Chapter 204 – Brutal Beastman Marshal vs. White Lotus, Black Lotus, Pitiful Plant Prince (31)
Cromwell saw Mu Jin insisting on staying and fighting the Zerg alongside him, unable to hold back the tears that welled up in his eyes. He cursed internally, “You little rascal.” He felt both angry and helpless.
At this moment, he finally understood how important he was to Mu Jin, to the point that Mu Jin was willing to risk his safety to protect him. Seeing that Mu Jin was determined not to leave, Cromwell could only cooperate with him.
The two worked seamlessly together, and after a fierce battle, they finally managed to kill the Zerg Queen. However, just as they were about to catch their breath, they realized that the surrounding Zerg had not dispersed. Instead, the Zerg continued to surround them, their momentum even stronger than before.
This unexpected situation made Mu Jin nervous. Cromwell’s mech was nearly out of energy. Even with his strong physique and mental strength, he was still human and could get exhausted.
Mu Jin’s man was clearly at his limit, so Mu Jin could only stay close and protect Cromwell. He fended off the approaching Zerg while trying to find an escape route.
Just as he was on high alert, a figure suddenly appeared in the starry sky. The person wasn’t piloting any mech, yet they walked through space effortlessly, like a celestial beast.
This figure casually bypassed the Zerg and approached them. As he got closer, Mu Jin quickly recognized him—it was Shadow. The man looked coldly in Mu Jin’s direction and said, “Become my mate, and I’ll spare his life.”
By this time, Cromwell was already exhausted. He was astonished to see someone able to walk in space without any support, but hearing those words turned all his confusion into raging fury. This hateful guy wanted to steal his mate.
Before Mu Jin could respond, Cromwell struggled to his feet. He activated his mech’s electromagnetic cannon and fired at Shadow. However, the powerful weapon had no effect on the man.
Moreover, the attack completely drained Cromwell’s mech, leaving it paralyzed and immobile.
Seeing Cromwell’s resistance, Shadow’s eyes turned cold. He instantly gathered a red energy in his hands and charged at Cromwell with astonishing speed.
Mu Jin immediately sensed the danger. Instinctively, he knew that if that energy hit his lover, it would cause immense harm. Without thinking, Mu Jin stepped in front of Cromwell and unleashed his primordial soul power to block the attack.
Shadow seemed surprised that Mu Jin would go to such lengths to protect Cromwell, but his move was unstoppable.
Mu Jin watched in shock as Shadow’s attack broke through his defenses and struck him. In that critical moment, Mu Jin’s body suddenly erupted in a blinding white light that enveloped the entire star field. Within that light, Mu Jin lost consciousness.
【Immortal Realm】
In a grand hall shrouded in clouds and mist, two figures, one in black and one in white, nestled closely together. The tall man dressed in black had a cold and stern expression, with prominent black dragon horns atop his head, signaling his non-human identity. However, his usually sharp eyes overflowed with undisguised tenderness as he gazed at the sleeping youth in his arms.
The youth had delicate features, and even in his sleep, he subconsciously held onto the large hand of the person beside him. His slender wings trembled slightly, and his pale pink lips looked incredibly tempting, making the man beside him want to taste the sweetness before him.
Just as he was about to lower his head, the youth’s eyes suddenly opened. Mu Qing sat up abruptly, his expression anxious as he spoke to the man beside him, “Ao Zhan, something’s wrong! Xiao Jin is in trouble!”
Ao Zhan, seeing Mu Qing rise in a hurry to leave, quickly grabbed his arm and said, “Mu Mu, don’t worry. Xiao Jin has your divine consciousness left on him, so he won’t be in any life-threatening danger.”
Hearing his lover’s reassurance, Mu Qing calmed down a bit, but his face still looked grim. He said, “No, I still have to find Shun. Who else knows what’s happening in those cursed small worlds! Xiao Jin is my only disciple, and if something happens to him, I won’t go back to being the Flower God. It’s too much trouble!”
