Chapter 464: Old Friends

Chapter 464: Chapter 464: Old Friends

On the ground, a group of big, burly men were overjoyed.

The fellow who set the net really had a good eye, picking the perfect spot.

If they could net that Flying Ship, they might even be able to keep it, which would be another huge payday.

BOOM!

Before they could even get close, a huge cloud of smoke and dust exploded from where the Flying Ship had crashed, blasting the man who’d set the net fifty or sixty feet away.

Ah Er bounced on the ground several times, the impact leaving him dizzy and dazed.

At the center of the smoke, the fur on its body glowed with a dim light, having blocked the brunt of the impact.

As soon as it regained some of its senses, a fire of rage ignited in its heart.

Charging out of the smoke in just a few steps, Ah Er’s eyes bulged as it went to find whoever had the sheer audacity to attack it.

"Huh?!"

"Hey, isn’t that Alchemist Bai’s Spirit Beast?"

A few stunned voices called out.

"Isn’t Alchemist Bai a disciple of the Xuandao Sect? Could he be out on a trip today?"

"This is bad, this is bad! Quick, see what’s going on!"

Someone was hopping in agitation.

Ah Er suddenly froze.

It had followed Bai Mo back to Immortal Arrival City before, and though it didn’t know why, many people there addressed its master that way.

One of the burly men ran closer, his thick eyebrows and large eyes staring at Ah Er.

Ah Er recognized him. When it went out in Immortal Arrival City, on its way to the old shopkeeper’s bookshop, this man would often sneakily try to tease it.

"Aiyah! My little ancestor! It really is you..."

The man dashed over, picked up Ah Er, and started shaking and examining it.

"Where’s Alchemist Bai? He wasn’t on the Flying Ship, was he? I didn’t see him!"

"..."

The others crowded around when they heard, and the scene instantly became chaotic.

「A moment later.」

Ah Er stood before its Flying Ship, a mix of complex emotions swirling in its heart.

Several of the men worked together to pull the Flying Ship, which was half-buried in the ground, free. They set it back down with a THUD.

"Damn, what a sturdy Flying Ship. It’s not broken, is it?"

One of the men said with an awkward laugh.

The Flying Ship looked a complete mess, covered in scratches.

A look of utter misery crossed Ah Er’s face.

’To think I’d come out for one trip, and my beloved ship ends up like this.’

’And I can’t even make them pay for it. These bastards probably aren’t as rich as I am, even with all those useless muscles.’

It tried starting it up. Fortunately, the Flying Ship still worked—just as expected of something worth several thousand Spirit Stones.

As these thoughts raced through its mind, Ah Er had a realization.

"Arf?"

Bai Mo had always placed great importance on Demon Hunting Teams, so Ah Er knew a fair bit about them from tagging along.

’Shouldn’t these guys be in Immortal Arrival City? What are they doing all the way out here?’

...

「Seven days later, Bai Mo received the news.」

After asking Li Wuji to watch over the Black Prison for a few days, Bai Mo shut down his Pill Furnace and hurried to the sect’s main gate.

When he met them, it was already night.

"What are you all doing here?"

Seeing Bai Mo, all the men from the Demon Hunting Team were delighted.

"Alchemist Bai, it’s been too long!"

"We’ve troubled you, making you come all this way for us..."

Out in the wilderness, the group had started a bonfire and were roasting the meat of a Demon Beast as they talked.

The snow on his clothes melted by the fire’s warmth. Bai Mo brushed the water from his robes and said:

"This is a long way from Immortal Arrival City..."

One of the men sheepishly offered a piece of meat to Ah Er as he explained:

"We were chasing a Crystal Charm."

"That thing is fast. We’ve been chasing it all over, and this isn’t the first time we’ve ended up near a major sect like this."

"We’ve been hassled by the local Loose Cultivators a few times, but we managed to get away by dropping your name..."

He sighed with emotion as he spoke.

’They didn’t necessarily know my name, just that they were wary of a disciple from the Xuandao Sect.’

