Immortal of the Nine Realms

Hearing the accusations, a Golden Core Realm cultivator frowned. ”Brother Wu, we haven’t even seen the Dragon Essence Fruits. Your suspicion is completely unfounded.”

”Everyone, if you don’t mind... could I check whether any of you have the Dragon Essence Fruits on you?” Wu Tai requested with a faint smile.

”That might not be appropriate.” One of the Nascent Soul Realm cultivators shook their head. ”Are you treating us as thieves?”

”I’m just having a look, how is it that I’m being treated like a thief?” Fang Chen frowned and said, ”Brother Wu, you can check to see if I have a second Dragon Essence Fruit.”

A Golden Core cultivator sneered. ”We are cultivators; we should not be searched at will. Even our sect elders would not do such a thing.”

”Wu Tai, I think there’s no need for a body search. Anyway, the Golden Immortal Sect will inspect everyone when we leave. If there are any extra Dragon Essence Fruits, they have the right to purchase them first,” Xu Chenfeng said. ”If, at that time, it’s discovered that someone secretly hid the Dragon Essence Fruits, they will become everyone’s enemy, and escaping would likely be very difficult.”

”That’s true. I should’ve thought it through better,” said Wu Tai, laughing heartily and easing the slightly tense atmosphere with a few words.

”How should we proceed now?” Xu Chenfeng asked.

Wu Tai pointed in a direction. ”Go in that direction. Next, we need to find the Profound Mother Yin Beast. As for the Dragon Essence Fruits, let’s put that aside for now.”

A Golden Core cultivator frowned and said, ”Brother Wu, the three of you have already found your Dragon Essence Fruits, so you’re not in a hurry. But we can’t afford to wait. If we leave without the Dragon Essence Fruits, we’ll have to pay a fine.”

”That’s right,” another cultivator added.

Another Golden Core cultivator nodded and said, ”I think we should find the Dragon Essence Fruit first. Once we have it in hand, we can help you search for the Profound Mother Yin Beast later, Brother Wu.”

Wu Tai’s smile turned slightly colder. ”What do you all mean?”

”If we find the Dragon Essence Fruits, we will naturally follow your orders, Brother Wu. It’s normal for cultivators to lend each other a helping hand,” the cultivator replied. ”But if there’s no Dragon Essence Fruits, we might not be able to accompany you further, Brother Wu.”

Wu Tai cupped his hands. ”In that case, I bid you all farewell.”

The Golden Core Realm cultivators exchanged glances and cupped their hands in a bow. Without saying another word, they all left the place. They would follow Wu Tai only if there was something to gain. If not, who would want to waste time in the Pitu Ruins?

After they left, Wu Tai remained silent, only glancing at Xu Chenfeng.

Xu Chenfeng lightly nodded and swiftly left, disappearing into the air.

Moments later, he returned to the group, gently shaking his head. ”They indeed don’t have the Dragon Essence Fruits on them.”

”Did they get angry?” Wu Tai asked with a smile.

Xu Chenfeng chuckled. ”Would they dare?”

Wu Tai turned to Fang Chen with a somewhat apologetic look. ”Brother Dongfang, please don’t mind.”

Fang Chen nodded slightly. ”It’s no trouble. Your actions are impeccable, I admire the way you handle things.”

Wu Tai smiled. ”Then let’s be on our way.”

Several days later, Fang Chen noticed that the air around them had grown increasingly cold. It seemed that Wu Tai truly knew the location of the extreme Yin zone within the Pitu Ruins.

”Everyone, can you see that snow mountain? That is our destination. Inside that snow mountain, there is a Yin River. If we’re lucky, we may spot the Profound Mother Yin Beast today,” Wu Tai said with a smile.

Xu Chenfeng and the others’ expressions brightened, and they immediately quickened their pace. Completing the mission given by the Forbidden Demon Island would earn them many rewards. If they had any remaining time, they would be able to freely explore the Pitu Ruins, which would be even better.

At that moment, Mirror of the Universe spoke. ”Brother, something doesn’t feel right. This kid doesn’t seem to be here for the first time.”

