The Immortal Emperor Returns

Chapter 531 A Gushing Spring in Return for the Favor of One Drop of Water!

The sound waves produced by the level 5 demonic beast were like raging ocean waves crashing against the shore. Even the woman in black robe could not withstand the sound waves, let alone those ordinary human beings.

Even though the woman in black robe couldn’t withstand the sound waves, she had to face the beast. She pulled the bow to full draw, and three arrows appeared. A foul aura was swirling around her.

Swoosh!

The three arrows shot out radially, and the foul aura stirred up the air, creating numerous ripples to destroy the rolling sound waves produced by the beast. Although her chances of success were very slim, she had to do this for the sake of the little girl behind her.

Chu Xun knew very well that although the cultivation level of the woman in black robe was high, she was far from being a match for the Blue-headed Golden-eyed Beast.

Boom!

A giant purple hand appeared out of thin air, smashed the surging sound waves, and crushed the three arrows.

The woman in black robe froze on the spot with a dumbfounded look on her face.

Chu Xun showed up and said, “Back off.”

The Blue-headed Golden-eyed Beast roared, turned around, and walked away swaying its huge body. Although it was not resigned to leave, it dared not disobey Chu Xun’s order. It knew better than anyone else that this tiny human being could kill it easily if he wanted to.

“It’s you.” The woman in black robe looked shocked, even though she knew that Chu Xun had gotten out of the Stone Tree Forest alive and subdued the Blue-headed Golden-eyed Beast.

Chu Xun nodded slightly and looked at the little girl and the frightened young men behind her.

The woman in black robe noticed Chu Xun’s gaze and subconsciously stretched out her hands to protect the little girl behind her.

“Why are you helping them?” Chu Xun asked curiously.

“Are you going to turn me in?” the woman in black robe asked in reply.

Chu Xun was a little surprised. “Turn her in? Is there anyone in charge of such matters?”

“You are a Subterranean Devil, but they are human beings,” Chu Xun said.

“So what? They saved my life.” The woman in black robe had a stubborn look on her face. “I can give you two thousand pieces of low-grade Fire Spinel.”

“Why?” Chu Xun was confused.

“As long as you won’t turn me in.”

“Why should I turn you in?” Chu Xun asked. Even if he wanted to turn her in, he didn’t know where to go for that.

“The reason is that you will get five hundred pieces of low-grade Fire Spinel if you turn us in,” said the woman in black robe.

Chu Xun was amused. “She doesn’t know who I am. She is trying to lure me with the promise of gain.”

“Do I look like I lack Fire Spinel?” Chu Xun asked with a smile on his face.

“Nobody minds having a lot of Fire Spinel,” the woman in black robe said, “as long as you won’t turn us in, I can give you two thousand pieces of Fire Spinel. You’ll get only five hundred pieces if you turn us in. This is a very good deal for you. All that you need to do is to pretend that you know nothing about what happened today.”

Chu Xun nodded slightly, reached out his hand, and said, “Deal. Give me the Fire Spinel.”

“I...” The woman in black robe bit her lip. “Give me a week’s time. I promise that I will give you two thousand pieces of Fire Spinel in one week.”

“In that case, you have to pay a deposit first, right? Otherwise, if you run away, where can I find you?” Chu Xun said with a smile.

The woman in black robe froze for a moment and then untied the cloth bag on her waist. She looked a little uneasy. “I only have fifty pieces of Fire Spinel on me. Can I give you this as a deposit?”

“Fifty pieces of Fire Spinel?” Chu Xun gave her a scornful look and said, “you’re too insincere. That’s less than one-tenth of your offer.”

The woman in black robe lowered her head and said in a low voice, “But that’s all I’ve got now. Don’t worry. I promise to give you two thousand pieces of Fire Spinel in a week.”

Chu Xun finally understood where the Fire Spinel that she earned by taking on missions had gone. She had probably spent all her Fire Spinel on those human beings. Otherwise, given her ability, she would not have been so hard up.

