There was a saying in Buddhist teachings that all meetings were the will of the heavens. All encounters were fated. There was no such thing as being early or late. You would meet the very person you were supposed to meet at the right time.
The beastās fur was completely white. Its nose was sharp. It had two huge horns on its head. Its eyes were narrow and slender like the crescent moon. It was squinting as it looked at Ye Tianxin as though trying to figure out if she was food or something else.
Ye Tianxin dared not move. Although she was a Six-leaf cultivator, she was not confident she could escape from this colossal creature. It was no wonder people said only Eight-leaf cultivators dared to venture deep into the Four Forests.
Ye Tianxin could not see its body. She could only see its head. If she had to describe its looks, she would say that it resembled a slenderer version of a white fox.
āRun!ā Ye Tianxin pushed away all distracting thoughts as she unleashed her avatar.
Her Six-leaf Golden Lotus avatar rose to a height of 70 feet.
Ye Tianxin turned and fled!
Strangely, she felt a gust of wind before she felt her body and avatar being wrapped by something. It felt as though the world was spinning and being tossed in the air before falling down at the same time. She could not control her Primal Qi at all.
Another sharp cry rang in the air.
Ye Tianxin finally landed. To be precise, it felt she had landed on soft white feathers. She did not have time to check her surroundings when a strong wind blew against her.
āThis is bad!ā Ye Tianxin conjured up her Primal Qi and formed an energy shield to block the wind.
Realization suddenly dawned on Ye Tianxin; she was on the back of the beast. The massive beast was carrying her as it navigated through the forest at a blinding speed.
After what seemed like hours of running, the thin layer of mist faded. The layer that hung in the air parted.
The beast was moving with lightning speed as it carried Ye Tianxin on its back. Every stride it took covered several hundred meters. She could see more clearly now.
Under the moonlight, it seemed to be 150 feet long. Apart from the white patch on its head, the beast was yellow in color. Against the moon, it leaped off a cliff.
A name surfaced in Ye Tianxinās mind. āCheng Huang!ā
The Fairfolk had described Cheng Huang to be shaped like a fox with spikes on its back. Its rider would gain 2,000 years of life.
She had finally found it!
āButā¦ Why is Cheng Huang jumping off a cliff with me?ā
The fall seemed to go on forever as though they were falling into a bottomless abyss.
When they descended, she saw countless vines and winged beasts. Some of them were even larger than Cheng Huang. They circled the cliff face and let out deafening howls that resounded through the chasm!
At this moment, Ye Tianxin finally realized there was a possibility she would be stuck in this abyss forever!
Seven days had passed by in the blink of an eye.
In the eastern pavilion of the Evil Sky Pavilion.
Lu Zhou opened his eyes. He confirmed that his extraordinary power was fully replenished. Then, he confirmed his remaining merit points.
Merit points: 59,880 points.
He did not have to use them to buy more item cardsā¦ Besides, with his current cultivation base, using item cards was no longer economical. Moreover, he could always purchase them at the last minute to avoid unnecessary troubles anyway.
Lu Zhou stood up and left the eastern pavilion.
When he saw his master coming out, Mingshi Yin walked up to meet him.
āMaster, Seventh Junior Brother has repliedā¦ He said that Island Master Huang is preoccupied at the moment as the Nether Sect is fighting Yu Province,ā Mingshi Yin said.
āDid he mention the Lantian jade?ā Lu Zhou asked, puzzled.
āIsland Master Huang said that the Lantian jade is still on Penglai Island. Heāll invite you to the island and present it to you himself.ā
Lu Zhou nodded when he heard this. āVery well.ā
āDing! Killed a target. Reward: 10 merit points.ā
āDing! Killed a target. Reward: 10 merit points.ā
Notifications from the system kept ringing in his ear.
The sources of the merit points were from Yu Shangrong and Si Wuyaā¦
Lu Zhou stroked his beard lightly and looked in the direction of Yu Province.
āCan you conquer the Divine Capital in six months?ā
āIāll be visiting Penglai Island. Can you and Duanmu Sheng look after Golden Court Mountain while Iām gone?ā Lu Zhou asked as he looked at Mingshi Yin.
āOf course! Itās not a problem at all!ā Mingshi Yin thought, āIāll be damned if thereās a problem. Now that everyone knows thereās a Nine-leaf cultivator in the Evil Sky Pavilion, only a fool would try to look for trouble here.ā
āThatās great. You should cultivate harder in the meantime. You shouldnāt hesitate too much in the matter of severing your lotus,ā Lu Zhou said.