Bai Mo had never heard of a Crystal Charm before, so he couldn’t help but ask:

"What is this creature?"

Several of the men leaned in and said mysteriously:

"It’s a real treasure. It was forced to show itself because of all the commotion your sect has been making at the foot of the mountain recently. We wouldn’t tell an outsider about this."

Recently...

Bai Mo’s heart stirred. He had a good idea what the sect had done.

A Nascent Soul Cultivator had been offered up as a sacrifice by the sect near Immortal Arrival City, along with some Core Formation Cultivators as side dishes.

The dozen or so men present had all benefited from following Lanshan’s lead in the past.

So now, seeing Bai Mo, they were naturally even more friendly.

One of them recalled the scene he had witnessed on the mountain and couldn’t help but sigh in awe.

"I have no idea what someone from your sect did, but I was at the foot of the mountain back then. I had just killed a Demon Beast when a tidal wave of purple qi suddenly spread out."

"I thought I was going to drown in it, but surprisingly, I was completely unharmed."

’The purple qi of a Nascent Soul, formed from the life’s cultivation of a Nascent Soul master.’

Bai Mo was quite familiar with the Nascent Soul Cultivator who had been sent to Immortal Arrival City as a sacrifice. In the prison, that person had often let out strange cries.

’Who would have thought that when the life’s work of such an unhinged and out-of-control person was released, it would create such a magnificent spectacle?’

"After that, this thing, the Crystal Charm, suddenly appeared and became highly sought after by everyone in the city..."

Bai Mo’s hand, which was adding firewood to the bonfire, paused.

"It’s valuable enough to make you all chase it this far? What is it used for?"

One of the men immediately explained, "Every part of it is a treasure!"

"Forget the flesh and blood—which boosts virility and nourishes one’s qi—its Inner Pill is a priceless treasure for forging. They say if you melt it down, it can dissolve metal and shatter stone."

"Someone in the city is offering five thousand Spirit Stones for a single one!"

Smiles appeared on the faces of the men present.

"Heh heh, Alchemist Bai, that’s more than enough to get guys like us running around."

Ah Er was also listening intently. Seizing the opportunity, it let out a pitiful cry.

So, Bai Mo asked on its behalf, "Then how did you all end up attacking my Spirit Beast?"

"Well..."

The men scratched their heads.

"We were too far away, so we didn’t recognize it. Besides, we never imagined a Spirit Beast could know how to pilot a Flying Ship. We thought it was a Crystal Charm in disguise."

"You might not know this, but Crystal Charms are masters of transformation. They learn many skills, hold grudges, and are bloodthirsty. They’re terrifying creatures."

They recounted how it had happened.

They had chased the creature here and, figuring the Crystal Charm would pass this way, they had used one of Bai Mo’s Pills.

Using the terrain to their advantage, they created a miasma.

Unexpectedly, Ah Er happened to be returning at that exact moment, flew right into it, and was knocked out by the effects of Bai Mo’s Pill.

You really couldn’t blame these men.

"We missed our chance. We didn’t hear any sign of the Crystal Charm, so we probably missed it."

"We’ll have to start tracking it again later."

Bai Mo’s attention was focused on the Inner Pill the men had mentioned.

"Is this thing’s Inner Pill really that powerful?"

All the men from the Demon Hunting Team nodded in unison.

"The two most expensive weapons sold in the city recently were both forged with the help of an Inner Pill, allowing them to be blended with extremely durable ores."

Bai Mo thought of the Outer Pill fragments he had that he couldn’t do anything with, and his heart leaped.

"If you manage to get one, please bring one of the Inner Pills to me."

"I’ll pay twenty percent more in Spirit Stones!"

Hearing this, the men were instantly galvanized.

"Alchemist Bai, what are you saying? If you want one, we’ll find it and bring it to you!"

"That’s right, we’re already deeply in your debt..."

The clang of weapons striking each other rang out as the men shouted, grabbing their arms and getting to their feet.

They were going to hunt their prey.

This wasn’t the Celestial Barrier Mountain range; there was no need to be cautious at night here. They could act without any inhibitions.