When Han Sen and Qu Lanxi arrived in front of Qing Ming Shelter, they saw Chu Ming hanging naked in front of the gate. His body was riddled with bloody wounds, and he looked as if he might die at any moment.
Han Sen was furious. Humans were treated like slaves in the Third God's Sanctuary, and if they made a mistake, they would be punished.
Plus, Chu Ming was punished because Han Sen had saved the Dragon-Blood Tree. That was why Chu Ming had been punished.
Qu Lanxi was furious, too, and she wanted to put Chu Ming down.
Han Sen grabbed Qu Lanxi and dragged her to a place where there was no one around.
"Don't be rash. You won't be able to save Chu Ming, and you'll end up dead, too," Han Sen said.
"I can't watch Chu Ming die like this," Qu Lanxi said, gritting her teeth.
"I know. I won't let Chu Ming die, either."
Han Sen said, "But now is not the time. You have signed a contract with Qing Ming Knight. Even if you save Chu Ming now, it won't do you any good. If Qing Ming Knight wants to, he can kill you anytime he wants."
"What do we do now?" Qu Lanxi asked. She had no idea what to do.
"Go to the Spirit Hall and take the spirit stone. That is the only way you can escape Qing Ming Knight's control," Han Sen said slowly, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
"Go to the Spirit Hall? Can we do it?" Qu Lanxi looked at Han Sen in disbelief.
Qing Ming Knight had opened four of his gene locks, and he had many spirits and creatures under his command. It would be incredibly difficult for him to enter the Spirit Hall.
"It's just a knight's shelter."
Han Sen said, "If it wasn't for the Thorn Sanctuary, it would be easy to take it down."
"Tell me what to do, and I'll do it."
Qu Lanxi looked at Han Sen. She did not believe it would be as easy as Han Sen had made it sound, but she knew she had to try.
"Chu Ming is still alive, so don't worry. Once we kill Qing Ming Knight and take the spirit stone, we can escape to Thorn Forest," Han Sen said, looking at Chu Ming, who was hanging in front of the gate.
While they were talking, a spirit came out of the shelter with a whip in her hand. She walked up to Chu Ming, who was hanging in the air. She lashed out at Chu Ming's naked body with the whip.
Slap!
Chu Ming's flesh was lacerated and his body was dripping with blood. Even though he was on the verge of death, Chu Ming still let out a heart-wrenching scream.
The spirit did not speak. Instead, he continued to whip Chu Ming. The sound of the whip grinding against his flesh was enough to make one's teeth ache. Chu Ming's screams were getting softer and softer.
Qu Lanxi clenched her teeth so hard they were about to bleed. Han Sen's eyes looked cold, too. He now understood how difficult it was for humans to survive in the Third God's Sanctuary.
The spirit did not want to kill Chu Ming, though. If she had, she wouldn't have hung him there. Although the whip was strong, she didn't want to kill Chu Ming in one hit.
"Let's go." Han Sen pulled Qu Lanxi away and allowed her to pack her things.
Back in the wooden house, Han Sen looked at the withered Dragon-Blood Tree. Its lifeforce was still there, but it was very weak.
Han Sen did not say a word. He pulled out the red dagger and dug the tree out of the ground. He did not know if he could transplant it, but he knew he couldn't leave it there.
The Dragon-Blood Tree was only ten years away from fruiting, and all it would take was a dozen waterdrops. But Han Sen did not have the time to do that, so he had to try and transplant it.
He dug the Dragon-Blood Tree out of the ground, but because he could not dig too big, he broke many of the tree's roots. The tree's lifeforce was weakened again.
Han Sen wrapped the roots in cloth and dripped a waterdrop into them. Then, he put the tree on the back of the Golden Howler.
Han Sen also dug up the Blood Pine that he had planted near the Jade-Scale River. Han Sen wanted to transplant it, too. If he didn't, he didn't know if he'd ever be able to find it again.
Han Sen was not afraid of Qing Ming Knight, and he could easily destroy the entire shelter. But a noble class Thorn Sanctuary was not something Han Sen could deal with. He had no choice but to hide in the thickets of Thorn Forest.
After seeing how strong the female spirit was, Han Sen knew he had to use Super King Spirit to fight a noble class spirit.
But Super King Spirit did not last long. If Thorn Sanctuary sent a few mutant creatures and spirits after him, Han Sen might be able to escape, but Qu Lanxi and Chu Ming would be killed.
So, he couldn't take Qing Ming Shelter for himself. He had to take it and leave.
After Han Sen and Qu Lanxi were ready, Han Sen said to her, "Wait for me at the entrance of the shelter. When I draw the spirits and creatures into the shelter, you can save Chu Ming and take him to Thorn Forest."
"Can we do it?"
Qu Lanxi looked at Han Sen with concern. Although she was a very assertive person, she couldn't help but feel nervous. They were going to take down a spirit shelter, and Han Sen was only one person. Even if he was stronger than most surpassers, it would not be easy for him to enter the Spirit Hall, with so many primitive creatures and royal spirits surrounding him.
"Trust me." Han Sen could tell she was nervous, so he patted her on the head.
Qu Lanxi was a mature woman, and if she hadn't encountered something so serious, it was rare for her to be so nervous.
Being patted on the head by Han Sen made her feel like a child being comforted by an adult. She blushed and said, "We'll wait for you in Thorn Forest."
"Okay, I'll be there soon," Han Sen said.
The two of them returned to Qing Ming Shelter. Han Sen gestured for Qu Lanxi to wait outside while he entered the shelter.
"You have to come back alive," Qu Lanxi said, tugging at Han Sen.
"I will." Han Sen smiled at her and walked into the shelter.
With Han Sen's current power, if he did not use Super King Spirit, he would be no better than Qing Ming Knight. After all, he had only opened his first gene lock, while Qing Ming Knight had opened four.
With the addition of many primitive creatures and royal spirits, it was almost impossible for Han Sen to take down Qing Ming Shelter.
But now that Han Sen had the red dagger and the iron bug beast soul, that was impossible.