The Boss I Picked Up All Fell In Love With Me - Chapter 69

 

Chapter 69

The dark aura was completely absorbed by the phoenix spirit jade on Su Zui's chest.

People who were struggling in the cave paused, staring at the sudden disappearance of the dark aura beside them with bewilderment in their eyes.

"Oh!" Someone exclaimed.

Not only the dark aura around them but also the dark aura within them was lured out, drifting toward the cave's passage.

They watched with wide eyes as the dark aura that had just tortured them endlessly and seemed impossible to drive away was lightly drawn away, finding it somewhat unbelievable.

The pain within their bodies gradually vanished, as if the earlier excruciating agony was just an illusion.

"...Is it gone?"

"Did someone come to rescue us?"

Xuanwu also watched the dark aura he emitted get absorbed, a hint of astonishment revealing in his crimson eyes.

Tilting his large, triangularly-shaped head, the half-formed snake held its head high, squinting its blood-red eyes, flicking its malicious tongue, trying to detect the scent in the air.

Who... could actually ingest such a massive dark aura?

But it seemed as if the aura was blocked by something. After probing for a while, he failed to get any useful information from the air.

________________________

After the dark aura was absorbed, someone couldn't help but murmur, "Is this just an illusion? Why do I feel like I was really about to die?"

"Me too…"

"Can we communicate with the outside world?"

Once this was spoken, the unease hidden deep within the crowd couldn't be contained any longer.

As people spoke, fear and panic grew and spread among the group.

Although they were young and lacking in experience, they were not fools who understood nothing.

From the moment Xuanwu appeared, the sense of crisis hanging over their heads went beyond the scope of a normal test.

If... if all of this were real, could they still survive?

The one with the most severe injuries couldn't help but tremble, watching the spiritual power within their body gradually diminishing. Tears of fear began to flow.

"I... I haven't found a partner yet. I don't want to die just like this."

While they were indeed the top talents of various families, they were still unripe, mostly teenagers and twenty-somethings. They may be outstanding among their peers, but they couldn't compare with the true powerhouses of the Tao community.

The capabilities of divine beasts were difficult to contend with, even for the elders in their families, let alone them.

It seemed that the combined strength of the group was not even enough to withstand a single blow from the divine beasts.

"Hiss–"

The cold and eerie sound echoed, instantly silencing the entire cave.

Everyone looked fearfully at Xuanwu, standing amidst the ruined formations.

The legendary divine beast, which was supposed to be vivid and clear, was now entirely black, resembling a creature that had crawled out of a curse.

Its snake tongue swished in the air as if selecting which prey might be the tastiest.

No one dared to say a word, fearing, they might catch Xuanwu's attention and be devoured in one gulp.

However, Xuanwu appeared indifferent to these humans.

Although divine beasts ate flesh and blood, they mainly sustained themselves with the spiritual energy contained within.

The spiritual energy of these humans before him was simply too lacking to his eyes.

Over the past thousand years or so, human tribes, despite their increased numbers, had experienced a decline in quality with each successive generation. These promising individuals from the current Tao generations held no more appeal for the beast than a chicken bone.

And not just any chicken bone, but the stale kind, tasteless when consumed.

That said, considering how hungry he was now, even a chicken bone couldn't be totally dismissed.

Xuanwu's nose twitched slightly.

If he only had these humans to choose from, he might be starved enough to settle for gnawing on chicken bones.

But there was more to choose from.

On the one human who had just escaped, he caught a whiff of an incredibly appetizing scent, much like one of his own kind… but not quite accurate.

In comparison to that particular human, these humans in the cave seemed exceedingly hard to stomach.

A bit of lost negative energy didn't matter much. His methods were not limited to this black energy.

Xuanwu contemptuously glanced at the humans in front of him, who appeared as insignificant as quails. His body swelled, filling the entire cave before continuing to expand even more.

In the face of his massive body, the cave seemed as fragile as papier-mâché. The moment it was hit, a large hole was torn open, and a fierce wind gushed in through the opening.

Xuanwu's enormous form was unveiled under the sunlight.

In the bright sunshine, Xuanwu's pitch-black body appeared even more terrifying.

The black turtle was as large as a mountain, the black snake as long as a streamer, their bodies black and eyes red, akin to a ferocious evil god that had emerged from some abyssal hell.

