Chapter 85

Chapter 85

When leaving Heavenly Cloud Peak, Qin Hongdao said, "I have some fine wine buried at my place. Would you like to join me for a drink?"

Wen Qiao and Sheng Yunshen eagerly replied, "Sure, Senior Sister, we're in!"

Yi Xuan stood by, not voicing his opinion. He was usually a sociable person, and since his junior siblings were going, he decided to join them as well.

Ning Yuzhou chuckled and said, "We'll have to wait before enjoying Senior Sister's wine. Now that the Marrow Cleansing Pills are ready, we need to deliver them first to our senior martial brothers and sisters who participated in the previous Demon Sealing Mystic Realm trial."

"Why do you have to deliver them personally?" Sheng Yunshen asked haughtily. "Just send them a message to come and collect their pills. I doubt anyone would dare not show up."

That made sense, but...

"I don't have their messaging talismans," Ning Yuzhou explained.

Sheng Yunshen slapped his forehead and proposed, "Easy fix. Hand it over to our Second Senior Brother. Second Senior Brother, can you help send messages to our senior martial brothers and sisters on their respective peaks, asking them to meet us at Senior Sister's Snow Blade Peak? We'll wait for them there."

Ning Yuzhou thought about it and agreed.

Next, the group of senior and junior siblings headed to the peak of Snow Blade Peak. There, they conversed while sipping wine, awaiting the arrival of disciples from other peaks to collect their spirit pills.

The first to arrive were the disciples from Tianjian Peak.

Feng Rujian led a few sword cultivators, carrying several... multicolored peacocks in hand?

Wen Qiao took a look and found the feathers on their bottoms quite attractive. It seemed these peacocks belonged to the peak master of Tianjian Peak, didn't they?

Sheng Yunshen said cheerfully, "Senior Brother Feng, you even brought gifts with you. You're truly kind."

Feng Rujian responded expressionlessly, "Didn't Senior Brother Yi send a message to us, asking us to bring some edible specialties? These multicolored peacocks raised by our peak master are quite good – their meat is firm and tastes great when roasted."

In an instant, the disciples of Sky Cloud Peak couldn't help but glance at their second senior brother, Yi Xuan.

They had only asked him to send a message to the disciples of other peaks to collect their spirit pills; they didn't tell him to add any extra content, did they?

Yi Xuan calmly took the multicolored peacocks and said to Ning Yuzhou, "Junior Brother Ning, I'll deal with them first. We can roast them later."

Ning Yuzhou: "...Sure."

After Yi Xuan had carried the colorful pheasant aside to prepare it, Sheng Yunshen turned to them and complained, "I never knew that Second Senior Brother was such a person. He actually..."

His expression was a mix of consternation, uncertain whether to criticize the fact that Second Senior Brother had taken the opportunity to ask for local specialties while asking for help, or to be surprised that this iceberg of a man, Second Senior Brother, turned out to be a hidden foodie. In the past, when he looked at Second Senior Brother, he saw a responsible and cold figure, as icy as snow, towering and seemingly untouched by mortal concerns. Clearly, he didn't seem to indulge in the pleasures of the world.

Little did they expect that ever since their first feast at Snow Peak two years ago, Second Senior Brother had embarked on the path of gastronomy and never looked back, no longer the pure and detached figure he once was.

Ning Yuzhou passed the Purification Pills to the sword cultivators.

Feng Rujian spoke solemnly, "Junior Brother Ning, consider this a debt we owe you. We will definitely repay it in the future."

Other sword cultivators echoed in agreement. Originally, the other twenty-five individuals had no stake in the matter of the Marrow Cleansing Pills, as they were not grouped with Ning Yuzhou at the time. When Ning Yuzhou discovered the Nourishing Root, it was unrelated to them.

Thus, upon receiving Yi Xuan's message summoning them to Snow Blade Peak for the Marrow Cleansing Pills, the group of sword cultivators were utterly perplexed.

However, despite feeling that they should not accept the pills, the allure of the Marrow Cleansing Pills was too great. They were priceless and extremely valuable, especially to sword cultivators who greatly needed them. Consequently, they reluctantly approached with thickened skins, even taking the opportunity to pilfer the colorful peacocks their peak lord kept.

Of course, they did not intend to take the pills for free. They planned to exchange them for items of equivalent value.