āYes, masterā¦ Itās nothing but severing my lotus. I can do it in just an instant.ā
Coincidentally, as Mingshi Yin spoke, Duanmu Sheng happened to enter the eastern pavilion with his Overlord Spear in his hand.
āOld Fourthā¦ Where did he go?ā
Mingshi Yin shuddered. He bowed at Lu Zhou and hurriedly said, āI have something to attend to, master. Iāll take my leave.ā He vanished from sight in just a blink of an eye.
Duanmu Sheng stood outside the eastern pavilion as he bowed and said, āGreetings, master.ā
āHave you seen Fourth Junior Brotherā¦ Iāve developed a new spear technique.ā
Lu Zhou nodded in satisfaction and said, āItās good seeing both of you helping each other out.ā
āThank you for your praise, master. Iāll certainly do all I can to help Fourth Junior Brother.ā
āDing! Disciplined Duanmu Sheng. Reward: 200 merit points.ā
āDing! Disciplined Mingshi Yin. Reward: 200 merit points.ā
āI disciplined the two of them with this sentence?ā Lu Zhou looked in the direction in which Mingshi Yin left and shook his head.
He left the eastern pavilion and went to the southern pavilion.
He saw Conch sitting alone on the stone bench outside the hall and called out to her, āConch.ā
Conch turned and saw a gentle-looking Lu Zhou. She smiled as she leaped off the stone bench and walked up to him. āYouāre here.ā
Lu Zhou observed her condition again. Conch was in great shape. Everything about her was normal. She did not seem to be affected by Tiangou.
Tiangouās shrill cry and reflecting sound technique was not something that could be easily withstood by mortals. Yet, she seemed completely unaffected. If she could start cultivating, it might not be a bad idea to accept her as a disciple as well.
āThe bright moon shines over the sea; from far away we share this moment together, but it can be shelved for all I care.ā
āWill you come with me to Penglai Island?ā Lu Zhou asked.
Just when the two of them were preparing to leave, Little Yuanāer ran out with a set of light blue garments in her hands. āGreetings, master.ā
Lu Zhou looked at Little Yuanāer curiously. This little girl loved a lively scene. It was highly likely that she wanted to follow him.
Little Yuanāer walked up to Conch and muttered, āThis is the Cloud Feather Raiment Second Senior Brother gave me. Iāll give, uh, lend it to youā¦ You can return it to me when youāre as strong as I am, alright?ā
Conch glanced at the Cloud Feather Raiment and nodded. āMhm. Thank you, Elder Sister Yuanāer.ā
The two of them went into the room as she helped Conch change into her new clothes.
They were of similar build and height. Conch resembled a fairy even more after she donned the Cloud Feather Raiment.
Their friendship exceeded Lu Zhouās expectations.
Little Yuanāer stood in front of Lu Zhou and said, āSafe journey, Master.ā
āYou donāt want to go?ā Lu Zhou asked as he stroked his beard. He was not used to this little girl being this mature.
āWhat are you standing around forā¦ Letās go.ā Lu Zhou turned around.
Little Yuanāer. ā???ā She thought to herself, āCan I have my Cloud Feather Raiment back?ā
Lu Zhou planned to bring Little Yuanāer with him all alongā¦ Conch was not a cultivator yet. He felt safer with Little Yuanāer looking after her.
The three of them rode on Whitzard and left the Evil Sky Pavilion as they flew southeast.
After flying for an entire day, the three of them appeared above the seas in the east. They rested for a while when they finally landed.
āMaster, thereās an island hanging in the air.ā Little Yuanāer seemed to have chanced upon a new world as she pointed toward the faraway skies.
The floating island could be clearly seen in the clear, cloudless skies. It seemed near and far away at the same time.
Just when Lu Zhou nodded in reply, a voice reached his ears. āGreetings, Old Senior Ji.ā
Lu Zhou was slightly taken aback. Did someone recognize him? As he wondered, he turned around and saw a middle-aged cultivator leading dozens of sword cultivators behind him.
Lu Zhou studied him. He was certain he did not know this man. Then, he said, āHave we met?ā
The man laughed. He studied Lu Zhou and said, āI say, dear old man. With your appearance, Iāve nearly taken you as the genuine one.ā
Lu Zhou was puzzled. āWhat do you mean?ā
āIām Taixu Academyās Grand Elder, Jiang Lizhi. I was invited by the Penglai Sect to lend them a helping hand. Old Mister, during my journey, youāre the third impostor Iāve met. You look like him the most,ā Jiang Lizhi said with a smile.
Lu Zhouās expression darkened as he sternly asked, āWho has the audacity to pretend to be me?ā