After coming out, Xuanwu did not hastily leave. Instead, he tilted his head back, looking left and right, as if searching for something.

"Xuanwu… has fallen into demonic path…"

Meng Qingzhi, who had just escaped not too far away, looked up at Xuanwu's figure. His face gradually turned pale.

Before falling into the demonic path, a divine beast could perhaps reason and lead to some considerations in salvaging the situation. But after falling, the divine beast would lose all reasoning, leaving only desire for killing and feeding.

At this point, whomever neared it, would be facing an inevitable death.

Moreover… moreover, his new root bone was molded from the spiritual bone of a pseudo-divine beast. A beast fallen into the demonic path was most fond of devouring creatures of its own kind. Right now, in Xuanwu's eyes, he probably appeared as an extremely delicious dish.

Meng Qingzhi's brow furrowed in a mix of fear, anger, and regret: “…”

For the umpteenth time, he regretted his previous indecision. Why didn't he assertively force Su Zui to exchange the spiritual bone, rather than resorting to the pseudo divine beast's leftover bones? All of this led to the current plethora of troubles.

He should not have had to bear these disasters!

Although there was a lot of resentment in his heart, he could not hesitate in his actions. He simply crushed a teleportation charm and his figure had already appeared thousands of miles away.

Xuanwu tilted his head up, sensing for a moment before slowly pinpointing the direction and gradually lifting his heavy front paw.

It looked extremely slow, and it would seem like chasing in this way would be futile, not even a piece of the other's robe could be caught when the river runs dry.

However, when his mountain-like front claw fell, the entire divine beast vanished from the spot in the blink of an eye and appeared hundreds of miles away.

Meng Qingzhi had a teleportation charm to use, but Xuanwu, as a divine beast, had innate abilities that allowed it to borrow some spatial power and traverse hundreds of miles in a single step in this illusory formation space.

Humans needed to consume a lot of spirit power to use talismans, there was always a time when it would run out, but for Xuanwu, borrowing spatial power was not much trouble.

________________________

The elders standing outside the illusion array watched as Xuanwu woke up and broke through the cave, each one of them looking as though they were about to faint.

"My grandson!" This came from someone who had a direct descendant trapped inside.

"Quick, find a way to teleport them out!"

Some were calmer and reassured the others: "Don't worry, that weird Xuanwu doesn't seem to be interested in them. They should be able to deal with the falling boulders."

The head of the Xu Family hastily added, "Don't panic, everyone. As long as they can hold on for another three hours, the ancient illusion formation will automatically expel them."

Someone asked with a focused expression, "Is that Su Zui who just eliminated the evil strands?"

As soon as these words came out, someone echoed, "Indeed, I saw that too."

"But the situation was chaotic at that time, I didn't take a close look. How did he manage to do it?"

The evil strands interfered with the projection, and they couldn't clearly see how Su Zui had managed to eliminate them. But without a doubt, this feat was indeed accomplished.

"Perhaps, this person could possibly be the hope in this crisis."

"He is no ordinary individual."

However, many people disagreed: "That Su Zui is just a child. Even if he possesses methods to suppress evil spirits, his own spirit power is limited, preventing him from realizing his full potential. After all, such a predicament is dangerous, even for us."

"Like the old man said, placing hopes on a child is too far-fetched and an escape from reality."

These words rang true, and the spark of hope that had just lit up in everyone quickly extinguished.

"Alas, what can we do now?" someone sighed softly.

No one responded, nothing was heard but a silence that kept growing deeper.

What could they do?

They could only let fate decide.

They prayed that the people in the illusory realm would have enough luck to survive until the moment the realm opened.

However, this was far from the end of the matter. Regardless of whether those youngsters in the illusion array could make it until the end, they would have to face an even more thorny issue:

The people would be expelled, but what about Xuanwu that was concealed in the formation?

If the clearly demon-possessed Xuanwu also took this opportunity to escape from the illusion, how should they confront it?

It was feared that even betting the entire Tao World might not necessarily be able to stop it.

This calamity could disaster the world. The elders couldn't afford to delay. After the unexpected event occurred, they each sent a message to their respective clans and sects, asking for immediate support.

