Zhao Qianhe’s eyes glinted as she stepped forth, then disappeared through the spatial distortion up ahead.
The other students on the flying ship glanced at Qiu Enhuai, who let out an exasperated sigh. He waved and gathered them up, then led them and their ship after Zhao Qianhe.
Boom!
A violent tremor stirred up a sandstorm. Ye Zichen slammed into a sand dune a hundred meters away, his bones shattered into powder.
Not bad at all.
The beast king’s massive body granted it explosive power. For Ye Zichen, an earth supreme, to survive even a single blow was already a miracle.
Its massive body did make its movements somewhat slow.
Ye Zichen had taken advantage of his comparative agility to dodge the beast’s attacks. This was the first blow to land.
Of course, it was just one blow, but it practically cost him his life.
“Bro, I’m afraid we’re both going to die here.” Ye Zichen clutched Chen Guangfa’s ring. It was the only one of his belongings. This was a desert, and when the Subterranean Beast King stomped on Chen Guangfa, he and his belongings disappeared into the sands.
It would be difficult to make any further use of the Yao-Sealing Pagoda. Over the course of their battle, Ye Zichen had summoned the yao sky supremes over and over again, and now, practically every yao of the sixth-stage and higher had suffered severe injuries. They had to stay in the pagoda to recover.
He really felt out of place here.
“As expected, a Subterranean Beast King isn’t something a small fry like me can handle. Why did I insist on playing hero and covering their escape?” Ye Zichen let out a self-deprecating laugh, then looked behind the beast and shouted, “I’m over here! Hurry up and save me!”
The Subterranean Beast King looked behind him, and Ye Zichen seized the opportunity to dig like mad into the sand.
Why?
Of course, he was trying to hide.
His legs wouldn’t move, so there was no way he could run. All he could do now was hide.
The beast looked around and saw nothing but a barren desert. There was no sign of anyone else. He realized he’d been tricked, and his monstrous purple eyes glowed with terrifying light. “How dare you trick me!”
“Hee hee.” Ye Zichen grinned. “Hey, your majesty, how could I possibly trick you? I was just joking around is all. Are you looking for subordinates? If so, how about you take me on? I’m too young to die!”
“Give me the Yao-Sealing Pagoda, and I can spare your life.”
“Alright, I’ll give it to you.” Ye Zichen nodded despite the pain. Suddenly, his eyes lit up with delight. “I’m over here! Dean, hurry up and save me!”
This time, the Subterranean Beast King hesitated, but still glanced behind him.
Ye Zichen seized the opportunity to dig like made once more, but before he got far, he sensed the beast’s earth-shaking fury.
“Brat, you’re seeking death!” Ye Zichen had tricked him twice! The Subterranean Beast King felt like this was a grave insult to his intelligence.
“Don’t get mad, Your Majesty! Here, I’ll give you the Yao-Sealing Pagoda, so spare my life,” pleased Ye Zichen.
“No need. If I kill you, the pagoda will still be mine.” The beast king snorted and approached.
Suddenly, Ye Zichen’s eyes lit up with the light of hope.
The beast king saw this and snorted. “Do you really think you can trick me again?”
Before long, just as he expected, Ye Zichen raised his hand and shouted, “I’m over here!”
“You little snot, this is the third time you’ve played this trick. Do you really think I’m that stupid?”
“This time, there’s really someone there! If you don’t believe me, you can turn around and look. There really is someone, trust me!”
Ye Zichen’s expression was utterly sincere, but there was no way the Subterranean Beast King would believe him again. Getting tricked twice was already the limit of what he could endure. Now Ye Zichen was trying to trick him a third time? Did he really think he was that stupid?
The beast king disregarded Ye Zichen’s warning and approached, but at that moment, a fierce wind slammed into the back of his head, smacking him directly into the sand.
Ye Zichen sighed in exasperation. “I warned you someone was there, but you didn’t believe me. Go on then, take your beating.”
After that attack, the Subterranean Beast King was truly furious. It crawled to its feet and roared. Just the sound alone was loud enough to hurt Ye Zichen’s ears. However, Zhao Qianhe just stood there, and although she looked like an ant before the massive beast, she simply sneered disdainfully at it. “You dirty little insect! How dare you act like this in front of me. Bow down to me!”
Wham!
Ye Zichen’s cultivation realm was too low to see what exactly Zhao Qianhe had done, but before long, the Subterranean Beast King slammed onto its needs and bowed.
“You’re a ruler!” This time, the beast king looked truly terrified.
Zhao Qianhe glanced coldly at it. “Since you know that, just keep bowing to me until I tell you otherwise. If you don’t, well, I’m sure you already know what will happen to you.”
With that, she walked right up to Ye Zichen and arched her brows. “You’re that greedy little guy from before.”
“Senior, you’re truly a goddess! You’ve saved me twice already. Once I get back, I’ll definitely set up a spirit tablet and altar for you, and light incense and pray for your good fortune every day.”
“Don’t try and flatter me. I’ve long since passed that time of my life.”
She glanced at Ye Zichen, then noted the ring he had tightly clenched in his fist.
As expected!
And here she thought this guy might have improved somewhat since last time. Now it seemed like his greed hadn’t diminished in the slightest. Just looking at his grievous wounds and the way he’d ‘sacrificed’ himself to buy time for the others to escape, he really did seem like a hero. He’d almost sacrificed his life, but it looked like that was just greed. He just didn’t know when to give up on treasure is all.
She had complete confidence in her ability to gauge someone’s character. Ever since she’d first met Ye Zichen down in the lower lands, she felt like she fully understood him.
“Boy, are you deliberately trying to push your way into the Sea of Innocence’s good graces?” Zhao Qianhe’s expression instantly darkened.
“Senior, what do you mean?” Ye Zichen looked at her in befuddlement.
“Hmph. You can drop the act. If you have any ulterior movies, I urge you to give up for your own sake. I confess that I do not have a good temper. If you do anything even slightly suspicious, you’re dead. Got it?”
She poked Ye Zichen in the chest, then noticed Xue Mo and the others approaching, so she let the matter drop for now. “Remember, don’t try any funny business.”
She narrowed her eyes at Ye Zichen as she left. When Qiu Enhuai led the other students over, they rushed up to Ye Zichen almost immediately. When they saw his grievous wounds, the girls burst into tears, while Jiang Yong, Li Hu, and the men all gasped despite themselves.
“Brother Ye, I owe you my life twice over.” Jiang Yong cupped his fist in respect.
“What are you talking about? We’re bros, you don’t owe me anything.” Ye Zichen grinned back at him. Before he could say anything else, Xue Mo threw herself into his arms and sobbed.
Ye Zichen sensed her trembling and gently patted her back. Little did he know, Zhao Qianhe was watching them from afar, her eyes glinting with sinister light.
