Chapter 164: The Ancestor Is Anxious

Upon hearing this, Ding Xue immediately took out her jade slip and looked at Xu Qing. The moment Xu Qing gave the signal, she planned to transmit a plea for help.

Xu Qing remained silent, listening intently. After a moment, the exact same sound as before echoed through the secret passage for a second time: "Daddy, please come home."

The voice still carried a strong sense of yearning, a powerful emotion that seemed to emanate from the secret passage but felt as if it were calling right by their ears, easily conjuring images in one's mind. Xu Qing's eyes narrowed in thought. He didn't detect any dangerous fluctuations or eerie chill within the passage, yet he instantly ignited his Life Fire and activated his Profound Radiance state. This was the first time in nearly a month that Xu Qing had activated this state in front of Ding Xue; previous dangers had been easily resolved in his normal state. As his aura surged, Ding Xue and Zhao Zhongheng gasped, instinctively recoiling a step, their eyes stinging instantly, unable to look directly at him.

Ding Xue was fine; though she couldn't open her eyes, her heart was filled more with pleasant surprise than shock. Zhao Zhongheng, however, showed a change in expression; the mental fortifications he had built almost collapsed. "Who said only those standing in the light are heroes? My sincerity is unique!" Zhao Zhongheng panted, roaring this encouragement to himself inwardly.

Xu Qing was unaware of Ding Xue's and Zhao Zhongheng's inner thoughts at that moment, nor did he pay them any mind. With his Profound Radiance state activated, he charged forward without hesitation, stepping directly into the secret passage.

Upon entering, Xu Qing moved with astonishing speed, hurtling deeper into the passage. His passage created faint sonic booms, generating a series of echoes within the narrow confines of the secret tunnel. At the same time, he noticed that the corpse poison within the anomalous substance here was indeed rapidly losing its activity, like something volatilizing after death. Xu Qing looked thoughtful, reaching the end of the passage in a flash. His gaze, quick as lightning, scanned the surroundings. This place appeared to be a simple hiding spot.

In the corner, there was a figure of a Sea Corpse Race member, appearing as an elderly human. It lay dead, slumped against the wall.

The corpse bore several shocking wounds, especially around the dantian area, which was a bloody mess. The injuries there were the most fatal, almost completely piercing through the body. This corpse was also the source of the anomalous substance and corpse poison.

Even in death, the lingering fluctuations on its body were still very strong. Xu Qing's gaze swept over it, judging that this individual had been at least at the Life Fire realm before death.

This Sea Corpse Race member had clearly sustained critical, life-ending injuries on the Mermaid Race island. It had persisted in hiding here, but was no longer able to escape or recover, eventually dying silently in this spot. Its death must not have been long ago, which was why the anomalous substance dispersed when the secret passage was opened earlier.

Its expression was also somewhat different from other Sea Corpse Race members Xu Qing had seen. Though progressively decaying, a faint sense of bewilderment from before its death was still discernible. Notably, it clutched a small bronze bottle tightly in its hand, as if this were its most precious possession before dying. The bottle was very old and had already been opened, emitting the same sound Xu Qing had just heard: "Daddy, please come home."

The sound was very faint, imbued with deep yearning.

The old Sea Corpse Race member seemed to have opened the bottle before death, and as it slowly perished, it continuously listened to this sound again and again. It was as if this was the voice of its dearest family.

Xu Qing's gaze swept from the bottle, then he observed his surroundings. Once he confirmed there was no danger, footsteps sounded behind him.

It was Zhao Zhongheng and Ding Xue. After Xu Qing entered the secret passage, they waited for a while and perceived no movement inside. Worried, Ding Xue quickly ran in, with Zhao Zhongheng having no choice but to follow. Noticing Xu Qing was unharmed, Ding Xue breathed a sigh of relief. Only then did she observe her surroundings. After taking everything in, she looked at the bottle in the Sea Corpse's hand and exclaimed, "A Sound-Capturing Bottle!"

Ding Xue, with her remarkable background, evidently possessed knowledge beyond ordinary cultivators. She immediately recognized the origin of the bronze bottle. Noticing Xu Qing's gaze, she quickly explained, "A Sound-Capturing Bottle is an ancient artifact, very rare. Its value is priceless to some, but worthless to many others, because its function is singular: it captures sound. You can open it at any time to hear the recorded sound."

