Chương 62: War God’s : — Chapter 62 - Are You a Post-2000s Kid?

Wang Xian thought for exactly one second. Then his hand shot out and locked around the woman's wrist. Her eyes went wide. She didn't struggle. In the same motion, Wang Xian draped the cicada garment over both of them. The Primordial Cicada's body alone stretched two meters long. The stripped garment could easily cover two or three people. Wang Xian pressed a finger to his lips, then pulled her down into the pool. Straight to the bottom, into the mud itself. The silt swallowed them both.

The garment was semi-transparent. The woman felt only a strange gauze settle over her skin, but she understood his intent and stayed perfectly still. Moments later. A pair of crimson eyes blazed down through the water. As if trying to pierce the murky red depths and see every corner of the pool. They both held their breath. Wang Xian's eyes narrowed to slits. The shadow above was massive. That had to be the Scarletblood Mountain Lord. One breath. Two breaths. Three breaths... Thirteen breaths.

The figure slowly withdrew from above the water. Wang Xian didn't move. Still waiting. Several full minutes passed. The woman frowned, shooting him a look. The beast should have left by now. Wang Xian shook his head. Said nothing. Another minute crawled by. The Scarletblood Mountain Lord suddenly reappeared above the pool, pacing like it was patrolling its territory. Back and forth for what felt like forever. It even plunged its head beneath the surface, checking for thieves in its lair.

Only after a long inspection did it finally leave the pool with a roar and vanish. Wang Xian pulled the woman up and broke the surface.

"Follow me." His voice was barely a murmur. He led her toward the hidden cave he'd scouted earlier. The woman nodded, face flushed, and followed. Inside the cave, Wang Xian sealed the entrance with prepared stones and pulled a luminous pearl from his chest. Light flooded the space. He'd stashed food here too. Emergency supplies in case the Scarletblood Mountain Lord came back and he needed to wait it out. Decades of wilderness relic exploration had taught him well. They'd barely escaped with their lives.

Under the pearl's glow, every edge and corner of the modest cave stood out in sharp relief. So did the woman. Her hair was pinned high. Her martial robe clung to her skin from the water. Crouched on the stone now, her graceful, full figure radiated the kind of allure that only came with maturity. But her face was cold. Exquisite and cold, completely at odds with her body. Her features were delicate, almost perfect, with a slight androgynous edge to them. Especially those frost-pale eyes.

The contrast with her curves was striking. Add in the dimmed light in her gaze from injury, and there was something almost fragile about her beauty. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

"You're the sixth-realm Martial Honor investigating the relic at Tiger Roar Pool?" Wang Xian straightened his clothes and spoke first. She nodded slightly.

"The Scarletblood Mountain Lord is only B-rank peak, isn't it?" Wang Xian needed to understand what had happened.

"With your strength..." A sixth-realm Martial Honor against a B-rank peak beast. Victory should have been all but guaranteed. Even if it wasn't guaranteed, she shouldn't have been injured. The woman considered for a moment.

"I fought the Scarletblood Mountain Lord for days. I had the upper hand."

"I'd been wearing it down gradually, trying for a clean kill with no injuries."

"But just now, it suddenly went berserk for no reason. Decided to trade its life for mine."

"I wasn't expecting that. Took a hit. But it's badly wounded too." Her voice was clear as spring water, pleasant to hear, but edged with severity. Her brows drew together. She couldn't figure out why the beast had suddenly changed tactics.

"..." Wang Xian.

"Perhaps..." She sighed softly.

"It realized that if things continued, I'd wear it down to death anyway. So it had no choice but to go all-in. I underestimated how intelligent this Scarletblood Mountain Lord had become." Could it be. Wang Xian thought. Because he'd disturbed the bones at the bottom of the pool and taken that glowing object? If the Scarletblood Mountain Lord had some connection to it, sensed its treasure being stolen from its lair, it would have stopped caring about anything else... Mm.

"What's a first-realm martial artist doing in a place like this?" The woman looked at him, eyes narrowing. When he'd dropped into the pool, she'd been completely baffled.

"Training a secret skill."

"..." The woman inhaled sharply. Her gaze went slightly blank. She muttered internally. Our country's young martial artists. Are they all this reckless now?

