Deep in the abyss, the white waterfall felt like knives, and the mist was thick.
Xia Fei could vaguely make out that there seemed to be a white shadow fighting with Lone Peak Shen and Turbid Shadow Lin. This shadow was like a light, rushing upward quickly, while Lone Peak Shen and Turbid Shadow Lin both moved to stop it.
“Peacock Blue!” Xia Fei bellowed as he unleashed his right arm’s Peacock Blue, forming a net of vines that covered the sky!
*Whoosh!*
The white shadow moved extremely quickly and at a peculiar angle that flung aside Lone Peak Shen and Turbid Shadow Lin in a flash.
At that very moment, Peacock Blue has already grown dozens of kilometers! Its lush foliage covered the sky!
“Don’t think you can run off like that! Earth power, Ten Ton Mountains!” Lone Peak Shen suddenly roared, his two hands clapping together!
*Rumble*
An entire row of towering mountains sprung forth from the abyss, sharp as metal spikes, and instantly shot through the clouds!
But that white shadow was actually very agile. It stepped on the mountain peaks that Lone Peak Shen had created through his Earth power, which helped accelerate it even more. The impetus of Ten Ton Mountains sent it flying like a rocket into space! Even Xia Fei’s Peacock Blue was torn apart!
The entire process happened in an extremely short span of time. Xia Fei’s eyes flashed when he landed on the ground, because that white shadow was becoming more and more familiar by the second. It looked very much like that mysterious thing he had met at the coffin, the one that had escaped from the Broken Wing Sky Devil’s Tomb! It was just that this white shadow was moving too fast, and Xia Fei was affected by Lone Peak Shen’s Ten Ton Mountains as well, so he did not manage to make out how it looked.
However, Xia Fei could feel the chilling Aura it gave off! It was very similar to what he had felt that day in the Broken Wing Sky Devil’s tomb.
“To think it actually got away!” Lone Peak Shen remarked coldly.
That was when Xia Fei noticed that he was already in the abyss, and there was a layer of invisible energy barrier above his head. The water from the waterfall was being obstructed by this barrier, making it look like he was in some transparent underwater tunnel, surrounded by water with only a sliver of sky up above. It was quite the spectacular sight.
But Xia Fei was not in the mood to admire the amazing view Jadewater City afforded, and instead asked, “Did either of you get a good look at that thing?”
Turbid Shadow Lin and Lone Peak Shen shook their heads respectively, with the former saying, “Why do you care what that white shadow was? Are you telling me you got a look at it?”
Xia Fei laughed bitterly, “If you two experts failed to see it, how would I be able to get a good look at it?”
Turbid Shadow Lin commented, “With that superb deftness in movement, and so quick to boot, it must have been an expert. If I’m not mistaken, the Shui Clan has probably been wiped out by now.”
Lone Peak Shen and Turbid Shadow Lin were both killers. They did not care if people died, as what they were concerned with was the white shadow that had escaped their clutches.
—
Following the tunnel toward the Shui Clan’s place of residence, they spotted corpses strewn along the way after a short walk. Lone Peak Shen and Turbid Shadow Lin did not even spare these bodies a glance, while Xia Fei carefully squatted by their bodies, using his hand to gently check the pulse of these corpses, causing him to arch his eyebrows all of a sudden.
“What is it?” Radix asked, curious.
“Rigor mortis has begun setting in on these corpses, meaning it has been close to twenty hours since their time of death. At the same time, this is proof that the Shui Clan’s massacre had nothing to do with that white shadow we saw just now. It was in the same boat as us; we were just a step too late,” Xia Fei softly explained.
“Nothing to do with the massacre? What makes you so sure?” Radix asked again.
“Don’t forget, we only discovered the Jadewater City had been plundered of their energy through Radiance Crown. Considering the time we took to get here, it aligns perfectly with almost twenty hours,” Xia Fei continued calmly.
Radix let out a sigh. All it took was twenty hours for something to befall the Shui Clan. No one would be foolish enough to steal from the Shui Clan and still remain here, not to mention a lone individual. It was absolutely illogical, and with how proficient XIa Fei was with his analytical mind, he concluded that the ones who had eradicated the Shui Clan and that white shadow that had just fled the scene were two separate forces!
