Bai Ying returned to the Azure Fox Clan's territory to fetch her parents, while Qingman volunteered to stay as a show of sincerity.
Yet Qingman had not expected Jiang Sheng to have no interest in her whatsoever.
Tian Ming'an, on the other hand, had been awakened and was amazed to see such a large fox, stealing glances at her from time to time.
After standing around for more than six hours, they finally saw Bai Ying arrive at dawn with an azure fox and a white fox.
The azure fox was Qingman's elder sister, Qing Yun.
The white fox was Qingman's brother-in-law, Bai Shang.
"Bai Shang and Qing Yun pay their respects to you, Daoist."
The two foxes, one white and one azure, both as tall as a person, looked somewhat ill at ease.
Clearly, they also knew that the handsome Daoist before them, gentle and warm as jade, employed exceedingly ruthless methods.
"Greetings, fellow Daoists. I imagine the little one has already explained things to you."
"I won't conceal anything from you. The Jade-Green Lotus is indeed useful to me, and I intend to obtain it."
Seeing Jiang Sheng speak so frankly, Bai Shang and Qing Yun exchanged a glance. Bai Shang stepped forward and said, "That Black Fire Snake seized our abode. We certainly intend to avenge that wrong."
"If you are willing to help us reclaim our abode, Daoist, I am willing to give you the Jade-Green Lotus."
"I only ask that you leave us two lotus seeds."
The Jade-Green Lotus's lotus throne and seeds each had their own wondrous uses.
The lotus throne contained a vast quantity of pure spiritual energy from heaven and earth, which could help living beings advance their cultivation and extinguish tribulation fire.
The seeds, meanwhile, could be used to refine the Azure Lotus Pill, a rare second-tier pill. A single Azure Lotus Pill could raise an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator's cultivation by more than one level.
Three Azure Lotus Pills were enough to take an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator to the middle stage.
Two lotus seeds would be more than enough to refine five or six Azure Lotus Pills.
Jiang Sheng studied Bai Shang. "Fellow Daoist Bai, are you an alchemist?"
Bai Shang did not conceal it. "I learned some alchemy techniques in that predecessor's hidden abode. They are sufficient for refining certain second-tier pills."
Jiang Sheng nodded slowly. "I also have some knowledge of alchemy. If there are enough lotus seeds, we can refine them together and divide the Azure Lotus Pills equally."
Bai Shang's eyes filled with delighted surprise. "You would be willing to share them equally with us, Daoist?"
No wonder Bai Shang was astonished. In the cultivation world, the strongest had always taken everything.
Jiang Sheng was the strongest among them, capable of slaying a Purple Mansion cultivator with his sword. For such a formidable man to share pills equally with a few fox demons was like a dream!
"This opportunity came about because of you, fellow Daoist. Why shouldn't I share the pills equally with you?"
Overjoyed, Bai Shang hurriedly thanked Jiang Sheng.
Afterward, Jiang Sheng learned from Bai Shang and Qing Yun that the Black Fire Snake had yet to enter the hidden abode, though it might well seek help.
After all, the Jade-Green Lotus matured once every five hundred years, and now less than half a year remained before it ripened.
Bai Shang also said that the Black Fire Snake was probably afraid the couple would seek help, and might have spent all this time trying every possible means to open the hidden abode.
If the Black Fire Snake truly found assistance, or others learned of the news, the situation could change.
After listening, Jiang Sheng pondered briefly and said, "The sooner we act, the better. Now that I know the situation..."
"I certainly won't allow any unexpected developments."
"Would the three of you be willing to accompany me there right now?"
Bai Shang and Qing Yun naturally had no objections, but they were clearly worried about their daughter.
Jiang Sheng said Bai Ying could stay in the temple with his disciple for the time being. With the third-tier formation protecting it, her safety would be assured.
Bai Shang did not refuse. Clearly, this was also a show of trust in Jiang Sheng.
Thus, Bai Ying finally entered Qingxuan Temple, which she had always been curious about.
As the shimmering curtain of water closed, Jiang Sheng and the three human-sized foxes soared into the air and flew toward the eastern side of Qingping Mountain.
Qingping Mountain stretched twelve hundred li across, spanning Dongjun, Sea Commandery, and Long Commandery.