Otherwise, if a demon-possessed mythical beast escaped, the peace of the entire world would be lost.

The ancient books once recorded scenes of evil spirits running rampant. When the evil spirits develop to a certain extent, they can infect even humans. If not dealt with in time, who knows if the human world of today wouldn't turn into a repeat of history?

"The Judgment Office can't turn a blind eye to this. After all, mythical beasts are under their jurisdiction, and they cannot let humans bear the brunt when things go wrong."

"That's right, this is originally a matter between their mythical beasts."

"But... but who can contact the Judgment Office in such a short time?"

Although the Judgment Office supposedly oversees injustices within the Tao world, its location is in a spatial magical formation, constantly moving, making it very difficult to locate accurately.

Even if found, one cannot easily enter if they are not part of it.

Getting in touch with the Judgment Office in a mere few hours — how easy could that be?

After a while, someone realized with hindsight: "Where's the president? Didn't he say he was going to figure out a solution? Why is he still not around?"

"Seems like he went upstairs."

The president, whom everyone was anxiously waiting for, had already entered the guest's room at this point.

Just as he was preparing to explain the situation to Qing Luan, Qing Luan preempted him: "No need to elaborate, I know why you've come."

"Then," the president's expression changed subtly, looking at him hopefully: "Now that the mythical beasts are stirring, we humans are relatively weaker and truly cannot counteract..."

"Ah," Qing Luan responded tersely, "I've already alerted the mythical beasts at the judgment office to come."

The president's cheeks twitched slightly, hearing him say this, he breathed a sigh of relief: "Your kindness is immeasurable."

"Pass on the order. No one should interfere with the array," Qing Luan's voice was cold, though he was truly holding Suzaku in his hands so tightly it was nearly deformed: "No one should intervene in the operation of the array before its time ends. Do not act rashly. Otherwise, the lives of those inside may not be spared and it could even trigger a calamity, which by then would be untenable.”

The president's face turned serious: "I'll send out the command right away."

Watching the door close, Qing Luan's expression became colder.

He deliberately emphasized the consequences so severely to prevent humans from being impatient and destroying the array.

If the array isn't opened, and someone attempts to forcibly destroy it, all living creatures inside may be in danger.

And a fragment of the phoenix’s spirit is still inside…

The phoenix had been working incredibly hard to suppress the evil energies, struggling to maintain balance at a very crucial time. They couldn't afford the smallest mistake.

If something happened to the detached soul in the illusionary array, he wasn't sure what awaited the phoenix.

With eyes downcast, Qing Luan released his grip on Suzaku in his hand, placing it on the cushion, half of his face falling into shadow.

This was the last Phoenix. Their species, the Luan, were born to serve the Phoenixes. If this last Phoenix were to fall under his care, he couldn't fathom how he would process this.

The Suzaku in his hand, formerly misshapen under his grip, wanted to cry out.

But after noting Qing Luan's grave expression, it didn't dare make a sound.

It had never seen Qing Luan like this before.

Presenting an exterior of calm and composed elegance, but deep down, it seemed as if a cold fire was alight within him, ready to consume him and everything around him.

In this moment, there was no doubt in its heart that if anything happened to the Phoenix, Qing Luan might also suffer greatly.

It couldn't express what it was feeling currently, but it was definitely a sense of unease.

Was he this attached to the Phoenix?

Of course, it wasn't as if it didn't care about the phoenix. The Phoenix was their superior, so it was also concerned about the Phoenix's well-being. However, it wouldn't be as desperate as Qing Luan seemed to be. It was rather pathetic.

Indeed, Suzaku couldn't understand.

His background was different from Qing Luan’s. Although they were both divine beasts, he was born free and untethered, not understanding the sense of honor and belief of the accompanying divine beasts like Qing Luan.

Moreover, he was also unaware of the malicious energy that had infiltrated the Phoenix's body. Thus, he couldn't comprehend why Qing Luan took the incident of the Phoenix's detached soul being in danger so seriously.

He pondered in his heart, what's the big deal about a detached soul?

Even if it was lost, it would just result in a few thousand years of weakness. With proper rest and recuperation, it would eventually recover.

After all, the Phoenix was frequently in seclusion, which everyone was quite used to.

This wasn’t such a significant matter.

