Chapter 335: This Life, We Walk Together

"It was worth it! Absolutely worth it!"

At this moment, Xu Qing's dharma ship had already departed the core area of Three Spirits Suppressing Dao Mountain. It was speeding far away, creating a vast distance from the battleground behind them.

On the deck, the Captain lay sprawled out, having reverted to his original appearance. He was panting heavily, but his eyes sparkled with deep satisfaction.

He occasionally burped, looking utterly stuffed.

"Haha, it's always more reliable to be with you, little A'Qing. This time, I came out completely unscathed, which is unprecedented!"

The more the Captain thought about it, the prouder he became, so he simply sat up.

"You wouldn't believe it, little A'Qing. When I did big things with Zhang San before, I always ended up missing an arm or a leg!"

"It was even worse when I went solo; my head almost got chopped off several times. And that Zhang San always took all the good stuff."

The Captain's face showed a mix of sighing and profound emotion.

Xu Qing sat cross-legged on the deck, his true appearance still concealed. Hearing this, he looked up at the Captain, a hint of bewilderment in his eyes.

Noticing Xu Qing's gaze, the Captain blinked. His mind was buzzing with ideas, but his expression remained impassive as he continued to sigh.

"You know me, I value loyalty and friendship. Zhang San is a good brother. Since he wanted it, I was too thin-skinned to refuse."

"So, every time, I gave him the lion's share and took very little for myself. Sigh. It's not like with you, junior brother; we've always split everything fifty-fifty, right from the start. That's true fairness."

The Captain lied without batting an eye, his words radiating sincerity.

Xu Qing immediately became wary, vaguely guessing the Captain's intentions.

"Junior brother, why are you looking at me like that? Oh, I get it! You want me to set an example, right? No problem. We're fellow disciples, we're good brothers. Fifty-fifty is an excellent way to distribute things."

"As your senior brother, I'll set an example. I'll waive half of the three million spirit stones you owe me."

The Captain thumped his chest, but he had talked too much, his mouth opening too wide, causing some of the Immortal Spirit essence from the Ghost Spirit Venerable's clone, which he had absorbed earlier, to drift out of his mouth.

The Captain quickly shut his mouth. He didn't want the good stuff he had worked so hard to get to just dissipate like that.

Xu Qing glanced at the Captain; he now understood what the Captain meant.

"Captain, I'm preparing for secluded cultivation."

"Little A'Qing, hogging everything isn't a good habit!"

Seeing Xu Qing play dumb, the Captain grew anxious and quickly spoke, but as soon as he did, more Immortal Spirit energy escaped.

Xu Qing blinked, noticing that as the Captain's Immortal Spirit energy dispersed, the invisible shadow on the deck was rapidly absorbing it. He then expressionlessly took out an apple and tossed it to the Captain.

The Captain instinctively caught it, then looked up at Xu Qing with a conflicted expression.

"Junior brother, can you be a good person?"

"Understood!" Xu Qing nodded seriously, then immediately closed his eyes and began activating the third Heavenly Palace within his body. He planned to place his Venomous Prohibited Elixir inside it next.

Although this process carried some risk, Xu Qing had previously observed the venomous elixir. On one hand, it was a semi-finished product, and on the other, its spiritual essence was nearly depleted due to its immense age.

Especially after being exposed to the outside world, the signs of its decline became more evident. If it ultimately turned into a dead elixir, like water without a source, it would become irreproducible, and its value would greatly diminish.

Therefore, it was best to proceed as quickly as possible. At the same time, he was inwardly assessing the gains from this venture.

This time, his gains were immense. He had acquired many external treasures in his food pouch, along with mirrors, bottles, and jars, which were of great help to both the Shadow and the Adamantine Sect Ancestor.

There were too many items for Xu Qing to inspect individually, so his primary focus was on the accumulated Immortal Spirit power within his sea of consciousness and his Ghost Emperor Mountain.

At this moment, under Xu Qing's restraint, the Ghost Emperor Mountain had ceased devouring the Immortal Spirit power in his sea of consciousness. Its blurred facial outline already resembled Xu Qing's appearance by two or three parts.

Xu Qing didn't know what would happen if he continued this, so he planned to ask his master for guidance before deciding.

Apart from that, there was the Dao blood they had fought for with the red-clothed woman.

Xu Qing didn't know the use of this Dao blood, but he could feel the tremors emanating from his Ghost Emperor Mountain in his sea of consciousness. Although the vitality emitted by the Dao blood was decent, it contained more of a Dao charm.

Based on his previous observations and analysis, this item was likely one of the Ghost Spirit Venerable's methods for controlling her clones.

While Xu Qing was deep in thought, the Captain stared longingly at him. He was very covetous of the Dao blood Xu Qing had ultimately obtained.

But since it was Xu Qing who had obtained it, he couldn't directly ask for it. All his earlier elaborate hinting and suggestions were for this very Dao blood.

So, his expression gradually turned forlorn, tinged with desolation. He lifted his head, took out a flask of wine, and took a large swig.

"Life is hard, indeed."

"This time, I lost over twenty intimidation artifacts, and more than forty stealth artifacts. Most importantly, the hidden dangers in my body are showing signs of erupting. Junior brother, who knows, one day you might not have a senior brother anymore."

Xu Qing opened his eyes, glanced at the Captain, and threw over a small bottle.

It contained thirty percent of the Dao blood.

"Is that enough?" Xu Qing asked.

The Captain quickly caught it, all his perceived hardships vanished, and he laughed heartily, his eyebrows dancing with delight.

"Enough, enough! Junior brother, you're truly generous! Say no more, from now on, whatever happens, your senior brother will always stand by you."

