Chapter 129

Chapter 129

Ning Yuzhou sized up the demon bone for a moment before asking, "Whose demon bone is this? A relic of which senior demon cultivator?"

The wolf king let out a few mournful howls.

Wen Qiao translated beside him, "The wolf king says that this demon bone was left behind by an ancestor of the Azure Wing Demon Wolves. It's said that this senior demon cultivator of the Azure Wing Demon Wolves was ambushed by their enemies on the eve of their heavenly tribulation, and later fell due to severe injuries. Their demon bone remained here…"

After hearing this, Ning Yuzhou looked at the wing bones on either side of the demon core and understood.

He had already guessed as much, and now with the wolf king's confirmation, he was certain that this place was likely the forbidden grounds of the Azure Wing Demon Wolves. If not for the wolf king leading them, they would have never been able to enter easily.

This was because although the owner of the demon bone had fallen and only left behind their skeletal remains, the power still lingering on the demon bone instinctively repelled any non-Azure Wing Demon Wolf creatures.

From this, it could be seen that the Azure Wing Demon Wolves once had a Saint Origin Realm powerhouse, and the Azure Wing Demon Wolves once thrived in the Sacred Martial Continent. Unfortunately, time had changed everything, and no clan could guarantee eternal glory. The Azure Wing Demon Wolves gradually fell from the ranks of the strong, only dwelling within the shifting desert.

Connecting this to the history of the Sacred Martial Continent, the last Grand Sage Realm expert appeared roughly sixty thousand years ago, falling during a battle with the fiend sealed within the Fiend Suppression Secret Realm. Since then, the Sacred Martial Continent hadn't produced another Grand Sage Realm expert.

Therefore, it could be speculated that the Grand Sage Realm demon cultivator who left behind this demon bone had roamed the Sacred Martial Continent between sixty thousand and one hundred thousand years ago.

"Can we go down for a look?" Ning Yuzhou asked the wolf king.

The wolf king nodded, gesturing for the two to get onto its back so it could take them down.

This was the forbidden grounds of the Azure Wing Demon Wolves, and also the burial place of the Grand Sage Realm demon cultivator. Apart from the Azure Wing Demon Wolves, human cultivators and other demon beasts would be severely suppressed if they entered this place, and might even be unable to fly using their swords.

It could be said that this space had already formed a special domain under the influence of the demon bone, a legacy left by the ancestors of the Azure Wing Demon Wolves to protect their descendants.

After the two climbed onto the wolf king's back, it leaped forward, spreading its wings as it exited the cave and descended.

Arriving at the large cavern below, the two jumped off the wolf king's back and stood before the demon bone, looking up at it in awe.

"It's huge," Wen Qiao remarked. "Several times bigger than you, Wolf King."

The wolf king glanced at her, the meaning clear: The owner of this demon bone had been at the peak of the Saint Origin Realm in life, just one step away from transcending the heavenly tribulation. It was currently only in the late Ninth Rank, three major realms apart. How could it compare?

The two circled around the demon bone, Wen Qiao's eyes filled with curiosity and reverence.

Despite its owner having fallen many years ago, this demon bone still exuded an oppressive aura, indicating the quality of the bone. Demon bones left behind by high-level demon cultivators were the best material for refining artifacts. They could not only be used to forge flying vehicles but could also be integrated into weapons, enhancing their quality.

In addition, demon bones held a special significance for demon beasts.

Demon beasts could extract the power and essence contained within the demon bone, devouring it and integrating it into themselves. This could improve the grade of the demon beast's bloodline while also increasing their strength, providing a shortcut for cultivation.

That was why Wen Qiao hesitated, unable to resist asking again, "Wolf King, are you really determined to give us this demon bone?"

The wolf king squatted to the side, not answering directly. Its calm demeanor indicated that its decision was final.

Seeing this, Wen Qiao stopped asking, following behind Ning Yuzhou as they circled around the demon bone, admiring the relic left behind by demon cultivators. This was a rare opportunity.

Ning Yuzhou quickly finished inspecting the demon bone, walking up to the wolf king and saying, "The quality of this demon bone is good, but I don't want the entire thing. Just a few bones will do."

