According to the 《Almanac of Heavenly Wonders》, deep within the densest vegetation, at the highest mountain peaks, grows a flower named Wangshu.
It blooms under the moonlight and closes when the moon departs; rumor has it that the flower was planted by the Moon Goddess herself.
On every moonlit night, demon beasts would gather, drawn by its scent, using the fragrance to refine lunar essence and absorb spirit energy to aid their cultivation.
Although the 《Almanac of Heavenly Wonders》 made no mention of the Innate Star Body, Gu Ningyun knew that lunar essence from the moon, like the purple qi from the sun, belonged to star power.
Her limbs were currently unresponsive. Aside from her poor control, which had completely drained the star power in her body, there was another reason.
In her struggle against the song, the purple qi she had gathered had been too dense and pure, to the point of scorching her meridians.
Even though she had exhausted her star power to envelop the purple qi and protect her meridians, she had been unable to avoid the damage entirely.
After all, her cultivation was only at the early Foundation Establishment stage.
Purple qi was the power of the sun. To heal the damage caused by solar energy, the best method was to neutralize it with lunar power.
And what natural treasure could possess lunar power as pure as that of the Wangshu flower?
It was, after all, the flower closest to the Moon Goddess.
Fortunately, she possessed the Innate Star Body, so she did not need to kill the goose that laid the golden egg by picking the flower to refine pills.
As long as she stayed near the Wangshu, her acupoints would naturally absorb the lunar essence and nourish her meridians.
She had only read about this in the 《Almanac of Heavenly Wonders》 and was not entirely certain of the details.
Xiao Hua, who had lived in the Wuji Mountain Range since childhood, was terrified by this revelation.
“Boss, you want to find the Wangshu?”
She lowered her voice to a whisper. “The Wangshu grows deep in the Wuji Mountain Range and is occupied by several demon beasts at the peak of rank five.
“Little demons like us can only scrape a few crumbs at the foot of the mountain when those great demons are in a good mood.
“Boss, even though you are at the late stage of rank four, it might be quite dangerous if you run into those rank five demon beasts.”
Fearing that the fat duck might be displeased, Xiao Hua quickly added, “I know you are wise and mighty, Boss, but you haven't been cultivating for very long. It's simply not fair to compare you to those old monsters...”
The fat duck remained unfazed. “Cut the chatter. Just point the way.”
“This...” Helpless, Xiao Hua glanced at Gu Ningyun.
Gu Ningyun showed no inclination to back down.
Putting aside the fact that Senior Brother Linchuan was a Pixiu and could easily tear through space to escape with her if they couldn't win, she also carried life-saving treasures gifted by her sect.
Even if she couldn't use them herself, she could always hand them over to her senior brother in a pinch.
Furthermore, since this trip to find the Wangshu was suggested by Martial Aunt Yi Shu, there was bound to be a guarantee of safety.
Naturally, she said, “I believe in Senior Brother.”
These words thoroughly pleased the fat duck. It quacked twice. “Did you hear that? Even my little junior sister believes in this lord. Why are you babbling?”
Xiao Hua stared in astonishment at the duck and the girl. Suddenly, she wiped the sycophancy from her face and said with determination, “Since Boss and Boss's junior sister are going, then as your little sister, I must naturally act as the vanguard! I shall lead the way for you two right now.”
“Hey, hey, hey, there's no need for you to go. Just point the way for this lord.”
Xiao Hua still had to survive in the Wuji Mountain Range. If she tagged along this time, it would be fine while the duck was around, but once it left, she wouldn't be able to survive here.
Xiao Hua clearly understood the fat duck's intentions, and tears of gratitude welled up in her eyes.
“Waaaaah, Boss, you are so good to me...”
Wiping her eyes, she pointed a wing. “Cross the sixteen mountains ahead, and you will reach the heart of the Wuji Mountain Range. The Wangshu is at the summit of the tallest mountain there. Those rank five great demons are also on that mountain. Boss, you must be extremely careful.”
For a Pixiu capable of spatial teleportation, sixteen mountains were no different from flat ground.
With a ripple of spatial fluctuations, they appeared at the summit of the highest peak in the next instant.
At the very tip of the peak lay a crystal-clear, fishless lake. In the center of the lake was a small island about three meters in diameter.
Lush spirit grass grew on the island, surrounding a closed flower bud in the center—it was indeed the Wangshu.
The Wangshu had thorny stems, spindle-shaped leaves, and serrated edges.
In contrast to its sharp leaves, the Wangshu's petals looked incredibly soft, their cream-colored hue appearing pure and harmless.
At the sudden appearance of unfamiliar auras, the rank five demon beasts lurking nearby—who claimed the Wangshu as their own—could no longer sit still.
Roars echoed one after another, startling flocks of birds. Even the demon beasts on neighboring peaks grew restless, fleeing in all directions through the forests and causing quite a commotion.
In the blink of an eye, Gu Ningyun and the fat duck were surrounded by nine rank five demon beasts.
Gu Ningyun's eyes sparkled. Are we going to fight? It's definitely a fight, right?
Senior Brother Linchuan's cultivation was an entire major realm lower. How was he going to beat these demon beasts? Would he unleash his pressure as an auspicious beast to make these great demons tremble in fear?
The fat duck stood casually by the lake. “This lord harbors no ill intent. Shall we talk?”
The demon beasts sized it up, refraining from charging blindly for the moment.
After all, any beast that could bypass their watch halfway down the mountain and appear at the summit undetected was no simple creature.
Only a giant python with a late rank five cultivation couldn't hold back and shot forward.
“Since when can a mere duck cultivate to rank four? Hmph, ignorant little beast. How dare you behave so insolently in the forbidden grounds of Mount Wuji!”
The python was about twenty meters long, its open jaws looming like a small mountain crashing down.
The fat duck swept its wing, causing space to ripple like water.
“Looked down on ducks, did you? How about now?”
The late rank five python, which had reigned supreme on Mount Wuji for hundreds of years, was frozen in mid-air just like that.
The eight great demons surrounding them stared with eyes wide as brass bells, immediately taking a step back in unison.
Gu Ningyun's jaw nearly dropped as well.
If it were before today, she would have confidently said that the later one got in cultivation, the wider the gap between each rank became—a difference that could not be described even by a hundredfold or thousandfold.
To fight across realms without relying on external items provided by elders was nothing but a fantasy.
But now, seeing this scene, she only had a massive exclamation mark left in her mind.
She had been too narrow-minded.
Was this the true power of a darling of the Heavenly Dao?
Cultivation limits meant nothing; they didn't even use cultivation levels to fight.
Was Senior Brother Linchuan's method spatial power or the power of laws?
In the cultivation world beneath the immortal realm, this was practically a dimensional strike!
The giant python no longer possessed its arrogant demeanor. With its jaws wide open and its mountain-like body frozen in mid-air, it actually looked rather foolish.
The fat duck blew on the feathers at the tip of its wing. “Now, can we talk?”
It hadn't even taken a single step, yet the rank five python had been completely reduced to a background decoration beside it.
Gu Ningyun sat safely on the fat duck's back, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator effectively surrounding a group of rank five great demons...
She stroked the dog's head in her arms and murmured to herself, “So this is what it feels like to ride on someone's coattails... or rather, to ride on a duck's coattails...”
Rank five demon beasts had already refined their transverse bones and developed human-like intelligence, unlike low-grade demon beasts that relied on instinct.
The fat duck's display clearly made them realize something was amiss. They scraped their claws against the ground, exuding an anxious and restless energy.
Only a tiger at the peak of rank five remained somewhat composed. It took a step forward. “What business brings you here?”
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