“Sir, I have some. Here you are.” The little girl hiding behind the woman in black robe popped her little head out, looking quite scared. Holding a small piece of Fire Spinel in her hand, she said in a voice that sounded like crying, “Sir, Anny is a good person. I will give this to you. Please don’t bully her, okay?”

Chu Xun’s eyes dimmed. “This is the current situation of human beings in the Subterranean Devils Realm. When they encounter danger, all they can do is pleading, and they have no power to resist at all.”

“Sir, this is all I have. If it’s not enough, you can sell me off.” The little girl’s voice was childish, but what she said moved Chu Xun.

“You abominable Subterranean Devils Clan! I swear that I will spend the rest of my life to kill you all and completely destroy you. If I fail to do that, let me get struck by lightning, die in the disaster, and turn into ashes.”

Chu Xun reached out his hand, but the woman in black robe kept the little girl behind her nervously and said worriedly, “You can’t sell her. I promise to give you two thousand pieces of Fire Spinel.”

Chu Xun chuckled. The strong aura swirling around him prevented the woman in black robe from moving. Then he reached out his hand to the little girl.

The woman in black robe was so worried that her eyes turned red, but she could do nothing.

Chu Xun took the fragment of Fire Spinel from the little girl’s hand, smiled at her, and said, “Well, I’ll take this as the deposit.”

The woman in black robe froze on the spot. Suddenly, she felt that the strong force acting on her disappeared. She regained her freedom. She immediately shielded the little girl with her body, looked at Chu Xun, and said, “Thank you. Rest reassured. I won’t break my promise.”

With that, she handed the fifty pieces of Fire Spinel to Chu Xun.

Chu Xun didn’t take them. He asked casually, “How many people live here?”

“What are you going to do?” Anny looked at him vigilantly.

Chu Xun smiled and said, “Relax. I mean no harm. Even if I do, you can’t stop me.”

Anny froze. Chu Xun was right. The man in front of her was a formidable master who killed the Iron-clawed Blue-scaled Eagle and subdued the Blue-headed Golden-eyed Beast.

“Thirty children and over a dozen elders,” Anny replied.

“Are you supporting them alone?” Chu Xun was surprised.

Anny nodded. “There used to be more than thirty elders here, but now there are only about a dozen left.”

“Can I see them?” Chu Xun asked.

Anny did not answer. She was still wary of Chu Xun.

“My name is Chu Xun.” Chu Xun looked at her and chuckled. “I am also a human being.”

“What?” Anny was deeply shocked.

“Now can you see that I really mean no harm?” Chu Xun said.

Anny still couldn’t believe it. In shock and disbelief, she said, “How is that possible? Humans are not allowed to practice here. Your power is terrifying. How can you be a human being?”

“That is a rule made by the Five Demon Lords of the Subterranean Devils Clan. You strictly abide by it, but it is not binding upon me.”

“You...” Anny was so shocked that she cried out. It was the first time she had seen someone who disrespected the Fiend Lords.

“Are you surprised?” Chu Xun thought Anny’s reaction was very interesting. “Let me ask you something. What will you do if the Fifth Fiend Lord wants to kill these children today?”

“I...” Anny was at a loss for words. What could she do? What difference would her resistance make? Would the Fifth Fiend Lord listen to her reasons? However, she was still firmly determined. She said, “Even if the Fifth Fiend Lord were to come, I would fight to the death to protect them.”

Chu Xun couldn’t help squinting at her. “Do you dare to fight against the Fifth Fiend Lord?”

“Had it not been for these people, I would have died long ago.” Anny’s words were very clear. These human beings saved her life, and she was willing to give up her life for them.

Chu Xun had a whole new level of respect for her.

“You keep saying that these people saved your life. What happened?”

Anny told him the story slowly. There was a time when she almost died on a mission. Back then, she passed out in a pigsty, and these people saved her life. She rescued all these people after she recovered, and since then, she had been taking care of them until now.