Besides, look at how badly him he was injured.... yet he was still being bullied by Qing Luan.

They, the birds that are always in the wind and rain, aren't so fragile.

But he knew that Qing Luan was very upset now.

If he threw a tantrum at this time, it might lead to serious consequences.

So he didn’t dare to utter a sound.

Well, considering his injured state, it would be unrealistic for him to pick a fight now. Letting Qing Luan squeeze him to vent his anger – he could consider it his indirect contribution.

Suzaku lay on the cushion for a while, its feathers in a mess. After some time, it seemed to have thought of something. It turned over, stood up, puffed up its chest, and approached Qing Luan, chirping, "You... you stop worrying.”

Qing Luan said nothing.

In a stroke of bravery, Suzaku stretched out its head and chirped loudly: "... If you're really worried, I'll let you squeeze me again!”

He really was a good bird!

Particularly, a colleague's pet!

Qing Luan: "..."

________________________

Inside the ancient illusionary array.

Xuanwu broke out of the cave to chase after the delicious humans, dashing away freely.

The humans left in the cave were not so lucky due to its actions.

The cave collapsed suddenly, and chaotic rocks fell with a thunderous crash, catching everyone off guard.

Even those who threw out high-level defensive charms and magical instruments, most of them ended up injured.

Moreover, how to get out from the rubble is another problem.

The material of the cave was extraordinary, not just regular stones. The charms were very weak against the rocks. In the falling rocks, they could barely save their lives using all the resources they had.

In the face of these rocks, they felt like ordinary humans, helpless and tiny.

Hiding in a small space created by the rocks, everyone’s mood was heavy.

A muffled voice sounded, "We aren't... going to be suffocated here, are we?"

Someone said in a deep voice, "No, we must hang on. This illusion array certainly has an end time. As long as we persist, we will definitely be able to get out!"

Someone immediately echoed, "Yes, it's not impossible for the elders to come up with a solution and open it ahead of time. We must not give up hope!"

After some analysis, the atmosphere in the cave improved slightly. Seeing hope is a good thing.

However, soon someone worried, "…What if we can't hold on? What if Xuanwu comes back?"

The positive atmosphere could not last for more than a few minutes, as it was disrupted by a doubtful voice.

Everyone looked up at the close rocks overhead, the light in their eyes gradually dimming.

What was said was true. Who knows if Xuanwu would come back or not?

Their charms and magical instruments were already exhausted. If Xuanwu were to return, not to mention attacking them, even a casual movement could trigger the movement of rocks, causing a catastrophe.

Without the support of their techniques, they were nothing more than the smallest presence in front of nature.

After a while, someone suddenly mentioned, "That Meng Qingzhi, he ran away really fast. When he arranged the positions, I saw that his spot was the most advantageous for escaping. I didn't think too much at the time, just thought he was afraid of death. But now it seems that he might have known something was wrong with the cave?"

"What? Is that so? I wonder why he was so enthusiastic this time?"

"Tsk, I thought he had changed, but it turns out he's still the same selfish person. We are all here to cover for him while attracting the Xuanwu's attack. He might have already stolen something precious and made his escape!"

"It's true that a dog can't change its eating habits. If I can make it out alive, I won't let him off easily!"

The condemnation of Meng Qingzhi continued, and almost everyone's resentment toward Meng Qingzhi had reached its peak at this moment.

In their mouths, Meng Qingzhi had become a disgrace among humans.

They cursed fiercely, and perhaps part of them truly despised Meng Qingzhi, but more than that, they wanted to find a common topic.

By cursing Meng Qingzhi, they could temporarily forget their hopeless predicament.

No matter what, the fear and anger in this moment were both intense, transforming into hatred towards Meng Qingzhi.

This hatred would last for a long time; even if they managed to escape, they would not forget their desire to kill Meng Qingzhi at this moment.

But there's always a time when one gets tired of cursing others.

After the topic of Meng Qingzhi ended, the atmosphere became heavy again.

After the brief fervor, silence seemed to become unbearable.

Just when the heavy atmosphere was almost crushing, there came a rustling sound to their ears, and a dazzling light fell in front of them —

The rocks were moved from the outside.

Through the gap filled with daylight, a figure walked in.

