vrcanaries Chapter 356 Mr. Xia
Chapter 356 Mr. Xia
The black tiger carried everyone across the barren plain, their steps surprisingly steady, as if they were walking on invisible tracks.
Hu Qing leaned over and touched the black tiger's neck, and found that its fur was as smooth as silk, completely different from its previous hideous appearance.
What was even more amazing was that while riding on the tiger's back, the fatigue from the previous battle was rapidly fading away, and even the wounds felt a cool and comfortable sensation.
"These black tigers..." Gu Yang stroked his mount's mane thoughtfully, "seem to be very familiar with this land."
Xiao Zi lay lazily on the back of the largest black tiger, with its dragon tail swaying comfortably from side to side.
Three black tigers lined up in a row and marched towards the tower in an orderly manner, like a professionally trained guard of honor.
As the distance got closer, the scene around the tower gradually became clearer.
Hundreds of stone statues are arranged in a circle, guarding the black tower layer by layer.
These statues have different shapes: some are wearing heavy armor and holding huge shields, some are wearing long robes and holding staffs, and some are only wearing light armor and carrying short blades.
But without exception, they all maintained an upright posture, with their empty eye sockets staring straight towards the top of the tower.
The black tiger carried everyone to the front of the statue formation and suddenly slowed down.
They moved lightly through the narrow passages between the statues, and the tiger's paws made no sound when they landed on the ground.
Hu Qing noticed that every time the black tiger passed a statue, it would bow its head slightly, as if it was saluting.
"These statues..." Hu Qing lowered his voice, "Could it be that they are all..."
Gu Yang suddenly shuddered and grabbed Hu Qing's wrist:
"A Qing, is it my illusion? I always feel like someone is staring at us."
Hu Qing's heart tightened and he looked back suddenly.
Under the moonlight, the stone sculptures still maintained their original postures, but for some reason, he always felt that the angles of some of the statues seemed to have changed.
The statue, which was clearly facing the tower just now, now seemed to have turned its head slightly.
"You feel it too?" Hu Qing's voice was a little dry. "I always feel that these are not ordinary statues..."
Xiao Zi suddenly raised his scales and looked around vigilantly.
Just then, a breeze blew by, bringing with it a slight "cracking" sound.
The sound was very light, like the crisp sound of joints moving, or the sound of stones rubbing against each other.
Hu Qing and Gu Yang held their breath and stared at the nearest statue—
It was a statue of a female warrior wearing scale armor. She held a sword in her right hand pointing to the ground, and her left hand was on the dagger at her waist.
Under the moonlight, her fingers seemed... to bend slightly!
"Damn it!" Gu Yang almost jumped up from the tiger's back, "It just moved!"
Hu Qing's back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.
He stared at the statue, only to see it return to its still state, as if everything that had just happened was an illusion.
But when he looked away, the feeling of being watched immediately returned.
"Let's go!" Hu Qing patted the black tiger's neck, "Get out of here quickly!"
Upon hearing this, the black tigers immediately quickened their pace, but their movements were still respectful and restrained, as if they did not dare to act rashly in front of these statues.
As we went deeper into the statue complex, the feeling of being watched became stronger and stronger.
Hu Qing could even feel a cold "gaze" wandering on the back of his neck, making his hair stand on end.
Xiao Zi curled up nervously, and her dragon wings unconsciously folded in.
Gu Yang gripped the black tiger's mane tightly, his knuckles turning white.
The three black tigers kept their ears pressed tightly against their heads, but they still walked steadily towards the black tower in the center.
Just as they were about to pass through the last ring of statues, a clear "click" sound suddenly came from the outermost statue.
Everyone looked back in horror, only to see that it was a statue of an old man leaning on a cane. Its originally lowered head was now completely raised, and the stone sculpture's eyes were glowing with a strange red light!
"Run!" Hu Qing shouted.
The black tiger finally lost its restraint and rushed towards the nearby black tower gate like an arrow.
Just as they were about to arrive, they heard a series of "clicking" sounds behind them.
Hundreds of statues turned their heads simultaneously, hundreds of pairs of glowing red eyes staring at the uninvited guests...
The gate of the black tower is close at hand, yet it seems far away.
Hu Qing could feel that the statues were waking up, and their stone bodies made a teeth-grinding friction sound.
The most terrifying thing was that he clearly heard the sound of uniform footsteps coming from behind him!
The black tiger galloped like black lightning, carrying everyone out of the statue group at the last moment.
Hu Qing could even feel the cold chill coming from behind him——
The stone hands that stretched out from the awakened statues almost touched the corners of his clothes.
"call--"
The three of them were gasping for breath in shock, and Black Tiger also stopped in front of the base of the tower.
At this moment, all the movement behind them disappeared. The two looked back and they still maintained the same posture as before, as if everything was just an illusion.
It was not until then that Hu Qing noticed that there were already two figures standing in front of the tower gate.
An old man with white hair and a youthful face was leaning on a crystal staff, his long snow-white beard fluttering in the wind, and a kind smile on his face.
He was dressed in a plain grey robe and at first glance looked like an ordinary old man next door.
But deep in those eyes as gentle as jade, there seemed to be a vast sea of stars, making people dare not look directly at them.
Standing behind the old man was the Sword God who had disappeared for a long time.
This senior who had always been aloof and arrogant actually took half a step back respectfully at this moment, with a rare hint of respect on his stern face.
"Senior!" Hu Qing and Gu Yang hurriedly jumped off the tiger's back and were about to salute when they saw the old man pause lightly with his staff.
"Boom!"
With a clear sound of a staff, the three black tigers that were loyally escorting them suddenly turned into blood-red smoke, and in the blink of an eye condensed into three red beads, which fell into the old man's palm.
The old man casually put the beads into his storage ring, his movements as casual as putting away a few chess pieces.
Hu Qing's pupils shrank slightly, and he immediately understood - the life-and-death test just now was actually a trap set by this mysterious old man!
He subconsciously looked towards the Sword God, only to see him nod imperceptibly, with a look of... approval in it?
Gu Yang's Adam's apple rolled and cold sweat oozed out of his back.
The status of a person who can make the Sword God so respectful is simply unimaginable.
"Haha, no need to be so polite. It's been a while since we've seen any new faces in the Central Region."
The old man's voice was as gentle as a spring breeze, yet it carried an undeniable strength. "Ajian has already explained your purpose. My surname is Xia, and I will be in charge of the affairs of the Central Region for the time being."
"Hello, Mr. Xia!" Hu Qing and Gu Yang hurriedly bowed and Xiao Zi also lowered his head to show respect.
The Sword God took a half step forward, his tone unusually serious:
"Old Xia hasn't seen any outsiders for nearly a hundred years. It's a great fortune that you have this opportunity."