—
Even more bodies were discovered further ahead; all of them had died approximately twenty hours ago, which further solidified Xia Fei’s hypothesis.
The construction of Jadewater City had been remarkable, as they were able to construct this underwater city from out of thin air. The rooms were all transparent, allowing everyone to have a clear view of the lake atop them.
By the time they reached the central district of the city, Lone Peak Shen and Turbid Shadow Lin suddenly came to a halt and nodded to one another. There was another shaft here, but it had already been wrecked by someone else, with a mess of corpses lying about near the entrance.
*Whoosh*
Lone Peak Shen, Turbid Shadow Lin, and Xia Fei jumped right down. The moment the tips of their toes touched the ground, the two assassins split left and right and melded into the darkness. They were searching for any possible danger, working with great tacit understanding.
*Whoosh!*
Meanwhile Furball had also poked his head out and leapt up onto Xia Fei’s shoulder. With a fierce gaze, he carefully sniffed the air in the room they found themselves in, almost as if he had a distinct dislike for the smell here.
It had only been seconds before the lights shone! Turbid Shadow Lin had turned on the illumination device here.
They could now see they were in a space about a kilometer across. Right in the center was a metal shaft cover, which happened to have been shattered, revealing a circular depression like a tomb, approximately twenty meters in depth.
*clank*
Turbid Shadow Lin kicked one of these broken pieces of metal away from his leg as he said in disappointment, “Looks like we’re a step too late. Someone else has already absconded with the remains of Water Dragon Roar!”
“Could it have been the Dark Spiritualists?” Xia Fei asked. “What would they want with a dead body?”
Turbid Shadow Lin smiled, “This is no ordinary dead body, but the remains of the Yggdragon named Water Dragon Roar! Beasts are split into tiers; exotic beast, divine beasts, and above that is the legendary Draconids! The Yggdragon beast is a high-rank Divine Beast and a low-rank Draconid. It is the strongest beast that we ever saw, and just from the name itself, Yggdragon, one could tell that it is related to the dragons.”
Glancing at Furball, Turbid Shadow Lin continued, “Of course, that Holy Beast beside you is not considered within the tiers, and it’s a pretty good ball. But it’s just unfortunate…”
Xia Fei was a little shocked, not understanding why Turbid Shadow Lin would suddenly mention Furball unprompted. He even said it was unfortunate, which prompted Xia Fei to curiously ask what he meant.
Turbid Shadow Lin answered, “I’m sure your Holy Beast has remained at rank 8 for a very long time, right?”
XIa Fei nodded. Furball had already reached a rank 8 Holy Beast, and was now just a step away from perfection. Logically speaking, this pet of Xia Fei’s had led a very carefree life and not once did Xia Fei have a lack of energy for him, yet Furball was always just shy of reaching its apex form.
“Do you know why Shatterstar has always been shy of completing its final transformation?” Turbid Shadow Lin asked of him.
“Shatterstar is an energy-type beast, so it must be because it lacked energy,” Xia Fei shrugged.
Turbid Shadow Lin shook his head as his eye shone, “No, your Holy Beast is already very strong. That day on Spirit Mountain, your Furball challenged Nan Shazi’s Lonegleam Eagle and emerged victorious, which means to say he’s already well past the point of promotion. I must admit, you’ve taken very good care of him!”
Xia Fei was startled and hurriedly asked, “So why hasn’t he been promoted yet? Could he be lacking some crucial item to trigger the transformation?”
Turbid Shadow Lin answered, “He lacks nothing. It is just that the Shatterstar refuses to leave your side.”
“Leave my side?! Why would it have to leave my side?” Xia Fei seized up as a wave of nervousness washed over him. It was not good if Furball left his side, given how deep an emotional connection the man and ball had with each other.
“What are you getting all emotional about, it is only a possibility,” Turbid Shadow Lin waved his hand and said. “The living creatures we call Holy Beasts are unfathomable. Despite the fact that you have a contract with him, there’s a chance that he will rebel against you the moment he reaches his apex form, killing you in the process! That is what makes Holy Beasts so peculiar, they are mysterious and inscrutable. As for why I said he might leave, that is entirely because something similar has happened in the past. In any case, don’t be surprised at all by whatever a Holy Beast does, since they are born to be freaks!
