Chapter 1162 The Awakening
The barbarian chief felt a pang of bitterness upon learning that the person before him was Chen Yang's disciple. Chen Yang was the leader of the human race, and from others' reactions, it was clear he held a strong affection for this disciple. In the heat of battle, with swords and sabers unafraid of flesh, and cultivators of the Core Formation realm sometimes directly joining the Foundation Establishment skirmishes, no one could guarantee the absolute safety of any single individual. If Hou Qingzhu were to meet her end on the barbarian battlefield, Chen Yang would not only demand an explanation from him; the barbarian chief himself would carry a heavy burden.
However, they were currently in the chaotic space. If they were to send her back, and the prefect of the Demon Capital discovered it, it wouldn't just be a matter of Hou Qingzhu; it would be a disaster for both the barbarians and the humans. The barbarian tribe had other Core Formation experts who could perform the same task as the current barbarian chief. But the reason others were not sent to the Land of Hope was not only to avoid drawing attention but also because their strength would surely be detected if they tried to leave with so many people.
Upon hearing this, Hou Qingzhu breathed a sigh of relief. She chuckled at Old Monster Zhang and said, "Grandpa Zhang, don't be angry. I'll stay by your side obediently." "Although my master doesn't know I've left, my Sister Shu does. I also have recovery pills." Hou Qingzhu's eyes twinkled as she spoke. Old Monster Zhang could only shake his head helplessly.
Old Monster Zhang certainly didn't want to bring Hou Qingzhu along, but now that even the barbarian chief had spoken so, there was no possibility of returning. "Then you will stay by my side peacefully and go nowhere!" With that, Old Monster Zhang suddenly thought of something. He said sternly to those around him, "Each of you must ensure that your identity and the identities of your companions are not discovered by the enemy." When he said the word "companions," Old Monster Zhang deliberately emphasized it.
Instantly, everyone understood the hidden meaning in Old Monster Zhang's words. Hou Qingzhu bit her lip with a hint of distress. In the end, she said nothing. She knew her identity was sensitive. But if all her friends were going, how could she truly stay by her master's side? Hou Qingzhu also understood that leaving this time truly carried the risk of death, yet she was still willing to undertake it.
As the barbarian chief led the human group to the barbarian city, Chen Yang did not stop. He went directly to the place of the giant rat. The consumption of spirit stones had been immense during this period. More importantly, Chen Yang had already distributed all the spirit stones he had, leaving him empty-handed. To continue breaking through to the Core Formation realm, Chen Yang needed the enhancement of spirit stones.
Outside the waste spiritual vein, there were no unusual signs, just as before. No one ever came here. Even if some accidental passersby appeared, they would be scared away by the suddenly emerging demonic beasts. Today, the guard beast was Little Stone. Upon seeing Chen Yang, it immediately ran over, shrank its body, and rubbed against Chen Yang's feet. Chen Yang helplessly placed Little Stone on his shoulder and whispered, "Who taught you this?" Chen Yang remembered that Little Stone and other demonic beasts didn't used to shrink their bodies and rub against him. He thought that besides the giant rat, no other demonic beast would have such a habit.
"That guy is lazy. Don't learn from him!" After Qin Yunlan's reminder from the side, the giant rat suddenly flipped its belly. The moment it saw Chen Yang, it lay on the ground and wailed. Seeing this, Qin Yunlan covered her mouth, almost bursting into laughter. Chen Yang looked at the giant rat with confusion, then at Qin Yunlan, pointing at the giant rat and asking, "What's wrong with this little fellow?"
Faced with Chen Yang's question, Qin Yunlan said helplessly, "It's because you've been too demanding lately, not giving him a moment's rest. He was just thinking that when you arrived, he'd deliberately put on a show to gain your sympathy."
Hearing this, the giant rat immediately flipped over and said to Qin Yunlan with some grievance, "Sister Qin, we had an agreement. How could you expose me!" "I'm not sharing the top-grade spirit stones I just dug up with you!" Chen Yang grabbed the giant rat and flicked his hand. A dozen top-grade spirit stones fell from the giant rat's body. Chen Yang selected a few of good quality and handed them to Qin Yunlan. Then he said to the giant rat, "Don't bother digging up low-grade and mid-grade spirit stones for now. I have a task for you."
"Help me find that thing that Xu Qingquan swallowed last time. If you can find it again, you must capture it!" As soon as the giant rat heard that it was related to Xu Qingquan, it became extremely alert. However, it still asked with some confusion, "Young Master, has Xu Qingquan woken up?" "Was that thing he ate before very helpful for his recovery?" Thinking that he was partly responsible for Xu Qingquan's previous coma, the giant rat truly wanted to apologize to Xu Qingquan. Ever since the Young Master told him about Xu Qingquan, the giant rat realized what a mistake he had made.
Qin Yunlan listened intently from the side. She had already learned about all the powerful individuals in the Land of Hope or those directly related to Chen Yang. However, she had never heard of anyone named Xu Qingquan. Chen Yang sighed softly. He had never told the giant rat about Xu Qingquan's situation. After some thought, Chen Yang recounted the battle in the chaotic space.
When the giant rat and Qin Yunlan heard that Xu Qingquan was left with only a wisp of spiritual energy, they both gasped. The giant rat's eyes reddened slightly, "Young Master, don't worry. I will do my utmost to find that thing." Qin Yunlan on the side sighed, "I didn't expect such a thing to happen at that time." "However, if he is truly left with only a wisp of spiritual energy..."
As she said this, Qin Yunlan looked at Chen Yang. Although the words were unpleasant, she had to explain them to Chen Yang. "Chen Yang, I know you want to restore Xu Qingquan, but there is no single thing that can achieve this. The humans of the Earth Realm have learned many things through years of struggle. The most important one is to distinguish between benefits and drawbacks. You can call them cold-blooded, but every decision they make must ensure the greatest survival of the human race."
If Chen Yang became fixated on one thing and failed to achieve his goal, only Chen Yang would be hurt. Chen Yang's importance was immeasurable now. If he were to go mad because of this matter, it would be a loss for the entire human race.