Chapter 187

Chapter 187

Wen Guangun is a belligerent rabbit.

Demon beasts have distinct ranks; even a single realm difference can result in vastly different combat abilities. When Wen Guangun was still an eighth-stage demon beast, it could only endure and dodge against ninth-stage sea beasts. Now that it has successfully advanced to the ninth stage, it's time for revenge. It even dares to take on late-stage ninth-level sea beasts, which is quite impressive.

Hu Yansheng had never seen such a belligerent demon rabbit before. Is this even a rabbit?

Although the demon rabbit has transcended the ordinary, its instincts remain unchanged. Rather than being timid and fearful, it wouldn't dare to easily confront carnivorous demon beasts. However, this particular demon rabbit is different. Not only is it incredibly brave, but it also holds grudges. It remembers every sea beast that attacked it before and now seeks retribution.

However, ninth-stage sea beasts are not to be underestimated, especially those in the mid-to-late stages. After being stunned by Wen Guangun, they quickly recovered and began chasing the fluffy rabbit.

After the battle, a group of sea beasts lay on their backs in Star Crossing Gorge, while Wen Guangun was left barely alive.

Wen Qiao walked over and picked up the injured Wen Guangun with a broken leg.

Wen Guangun, hiding behind the earthen wall, peeked out and realized the battle was over. It stuffed the last few bamboo leaves into its mouth, climbed onto Wen Qiao's shoulder, and asked her to bring it back.

Wen Qiao glanced at it and said speechlessly, "Wen Guangun, can you be any lazier? You should learn from Wen Guangun."

Although Wen Guangun is belligerent, if demon beasts aren't combative, how can they hone their fighting skills? Wen Qiao didn't think there was anything wrong with Wen Guangun's behavior. Mutated demon beasts naturally differ from ordinary ones, with more ferocious and combative personalities.

Wen Guangun looked at her innocently and made a few sounds.

After Wen Qiao and the others left, Hu Yansheng also collected the sea beasts lying on their backs, planning to guide them. They would continue to suppress the demon rabbits tomorrow and not let the sea beasts lose face.

How could sea beasts lose to land-based demon beasts?

They are the strongest!

The next day, when Wen Qiao appeared with the two demon beasts, she saw a group of sea beasts eagerly preparing for another battle with Wen Guangun.

Wen Guangun's leg injury had healed, and it looked at them with high fighting spirit, grinding its teeth.

Wen Qiao smiled and said to Wen Guangun, "Wen Guangun, go for it! Wen Guangun, today you're not allowed to hide. You must help Wen Guangun fight, or I'll cut off your spirit pills and honey."

The threat of losing spirit pills and honey was too great, so even the lazy Wen Guangun reluctantly swam to Wen Guangun's side.

As the demon beasts fought again, Wen Qiao observed closely and noticed that Wen Guangun, taking advantage of its small size, bounced around among the sea beasts, hitting any unlucky target. Wen Guangun followed, taking advantage of Wen Guangun's attacks to launch sneak attacks.

Most sea beasts are simple-minded and couldn't defend against such sneak attacks. When suddenly covered by an earthen wall from above, they were still stunned.

It wasn't that we were weak, but the enemy was too despicable, resorting to sneak attacks.

Hu Yansheng held his breath, thinking that today could be a good opportunity to train the sea beasts to defend against sneak attacks.

***

Days passed as Wen Qiao diligently practiced, while Wen Guangun and Wen Guangun engaged in daily battles with the sea beasts.

Lan Jinshang stayed away longer than expected, returning four months later.

When Lan Jinshang returned to Star Crossing Gorge, the sea beasts sensed her presence and greeted her. Hu Yansheng led the way, eagerly asking, "Aunt Lan, did you buy the heavenly-grade spirit pill?"

Lan Jinshang sighed.

Seeing her reaction, Hu Yansheng knew there was no success and felt somewhat disappointed, though he understood the situation with the sea clan.

Back in the palace, Lan Jinshang first sought Ning Yuzhou.

She sighed softly and said truthfully, "The sea clan doesn't have the Purple Gold Pill. Although the heavenly-grade alchemist can refine it, he refuses to do so for non-sea clan demons. Even my sea clan friend couldn't help."

At this point, she looked worried, knowing that without the heavenly-grade spirit pill, Xuanlun's injuries would take longer to heal.

Ning Yuzhou had anticipated this outcome and remained calm, saying, "If there isn't one, then let Senior Xuan recover slowly."

Lan Jinshang looked at them, hesitating.

Wen Qiao tilted her head and said straightforwardly, "Senior Lan, just speak your mind. We can handle it."

This girl speaks too directly, thought Lan Jinshang, who was not one to hesitate herself, yet still found Wen Qiao's bluntness amusing. She said embarrassedly, "I promised to help you, but I've been delaying. I feel somewhat..."

