Above the Galaxy
Chapter 386 - 248, Bone-eating Maggot!

Chapter 386: Chapter 248, Bone-eating Maggot!

Flowers in the mirror, the moon on the water.

Little Fatty, no matter how hard he tried, was merely putting on a monkey show for the audience.

Shen Xinglan knew that what Tang Fei said was true. Given the Royal Family’s ruthlessness and Zhong Daolong’s cunning calculations, there was no way they would entrust an Empire Princess to a somewhat talented "Old Land refugee."

Of course, if Tang Fei could advance to a Grandmaster, or even a Great Grandmaster, by the time Phoenix came of age for marriage, that would be a different matter altogether.

A Grandmaster, the Royal Family would consider.

A Great Grandmaster, the Royal Family would submit to.

Such was the power and prestige of a Great Grandmaster.

How could the National Guardian Divine Artifact be taken lightly?

But why was he telling him all this?

Shen Xinglan looked at Tang Fei and asked aloud, "Are you worried I harbor resentment and will take action against you during this exploration?"

Tang Fei waved his hands repeatedly and said, "That’s my brother’s worry. After all, he hasn’t met you and doesn’t understand you. I’ve spent day and night with my senior brother, and our bond is strong. I trust that Senior Brother isn’t that kind of person and wouldn’t do such despicable things."

"I just thought it’d be best to clear things up. We shouldn’t let some baseless accusations destroy the bond between us brothers, right?"

"The moon is not mine, yet I’m to be accused of desecrating it. I feel very wronged as well."

"I understand," Shen Xinglan replied indifferently.

"Before we set off, I called the Princess Highness. I said I was going to accompany Senior Brother on an adventure and asked her to take care of Little Fatty... my brother."

"Thinking that if anything should happen to me, and I couldn’t return, I asked her to help find a wife for my brother. Princess Highness is very loyal and agreed immediately."

A playful smile appeared on Shen Xinglan’s lips as he said, "Phoenix is quite concerned about your safety too, right?"

Listening to the words and the tone, hearing the gong and understanding its sound.

By specifically bringing up this phone call with Phoenix before departure, Tang Fei was basically telling Shen Xinglan that everyone knew the two of them were venturing out together, and the Princess Highness as well.

If I die, you’ll be the prime suspect.

You can’t just not kill me; you have to go out of your way to protect me.

If Tang Fei died and only he returned, he would have to bear the infamy of stabbing his disciple brother in the back...

Was he throwing out all his cards just to increase his own sense of security?

"Indeed, she expressed concern for a few moments, hoping I could return safely."

Shen Xinglan looked at Tang Fei and asked in a deep voice, "Are you afraid of me?"

"How could that be?" Tang Fei said with a chuckle, "In my heart, Senior Brother is open-minded and virtuous, like clear winds and a bright moon. You are someone to be admired and trusted, a role model for me to learn from and follow."

Their eyes met, one smiling openly, the other with a profound meaning.

At that moment, the Star Disc’s dashboard suddenly became chaotic with jumbled numbers, and the warning system sounded a series of beeps. Even their bodies began to shake violently.

The Star Disc pilot looked at the dark fog sea below and shouted, "The Star Disc’s electronic system has malfunctioned; we can’t descend any further..."

Shen Xinglan stood up, his gaze steadfast, and in a calm voice, he said to the pilot, "Open the hatch, we’ll go down ourselves."

There was no fear, not even a hint of panic.

"Yes," the pilot clearly recognized Shen Xinglan’s status and showed him great respect.

Upon receiving Shen Xinglan’s direct order, without even asking Tang Fei’s opinion, he promptly opened the hatch.

Shen Xinglan glanced downward before leaping, diving toward the dense area that was as dark as an ink pond.

His body unfurled in the air like a dandelion spinning and dancing in the wind.

Graceful, delicate.

Tang Fei cursed to himself, ’Show-off,’ and followed suit, leaping to chase the silhouette of Shen Xinglan against the biting cold wind.

The hatch of the Star Disc closed again, and the vessel shakily fled the eye of the storm.

Bang!

Tang Fei landed lightly.

The ground was damp, with a stench of decay.

This must be the very Burial Land his master had described.

There was no lush vegetation, no thick underbrush. Even the branches and tree stumps that hadn’t yet decayed, or the bones of unknown animals, were haphazardly buried in the soil.

There was no red, no yellow, no rays of light, no dazzling colors.

Only black and white.

You couldn’t sense any signs of life; the entire world was deathly still.

What else could be here?

Just moments ago, the Star Disc’s electronic system had failed, and the vessel shook violently. But why?

Was it the pull of some mysterious force? Or was this place itself a vast magnetic field that rendered all approaching electronic machinery useless?

Tang Fei glanced at his watch, and sure enough, the time had stopped ticking.

Making contact with the outside world via mobile phone was impossible as well.

How would they contact the Star Disc when they wanted to return?

Who cares, let the heavens fall, and the tall one will hold it up.

With Shen Xinglan present, the Empire wouldn’t possibly abandon them here...

Nor would the Shen Family agree.

Tang Fei looked around and called out, "Senior Brother... Senior Brother..."

They had jumped down together; how had Shen Xinglan vanished without a trace?

Without seeing Shen Xinglan, he felt insecure; he feared not having his senior brother’s protection and was even more afraid that his senior brother might be lurking in the shadows, ready to fire cold arrows...

