I Am Overlord c1-962

by Translator: Pokka; Author: 我本纯洁 (I Am Pure); Licensed From: Migu

  Xiang Shaoyun spoke before Liang Zhuangmin could say anything, "You are badly injured. Heal up first. We'll speak later."

  Liang Zhuangmin nodded before taking out a healing pill and a stalk of spirit medicine to heal himself. He entered meditation right where he was. Since Xiang Shaoyun was already helping, he decided to finish the job and stand there as a guard.

  For reasons unknown to even Xiang Shaoyun himself, he had helped this Liang Zhuangmin. Perhaps he was simply feeling apologetic for having taken over the first-class estate. He also commanded Xiong Bao to stop the other cannibals heading this way before having him return to the lair as well.

  Xiang Shaoyun would wait until the right time before making a move on the earthstone heart. Liang Zhuangmin was well aware that it wasn't wise to stay here for long. Thus, after a slight recovery, he stopped his meditation and said, "I did not expect you would actually help me."

  "Hehe, well, I'm a nice guy," said Xiang Shaoyun.

  "No matter what, I have to thank you," said Liang Zhuangmin. "I will definitely repay your favor."

  "There's no need for that. I will be happy enough if you don't hold a grudge against me for snatching your estate from you," said Xiang Shaoyun with a wave of his hand.

  "Haha. Do you think I, Liang Zhuangmin, will bear a grudge for something so trivial?" said Liang Zhuangmin. "Although it was indeed embarrassing for me, it's not like I haven't been an embarrassment these years. You've probably heard about me, right? A mere estate is nothing compared to the prospects of entering the Skysoar Realm."

  As Liang Zhuangmin spoke, a helpless look covered his face. Evidently, he had not expected himself to be stuck at the Transformation Realm for so many years either.

  "With your talent, entering the Skysoar Realm shouldn't be difficult at all. Why are you stuck, then?" asked Xiang Shaoyun curiously.

  "Yes, it's supposed to be easy. But at times, things will turn out contrary to what one would expect," said Liang Zhuangmin with a look of pain. From his expression, he seemed to have a trouble that was hard to talk about.

  "Let's leave this place first. This is the territory of the cannibals. They can find us too easily here," suggested Xiang Shaoyun.

  Chapter 270: Why Don't We Work Together?

  Liang Zhuangmin went along with Xiang Shaoyun's suggestion as he was also aware that the cannibals were way too close for comfort. Xiang Shaoyun's original plan was to just bring Liang Zhuangmin to a random place they could rest. But Liang Zhuangmin offered to lead the way as he apparently knew a good hiding place.

  That got Xiang Shaoyun curious, so he followed along without asking much. Soon, Liang Zhuangmin arrived with Xiang Shaoyun at an inconspicuous place. After pushing a boulder to the side, a small cave was revealed.

  "I will be recuperating in this cave. If you don't have anything to do for now, you are welcome to hide here for a bit as well. Nobody will find us here," said Liang Zhuangmin.

  Xiang Shaoyun did not hesitate and stepped right into the cave. Liang Zhuangmin also entered before blocking the entrance with the boulder again. The cave sank into darkness, but Xiang Shaoyun was still able to see everything clearly with his unique pair of eyes.

  As for Liang Zhuangmin, he sat down and took out a lustrous pearl that caused the darkness to retreat. It was only then that Xiang Shaoyun noticed that Liang Zhuangmin was awfully pale. Evidently, the short rest earlier was far from enough for him to recover.

  "Focus on recovery," said Xiang Shaoyun.

  "Ok. We'll chat later," said Liang Zhuangmin. He then started focusing on recovery.

  Inwardly, Xiang Shaoyun thought, This guy sure is trusting of me.

  But when he thought about it, he was after all the person who had saved Liang Zhuangmin earlier. Thus, it was understandable that Liang Zhuangmin believed Xiang Shaoyun wouldn't hurt him. Since that was the case, there was no point in needlessly staying on guard against his savior.

  Xiang Shaoyun started thinking about his next steps. At the same time, he also started wondering the reason for Liang Zhuangmin to appear here. After all, most of the humans were here for the soul springs. Very few people would actually come to the territory of the cannibals.

  He guessed that Liang Zhuangmin was most likely here for the same reason as him—to search for the earthstone heart. After all, Liang Zhuangmin cultivated the power of earth. The earthstone heart would be very helpful to him and could even help him enter the Skysoar Realm. Half a day later, Liang Zhuangmin finally woke up from his meditation. He was in a much better condition now.

