Stronger with Crimson Modifier-Chapter 124: Gray Fog (1)

Although Hu Qi couldn’t understand what the duck was saying, after more than half a year together, he could roughly grasp its intentions.

From its behavior, it was clear that it had been cooped up in the cage for too long and wanted to go out and stretch its legs.

After chiding it with a laugh,

Hu Qi picked up the cage and went out to the courtyard behind the villa.

The courtyard had everything one could want, from rockeries to flowing streams.

However, due to the snow, the entire courtyard was a vast expanse of white.

The settled snow crunched underfoot.

...

Ahead,

at the end of a small stone-paved path,

the pond beneath the rockery was like a sleeping mirror, covered in a thin layer of ice.

The surface of the ice wasn’t completely transparent, but rather veiled in a hazy mist.

By the pond, the branches of a crooked willow tree were withered and frail, swaying feebly in the cold wind.

The once-lush lotus leaves had long since withered, leaving only a few yellowed stalks standing starkly against the ice.

Watching this scene,

Hu Qi simply lifted his foot and took a step.

The moment his sole touched the ground, a ring of Qi Blood True Strength burst forth, like a tiny ripple spreading across the surface of water.

Wherever the ripple passed, the snow melted and the ice thawed.

The entire courtyard seemed to return to spring in an instant, a world apart from the frozen landscape beyond the walls.

"Go on, go play!"

After opening the cage,

The Camphor Tea Duck didn’t hesitate for a moment. Its little legs scurried as it spread its wings and dove headfirst into the pond.

A few seconds later,

it tilted its head back and swallowed a thumb-sized Silverfish it had caught in its beak.

Then it continued to joyfully catch fish in the pond.

Seeing this,

Hu Qi prepared to turn and go back inside.

Just then,

the phone in his pocket vibrated softly.

He reached for it and answered.

"Director, the people from the Federation are here. Second Senior Sister asked me to inform you to come over."

Dai Shu’s voice came from the other end.

"Alright, I’m on my way."

After hanging up,

Hu Qi thought for a moment, changed his clothes, and headed out.

...

「In the Zhu Xi Mansion conference room.」

Second Senior Sister Helinta, Third Senior Brother Han Yuan, Fourth Senior Sister Lin Yao, and Fifth Senior Brother Lin Tu were already there waiting.

After a simple greeting,

Hu Qi found a seat and sat down.

Now,

with the growth of his strength and the increasing concentration of his Three-Eyed Primordial Serpent Bloodline,

his perception of auras had become increasingly sharp.

Suddenly,

his gaze paused.

He then impassively returned to normal.

’I can actually sense a faint trace of a Black Blood Species’s aura in this room.’

And the source was none other than his Second Senior Sister, Helinta.

The sensation was extremely faint.

It was so faint he couldn’t tell if it was because she had recently been stained with the blood of a Black Blood Species, or if there was another reason.

Furthermore, his senses told him that although her aura was greatly restrained,

he could still clearly perceive that she seemed much stronger than before.

’She must have had another breakthrough in the last few days.’

Just then,

a knock came from a side door.

A young woman in a uniform entered.

She bowed and said,

"President, they’ve arrived."

"Let’s go. We’ll go out to greet them."

Hearing this,

Helinta stood up.

She was the first one out the door.

Hu Qi and the others also stood and followed close behind.

By the time they got downstairs at Zhu Xi Mansion,

they didn’t have to wait long.

Six black cars drove in.

Once the vehicles came to a stop,

a group of people got out.

A quick glance revealed more than a dozen people.

There were both men and women, all dressed in ordinary clothes.

However, Hu Qi could sense the powerful auras radiating from them.

Among them, aside from a few drivers and a couple of Secret Martial Artists at the Qi Blood Realm,

the weakest of the rest were all Martial Arts Family who had opened their Essence Element Divine Treasure.

Each one was like a walking Qi Blood Furnace.

From the look of things, the group was led by the man and woman at the very front.

The man was in his thirties, with a buzz cut.

He had thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a square, handsome face.

He had a sturdy build and wore a black military uniform with crisp, clean lines.

The uniform was a deep, dark color and very form-fitting, accentuating his upright posture.

As for the woman, she wore a black overcoat.

Draped over her shoulders was a silver fur shawl.

Her long, curly golden hair cascaded over her shoulders. With cherry-red lips and upturned eyes, her every move exuded an indescribable, stunning allure.

She wore a pair of silver-rimmed women’s glasses.

Though a smile played on her lips, her dark purple eyes behind the lenses were as deep and oppressive as a vortex.

When Hu Qi’s gaze swept over her, she seemed to sense it and turned her head to look directly at him.

Seeing this, Hu Qi impassively averted his gaze.

From these two,

he felt the same pressure he had felt from his nominal master, Shexin Sect Leader Jiang Zuo.

