Chapter 1159: Silverflame Flowertree
Zu An continuously summoned Grandgale to quickly move around. Yu Yanluo used her paintbrush to draw a ring of light around the two of them. They rushed through the cave more quickly than ever before
But unfortunately, no matter how fast they ran, they couldn't throw off the Scaled Deathworm. Instead, it drew closer and closer. Judging from the way the walls behind them were quickly warping, it was obvious that the worm was moving through the earth quickly.
The two of them were already going as fast as they could, but the creature was far too nimble inside the earth. Furthermore, it could cut straight through the earth instead of taking winding paths, unlike the two of them. It would catch up in under three breaths of time.
“Ah Zu, I’m dragging you down. You should go first.” A decisive look flashed through Yu Yanluo’s eyes.
She intended to stay behind to hold it off, to try to buy Zu An a chance at life. Otherwise, both of them would die together. After all, no matter how she thought about it, there was no way the two of them would be a match for the terrifying worm.
Her eyes flickered with a red light as she decided to ignite all of her Medusa blood without holding back at all. Even though it wouldn’t be enough to kill the strange bug, it should be able to hold the monster back temporarily.
She was about to push Zu An away, but he instead grabbed her hand firmly. He said, shaking his head, “Stop being foolish.”
Yu Yanluo panicked. That meant they would both die! However, she suddenly heard Zu An say, “Drift, drift, drift away if you must… Through the mine paths, silently you go…”
The rhythm of Zu An’s words was extremely strange. It was as if he were singing, and yet Yu Yanluo had never heard such a song before even with all of her knowledge. Despite its strangeness, it was extremely moving.
Immediately afterward, they suddenly accelerated, becoming many times faster than before. The mine tunnels were no longer obstacles to overcome, but rather became their shelter. The change made no sense whatsoever. If they had been running through the mines before, now they were drifting.
They lost the Scaled Deathworm in a mere few seconds. Zu An took Yu Yanluo and went into hiding again.
A while later, they heard rustling nearby. The earth nearby began to change rapidly as the Scaled Deathworm passed by. But it didn’t stop, instead continuing into the distance.
When she sensed that the terrifying aura had gradually disappeared, only then did Yu Yanluo sigh in relief. She couldn't help but ask Zu An, “Ah Zu, what kind of skill was that just now? It sounded a bit like the beastmen’s war songs… Huh? Ah Zu, what’s wrong?”
Zu An was drenched in sweat, his entire body incredibly pale. Even his aura was somewhat unsteady. He forced a smile as he said, “It’s nothing, just a slight side effect.”
They had been in a crisis just then, so he had decisively used Keyboard Come. After using it a few times, he knew that he had to be moderate with its usage, however. He absolutely couldn’t boast too crazily, or he would immediately die before he even achieved his objective.
His first instinct had been to use Fei Yuqing’s song/ ‘Thousand Miles Distant’/ to send the strange bug away, but he had quickly realized he wouldn’t be able to handle the consequences of that. As such, he had changed it to Jay Chou’s song/ ‘Drifting’/ to see if he could handle the rebound of the skill.
He didn’t know why he had decided to sing, however. Perhaps moving through the mines was a feeling similar to drifting to him?
“What side effects? How can you say you’re fine even after sweating that much?” Yu Yanluo replied, helping him wipe his sweat while suddenly realizing what had happened. She asked, “Did you use the Dragon race’s Soulspeak?”
“Something like that,” Zu An said with a nod. In the past, assuming he didn’t faint on the spot, he usually felt incredibly nauseated and wanted to throw up after using Keyboard Come. Now that his soul had condensed, he could use a bit of his spiritual force to endure the recoil. His condition was much better than it would have been previously. At the very least, he could still fight.
Yu Yanluo said worriedly, “The Dragon Race’s Soulspeak has always been a forbidden technique! Even though it has great power, it comes at a cost, often burning up the target’s very lifespan! Only the Dragon Race can play with something like that, while you’re a human… The lifespan of a human…”
She couldn't help but shed tears toward the end. This man hadn’t even hesitated to burn up his own lifespan for her…
Zu An couldn't help but chuckle, saying, “I didn’t have any choice just now. If you feel guilty, give me a kiss. A kiss from you should allow me to live a day later…”
Yu Yanluo’s lips were already pressed up against his before he even finished, leaving Zu An stunned. It made him feel warm inside. Ever since they had first met, Yu Yanluo had always been gentle and refined; he had never seen her lose her composure like this. Yu Yanluo was full of knowledge and experience, so of course she would know that the kiss wouldn’t increase his lifespan at all. However, she had still ignored all of that and believed…
Zu An suddenly felt his actions just then really were a bit trashy. He quickly held her and explained, “Actually, I didn’t need to use up my lifespan…”
Because of how they were pressing up against each other, he subconsciously leaned back against the wall behind him. Suddenly, it collapsed.
Zu An was horrified. His first thought was that a Scaled Deathworm had suddenly attacked from behind him. However, he quickly realized that it was only because there was a secret passage of some sort behind the wall. The two tumbled down into the opening.
The Scaled Deathworm that had been heading off into the distance suddenly stopped. It turned around to look toward where the two had been. It was about to rush back when it sensed an intense ripple of energy surging in the distance. It was as if two powerful existences were carrying out a final clash of life and death.
Compared to those two ants, such powerful energy was far more attractive to the worm. As such, it moved quickly, its body disappearing into the earth. It hurried toward the direction from which the energy had erupted.
…
Meanwhile, Zu An held Yu Yanluo tightly as they made their way through the narrow tunnel.
“Are you alright?” Zu An asked while vigilantly examining his new surroundings.
Unlike the artificial mine tunnels, they seemed to be in naturally formed caves. In theory, this place should have been even darker due to its depth; and yet there was some faint red light diffused throughout the area, as if there were torches around them.
“How could anything have happened to me with how well you protected me?” Yu Yanluo replied, patting off the dirt from his body with care. Suddenly, however, she noticed that Zu An wasn’t saying anything. She inadvertently looked up, and was instantly stupefied.
Before them was something that resembled a tree, but also a flower. It was entirely red, and almost seemed as if flames covered its surface. It was completely surrounded by glittering ki stone ore, and near the tree itself, a special kind of jade flickered with a sparkling and translucent luster.
“Wuyang Jade!” Zu An exclaimed excitedly. He had previously gotten a few pieces from Yu Yanluo. He wanted to upgrade Daji’s skill, but he lacked the materials to do so.
“This is a Silverflame Flowertree!” Yu Yanluo said in surprise. She explained, “We only discovered a few in the mines. I didn’t expect there to actually be one here.”
“We even managed to profit from this disaster,” Zu An said.
He was about to go and pick them, but Yu Yanluo stopped him, calling out, “Be careful!”