B5C20: Guardians
The Blood-red Cave’s territory is 8 million li in radius and the Blood-red Ridge is at the center of it. Half of the territory’s Xiuyaoists concentrate in this place so it is obviously much more flouris.h.i.+ng and beautiful than many other places at the bottom of the ocean.
By now, Qin Yu and Hou Fei have already entered the Blood-red Ridge.
There are approximately 100,000 Xiuyaoists in the 8 million li radius area controlled by the Blood-red Cave. Because only 1 in 1000 Xiuyaoists can reach the Yuanying stage, there are only about 100 Yuanying stage experts within 8 million li of the Blood-red Cave. However, most experts hide in their own caves.
The Blood-red Ridge is actually a huge mountain range at the bottom of the ocean. Various caves and palaces have been built on many peaks of the mountain range. Generally, there are 10-odd Xiuyaoists in a palace. At the same time, there are also several thousand Xiantian-level demonic beasts ready to listen to their orders.
Large palaces even have more than 100 Xiuyaoists and countless demonic beasts each.
“Kaka, these Xiuyaoists really know how to amuse themselves . You see, those caves … kaka, they’re really luxurious.” As Hou Fei looks at the palaces on the mountain peaks in the distance, he cannot help praising them.
Qin Yu takes a glance over those palaces. He is not very surprised: “Xiuyaoists aren’t mortals so it’s very easy for them to create caves and mansions. Also, they can even order some Xiantian-level demonic beasts to help them. A 10,000 jin huge rock is very difficult to move in the mortal world, but it’s nothing to Xiuyaoists here. Oh!”
Qin Yu suddenly s.h.i.+fts his look to a huge mountain peak to the north of him.
Hou Fei’s eyes also brighten and look at that huge mountain peak in the distance. There is an extremely luxurious palace on that mountain peak. It is about the same size as an imperial palace in the mortal world.
That largest palace is located on the highest mountain peak of the Blood-red Ridge. An entire section of the peak has been cut off, leaving behind a flat surface that is several tens li in radius. On this huge flat surface, there is a lofty, luxurious palace — the Blood-red Cave.
It is located on the highest place, surrounded by the other palaces.
The Blood-red Cave occupies an area that is several tens li in radius. Courtyard houses and pavilions can be seen everywhere in it. Many squads of Xiuyaoists are on patrol outside the palace. There are even some seductive female Xiuyaoists serving as ladies-in-waiting, dancers and so on inside it.
“The Blood-red Cave.”
Qin Yu can see those large words from the distance. Hou Fei also looks at that palace in great amazement. He finds it even more unbelievable than Qin Yu does because he has only seen a bamboo house before whereas Qin Yu lived in a princely mansion when he was little and, at any rate, has seen an imperial palace on the Qian Long continent.
“d.a.m.n it, what a waste. A palace so big is used by just some fellas in the Blood-red Cave. But, if they let me live in it … such a big and luxurious palace won’t be wasted.” Hou Fei blinks his eyes and says on one side.
“Idiot.”
3 Xiuyaoists who are pa.s.sing by them says disdainfully after hearing what Hou Fei said.
In the Blood-red Ridge, Xiuyaoists generally go from one mountain peak to another in groups of 3 to 5. At a glance, Qin Yu can see that nearly 1000 Xiuyaoists are going in all directions. Compared to other places, this Blood-red Ridge indeed has a great number of Xiuyaoists.
“Hey, stop for your grandpa!”
Hou Fei shouts loudly all of sudden and stares at those 3 Xiuyaoists with his shockingly glittering fiery eyes. The 3 Xiuyaoists is unexpectedly startled. It seems the loud shouts Hou Fei uttered just now have scared the life out of them.
Hou Fei’s entire hair begins to stand up: “d.a.m.n it, you even dared to insult your grandpa? All of you listen up, your grandpa is Hou Fei …” Before Hou Fei can finish what he is saying, the 3 Xiuyaoists say loudly too.