As he spoke, the youth quickly walked out of the sleeping hall. Ao Zhan, hearing his lover’s seemingly contradictory complaints, knew he was genuinely worried about Mu Jin’s safety. With a helpless expression, he transformed into a majestic black dragon and carried Mu Qing towards a certain immortal mountain.
On a sacred peak, the hurriedly arriving Mu Qing and Ao Zhan saw the dignified figure of Shun standing before the Mystical Mirror, his brows furrowed. Noticing Shun’s grave expression, Ao Zhan spoke first, “Zhong Hua, what happened?”
Shun had already noticed Mu Qing and Ao Zhan approaching and had no intention of hiding anything. He straightforwardly said, “The situation isn’t right. The malicious intent of the Ghost Plague Gu, instead of dissipating after being stripped away, has been growing stronger. It seems to have devoured the rules of some newly formed small worlds. If this continues, Qiong Qi and Mu Jin will truly be in danger!”
Hearing Shun’s words, Mu Qing’s face turned even colder, his eyes frosty as he said, “Didn’t you say before that the power of this malicious intent wasn’t strong and that it would be directly worn away under the rules of the small worlds? If it wasn’t for that, how could I have let my only disciple take such a risk!”
Shun smiled bitterly upon hearing Mu Qing’s reproach. Indeed, when Mu Jin first entered the small worlds, there was danger. But if it weren’t for his unwavering devotion to Qiong Qi, willing to follow him even in life and death, Shun wouldn’t have secretly helped Mu Jin find a way to follow Qiong Qi into the small worlds.
Knowing how much Mu Qing cherished his little disciple, Shun could understand his anger. His thoughts drifted back to when he first met Qiong Qi. Shun never expected that he and Qiong Qi would become friends.
Back then, he had heard many tales of Qiong Qi’s ferocity and had a strong dislike for him. However, by a twist of fate, Shun met Qiong Qi and found that he wasn’t as the rumors described. Although aloof and indifferent, disliking social interactions, he didn’t seem to be a vicious and malevolent being.
Although in some divine battles Qiong Qi was ruthless on the battlefield, facing enemies should indeed be about fierce killing. Shun did not see anything wrong with that.
Back in the day, when the ghost plague ravaged the mortal world, the Twelve Divine Beasts each had their duties, with Qiong Qi and Teng Gen specializing in eradicating the ghost plague Gu. Even though they performed these good deeds, the Twelve Divine Beasts were still labeled as ferocious beasts and secretly referred to as the Twelve Fiends.
Those who have attained enlightenment understand that karma and destiny are complex, and concepts of good and evil cannot be summed up in a few words. For individuals, especially those who have cultivated in different worlds for many years, defying the natural order is common, and such actions cannot be judged simply.
Shun himself had once misunderstood Qiong Qi. If he hadn’t noticed something wrong with Qiong Qi during a subsequent encounter, he wouldn’t have discovered Qiong Qi’s secret.
When Qiong Qi emerged from seclusion that day, he was in a hurry, his eyes red and expression ferocious. Remembering the rumors he had heard, Shun decided to follow him out of curiosity and discovered Qiong Qi in a deserted, smoke-filled secret realm, where he began to vent his inner rage.
Qiong Qi’s immense power caused the mountains to crumble and the ground to crack. Fortunately, the secret realm he chose was lifeless, so there were no living creatures there.
After seeing Qiong Qi lose consciousness from his madness, Shun stepped in and saved him. When Qiong Qi woke up, he revealed the truth to Shun. The Twelve Divine Beasts could easily eliminate most ghost plagues, but the Gu was an exception—it couldn’t be killed by ordinary means.
When Qiong Qi and Teng Gen had trapped the Gu, Qiong Qi had no choice but to swallow it, hoping to slowly wear down its vitality with his own power.
