Chapter 88: Observe! The Path of a Great Power
Chapter 88: Chapter 88: Observe! The Path of a Great Power
According to the Hedgehog Girl, Yuan Yang City was built by a great master artisan of the Mo Family.
The ability to make an entire city float in the sky was truly beyond Zhu Ge’s current comprehension.
"As expected of a great master artisan."
Zhu Ge marveled.
In the distance, Yuan Yang City floated in the sky, just like a star or the moon.
The crimson "Red River," the namesake of Red River Prefecture, also rose unnaturally from the ground, tracing a parabola around the airborne Yuan Yang City before falling back down.
And it wasn’t a waterfall, but a proper river.
Although the original "Zhu Ge" had been to Yuan Yang City before, the feeling of seeing it with his own eyes now was many times more intense than what he remembered.
And far beyond Yuan Yang City, a mass of dark green clouds loomed, shrouding everything from the sky down to several large mountains below.
The shrouded area was a hazy blur, impossible to see into clearly, as if it were another world.
The Plague God Sparrow’s territory!
Yet, with just a single glance from afar, Zhu Ge felt the giant egg of his soul tremble.
’Not good!’
Zhu Ge hurriedly averted his gaze as three streams of Blood Qi shot up to spread around his head.
"Brother, what’s wrong?!"
Hua Liusha’s true form was also alarmed.
The "Double Happiness" character pasted on the giant egg erupted in red light, and then faint green wisps appeared in Zhu Ge’s soul space.
"WHOOSH..."
Hua Liusha’s red mist surged, and in a moment, it expelled the green wisps from Zhu Ge’s body.
Outside, thick green mist poured out from Zhu Ge’s nostrils, ears, and other orifices.
Zhu Ge’s body was protected by his Blood Qi, so it wasn’t a big deal for him, but within a hundred-meter radius around him, all life instantly withered and decayed, leaving no vitality behind.
Just peeking from a great distance was enough to get hurt!
Back then, Zhu Ge had been grievously injured just because the Plague God Sparrow had glanced at him curiously from afar.
This time, even though Zhu Ge hadn’t made direct eye contact with the Plague God Sparrow, he was still harmed by it.
’So this is a Great God, a Plague God...’ Zhu Ge took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart.
Zhu Ge had faced quite a few cultivation systems.
Whether it was the well-hidden Fungus God or the powerful Raincoat Fisherman, in Zhu Ge’s eyes, they were all opponents that could be overcome with wit.
After all, if not for Zhu Ge, the Fungus God could have easily killed everyone in Jianshan Village, including Yu the Scholar.
Even the Fungus God hadn’t dared to act recklessly when the Master was present.
And an existence on the same level as the Master—the Mo Family Mechanism Master from the three villages of Mengla Slope—was easily killed by the Raincoat Fisherman.
But even the Raincoat Fisherman had been schemed against and killed by Zhu Ge’s Heaven and Earth Net.
However, facing the Plague God Sparrow, Zhu Ge felt a sense of powerlessness.
This brought him to a realization.
Even his ’Spider’ ability could only trap enemies that didn’t exceed the tensile strength of its silk.
To catch a bird, one needed the silk of a bird-eating spider.
Personal strength!
’I can’t enter Yuan Yang City yet.’
Zhu Ge made an instant judgment.
He nearly got injured just by looking at the Plague God Sparrow’s green mist from dozens of miles away.
How dire must the situation be in Yuan Yang City, which was even closer?
Besides, this was just the Plague God Sparrow. Zhu Ge remembered the Raincoat Fisherman mentioning a Great Demon called the "Red River Dragon Python."
If the Great God of Plague and the Divine Que was so formidable, then the Great Demon Red River Dragon Python surely wouldn’t be weak either.
Zhu Ge seriously doubted whether the Yuan Yang City Lord, a Great Immortal, was qualified or strong enough to hold them off.
In the distance, the lights of Yuan Yang City were silent in the dead of night, making it seem like a city of the dead.
Whether it was because of the late hour or because everyone was already dead, in any case...