“Hairy monkey, you’re surprisingly arrogant. In this Blood-red Ridge, there’s no one who doesn’t know about us 3 brothers. Kill him.” After saying, the 3 Xiuyaoists immediately take out their respective weapons and attack.
Hou Fei’s eyes flash with a hint of bloodthirstiness.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
3 silhouettes of a black stick flash by the 3 of them. A series of noises of bones being shattered is heard and the 3 Xiuyaoists are smashed away while crying or screaming in agony.
“Kaka, you must have a death wish to fight me.” Brandis.h.i.+ng his black stick, Hou Fei says arrogantly.
Qin Yu makes a sweep with his holy sense and finds out that they have only got their legs broken. Hou Fei has no intention of killing these 3 Xiuyaoists because, after all, this place is the headquarters of the Blood-red Cave. He also knows the serious consequences of killing them here.
“Don’t worry, they’re not dead.” He says while putting the black stick on his shoulder in an unconcerned manner. Suddenly, his fiery eyes start to brighten.
With his hands behind his back, Cha Po flies out of the main entrance of the Blood-red Cave. 4 of the 13 guardians are following him, consisting of Bai Yin, Ran Lan, Mu Xu and Zhuang Zhong. Among these 4 guardians, Bai Yin is the leader.
“Let’s go to Mount Yan Lian.” Cha Po immediately says.
“Vice master, the wine on Mount Yan Lian is pretty good. I really don’t know how that geezer Yan Lian can make it.” Bai Yin beside him says with a smile. Clad in a full-length white suit of armor, this guardian looks noticeably elegant, handsome and outstanding.
Ran Lan says with a cold smile: “That Yan Lian even thinks he’s a big shot. Let’s tell him directly, hand over the producing method or get killed.” Half of Ran Lan’s hair is blue while the other half is black. Even his face is also half black half blue.
By contrast, Mu Xu is very quiet.
And Zhuang Zhong looks like a nice old man who always smiles. However, the other guardians all know how ruthless and sly he is.
When these 5 Xiuyaoists are halfway on their journey, suddenly —
Boom!
There is the distant rumble of rock getting shattered. Cha Po and the others immediately look in that direction and see only a dull multicolored source of light. Their eyes brighten and almost instantly they rush towards it together.
“Kaka ~~ what do you think, big brother? Whenever I act, I definitely won’t miss.” Hou Fei has just found another treasure — a Five Nights Purple Flower. If this flower is not plucked within 5 days of its full bloom, it will automatically lose its medicinal properties.
Qin Yu’s eyes brighten: “A Five Nights Purple Flower, this is a treasure for pill making. It’s absolutely comparable to a high-grade holy weapon.” Hou Fei does not like pill-making-related treasures such as this so he throws it to Qin Yu, who reaches out a hand to receive it.
“Stop your hand!”
Following a loud shout, 5 silhouettes immediately appear in front of Qin Yu. They are none other than Cha Po and his subordinates, who just now were able to see Hou Fei dig out this treasure with their own eyes. Disregarding everything, guardian Ran Lan among them reaches out his hand to try to s.n.a.t.c.h it.
Qin Yu’s eyes flash with coldness. He shouts angrily: “Scram.” At the same time, he throws a kick like a flash.
Bang!
Both Qin Yu and Ran Lan fly backwards simultaneously. They are unexpectedly equally matched. With a sweep of his holy sense, Qin Yu discovers that the opponent has reached the early Yuanying stage. Every time Qin Yu practices, his physical body is trained and refined, and therefore now it is much stronger than the bodies of ordinary demonic beasts. Even though Ran Lan is at the early Yuanying stage, his body is inferior to Qin Yu’s.
Qin Yu and Ran Lan exchange a look. They both feel that each other is no pushover. Cha Po and the others also realize that Qin Yu and Hou Fei are not easy for them to bully.
Bai Yin however takes a step forwards.
“This 5 Nights Purple Flower belongs to our Blood-red Cave. My vice master already knew long ago that there’s a 5 Nights Purple Flower here, but it is regrettable that it can only be plucked in its full bloom, and this can’t be delayed for too long. If not plucked within 5 nights, it’ll become useless. Now, please return that flower to its rightful owner.” Bai Yin says smilingly in a refined and courteous manner.
