Chapter 38: Treasure, Earth Spirit Liquid

Chapter 38: Chapter 38: Treasure, Earth Spirit Liquid

Ji Zhixing leaned against the large boulder, closing his eyes to seize the moment to rest. The Vortex Sand Worm was not far away. He was quite bold; an ordinary person wouldn’t dare linger near such a fierce creature after simply reading about it.

Meanwhile, on the shores of Shi Lake.

Gu Zheng and the other three stood by the water, their expressions grim as they stared at the calm surface.

"How can this guy hold his breath for so long?" the young man holding the Elf Bow spat through gritted teeth. "It’s been ages. Why hasn’t he come up yet?"

"He must have some sort of diving-type Genetic Equipment," Liu Qing said. "Otherwise, it’s impossible to stay underwater for this long."

Gu Zheng remained silent, his gaze dark as he watched the lake. He turned to Yu Zhirou, his eyes flickering as he pondered how to handle the situation.

"Yu Zhirou!"

Suddenly, a shout echoed from the distance.

Gu Zheng looked up to see several students from the Third Middle School walking toward them. Beside them was a middle-aged man—a teacher from Yu City Third Middle School.

"The teacher is here," Yu Zhirou said, her face lighting up with joy.

Gu Zheng frowned but didn’t say anything else. He pulled a palm-sized boat from his pocket and casually tossed it into the lake. The tiny vessel expanded against the wind, instantly transforming into a wooden boat that floated steadily on the water’s surface.

"Let’s go," Gu Zheng said, leaping aboard. The other three quickly followed suit.

The wooden boat cut through the water, heading in the direction of Lake Heart Island.

"I wonder how Teacher Zhou and Jiang Chen are doing," Liu Qing said from the bow, his gaze fixed on Lake Heart Island.

Their team originally consisted of five members plus a supervising teacher. However, when the Otherworldly Secret Realm appeared, only the four of them had entered it. The teacher who brought them here, along with Jiang Chen, had been left behind on the island.

"They should be fine," Gu Zheng said flatly. "Teacher Zhou is at the peak of the second tier, and Jiang Chen fused with a Tier-3 gene. They won’t have any trouble protecting themselves."

He paused, his gaze settling on the distant island. The reason they had been repeatedly visiting Lake Heart Island over the past two days was that they had discovered a rare natural treasure there: Earth Spirit Liquid. Earth Spirit Liquid could be consumed directly to accelerate cultivation speed, and it had miraculous effects on Tier-1 and Tier-2 Cultivators. However, a Rock Armor Profound Turtle guarded it, preventing them from succeeding.

Now that they were out of the Otherworldly Secret Realm, it was only natural for them to go back and check.

The wooden boat broke through the water, silently approaching Lake Heart Island. Gu Zheng stood at the bow, his eyes scanning the bushes and gravel shores. The island was quiet; apart from the rustling wind and the occasional bird call, there was nothing else.

"Dock," he ordered softly.

The wooden boat gently bumped against the shore. Gu Zheng jumped off first, and the rest quickly followed. Liu Qing was the last to disembark. His ears twitched slightly as he surveyed their surroundings with high vigilance.

"No one’s around," Liu Qing whispered. "That kid didn’t come this way."

Gu Zheng nodded. With a wave of his hand, he stowed the wooden boat away. "Let’s go." He turned and headed toward the center of the island.

The four followed a hidden path through the dense shrubs, making their way toward a small hill in the center of the island. They had walked this route several times over the past few days and were incredibly familiar with it. The hill wasn’t tall—only a few dozen meters high. At its base lay a concealed cave entrance, tightly obscured by thick vines and underbrush.

Gu Zheng pushed the vines aside and led the way in.

After advancing a few dozen meters, low roars and the clash of metal echoed from ahead. Gu Zheng quickened his pace.

At the end of the passage was a spacious cavern, roughly ten meters high and over twenty meters wide. Deep inside, two figures were engaged in a fierce battle with a massive, turtle-like Genetic Beast.

The beast stood over two meters tall. Its grayish-black carapace was covered in rock-like patterns, and its limbs were as thick as pillars, causing the ground to tremble slightly with every step it took.

It was none other than the Rock Armor Profound Turtle.

At this moment, it was already riddled with wounds. Its shell had several distinct cracks, and a deep gash on one of its front legs exposed the bone beneath. Blood dripped steadily onto the floor. However, the injuries didn’t look like they had been caused by blades; they seemed more like the result of being bitten and torn by a giant beast.

Fighting it were two people. One was a middle-aged man in his forties wearing a gray combat suit. He was Teacher Zhou Hang, the one who had brought them to Lake Heart Island. The other was a sturdy teenager of similar age to Gu Zheng’s group, wielding a heavy battle-axe—their classmate, Jiang Chen.