  "Xiang Shaoyun, are you here for the earthstone heart as well?" asked Liang Zhuangmin.

  Xiang Shaoyun blanked out from the sudden question before admitting, "Yes, I'm here for the earthstone heart. You are here for the same reason, right?"

  "Looks like we have the same goal. Why don't we work together?" Liang Zhuangmin suggested.

  "Work together? Are you not afraid that I will be the one to get the earthstone heart?" Xiang Shaoyun asked in astonishment.

  "Haha, since I dare to propose a partnership, I am naturally not afraid of that. We can fight between us after obtaining the earthstone heart. It will just go to the victor," said Liang Zhuangmin boldly.

  Liang Zhuangmin's heroic bearing gave Xiang Shaoyun a very favorable impression. Xiang Shaoyun nodded and said, "Ok. Since Brother Liang has such confidence, let's partner up. However, there are a lot of Kings among the cannibals. What are our odds of succeeding since there are only the two of us?"

  "Yes, that is quite tricky. But it's not like we are completely helpless. We just have to take some risks," said Liang Zhuangmin.

  "What plan do you have in mind?" Xiang Shaoyun asked.

  Liang Zhuangmin sighed and said, "I came once 10 years ago, so I am aware of a secret tunnel leading to the cannibals' nearby ancestral temple, which is where they keep the earthstone heart."

  "What? You were here 10 years ago?" Xiang Shaoyun cried out in astonishment.

  "That's nothing surprising. I was about your age back then, and that was my first time here. I was proud and arrogant, coming to retrieve the earthstone heart with a bunch of apprentice brothers. However...almost all of us died. I only survived because I found the secret tunnel by fluke," said Liang Zhuangmin with a look of melancholy. "Earlier, I was trying to get to the tunnel again when I noticed that the tunnel was already sealed by the cannibals. Otherwise, they wouldn't have detected me at all."

  "Huh? Since it is already sealed, how will it help us?" Xiang Shaoyun asked.

  "It's sealed, but we can open it again. That's why I need your help," said Liang Zhuangmin frankly.

  "You mean we can open the tunnel again and use it to approach the ancestral temple and snatch the earthstone heart from the cannibals? But there are most likely powerful cannibal kings guarding that place as well. Are the two of us even enough to get the earthstone heart?" questioned Xiang Shaoyun.

  With a helpless smile, Liang Zhuangmin replied, "I know this will be a difficult task, but I have no other choice. If you don't want to go, I will still go alone."

  Xiang Shaoyun could sense Liang Zhuangmin's resoluteness. The man had resolved to try even at the cost of his own life.

  Xiang Shaoyun smiled and said, "Since Brother Liang has already decided to give it your all, I shall play along as well."

  "Are you sure?" Liang Zhuangmin asked. He was astonished that Xiang Shaoyun would still agree even after knowing the dangers involved.

  "Of course. I was here for the earthstone heart in the first place. How can I give up so easily?" Xiang Shaoyun gave a firm answer.

  "Good. Let's not wait, and go right now," said Liang Zhuangmin impatiently.

  "No, we can't rush something like this. You are still badly injured. You need to first recover to your peak. Going in your current state is the same as suicide," said Xiang Shaoyun.

  "But I'm afraid I will need two or three days to recover to my peak," said Liang Zhuangmin with a sigh.

  "That doesn't matter.
We have a month here, remember? What's two or three days?" Xiang Shaoyun placated him. "If Brother Liang trusts me, tell me where the tunnel is. I will reopen it. When you are back to your peak, we can then go straight to the cannibals' lair."

  Liang Zhuangmin narrowed his eyes and studied Xiang Shaoyun for a bit before saying, "Fine! I'll tell you!"

  The two then left the cave. Liang Zhuangmin pointed in a certain direction, telling Xiang Shaoyun where the tunnel was. Looking over, Xiang Shaoyun realized that the tunnel was located close to where he had rescued Liang Zhuangmin earlier. Evidently, Liang Zhuangmin had been trying to get into the tunnel before he was found by the cannibals.

  "Alright. Focus on recovery. I will reopen the tunnel as soon as possible," said Xiang Shaoyun before dashing away.

  Looking at the departing Xiang Shaoyun, Liang Zhuangmin thought to himself, Hopefully you won't disappoint me.

