After a whole night of tossing and turning, he finally headed back at a little past four in the morning.
Lin Luoluo threw herself fiercely onto the bed, falling asleep in one second.
Ye Ling and company also slept soundly, as they were under the influence of a dream-inducing powder.
By the next afternoon, none of them had awakened.
Zhou Yu bid farewell to Ye Ling’s grandmother, saying he was going to look around, and then left.
By seven o’clock, Zhou Yu had arrived at the meeting place he had agreed upon with Lu Xiuying and her colleagues.
Lu Xiuying enthusiastically introduced Zhou Yu to the members of her group.
"Apart from our group’s members, I’ve also specifically borrowed a person from the eighth group."
As she was speaking, a girl emerged from inside the room.
"Momo, come over here," Lu Xiuying called.
Zhou Yu smiled faintly as he looked at Momo.
"It’s been a long time," he said.
Momo was equally surprised.
"Zhou Yu, what are you doing here?" she asked.
"Group Leader Lu invited me to help out," Zhou Yu responded.
Momo let out a sigh of relief and smiled lightly.
"That’s great. With you here, I can relax a lot," she said.
Lu Xiuying was taken aback.
"Momo, you know each other? Does Mr. Zhou also understand medical skills?" she inquired.
"We know each other," Momo replied, shrugging her shoulders.
"His medical skills are much better than mine," she added.
Shock was written all over Lu Xiuying’s face.
Momo was known for her pride within the Martial Pavilion, having never been heard praising anyone else, especially regarding medical skills.
Unexpectedly, she held such respect for Zhou Yu.
Surprised but also filled with confidence for the upcoming capture mission, Lu Xiuying declared, "Now that everyone is here, let’s set off."
Momo asked with curiosity, "Group Leader Lu, didn’t you say that Vice-Minister Qiu invited a Formation Master over, where are they?"
"Oh, they’ve already entered the mountain from another direction. We’ve agreed to meet at the campsite we prepared in advance," Lu Xiuying explained.
"Oh," Momo responded.
Lu Xiuying and her team immediately set off into the mountain.
Along the way, Momo stuck close to Zhou Yu, continuously asking him questions about medicine. Zhou Yu patiently answered each one.
Occasionally, a special gleam flickered through Momo’s beautiful eyes, and she seemed extremely excited.
By the time the group entered the mountain, it was completely dark.
After about two hours, they came upon a campsite.
Lu Xiuying announced to the group, "This is the campsite we prepared in advance; we have reserved some members here."
They walked over, and several people came out from the campsite.
One young man immediately stepped forward to greet them.
"Group Leader, you’ve arrived," he said.
Lu Xiuying glanced behind him.
"The reinforcements invited by Vice-Minister Qiu haven’t arrived yet?" she asked.
"Alright, let’s rest first then," Lu Xiuying suggested to Zhou Yu and the others.
Then, she turned to Zhou Yu.
"Mr. Zhou, since we came here in a hurry, we don’t have many tents at the campsite. You can stay in my tent," she offered.
"I’ll share with Momo."
Upon hearing this, Momo immediately said, "Group Leader Lu, there’s no need. Let Zhou Yu stay at my place."
Lu Xiuying was startled, her eyes revealing surprise.
Momo was famously known as the ice beauty of the Martial Pavilion and had never been so proactive before. Could it be?
Blushing, Momo quickly clarified, "Don’t misunderstand, Group Leader Lu. I was just consulting Zhou Yu on a question, which we haven’t finished discussing. I’d like for him to complete his explanation."
"Oh," Lu Xiuying laughed, "Okay then."
Momo, with her cheeks still flushed, led Zhou Yu to her tent.
After arriving at the tent, the two chatted for a while and finished addressing the question. Then Zhou Yu said,
"Momo, could you please keep watch for me for a bit? I need to cultivate for a while."
Momo was filled with curiosity.
Why would he suddenly need to cultivate at such a time?
However, she didn’t ask any further.
"Sure, no problem," she agreed.
Zhou Yu immediately sat down cross-legged.
He had absorbed the Yang Spirit energy from Ye Ling’s grandmother and had been suppressing it in his Dantian with Nether Fire True Qi, without having had the chance to process it yet.
Leaving it untreated for an extended period was not without its effects on him, so he needed to deal with it.
Zhou Yu began to employ the method of condensing the Primordial Spirit taught to him by the old man, starting to refine this Yang Spirit energy.
In half an hour, Zhou Yu had successfully refined the Yang Spirit energy.
Unfortunately, this amount of Yang Spirit energy was too small to even begin forming the basis of a Yang Spirit.
If he wanted to condense a Yang Spirit, he would need much more Yang Spirit energy.
After finishing his cultivation, Zhou Yu did not rush to get up. He released his Yin Spirit.
Seeing as the place was close to the location described by Ye Ling’s grandmother, Zhou Yu decided to investigate first.
Combining the description provided by Ye Ling’s grandmother with Lu Xiuying’s map, Zhou Yu’s Yin Spirit quickly found the indicated location.
It was a dormant volcano.
Zhou Yu began inspecting it carefully using his Yin Spirit.
Opposites repel, and the Yin Spirit was extremely sensitive to the aura of Yang Spirit energy.
After some sensing, there indeed was the presence of Yang Spirit energy here, albeit very weak and nearly dissipated.
"It seems the Yang Spirit energy here has already vanished," he thought.
He remembered what the Northwestern Wolf Three had said.
"Could it be that the Yang Spirit energy has already been taken by the Demon Prison Master?" he wondered.
Unwilling to give up just yet, Zhou Yu immediately expanded the search area.
Shortly after, Zhou Yu’s senses twitched.
Five kilometers from that location, he discovered a cave with a faintly discernible powerful aura within it.
Additionally, he identified numerous formations around the cave.
Controlling his Yin Spirit, Zhou Yu quietly avoided the outermost Formation and was about to move closer for a better look when suddenly, the fluctuation of a Formation hit him.
"Damn it," he thought.
"A Formation specifically targeting the Primordial Spirit."
Without hesitating, Zhou Yu immediately retracted his Yin Spirit.
After a while, Zhou Yu slowly opened his eyes, a sharp light flashing through them.
"There seems to be someone in that cave!" he realized.
"If things go as expected, it should be the Demon Prison Master. He is refining the Yang Spirit energy..."