Of course, their brief friendship did not prevent them from fighting each other in the future.
After obtaining the Tao Seed of the Demon Flower, Chen Shixian left in a hurry. She needed to go into seclusion and improve her strength as much as possible to prepare for the upcoming situation.
The group traveled far from Chaoge City to a remote small town.
Chen Pingping looked at the Demon Flower with great interest. Without the golden glow enveloping it, the flower seemed entirely ordinary. Aside from some thick petals and a few extra roots, it appeared no different from a common flower. Its aura was restrained, its fluctuations invisible.
"Is this the thing that led to the existence of two Great Emperors on the Heaven Martial Continent?" Chen Pingping was somewhat incredulous.
"That’s how the legend goes," Hong You added, also observing the Demon Flower. The more she looked at it, the more shocked she felt...
Even without fully manifesting, just observing the Demon Flower gave her a feeling of Enlightenment.
She had the feeling that if she were to comprehend the Great Tao with this Demon Flower, wouldn’t she enter the Imperial Realm in mere minutes?
Chen Pingping shrugged. "It doesn’t seem like much to me!"
The Demon Flower produced three Tao Seeds: one was given to Chen Shixian, the second to Guang Xiaoyu, and the third to Zi Ji. Now, all of them had gone into seclusion.
"Not much?" Hong You’s mouth twitched. "Give it to me for Enlightenment then!" she said, taking the Demon Flower from Chen Pingping’s hands.
The charm spell began to spread.
Hong You was startled and quickly threw it back.
"What’s wrong?" he asked.
"You didn’t feel anything?"
"Not at all!" Chen Pingping frowned, turning the Demon Flower over in his hands but not noticing anything strange.
She wiped away a bead of cold sweat, her heart still pounding from the shock.
It seemed that Enlightenment with the Demon Flower was not meant for her...
Chen Pingping looked at the flower for a while longer, finding it uninteresting, and then tucked it away.
Hong You, as if remembering something, asked, "Are all these little animals around you Spiritual Beasts?"
Thinking back to that night’s events, the memory was still fresh. It was too shocking.
The little black dog, Hei, who could unleash Abyss Sword Tao from its mouth, killing countless formidable enemies.
And Lao Huang, the old yellow ox, its powerful presence able to block even the Void Force.
Yes! Even the Earth Chicken could break seals. My God! I’m going to lose my mind. Had Nan Zhanbu Province really fallen so far? Surely not, right? Why does he have so many Spiritual Beasts with him?
Chen Pingping thought for a moment, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over Mao Qiu, and then said, "Not all of them are!"
Oh? Hong You breathed a sigh of relief. It was better that not all were Spiritual Beasts; if they were, it would simply be too much to accept, wouldn’t it? Yes, yes! Probably only the little black dog, Hei, was a Spiritual Beast. Lao Huang, the old yellow ox, hadn’t reached that level and was simply a creature that had become spiritually aware, and the same went for the Earth Chicken. That’s what she thought.
She asked another question, "There were many formidable enemies that night, why weren’t you worried about their safety? Even with the protection of Spiritual Beasts, what if something happened?"
Chen Pingping looked askance at her. "I was worried the whole time!"
...There wasn’t a hint of worry about you.
Hong You rolled her eyes and said with a serious tone, "Although the killers from Chong Tower made their move, their Sleeping Ones have been lurking in the shadows. If they intervene, I fear we may be unable to resist!"
Remembering the events of that night, it really was too dangerous. Fortunately, the Sleeping Ones of Chong Tower did not take action; otherwise, their chances of survival would have been slim, and they would not have been able to leave that place safely.
Later, when Guang Xiaoyu received the Demon Flower, to be honest, although Hong You was shocked, she was also extremely worried. The existence of the Demon Flower held great significance. If the major powers of the Central Continent were to attack as one, their small group would soon become targets for all, and again face a situation with slim odds of survival.
What was fortunate was that they had escaped from there. Even now, Hong You still felt like she had been reborn from a calamity.
"So, have you agreed to join our Wuji Sect?" Chen Pingping asked.
"If I become an Elder of your Wuji Sect, can I manage you?" she countered.
"Apart from Qingfeng, you can manage anyone else you like," Chen Pingping said.
"Even the Sect Master?"
What kind of talk was that? An Elder managing the Sect Master? Could it be? Hong You was half convinced, half doubtful.
But she was unaware that within the Wuji Sect, apart from Qingfeng, the one with the highest fighting power was Baili Jiansan. She also didn’t know if he had broken through to King Tao. Of course, even if Baili Jiansan stepped into the King Tao realm, he wouldn’t be a match for the Hong You standing before him. The higher-ups of Chong Tower were no joke.
Coax her... oh, no, that’s not the right word. If I can get Hong You to join the Wuji Sect as an Elder, Baili Jiansan and those old men will surely be too excited to sleep.May Heaven bless us, the Wuji Sect finally has a Divine King.
With his words, Hong You became curious about this so-called Wuji Sect. The name sounded decent, but what about the sect itself? How strong was it? How many powerful members did it have? Did it have deep foundations?
What kind of sect was it that could produce a terrifying young talent like Chen Pingping? Hong You was somewhat expectant.
"Is Qingfeng very special?" she inquired with curiosity.
"Then why can’t an Elder manage Qingfeng?"
"Because the Master of Qingfeng has a difficult temperament and can’t be managed..." He thought for a moment and could only answer that way. Could Wen Yuqing manage him? Baili Jiansan had already provided the answer: no!
Oh? A difficult temperament! Hong You arched her eyebrows, clearly displeased. "For a sect to grow, the last thing we need are disobedient members. If something happens in the future because of this, it will surely cause big trouble. No, this won’t do. I have to manage this."
...They say a new official makes a strong impression, but you haven’t even taken office and you’re already looking to stir things up?
Chen Pingping shrugged his shoulders, not arguing with her further.
Let her try! After all, Master isn’t at the Sect. If she wants to manage Qingfeng, she can. We aren’t going back anyway; Qingfeng is just a bare mountain. But he admired this about Hong You; she was already concerned about the future of the Wuji Sect before even taking office. Not bad, not bad at all! I’ll have to find some time to give her a few pointers.
Hong You said, "The Sleeping Ones of Chong Tower remain a problem. We must take it seriously!"
"Oh? How so?" Chen Pingping asked.
"First, we must avoid their spearhead. We should move every three to five days," she said solemnly. "I know their strength all too well; it’s terrifying."
"Isn’t that too frequent?" Chen Pingping was annoyed.
"Unless you want to die!"
"Let’s think about it from a different angle. What if they can’t find us?" Chen Pingping proposed.
"Impossible!" Hong You retorted. "Chong Tower’s Stealth Skill and Prediction Skill are renowned as the Twin Excellences. As long as you’re alive, they can find you."
Not necessarily, right? Chen Pingping’s eyes darted around.
She then said, "I’m an Elder now; you must listen to me on this matter."
"Then? What if they come?" Chen Pingping said.
"Prepare to die!" Hong You stood up, ready to plan their move. Then she suddenly paused, recalling what Chen Pingping had just said.
They come? Who was coming?
She held her breath and fixed her gaze in the distance, where two old men stood.