Chapter 343: You Came Too?

Seeing the shadow shaking its head there, the Jin Gang Sect Patriarch's tension intensified. His body began to tremble, and he looked at Xu Qing in despair, feeling that this time, he was truly finished!

"Master..."

"Are you alright?" Xu Qing asked softly, looking at the Jin Gang Sect Patriarch with concern in his voice.

To the Jin Gang Sect Patriarch, this voice was like a spring breeze. His eyes widened, and his breathing quickened as he stared blankly at Xu Qing. He had not expected that Xu Qing would ask about his well-being, instead of his previous presumptuous words.

This caused his emotions to fluctuate wildly. Especially after experiencing a brush with death, his feelings were already in turmoil. The sensation of his heart pounding from extreme sorrow and joy left the Jin Gang Sect Patriarch with an indescribable feeling.

He believed that this pounding sensation in his heart was born because of Xu Qing.

This reminded him of certain plotlines in the storybooks he had read throughout his life: "On a certain day of a certain month in a certain year, the great deity so-and-so finally met the loyal servant who would accompany him for his entire life."

"Under the witness of the wheels of history, this would be the moment the loyal servant's own destiny changed."

It seemed that Xu Qing, right before his eyes, was exactly as described in the storybooks—his master in a past life, and this life, after enduring countless hardships, he had finally met him. This was fate.

"That's it!" The Jin Gang Sect Patriarch was excited.

He had never experienced such a feeling before. His heart was now filled with gratitude, and he quickly spoke.

"Master, rest assured, this humble one is fine! I am incredibly excited right now because, under the witness of time, I can once again fight battles for you! This life, Master, I will pave the way for you!"

Xu Qing glanced at the Jin Gang Sect Patriarch in surprise, finding his behavior a bit strange, but recalling their journey, he nodded.

Little Shadow, standing nearby, paused. He deeply looked at the Jin Gang Sect Patriarch, committing those words to memory, planning to say something similar himself in the future.

"Your promotion this time... it wasn't a complete success, was it?" Xu Qing asked, looking at the Jin Gang Sect Patriarch.

"Master, although this humble one hasn't completely succeeded, I can feel that I am different from before." As he spoke, the Jin Gang Sect Patriarch raised his right hand, and with a tremble of his body, a faint red lightning bolt immediately appeared in his palm.

The lightning was still very weak, but its essence was identical to the power of the heavenly tribulation Xu Qing had witnessed earlier.

"Although it's a bit small, I'm already half an artifact spirit! If I merge into the iron stick, its power will greatly increase!"

The Jin Gang Sect Patriarch looked at the faint lightning in his palm, feeling a bit guilty, and quickly spoke. After finishing, he instantly merged back into the black iron stick beside him, eager to demonstrate.

However, the moment his body merged into the iron stick, it suddenly vibrated.

Cracking sounds emanated from it, and streaks of red runes appeared, continuously spreading as if undergoing a transformation. The iron stick exuded a terrifying aura.

Furthermore, arcs of red lightning coursed over the iron stick, causing its color to change from black to purplish.

Seeing the iron stick, which had accompanied him for so many years, become extraordinary, Xu Qing was about to pick it up for a closer look. But just then, the Jin Gang Sect Patriarch let out a scream, and cracks suddenly appeared on the iron stick.

As cracking sounds echoed, three deep fissures appeared on the iron stick, each so deep that it seemed only a little more would shatter it completely.

Xu Qing's expression changed at this sight. He grabbed the iron stick, and after scanning it with his divine sense, his face turned grim. The Jin Gang Sect Patriarch also materialized at this moment, cautiously speaking.

"Master, this precious artifact I reside in is ultimately too low-tiered."

"It was fine below the Golden Core stage, but as seven-tenths of me transformed into an artifact spirit, it exceeded its maximum tolerance. Especially the red lightning power of heavenly tribulation—the iron stick simply cannot bear it." Xu Qing held the iron stick and remained silent for a long time.

This item had accompanied him through his childhood, whether before or after the slums, or during his time in the scavenger camp and the early days of Seven Blood Eyes. It had always been his lethal weapon.

Countless nights, he had slept with the iron stick clutched in his hand. "For now, this will have to do. Once we return to the sect, I will find a way to reforge it and see if its tier can be elevated."

Xu Qing spoke calmly, put away the black iron stick, and then took out a fragment of a mirror artifact he had obtained from a small country, using it as a temporary dwelling for the Jin Gang Sect Patriarch.

After doing all this, Xu Qing flicked his sleeve, and the shadow and the Jin Gang Sect Patriarch once again concealed themselves. "We should leave." Xu Qing's eyes gleamed. This time, the promotion of the shadow and the Jin Gang Sect Patriarch had also boosted his combat power somewhat.

As for the specific changes, he planned to ponder them once they returned to the magic battleship.

After all, this was a forbidden zone, and constant vigilance was necessary. The commotion caused earlier was significant and could very likely attract some unknown entities, so Xu Qing decided to leave immediately.

Thinking this, he swiftly moved through the passage towards the exit. With a touch of his right hand, the mountain rock at the exit exploded, and Xu Qing's figure shot out. He was about to flee into the distance.

But just then, his expression changed, and he suddenly looked into the distance.

In the distant jungle, a group of strange, ten-zhang-tall giants were roaring and sprinting in pursuit. Each of these giants exuded considerable power, with more than ten of them comparable to Golden Cores.

Furthermore, two or three of them gave Xu Qing the feeling of encountering five or six Heavenly Palace Golden Cores, causing his eyes to narrow.