"The sound it produces is incredibly lifelike, even arguably the original sound itself. This is its unique and precious quality. However, it's not permanent; if left open for too long, the sound gradually fades and needs to be re-captured." As she spoke, Ding Xue looked at the Sea Corpse Race member, then at the Sound-Capturing Bottle tightly clutched in its hand, which it seemed to cherish like a treasure. She appeared to understand something. "Sea Corpse Race members are transformed individuals from various races who are revived through a unique method after death. Once they become Sea Corpse Race, they only retain fragmented memories from their former lives. However, these memories are useless, because the Sea Corpse Race's nature is cruel, and the moment of revival severs ties with their previous existence. Few retain items they cherished in life." "If this bottle belonged to him, then this Sea Corpse Race member is truly unusual. He actually retained an item from his former life. The bottle must be his cherished possession, his obsession." "As for the sound in the bottle, perhaps it was his child from before his death. But no matter what he was like in life, he is now a Sea Corpse Race member."

Ding Xue's tone carried some uncertainty; clearly, she wasn't entirely sure if the truth matched her hypothesis. She finished speaking and looked at Xu Qing. "It doesn't matter," Xu Qing said, shaking his head. He raised his right hand and grabbed, and the small bronze bottle instantly flew into his palm. At this moment, the sound inside the bottle completely faded, and after emitting one final call, it vanished entirely.

Ding Xue glanced at Zhao Zhongheng. For anyone else, the meaning of that glance might have been hard to discern, but Zhao Zhongheng understood immediately. Without hesitation, he stepped forward and began searching the Sea Corpse's body. He quickly found a storage bag, and the three of them left the secret passage. Xu Qing capped the Sound-Capturing Bottle and put it away.

Ding Xue then reported their findings to the sect, thus completing her mission. As for the contents of the storage bag, there wasn't much; it mostly contained miscellaneous items, with no magic artifacts or jade talismans, clearly indicating everything had been depleted.

There were a few hundred spirit stones and three to five spirit tickets. It was unclear if the deceased had been poor to begin with or if it had another hiding place for valuables. Xu Qing glanced at them. He took the Sound-Capturing Bottle and didn't ask for anything else.

Xu Qing didn't know what use the bottle might have in the future, but the item itself was peculiar, and he felt it still held some value. Zhao Zhongheng and Ding Xue were both wealthy individuals and didn't care for the contents of the storage bag, but they still divided it up, as it was a gain, however small. And so, with Ding Xue reporting the secret room's discovery, this matter came to an end. Other sect disciples would handle the subsequent affairs.

Time flew by rapidly. As Ding Xue grew increasingly frustrated by Zhao Zhongheng's presence, the one-month mission period came to an end. When Xu Qing bid farewell and departed, Ding Xue felt immense regret and rushed after him to express her concern.

"Senior Brother Xu, the front lines are dangerous, so you must be careful. Your personal safety is the most important thing."

"My cultivation is weak, and I don't have much to offer, but I will ask my aunt to take extra care of you. If you encounter anything here that you can't resolve, you can go directly to her."

"Also, Senior Brother Xu, thank you for your help during this time. I will definitely study herbalism harder and strive to join the Seven Sect Alliance as soon as possible. By then, I'll be able to assist you with herbal knowledge."

Ding Xue's expression was serious, then she added, seemingly casually, "As for the herbal path of the Seventh Blood Eye's Second Peak, it's actually somewhat lacking. I'll definitely be more proficient than the disciples of the Second Peak in the future." "Thank you. You take care of yourself too, and keep working hard," Xu Qing replied, feeling a bit emotional. He could hear the sincerity in Ding Xue's words. Deep down, he felt that while Ding Xue had some small schemes over the past month, she was overall a good person and very diligent and eager to learn, a quality Xu Qing greatly appreciated.