The wolf king looked up at him.

Ning Yuzhou calmly stated, "A Heaven Origin Pill isn't worth an entire Grand Sage Realm demon bone. For a fair exchange, I'll only take a few bones."

The wolf king thought about it and agreed.

If not for the fact that the Azure Wing Demon Wolves had nothing valuable to offer in return, the wolf king wouldn't have touched this demon bone.

In the end, Ning Yuzhou selected several demon bones, tossing them into his spatial ring. Then, they climbed back onto the wolf king's back, allowing it to take them away from this place.

***

Upon returning to the Qingyan Oasis, Ning Yuzhou continued refining pills, striving to upgrade the quality of the Earth Rank pills to the highest grade.

He consecutively refined several varieties of Earth Rank pills, all of which were of the highest grade. He then fulfilled the promise he had made two years ago, giving Wen Tutu a bottle of highest-grade Earth Rank pills.

Wen Qiao continued to cultivate with the Azure Wing Demon Wolves in the desert, occasionally fighting with other demon beasts found within the desert to hone her martial skills. Her days were filled with activity.

After a month, both of them suddenly sensed something amiss with the identity tokens of the Scarlet Cloud Sect disciples.

They took out the identity tokens from their storage bags and noticed that they were faintly glowing with spiritual light. This indicated that the sect was calling for all external disciples to swiftly return to the sect.

As a major sect, the Scarlet Cloud Sect had countless disciples, many of whom were often outside training. Unless there was something significant, the sect would not easily summon its disciples back.

When the sect called, they had to return.

Having been out training for nearly three years, it was indeed time to go back.

Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou packed their things – not that there was much to pack – and then bid farewell to the wolf king.

Over these past two years, they had lived comfortably in the Qingyan Oasis. Considering this was the territory of the Azure Wing Demon Wolves, ordinary cultivators dared not approach casually, ensuring no one came to disturb them. It was a great place for cultivation.

Regarding their departure, the wolf king showed no particular reaction, only sending an Eighth Rank demon wolf to escort them out of the shifting desert to avoid any trouble along the way.

"Well, thank you, Wolf King. When we come back to the shifting desert, we'll visit you again," Wen Qiao said with a smile.

As they were preparing to leave, a small wolf pup rushed out from the oasis, directly colliding into Wen Qiao's arms. Its paws hung onto her body as it let out whining sounds.

Wen Qiao instinctively looked at the wolf king, not daring to take its cub right in front of its father. She hurriedly said, "This won't do. We're going back to the sect; you can't come with us. In the future, follow your father and don't run around recklessly, lest you get stolen again."

The little wolf pup continued to whine, indicating that it wanted to go with them.

As for its father, it indicated that it would return to see him after it cultivated and transformed into human form.

This was also a filial failure, willing to abandon its father just to leave with them.

Wen Qiao still refused. Seeing that the little wolf pup was determined to follow them, she could only say, "You're too young. It's inconvenient to bring you along; we can't take care of you. Look, my camel beast is still here, and that strange stone; I'm leaving them behind. We'll come back to take them later. Before we arrive, you can watch over them for us, alright?"

The environment of the Qingyan Oasis was too good, and the demon wolves knew that these were their mounts, so they never considered eating the dromedary beasts as food. This resulted in it, a herbivorous low-level demon beast, mysteriously becoming a member of the Qingyan Oasis.

Now, the dromedary beast was living quite comfortably in the Qingyan Oasis and had no intention of leaving at all, determined to stay.

As for the strange stone dragged back from the Blackrock Gorge, Wen Qiao used it like an Empty Enlightenment Stone, for cultivation. And the quality of this strange stone was also very good, enduring her countless punches and sword techniques, losing some fragments but still standing tenaciously in the oasis, becoming one of its sights.

After much persuasion, Wen Qiao finally convinced the young wolf not to follow them.

As for contracting with the young wolf?

Wen Qiao hadn't even thought about it. Even Wen Tutu, who had been following them all along, had never established a contract with them; it could be said that Wen Tutu was free, following them purely for the spirit pills.