Chu Xun nodded approvingly. “She has repaid the favor of one drop of water with a gushing spring. She is really worth respecting in doing that against all odds.”

“By the way, I want to ask you a question. It might sound a little impolite, but please don’t be mad,” Chu Xun said.

“Go ahead.”

“Are you a demonic human or a demonic beast?” Chu Xun asked.

Anny froze for a moment and then burst out laughing. She said, “You are saying that I don’t look like other Subterranean Devils, right?”

Chu Xun nodded.

“You might not know it, but the Subterranean Devils Clan is an ambiguous concept. In fact, there are many different tribes in the Subterranean Devils Realm. Don’t be surprised if you see a Subterranean Devil Warrior in half-human, half-beast form.”

“Is there such a thing?” Chu Xun was surprised. “What about you? Which tribe do you belong to?”

“I belong to the Fallen Elf Race,” Anny said.

Chu Xun felt a little surprised. When he first saw Anny’s ears, he felt that she must have something to do with the Elf race. He did not expect that it would be true.

“Tell me about the Fallen Elf Race.” Chu Xun was a little curious. He wanted to know the difference between the fallen elves and the elves in the outside world.

Anny shook her head and said, “I only know that the Fallen Elf Race is a very powerful tribe. I don’t know other things about it. After all, I have never lived in its territory before.”

“Does it have anything to do with the horns on your head?” Chu Xun asked.

Anny nodded. She told Chu Xun that the fallen elves had no dragon horns on their heads, but those of her branch seemed to have been cursed, and they had dragon horns on their heads, which had been passed down from generation to generation for millions of years.

The Fallen Elf Race believed that the elves of her branch were aliens and wanted to kill every single elf with dragon horns. For this reason, they had been hiding the whole time, and they had never revealed their true appearances.

“Maybe you are a descendant of the Dragon Clan,” Chu Xun said with a smile on his face.

Anny smiled but didn’t answer him. She knew Chu Xun was joking.

Suddenly, Chu Xun’s face grew serious. “Do you have any other place to stay?”

Feeling a little surprised, Anny said, “We dare not stay in a place for too long. I initially planned to take on a few more missions and take them to another place when I have enough Fire Spinel.”

“Where are you planning to go?”

“There is a small city 250 kilometers away from here. It is relatively safe, and I have found the place for us to live,” said Anny.

“You need to leave here tomorrow,” Chu Xun said.

“Why?” Anny was puzzled. She had not earned enough Fire Spinel yet.

“Take this.” Chu Xun handed a Storage Ring to her.

She wanted to have a Storage Ring because it was convenient, but the price was too high. She did not have extra Fire Spinel to buy one.

Chu Xun thrust the Storage Ring into her hand and said, “There’s some Fire Spinel in this ring. It’s enough for you to sustain yourselves for a while.”

Anny looked at the Storage Ring. When she saw the Fire Spinel in it, she was dumbfounded, and her body stiffened. There was not “some” Fire Spinel in it, but instead there was a shocking amount of Fire Spinel, all of which was medium-grade Fire Spinel.

“This... I can’t accept this.” Anny’s voice was slightly trembling. She could not earn so much Fire Spinel even if she spent the rest of her life taking on missions.

“Take it,” Chu Xun said in a more serious tone, “it’s not for you, but for those children and elders. You keep it for them. Hurry up and get ready to leave here tomorrow. I will escort you.”

“Why?” Anny didn’t understand why Chu Xun wanted them to leave in such a hurry.

“This city is soon going to face a great disaster.” There was a slightly strange look on Chu Xun’s face. “I have crippled the mount of the Fifth Fiend Lord and killed one of his doppelgangers. I think he and his men will come here in a couple of days to track me down. I’m afraid that very few people in this city will survive at that time.”

Anny was scared out of her wits. Her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground, staring blankly at Chu Xun. “This man has crippled the mount of the Fifth Fiend Lord and killed one of his doppelgangers. That... that is terrifying!”