Ning Yuzhou suggested, "Ah Chu enjoys spiritual plants. If you come across any rare spirit herbs or seeds in the future, feel free to bring them back to us."

"Sure, we've noted it down," Feng Rujian replied.

When they were done with their discussion, Qin Hongdao proposed, "Since you've taken the trouble to come, would you like to stay and have a drink with us?"

Feng Rujian and the others did not decline. They quickly found seats and joined Yi Xuan in preparing the Multi-colored Peacock. After plucking its feathers, they placed it on a rack to roast.

An experienced senior apprentice, skilled in barbecuing, took charge of roasting the chicken with great enthusiasm.

"Are these Multi-colored Peacocks your peak lord's pets? Did he know that you caught them?" Sheng Yunshen couldn't help but inquire.

The sword cultivators answered straightforwardly, "Although the peak lord doesn't know, he would understand our actions."

What were a few Multi-colored Peacocks? As long as Junior Brother Ning enjoyed them, they would be more than willing to catch them all.

Sheng Yunshen was left speechless.

Next, disciples from the Heavenly Array Peak arrived, bringing with them their peak's specialty—the Mutated Flower Sea Bream.

Sheng Yunshen commented, "This is your peak lord's pet, the Mutated Flower Sea Bream, right? How did you manage to bring it here?"

"Weren't we supposed to bring some edible delicacies from our respective peaks for Senior Brother Yi? The mutated Flower Cichlids raised by our Peak Master taste exquisite when steamed, boiled, stewed, or grilled. We thought we'd let Junior Brother Ning and Little Junior Sister have a taste."

No, they had actually tasted them before, thanks to Sheng Yunshen's sneaky maneuver.

Qin Hongdao and the others wisely kept this fact to themselves.

Sheng Yunshen chuckled. "You're all too thoughtful. At this rate, your Peak Master's mutated Flower Cichlids will be depleted."

"That's alright. He can always catch a few more from the Thousand Islands Sea to continue breeding them."

Everyone: "..."

The disciples of Heavenly Array Peak were too optimistic in taking advantage of their Peak Master. They were at a loss for words.

Next, those who received the message started arriving one after another, none of them coming empty-handed, bearing all sorts of edible treats – creatures that flew, ran, or swam...

Wen Qiao recognized these as the items Sheng Yunshen had brought during their first feast. They turned out to be specialties from each peak.

In the end, over fifty people gathered at Snow Saber Peak for the meal.

Upon receiving the Soul Purifying Pills, everyone felt a bit awkward, unwilling to accept Ning Yuzhou's gifts without giving anything in return. They promptly offered some of their own cherished items of equal value, allowing him to choose what he liked.

Ning Yuzhou naturally declined.

As a result, they turned to Wen Qiao, urging her to select something that caught her interest.

Wen Qiao took a look and found nothing appealing besides spiritual herbs. However, a peculiar stone among them caught her attention, prompting her to examine it closely.

The stone had a somewhat turbid light blue exterior, with a tiny creature resembling a "winged ant" trapped inside. It resembled amber, but wasn't one. The feeling it gave Wen Qiao was indescribable.

Seeing this, a senior from the Heavenly Armament Peak smiled and said, "Little Junior Sister likes this? I stumbled upon it by accident and have no idea what it is. It doesn't seem like a regular stone; I speculate it might be a material for forging weapons. Unfortunately, I tried burning it with fire for quite some time, yet it didn't show any signs of melting."

Upon hearing this, even Ning Yuzhou became intrigued.

Wen Qiao passed the stone to him.

Ning Yuzhou examined it for a while before addressing the Heavenly Armament Peak disciple, "Senior Brother Chen, please give this item to us."

"Take it if Junior Brother Ning likes it. It's not really anything valuable."

Ning Yuzhou handed the stone to Wen Qiao, allowing her to entertain herself.

After the feast, everyone returned to their respective peaks, promptly closing themselves off for cultivation.

When Ning Yuzhou and Wen Qiao got back to Jade Gathering Peak, they didn't rush into other matters. Instead, they sat together, sipping spiritual tea and chatting about what they had learned from their Sect Master earlier.

"Wife, was it really an Essence Saint expert who killed those high-level fiends in the depths of the mystic realm?" Wen Qiao tilted her head, looking at him with confusion. "Why would such an expert do such a thing?"