’A wise man doesn’t stand under a crumbling wall!’
Therefore, Zhu Ge decided to postpone his plan. It would be better to go to Yuan Yang City later.
Having made up his mind, Zhu Ge didn’t hesitate for a second. He immediately turned and left.
Surprisingly, he didn’t encounter many Demon Beasts along the way; even wild animals were scarce.
Zhu Ge suspected that all the living creatures nearby had been gathered up by the Plague God Sparrow.
This had its pros and cons.
The pro, naturally, was that the farther he ran, the less likely he was to be discovered.
The con was also obvious.
He had no one to practice his martial arts on!
’Should I go find the Tiger God?’ Zhu Ge thought of the Tiger God from Jianshan Village.
The Tiger God had previously been a God of the Second Realm, a realm known as "Moon-Walking."
As a Moon God, the Tiger God had devoured a portion of the Raincoat Fisherman’s soul-essence and should be on the verge of a breakthrough.
Zhu Ge wasn’t sure if the Tiger God would break through to the Third Realm and become a Life Star God.
If it had, then Zhu Ge walking in would be like a sheep entering a tiger’s den.
’The Tiger God is too risky, and Mr. Chong won’t dare to come out. How am I supposed to practice my martial arts?’
Musing on this, Zhu Ge wandered outside all night, killing dozens of predators like jackals and tigers, only returning to the valley at sunrise.
"You’re back?" The Hedgehog Girl sensed Zhu Ge’s approach and was already waiting at the valley entrance. She bowed with the etiquette of a lady and said, "Welcome back, Master?"
Seeing the Hedgehog Girl imitating a handmaiden like this, Zhu Ge’s expression turned strange.
’Was she successfully trained by Hua Liusha?’
’To be successfully trained after just one night... Hua Xiaomei is truly worthy of her childhood title as the "big sister boss." Her skills are impressive!’
"Mm, how are your injuries recovering?" Zhu Ge asked.
Yesterday, he had beaten the Hedgehog Girl half to death before she submitted. But as a Transformed Demon Beast, she should recover quickly.
"I’ve recovered, Master!" the Hedgehog Girl chirped. "And through my efforts last night, my Cultivation has improved significantly!"
"Good. We’ll roast some meat to eat later."
Zhu Ge took a pair of bear paws from his grass bowl and tossed them to the Hedgehog Girl.
The Hedgehog Girl hurriedly caught them.
She knew where the bear paws came from, so her eyes lit up as she said, "Of that whole family of big, dumb bears, the male was the strongest and had the toughest hide, but he’s also the tastiest! Following you is a real treat, Master!"
Zhu Ge smiled and shook his head. "We won’t be able to eat these anymore. All the nearby Spirit Realm Demon Beasts and Transformation Realm Demon Beasts have been gathered near Yuan Yang City..."
Zhu Ge briefly explained the situation, then continued:
"So, from now on, we’ll only be able to eat wild animals."
The energy in the flesh and blood of a Demon Beast is different from that of a wild animal.
Demon Beasts are delicious!
"Huh? Then why did you go out all night, Master?" the Hedgehog Girl asked in surprise.
Zhu Ge had said he was going out to hunt and practice his martial arts, but without any Demon Beasts, there was no point in him going out.
But before Zhu Ge could speak, the Hedgehog Girl exclaimed again:
"I get it! Master, you’re learning from the ancient Great Powers of Body Refinement! You’re observing wild beasts that lack Spiritual Wisdom to comprehend their true essence, develop your own Dao, and break through to the Third Realm to become a Great Power! Am I right, Master?"
Huh?
’It works like that?’
’I can just observe wild animals? I don’t have to fight them one-on-one?’
’Right, doesn’t that mean I could try practicing things I thought of before, like Tai Chi, Baji Fist, and the Five Animals Qigong...’ Zhu Ge raised an eyebrow.
He looked at the Hedgehog Girl’s triumphant expression and, after a moment of hesitation, slowly nodded:
"That’s right. That’s exactly what I was thinking."
"Alright, enough nonsense. Go roast the meat!"