What made Xu Qing gasp even more was the terrifying roar echoing across the sky from further away—a sound that shook the mind, seemed to suppress everything, and was utterly horrifying.

The world changed color, winds gathered, and the earth trembled.

It seemed as if some entity was struggling, attempting to break free from its confined location.

And the giants were pursuing none other than the Captain.

With just one glance, Xu Qing knew the Captain must have done something truly outrageous again. He sighed and quickly fled in the opposite direction.

From afar, the Captain also saw Xu Qing and was instantly delighted.

"You're here too? What treasure appeared here? Let me see!" the Captain shouted loudly.

"Don't worry, that big guy isn't so easy to break free. Although it's awake, its sleeping place is a bit complex—it's a mud pit, with only half its head exposed. I saw some lingering prohibitions of the myriad races."

As the Captain spoke, a monstrous roar echoed from the distance, and cracks appeared in the earth with grinding sounds, releasing an even more violent aura.

As strong winds began to rage, it seemed a portion of the prohibitions had shattered, intensifying the struggle.

Furthermore, with the formation of the strong winds, resistance appeared in all directions, involuntarily slowing Xu Qing and the Captain. Yet, the pursuing giants moved even faster. With this imbalance, the distance between them rapidly closed, and it seemed the Captain was about to be caught.

"Oh my, it's not actually breaking free, is it?" The Captain's expression changed. He frantically accelerated, chasing after Xu Qing.

Xu Qing didn't look back but made an aerial grab with his right hand, giving the Captain a boost.

The next instant, the Captain's speed was supercharged, and he shot forward, reaching Xu Qing's side.

However, the resistance here was very strong, with fierce winds buffeting them. Xu Qing could even smell the breath of the giants behind them. This situation gave Xu Qing a headache, and he couldn't help but ask, "Captain, what have you done this time?"

"Nothing much, really. I caught up earlier and saw you were fine, then I smelled something good, so I went to check it out."

"And guess what I saw? I saw a bunch of big, clumsy idiots worshiping a fruit. Such ignorant behavior, I naturally had to 'enlighten' them, so I took the fruit."

"And then?" Xu Qing looked at the Captain.

"That's it!" The Captain wore a wronged expression, seemingly feeling it was unreasonable for the other party to be so furious over just a fruit.

Xu Qing didn't believe him and looked at the Captain's mouth.

The Captain blinked, and while running, spoke in a low voice.

"Really nothing else, it's just that before I left... I saw about half of their clan elder's head exposed from the mud pit, and there was a very nice wooden sword stuck in its head, so I took a bite."

"Didn't taste good!" The Captain coughed.

Xu Qing was silent.

"Oh, two bites, two bites! I only took two bites!" The Captain, feeling guilty, quickly blurted out the words and ran at full speed. Running too fast, or perhaps eating too much, he couldn't help but burp.

Xu Qing sighed. He suspected the Captain had taken many bites. He didn't ask further, instead erupting with his internal cultivation and moving at full speed, but soon the giants behind them caught up.

A cold glint flashed in the Captain's eyes. He quickly performed a hand seal and fiercely waved backward. Immediately, a blue light erupted from his body, forming a sea of light that rapidly enveloped the area behind them, freezing everything it passed.

Xu Qing similarly shook his poison palace, releasing an aura of toxicity that swiftly spread backward, causing everything in its path to rot.

In an instant, shrill screams came from behind them. Some giants were frozen, and all of them were poisoned. For a moment, roars echoed, and their pursuit involuntarily slowed down.

But just then, an enraged roar came from the distance, and as the struggle intensified, a cloud of mist rose, like an exhalation, rumbling and rolling towards Xu Qing and the Captain.

It arrived in an instant, and with a fierce impact, Xu Qing's Wuji Crown glowed, but he still vomited blood, and the cracking sound of breaking bones came from his body.

The Captain also spat blood, his body riddled with holes. Both looked horrified, deploying their ultimate speed and fleeing frantically.

Fortunately, their location was not the core of the Sword Forbidden Zone, but merely close to its inner circle. So, at their respective maximum speeds, they finally burst out of the Sword Forbidden Zone three hours later.

They dared not stop for a single moment on this journey, dedicating all their cultivation to speed. And the moment they burst out, from the depths of the Sword Forbidden Zone, a monstrous roar thundered, and a colossal figure could be seen rising directly from there.

This figure was so tall that even from a great distance, one could see its head seemingly touching the sky after it stood up. While astonishingly huge, it also cast a terrifying oppressive aura that enveloped all directions. Its nose, faintly visible, appeared somewhat collapsed and withered, as if it were missing.

Roaring, the giant lifted its foot, about to chase after the Captain and Xu Qing.

Both their expressions changed drastically.

But just then, strips of silk-like lines imbued with Dao charm suddenly erupted within the Sword Forbidden Zone, forming a seal that enveloped the giant, preventing it from struggling free, forcing it to continuously roar in frustration.

Even from a great distance, this roaring caused Xu Qing and the Captain to continuously spit blood, their bodies showing signs of cracking. In their horror, they rushed out of the Sword Forbidden Zone and sped all the way to the magic battleship.

Once there, Xu Qing gasped for breath, looked at the giant's nose, then turned and gave the Captain a deep look. The Captain coughed and changed the subject.

"Wow, it really broke free! That big guy must have been a mighty general under the Sword Emperor back then, truly powerful!"

On the magic battleship, Yan Yan watched this scene, dumbfounded, her mind blank.

She seemed unable to comprehend how these two could cause such a massive commotion just by visiting the Sword Forbidden Zone!