txolops Chapter 56 30 Years of Professional Drilling
Chapter 56 30 Years of Professional Drilling
Only mothers worry about whether their children are doing well. Raising a child alone is a hardship and a source of grievance that no one else can understand.
This sentence contains no questioning, no blame, only the purest, most maternal care.
This familiar, gentle care, as if from childhood, instantly shattered the last bit of strength in Dong Xuan'er's heart.
She could no longer hold back; her shoulders trembled violently, suppressed sobs escaped her throat, and tears fell like broken beads onto the back of her hand.
As Hong Fu watched her tears fall, the sternness in her eyes completely melted away, replaced by endless pity and heartache.
Without further hesitation, she pulled her daughter into her arms and gently patted her back, just as she had done when her daughter was wronged as a child, soothing her softly.
Her eyes softened, as if they could forgive all her daughter's mistakes.
This warm embrace and familiar comfort instantly unleashed the pent-up grievances, fears, and longing that had been building up in Dong Xuan'er's heart for many years.
Unable to hold back any longer, she buried her head in her mother's shoulder and burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably as if she wanted to release all the bitterness she had endured over the years.
Seeing her mother crying so sadly, Han Baibai's little eyes also reddened, and tears welled up uncontrollably.
She wiped her tears haphazardly with her sleeve, sobbing as she said, "Mother is crying, shame... shame... shame..." But she herself was also crying her eyes out, her small body trembling, which was heartbreaking.
……
A year later, the heatwave in Tianxing City was even more intense than in previous years.
The sticky sea breeze swept through the streets, whipping up waves of heat that made even the roadside plants droop. Yet, passing through the layers of arrays in Cave 66 felt like traversing two seasons.
Within the formation, the heat and noise of the outside world were isolated.
A vast lotus pond occupied the center of the cave, with layers of emerald green lotus leaves covering the water's surface. Pink and white lotus flowers bloomed in profusion, some still in bud like shy maidens, others in full bloom, releasing a refreshing fragrance that cleansed the air in the cave and made it invigorating.
"Splash—!"
The once tranquil lotus pond suddenly erupted, splashing water everywhere.
A lobster-like monster, entirely crimson with comical long whiskers, burst out of the water in a sorry state. Its two large claws flailed wildly, and its eight legs drew rapid streaks on the water's surface. Its panicked appearance made it look just like an unlucky fellow being chased by creditors.
"Where do you think you're going!"
Immediately following, two jets of water shot into the sky.
A young shrimp soldier clad in blue armor and wielding two hammers, and a young shark general wielding hooks and sickles, emerged from the water one after the other. Although these two little guys had chubby faces and childish features, their expressions at this moment were extremely irritating—the shrimp soldier sneered with a crooked mouth, while the shark general had an arrogant and domineering look, just like two school bullies who were ambushing students on their way home from school.
The mantis shrimp panicked and ran away, about to be caught, when a petite figure suddenly darted out from the lotus leaves.
"Stop! You two are bullying the shrimp again!"
Da Ya stood with her hands on her hips, angrily blocking the way of the mantis shrimp. Her eyes widened, her cheeks puffed out like a pufferfish, and she pointed at the two summoned spirits, shouting, "If you keep this up, I'll take all the pills and spirit beast meat for today! I won't give you a single bite!"
Upon hearing that the "delicious food" was gone, the shrimp soldiers and shark general, who had been so aggressive, froze on the spot. Their tridents and double hammers hung awkwardly, their eyes filled with grievance and ingratiation.
Just then, on a soft mat spread out on the grass nearby, a baby who had just learned to crawl was crawling around everywhere, using both hands and feet.
Seeing this, he wasn't scared to tears at all. Instead, he clapped his chubby little hands excitedly, pointed at the trembling mantis shrimp, and drool dripped from the corner of his mouth: "Eat...eat..."
"Eat, eat, eat! All you ever think about is eating!"
Longkui rolled her eyes at the baby, but her movements were extremely gentle.
She quickly put the mantis shrimp back into her spirit beast pouch, then scooped up the little creature from the ground and ran towards the depths of the cave, muttering angrily, "I'm going to tell the young master! Humph, let's see how he deals with you!"
Inside the cave dwelling, the light was soft.