“Bulls.h.i.+t!” Hou Fei has already been enraged. The hair on his entire body stands straight up. He laughs strangely and says: “If your vice master had already known long ago that this place got a treasure, why the h.e.l.l wouldn’t he have transplanted it into his cave? Also, this 5 Nights Purple Flower grew under rocks, how the h.e.l.l could you have known about it?”
Hou Fei’s eyes are blazing. His aura surges forth from his whole body. It is unexpectedly able to oppress the opponents.
He dug this treasure out by himself but they are attempting to s.n.a.t.c.h it so how can he possibly keep calm and not get angry?
“d.a.m.n you, did you hear what I said? Sod off for me, otherwise I’m going to make minced meat of you.” Hou Fei says angrily while staring at the 4 Xiuyaoists. His violent aura is really terrifying. The aura of a divine beast is indeed no joke.
However, Cha Po and those guardians are not powerful enough to tell that Hou Fei is a divine beast yet.
Generally, divine beasts are recognized based on characteristics such as their physical appearances. But Hou Fei is a Fiery-eyed Aquatic Monkey, whose species is really extremely rare. According to Uncle Lan, he is the only member of this species in the entire underwater Xiuyao world. The opponents have never seen anyone like him so naturally they cannot identify him.
“I’m the Blood-red Cave’s vice master Cha Po. This item belongs to the Blood-red Cave. Didn’t you 2 hear that?” Cha Po’s voice rises. There is a note of absolute insolence in it.
“Cha Po? The Blood-red Cave?” Qin Yu says with a cold smile on one side.
Cha Po and those guardians are top-ranking figures in the Blood-red Cave so normally no one dares to fight them. However, the 2 fellows before them at the moment seem not to think highly of them at all. How can a vice master and 4 guardians possibly endure this mocking tone?
“Fight!”
Cha Po suddenly shouts.
“Kaka, bring it.” Bai Yin and the others are yet to get into action but Hou Fei already laughs strangely in excitement. He then charges at them while waving a black stick. What is Hou Fei’s ident.i.ty? A middle Yuanying stage divine beast, no less! Of the few Xiuyaoists before him, Cha Po, the strongest, and Bai Yin have reached the middle Yuanying stage too while Ran Lan and Mu Xu are only at the early Yuanying stage and Zhuang Zhong is even at the late Jindan stage. However, Zhuang Zhong is actually somewhat more formidable than Ran Lan and Mu Xu.
A middle Yuanying stage divine beast, which is even comparable to an ordinary Dongxu stage expert, thus charges at them.
Boom!
Carrying an enormous force, the black stick cuts through the water and crashes on Bai Yin’s 2 daggers with a loud noise. It even bends the daggers back and smashes them into Bai Yin’s body squarely. Bai Yin is sent flying at once while spitting out a mouthful of blood.
“Kaka, awesome, awesome!”
Hou Fei cries loudly in excitement. In the past, whether when he fought Qin Yu or when he fought the demonic beasts in the ravine, he never dared to use all his power because he was afraid of killing or wounding them. But now he has no qualms. Just a moment ago, that strike of the stick was executed by him with full force.
The faces of the 4 other Xiuyaoists, Cha Po, Ran Lan, Mu Xu and Zhuang Zhong, all change color greatly.
Middle Yuanying stage Bai Yin was sent flying with just a blow of the stick? And Bai Yin could not even put up any resistance!
“Kaka, come again.” Hou Fei’s eyes glitter. In an instant, his black stick turns into 5 or 6 blurs, smas.h.i.+ng towards them. Zhuang Zhong suddenly utters a loud shout. A ma.s.sive s.h.i.+eld appears in his hand. The blurs of the stick smash down on the s.h.i.+eld.
With a boom, Zhuang Zhong’s entire body is rammed into the rock.
“Stop, stop, this is a misunderstanding, this is a misunderstanding!”