The little wolf wanted to follow them, partly for the spirit pills, and partly because it couldn't bear to part with Wen Qiao.

Regarding this, Wen Tutu was the happiest, having no other demon beasts to compete with for Xiao Miao Miao's attention, remaining unique.

After bidding farewell to the Wolf King, Ning Yuzhou and Wen Qiao leaped onto the back of an eighth-stage demon wolf, finally leaving the Qingyan Oasis.

Three days later, the Azurewing Demon Wolf flapped its wings and flew toward the edge of the desert.

Suddenly, Wen Qiao asked the Azurewing Demon Wolf to stop.

The Azurewing Demon Wolf obediently stopped mid-air, and Ning Yuzhou asked, "Ah Chuo, what is it?"

Wen Qiao said, "Husband, look over there."

Ning Yuzhou followed the direction she pointed and saw two cultivators supporting each other, stumbling forward in the vast expanse of yellow sand. They wouldn't have paid much attention to the appearance of two cultivators in the desert, but among the two, one was a middle-aged man they had met before, the stall owner who sold them two Yellow Crystal Ants.

Then, they noticed several cultivators rushing toward those two, clearly targeting them.

Those two were injured and didn't escape quickly, soon being caught by the group of cultivators. Without a word, they started fighting, another bloody battle.

The Azurewing Demon Wolf flew in the sky, watching from afar. Because of the distance, the people below didn't notice them at all.

After watching for a while, Wen Qiao said to Ning Yuzhou, "Husband, you sit here. I'll go down for a moment."

Ning Yuzhou smiled gently, "Be careful."

Wen Qiao gave him a smile, then her expression turned serious, jumping down from mid-air. Her whole body was like a light butterfly, her clothes fluttering as she descended from the sky.

The group of battling cultivators didn't expect someone to appear. After a brief moment of surprise, they unsheathed their swords without hesitation, not caring if the newcomer was an innocent passerby.

Wen Qiao whipped out her whip at the approaching person, then threw a punch, followed by a spinning kick that sent someone flying.

The person kicked flew across and crashed onto a sand dune, his breath instantly weakening, already losing his combat capability.

The others were startled.

The stall owner who sold the Yellow Crystal Ants widened his eyes upon seeing Wen Qiao and exclaimed, "It's you!!"

Beside him was a pale-faced young man. Upon hearing his brother's words, he was momentarily stunned but quickly regained his composure, coughing as he tried his best to protect himself, not wanting to burden his brother.

Wen Qiao ignored them and pounced on the cultivators chasing the stall owner, wielding her whip in one hand and transforming her other hand into a fist. The long whip pulled people over, while her fist gathered energy, striking through the air. When the fist hit the enemy's chest, the person's chest caved in, and they fell to the ground.

Wen Qiao displayed the results of her cultivation in the Shifting Desert on these cultivators, using them to hone her skills.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Wen Qiao had incapacitated the entire group, rendering them incapable of fighting.

The stall owner and his brother watched her dumbfounded until she turned to look at them, causing both of them to shudder.

Wen Qiao flicked her whip, and the golden whip automatically transformed into a belt, draping around her waist. Part of it hung down, swaying gracefully along the hem of her dress, particularly elegant.

"Are you alright?" Wen Qiao asked.

The young man beside the stall owner collected himself and gratefully bowed to Wen Qiao, "Thank you, Miss, for coming to our aid."

"No problem," Wen Qiao said nonchalantly, looking at the stall owner, "Stall owner, we meet again. The two Yellow Crystal Ants you sold me are great. I really like them."

The stall owner responded instinctively, "Really? I'm glad you like them, hehe..."

Realizing how foolish he sounded, the stall owner quickly composed himself, hastily bowing to Wen Qiao, "Miss, we owe you once again. Thank you for saving our lives."

Wen Qiao asked, "What's going on with these people? You didn't do anything like bullying the weak or setting fires and killing people, did you?"