"Are you post-2000s?" she asked suddenly. Wang Xian froze. Couldn't help an awkward laugh.

"I suppose so." Not counting his past life, he was 19 now. Definitely post-2000s. From the woman's appearance, her age was impossible to guess. But as a sixth-realm powerhouse, unless she was an absolute prodigy, she had to be older. Much older than his current self.

"Outrageously bold!" The woman glared at him. The sternness in her eyes made school teachers look soft. Not just outrageously bold. Suicidal. Post-2000s martial artists, even the oldest, were only 25 this year. Reaching fourth realm would already be decent talent. Fifth realm would make them a genius. But even at fourth or fifth realm, coming here alone would be reckless. A first-realm martial artist...

"But since you're post-2000s, I can understand a little." The woman seemed utterly exasperated.

"After all, your generation doesn't know the meaning of limits. A new wild idea every day. You'll try anything no matter how insane." What's that supposed to mean? What did post-2000s ever do to you? Apologize to every post-2000s kid in Dragon Country! Wang Xian coughed. Said nothing....

"You must be '08 or '09, right?" The woman shook her head.

"The younger they are, the bolder they get. But what was that thing you put over me? It seemed to block the Scarletblood Mountain Lord's senses."

"Primordial Cicada garment."

"Primordial Cicada?"

"That new beast that appeared recently?" The woman seemed to know something about it. Her eyes showed a flicker of interest. Wang Xian gave her a brief rundown of the Primordial Cicada.

"I see..." Understanding dawned on her face.

"That explains how a first-realm martial artist dared come here..." Her expression relaxed slightly. The corner of her mouth twitched. It softened her frost-like features into something almost warm. Her gaze held more surprise now. And curiosity. The Primordial Cicada had only appeared a month ago. Even the Exotic Beast Research Institute hadn't finished studying it. How did a first-realm martial artist know so much?

"Also..." Wang Xian hesitated, then briefly described what he'd encountered at the bottom of the pool. The woman's eyes narrowed. She drew a sharp breath.

"It must be a Tiger Soul Spirit Core." Wang Xian asked:"I know a bit about spirit cores, but what's a Tiger Soul Spirit Core?" He'd genuinely never heard of it. The woman said:"Your university grades weren't good, were they?"

"..." Excuse me. We're having a conversation here. Why are you attacking me personally? Wang Xian thought. Fine. My university grades were trash.

"The Scarletblood Mountain Lord isn't an ordinary beast." The woman spoke slowly.

"It's an ancient beast with historical roots. University martial arts majors have a required course called 'History of Blue Star Exotic Beasts.'""It's covered there."

"Our Dragon Country has many ancient beasts in its history."

"These ancient beasts weren't like today's exotic beasts that feed by slaughtering human martial artists."

"Historically, some ancient beasts were neutral. Some guarded regions. Some hid in the mountains."

"The Scarletblood Mountain Lord was a tiger beast that hid in the mountains, breathing in heaven and earth's vital energy to cultivate. According to records, it belonged to the Coiled Mountain Tiger lineage of Dragon Country's southwest. Later, when heaven and earth's vital energy revived and exotic beasts appeared, malevolent sha gathered everywhere and infected many of Blue Star's native ancient beasts."

"The Scarletblood Mountain Lord was one of them."

"After becoming an exotic beast, its body mutated. The conflict with its original cultivation meant it could only survive by seeking places where malevolent sha gathered. Relics with spirit cores."

"University courses teach that C-rank and above relics produce spirit cores."

"Spirit cores gather massive amounts of malevolent sha. They're the foundation of exotic beast cultivation and the source of many large relics."

"This place's spirit core was influenced by the Scarletblood Mountain Lord's cultivation over many years. It absorbed the beast's bloodline and mutated into a Tiger Soul Spirit Core."

"Once a spirit core mutates, it gathers malevolent sha faster. The infection level of the area skyrockets."

"At the same time, the Tiger Soul Spirit Core formed a connection with the Scarletblood Mountain Lord."

"You touched that Tiger Soul Spirit Core. You touched its lifeline." The woman's voice was thoughtful.

"No wonder it went berserk." ➤ Next: I Might Have to Be a Bit Offensive Toward You!