"Silence!"

Shen Xinglan flew in from behind him and warned.

"Do you sense anything amiss, Senior Brother?" Tang Fei asked aloud.

"Everything is amiss," Shen Xinglan said with a grave expression.

"Listen," Shen Xinglan instructed.

Tang Fei concentrated, extending his senses to feel every movement around them.

There was no chirping of insects, no birdsong.

Not even the sound of wind.

Everything around was still, except for the two strangers who had just arrived.

No, there was a sound.

Tang Fei was a clever hunter, he knew all too well the ways in which prey would hide and attack.

Suddenly, from the mud beneath their feet, a creature burst forth with a body like a maggot, a head like a dog, and covered in tentacles.

It opened its wide maw, filled with saw-like teeth, and savagely lunged at Shen Xinglan’s face.

Bone-eating Beast!

Feeding on white bones and drinking in yin energy, it was the subterranean dominator of this region.

Shen Xinglan clearly had been prepared, his right fist clenched, radiating with a green glow.

He threw a punch!

Bang!

The body of the monster was struck by the force and then exploded instantly.

"Move!" Tang Fei shouted.

As he called out, his long sword had already been drawn from its sheath.

A swift slash created a wall of Sword Qi in front of Shen Xinglan, like a barrier.

Hiss...

The flesh and blood from the exploded body of the monster struck the wall of Qi, making a hissing, corrosive sound.

This creature contained a deadly poison, able to cause flesh to peel and bones to dissolve upon contact.

A slight mistake could mean death.

Shen Xinglan looked at Tang Fei with surprise. Had Tang Fei just saved him?

Why would he do such a thing?

Before he had a chance to thank Tang Fei, suddenly, from the ground above, there came a whizzing sound, as if the very earth was being flipped over.

Countless Bone-eating Beasts broke through the soil, popping up like bamboo after a rain.

They swarmed densely, an overwhelming tide rushing towards Tang Fei and Shen Xinglan.

Obviously, they hadn’t smelled fresh blood in a long time.

Shen Xinglan, far from retreating, actually took the initiative to charge towards the Bone-eating Beasts.

Despite his elegant appearance, he fought with a reckless intensity.

Just like in the last Dao Exchange Meeting, where he, alone with his sword, made short work of his opponents...

He was formidably unreasonable.

With a slash of his sword.

Swish!

His Sword Qi soared like a rainbow.

A great number of Bone-eating Beasts were cut in half, their blood spraying and flesh blurring, but it was all kept at bay by the Yin Yang Qi surrounding his body, unable to even touch him.

Tang Fei was even more ruthless. He sheathed his long sword and clenched both fists.

With an angry roar, two dragons and two elephants surged forth.

Wherever he went, the Bone-eating Beasts were smashed into oblivion, turned into mounds of flesh.

What was even more terrifying was that the "Dragon Elephant Demon Suppression Skill" was a mighty and unyielding Buddhist Cultivation Technique, which naturally restrained these malevolent creatures.

Therefore, when the Bone-eating Beasts saw Tang Fei, they actually began to shrink back, showing fear and reluctance to advance.

Tang Fei certainly wouldn’t show them any courtesy. Knowing the miraculous effect of the "Dragon Elephant Demon Suppression Skill," he no longer used any other techniques and began to bombard densely packed groups of beasts.

Boom!

"Dragon Elephant Demon Suppression Skill"!

Boom!

"Dragon Elephant Demon Suppression Skill"!

Boom!

"Dragon Elephant Demon Suppression Skill"!

------

What you fear, you attract.

First, the Bone-eating Beasts eagerly tried to devour them, but then Tang Fei and Shen Xinglan relentlessly pursued and attacked them, inflicting heavy casualties.

When the last Bone-eating Beast was turned into pulp by Tang Fei, he and Shen Xinglan finally stopped.

Mountains of corpses and seas of blood, ground littered with insect bodies.

A foul, nauseating stench filled their nostrils, causing their stomachs to churn and an urge to vomit.

Shen Xinglan looked at Tang Fei and asked, "What are these things?"

He had killed countless monsters, but still stood there with his clothes as white as snow, not even his sword bore a trace of blood.

The man had a cleanliness fetish!

"I don’t know," Tang Fei shook his head.

"How did you know its blood was poisonous?"

"The wicked land breeds poisonous things. What else could survive here, and on what would it feed?" Tang Fei countered.

He had hunted in the Old Land for many years, encountering all manner of prey and understanding their habits.

While he had never seen such prey before, he had encountered similar creatures.

Shen Xinglan looked deeply at Tang Fei and said, "You have lived in the Old Land for many years, your experience in surviving the wilderness is more abundant than mine... this time, you saved me."

Tang Fei waved it off, boasting proudly, "Brother, you are too polite. What’s this little matter worth? Although I saved you, I definitely don’t dare to assume the role of your life-saving benefactor..."

Tang Fei knew that even if he had not acted, Shen Xinglan had his own means of self-preservation.

Few mere bugs could threaten the life of Shen Xinglan; that would be sheer fantasy.

But once he made a move, Shen Xinglan would owe him a favor.

He couldn’t avoid it even if he wanted to...

"..."

You have already assumed that role, okay?

Just then, from the depths of the thick fog came the sound of human wails.

They were piercingly sorrowful.

Tang Fei and Shen Xinglan exchanged a glance, then rushed towards the source of the sound together.