46: relics

Meteorites trailing flames crashed into the ground, causing the earth to tremble in waves.

Even Chu Jingyu and the Golden Armored Jade Pupil Beast, located in a pit over ten meters below the surface, felt the tremors, and extreme heat began to spread from above.

The Golden Armored Jade Pupil Beast hurriedly continued to dig downward along the ground, moving away from the terrifying heat coming from the surface.

After digging down about another twenty meters, the surroundings suddenly became damp, and the heat from above was no longer unbearable, so Chu Jingyu had the Golden Armored Jade Pupil Beast stop digging.

The area where Chu Jingyu stayed had been burning for an entire night, and when the sun appeared again, only ash remained drifting in the air throughout the entire region.

This was the very definition of total annihilation.

The giant bird that had been circling overhead had left at some unknown time, perhaps having departed the moment the meteorites stopped falling, but the impact of its ability would surely affect this region for decades to come.

Beneath the thick ash, a large hole about three meters in diameter slowly emerged on the ground, followed by a white-haired old man wearing clothes that could vaguely be identified as navy blue, and a strange Source Beast the size of a millstone that was golden all over.

Chu Jingyu's feet landed on the ground, kicking up a lot of ash, and he covered his mouth and nose with his hand as he surveyed the surrounding environment.

Although he had already taken a look when the Golden Armored Jade Pupil Beast was scouting the information on the surface, actually facing the suddenly widened world, Chu Jingyu felt as if he had been through a lifetime.

Above ground, apart from three feet of ash proving how vibrant this place once was, nothing else remained; even powerful Source Beasts had been turned to dust under the scorching heat of the meteorite flames.

Perhaps only those at the Spirit Rank or certain Source Beasts with special abilities could have left any traces behind.

The surroundings were flat, with no objects to conceal one's figure. Perhaps the lingering might left behind by that giant bird was still present, as no powerful Source Beasts from other areas had come to investigate yet.

Therefore, it was temporarily safe, but as time passed and the lingering might faded, powerful Source Beasts from other regions might come to investigate, at which point this area could become a battlefield with a complex situation.

If one wanted to scavenge, time was of the essence.

The Golden Armored Jade Pupil Beast activated its Earth Vein Heart at full power, and the man and beast specifically sought out areas rich in energy.

Acting this way, Chu Jingyu indeed discovered some good things.

In a mountain hollow, Chu Jingyu discovered a pair of Lingxi Ox horns. The material of these horns was special; they hadn't been incinerated into ash in the great fire, but instead, as if they had undergone tempering, they emitted a moist, faint glow.

Chu Jingyu strung the pair of half-meter-long Lingxi Ox horns together with a rope, carried them on his back, and hurried toward the next location sensed by the Golden Armored Jade Pupil Beast.

The next area was on the leeward side of a dirt slope. Hidden beneath the thick ash was a palm-sized gray scale. The scale was shaped like a slightly flattened oval.

Chu Jingyu really couldn't identify which Source Beast it belonged to, so he could only put it away first and wait until he returned to check reference materials for identification.

When Chu Jingyu arrived at the next location, the scene before him made him pause in surprise.

A small hill had been sculpted into the appearance of a giant python coiled in layers. However, the next moment, Chu Jingyu realized that this was clearly a giant python that had used its ability to take this form in order to save itself from the meteorites and raging flames.

But under the burning of the great fire and the crashing of the meteorites, the giant python's body had been broken in the middle; it was clear that it no longer had any signs of life.

And the rich energy fluctuation sensed by the Golden Armored Jade Pupil Beast was beneath this hill that the giant python had turned into.

Chu Jingyu's heart stirred. Could it be that this giant python wasn't trying to save itself, but was instead guarding something?

Chu Jingyu took two steps to the side and looked toward the location where the meteorite had caused a break. A somewhat familiar pink crystal luster emerged from within.

Seemingly sensing the appearance of a strange aura, the thing inside, guarded by the giant python that had turned into rock strata, slowly began to move.

The outermost rock layer crumbled and rolled away, revealing what the rock giant python had been guarding.

A pinkish-white giant python. The moment he saw this giant python, Chu Jingyu realized, isn't this one of the pair of python mates that fought him yesterday?

In that case, the one that had now become a pile of rubble was the blue-gray giant python from yesterday, the 'husband' of this pinkish-white giant python.

This pinkish-white giant python also seemed to recognize Chu Jingyu, and a great deal of helplessness flashed through its somewhat sorrowful eyes.

The Golden Armored Jade Pupil Beast raised its pincers, and golden gravel suspended in the air around them. If the pinkish-white giant python before them showed any intention of attacking, this golden gravel would mercilessly turn it into a sieve.

The pinkish-white giant python slowly stretched out its body, revealing what it had been guarding beneath its coiled form: three snake eggs the size of a human head.

It looked deeply at Chu Jingyu, then used its snake tail to push the three snake eggs in his direction; the action seemed to mean it wanted to give these three snake eggs to Chu Jingyu.

Chu Jingyu pointed at himself and asked somewhat uncertainly, "You want to give them to me?"

The pinkish-white giant python seemed to understand Chu Jingyu's words. It nodded gently, then lowered its head to above the three snake eggs. The pinkish-white crystal behind its ears lit up and then turned into pinkish-white powder, which slowly drifted down onto the three snake eggs.

The crystal powder adhered to the snake eggs, seemingly adding a protective shell to them.

Then, the pinkish-white giant python slowly slithered to the head of the blue-gray giant python that had turned into rock, rubbed against it gently, and after a faint hiss, its body gradually became still.

From its snake head to its snake tail, it gradually transformed into the appearance of pink crystal, and there was no longer any breath of life.

In fact, the moment the pinkish-white giant python had just revealed itself, Chu Jingyu had sensed that its state was not right.

Because dense cracks had appeared on its body, and there wasn't much life force left, otherwise Chu Jingyu and the Golden Armored Jade Pupil Beast would not have calmly watched its subsequent series of actions.

Chu Jingyu looked at the three snake eggs, then at the corpses of the blue-gray giant python and the pinkish-white giant python couple, and let out a sigh of melancholy.

"Dig a pit and bury them."

When it came to digging pits, the Golden Armored Jade Pupil Beast was a professional. Without wasting much time, a large pit about ten meters long and four or five meters deep was dug out.

The corpses of the giant python couple were pushed into the giant pit, and then layers of soil were alternated to cover them. Before long, the ground became level again.

The giant python couple that had once driven Chu Jingyu into a dangerous situation now slept forever beneath.

After finishing all this, Chu Jingyu opened his pack, then gathered up the three snake eggs and carried them on his body, with two on his back and one on his chest.

Chu Jingyu glanced at the sun in the sky and then said to the Golden Armored Jade Pupil Beast:

"Time to head back."