C20 The Star Core Shattered!

Qin Buyi giving up? Impossible. With less than three months remaining until the deadline, his tenacious nature wouldn't allow it.

Soaring above the cave, he gazed at the moonlit sky, confirming that night had indeed fallen, just as he had anticipated.

Near the cave, he stumbled upon a wild boar, gathering wood and familiar spices from the ground. Grasping the boar, he descended back into the cave's depths.

At the cave's base, he kindled the wood, casting a warm glow in a space that had never known light.

He hauled the boar to the underground river, removed its innards, and meticulously cleaned its carcass. With a sturdy branch, Qin Buyi skewered the boar, roasting it over the flames, turning it carefully.

He then discarded the organs into the river, where bloodthirsty, bizarre fish swarmed. Seizing the moment, Qin Buyi wielded his Killing Saber with precision.

"Swish!"

"Swish!"

His blade danced twice, and upon withdrawal, two strange fish, nearly a meter long, were impaled.

He stripped the fish of scales and guts, skewering them alongside the boar, their fat sizzling and dripping onto the firewood, occasionally igniting into large flames.

Sprinkling the wild spices he had collected from the Falling Star Mountain Range, the aroma became intoxicating, permeating the entire underground cavern with the scent of roasting meat.

Having reached the Nascent Infant Stage, Qin Buyi could technically survive on spiritual energy alone, foregoing food. Yet, after over two decades of dining habits, he found the change too abrupt to embrace fully.

The enticing aroma wafted to Qingqian, whose mouth filled with saliva. She swallowed eagerly, her eyes fixed on the roasting bounty.

Trapped for three centuries, she hadn't tasted food in all that time. Now, the meat's fragrance stirred a voracious hunger within her, akin to a parched wanderer in the desert, desperate for a glimpse of water.

Fifteen minutes passed, and the meat was perfectly cooked. Qin Buyi ripped a hind leg from the wild boar and was about to sink his teeth into it when he heard Qingqian's tentative voice at his ear.

"Human, you see, there's too much for just one person. Could you spare some for me?"

Qin Buyi gave Qingqian a puzzled look and extended his right hand.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Qingqian inquired, confused.

"Pay up. If you don't have money, we can trade," Qin Buyi replied coolly.

"You... Don't you have any compassion for a lady? You're really going to ask me for money over such a trifle?"

Qingqian had reverted to her human form, her eyes brimming with tears as she stared at Qin Buyi.

Unmoved, Qin Buyi responded icily, "I have no illusions of tenderness for someone who'd like nothing more than to flay me alive."

He then bit into the pork leg with gusto, savoring each bite with exaggerated pleasure.

Qingqian clenched her teeth in frustration and pulled out a red handkerchief, offering it to Qin Buyi as if to trade.

Qin Buyi barely glanced at it before saying, "I don't want that. I want the pendant around your neck."

"That's out of the question!" Qingqian snapped back.

"No matter, you can keep watching while I keep eating," Qin Buyi retorted.

He had a simple reason for refusing the trade: the pendant on Qingqian's neck was far superior in quality and appearance to the red handkerchief she had offered. Plus, anything offered up so readily was surely the least valuable.

Qingqian watched Qin Buyi relishing his meal from a short distance. After a moment, she couldn't contain herself and spoke up again, "Please, choose something else. I can't give you that pendant; it was my mother's."

Without so much as lifting his head, Qin Buyi was adamant, "No trade, no negotiation."

Driven by hunger, Qingqian finally relented with a grimace. She removed the pendant and, using her spiritual energy, floated it before Qin Buyi's eyes.

Qin Buyi accepted the pendant, turning it over in his hands. Carved into it was a pristine, snow-white Nine-tail Fox, strikingly similar to Qingqian's true form.

"Hey, now that you've got your trinket, hand over the food," Qingqian demanded, her voice tinged with irritation.

Having received the item, Qin Buyi wasted no time placing the mostly intact wild boar and the odd fish atop Qingqian's spiritual energy.

With a flick of her spiritual energy, Qingqian drew the wild boar and fish to herself, unabashedly sinking her teeth into the roasted pig.

"Mmm, not bad," she mumbled through mouthfuls. "What's your name, human?"

Qin Buyi remained silent, extending his right hand once more.

"You've got to be kidding... You want money for this too? Are you obsessed with cash?!" Qingqian exclaimed, incredulous.

Perhaps sensing his behavior was off, Qin Buyi finally spoke, "Qin Buyi."

"Haha, Qin Buyi, that's an odd name. 'Buyi,' 'Buyi,' does that mean you're a tough one?" Qingqian burst into laughter, throwing in a couple of teasing remarks.

Qin Buyi gave Qingqian a look that suggested she was foolish and returned to his meal in silence, ignoring her jibes.

