NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9: Underground river
As I continued walking, I felt the weight of Qin Xuan softly shifting on my back. The cave's dim lighting faded behind us as we approached the exit, revealing the bright, harsh light of the outside world. I adjusted my grip slightly to ensure she remained steady while I carried the mutant quartz scorpion in one hand. Its jagged, crystalline exterior glinted in the sunlight, a stark reminder of the dangers lurking around us.
"Here is your hunted beast," I said, presenting the scorpion to her with a hint of pride. "Take it, and let's leave this place. I'd rather not linger here any longer than necessary."
She studied the creature, then looked up at me. "You should take it as a payment for helping me. I didn't hunt it for any geno points; I only sought its devil soul."
I chuckled lightly, "Good then, I won't be polite. I also need some mutant geno points."
As we reached the cave's mouth, I felt the weight of her presence against me, but the armor I wore reminded me of its discomfort. "So, it hasn't been long since you arrived at the sanctuaries," she observed, glancing at my armor. "How did you get it?" Her curiosity was genuine, a welcome distraction from the journey we had ahead.
"Well, about my recent adventure, I just got lucky and stumbled upon a trapped sacred blood phantom ant that was heavily injured. After a brief struggle, I managed to kill it," I replied to her while chuckling at the memory of my encounter.
She simply rolled her eyes, but it seemed to create a playful banter between us, which I enjoyed. We continued our conversation, discussing the peculiarities of our world, until after about an hour, I finally decided to stop and let her down from my back and gently put her down.
"Alright, we are here now. You should be able to find your way back from this point; the shelter isn't too far away," I informed her, feeling a mix of reluctance and hope. I really liked her and had an interest in being closer, but I also wanted to stay focused on my goals without unnecessary distractions.
"Good, I will head back from here. By the way, you haven't joined a group yet, right?" she asked. I knew that deep down, I wanted to be part of her gang, yet I hesitated and replied that I hadn't committed to any group yet.
"It's good, you haven't joined any group yet. Since you haven't, why don't you join mine? You could gain access to more resources and save yourself a lot of time," she suggested enthusiastically.
"Well, I will think about that. For now, I really have to go," I said, not wanting to rush my decision despite my interest in her. I waved goodbye, knowing I would need time to consider my options thoroughly before making any commitments.
Once I left her presence, a wave of emotions washed over me, and I returned to my room, eager to process everything that had transpired. The first thing I did was consume the mutant quartz scorpion I had acquired during my last exploration. Its unique abilities provided me with a surge in strength, granting me an additional eight mutant geno points. As a result, my total had now reached an impressive 76 points. The energy that coursed through me as I absorbed its essence was invigorating, fueling my ambitions and aspirations.
With my newfound abilities, I decided to teleport back to my alliance headquarters. There, I took some time to unwind and reconnect with my sister and mother. We decided to treat ourselves to some ice cream, a small but delightful respite from our daily challenges. Sitting together in the warmth of our home, the simple joy of sharing laughs and enjoying our favorite flavors brought a sense of normalcy amidst the chaos of our lives. It was nice to forget about the weight of my responsibilities for a brief moment, savoring the sweet smile on my sister's face and the comforting presence of my mother.
The next day, I awoke with renewed determination. I made my way to the train station, my mind set on using the public teleportation device. I felt a mix of anticipation knowing that I would run into Qin Xuan. I had been thinking a lot about our last encounter and the tone of our conversation. I boarded the train, scanning the cabin for familiar faces, and to my surprise, I spotted her. Our eyes met, and I could see the flicker of recognition as a smile spread across her face.
Throughout the journey, we engaged in a lively discussion. she shared some insights about her group and the missions they had been undertaking. It was refreshing to reconnect. Eventually, I broached the topic of joining her group, explaining that I needed a month to sort through some personal matters before I could fully commit.
To my delight, Qin's reaction was overwhelmingly positive; As we neared our destination, I knew it was time to say goodbye for now. I took a moment to appreciate the encounter.
With that, I bid her farewell and made my way back to my room in the shelter, my mind racing with thoughts of what to do next.
Then I remember that there was an swift mantis that I have kept and it's been around 20 days since it consume black crystal. I stood up and checked it to my delight it had been evolved into a sacred blood creature. So after I just killed it and it was very easy to do.
"Sacred blood creature swift mantis killed. Sacred blood swift mantis beast soul gained. Eat the swift mantis to gain zero to ten sacred blood geno points randomly."
Danm! I got a beast soul again, it's seems like the probability of me gaining a beast soul is way higher than original Hansen.
Once it's done, I consumed it's meat and gained 9 sacred blood geno points making my total 31. Then I summoned my new devil soul.
The beast soul of a swift mantis was in the shape of a swift jagged blade, which was a long dagger, a type of weapon original Han Sen and I, both had mastered.
Once I checked it I went out of the shelter and find out that son of heaven and his group had already departed from shelter.
After thinking about it for a while I also went in the direction of the underground river since I get some more sacred blood geno points.
Once I left the shelter I rushed in the direction of underground river at my full speed, so I reached there before son of heaven and his group. Since they are in a group with unequal strength, they are also very slow in speed. So I have make good use of this.
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Ok, after this I will upload one more chapter today and if possible than two.