“It’s very likely that your Shatterstar knows that he will change dramatically the moment he reaches his apex form, so he has been intentionally suppressing his level this entire time. As such, he still refuses to evolve, even after achieving the requirements he needed to become an Apex Holy Beast!
“I’ve never seen a situation similar to this, which just goes to show how uncommon this bond you share with your ball. He is willing to sacrifice himself, all for the sake of staying by you.”
Xia Fei could not resist the urge to light a cigarette and reply slowly, “I get it now. Holy Beasts possess superhuman perception, and the more Furball seeks to suppress himself, it’s even more obvious there will be problems once he becomes his perfected self. If he did not see any problems with this, he would not have intentionally kept himself suppressed.”
“That’s right. You’re a quick one, but he isn’t my Holy Beast. The Shatterstar belongs to you, and you’ll also be the one that has to deal with this ticking time bomb. I’m only warning you out of the kindness of my heart; There’s a limit to suppression, and there’s no way he could stay like this forever. You better make your necessary preparations for that eventuality,” Turbid Shadow Lin alluded softly.
Xia Fei momentarily felt extremely depressed. Furball was clever, and the fact that he suppressed himself meant he must have foreseen some problems, and with a high probability too.
“You don’t have to be too sad. Such a situation is rarely seen even in a thousand years. The fact that your Furball could defeat the Apex Holy Beast Lonegleam Eagle while still being rank 8 means that he is still constantly getting stronger. This is no different from how a piece of rubber will become stronger the greater the amount of pressure is applied to it. The longer he remains at rank 8, the greater his explosive power will be once he achieves his Apex form!”
“If, and I only mean if, Furball still remembers you after he attains his Apex form, then he will be a formidable Holy Beast that possesses unprecedented power!” Turbid Shadow Lin stated, his eyes gleaming.
Xia Fei naturally understood the logic behind this. It was always constant across the universes, just like how the Law Realm, which had been suppressed this entire time, underwent a crazy transformation the moment the Cosmic Gate was opened! In a short period of time, just the Skywing Clan alone had seen the birth of twenty Founder-tier experts! Their number of Law Gods had also shot past the forty mark!
This was what it meant to experience an explosion of levels!
The longer Furball stagnated at rank 8, the more explosive strength it would accumulate within. No one could predict just what sort of situation would happen the moment something were to happen.
Xia Fei smiled slightly, “I thank you for your guidance about Furball. So tell me about your problem now.”
Turbid Shadow Lin was taken aback, but soon burst into laughter, “You’re aware I have something to ask of you?”
Xia Fei nodded, “Though we are all Neophyte Dragoons, the relationship we have has not gotten to the point where we would disclose information to such a degree. That is why you curried favor with me first, intentionally revealing what is happening to Furball to me, and the reason for this could not be clearer: you seek reciprocation. Everything comes with a price, that is something I’m well aware of.”
*Clap clap clap*
The man of few words, Lone Peak Shen, began clapping his hands. Indeed, these two kings of assassination indeed harbored that very idea in mind!
Turbid Shadow Lin shrugged, “I enjoy discussing conditions with smart people. Since you already know this well, I see no reason to keep things from you. Obviously, you have no understanding of Jadewater City, nor do you have any idea about the significance of the remains of the Yggdragon Water Dragon Roar. That is why I’m very curious to find out just how you managed to find this place, and what your motive for coming here is.”
Xia Fei spoke honestly, “I indeed have no clue about the Yggdragon’s remains. I’ve come here since I received information that there had been a large amount of bio-energy that was stolen from Jadewater City. At this point, it seems apparent to me that it should be this beast carcass that you spoke of, Water Dragon Roar. Its corpse must have been a huge energy source. Not long ago I received an assignment from the Annihilation Universe, and during it I discovered the Dark Spiritualists were selling off the soul weapons they had obtained from the Collapsed Expanse of the Founders at low-ball prices, all so they could obtain more energy. There might be some connection between all of this.”
“As for my motives… I’m the same as you,” Xia Fei finished calmly.
Turbid Shadow Lin laughed as he asked, “What motives could we have?”
“The two of you, like me, distrust the Annihilators!” Xia Fei beamed, enunciating every word distinctly.
*Whoosh*
At that moment, the looks on Lone Peak Shen and Turbid Shadow Lin’s faces changed!