Realizing Qin Buyi was done engaging with her, Qingqian decided not to make a scene and concentrated on savoring the feast before her.

A quarter of an hour later.

Qin Buyi, now satisfied, tidied up the remnants on the ground. Grasping the Killing Saber, he soared upwards and delivered a fierce strike to the star core.

"Killing Swordsmanship: Slaughter!"

"Boom!"

"Killing Swordsmanship: Extermination!"

"Clang!" "Clang!"

...

"Not again... Does this guy ever take a break?"

The booming noises filled her ears, and the rate at which her internal power was being drained quickened. Suddenly, the meat in Qingqian's mouth lost its appeal.

She shook her head, choosing to disregard the relentless assault from Qin Buyi above. Qingqian bit into the meat ferociously, chewing with a vengeance as if she were consuming Qin Buyi's very essence to soothe her ire.

Days slipped by one after another...

Throughout this time, Qin Buyi would soar above the cave daily, gathering a variety of foods—deer, rabbits, sheep, among others—and occasionally plucking wild fruits.

Qingqian noticed that since this human arrived, her days had been improving, particularly when it came to meals.

However, the flip side was her dwindling purse. Valuables on her person were nearly depleted. Reluctantly, she had to pay for sustenance; refusing to do so was futile.

Watching Qin Buyi relentlessly assault the star core above, Qingqian couldn't resist commenting, "Qin Buyi, day in and day out, you extort a weak girl with food. Doesn't that weigh on your conscience?"

Pausing his assault, Qin Buyi responded earnestly, "Firstly, you're far from weak. Were you not confined here, you might easily kill me with just a finger. And secondly, did I ever force you to eat?"

Left speechless by Qin Buyi's retort, Qingqian turned away, silent, her inner voice seething, "Just wait until I'm free. Once I am, you'll desperately wish for death."

A month later...

The star core trembled for the first time under Qin Buyi's relentless barrage.

It was a mere tremor, but it was enough to lift spirits.

Qingqian had been feeling increasingly uneasy. She had been able to endure until recently.

As days went by, her inner strength ebbed away, leading to an energy deficit.

The spiritual energy she drew from nature couldn't keep pace with her consumption. Witnessing the star core's quiver, a sense of dread filled Qingqian.

She couldn't predict the outcome of Qin Buyi's continued attacks, but she knew she must keep the star core's absorption of her power from him.

Judging from her observations of Qin Buyi, should he discover this, his attacks would likely intensify.

Over two months later...

The star core began to show it couldn't bear Qin Buyi's relentless, unsophisticated onslaught.

"Crack!"

A fissure emerged on the star core's surface.

Hearing the crack, Qin Buyi ceased his offensive and gazed at the star core.

Qingqian's voice was a mix of strength and desperation as she called out, "Stop! If we keep this up, it might explode. Then, both of us will be nothing but dust."

Over the past two months, Qingqian had nearly exhausted all her spiritual energy.

Qin Buyi stood before the star core, deep in thought. Only three days remained until the epic mission's deadline.

Failing the mission meant certain death anyway, so he might as well take his chances.

With that in mind, he resumed his assault with the Killing Saber.

"Killing Swordsmanship: Slaughter!"

"Killing Swordsmanship: Extermination!"

"Boom!" "Clang!"

...

"Qin Buyi, have you lost your mind? You're insane! If you're so eager to die, leave me out of it!" Qingqian screamed frantically from below.

"Crack!" "Crack!"

With each strike, the cracks on the star core multiplied, revealing the devastating energy within.

Qingqian watched Qin Buyi with a vacant gaze, having abandoned any hope of survival. She resigned herself to the thought of dying alongside the madman before her once he shattered the star core.

"Killing Swordsmanship: Slaughter!"

"Strike!" bellowed Qin Buyi.

"Crack!" "Boom!"

The star core, untouched for over two months, shifted aside just as it was about to break apart, and the star power tethered to Qingqian vanished.

Both Qin Buyi and Qingqian turned their attention to the star core. Qingqian's glazed eyes snapped back to clarity.

Before she could even process what was happening, Qin Buyi snatched the star core and stowed it in his Storage Space, then vanished using a Fourth Rank Teleportation Talisman.

"Bam!"

Qingqian's attack landed a split second after Qin Buyi's departure, and the entire underground cavern collapsed with a thunderous roar.

"Whoosh!"

In mere moments, Qingqian emerged in the Falling Star Mountain Range.

"Qin Buyi, a lowly Nascent Infant Stage cultivator, to think you've toyed with me for months, trading worthless beast meat for my treasures! You'll pay with your life!"

Qingqian's gaze brimmed with an icy murderous intent, while her voice, as chilling as the depths of winter, resonated across the expanse of the Falling Star Mountain Range.