Unexpectedly, although the Gu’s vitality was eradicated, its malicious intent could not be dispelled. It transformed into a toxin that polluted Qiong Qi’s divine soul. Despite Qiong Qi’s efforts to suppress it, the malicious intent grew stronger each day, even attempting to consume his soul.
To vent his bloodlust and rage, Qiong Qi periodically sought out desolate places, exhausting himself to temporarily ease his mind.
This wasn’t the first time Qiong Qi had been in such a state, and others had likely witnessed his terrifying form. Coupled with his bloodlust on the battlefield, rumors about him spread and grew more severe.
Shun, after hearing Qiong Qi’s explanation, realized the true reason behind those fearsome rumors. He admired Qiong Qi for enduring such suffering for the sake of all living beings, and they became friends in private.
As time passed, the malicious intent left by the Gu grew stronger, and Qiong Qi felt he could no longer control his rage. He knew that once he went berserk, he would harm many people, so he considered self-destructing his soul to end it all.
Shun, discovering Qiong Qi’s intention, couldn’t bear to see him sacrifice himself in vain. He convinced Qiong Qi that even self-destruction might not eliminate the malicious intent, as it had developed consciousness and would find another host. Instead, Shun suggested that Qiong Qi enter the myriad small worlds, where the dangers could gradually wear down his divine soul, including the malicious intent attached to it.
However, in reality, Shun lied about one point. If Qiong Qi were to truly self-destruct and turn to ash, the malicious intent would naturally disappear as well, with no chance of transferring to another host. Shun’s intention in sending Qiong Qi into these small worlds was merely a delaying tactic, hoping to give Qiong Qi a better chance at survival.
He knew that Qiong Qi seemed to harbor feelings for the newly appointed flower deity named Mu Jin, but due to his circumstances, he kept these feelings to himself.
What Shun didn’t expect was that shortly after Qiong Qi entered these myriad small worlds, that sneaky little Mu Jin came to him, seemingly searching for something.
Coincidentally, Shun had some connections with Ao Zhan, the lover of Mu Jin’s master. Through Ao Zhan, he learned that this little one, Mu Jin, was deeply in love with Qiong Qi and had harbored these feelings for a long time.
Shun then realized what Mu Jin was seeking. Mu Jin also wanted to enter these small worlds to find and rescue Qiong Qi.
Initially, Shun didn’t dare to act recklessly. However, after observing through the Mystical Mirror, he found that after enduring countless small worlds, Qiong Qi’s divine soul, though severely damaged and polluted by the malicious intent, had finally forced the most dangerous, conscious part of the malicious intent to separate from him. Shun speculated that this conscious malicious intent had realized Qiong Qi’s intent and thus forcibly separated itself to avoid being worn down in the endless cycles of these worlds.
Nevertheless, since this malicious intent originated from the same source as Qiong Qi, it had an intrinsic connection to him. Therefore, it couldn’t help but follow Qiong Qi from one world to another, seeking energy to grow stronger. In its quest for strength, it sought to harm Qiong Qi, hoping to find a way to devour his divine soul.
Despite the malicious intent’s persecution and the torment of the small worlds causing further damage to Qiong Qi’s soul, if someone could rescue Qiong Qi, they wouldn’t have to worry about him being eroded by the malicious intent any longer.
Thus, Shun secretly helped Mu Jin find a way to follow Qiong Qi. The reason for this secrecy was clear: the ever-watchful and notoriously protective Mu Qing.
Feeling the increasing pressure from the man beside him, Shun sighed inwardly and said to Mu Qing, “Do you think you could stop Mu Jin from following Qiong Qi forever, given his feelings for him?”
Hearing Shun’s words, Mu Qing glanced at Ao Zhan, who looked worried. Lowering his gaze, he understood. Having an adored lover himself, he knew that true love could not bear to watch their beloved suffer. Resigned, he adjusted his emotions and began to discuss with Shun how they could help Mu Jin and Qiong Qi.