CHAPTER 71: CHAPTER 71: NETHER LOTUS IN HAND

Duan Shulin was straightforward, not bargaining nor asking Chen Guan whether he’d spare him after regaining the Spirit Pet, which mildly surprised Chen Guan.

"Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you after taking the pet?" Chen Guan glanced at Duan Shulin and asked.

"My life is in your hands now, if you want to kill me, I can’t escape it, so I’ll just have to trust you and gamble on it," Duan Shulin said as he fumbled inside his pocket with one hand to take out a bottle of healing medicine, and painfully swallowed a few pills.

The finger bones of one of his hands were nearly all broken, making him unable to exert force, while the Blood Hand Seal on his chest shook his internal organs, though luckily he was wearing an inner armor, otherwise that single palm strike would have taken his life.

The Blood Hand Seal incorporated both soft and hard force, and the palm force had a certain penetrating effect, which even the inner armor couldn’t completely block.

Chen Guan paid no mind to Duan Shulin and summoned the Grave Lord, instructing him to walk into the cave burning with Profound Nether Yin Fire, with the goal of picking the Nether Lotus.

Heavenly and Earthly Treasures that can increase the growth rate of a pet are immensely valuable, even if the growth rate increases by just 0.1, it can be sold at an astronomical price.

Of course, Chen Guan would not sell it, he was considering to whom he should use the Nether Lotus.

Such a thing is best used directly, otherwise, if people find out he possesses such a treasure, it could bring trouble.

Once used, even if others know he had the Nether Lotus, it wouldn’t change anything.

Currently, the most valuable pets Chen Guan owns are Rouge and Ming Fei, the Grave Lord was easily dismissed.

Momentarily, Chen Guan thought of Warring States, but considering its poor potential and low growth rate, using the Nether Lotus on it wouldn’t be of much use, a 0.1 increase in growth rate wouldn’t change much.

Warring States was raised by Chen Guan since childhood and now serves as his first Spirit Pet, it’s not merely a pet, Chen Guan intends to continually cultivate it, even if its combat capabilities are lacking, its level will be raised, it won’t take much effort as pets like Warring States are relatively easy to level up.

After pondering, it was still preferable to give the Nether Lotus to Rouge or Ming Fei; if a pet breaks the 2.0 growth limit, its potential sale value becomes immeasurable.

Duan Shulin leaned against the stone wall, applying medicinal salve to his injuries, helplessly watching the Grave Lord enter the cave.

If not for the pain in his hand, he really wished to slap himself twice, teaching that hand not to act rashly in the future.

If he hadn’t been complacent, Chen Guan wouldn’t have known about the Nether Lotus, and it would have been his to keep.

"I can’t blame my flippant mouth; being carefree at this age makes it worthwhile, rather than regretting not having fun once one grows old," Duan Shulin consoled himself, seemingly at ease with his circumstances.

Under Chen Guan’s orders, the Grave Lord walked into the cave, soon coming into contact with the Profound Nether Yin Fire, instantly enveloped by blue Yin Fire.

The Grave Lord did not pause, quickly proceeding toward the Nether Lotus, entirely cloaked in Yin Fire, yet showed no signs of being burned by the flames, instead, a layer of white frost formed over him, gradually increasing, causing his movements to become stiff and seemingly frozen.

Fortunately, the Grave Lord’s Yin Yang Ecstasy Body and Yin Yang Union Technique had significant resistance to such Yin Fire, preventing him from sustaining actual harm.

Upon reaching the Nether Lotus, the Grave Lord reached to grasp its stem, pulling the entire plant up by its roots.

"Excellent, quickly return." Seeing the Grave Lord succeed, Chen Guan was overjoyed, immediately ordering him to hurry back.

As the Grave Lord turned, suddenly a jet of black smoke burst out from the spot the Lotus was uprooted, the thick smoke resembling ink, erupting like a volcano to instantly fill the cave, engulfing the Grave Lord’s figure in the haze.

Luckily, Chen Guan’s response was swift, noticing the black smoke emanating from below at the first instance, he had the Grave Lord throw the Nether Lotus out.

Grasping the Nether Lotus, Chen Guan turned and ran; the smoke was ferocious, its nature unknown, and he dared not let himself get caught in it.

Duan Shulin, enduring his pain, followed Chen Guan’s lead, thankful for a bend in the tunnel ahead, which slowed the smoke’s advance, preventing it from directly engulfing them.

Both dove into a narrow passageway akin to an intestines, desperately wriggling their way out, fearing being overtaken by the pursuing smoke.

Chen Guan dared not touch even a wisp of smoke, as the Grave Lord’s information vanished from his pet compilation; only one scenario could cause this, the Grave Lord had perished.

This occurred in mere seconds, Chen Guan didn’t even hear a sound, showcasing the terror of that smoke.

The two struggled fiercely out of the narrow passage, leaving the smoke unable to catch up, yet suddenly the ground quaked violently, the whole Profound Yin Cave seeming to collapse.

Black smoke emerge from the passage in snaking tendrils, coiling toward the Nether Lotus.

Chen Guan had no mind to care for Duan Shulin, he quickly summoned Rouge, giving the Nether Lotus for it to devour, yet Rouge merely sniffed and didn’t consume it.

"The Nether Lotus is a Supreme Yin Treasure; only Yin Attribute pets can ingest it," Duan Shulin, observing smoke curling from all directions leaving them nowhere to flee while the cave continued dropping debris as if collapsing, seemed to recall something and shouted to Chen Guan.

Chen Guan acted without hesitation after hearing this, summoning Ming Fei donned in Void Marvelous Gauze armor, hiding her form behind Rouge to keep Duan Shulin from seeing her appearance, while handing the Nether Lotus to her, "Eat it."

Since Rouge wouldn’t eat it, Ming Fei was the only option.

Ming Fei took a glance at the Nether Lotus in her hand, seemingly recognizing it, wearing a sly smile, she detached the blossom, disassembled it into petal fragments and devoured them, then casually tossed the remaining stem toward the dark mist.

The mist, akin to a living entity, wrapped around the Lotus stem, noticeably pausing, ceasing its expansion toward them.

Once Ming Fei swallowed the petals entirely, the mist recoiling with the Lotus stem retreated into the crevice.

With the cave shaking precariously, Chen Guan hurried, reclaiming Ming Fei, covering his head as he frantically sprinted towards the outside, constantly dodging falling debris which narrowly missed striking him multiple times.

Upon exiting the Profound Yin Cave, Chen Guan found many cultivators outside gasping heavily, with numerous bearing injuries, all having fled from the cave just moments prior.

The surrounding mountains and earth continued to violently tremble, especially the mountain housing the Profound Yin Cave, which quaked the most fiercely.

Occasionally, cultivators rushed out of the Profound Yin Cave, and after a while, even Duan Shulin, dragging his heavily injured body, managed to escape, avoiding death inside.

Just as Chen Guan was marveling at Duan Shulin’s tenacious vitality, a deafening explosion reverberated; the peak of the mountain where the Profound Yin Cave resides burst, black smoke surged to the sky like erupting lava.

The smoke obscured the heavens, within it a colossal figure loomed indistinctly, exhaling clouds and mists, veiling the sky, plunging the sunny day into utter darkness.

Paradoxically, the giant within the smoke emitted a luminous radiance, lending an inexplicable and bizarre aura.