As for her comment about the Second Peak's herbal path being lacking, Xu Qing hadn't had much contact with the Second Peak and couldn't comment. He cupped his fists towards Ding Xue, turned, and walked away. Ding Xue reluctantly watched Xu Qing's back disappear from sight, then turned back, glaring fiercely at Zhao Zhongheng, and with a cold snort, chose to leave Mermaid Island. She clearly understood that the front lines were dangerous, and her cultivation level was not suitable for remaining there.

Meanwhile, Zhao Zhongheng watched Ding Xue's graceful retreating figure, his gaze incredibly resolute. He felt his judgment was correct.

"Cultivation isn't important in this matter. My sincerity and genuine heart can overcome everything. Xu Qing's cultivation is indeed stronger than mine, but he leaves just like that. I'm not like that; I will always accompany my Senior Sister."

Thinking this, Zhao Zhongheng took a deep breath and quickly followed her, returning with Ding Xue amidst her annoyance. As for Xu Qing, he did not leave Mermaid Race Island.

After completing the mission of protecting Ding Xue, he gained not only three Disorderly Teleportation Talismans but also a decree granted personally by the Vice Peak Master. With this decree, he could independently interrupt his participation in front-line battles without needing to apply, even if he was in the middle of a mission.

Consequently, he effectively had the right to return to the Seven Blood Eyes mountain gate at any time. Simultaneously, his obligation to participate in the war remained, but his role was shifted from the front lines to the rear. This ensured that his battle achievements and subsequent war rewards would not be diminished, granting him significant autonomy.

Such a decree was difficult for even Golden Core Elders to issue; only high-ranking officials at the Peak Master level had the authority, making its value immense. Xu Qing clearly understood that the Vice Peak Master had granted this to him because of Ding Xue.

"This is a favor; I will need to repay Ding Xue in the future." Xu Qing noted this in his heart, then took out his identity token to check the tasks within it.

He wasn't planning to leave immediately. Although protecting Ding Xue had taken a month, and his war ranking had dropped back to over 70, Xu Qing felt it wouldn't be too hard to climb back up. He wanted to enter the top fifty to gain the right to use a magic treasure projection once.

Thus, in the following period, Xu Qing once again immersed himself in taking on missions. He was busy each day with one task after another, killing Sea Corpse Race members, refining Sea Corpse souls, and occasionally having his shadow assist him.

Gradually, his ranking climbed to over fifty, not far from obtaining the magic treasure projection. On this day, just after submitting a completed mission, Xu Qing was about to accept a new one when his expression suddenly shifted. He looked down at his feet.

Then, his eyes gleaming with a strange light, his body flickered, and he vanished from his spot. After appearing in a secluded corner, Xu Qing spoke calmly, "What do you want to say?" Just a moment ago, the shadow had transmitted some emotional fluctuations to him. "Promotion... quiet... safe... breakthrough," the shadow tried to convey. Xu Qing's pupils contracted.

The shadow's help had been significant in this war against the Sea Corpse Race. Now, after devouring so many Sea Corpse Race members, it was finally about to break through, filling Xu Qing with anticipation.

Indeed, after he ignited his Life Fire, the shadow and the Adamantine Sect Ancestor clearly couldn't keep pace with him. However, Xu Qing remained wary of both, especially the former. At this moment, as the shadow conveyed its impending breakthrough, the black iron stick nearby trembled slightly, and the Adamantine Sect Ancestor within it quickly transmitted a divine thought.

"Master, this humble one was just about to report to you. I can also break through now. I similarly need a quiet and safe environment, because the artifact spirit cultivation method I practice is different from other haphazard breakthroughs; it will attract heavenly lightning to cleanse the soul!"

"Once this humble one breaks through, I can unleash effects and combat power similar to the Profound Radiance state, becoming indestructible!" The Adamantine Sect Ancestor's words conveyed decisiveness, but anxiety brewed in its heart.

In truth, it was still a bit short of breaking through, but it couldn't wait. It felt that if the shadow broke through first and it remained in its current state, losing its status would be secondary; the crucial point was that it might be considered a mere hindrance.

Once deemed a hindrance, it believed it would very likely be thrown out as cannon fodder at some point. Therefore, it decided to take a gamble.

Xu Qing glanced at the black iron stick, then at the shadow, his mind already made up.