Wind howled past his ears, but Xu Ziqing felt an upside-down pulling force that threw his body off balance. For an instant, it seemed as though he had crossed an immeasurable distance. Then, without warning, he landed.
In his haste, Xu Ziqing thrust his Steelwood Sword downward to support himself, barely avoiding a fall.
He opened his eyes and froze.
Unlike the Sword Cave above, which had been brightly lit day and night, this place was pitch-black. His naked eyes could discern nothing. Was he truly deep underground? Remembering what had just happened, he suspected the matter was not quite so simple.
Pan Hong was still somewhere above, waiting to kill him. Xu Ziqing hurriedly released his spiritual sense and swept the surrounding area. What he discovered shocked him again.
This was a strange place indeed. It did appear to be underground, but the ceiling above him was completely intact, without a single opening… Could it be that he had not fallen at all, but had instead been transported somewhere else?
Unable to make sense of it, Xu Ziqing drew a deep breath and forced himself to stop dwelling on the question.
He had no idea when his pursuer might catch up. There was no point in upsetting himself with speculation. Having made his decision, he hurried down the passage ahead. His spiritual sense revealed several branching paths nearby. If he chose one before Pan Hong arrived, shaking off the man should not be difficult.
Perhaps fortune favored him. He ran onward without encountering anyone in pursuit.
Even so, he no longer dared withdraw his spiritual sense. This underground place was so dark that constant vigilance seemed advisable.
When he finally reached the branching paths, Xu Ziqing realized that the entire underground area was crisscrossed with passageways extending in every direction, without any apparent order. The paths were wide, including the branches, and he could travel along them without difficulty.
Xu Ziqing was extremely cautious. He had never heard of this place before. Who knew what dangers lurked within it? He was alone now, and his life was his own responsibility.
Events soon proved that his caution was justified.
He had taken only a few steps into one of the branching tunnels when a blast of hot wind suddenly rushed toward him from the side! A foul, fishy stench struck his face, so revolting that he nearly gagged.
Whatever this was, it was certainly not human!
With no time to identify the attacker, Xu Ziqing raised his sword and struck. A large skull was knocked free and rolled away with a clatter, while the headless body crashed to the ground.
He swept his spiritual sense around the area again, more thoroughly this time, investigating every corner. Only when he was satisfied that nothing else was there did he turn his attention back to the corpse.
The creature stood about five chi tall and had green skin all over its body. It resembled a human being but was hideously ugly, with clawlike hands and feet that looked extremely sharp. Its head bore two small pointed horns, and its face was green, with protruding fangs that made it repulsive to behold.
The appearance seemed vaguely familiar to Xu Ziqing. After some thought, he remembered reading strange-tale novels in his previous life. Weren’t the demons and monsters described in those books much like this?
It was a shame. Here, at last, was something reminiscent of the stories of his former home, yet he could not muster the slightest fondness for it.
The thing had somehow escaped his spiritual sense and hidden in the darkness before leaping from the corner. It had plainly intended to devour him. Under those circumstances, he could only kill when killing was necessary.
Having established what kind of creature it was, Xu Ziqing left it behind and continued forward.
He wondered how many more such creatures, skilled at concealing themselves, might live in these subterranean caves. Why would the Sword Cave contain an entrance leading to a place inhabited by so many evil things? It was truly strange.
Nevertheless, his first priority was to explore farther and find a way back. There were only three days left before his agreed meeting with his senior martial brother. If he failed to return on time, Senior Martial Brother Yun would surely worry…
Xu Ziqing walked for nearly an hour, killing another four or five evil creatures along the way. Gradually, he noticed a little light appearing underground. Looking around, he saw numerous red plants growing on both walls, emitting a dim glow.
An idea occurred to him. He slowly approached one of the walls. If these glowing underground plants were useful, he might collect some seeds and grow one as a subordinate wood when he returned.
Since arriving in the great world, Xu Ziqing had encountered various spiritual grasses and plants. Only now did he realize that although he had memorized so many ancient texts in the Hundred Herbs Garden, there were still countless plants he could not identify. That would eventually hamper his cultivation. If he returned safely, he should visit the Pavilion of Ten Directions and find more books about grasses and trees to memorize for future use.
As he approached the wall, Xu Ziqing set a protective restriction around himself.
Those evil creatures could somehow spring unexpectedly from the shadows. Having been ambushed several times, he had learned to prepare for such attacks.
Only then did he examine the red plant with a little more confidence.
It was a dense cluster of leaves, each no larger than a fingernail, round and plump like a little pearl. But once Xu Ziqing saw them clearly, he abandoned his earlier idea.
The plants were simply too red.
They look just like flowing blood… Xu Ziqing abruptly retreated several steps.
A fine mesh suddenly flew toward him, covered with red leaves, and struck his protective restriction!
It was a living thing that attacked people!
The fine mesh clung to the restriction, contracting and extending. Each leaf vein looked like a meridian, while the red leaves throbbed like hearts and organs, beating ceaselessly.