As he spoke, he swallowed it in one gulp. His body trembled violently, and after a good while, he let out a long breath, his expression filled with exhilaration.

"I can unlock another seal!"

"Little A'Qing, your senior brother isn't stingy either. Here, take this!"

In his excitement, the Captain took a box from his pocket and threw it to Xu Qing.

"This is something I found in a ruin once. Just now, seeing that red-clothed woman bullying you with her weapon, I thought of giving this to you. You can craft a handle for it later, and then you can use it."

Xu Qing took it and opened it. Inside was a black dagger blade embryo, emitting a cold gleam and appearing extremely sharp.

It also had some natural patterns forming the shape of an eye, exuding an eerie feeling.

Xu Qing liked it at first glance. He indeed lacked a suitable dagger. Although his soul fire could transform into a dagger, it still didn't feel quite right in his hand.

So he looked sincerely at the Captain and said, "Thank you, senior brother."

"Don't mention it. We'll continue to do big things together in the future; I'm already planning. But right now, the most important thing is to quickly convert our gains into personal strength, and then head to the Sword-Holding Court to strive to become Sword Holders!"

The Captain's eyes gleamed; becoming a Sword Holder was already his obsession.

"Trust me, junior brother, only by becoming Sword Holders will we gain the qualification to enter the core of the human race in the future!"

"Yinghuang State is ultimately too small. This world is vast beyond measure, and countless futures and wonders await us to explore and witness!"

"I want to journey to the Upper Imperial Capital Grand Domain, cultivate human imperial-grade cultivation methods, and even more, I want to traverse this entire Wanggu Continent, stir up the winds and clouds of the firmament, and visit those so-called Holy Lands!"

"I want too much, which is why I'm even crazier. Junior brother, this time, we journey together!"

Listening to the Captain's words, a profound light appeared in Xu Qing's eyes. After a long silence, he nodded, engraving these words firmly in his heart.

Yan Yan, observing from the side, blinked and quickly spoke, "You can take me too."

Meanwhile, after Xu Qing and the two others roared away on their dharma ship, the war at Three Spirits Suppressing Dao Mountain reached a fever pitch. This time, the Sword-Holding Court was exceptionally well-prepared, determined to win.

Even though Three Spirits Suppressing Dao Mountain quickly deployed their forbidden artifacts, with the appearance of a colossal palace, it brought overwhelming suppression.

Even from the direction of Ghost Emperor Mountain, the Seven Fiends formed from the Ghost Emperor's Seven Souls sensed this and attempted to provide support, but they were intercepted and blocked by another prepared main force of the Sword-Holding Court.

Thus, the course of this war could not be altered. Ultimately, the third of the Three Spirits, the Ghost Spirit Venerable, was directly suppressed by the Sword-Holding Court. Their target this time was indeed this third one.

Because she was the weakest and most suitable for suppression and capture.

And by controlling just one of the Three Souls, the Ghost Emperor could be prevented from reviving. This was the most favorable outcome. If the war continued, even the powerful Sword-Holding Court would eventually face a headache.

After all, the decree from the Upper Prefecture currently prioritized stability. If this matter became too entrenched and ultimately alerted the Upper Prefecture to intervene, even if they suppressed it, it would make them appear inefficient.

Therefore, after capturing the Ghost Spirit Venerable, the Sword-Holding Court chose to depart.

As for the eldest and second of the Three Spirits, they did not obstruct in silence. Both sides were old beings who had lived for many years. Perhaps they were initially puzzled by this matter, but now it was clear to them.

The third one, of course, would not die. In a way, she had become a hostage-like existence; otherwise, the Sword-Holding Court would not be at ease.

After the war ended and the Sword-Holding Court departed, on another side of Three Spirits Suppressing Dao Mountain, atop a high mountain at some distance from the battleground.

Under the crimson twilight sky, as the mountain wind swept through, a red robe flapped loudly in the breeze.

The red-clothed girl stood there, carrying a ghost scythe taller than herself, gazing towards the direction of the Three Spirits.

There was a recently healed scar on her neck.

The scar was large and shocking, appearing as if a slightly deeper cut could have severed her blood vessels and throat.

After a long moment, the red-clothed girl turned her head to look in the direction where Xu Qing and the two others had departed, a sharp glint growing in her eyes.

Long after, a soft chuckle emanated from beneath the white mask, which had several cracks.

"Note down two names!"

As the red-clothed girl's words echoed, the ghostly eye on the scythe suddenly opened, sending out a divine thought.

"What are their names?"

"One is called Mad Dog, and the other is Ghost Hand!" the red-clothed girl said indifferently.

The ghost immediately nodded, memorizing these two names. In the future, it would be able to detect them instantly if they appeared within its感知 range.

"Oh, right, recite all the names you've recorded that haven't been crossed off yet. I'm afraid I might forget."

"Yan Dog, Fossil, Auntie, Six-Fingers, Donkey Head..." the ghost scythe recited, naming one moniker after another, possibly a hundred in total. As the red-clothed girl listened, she walked further into the distance.

At some point, a small stone appeared in her hand, which she held and gently rubbed against the scar on her neck.

This small stone was quite peculiar; as she rubbed it, the scar gradually faded and slowly disappeared.

"I just need to complete a few more missions to gain higher authority, which will allow me to leave Yinghuang State. Then, I can finally visit the Scavenger Camp."

In the wind, her red robe shimmered against the setting sun and evening glow. She walked further and further away.

Further away, on the dharma ship, Xu Qing took out a bamboo slip.

After some thought, the murderous intent in the red-clothed woman's eyes when she looked at him earlier flashed in his mind. He then engraved a name on it: "Red Woman."