Chapter 502: Strange Stele

The soil inside the large crater looked strange, as if it had crystallized under extremely high temperatures.

"Why does it feel a bit chilly?" Pei Mianman instinctively grabbed Zu An's arm, leaning half her body against him, as if feeling more secure that way.

"It is a bit cold," Zu An agreed, also finding it odd. Logically, a meteorite falling and rubbing against the atmosphere should generate extremely high temperatures. There were still burn marks around, and the air was filled with a scorched smell. Yet, despite all signs pointing to heat, the actual experience was an eerie chill.

"Be careful," Zu An cautioned, gently patting her hand. "Dangerous things often surround rare treasures."

Pei Mianman hummed in acknowledgment, becoming fully alert and ready to act at any moment.

The two cautiously descended into the pit and walked towards the meteorite at the center. Various thoughts flashed through Zu An's mind: "There won't be radiation, will there?" In his previous life, he had seen countless similar reports: meteorites containing radioactive substances, people finding glowing stones they thought were treasures... only to be made miserable by large doses of radiation. But as things stood, there was no time to worry about such details. They had to go and check it out first.

The two arrived before the huge, dark meteorite. They circled it, but found nothing special. No matter how they looked at it, it seemed like an ordinary meteorite, just a bit larger than usual. Where was the promised rare treasure? Where was the fabled encounter?

Just then, a sinister laugh echoed: "I didn't expect you two to run all the way here. Hand over whatever treasure you've found, and perhaps I'll spare your lives." Daoist Mosquito stood at the edge of the large crater, staring coldly at them.

Zu An felt a headache coming on. He couldn't help but sigh, "I must have owed you money in my previous life for you to pursue me so relentlessly in this one." He planned to talk to her for a while to buy time. If his calculations were correct, Zhu Xie Chixin and the others should arrive soon.

Daoist Mosquito adjusted her somewhat tattered Daoist robe. Unfortunately, no matter how much she tried to conceal herself, much of her skin remained visible through the holes. "Hmph, I'm not in the mood for your glib talk right now. Hand over the treasure you found immediately, or I'll carve up this woman next to you. Don't feel sorry for her then!" She had even decided not to kill Pei Mianman immediately, intending to use her later to force Zu An to hand over the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra.

Zu An spread his hands, subtly shielding Pei Mianman behind him as he said, "We just got here ourselves and only circled this place once. There's nothing but this meteorite."

Given her previous experiences, Daoist Mosquito didn't believe him at all and attacked the two directly. Zu An and Pei Mianman hastily raised their weapons to defend. However, without Qiu Honglei's 'Changxin Palace Lantern' to restrain her, and with Daoist Mosquito slowly growing accustomed to their unique fighting styles—particularly Zu An's strange footwork and Pei Mianman's special black flames—the two were no match for her once she was prepared.

Pei Mianman, more severely injured, reacted a beat too slow and was sent flying, spitting blood, by Daoist Mosquito's attack. Had Daoist Mosquito not intended to keep her alive to threaten Zu An, that blow would likely have killed her on the spot. Seeing her severely wounded, Zu An instinctively moved to save her, creating an opening in his defense. Daoist Mosquito seized the opportunity and struck him with a palm to the chest.

This time, Daoist Mosquito showed no mercy, unlike with Pei Mianman. Having just witnessed his numerous full recoveries, she knew he must possess powerful healing techniques. Subconsciously assuming it was the effect of the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra, she no longer held back her power as she had before. Zu An felt as though he had been hit by a speeding locomotive. He flew in a parabolic arc and crashed directly into the meteorite. The immense impact embedded him directly into the meteorite, creating a human-shaped crater.

Even Daoist Mosquito was startled. She intended to completely subdue Zu An, not kill him. Was her last punch really that powerful? Only Zu An knew the truth: the meteorite behind him, though appearing as solid as profound iron and seemingly durable, was in fact brittle and not as strong as it looked.

As Daoist Mosquito was about to approach and finish them off, a series of cracking sounds suddenly echoed through the area, like something breaking apart. She couldn't help but stop, gazing intently at the huge meteorite behind Zu An. With her cultivation, she could naturally ascertain that the sounds were coming from within it. Judging by the situation, they probably hadn't lied; they hadn't yet discovered the meteorite's secret. Extraordinary phenomena always indicate the presence of significant treasures, and great danger often accompanies such treasures. Since she was currently injured, she had to proceed with extreme caution.

"Ah Zu!" Pei Mianman staggered over and pulled Zu An, who was embedded in the meteorite, out. Even this simple action nearly exhausted all her strength, clearly indicating how severely she was injured.

Zu An extricated himself from the meteorite, his clothes tattered all over, as if he had emerged from the Beggars' Sect. However, he had no time to worry about himself. Instead, he turned to look at the meteorite behind him. Cracks had appeared around the human-shaped indentations—at first only one or two, but soon more and more, until the entire outer layer of the meteorite was densely covered. Then, the huge meteorite suddenly split apart, shattering into countless small pieces.

Among the pile of fragments, a pitch-black stone tablet was revealed. Two strange patterns were carved on it, resembling neither words nor pictures. Pei Mianman, who prided herself on her extensive knowledge, had never seen such script from any race in the world.

Zu An gazed at the two characters, lost in thought. Just then, a figure darted past them. Daoist Mosquito reached for the stone tablet, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "Hahahaha, this treasure is mine!" A meteorite from outer space, with a stone tablet inside – it was obvious even to a child's imagination that it was extraordinary, undoubtedly some supreme treasure. She didn't bother with further thought; grabbing it first was paramount.

Zu An and Pei Mianman were severely wounded at this point, completely powerless to stop her. They could only watch as the stone tablet fell into her hands. However, as Daoist Mosquito's hand closed around the stone tablet, a flash of light suddenly erupted from it, followed by a powerful counter-force. She shrieked and was flung backward. Even with her extensive experience, managing to dissipate most of the force mid-flight, she still suffered considerable internal injuries.

Zu An immediately smirked. "Serves you right!"

Daoist Mosquito, unwilling to admit defeat, rushed towards the stone tablet again. This time, she didn't use as much force, instead reaching out to slowly touch the tablet. Yet, a flash of light still occurred, as if an invisible film around the tablet repelled her. Of course, because she hadn't used force this time, she was merely gently pushed away, not injured as before.

Daoist Mosquito paced back and forth around the stone tablet, trying various methods, but to no avail. She couldn't help but scratch her head in frustration. She knew that the strange phenomenon here would soon attract others, and she was running out of time.

Meanwhile, Zu An took Pei Mianman's hand, gave her a look, and then the two used their remaining strength to desperately run in the opposite direction from the stone tablet. Clearly, they hoped Daoist Mosquito would be so distracted by the tablet that she would ignore them.

To their surprise, Daoist Mosquito's figure flickered, appearing directly in front of them. She reached out and grabbed Pei Mianman's neck. "You two, go touch that stone tablet!" She worried that her status as a demon race member was preventing her from overcoming the tablet's restrictions. If two humans tried, perhaps they would succeed. After all, there were many forces in this world, and the legacies of many ancient powerhouses were often protected by similar enchantments to prevent non-humans from acquiring them.

Zu An snorted. "Since you're asking for a favor, can you at least be polite?"

Daoist Mosquito: "..." Did this guy have no awareness of being a captive? If not for needing the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra, she would have long ago slapped him to death.

Rage value from Daoist Mosquito +222!

"Say another word, and I'll cut a mark on your woman's face!" she threatened, as she ran a sharp nail over Pei Mianman's fair, delicate cheek.