  He then entered the cave and resumed recovering. This time, he entered an even deeper meditation fully focused on healing himself. The energy revolving around him this time was much more powerful than earlier, increasing the speed at which he was recovering. It would seem like although he looked simple and honest, he still knew to keep some of his actual strength hidden.

  Chapter 271: Chaos Manufacturing

  Xiang Shaoyun was able to find the entrance to the tunnel. A pile of rocks had blocked the entrance. If Liang Zhuangmin hadn't left a mark nearby, he wouldn't have been able to locate the place again so easily. After all, the entire area had the same topography with stones everywhere.

  Perhaps it was because some cannibals had already patrolled here not long ago, but there were currently no cannibals here even though it was very close to the lair of the cannibals. If he made too much noise, he might be discovered.

  Left with no choice, Xiang Shaoyun transmitted a command to Xiong Bao to stop any cannibals from coming this way. No matter what, Xiong Bao was the son of the patriarch. Thus, he had a rather high status among the cannibals.

  Xiang Shaoyun started moving the rocks away. Fortunately, the rocks only covered the entrance instead of the entire tunnel. Otherwise, he couldn't even begin to imagine the amount of time it would take to clear the tunnel. After clearing the entrance, the tunnel was revealed before his eyes. It was large enough for three or four adults to walk side by side.

  After clearing the entrance, Xiang Shaoyun did not go back and inform Liang Zhuangmin immediately. It wasn't that he wanted to enter the lair of the cannibals alone, but he was planning to see if the other end of the tunnel was blocked as well. If it was also blocked, he had to think of a plan on how to deal with it.

  Not long after, Xiang Shaoyun arrived at the other end of the tunnel. Sure enough, it was blocked as well. He released his Nether Soul Domain and started sensing the situation outside the entrance. A crude stone building was located beside the entrance. It was being guarded by a cannibal so old his fur was falling.

  Xiang Shaoyun was about to extend his senses into the building when the old cannibal suddenly opened his eyes, seemingly having sensed something. It forced Xiang Shaoyun to cut short what he was doing and retreat. He could feel that the old cannibal was terrifyingly powerful and was at least a late-stage King Realm cannibal.

  His strength was more than enough to mess up any humans stepping into the Land of Soul Springs. Xiang Shaoyun was not so conceited that he would believe himself a match for this old cannibal king. He traveled along the tunnel and exited at the other end before heading to where Liang Zhuangmin was at. But when he arrived, he found that Liang Zhuangmin was outside the cave.

  "Brother Liang, you are recovering so fast!" Xiang Shaoyun exclaimed in shock.

  Liang Zhuangmin revealed a simple smile and said, "After using some spirit medicines that I wasn't willing to use previously, it is only natural that I have recovered this fast."

  It was a reasonable explanation, but Xiang Shaoyun wasn't naive enough to actually believe it. He did not expose the lie, though. After all, they had only just met each other. It was completely understandable that Liang Zhuangmin would be on guard against him.

  An honest person may not necessarily be honest all the time, lamented Xiang Shaoyun inwardly. Instead of thinking too much into it, he told Liang Zhuangmin about the tunnel.

  Liang Zhuangmin wanted to go right away, but Xiang Shaoyun stopped him, saying, "Now is not the best time to go."

  "When do you think we should go, then?" Liang Zhuangmin asked.

  "Wait until their lair is empty," said Xiang Shaoyun.

  "Looks like you have a plan in mind, Brother Xiang?" Liang Zhuangmin said.

  "Haha, just wait, Brother Liang. I promise we will get the earthstone heart smoothly," said Xiang Shaoyun with a hearty laugh.

  If he hadn't saved Liang Zhuangmin, he wouldn't have known about the tunnel. With the tunnel, he had 70 percent confidence he would be able to obtain the earthstone heart successfully. Liang Zhuangmin couldn't understand why Xiang Shaoyun was so confident, but he was willing to believe in him.

  Xiang Shaoyun then transmitted a command to Xiong Bao to start moving the experts of the cannibals away from the lair. The cannibals were simple-minded, and with Xiang Shaoyun controlling Xiong Bao remotely, Xiong Bao became one of the smartest cannibals around.

  Xiang Shaoyun then got Xiong Bao to tell the cannibal kings that the spirit crystal mine had been plundered by the ghostrunes. The cannibals would always repay any grudge they had. Thus, they immediately gathered their army and headed toward the territory of the ghostrunes.

