Chapter 188 - 170: Maiden

The moment he saw Bai Guishou appear, Su Ze knew it was over for the people besieging the Tiger King General. Not a single one would escape.

Bai Guishou couldn’t possibly let them leave. If word got out that the Ancient An Country was colluding with the Filth Earth Organization, it would be a massive problem.

Sure enough, Bai Guishou’s first move was a killing blow. One of his fingers transformed into dozens of jet-black worms that lunged at the people around them.

The faces of those besieging the Tiger King General contorted in horror. They turned to flee, but before they could take more than a few steps, the black worms burrowed into their bodies. They dropped from the sky one after another.

"Go retrieve the extracts," Bai Guishou ordered the Tiger King General.

The Tiger King General obediently flew down, took out an extractor, and inserted it into the corpses to begin drawing out the extracts.

Among the dead were several Butterfly Stage evolvers. For the Filth Earth Organization, such third-rank extracts were extremely valuable.

Su Ze had already pulled Mr. Ya deep underground using an Escape Technique.

He broke out in a cold sweat.

’Thank God we didn’t show ourselves,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, we would’ve been ambushed by a Saint-level Overlord too.’

And since the Tiger King General and Bai Guishou didn’t give chase, they probably hadn’t been discovered.

He had to admit, Mr. Ya’s Escape Technique and hiding skills were truly impressive.

The two of them traveled for several kilometers underground before resurfacing, both letting out a sigh of relief.

’So it’s true. The Ancient An Country and the Filth Earth Organization have been in cahoots all along!’

It seemed the Filth Earth Organization had wanted the Miracle Spring Water, but since it was inconvenient for them to attend the auction, they had the Tiger King General bid on their behalf.

Mr. Ya said, "How about I go back and take another look? We might still have a chance. That old man in white can’t stay with the Tiger King General forever, right?"

As long as Bai Guishou left, Su Ze and Mr. Ya were confident they could kill the Tiger King General.

"It’s too risky," Su Ze said, shaking his head.

Mr. Ya thought for a moment. "I’ll sneak back over for a look. It’ll take them some time to get the extracts from all those corpses. I’ll scout out their next move, then we can decide."

Seeing Su Ze’s hesitation, Mr. Ya urged, "Don’t worry. I’ll go alone. Not even a Saint-level expert could stop me from getting away. You just wait here. I’ll be back in a flash."

Seeing Mr. Ya’s confidence and trusting his escape skills, Su Ze finally nodded in agreement.

Mr. Ya blurred into an afterimage and burrowed into the ground, speeding back toward the Tiger King General and Bai Guishou.

Su Ze scanned his surroundings, confirmed there was no danger, and settled in to wait.

Less than ten minutes later, Mr. Ya emerged from the sand.

"That Tiger King General took all the extracts from the corpses and looted their valuables. Then he and that old man in white flew off toward Miracle Oasis," Mr. Ya said, panting.

"I also overheard some of their conversation. It sounds like they’re heading into the Miracle Oasis to find Miracle Spring Water."

Su Ze pondered this. ’They already won a drop of Miracle Spring Water at the auction. That wasn’t enough? They want to get more?’

Su Ze had heard a rumor that the reason so little Miracle Spring Water was auctioned off each time wasn’t that the Miracle Spring produced a small amount, but that the Oasis Commerce Association only managed to obtain a tiny portion.

Apparently, there was much more Miracle Spring Water at the center of the Miracle Oasis, but the Oasis Commerce Association only received a share of a few drops each year.

It was said to be a gift from the Oasis Mother Tree.

The Oasis Commerce Association had established its foothold in the Miracle Oasis not just through military might, but also through its good relationship with the Oasis Mother Tree.

’So the Filth Earth Organization thinks one drop of Miracle Spring Water isn’t enough. They’re planning to storm the center of the Miracle Oasis and just take it.’

Su Ze didn’t think they would succeed. The Miracle Oasis wasn’t a place a single Saint-level Overlord could just rampage through. If it were, it wouldn’t have survived this long; the six great nations would have conquered it ages ago.

"How about we head to the Miracle Oasis and take a look, too?" Su Ze suggested after a moment of thought.

"Let’s go, let’s go!" Mr. Ya was thrilled, his daredevil instincts kicking in again.

"Our main goal this time isn’t to kill the Tiger King General," Su Ze said. "If an opportunity arises, we’ll take it. If not, we’ll let it go. And if we can’t kill the Tiger King General, we’ll tip off the Oasis Commerce Association and have them ambush that elder from the Filth Earth Organization."

Operating on the principle that weakening the enemy strengthens oneself, Su Ze couldn’t just stand by and watch Bai Guishou succeed, even if he couldn’t get the Miracle Spring Water himself. The best-case scenario would be to use the Oasis Commerce Association’s power to deal with Bai Guishou for good.

As a Saint-level expert and an elder of the Filth Earth Organization, Bai Guishou couldn’t just waltz into the Miracle Oasis. He would definitely try to bypass the Oasis Commerce Association’s blockade and sneak inside.

All Su Ze had to do was pinpoint Bai Guishou’s location, tip off the Oasis Commerce Association, and then he could slip away, his good deed done in secret.

And so, he and Mr. Ya immediately set off toward the Miracle Oasis.

...

The Miracle Oasis could be divided into an inner and an outer ring.

The so-called inner ring was the area enveloped by the branches, leaves, or roots of the Oasis Mother Tree, a place under its direct protection.

The roots of the Oasis Mother Tree spread for dozens of miles underground. Wherever they passed, the land became fertile oasis soil, an ideal environment for Spiritual Plants to grow.

Therefore, the entire inner ring was the domain of Spiritual Plants. There were beasts within it as well, but only those capable of coexisting peacefully with the plants.

The outer ring was also land, covered in green grass and trees. It wasn’t as fertile as the inner ring and had fewer Spiritual Plants, but its abundant water supply attracted many desert beasts to take up residence.