"Teacher Zhou!" Gu Zheng shouted. A slender sword materialized in his hand out of thin air, its bright blade gleaming with a faint silver light.

The other three also drew their weapons and charged forward.

The Rock Armor Profound Turtle was already heavily injured, and under this coordinated attack, it quickly lost ground. Gu Zheng’s Sword Technique was fierce and precise. Every thrust targeted the cracks in its shell or specifically aimed at its head and limbs. The young man with the Elf Bow retreated to a safe distance, firing arrow after arrow at the turtle’s eyes.

Under their combined assault, the Rock Armor Profound Turtle soon let out a low, mournful wail. Its massive body crashed heavily to the ground, its limbs twitching a few times before falling completely still.

"PHEW..." Zhou Hang sheathed his longsword and let out a long breath. "You guys came at just the right time. Any later, and the two of us would have had to figure out a way to run."

"Teacher Zhou, the wounds on this turtle..." Gu Zheng looked at the beast’s injuries, his brow furrowing slightly.

"It was hurt by something that came out of the Otherworldly Secret Realm," Zhou Hang said, wiping sweat from his brow with a wry smile. "After you went in, the two of us waited outside. Not long after, another Genetic Beast charged out of the Spatial Passage and started fighting this Rock Armor Profound Turtle."

He pointed at the turtle’s wounds. "The turtle won, but it took heavy damage. Jiang Chen and I saw how badly it was hurt and decided to try our luck."

Jiang Chen put away his battle-axe and chuckled. "We fought it for half a day and were barely holding on. Thank god you guys showed up."

Gu Zheng nodded. His gaze landed on the depths of the cavern, where a small puddle of milky-white liquid lay, radiating a faint luster. It was the Earth Spirit Liquid.

"Regardless, it’s good that it’s taken care of," Gu Zheng said with a smile. "Come on. Let’s divide up the Earth Spirit Liquid as we agreed."

Saying this, he took a jade bottle from his pocket and began collecting the liquid. Liu Qing, Jiang Chen, and the other two quickly followed suit. Before long, the group had collected all of the Earth Spirit Liquid.

Naturally, Gu Zheng received the largest share, while the others got roughly equal amounts.

"Let’s go," Zhou Hang said, turning toward the exit. "The appearance of the Otherworldly Secret Realm caused quite a commotion. I expect experts from the Base City will arrive soon to handle it. It’ll be too dangerous if we stay here any longer."

The students nodded and filed out of the cave behind him. Upon leaving the cavern, they headed straight for the shores of Lake Heart Island.

"Hold on," Liu Qing suddenly spoke up, his ears twitching slightly. He glanced at the group, his eyes briefly pausing on the only girl in the team, before offering an embarrassed smile. "You guys get on the boat and wait for me. I need to take a leak. I’ll be right back."

"Lazy donkeys always need a piss when it’s time to work," the young man with the Elf Bow joked. "Make it quick."

Liu Qing chuckled and ducked into the nearby bushes.

Gu Zheng frowned but said nothing.

After stepping away, Liu Qing didn’t actually go relieve himself. Instead, he lightened his footsteps, perked his ears, and quietly crept toward a distant spot on the shore. As he moved, he tilted his head slightly, his ears twitching as they captured the microscopic sounds carried by the breeze. The hearing of the Six-Eared Wind Dog was pushed to its absolute limit in this moment.

In the wind, there was the sound of water. The sound of breathing. And the sound of a heartbeat.

It was very faint, very cautious, but riding the wind, it couldn’t hide from him.

A cold smirk crept onto Liu Qing’s lips. Treading softly, he moved soundlessly toward the edge of the island. After rounding a few large boulders and cutting through a patch of shrubs, he spotted a large rock by the distant shore.

The rock was a solid two meters tall. Leaning against its back, a silhouette was faintly visible.

It was Ji Zhixing.

Liu Qing crouched low, hiding behind the brush as a flash of excitement lit up his eyes. He glanced back over his shoulder to confirm that Gu Zheng and the others were no longer in sight.

He had come alone specifically to find Ji Zhixing before anyone else could.

"That biggest chunk of Hematite..." Liu Qing thought, his mind racing. "It’s definitely worth over a million Gene Coins. If I can get my hands on it, my haul won’t be any worse than the Earth Spirit Liquid I just received. Gu Zheng is a Tier-2 Genetic Cultivator and got the largest share of the liquid, so I can’t beat him. But dealing with a piece of trash fused with a Tier-1 gene? That’ll be a walk in the park."

He took a deep breath, stood up from behind the bushes, and strode confidently toward the large rock.

Behind the boulder, Ji Zhixing was resting with his eyes closed. Suddenly catching the sound of footsteps, his eyes snapped open, and he instantly sprang to his feet.

Their eyes met.