Combined with the fact that they were escorted by numerous Martial Arts Family,

there was only one possibility.

Both of them were Qi Dao Grandmasters.

At that moment,

Helinta, as the acting president of Zhu Xi in Anshan City, stepped forward first.

She spoke in a solemn voice.

"Helinta of the Shexin Sect, along with my junior brothers and sisters, greets you all."

"Heh, Old Man Jiang has told me about you. No need to be so formal. I am Chu Feng, and this is Li Xia of the Mengyu Sect."

The middle-aged man, Chu Feng, said with a smile.

As he spoke,

he gestured to the woman beside him by way of introduction.

At his words,

Li Xia also offered a slight smile.

After Helinta had greeted everyone,

she began to lead the way.

"Everyone, please come inside. You’ve all come a long way. Have some tea and rest for a bit, and I’ll brief you on the situation with the Earth Core Passage."

Afterward,

the entire group, with the leaders at the center, walked into the mansion.

Hu Qi followed at the rear. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

He hadn’t said a single word from beginning to end.

This was normal.

It wasn’t just him; the siblings Lin Yao and Lin Tu were the same.

They had been summoned only because of their status as Direct Disciples.

As for this situation,

Hu Qi was more than happy to let it be.

He had shown off his strength at the academy before because he needed the conveniences that came with the status of a Shexin Sect Direct Disciple.

Now, however, there was no need for that.

During the subsequent conversation,

Hu Qi came to understand the identities of the visitors.

The man in the uniform was some high-ranking officer in the Xia Federation military.

As for the cold and stunning woman named Li Xia, she was an Elder from the Mengyu Pavilion, one of the Seven Upper-tier Schools.

As for the remaining Martial Arts Family,

some were from the military, while others were from various other Schools.

This was normal. Although most Secret Martial Artists came from the various Secret Martial Arts Schools,

it wasn’t difficult for a power like the Xia Federation to cultivate some experts of its own.

Furthermore, among the group were two Disciples from the Sealed Wolf Sect, which had a history of conflict with the Shexin Sect.

Of course, these people from the various Schools were here on a mission-based contract.

They weren’t providing their help for free.

...

「At the same time.」

「On the surface of the sea.」

A figure sat cross-legged in the air above the surface of the water.

It was none other than the Shexin Sect’s First Senior Brother, Du Wang.

Not far in front of him,

a massive whirlpool churned ceaselessly.

Every so often,

dark shadows would fly out of the whirlpool, some soaring straight out of the sea.

Others dove directly back into the seawater,

attempting to use the ocean as cover to escape.

However, all of it was a futile effort.

Faced with this, Du Wang’s expression was cold. He casually struck out with his palm, unleashing a pillar of white light that instantly vaporized the dark shadows.

Faintly,

miserable shrieks could be heard from within the shadows.

Within them were, in fact, Black Blood Species.

These were terrifying existences that could easily slaughter swathes of ordinary people in a city.

But in his hands, they died as easily as squashing ants.

Yet, in the face of this scene,

Du Wang’s expression showed not a trace of joy. Instead, his brow furrowed slightly.

"These things... they really don’t fear death!"

Although he was a Qi Dao Grandmaster,

with strength far surpassing an ordinary Martial Arts Family,

in the end, he had only just broken through not long ago.

He hadn’t even had time to stabilize his Cultivation before running into this mess.

Now, his master was grievously injured.

He had seen the wound himself; it was far more severe than he had imagined.

Therefore, his master was completely unable to intervene in this matter.

Within the Shexin Sect, he was the strongest.

Naturally, he was the only one who could take on this task.

If he didn’t guard this place,

and allowed these Black Blood Species to come through the passage to the surface, it would be a devastating catastrophe for ordinary people.

At first, the task had been relatively easy. After all, he was only dealing with Lower-Rank Black Blood Species, which were at most comparable to the level of a Martial Arts Family.

A foe of this strength might be tricky for an ordinary Martial Arts Family,

but for him, it was manageable.

However, as time went on,

after days of sleeplessly guarding the passage and killing the Black Blood Species that tried to cross into this world,

he couldn’t help but feel a sense of fatigue.

At the same time, the power within his body was gradually showing signs of depletion.

’If this keeps up,’

’I won’t be able to hold out for much longer.’

Fortunately, however,

he had heard from Helinta before.

The people sent by the Federation were almost here.

With the Federation’s support,

the pressure he had to bear would undoubtedly be much lighter.

Then, it might be possible for them to join forces to destroy this passage and forcibly close it.

Just as he was thinking this,

he failed to notice something.

On the surface of the sea all around him,

the water churned and roiled due to the central vortex, making a constant RUSHING sound.

Amidst the surging, dense water vapor, and in complete silence,

fine wisps of gray mist began to slowly rise from the water.