The stall owner hastily replied, "How could that be possible? I, Hu Dayan, would never bully the weak or set fires and kill people... well, except for those who deserve it. These people are from the Peng family of Yellow Sand City. Recently, my brother guided a rival merchant caravan into the Shifting Desert, causing significant losses for the Peng family. The Peng family believes that if it weren't for my brother, the caravan should have perished in the Shifting Desert instead of returning to Yellow Sand City to compete with them for business..."

"The Peng family has always wanted to get rid of my brother. I never expected that this time they would lure us out of the city, intending to let us die in the Shifting Desert..."

Speaking up to this point, the stall owner's face revealed a bitter and resentful expression.

After listening, Wen Qiao looked at the young man beside the stall owner, who seemed like a scholar with his refined demeanor. However, since he could guide people through the Shifting Desert, it was evident that he possessed a remarkable ability to navigate such a bizarre environment.

"Ashuo."

A voice rang out. The stall owner and his brother followed the sound and froze when they saw the Azurewing Demon Wolf in the sky and Ning Yuzhou on its back.

Being frequent visitors to the Shifting Desert, they naturally knew the reputation of the Azurewing Demon Wolves.

And what did they see now? An eighth-stage Azurewing Demon Wolf carrying a person?

The Azurewing Demon Wolf descended from the sky, landing on all fours and folding its wings by its side. Then, Ning Yuzhou jumped off its back and walked to Wen Qiao's side, sizing up the stall owner and his brother.

The stall owner and his brother glanced at the Azurewing Demon Wolf behind them, wisely refraining from asking any questions.

"What are your names?" Ning Yuzhou asked.

The stall owner hurriedly replied, "My name is Hu Dayan, and this is my brother, Hu Shuangyan."

These names...

Wen Qiao couldn’t help but look at them. Were all the names in their family so distinctively unique?

Ning Yuzhou then asked about the earlier incident, understanding the cause and effect, as he looked indifferently towards Hu Shuangyan.

Although Hu Shuangyan was also of a refined type, in front of the Seventh Prince of Dongling, his appearance didn’t even reach half of Ning Yuzhou’s, and his presence was weak, losing the nimbleness he once displayed when traveling with merchant caravans across the south and north.

Recalling his elder brother’s words from before, Hu Shuangyan hurriedly stepped forward, "More than two years ago, I had stagnant blood in my meridians. It was thanks to the two Pills of Enlightenment that you gave me that I recovered. Thank you both."

Ning Yuzhou replied indifferently, "It was merely a fair trade."

At this moment, two yellow crystal ants crawled out of the pouch hanging from Wen Qiao’s waist, curiously looking at their former owner.

Upon seeing this, Hu Dayan’s eyes widened, pointing at the two crystal ants, he exclaimed, "They…."

"They have mutated." A smile appeared on Wen Qiao’s face.

With this smile, the cool aloofness between her brows dissipated, like the blossoms of spring, extraordinarily beautiful and captivating. The Hu brothers couldn’t help but steal a few more glances. There were many beautiful female cultivators, but in this area of the shifting desert, it was rare for any female cultivator to come here. Those who dared to visit were all so fierce that even men wouldn’t dare to provoke them, and most of those female cultivators’ appearances didn’t compare to the one standing before them.

The Hu brothers didn’t dare to stare, instead, they stood there, waiting for the two people’s reactions.

Suddenly, Ning Yuzhou said, "Ah Zhuo, let’s go."

Wen Qiao exclaimed, waving at the Hu brothers, "We’re leaving now. You two be careful as well."

Seeing that the two were about to leave, Hu Shuangyan suddenly stepped forward, saying, "Our benefactors, please wait a moment."

Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou turned to look at him. Confusion was evident on Wen Qiao’s face, while Ning Yuzhou’s expression remained indifferent, revealing nothing of what he was thinking.

Hu Shuangyan gritted his teeth and quickly made a decision, bowing to them, he said, "Our benefactors, I am Hu Shuangyan, born with peculiar eyes, capable of discerning strange environments with my eye power. I am at the Primordial Void realm. Do our benefactors need a follower?"

Hu Dayan looked at his brother in surprise, his mouth moving as if he wanted to say something but held back.