Ning Yuzhou took a sip of tea before replying casually, "If the Sect Master is so certain, then it must be true. It's just that... that Essence Saint expert might not be a human cultivator."

Wen Qiao paused, but she didn't doubt his speculation. "What are you implying?"

"It could be a demonic cultivator," Ning Yuzhou said. "Only a demonic cultivator could move freely in an area filled with demonic energy and effortlessly slay those high-level fiends. Also... these fiends aren't considered the same species by demonic cultivators. They're merely monsters spawned from demonic and death energy. The demonic race wouldn't acknowledge them, and might even instinctively despise them."

Wen Qiao blinked, a look of realization on her face. "I understand now. That's why the demonic cultivator killed them."

So, the reason behind the deaths of those high-level fiends in the depths of the mystic realm was actually this simple, unlike what the Sect Master and others had speculated.

Ning Yuzhou nodded and pulled out a handful of demonic spirit beads from his storage bag.

The Demonic Spirit Beads came in low and intermediate grades, which Ning Yuzhou had intentionally kept aside. They had slain many demons in the mystic realm, and Ning Yuzhou had cunningly retained some instead of turning them all over.

The Demonic Spirit Beads were inherently malevolent. Ordinary cultivators would naturally avoid them, but for him, they posed no threat.

Upon seeing the beads he had kept, Wen Qiao didn't comment. She merely said, "My love, the power within the Demonic Spirit Beads is highly volatile. You must be cautious."

Ning Yuzhou's lips curved into a smile at her concern, his voice softening. "It's nothing to worry about." Seeing that she still gazed at him, he whispered, "Ah Chao, my divine sense is innately stronger than that of ordinary people. I'm not afraid of it. Do you believe me?"

Wen Qiao nodded. "I do."

She also realized why he could always detect the lurking demons attempting ambushes in the Sealed Demon Mystic Realm. It wasn't due to any spirit artifact he had crafted to detect them, but rather his exceptional divine sense.

Ning Yuzhou explained, "The Demonic Spirit Beads originate from within demons, serving as evidence of their distinction from demonic races. However, they can be quite useful in crafting trinkets."

Hearing this, Wen Qiao couldn't help but ask, "My love, aren't you going to cultivate?"

Ning Yuzhou froze momentarily.

Wen Qiao continued, "Our cultivation levels are still low. We need to strive harder."

Ning Yuzhou: "..."

After that, they focused on their cultivation.

Having undergone two weeks of intense battles in the Demon Sealing Mystic Realm, Wen Qiao had fully grasped the first move of the Heavenly Body Fist and could now proceed to the second. The Heavenly Body Fist comprised eight moves and was a Heaven Rank martial technique.

However, upon practicing it, Wen Qiao discovered that the Heavenly Body Fist was a martial technique capable of self-evolution. If she were to cultivate it to its ultimate state in the future, it might even evolve into an Emperor Rank or even a Sacred Rank martial technique.

When she shared her findings with Ning Yuzhou, he wasn't surprised. "I see. When I chose this fist technique for you, I made some modifications, thinking it would suit you better. I didn't realize it could evolve into an evolving martial technique."

Wen Qiao couldn't help but glance at him, once again marveling inwardly at her husband's genius. Yet, this genius was currently pondering how to skillfully avoid being watched by his young wife while cultivating.

He spoke tactfully and gently, "Ah Chao, you and Wen Tuzi should enter the spatial realm to practice. I'll guard outside. In the mystic realm, your progress with the Heavenly Body Fist was remarkable, but don't neglect your whip technique. It can compensate for your shortcomings in close combat."

Wen Qiao nodded. "Alright, I'll go in then. You must also work hard on your cultivation."

"Alright."

Ning Yuzhou handed her the Purification Pill and a bottle of Essence Sustaining Pills. "Ah Cuo, take one Essence Sustaining Pill each day. It'll gradually make up for your weak meridians."

The Essence Sustaining Pills were spirit pills refined specifically from the Nourishing Marrow Root, targeting issues with meridians. They were perfectly suited for Wen Qiao's condition and were personally crafted by Ning Yuzhou for her. When he initially found the Nourishing Marrow Root, Ning Yuzhou had planned to refine both the Purification Pills and Essence Sustaining Pills.