Longkui skillfully placed the baby into a specially made wooden stroller and carefully put a bib on him.
After doing all this, she angrily patted her skirt and ran with her short legs toward Han Xiaoliu's secluded chamber.
"Young Master! Young Master!"
She lay on the heavy stone door, clapping her little hands loudly, her soft voice filled with the urgency of telling a story.
However, the stone door was tightly shut, isolating her from the outside world. No matter how she called out, there was only deathly silence inside, with no response whatsoever.
Longkui pressed her ear to the door and listened for a while, her anger gradually turning into disappointment. Somewhat unwillingly, she called out twice more, but still no one answered.
"snort!"
The little girl stomped her foot angrily, turned her back to the stone door, crossed her arms, and gave a haughty "I'm not playing with you anymore" look before sulking away from the secret chamber.
Inside the stone chamber, there was an eerie silence.
The walls were covered with countless runes that seemed to move like living things, weaving together an invisible giant net that completely isolated this place from the outside world. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator's divine sense could only detect an indestructible rock formation, making it hard to imagine that there was a hidden world deep underground.
In the center of the secret chamber, a palm-sized array plate floated silently, emitting a faint, eerie light. Apart from that, there was nothing else.
However, if one's gaze penetrates these layers of rock walls and descends thousands of feet further, a breathtaking sight will be revealed.
It was an underground cavern several hundred feet in diameter, resembling the belly of a giant beast. Dozens of small stone chambers surrounded it like a honeycomb, and beneath that enormous dome stood an extremely magnificent teleportation array.
This is no ordinary magic array.
The array plate was cast entirely from an unknown star-patterned metal, with each pattern flowing with liquid-like spiritual light, making it worlds apart from the rudimentary temporary teleportation array in the Taiyue Mountains of the Southern Continent.
To create this array, Han Xiaoliu spared no expense, spending over 300,000 spirit stones, and even deeply embedded its base into the earth's veins of Tianxing City.
Although located at the foot of Tianxing City, this place is thousands of feet deep. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator would find it extremely difficult to move this thick rock layer without a world-breaking magic weapon.
Since the Netherworld skill was unlocked and the "Netherworld Earth Escape" skill was restored, Han Xiaoliu has had his eye on this auspicious place.
This place is not only the most abundant point of spiritual energy in the Chaotic Star Sea, but also the lifeline of the Star Palace headquarters. He is like a bloodsucking worm lurking in the abyss, quietly baring his fangs in the shadow of the most prosperous Tianxing City.
"Since you're here, I won't stand on ceremony with this spiritual vein."
Han Xiaoliu stood atop the giant array plate, a cold smile curving his lips.
With a flick of his wrist, several top-grade spirit stones transformed into streams of light, precisely embedding themselves into the core array eye of the "Inverted Five Elements Array".
boom!
In an instant, the silent formation seemed to be infused with a soul.
The previously docile earth's spiritual energy instantly boiled over, surging in at three times the speed of the outside world. Immediately afterwards, the spirit-locking array on the surrounding rock walls reversed its operation, firmly trapping this massive energy within the cave, preventing it from escaping.
"rise!"
With a low shout from Han Xiaoliu, the concentration of spiritual energy in the cave instantly exceeded the critical point.
Visible multicolored mist rose from the ground, so thick it resembled an unyielding paint. The five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—were harmonized by the array, transforming into vibrant, swimming dragons that roared and burrowed into Han Xiaoliu's body.
His clothes fluttered without wind, and his pores opened wide, greedily absorbing the almost liquefied essence of heaven and earth.
Han Xiaoliu's cultivation level soared like a rocket, and the spiritual energy level within the Dreamlike Minor Realm also underwent a qualitative leap under the frenzied plundering by his main body.
This is a silent gamble, and also a grand theft targeting the Star Palace.
Han Xiaoliu closed his eyes, letting the devastating torrent of spiritual energy wash over his meridians, while he plotted his next move.
"Little Yuling, I hope you won't be ungrateful, otherwise I'll have no choice but to take it by force."
Deep within the Star Palace, the two saints sensed a sudden fluctuation in spiritual energy, which then returned to normal. They were slightly taken aback, then closed their eyes and continued their seclusion, feeling as if it were just an ordinary tide of spiritual energy.