Cha Po shouts.
“Taste another blow.” Paying no attention to what Cha Po is shouting, Hou Fei smashes his stick towards him. Qin Yu is also amazed by the speed of Hou Fei’s black stick. He feels that when Hou Fei exerts his power, the stick arrives at the opponent’s face almost instantly. Both in power and in speed, it has reached a terrifying level.
A faint wicked smile suddenly appears on the corners of Hou Fei’s mouth. While his stick is coming at Cha Po, he uses the power of his waist and gives it a fierce shake.
The black stick is slightly bent at once then begins to swing violently back and forth between 2 other directions.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! ……
The stick is situated exactly between Ran Lan and Mu Xu so when it swings back and forth, it hits their bodies. Because these 2 guardians’ demonic elemental energy is basically unable to withstand those heavy hits, they are sent flying backwards.
“Taste your grandpa’s stick!”
Hou Fei suddenly jumps up, lifts his black stick then smashes it down at Cha Po’s head with all his might. At this moment, Cha Po transforms into a 100 m long huge blood-red aquatic python. However, giving him basically no time to react, Hou Fei’s black stick immediately connects with his head.
No, to be exact, there is still a distance of 1 or 2 cm left between the stick and the python’s head.
Hu hu!
Because the stick moved extremely fast, it caused strong winds that make the water in the battlefield to surge forth. The blood-red aquatic python blinks his very red eyes and looks at that black stick, which is only 1 to 2 cm away from his head, in stupefaction. He only sobers up after a while then immediately switches to his human form.
Cha Po also knows that the opponent has spared his life, otherwise he would have been smashed to death.
“I am Cha Po. Sir, to be able to meet an expert like you, I can’t help feeling very happy. Just now I was too disrespectful.” Seeing Cha Po s.h.i.+ft his ground so fast, even a grim Qin Yu on one side has to give a faint smile. Because Cha Po is acting like this, the 4 guardians also start to flatter Hou Fei.
In his mind, Qin Yu secretly praises Hou Fei for being sensible.
Beating them up is still acceptable, but if Cha Po is killed, the power behind him, Cha Hong, will get into action. Cha Hong is a Dongxu stage expert, and moreover, a blood-red aquatic python. Not even Hou Fei can defeat a blood-red aquatic python that has reached the Dongxu stage for certain.
Hou Fei seems to enjoy his opponents’ flattery very much. And before long, he introduces himself to them and even calls them brothers.
“Brother Hou Fei, do the 2 of you have any dwelling place in the Blood-red Ridge?” Cha Po moves his eyes around and says.
Hou Fei replies in an unconcerned manner: “No, we don’t. I’m still roaming about this place. My big brother and I have come here for a visit. The Blood-red Ridge really has many Xiuyaoists, many more than other places. It’s not bad to stay here.”
Cha Po immediately says with a smile: “Ah, I see. Then why don’t you stay in my Blood-red Cave, brother Hou Fei? With your excellent power, you’re more than qualified to become a guardian of the Blood-red Cave. Once you hold this position, I shall put 1000 guards under your direct control, what do you think?”
“Oh, guardian?” Hou Fei’s eyes brighten, looking as if his interest has been aroused. Suddenly he says to Cha Po: “I still have to ask my big brother Liu Xing about this. His answer will be my answer.”
In the Xiuyao world, power is everything. Seeing Hou Fei’s terrifying power, Cha Po naturally wants to pull him to his side. Now, after hearing Hou Fei’s words, he remembers the exchange just now between Qin Yu and Ran Lan. Thinking that Qin Yu should not be weaker than an ordinary guardian, he immediately works out a plan.
“Brother Liu Xing, if you think my Blood-red Cave deserves your respect then I will also invite you to become a guardian of it. What do you think? You and your brother will be able to enjoy life together with us while having to worry about nothing at all. I can guarantee that n.o.body within 8 million li of this place will dare to offend you.” Cha Po promises.
“Oh, guardian?”
Qin Yu looks at Cha Po and gives a faint smile.
End of b5c20.