Cultivating with Top Enlightenment

Chapter 919: Chapter 392: Beyond the World_2

”Hero, aren’t you a creature from the Sea of Realms?”

Ning Qi tapped its mule’s head and said, ”In what way do I look like a creature from the Sea of Realms?”

The black mule’s eyes seemed to emit a strange light.

”Could it be that the hero comes from within the world?”

Ning Qi did not deny it, ”What? You just realized it now.”

The black mule suddenly let out a loud mule cry filled with joy.

”Great hero, if I complete your task, can you take me back to the world with you?”

Now that it heard Ning Qi was from within the world, its attitude towards Ning Qi changed dramatically by eighty degrees.

”Forget what I just said. If you satisfy me, I can give you a chance.”

The black mule immediately became more subdued and respectful.

”The mother of my mother’s mother came from within the world and was somehow exiled to the world beyond. She passed down a message through the generations to me, saying that if you meet someone who can take you back to the world, even if it means becoming a slave or a servant, do it willingly.”

Ning Qi asked, ”Does that count as explaining your background?”

”I suppose so. Great hero, listen to me. The mother of my mother’s mother was a Spirit Beast raised by a family of cultivators and was well cared for by her owner. That family collected a lot of books, and her young master often read stories by her side, which she remembered and passed down to my generation.”

Ning Qi listened silently, feeling stirred within.

What a character, this is a mule with a history.

However, this fellow said its great-grandmother was a Spirit Beast raised by a cultivator family, but back when the True Martial Realm was a small world, there weren’t even any cultivators. So, its ancestors should not be from the True Martial Realm!

Ning Qi immediately pointed to the True Martial Realm beneath his feet and asked, ”Your great-grandmother shouldn’t be from this world, right?”

The black mule shook its head without hesitation.

”She wasn’t. It was only after she was exiled from the world that she accidentally migrated here.”

Ning Qi nodded slightly, which made sense now.

But, if it’s not from the True Martial Realm, where could it be from?

Ning Qi pointed in two other directions within the Sea of Realms, ”In the directions I’m pointing, there are two other Spirit Realms. Could your great-grandmother be from those worlds?”

The strange mule shook its head again.

”According to my great-grandmother, we don’t seem to be from those two worlds either.”

Ning Qi paused slightly, but inside, it was like a wave had risen.

This mule’s ancestors are not from any of the nearby worlds, which means it comes from an even more distant world?

Ning Qi felt like he had stumbled upon a treasure!

Without showing any emotion, he continued, ”Alright, I understand your background. Tell me everything you know.”

The black mule trotted in the direction Ning Qi had pointed to earlier and explained:

”Over the years, I have thoroughly explored the surrounding area, of course, building on the foundation of my ancestors’ exploration.”

It curled its thick lips, pointed in three directions with its hoof, and the mule laughed:

”Due south here, there’s a dreadful floral python, which is also its territory. The north is occupied by a terrifying mantis, and in the east lives an evil Vermilion Bird. As for the west, that’s my territory.”

Ning Qi frowned slightly.

He could understand the floral python and the mantis, but what was the situation with the evil Vermilion Bird?

Seeming to see Ning Qi’s confusion, the black mule continued:

”Fierce Beasts living in the Sea of Realms are easily corrupted by the energy of the Sea of Realms. Especially those conceited creatures, they often venture deep into the Sea of Realms, and if they’re not careful, they’ll be eroded. Whether it’s their physical body or personality, they’ll change. We call such Fierce Beasts evil creatures.”

Ning Qi seemed to understand.

In other words, the Vermilion Bird should have been corrupted by the Sea of Realms, losing its original nature and becoming an evil creature.

Ning Qi suddenly asked, ”How evil is the evil you’re talking about? Have you ever seen those twisted monsters in the Sea of Realms? Are they as evil as them?”

Upon hearing this, the black mule’s entire black fur stood up.

”G-great hero, have you... have you encountered twisted monsters?”

