Chapter 373: Earth Core Tower

Wu Jinliang didn't notice he was rambling a bit today. Perhaps he had never met anyone truly pure.

Shi Chun also looked up at the vast, boundless starry sky. He murmured, "Why do people live? Isn't it just for a bit of self-interest? We've never met anyone who can live as long as the stars. Fortunately, we two are still alive. Is it possible for us to shine as brightly and beautifully as the stars?"

Wu Jinliang then fell silent, standing beside him and gazing at the stars, facing the direction Zhen'er had departed. The two remained silent for a long time.

Seeing their prolonged silence, the others eventually walked over. Xu Anchang asked where Zhen'er had gone alone. Instead of answering, Shi Chun asked Xu Anchang to take out the 'Boundless Banner' for him to see, and also asked You Mu to bring out the 'Six Paths Golden Wheel'. He examined both treasures repeatedly, confirming that they were indeed damaged and unresponsive.

Xu Anchang and You Mu were naturally heartbroken and expressed their indignation about the damned heavenly lightning. Having witnessed the confrontation between Shi Chun and Li Hongjiu, they naturally knew that the lightning that ruined their treasures was created by Li Hongjiu.

Hearing this, the group from Bright Mountain Sect was all astonished. Wu Jinliang couldn't help but ask what had happened. He didn't know until he asked; only then did he realize how terrifying Li Hongjiu was. Good heavens, he controlled countless bolts of lightning to destroy countless monsters and wrecked many magical artifacts from various sects. The mere thought of the scene was awe-inspiring.

After praising Li Hongjiu's power, the two naturally started praising Shi Chun, claiming that Shi Chun had confronted Li Hongjiu head-on and might have injured him, and that if Li Hongjiu hadn't resorted to trickery, he might have already perished by Shi Chun's blade. In truth, they weren't entirely sure if Li Hongjiu had cheated, but since Shi Chun had said so earlier, they seized the opportunity to flatter him. Now, they were beginning to fawn over Shi Chun.

There was no other way; his visible strength was undeniable. Putting everything else aside, the Bright Mountain Sect group, by following Shi Chun's advice, were all alive, while the Four Cauldrons Sect, by listening to those two, were now almost completely wiped out.

The Bright Mountain Sect group, upon hearing the details of the incident, was naturally astonished, and even somewhat skeptical. Could their leader really be that formidable? Not just them; even Wu Jinliang was skeptical. The Shi Chun he knew couldn't possibly be so exaggeratedly powerful. Defeating such a massive thunder-sword head-on? Was that a myth?

Seeing their disbelief, Xu Anchang was about to elaborate, but Shi Chun said coldly, "Since you enjoy talking, one mouth is enough. I'll take these two items for now." He was just fretting about not finding an excuse; now, he had a perfect pretext to take the two disabled treasures into his possession. He took them decisively and without hesitation. After his confrontation with Li Hongjiu and the surge in his cultivation, his confidence when facing these two was completely different. Without their magical artifacts, he wasn't afraid if these two decided to fight. It should be noted that Wu Jinliang, at this moment, was also in possession of the precious treasure left by Black Tiger.

To be frank, these two items were now his, and he wouldn't return them. Finding an excuse was better than simply seizing them by force. Why did he go to such lengths for two ruined treasures? Naturally, he wanted to take them out and repair them. If they couldn't be fixed, he could always break open the 'Boundless Banner' directly, as it still contained two high-grade magical artifacts.

Xu Anchang and You Mu were stunned on the spot, utterly speechless, their mouths sealed by Shi Chun's reasoning. Given their secretive backgrounds, some things couldn't be said carelessly. They weren't sure if their recent words had inadvertently leaked any secrets. The two wanted to tell him that they were just trying to flatter him, but that reason was difficult to state openly.

However, they couldn't remain silent. Xu Anchang said awkwardly, "Brother Chun, it's better if you don't trouble yourself with these two items. We'll keep them ourselves."

Shi Chun replied, "Let it be. I will explain to your 'sects' once we are outside." This was somewhat of an excuse to avoid a direct confrontation, as these two might still be useful. In any case, the word 'sects' was pronounced with significant hidden meaning. Xu and You knew what he was referring to. Their lips trembled slightly, but they eventually closed their mouths, watching helplessly as they handed over the two treasures.

Even disabled treasures were still treasures! The two cursed themselves for their loose tongues; their flattery had backfired spectacularly. However, strength spoke for itself, leaving them no recourse. Wu Jinliang knew Shi Chun too well. After his eyes darted around, watching this scene, he couldn't help but chuckle.

The Bright Mountain Sect group exchanged glances. Aside from everything else, they at least noticed that Xu and You's attitude towards their leader had changed, becoming wary and humble. They still clearly remembered the pair's attitude when they were searching for the divine fire in the Iron Forest. How much time had passed since then?

Some people's progress was long and gradual. While others' progress was as swift as a wildfire spreading...

Amidst the vast mountains lay a large lake. Its surface was still, covered in ice and frost, gleaming white in the deep darkness, emanating an ancient sense of sorrow. In the center was an island, with a sharp, towering peak. The island itself was a single outline of stone, featuring several cave-like openings. On the island's peak sat a human-shaped stone sculpture, depicted with knees bent, elbows propped, chin resting on hands, and eyes closed in thought.