"Oh, about that? No need to feel guilty. It's fine here," Wen Qiao said honestly. "There are many sea beasts in Star Crossing Gorge, and Wen Guangun enjoys playing with them every day. Senior Hu often guides me, which benefits my cultivation."

Ning Yuzhou smiled and added, "Indeed, as Chui said, we currently cannot return to the Holy Martial Continent. Wherever we are makes no difference."

Their words were true. Lan Jinshang had never heard of the Holy Martial Continent, indicating it was very far from these waters, so far that even the sea beasts hadn't heard of it.

Even if Wen Qiao and the others wanted to return, it was impossible in the short term. It was better to relax and seek help from the sea beasts to explore the nearest human cultivator continent for a way back to the Holy Martial Continent.

Knowing this couldn't be rushed and appreciating the environment of Star Crossing Gorge, where the sea beasts could serve as sparring partners to hone their martial skills, they were content to stay for now.

Lan Jinshang secretly breathed a sigh of relief and sincerely thanked them, both for saving Xuanlun and for Ning Yuzhou refining the pills for him.

After chatting with Ning Yuzhou, Lan Jinshang hurriedly left to see Xuanlun.

Wen Qiao watched her leave, thinking about the Holy Martial Continent. "We've been gone for so long. I wonder how the Holy Martial Continent is doing, and what about Dongling and Qianshen. They must be worried if they know we're missing."

Since leaving Dongling, although they hadn't returned, Qianshen periodically brought resources back, informing Dongling about the Central Continent and their situation, ensuring peace on both sides. However, this sudden departure from the Holy Martial Continent must have caused great concern among the Qianshen guards.

Ning Yuzhou remained calm, saying, "Don't worry, everything will be fine. Before entering the Thousand Islands Secret Realm, I gave Qianshen spirit pills and cultivation resources to support its development for several years. Besides, Qianshen needs to grow independently and find its own resources."

Ning Yuzhou established Qianshen to provide a backup plan for Dongling. He couldn't constantly oversee it, having given all necessary support initially. Now that Qianshen has stabilized, it can sustain itself, and even without them, nothing major would happen.

With Qianshen secretly protecting Dongling, it would be safe for a while.

As for the Red Sky Sect, being a top sect, there's nothing to worry about.

So, even if they couldn't return to the Sacred Martial Continent for a while, nothing much would happen there.

After hearing this, Wen Guangun found his reasoning sound and stopped worrying about it, focusing instead on her cultivation.

***

Months later, Wen Guangun struck the water with a punch. The force of her blow was like a raging dragon, carrying seawater with it as it roared away. Wherever it passed, the seawater churned, and the surrounding coral reefs were shattered into pieces.

Yansheng's eyes narrowed slightly. Although he didn't move, he didn't dare to be careless and struck out with one palm to shatter the incoming water dragon.

The water dragon broke into countless droplets that scattered, refracting a blue glow. Before Yansheng could fully comprehend what was happening, he suddenly sensed something amiss. Turning his head, he saw a white fist heading straight for his face.

Yansheng: "...Damn, I fell for it."

He was hit squarely by the fist, his nose stinging, almost bringing tears to his eyes.

Although caught off guard by Wen Guangun's feint, Yansheng reacted swiftly, instinctively striking out with a palm. Realizing it too late, he tried to pull back but still managed to send Wen Guangun flying, crashing into the pile of shattered coral.

Yansheng broke out in cold sweat, worried he might have seriously injured her.

Rushing over, he was about to check on her when he saw Wen Guangun already getting up, her face pale but not severely hurt.

Yansheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Having trained Wen Guangun for nearly half a year, although he initially suffered some setbacks due to underestimating human cultivators, once he took her seriously, she couldn't harm him anymore. Yet today, as a proud king-level demon cultivator, he had been deceived by her feint and hit on the cheek, which was quite embarrassing.

Wen Guangun swallowed the blood rising in her throat and attacked Yansheng again.

Yansheng didn't expect her to continue, so he was more cautious this time, suppressing his cultivation to the late-stage Yuan Kong realm. Despite this, he still couldn't avoid the punch, which was incredibly painful.

How could a mere Yuan Kong realm human cultivator possess such strength?

Originally, the "Heavenly Fist" technique was an extremely powerful and fierce style, and combined with the user's extraordinary strength, it made the entire set of punches almost impossible to block. Even a king-level demon cultivator was nearly brought to tears by a single punch, demonstrating the power of these blows.

After the battle, Wen Guangun lay on the fragments of coral.

Yansheng walked over, considering whether to lift her foot and carry her back to the palace, when he suddenly noticed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth rapidly converging on her body.

Was she about to advance?

Yansheng understood and wasn't surprised.

Over the past six months, Wen Guangun had diligently cultivated without slacking off. Even though she was beaten to near-death every day, she never lost heart. Even Yansheng, who had little regard for human cultivators, secretly admired her perseverance.

If someone has poor talent but works hard, it's called making up for it through diligence.

