-faced Liu Heihu. As it so happened, they were rather clever even if they had used their cleverness in the wrong place.

When they’d first arrived at the valley, they had been so excited to find the sea of Illusory Soulgrass that they had nearly gone crazy. Although the two had retained some sense at first, this lasted only until they’d determined the valley wasn’t dangerous. While the rest of the disciples stayed close to the entrance, they went straight into the deepest part of the valley where the herbs were most abundant. Fights were unavoidable when most of the people were in the same area collecting the exact same item; they’d only be able to collect as much as they wanted in the deeper parts of the valley, where they’d gone.

Something like this showed just how clever they were, yet it was this very same trait that left them in such grave danger. When the stone golems and beasts appeared, the pair had ended up separated from the group as easy targets, unable to run as quickly as the rest of the disciples.

While the two had been surrounded by beasts, the rest of the disciples had all seemingly escaped. Two giant stone golems blocked any path of escape towards the entrance, and there was a Foundation Stage beast peering covetously over them. The fear in their hearts was actually greater than the viciousness of the surrounding beasts, and they had given up any hopes of escaping alive.

It was at that moment that a sudden howl rose up as a small, thin figure dashed in front of the pair. In his hands was a giant saber, with blue and golden flames coiling around his body. Within a few breaths, four beasts were slain and the other beasts were forced to retreat, before the boy turned and yelled at the pair, “I’ve got this! Run, you guys!”

“Shixiong Fang….” When the pair saw who this was, they could feel their eyes start to warm with tears.

“Leave! Now!”

As a beast charged over, Fang Xing once again blocked its attack with his saber, although he was pushed back a few feet from the force of the impact. Qin Xing’er and Liu Heihu hurriedly moved to hold Fang Xing in place, yet Fang Xing looked at them with urgency. “Hurry and leave. If you don’t, there will be no more chances!”

Although Qin Xing’er had always been a clear-headed and clever woman, when faced with someone who was willing to risk their life for her even after she herself had clearly given up on it, the gratitude she felt could no longer be described through words. In her eyes right now, it was as though Fang Xing was inlaid with a twenty-four-karat golden border. As a more emotional person, she was already in tears as she grabbed at his arm. “Let’s… let’s all leave together….”

Once Fang Xing forced away the charging beast, he responded simply, “You guys leave first, I’ll keep them off,” before turning to Liu Heihu. “Take her and leave…. But, uhh, give me your healing pellets….”

The edges of Liu Heihu’s eyes had moistened as well. He took out his storage sack to retrieve the healing pellets for Fang Xing but—just as he began to look inside—Fang Xing snatched the entire sack from his hands. Fang Xing wondered if he could get something from Qin Xing’er as well, but he decided against trying to get both of their sacks as that might be pushing his luck. With another glance to her pretty face, a not-so-nice idea floated up into his mind.

After snatching Liu Heihu’s storage sack, Fang Xing grabbed Qin Xing’er’s waist and gave her a solid kiss. He then licked his lips, deciding the taste was nothing out of the ordinary before letting out a laugh and turning back to face the beasts with grace.

“I’m not leaving!” After being kissed, Qin Xing’er was left dumbfounded for a split second before she started to try to grab Fang Xing with her. Liu Heihu, on the other hand, held onto her arm before activating his Flying Sword to transport the both of them towards the valley entrance. With tears in his eyes, he turned his head and yelled, “Shixiong Fang, your kindness will never be forgotten by me, Liu Heihu. I will forever owe you my life….” Even now, he believed that Fang Xing had snatched his storage sack to prepare for an extended battle against these beasts in order to protect their rear.

“Damn it! How dare you rescue people under my watch! Are you pretending that I don’t exist? I’m going to eat you!” the beast inside the golden light finally spoke in a hateful manner. Although it readied itself to stop both Liu Heihu and Qin Xing’er, it did not make any physical movements after giving a meaningful glance towards Xu Linyun at the far entrance fighting with the stone golems. Instead, it locked its attention filled with murderous intent onto Fang Xing and slowly lowered itself back down into the valley to block Fang Xing’s path.