Xu Ziqing’s pupils contracted sharply. The restriction was being corroded away, and the creature was on the verge of wearing a hole through it!
Something’s wrong. This plant is dangerous!
Inside his dantian, another vicious creature stirred restlessly.
Fragments of the demon vine’s thoughts reached him. “Mommy, out, out…”
Xu Ziqing’s heart stirred. “Rong Jin, do you want it?”
The demon vine was delighted. “Want! Eat, eat!”
Sensing the demon vine’s desire, Xu Ziqing raised his left palm.
A vine as white as polished jade extended rapidly from his palm, stretching its body and lifting its tip high into the air.
The red mesh, which had been greedily clinging to his protective restriction, unexpectedly began trembling as though terrified.
Then Xu Ziqing watched Rong Jin shoot forward joyfully, winding around the mesh. After a brief touch, the vine sprang toward the mass of red plants covering the wall.
Wherever Rong Jin touched, the red color instantly dried away and changed to a deep blue hue. The transformed plants continued to glow, making the underground light look even more beautiful.
Before long, every red leaf on the wall had become dark blue. Only then did Rong Jin reluctantly withdraw. A faint blush now tinged its jade-white body, giving it an almost endearing appearance.
Xu Ziqing had been troubled, but the demon vine’s innocent antics lightened his mood somewhat.
He beckoned for Rong Jin to return.
Instead, Rong Jin shot out with a swish, stretching more than ten chi and turning toward the opposite side. A muffled impact came from the darkness, and moments later the demon vine returned, dragging something behind it.
When Xu Ziqing looked up, he saw that the vine had pierced a green-skinned creature through the body and was happily drinking its blood. The creature could not even struggle. As it was dragged along, it shriveled rapidly. By the time it reached him, only skin and a skeleton remained.
“Rong Jin, you really are…” Xu Ziqing was speechless. He had intended to say “greedy,” but then remembered how long it had been since he last allowed Rong Jin to feed on blood. Guilt crept into his heart.
Rong Jin depended on him so completely, and it was his natal wood. Without enough blood to feed upon, it could not advance. For now, the lack of progress might not be obvious, but once Xu Ziqing’s cultivation grew higher, if Rong Jin still failed to advance… he would be unable to cultivate the more profound formulas of the Great Art of Myriad Woods Heart-Planting, and his own realm would be limited as a result.
Thinking this through, Xu Ziqing frowned deeply, then relaxed his brow.
He would never permit Rong Jin to devour people indiscriminately. But since it was not picky, the evil creatures underground might provide a perfectly suitable feast…
His mind eased. He let Rong Jin coil around his arm as he continued forward.
He did not know what other dangers awaited him. Having Rong Jin clear the way would be better than keeping himself constantly tense and expending true essence at every turn.
Rong Jin was very perceptive. It had grown two vines by now, and both emerged, winding flamboyantly around Xu Ziqing’s body. As he walked on, green-skinned creatures gradually appeared in greater numbers. Rong Jin was beside itself with delight, darting left and then right, full of energy.
Man and vine explored ahead together, meeting no obstruction at all. It was entirely different from the troubles Xu Ziqing had faced earlier.
Yet the deeper they traveled, the brighter the light became.
The entire underground world glowed a bloody red, appearing eerie and sinister.
Xu Ziqing understood this place less and less. He wanted to make a guess, but the various clues pointed toward a possibility too dreadful to contemplate. If it really was what he suspected… wouldn’t the road ahead be all the more hopeless?
The more he considered it, the faster he walked.
Deeper in the passages, the smell of blood gradually thickened. A strange scent hung everywhere, sending a chill down his spine. The oppressive surroundings made Xu Ziqing somewhat uneasy, but he forced himself to remain calm. He also needed to soothe Rong Jin and communicate with it, and for a moment he felt a trace of weariness.
Suddenly, he heard a commotion somewhere far ahead.
Xu Ziqing’s expression changed. A flash of delight passed through his eyes.
Those were human voices!
If people were there, perhaps he could find out something about this place… He quickened his steps, almost impatient to reach them.
But after rushing forward for nearly a zhang, Xu Ziqing calmed down.
This underground region was so strange. How could he know the voices were not bait for a trap? He must not act impulsively. If he suffered disaster because of such carelessness, all his senior martial brother’s years of instruction would have been wasted.
With that in mind, Xu Ziqing stopped and extended the range of his spiritual sense.
It stretched outward in every direction. Soon, images of all the surrounding corners and crevices formed clearly within his sea of consciousness. Paying little attention to the many green-skinned creatures hidden nearby, he probed rapidly toward the source of the voices. At last, he drew close.
Roughly a hundred zhang ahead, several humanlike figures were indeed moving about. Judging from their movements, a battle was underway. One side appeared to be human; the other was somewhat strange.
Xu Ziqing tried to look more closely, but something seemed to block his spiritual sense, preventing him from probing any deeper.
Still…
Where there were people, there was a chance to communicate. Whether friend or foe, they offered more hope than the green-skinned creatures.