If someone has exceptional talent and also works hard, it's called being naturally gifted. Advancing at such a young age is normal.

Yansheng quickly stepped back and kindly set up a spirit-gathering formation around her, then sat down on a complete piece of coral, watching her meditate within the formation.

After a while, Yansheng suddenly sensed something and turned to see someone appearing at the palace gate.

The person rushed over, their robes fluttering in the water.

Ning Yuzhou arrived nearby, saw Wen Guangun meditating in the spirit-gathering formation, and approached Yansheng.

Yansheng looked at him coldly and said stiffly, "Today, she's advancing. If everything goes well, she should reach the mid-stage Yuan Kong realm."

Ning Yuzhou smiled gently and politely replied, "Thank you, Senior Hu, for your efforts."

Yansheng snorted, indeed, he had put in a lot of effort. For the past six months, he had sparred with her, enduring countless punches. Those punches were excruciatingly painful; only a thick-skinned demon cultivator wouldn't take them seriously.

Two hours later, Wen Guangun finally opened her eyes.

Her cultivation had advanced to the mid-stage Yuan Kong realm.

Wen Guangun stepped out of the spirit-gathering formation and happily asked, "Husband, why are you here?"

"I sensed you were about to advance, so I came to check on you," Ning Yuzhou explained with a smile. He had a drop of her essence blood imprinted on his heart, serving as a connection between them, allowing him to sense her condition vaguely.

Wen Guangun didn't think much of it and cheerfully said, "Husband, I've advanced!"

"Yes, congratulations. Chui is truly the best," Ning Yuzhou gently stroked her head.

Wen Guangun smiled, looking delighted and cute.

On the side, Yansheng watched the oblivious couple and wanted to remind them that he was still there, but decided against it and silently left.

***

Even though it was just a minor advancement, it was still something worth celebrating.

Ning Yuzhou prepared a delicious meal in the courtyard of their guesthouse to celebrate Wen Guangun's advancement and reward them for their hard work during cultivation.

Wen Tuntu asked Ning Gege why he didn't reward them for their recent hard work as well.

Wen Guangun held back her laughter and relayed Wen Tuntu's question to Ning Yuzhou.

Ning Yuzhou casually replied, "Have you run out of spirit pills? Wasn't the Yang Yuan Pill a reward? If you don't consider it one, give it back."

Wen Tuntu immediately fell silent.

The Yang Yuan Pill was notoriously difficult to refine. Even Ning Yuzhou could produce only three or four pills at most each time, never a full ten.

Compared to alchemists who struggled to produce even one pill, getting three was already impressive. The difficulty in refining the Yang Yuan Pill meant that even a prodigy like Ning Yuzhou couldn't find ways to increase its yield.

Not only was it challenging to refine, but the success rate was also low, making the Yang Yuan Pill the most precious among the spirit pills Ning Yuzhou currently refined.

Because of this, Ning Yuzhou gave Wen Tuntu one pill as a reward for her advancement—Wen Guangun got his by tagging along.

Ning Yuzhou had once said: "In the future, whoever advances in rank will be rewarded with Yang-Nourishing Pills. If you want to eat Yang-Nourishing Pills, work hard on your cultivation."

With Ning Yuzhou's words, the two beasts' enthusiasm for battle surged during this period, and even Wen Guangun stopped trying to slack off.

Indeed, there is nothing a spirit pill cannot solve; if it doesn't work, it just means the spirit pill isn't good enough.

This time, for the celebration, Ning Yuzhou prepared a roasted suckling pig—it was the last Qing Lao piglet left from the previous batch, along with roasted tentacles and plenty of seafood.

The aroma of food wafted through the palace, and several Haizhuer stood in front of the courtyard, their lifeless eyes frequently glancing over.

Even though their minds were clouded and confused, their biological instinct for delicious food still made them react more like normal people.

Wen Qiao waved them over.

"Guests, is there anything you need?" Haizhuer bowed respectfully.

Wen Qiao handed them a plate of roasted tentacles. "These are for you. Go ahead and eat."

Confusion appeared on Haizhuer's faces, as if they didn't quite understand what she meant, but according to their beliefs, refusing guests was not an option. After politely thanking her, the Haizhuer divided the roasted tentacles among themselves.

Perhaps it was the enticing aroma of the food that attracted the palace's owner.

Yansheng walked into the courtyard, staring intently at the two people and two beasts feasting. His gaze moved from the plate held by Haizhuer to the golden, crispy roasted suckling pig on the grill.

It looked really delicious.

As a genuine sea beast, Yansheng had never been to the human cultivator continent. All his knowledge about it came from other sea beasts or sea clans. He knew that human cultivators enjoyed cooked food. After eating the cooked food prepared by Haizhuer, Yansheng thought human cultivators were a troublesome bunch, needing to cook their food when raw food wasn't much different.

Until now, smelling the aroma of the food in the air, Yansheng felt that perhaps everything he had eaten before might as well have been waste.