Chapter 143: Painstaking Efforts
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Even without deliberately seeking out those supply points, they were bound to encounter them along the path to the tower.
But Shiyu was right—with the Master’s magical artifact, their options would expand infinitely.
If they had the Fallen Immortal Ruler or the Demon-Sealing Stele now, those ferocious beasts wouldn't even come near them.
"Senior Sister, let's follow a zigzag route, collecting treasures along the way as we search for the tower. This way, we won't miss any towers and can gather as many of Master's prepared treasures as possible."
"Alright, let's do as Shiyao suggests."
"Um, Senior Sister, aren't you going to say anything?"
Ye Qinghan smiled. "What should I say?"
Ye Qinghan felt that while she might have a more efficient route in mind, Li Shiyu might not grasp it.
Besides, since they planned to inspect every tower anyway, the routes wouldn't differ significantly.
Having someone else do the thinking for her was more than welcome—she was thrilled to be able to play dumb and enjoy the ride~
Ye Qinghan didn't hesitate. She snuggled into Shiyu's embrace, resting her head on her chest, grabbed Li Shiyu's small cloth bag, pulled out a bun, and started eating. "Shiyu, give your sister a sip of water~"
"Sure. Senior Sister, when should we set off?"
"Whatever you decide, Shiyu. When you say it's time, we'll go."
Ye Qinghan had learned to be a hands-off boss—this was way too comfortable!
No wonder Shiyu, who was clearly a few months older than Dongfang Jue, still called her "Dongfang Sister" all the time!
Being the younger sister was just too comfortable~
But Li Shiyu seemed unable to adjust to this role reversal. Watching her senior sister nestled in her arms, looking utterly content, she wondered: Is Senior Sister upset?
But Senior Sister clearly looked in a good mood…
"Senior Sister?"
"Hmm?"
"Am I being stupid, Shiyu? Did I say something wrong?"
"No, why would you think that?"
Li Shiyu didn't run away. Instead, she leaned against a white pillar inside the tower, still holding Ye Qinghan in her arms.
"Shiyao doesn't know if what she said was right. If Shiyao said something wrong, Senior Sister… you should tell Shiyao…"
"Actually, Shiyu knows. Everyone says Shiyu is clumsy, so Shiyu has never made any decisions on her own."
"Before, no one cared what Shiyu thought. Shiyu always listened to the elders."
"Later, I met you. You've been so kind to me. I trust you and am willing to follow your lead."
"Beyond choosing my master, Shiyao has never made any decisions on my own."
Even Li Shiyu could see how this secret realm was different. The beasts here weren't like those outside.
Those sharp claws could genuinely injure them—just look at the gashes on Li Shiyu's leg.
Even Liu Jingcheng's great sword only caused Shiyu a bit of pain.
Though this beast wasn't as powerful as Liu Jingcheng, it could genuinely harm them both.
In comparison, Ye Qinghan's arm bore several gashes, with blood even trickling from his left arm!
"Shiyao is a little scared. She worries that because of what she said, she's put both her sister and herself in danger."
Ye Qinghan smiled, pulling out a bun to plug that little mouth—once it started talking, it just wouldn't stop.
"Don't be afraid. Even if we're in danger, Senior Sister is here! Let's go exactly as Shiyu said!"
"Really?"
Ye Qinghan didn't respond, only smiling. She intended to rest for a moment; she'd been here for quite some time and was indeed feeling tired.
Even for the Ye Yanwang, the Ling Shuang Sword Technique couldn't be casually thrown around like a basic attack; its energy consumption was immense.
Before long, after a brief rest, the two arrived at the second supply point…
What surprised them both was this!
This black marble house contained absolutely nothing!
Among all these supply points, only a handful contained magical artifacts prepared by their master or clues.
Not long after, at the third supply point, they found a second map—exactly identical to the first one…
It seemed their Master had planned ahead. After all, with the two of them wandering around like headless chickens, they were bound to miss maps crucial to their mission.
Fortunately, Su Cheng had prepared quite a few, placing them at several supply points not far from the entrance to ensure they had a high probability of finding them.
It must be said, Su Cheng had gone to great lengths in designing this secret realm.
It wasn't until the sixth supply point that the two poor souls finally obtained the first magical artifact their master had prepared for them!
"Senior Sister, grab it first! We'll study it thoroughly once we reach the tower!"
Li Shiyao activated the Chaos Bell to fend off the endless waves of ferocious beasts. They noticed that as they advanced, the strength of these beasts kept increasing!
At first, they were mostly black hound-like beasts, their bodies seemingly engulfed in black flames. Though terrifying in appearance, they posed little threat beyond sheer numbers.
But as the two ventured deeper, beasts of different forms began to appear!
Just moments ago, Ye Qinghan had been ambushed by a flying beast. It sported bat-like wings, a round head reminiscent of a Western vampire, and fangs protruding from its lips. Li Shiyao's verdict: hideously ugly!
Despite its hideous appearance, the aerial advantage and high-speed maneuverability granted by its wings made this beast a significant threat to the pair in this environment.
Without Ye Qinghan's sword formation, their spiritual senses only covered a radius of fifteen meters, making it impossible to detect this flying monster.
The creature periodically launched surprise attacks. Though Ye Qinghan remained vigilant, he was eventually caught off guard!
Taking shelter beneath the tower's protection, they briefly tended to their wounds before pulling out the magical artifact from the supply point to examine it.
"Senior Sister, what kind of artifact is this?" Li Shiyao stared curiously at the small glass vial in her senior sister's hand.
Ye Qinghan shook the glass vial. Inside was black sand that resembled iron filings.
The bottle itself was unremarkable, sealed with a red string around its neck—nothing special at all.
"I'm not sure either. Let me try channeling my spiritual energy into it."
As she spoke, Ye Qinghan gathered her energy and channeled her immortal arts into it. Soon, the small bottle emitted a faint glow. Ye Qinghan surmised that it was likely used for scouting.
Speculation alone wasn't enough. Ye Qinghan immediately called Shi Yao to test it at the tower's entrance, and results came quickly.
Though faint within the tower, the glow pierced the black mist once they stepped outside, illuminating their path ahead.
Ye Qinghan's hunch proved correct. With this device, their field of vision—or rather, the radius their divine sense could probe—would expand significantly!
This was undoubtedly a tremendous boon to them!
Even if it only provided a slightly wider field of vision, it would be more than enough for them to handle any surprise attacks from above!
"Senior Sister, Shiyu is feeling a bit tired. Could we rest for a moment?"
Ye Qinghan smiled gently and nodded.
Since they'd set their plan and set out, this was the first time Li Shiyu had voiced fatigue. Maintaining the Chaos Bell throughout their journey had truly been taxing for this junior sister.
Under normal circumstances, Li Shiyu's annual exercise regimen likely wouldn't match the exertion of this period.
"Thank you for your hard work, Shiyu. Rest well. Senior Sister will go outside to investigate."
Ye Qinghan couldn't shake the feeling that the types of beasts lurking here likely exceeded what they'd encountered so far. Earlier, by the light of the glow bottle, she thought she'd glimpsed a towering figure in the distance…
"Sis, you should rest too. The Frostblade Formation took a toll on you."
Ye Qinghan smiled faintly and walked alone toward the tower's exit.
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