Fang Chen remained expressionless and continued heading toward the snow mountain.

”I noticed it too. He hasn’t taken a single detour along the way. It’s impossible for him to navigate so smoothly based only on others’ descriptions. Catching the Profound Mother Yin Beast should have some restrictions. He must have failed before,” replied Fang Chen.

”Indeed. Just be careful, Brother. I don’t want to be stuck in this desolate place forever.”

Desolate?

It seemed that the Mirror of the Universe didn’t view the Pitu Ruins as particularly valuable.

Soon, they reached the foot of the mountain. Apart from the corpse they had encountered earlier, they realized they hadn’t encountered any danger along the way.

”The Yin energy here is too dense. Everyone, remember to use your spiritual power to protect yourselves. Otherwise, the Yin energy might invade your body, and you could fall seriously ill,” Wu Tai reminded them.

In fact, the group had already noticed that the coldness here wasn’t ordinary. It was caused by the dense Yin energy in the area. The snow that stretched out before them was thick with Yin energy, and any ordinary person who came into contact with it would be in the same dire state as if they had ingested poison.

The group followed Wu Tai as they soared through the air, heading deeper into the snow mountain. The further they went, the colder it became, to the point where even their spiritual barriers showed signs of freezing up.

After flying for nearly half an hour, a vast river, resembling a giant dragon, appeared before their eyes, cutting across the snow mountain. The river was so long that its start and end could not be seen.

Wu Tai was visibly excited. He said, ”We’ve arrived. This is the Yin River.”

”What’s next? How do we capture the Profound Mother Yin Beast? Since it hails from the Immortal Realm, it must be formidable, right?” Xu Chenfeng asked.

”That’s simple.” Wu Tai smiled. ”The Profound Mother Yin Beast loves Yin energy, but as the saying goes, ’The solitary Yin does not birth, and the solitary Yang does not grow.’ I’m sure you all understand that principle, right?”

Wu Tai continued, ”If the Profound Mother Yin Beast is constantly deprived of Yang energy, it will remain in its juvenile form and won’t be able to grow. Its favorite food is meat with rich vitality and blood essence.

”This place has been abandoned for many years, so naturally, no one has been feeding it. That’s why its cultivation won’t be very strong.”

Xu Chenfeng frowned. ”Why didn’t you mention this earlier? We could have brought some demon beasts from the Immortal Demon Sea to feed it.”

”The meat has to be fresh. They don’t eat anything dead.” Wu Tai shook his head. ”Last time, we overlooked this point, which led to us failing to capture the Profound Mother Yin Beast. This time, we won’t make the same mistake.”

Xu Chenfeng glanced around. ”Fresh? Where can we find fresh, blood-rich meat around here?”

Wu Tai sighed softly. ”That’s why I needed all of you to accompany me.”

”What do you mean by that?” Xu Chenfeng and the other Nascent Soul Realm cultivators tensed up, glaring at Wu Tai warily.

”You don’t think we have an endless supply of mid-grade spirit stones to waste, do you?” Wu Tai said lightly. ”By bringing you all here, you’ll need to show me that you’re worth this investment.”

Without saying another word, Xu Chenfeng prepared to strike at Wu Tai. However, just as he made a move with his spiritual energy, an invisible whip struck from the void, crashing down on Xu Chenfeng and knocking him unconscious.

The other Nascent Soul Realm cultivators immediately froze, looking shocked as they gazed behind Wu Tai.

A large group of people, who had appeared without notice, stood there.

Fang Chen was surprised. ”A Fighting Demon Whip? Cultivators from the Great Expansion Dao Sect?”

”Heh... I didn’t expect the Void Immortal Sword Sect’s sword leader, Fang Chen, to come all the way here to this distant place. Quite the surprise! Hahahahaha...”

The person speaking was filled with pride, arrogance, and exhilaration. His laughter shook the snow mountain, causing it to tremble slightly. Had it not been for the thick snow that had been tightly compacted by the overwhelming Yin energy, an avalanche might have been triggered.