“Shixiong Fang….” Qin Xing’er screamed as the golden light obscured her view of Fang Xing. It was as though Fang Xing himself had been taken in by the light.

“How come there’s only the two of you? Where’s Fang Xing?” Xu Linyun loudly asked with pressing urgency once the two arrived at the valley entrance. Qin Xing’er immediately burst into tears while Liu Heihu answered while choking down sobs, “Little Shixiong Fang is… he’s… in order to save us, he was caught up in the beasts. Then… then he was blocked by the Foundation Stage beast inside the valley….”

Xu Linyun’s expression immediately changed as she clenched her teeth and brandished her longsword. She wished to dash right back inside the valley, but no matter how courageous the white crane beneath her was, it did not dare to charge towards a Foundation Stage beast. The moment it sensed such a dangerous presence, its innate disposition had caused it to fly directly towards the entrance in order to get away. Not even Xu Linyun could change its mind, since Xu Linyun had always tamed her crane through love, not force. A mount that had been tamed in such a manner would usually have an excellent relationship with its master, but there were times that it might still throw tantrums or simply refuse certain instructions.

“Aaaaoooooo….” The stone golems chased after Xu Linyun, Qin Xing’er, and Liu Heihu, with Liu Heihu clearly nearing his limits as he stood atop his Flying Sword. Using a Flying Sword as a means of transportation—even for a short period of time—was extremely taxing on Qi, and it was all the more since he was also holding onto Qin Xing’er. Xu Linyun continued to gaze back into the valley before letting out a sigh and grabbing the pair onto her crane.

The white crane was as agile as lightning, and they were out of the valley in the blink of an eye. The stone golems behind them visibly melded into one before shifting back into stone walls, blocking the valley’s entrance completely. They did not stop there, either, and the walls grew taller and drew towards the center, until the entire valley was blocked off from the forest. From the outside, it looked impossible to get in or out.

This was in fact the result of the two Earth Puppets exhausting their supply of Earth Qi. However, to the disciples outside, it was as though these “demonic beasts” had summoned a spell to block off Fang Xing’s only chance for survival.

“Shixiong Fang….” It was a dreadful howl from Qin Xing’er. Her eyes were filled with despair and tears flowed down her soft cheeks.

All of the Qing-Yun disciples that had managed to escape rested about a mile away from the valley and waited eagerly for Xu Linyun’s return, and they all felt a great weight eased from their chests when they saw her white crane. What they did not expect, however, was for Qin Xing’er to immediately fall limp upon the ground when she stepped off the crane, her tears rolling as she mournfully sobbed in a terribly saddening display.

Wu Xiangtong and the rest of the Duanzhen disciples were the first to come up for questions. “What… what happened to Little Shixiong Fang?”

Qin Xing’er was now crying so uncontrollably that she could not form any words. Liu Heihu—his mood also dim—responded on her behalf, “Shixiong Fang…. In order to save us, he…. He’s trapped inside the valley….”

“How can this be?” Wu Xiangtong was very surprised, and the same reaction was shared by the other disciples Fang Xing had saved.

In this moment, the Fang Xing that had thrown away his own life for theirs was undoubtedly a hero.

Those who had escaped early on didn’t know what had just happened and began to ask amongst each other. “What happened?”

“It seems like that kid tried to play at being a hero and overestimated himself, and is now trapped inside the val—” The person who spoke up was the Shuwen Valley disciple, Shen Lo. He had never had a good impression of Fang Xing, and was now rejoicing in Fang Xing’s misfortune. Before he had even managed to finish his sentence, however, silver lights flashed in front of his eyes as a half-dozen swords flew his way. Jumping in fright, he rolled onto the ground to narrowly avoid these blades while yelling out, “Are you all insane?”

“Where did you get such courage? To dishonor Shixiong Fang is to dishonor me, Liu Heihu! I will duel you to the death!” Liu Heihu widened his eyes, his intent to kill very real.

“That’s right, Shixiong Fang saved us with his own life, and you’re here speaking so lightly of him. Where is your conscience?”

“Shen Lo, you shameless a**hole, I will never, ever have anything to do with you!”