After his little wife and Wen Tuzi entered the spatial dimension together, Ning Yuzhou took out some alchemical materials and started pondering over how to forge a puppet.

After a moment's thought, he got busy.

***

Two more months passed before Wen Qiao finally emerged from her seclusion.

Her cultivation remained at the middle stage of the Pulse Condensation Realm. Though she hadn't advanced further, the spiritual essence in her Spirit Aperture had become more condensed, making her cultivation more stable. As long as she continued accumulating steadily, she would eventually break through to the late-stage Pulse Condensation Realm.

Upon emerging from seclusion, Wen Qiao examined Ning Yuzhou carefully.

Ning Yuzhou smiled at her. Before the young lady could frown, he pulled her aside. "Ah Cuo, I've refined a low-level puppet."

He pointed at a faceless figure in the corner.

If an ordinary person had suddenly discovered such a faceless entity in their cave abode without any prior warning, they would surely have been frightened.

Wen Qiao silently observed the puppet for a while. Due to Ning Yuzhou's pursuit of perfection, the puppet was crafted with remarkable realism; it was a male puppet dressed in a green robe – Ning Yuzhou had dressed it in a set of clothes he didn't wear often. The only issue was that its lack of a face made it rather terrifying.

Wen Qiao asked, "Why doesn't it have a face?"

"It hasn't been installed yet."

Wen Qiao: "..."

"I was just about to install one, but I'm missing the stones needed for its eyes. I'll have to search for them at the market," Ning Yuzhou explained. "I was planning on going today."

"I'll go with you, then."

Ning Yuzhou tossed the puppet into his storage bag, held her hand, and cheerfully agreed, skillfully evading further inquiry from her.

Thus, the couple left their residence together, boarding a flying crane to head for the market near Crimson Heaven Sect.

The bazaar was situated at the foot of Jade Verdant Peak, belonging to Crimson Heaven Sect's territory. Nearly half of the shops were run by disciples from various peaks of the sect, while the other half belonged to external cultivators, creating a bustling atmosphere.

The pair visited a shop specializing in alchemy materials and purchased a pair of gemstones resembling human eyes.

Afterward, they strolled through the bazaar. Ning Yuzhou casually bought some materials for talisman-making, while Wen Qiao entered an herb store to select spiritual plants.

Suddenly, Wen Qiao softly remarked, "Dearest, our spirit fields are running out again."

Ning Yuzhou: "…."

"When are you going to work on raising your cultivation level?"

Ning Yuzhou: "Cough, after I finish this matter, I'll head to Lingyun Peak."

A smile lit up Wen Qiao's face, softening her cool and timid demeanor, making her appear delightfully charming and endearing.

The shop assistant, who was packing their herbs, looked utterly perplexed.

If the spirit fields were insufficient, one could simply apply for more from the sect. Why would one need to wait for a cultivation level increase? He had never heard that Crimson Heaven Sect's disciples needed to reach a higher cultivation before requesting a spirit field.

Regrettably, apart from the two people involved, no one else could grasp the hidden meaning behind their words.

Of course, it was because the Spirit Fields within the spatial dimension were insufficient again. After all, they had obtained another batch of Spirit Herbs in the Demon Sealing Mystic Realm. The space's Spirit Fields seemed perpetually inadequate, even leaving the Stone Gold Python Vine feeling cramped for growth.

After purchasing the Spirit Herbs, they went to a restaurant within the marketplace for a meal.

Both of them had already achieved Fasting, but due to Wen Qiao's naturally fragile meridians, Ning Yuzhou would cook her special medicinal dishes to nourish her meridians whenever time allowed. As a result, they still found it hard to break away from consuming the purer Spirit Foods. Not only did these satisfy their appetites, but they also replenished some Primordial Spirit Energy within their bodies. Why not indulge?

After strolling around the marketplace, they finally returned to their sect.

Upon returning to the sect, Ning Yuzhou received a message from his Sect Master summoning him to Tianyun Peak.

Wen Qiao, upon hearing that the Sect Master wanted to see him, assumed there was some matter at hand and decided to accompany him to Tianyun Peak.

When they arrived at Tianyun Peak, they had just dismounted from their flying cranes when an inner sect disciple from the peak approached them, beaming with excitement. "Junior Brother Ning, Little Junior Sister, we have guests. It's the Sect Leader of Purple Sun Sect and Fairy Zhongli."