Even though the figure appeared rather thin and weak, this did nothing to affect the sense of safety they brought.

Among them were people who had had disagreements with Su Zui in the past, but the instant they saw Su Zui, they had the urge to rush forward.

A soft smile curved on Su Zui's handsome face, "Is everyone still alive?"

Although he didn't harbor saint-like sentiments of saving the world, his very intention of coming here was to minimize the losses of this catastrophe.

These young people were the most precious existence.

Resources could be regenerated, but once people were gone, the foundation for the development of the Tao would be lost.

Meng Qingzhi didn't care about the family. As long as he made a name for himself, even if all the talents of his generation withered away, it wouldn't affect his reaching the peak of life.

But Su Zui's mission was different. The "Family Glory" required him to revive the Su family, and the development of a family depends on the prosperity of the entire environment.

Therefore, even for the sake of the mission, these people cannot just die so easily.

Moreover, even without the consideration of the mission, saving these people was not a loss for him.

Perhaps he didn't do much, and he didn't even confront Xuanwu directly, but the timing of his arrival was truly timely.

These pampered and young aristocrats, who had been trapped in the cave for so long and experienced countless moments of despair, his rescue was nothing short of a ray of light.

Not to mention, Su Zui had spent a total of 499 experience points to buy a very practical item.

"Make You Cry"

Level: Second-Level

Properties: One-time consumption item, a collective range tool

Function: After use, it will amplify the current emotions of the creatures within the range by ten times

Usage Restrictions: Only applicable to living creatures

Description: Are your acting skills not enough and relying on props instead? Can't immerse yourself in the role? Are you still struggling to touch people's hearts? Get a prop with free shipping for just $499, not $5,999 or $1,999! Own the power to control people's emotions and make them remember you forever! (Note: Although the prop is great, its effect only lasts for 10 minutes. Ultimately, you still need to practice your acting skills diligently.)

This prop was originally intended for those who received acting roles, but it's also suitable for use here.

In short, this group of people will undoubtedly hold his kindness firmly in their hearts.

This gratitude will, over time, contribute bit by bit to his task.

He's playing the long game, aiming for big fish.

Sure enough, within a few seconds, the mission prompt's sound rang in his ear.

The mission prompt showed that his progress had increased by 20%, and the overall progress of Noble Glory had passed the halfway mark.

He's made it, Su Zui thought.

The most difficult stage had passed, and he wouldn't have to worry so much in the future.

Considering there would be many more steady gains to come, Su Zui's eyes gradually became more benevolent as he looked at this group of noble descendants.

His gaze was so kind as if he were looking at a group of piglets that would earn him a lot of experience points in the future.

He asked a question, and shortly after a brief moment of confusion, the piglets let out loud squeals to reassure him that they were indeed healthy: "Alive! Alive!"

________________________

Seeing this scene, the elders outside the illusion array were also somewhat excited.

"He's out! He's out!"

"This Su Zui has great abilities, he managed to come out unscathed and saved so many people."

"To be honest, I'm ashamed; I've practiced half my life and if I were to enter the illusion array, I likely wouldn't be able to achieve what he did."

Someone seemed to remember something, "Wait a minute... Speaking of the surname Su, I vaguely recall that about a hundred years ago, when our grandparents were around, there was a Su family in the magic door. They were quite famous back then, but then we didn't hear from them. Could this Su in Su Zui be the same Su?"

"I remember this, the Su family is a famed Beast Tamer family. They became famous quite early but faded just as quickly. From seven to eight generations back, they have been on the decline. If Su Zui is indeed from that family, it seems this family might be on the rise again."

Everyone was piecing together information about the Su family when someone suddenly blanched and yelled, "Look, over at Xuanwu!"

There was less than an hour left till the closure of the illusionary realm.

Meng Qingzhi, who had run out of spell charms and magic tools and was down to only 30% of his spirit power, could no longer keep up and was caught by Xuanwu.

Taking shallow breaths, he looked at Xuanwu warily.

Xuanwu also looked somewhat horrified. It knew this was a battle of endurance but had not expected Meng Qingzhi to be able to run so far.

However, so what if he could outrun it? He was merely a human, and he had been caught all the same, hadn't he?

"Hiss..."

