Xi Son's current look wasn't something to envy, he no longer had that haughty presence, and was more of a meek and docile kitten instead of the confident lion presence he gave earlier. Whatever he faced didn't seem so intent on keeping Xi Son's mental integrity in mind, that and probably the taste of his flesh. He had a few bite wounds on his arms that had yet to heal as a few cuts on his robes.
He had fought on the last leg, and somehow managed to escape unharmed, though I'll never be able to defeat the horde of the Soul Syphoning Beetles he fought, I have more than enough confidence to escape unnoticed or at least without them ever thinking to follow after me.
I followed after Xi Son for a few minutes until we left the mountain range and into a wide-open green field. Xi Son stopped and pointed forward at a forlorn tree that stood all alone in the vast field.
"That tree is where the exit to this place is located at," he said then with a shuddering breath he added, "And within the inconspicuous fields are the beetles, they're green in color and hard to spot, but they'll wait until you reach all the way to the tree before they'll surround you. I had to waste several life-saving treasures to escape, but I didn't make it without suffering as you see." Xi Son said, lamenting his current appearance.
"Don't worry about your current appearance, I can help you regain your youth, but the longevity you lost… unless you have a Soul Syphoning ability, I can't do anything to that. You'll have to breakthrough to the next Cultivation realm for that," I said.
"Yes, I already believed that but I don't mind my current appearance, I've been alive for a few hundred years. Old or young, it matters little to us, cultivators." Xi Son replied.
"Good then, alright, let me go up first, I'll tell you when it's safe," I said as I dashed forward using the giant flying sword.
I fully unleashed my Mind's Eye as I began taking in all the scene into memory, then flew back when I thought I approached enough.
Once I was back to Xi Son, he had a perplexed look on his face.
"I just needed to remember the layout of the beetles. There are a bit more than three thousand beetles in the field, and one of them is slightly larger than the rest, I suppose that's the leader, queen, or king." I said.
"Right, I counted and only found two thousand though, I even used my Divine Sense." Xi Son said.
"Perhaps some of them are impervious to Divine Sense scrying, I calculated the number by sight, their camouflage is useless once you know what to look for. So, here is the play. I'll lure the beetles while you escape, but once you reach the gate, make sure to guard my retreat, okay?" I said.
"If you try to lure the beetles, you'll have to lure them all, otherwise they'll kill us both." Xi Son said. afraid of his own survival.
"I know, but I have a way, don't worry. Just make sure you keep your end of the deal, I'm trusting you here." I said fully knowing that I don't trust him one damn bit.
"Right then," he said in a straight face.
"Good, wait until I'm far away, once I break your jade, dash forward to the gate as fast as you can," I said and flew away from Xi Son.
Once I was a couple of miles away, I broke the jade he gave me and pulled the Soul Pill I received from the pagoda. With the beetles being Soul Devouring Beetles. The best meal for them would be the soul of a cultivator or a powerful Soul Replenishing pill, but I have something even better, a Soul Strengthening Pill. And as expected, the world shuddered as hordes of green and black beetles rose from the ground, coming towards me as if I held the reason of their existence in the palms of my hand.
Xi Son took the initiative and flashed forward towards the tree. Once I was fully certain that all the beetles were coming my way, I ordered the sword to run away, while the beetles chased after me. Their seeped was way too high, and they'll close the gap with me and the sword in less than a minute.
I took a roundabout turn as I moved in a large arc, drawing with me the whole horde of the beetles. Once I was facing Xi Son who was in the distance and already next to the tree, I had the whole horde behind me.
Xi Son was standing next to what I presumed was the gate, and the closer I got, the more I was able to see his hesitant and perplexed look on his face. Then he scrunched his face in determination, whatever he decided at that moment, was set in stone, and I didn't know if either he was going to help, or was going to betray me, but I'm already counting on the second and didn't hesitate when I continued rushing towards him.
Xi Son pulled a long sword from his Pouch and raised it above him, "A thousand Sword's Will!" Xi Son shouted and a thousand light swords appeared above him, then he pointed forward, to which I thought were the swords aimed at me.
I was about to call X out, but then I calculated the trajectory of every sword risen above Xi Son and deduced that none of them was aimed at me. Good, he has a brain over his head.
The swords flashed behind me and stuck at the closest of my chasers while I moved forward, I could even hear the hisses of a couple of beetles right above my neck.
It took me but a fraction of a second to use two spells.
Poison Escape, and the fusion of the Poison Tiger Claw with the Sanguine Thrust. I really need a new name for that fused skill.
The first skill enabled me to dash away from harm and created a poisonous clone of myself behind me, giving the beetles a fake target that they dove at. While the second spell was aimed at Xi Son.
Though anyone here would think that I was being a complete arrogant idiot for trying to face against a Nascent Soul cultivator, even weak as he was right now, and I would have had a better chance at using X than attacking him directly in such unfavorable odds, and if I were actually trying to attack Xi Son, then I too would be among the people thinking that was stupid.
But my blade, though it scared the living hell out of Xi Son, by the rapidity of my dash and the overextension of my body. It landed a few inches next to his right cheek. Xi Son was still staggering, as he was definitely still reacting to the sudden change of events, he was going to retaliate but when he noticed that my blade wasn't meaning him any harm, he froze in place unable to decide what to do.
A wet crunch sounded right next to Xi Son's ear, then an explosion of swirling poison Qi blew up.
"Saved you on that one, you owe me a drink." I grinned as the hordes of beetles buzzed behind me.