"It's not important anymore." Xu Qing shook his head. He then lifted his right hand and grabbed. Immediately, the small bronze bottle flew into his hand.
The voice in the bottle had completely weakened. After it appeared once more, it completely disappeared.
Ding Xue glanced at Zhao Zhongheng. If it was anyone else, it would be very difficult to see the meaning of this glance. However, Zhao Zhongheng understood tacitly and immediately went forward to search the body of the Sea Corpse Race without any hesitation.
Very soon, they found a storage bag and the three of them left the secret passage.
Xu Qing covered the sound-catching bottle and kept it.
Ding Xue told the sect what she had discovered here and could be considered to have completed her mission. As for the items in the storage bag, there weren't many. Most of them were miscellaneous items. There were no magic artifacts or jade talismans. Clearly, they had all been used up.
There were a few hundred spirit stones and three to five spirit tickets. They didn't know if it was because he was poor to begin with or if he hid his items in another place.
Xu Qing swept his gaze over. He took the sound-catching bottle and didn't ask for anything else.
Xu Qing didn't know what use this bottle would have in the future but this item itself was very strange. Xu Qing felt that it had some value.
Zhao Zhongheng and Ding Xue were both rich people and didn't fancy the things in the storage bag. However, they still shared them. After all, it was more or less a gain.
Just like that, as Ding Xue reported the matter of the secret passage, this matter came to an end. Next, the other disciples of the sect would deal with the follow-up matters.
Time quickly passed. While Ding Xue was becoming increasingly depressed because of Zhao Zhongheng's appearance, the one-month deadline was up. As Xu Qing bade farewell and left, Ding Xue felt extremely regretful and chased after him to show her concern.
"Senior Brother Xu, the frontline is dangerous, you have to be careful. Your safety is the most important."
"My cultivation level is low and I don't have anything to show. However, I'll ask my aunt to take care of you more. If you encounter anything that can't be resolved, you can look for her directly."
"Also, Senior Brother Xu, thank you for your help during this time. I'll definitely work harder to learn about plants and vegetation and strive to join the Seven Sects Alliance as soon as possible. At that time, I'll be able to help Senior Brother in plants and vegetation."
Ding Xue's expression was serious. After that, she casually spoke.
"As for the Dao of plants and vegetation of the Second Peak, it's a little inferior. I'll definitely be more proficient than the disciples of the Second Peak in the future."
"Thank you. You should take good care of yourself too. All the best." Xu Qing sighed with emotion. He could hear the sincerity in Ding Xue's words. In his heart, he felt that although Ding Xue had some plans in the past month, she was a good person. Moreover, she was very diligent and eager to learn. Xu Qing approved of this point.
As for her saying that the Second Peak's Dao of plants and vegetation was inferior, Xu Qing didn't have much contact with the Second Peak and couldn't comment. He cupped his fists at Ding Xue and turned to leave.
Ding Xue reluctantly watched as Xu Qing's back disappeared from her sight. She turned her head and ruthlessly glared at Zhao Zhongheng. She let out a cold snort and chose to leave the merfolk islands.
She was very clear that the frontline was dangerous and it was not suitable for her to continue staying here with her cultivation base.
As for Zhao Zhongheng, he looked at Ding Xue's graceful back view with an incomparably firm gaze. He felt that his judgment was correct.
'Cultivation isn't important in this matter. My sincerity can surpass everything! That Xu Qing's cultivation is indeed stronger than mine but he left just like that. However, I'm not like this. I'll always accompany my senior sister.'
At the thought of this, Zhao Zhongheng took a deep breath and hurriedly followed. Under Ding Xue's annoyance, they left together.
As for Xu Qing, he didn't leave the merfolk islands.
After completing the mission to protect Ding Xue, he not only obtained three disorder teleportation talismans but also a decree given by the deputy peak lord.
With this decree, he could retreat from the war without applying a request. It could even be done during missions.
It was the same as having the right to return to the sect at any time. His obligation to participate in the battle was still there, but it had been changed from the front line to the back.
His battle results and the subsequent rewards of the war wouldn't be reduced.
This allowed him to have very strong autonomy.
Even a Golden Core elder would find it very difficult to issue such a decree. Only the higher-ups at the peak lord level had the qualifications, so its value was extremely high.
Xu Qing was aware that the deputy peak lord had given it to him because of Ding Xue.
"This is a favor. I will need to repay Ding Xue in the future." Xu Qing remembered this matter and took out his identity token to check the missions inside.
He didn't plan to leave immediately. Although he had spent a month on Ding Xue's Dao Protector mission and his ranking in the war had fallen back to below 70, Xu Qing felt that it wouldn't be very difficult to increase it.
He wanted to enter the top 50 and obtain the right to use the magic treasure projection once.
In the following period of time, Xu Qing once again immersed himself in the missions. Every day, he would be busy with one mission after another, killing the Sea Corpse Race and refining the Sea Corpse souls. Occasionally, he would even farm battle results with the shadow.
Gradually, his ranking neared 50 and he wasn't far from obtaining the chance to use the magic treasure's projection. On this day… Xu Qing, who had just handed in the mission, was about to accept the next mission when his expression suddenly changed. He lowered his head and looked at his feet.
His eyes gleamed with a strange light as he disappeared from his original location. After he arrived at a remote corner, Xu Qing calmly spoke.
"What do you want to say?" Just now, the shadow had transmitted some emotions to him.
"Advancement… Quiet… Safety… Breakthrough…" The shadow tried its best to express itself.
Xu Qing's eyes narrowed.
In this war with the Sea Corpse Race, the shadow had provided a lot of help. Now that it had devoured so many Sea Corpse Race members, it was finally about to break through. This filled Xu Qing with anticipation.
After he formed his life fire, the shadow and the Diamond Sect's ancestor clearly couldn't keep up with him. However, Xu Qing was still vigilant against the shadow and the Diamond Sect's ancestor, especially the former.
As the shadow transmitted the information that it was about to break through, the black iron stick at the side trembled slightly. The Diamond Sect's ancestor inside also quickly transmitted his divine sense.
"Master, I was about to report to you that I… can break through too. I also need a quiet and safe environment because… the artifact spirit technique I cultivate is different from other random things. It will attract heavenly lightning to cleanse my soul!!"
"Once I break through, I can erupt with combat strength similar to the Mystic Brilliance Form!"
The Diamond Sect's ancestor's words revealed determination, but his heart was filled with anxiety.
In reality, he was still a little short of breaking through. However, he couldn't wait anymore. He felt that once the shadow broke through first, if he still maintained his current state, losing his status was secondary. What was important was that he might be considered useless.
Once he was considered useless, he felt that there was a high chance that he would be thrown out as cannon fodder at some point…
Hence, he was prepared to give it a try.
Xu Qing glanced at the black iron stick and then at the shadow. He had already made a decision.