The Snake hissed, flicking its forked tongue. In its crimson eyes, a hint of malevolence gleamed. The forked tongue shot towards Meng Qingzhi. Although he managed to dodge in time, it left a cut on his face.

The snake licked the blood off its tongue, a display that can only be described as a show of might.

Repulsed by this action, Meng Qingzhi scowled.

Knowing he could not delay anymore, he took out the feather that Suzaku had left for him and briskly set it alight.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

As the tongue of the Snake lunged at him again, Meng Qingzhi frantically retreated.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes...

After another gruelling ten minutes of holding his own against Xuanwu, the figure of Suzaku was still absent from the minor secret realm.

Meng Qingzhi was left with over a dozen injuries, and only 20% of his spiritual power remained.

Meng Qingzhi: ???

Why has Suzaku still not arrived?!

What about the promise it made?!

________________________

Qing Luan suddenly noticed that Suzaku nesting in its arms appeared restless.

He paused his leg-massage motion for Suzaku and asked, "What's wrong?"

In a fit of unhappiness earlier, he lost control and kneaded Suzaku as if it were dough.

Only upon calming down did he realize that he had unintentionally taken out his anger on the bird and quickly cradled it, massaging it gently.

Suzaku stretched its little wings and organized its thoughts. "Earlier in the Fan Tian small secret realm, a human helped me out a bit. You know I'm a very warm bird, a good bird, so I kindly gave him a feather, and told him to burn it in case of emergency. I promised him I'd help."

It furrowed its nonexistent brows, troubled. "...Just now, he burned the feather. He's trapped in the formation you talked about."

Qing Luan's gaze deepened.

Suzaku had always been one to keep its word and fulfil its promises.

But the formation was currently locked. If he wanted to enter it to keep his promise, he'd have to force his way through.

Yet, Qing Luan had previously sternly warned that human not to touch the formation.

What a predicament!

Suzaku Bird was so torn it felt like it was going bald, rolling restlessly in Qing Luan's arms.

However, when Qing Luan questioned, it locked eyes with Qing Luan and stopped fidgeting after a few seconds. Its beady eyes shifted, and it went on to say, "Ah, but you know, I really can't budge. I'm a wounded bird right now, very fragile, in need of care. If I went there, I'd only drag him down. That would be a disservice to him, and I think that's not good."

It kicked its little legs in Qing Luan's arms, and the more it spoke, the more convinced it became. Then it boldly concluded, "That's the way it is. Even a bird must know how to be flexible. If I stormed into the formation, I'd not only be useless, but everyone could get hurt. I'm a good bird, and a good bird shouldn't inadvertently cause harm with good intentions."

Qing Luan nodded in agreement, "Yes, that's right."

Suzaku lifted its wing and slyly suggested, "then shouldn't a good bird like me be petted a bit longer?"

Qing Luan's fingers brushed through the soft feathers on its belly, lightly rubbing it in a circle. Unavoidably, a faint hint of a smile appeared in her eyes. "Yes."

________________________

As more and more time passed, there was still no sign of Suzaku.

Meng Qingzhi finally realised with a sullen face that Suzaku was not going to appear.

Maybe it was because of the dangerous journey, or maybe it was tied down by some other issues.

Either way, it was not going to come.

Meng Qingzhi felt a sense of anger at being stood up by the bird!

But instead of dwelling on this matter, the more pressing issue at hand was how to get out of danger.

It looked as if he had made up his mind. He took out all three divine artifacts, treasured weapons given to him by Suzaku, spat out some of his heart blood onto them, and threw them towards the weakest part of the formation, setting it off in a straightforward manner.

A white light that obscured the sky lit up in the formation, brighter than the sun itself.

Under its illumination, everything within the illusional realm started to fade and melt away slowly, like a canvas being gradually wiped clean.

Finally, a sound similar to shattering glass rang out, and countless spiritual energy surged out of the Xu family's array.

Outside the formation, the Xu family clan leader abruptly stood up, his face pale. "It's over. The formation has been broken!"

________________________

Author's note:

Suzaku (praising itself): Good bird! Good bird!

Male protagonist: nmsl!!! (Note: 'nmsl' is a Chinese internet slang, meaning "your mom is dead." It is a curse phrase, usually expressing extreme anger, frustration, or helplessness)

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