Zhen'er drifted gracefully onto the island, landing before the stone sculpture. After cautiously examining it for a moment, she timidly spoke, "Ninth Master."

From within the stone sculpture came a buzzing sound. "Why have you come running again? Do you truly believe I won't kill you?"

The sight of the motionless stone sculpture speaking, contrasted with the surroundings, exuded an indescribable eeriness.

Zhen'er cautiously replied, "I want to see First Master."

The stone sculpture buzzed, "Get out!" The meaning was simple: that person wasn't someone she could just meet whenever she wished.

Zhen'er didn't leave; instead, she mustered her courage and said, "Someone has come to propose marriage to First Master."

At these words, the stone sculpture fell silent for a moment, seemingly entering a state of thought. As it thought, cracks began to appear, radiating blue light from within, starting from its head. As more and more blue light emanated, the cracked shell began to peel and crumble away, revealing human skin and clothing. Soon, the entire figure beneath the scorched, fragmented shell was revealed, and the island brightened.

It was a young man, shirtless but wearing a sleeveless jacket, three-quarter length shorts, and barefoot with his eyes closed. He had a bun hairstyle, and ancient-looking metal bracelets adorned his wrists. Though his clothes appeared simple and plain, the material suggested high quality. Flames flickered within his closed eyelids, and blue fire burned from within his body, emanating from his seven orifices.

The young man opened his eyes, which were hollow and devoid of pupils, containing only blazing blue fire. As he stretched, he floated up, drifting lightly like a snowflake, circling Zhen'er. Zhen'er seemed a little afraid of him, biting her lip as she turned to face him, but his erratic movements prevented her from ever directly confronting him.

"Oh, what pretty women's clothes. Did the person who proposed give them to you?" The young man's voice also carried an eerie, ethereal quality.

Zhen'er nodded proudly and hummed in affirmation.

"It seems you've truly found someone who wants to marry you. However, among the people who come in from outside, there are very few women..."

The floating figure eventually landed in front of Zhen'er. The flames from his seven orifices abruptly retracted and vanished, and the fiery glow in his eyes condensed into a pair of seemingly ordinary pupils. The light on the island also disappeared. He examined Zhen'er's clothes and asked, "Was the one who proposed a man?" His voice now had lost its buzzing and ethereal qualities, and was no longer that of a youth, but distinctly that of an adult man.

Zhen'er looked surprised. "Of course, a man proposes. How could a woman...?" She then seemed somewhat unsure and asked back, "Can women propose too?"

The young man didn't answer but asked again, "Is the proposal to marry you?"

Zhen'er proudly puffed out her full chest. "Yes."

The young man asked curiously, "Does the man proposing to you carry other women's clothes with him?"

"He brought them for me..." Zhen'er replied crisply, then seemed to realize something was amiss, a slight confusion in her expression.

The young man turned his head to look into the distance. "There was a huge commotion, with countless heavenly lightning bolts descending. Many fire spirits sent to encircle them died. Boss says a new master has come this time, someone not seen in many years. Did you see who made the move?"

Zhen'er, still bewildered, shook her head. "I didn't see."

The young man asked, "Was it not the person who proposed who made the move?"

"No..." Zhen'er first denied it outright, then hesitated, realizing she hadn't seen the situation Ninth Master was describing at all.

The young man said, "There are good people and bad people outside. Few good, many bad. Those who come in want to devour us. Are you sure that person genuinely wants to marry you?"

Zhen'er didn't know, but she stiffened her porcelain-white neck and replied, "He is already my man, and I am already his woman."

Curious, the young man made a gesture of fingers interlocking to form a circle and asked, "Did you do the thing for having babies?"

Zhen'er lifted her head and puffed out her chest, saying, "Almost. We've kissed, many times."

The young man's eyes lit up, and he seemed about to ask something else, but a grand and buzzing voice interrupted him. "Let her come down." The voice seemed to come from beneath the surrounding frozen lake. As it resonated, cracks appeared in the ice within a certain radius around the island.

Zhen'er's face immediately lit up with joy. So the young man floated backward to his original position, waving his hand. "Go on, go on."

Zhen'er hummed in affirmation, without much formality, flew down onto the ice, used a spell to break through the three-foot-thick ice, and then slipped into the cold, dark lake water below. Once underwater, it became clear that the part of the island visible above the surface was barely the tip of an iceberg.

Zhen'er's underwater movements were agile and graceful. After drifting along the underwater slope of the island for over a dozen feet, she then plummeted down like a sheer cliff, revealing that the island beneath the surface had a rough, rock-pillar-like structure. The reason it was visible under the ice was that the rough pillars contained ring-shaped, window-like openings from which flickering firelight emanated, and water could not enter these openings.

Zhen'er swiftly descended, reaching the lakebed where she found a true abyss. The rock-like pillars seemed to plunge into a deep chasm beneath the lake. Upon reaching the lake bottom, she had just passed through what seemed like the first layer of the rock pillar structure.

Sinking into the abyss, she saw a second layer of glowing openings, from which a buzzing voice emerged: "Does he look like a young man?"

Zhen'er replied, "Yes."

As she descended to the third layer, another buzzing voice, this time a woman's, came out: "Is he a handsome man?"

Zhen'er replied, "Handsome. He's the most handsome man in the world."