Its voice trembled, looking at Ning Qi with fear.

Ning Qi casually said, ”What if I have encountered them, or what if I haven’t?”

The black mule’s entire body, as if electrified, became like plasma-scorched fur.

”If you did encounter them, no way I can carry you anymore. If you haven’t, then I can still carry you.”

”Is it that serious?”

Ning Qi saw the mule didn’t seem to be bluffing, sensing there must be some secret.

Only Sea of Realms Fierce Beasts like it would understand, but people from within the world, or those like him who had just come into contact with the Sea of Realms, were unaware.

The black mule said, ”If you’ve encountered those twisted monsters, they leave a mark on your body. Even if they can’t harm you, once you dive deep into the Sea of Realms, you’ll attract stronger twisted monsters.”

Ning Qi recalled the previous battles with twisted monsters, those creatures were summoned by the Saint Ancestor’s avatar, and they didn’t seem to leave a mark on him.

Perhaps it was dealt with by the Saint Ancestor’s avatar when summoning them, or maybe he completely annihilated them, leaving no mark.

Ning Qi asked, ”If you kill them, is there still a residue?”

The black mule’s plasma-scorched black fur seemed to droop and wilt as soon as it heard Ning Qi’s question, as if in despair.

Additionally, Ning Qi sensed the black mule seemed to tremble.

”Are you afraid?”

The black mule concealed, ”I am not! I just thought of some unpleasant things.”

”Tell me, let me also feel the fear.”

Seeing Ning Qi’s expression, the black mule seemed less afraid than before.

”I’ve heard—just heard—that those twisted monsters, if they can’t harm you, will leave a mark for more powerful monsters to exact revenge next time. If you kill them, they will leave a curse.”

”What kind of curse?”

”I’ve never actually seen it, but I heard from my mother that those cursed will be targeted as soon as they enter the Sea of Realms, eventually becoming part of the twisted monsters.”

As it spoke, it watched Ning Qi’s expression.

After listening, Ning Qi maintained a calm demeanor, as if nothing had changed.

The black mule seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

It seemed this hero hadn’t killed twisted monsters.

But the next moment, Ning Qi asked in all seriousness, ”You mentioned killing—how many does it count? What if you killed over a hundred, then what?”

The black mule’s recently eased mind suddenly rose to its throat again.

”Oh my, hero, you’d better go your own way, don’t take the little mule with you!”

It leaped again, bouncing several miles high like a roller coaster with lunar gravity.

Ning Qi patted it, and his fingertips emitted a calming power, soothing the panicking mule into stillness.

”I’m just joking, why are you so worried?”

The black mule felt utterly drained, thinking this was no laughing matter!

Here was not within the world, but the Boundless Sea of Realms, where even jokes were serious.

However, it continued to observe Ning Qi while watching the surroundings change.

Having carried Ning Qi for so long, it figured out that Ning Qi must be a high-level figure from the stories it heard, the kind who liked to boast.

In those stories, weren’t there always experts bragging about their prowess?

In short, Ning Qi was undoubtedly very strong, terrifyingly strong, and even a great demon king like it, who had reached the Harmonization stage, was powerless before him.

But well, Ning Qi definitely liked to boast.

The black mule observed the Sea of Realms’ changes. It seemed there wasn’t the movement its mother mentioned.

Mother said that those who killed twisted monsters would be cursed. Once they entered the Sea of Realms, the waters around them would boil.

Moreover, the nearer to the dark, deep parts of the Sea of Realms, the more pronounced this trend would be.

The black mule had formed a basic impression of Ning Qi.

Ning Qi must be from within the world, and it’s his first time in the Sea of Realms.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t lack such basic knowledge.

The black mule followed the direction Ning Qi indicated, approaching the layer of black water in the Sea of Realms which would soon pass through the gray mist.

However, until now, it hadn’t seen any sign of the black water boiling.

This proved that Ning Qi was undoubtedly boasting.