  Just like that, a large number of cannibals were baited to the ghostrune territory. The lair of the cannibals became much emptier than before. It was now much easier to sneak inside, but it was still not enough for Xiang Shaoyun. He needed more chaos to reduce the risk. Thus, Xiang Shaoyun ordered Xiong Bao to start setting the surroundings of the lair on fire, causing the cannibals to panic.

  One ought to know that the cannibals were akin to savages. With the long fur all over their body, they were extremely terrified of fire. The moment their fur caught on fire, it would be very hard to extinguish. That was also why they all resided in stone buildings instead of wooden buildings.

  Of course, their lair was still surrounded by numerous plants. Thus, it wasn't a problem to create a fire. But of course, the timing of the fire needed to be right.

  "Let's go, time for us to enter the tunnel," said Xiang Shaoyun.

  Liang Zhuangmin was confused, but he did not ask anything and went along with Xiang Shaoyun. When they were about to reach the other end of the tunnel, Xiang Shaoyun ordered Xiong Bao to start the fire.

  The cannibals had never expected that there would be a traitor among them. Thus, none of them suspected Xiong Bao. They merely roared and started putting out the fire. Fire sprung up everywhere around the lair, filling the lair with smoke and causing a great chaos among the cannibals. It was still not enough for Xiang Shaoyun. He gave Xiong Bao the final order to bait the old cannibal king away from the ancestral temple.

  Thus, Xiong Bao appeared before the ancestral temple and greeted deferentially, "Ancestor, a great catastrophe is upon our clan. First, the ghostrunes plundered the spirit crystal mine we discovered. Next, they set our lair on fire. Ancestor, I beseech you to leave your seclusion and eliminate our enemies."

  The old cannibal king opened his eyes and bellowed, "We and the ghostrunes have always stayed out of each other’s business. Why are they suddenly attacking us?"

  "I don't know either," answered Xiong Bao. "But they are setting fire around our lair, and a large number of them have arrived. Ancestor, I beg for your help."

  "Why can't I sense their aura at all?" asked the old cannibal king. He had lived a long life; thus, it was natural that he was much smarter than the average cannibal.

  "They have hidden themselves very well. If the ancestor does not lend a hand, our defeat is imminent," said Xiong Bao seriously.

  Ultimately, the old cannibal king decided to follow Xiong Bao to check
if the ghostrunes had really arrived outside their lair.

  In the tunnel, Xiang Shaoyun suddenly said, "Move right now. This is our only chance."

  Liang Zhuangmin did not know how Xiang Shaoyun had decided when to act, but since he could not give up on the earthstone heart, he played along. Xiang Shaoyun and Liang Zhuangmin charged toward the end of the tunnel before quickly removing the rocks blocking the exit.

  Liang Zhuangmin was growing anxious, and he said, "Hopefully nobody notices us."

  "Don't worry, no one will notice us," said Xiang Shaoyun confidently.

  They then left the tunnel and emerged above ground.

  Chapter 272: Earthstone Heart

  After leaving the tunnel, Xiang Shaoyun and Liang Zhuangmin dashed straight toward the ancestral temple next to them. While charging, Liang Zhuangmin pushed his senses to the maximum, trying to sense any dangers around them.

  He found with astonishment that there really wasn't anyone here at all. The only things he could hear were the sounds of chaos and the fire all around the place. Evidently, the cannibals were in internal disorder.

  Is something big happening among the cannibals? But how did Xiang Shaoyun know about it? Wondered Liang Zhuangmin inwardly.

  But since his current focus should be the earthstone heart, he did not bother wasting too much time thinking about his doubts. After entering the ancestral temple, they saw piles of bones on both sides of the temple.

  There were beast bones and human bones, and crimson blood could be seen dripping to the ground. Right in front of them was an altar where numerous skulls were arranged, exhibiting a sinister sight. Both Xiang Shaoyun and Liang Zhuangmin were bold, but even they felt their legs go somewhat weak upon seeing this sight.

  "The earthstone heart is on the altar!" Xiang Shaoyun quickly recovered and pointed at a fist-sized yellow rock on the altar.

  The yellow rock was emanating a faint radiance that made the entire altar look yellow. As for the power of earth emanating from the yellow rock, it flooded the entire temple. The moment Xiang Shaoyun pointed at where the earthstone heart was, Liang Zhuangmin charged forth impatiently.