According to Qingman, the Azure Fox Clan lived on Qingping Mountain's northern side, while her elder sister Qing Yun had settled on the eastern side with Bai Shang after reaching Foundation Establishment.
Only after listening to Qingman did Jiang Sheng realize just how many living creatures inhabited Qingping Mountain.
Previously, when Jiang Sheng recited scriptures during his daily morning devotions, many creatures had awakened their intelligence from hearing him chant the Daoist scriptures.
Later, many more creatures had wanted to come and listen, but unfortunately, Jiang Sheng had already entered seclusion.
Jiang Sheng wore a smile, yet his eyes remained calm and unruffled.
In truth, even now, he had not lowered his guard.
Until he had seen the Black Fire Snake, seen the Jade-Green Lotus, and obtained and swallowed the lotus, he would never let down his guard.
Meanwhile, in the mountains on Qingping Mountain's eastern side, a Black Fire Snake more than twenty zhang long lay coiled before an abode.
Hard, black-and-red scales covered the Black Fire Snake's entire body, and strands of fiery saliva occasionally seeped from its jaws.
Whenever the fiery saliva dripped onto the slick stone, hot vapor rose, clearly indicating its extreme temperature.
The Black Fire Snake was named Black Huan. It had cultivated on Qingping Mountain's eastern side for over a hundred years, only advancing to Foundation Establishment after accidentally eating a red fruit.
Later, Black Huan found the little tree that bore those red fruits and made that place its lair.
Whenever Black Huan encountered a bottleneck, it ate a red fruit. By the time it had eaten them all, it had unknowingly reached late-stage Foundation Establishment and could faintly sense the barrier to the Purple Mansion Realm.
Yet Black Huan dared not rashly touch that barrier.
The memories within its bloodline told Black Huan that a Black Fire Snake's bloodline would undergo a transformation upon reaching the Purple Mansion Realm. Black tribulation fire would engulf its body, and if it could not control that fire, it would burn alive while opening its Purple Mansion.
Conversely, as long as Black Huan could control the black fire, it would surely advance to the Purple Mansion Realm and then take human form.
The memories in its bloodline told Black Huan that to advance to the Purple Mansion Realm and control the black fire, it had to either endure it by sheer force or find a spiritual treasure born of heaven and earth.
The red fruits Black Huan had eaten were one such spiritual treasure, called fire spirit fruit.
For fire-aligned creatures, consuming fire spirit fruit over a prolonged period could greatly stimulate their bloodline and improve their cultivation.
Yet because the fire spirit fruit had so greatly stimulated its bloodline, the black fire would be exceptionally fierce when Black Huan opened its Purple Mansion!
Truly, fortune and calamity leaned upon one another.
But once Black Huan mastered that stronger black fire, it would have a chance to enter the Golden Core Realm, grow a single horn, and leap from a Black Fire Snake to a Blackfire Flood Dragon!
Black Huan had often worried about how to break through to the Purple Mansion Realm and control the black fire. Then, by chance, it discovered that the pair of foxes living in the same mountain range actually knew of a heavenly treasure called the Jade-Green Lotus!
The memories in Black Huan's bloodline told it that if it obtained the Jade-Green Lotus, it would certainly be able to open its Purple Mansion. Even the Golden Core Realm would be within reach!
With a heaven-sent opportunity laid before it, how could Black Huan possibly let it slip away?
It went straight to the fox couple's lair and drove them out with its overwhelming cultivation.
But Black Huan had not expected that, although the Jade-Green Lotus was said to be in the foxes' lair, it was also not truly in their lair.
For another abode stood within the fox couple's lair!
That was where the Jade-Green Lotus lay!
All this time, Black Huan had been trying to break through the abode's formation and force its way inside.
Yet as day after day passed without success, Black Huan grew increasingly irritable.
It had a vague premonition that if it could not break into the abode and obtain the Jade-Green Lotus within half a year, it would no longer be able to suppress its advancement!
The ferocity in its bloodline and the looming crisis made Black Huan ever more violent. It continually tried every means of breaking the formation, even kidnapping human cultivators who entered the mountains and forcing them to help open the abode.
Now, seven or eight Qi Refining cultivators stood inside the abode, staring miserably at the formation.
They wanted to flee, but the terrifying late-stage Foundation Establishment Black Fire Snake was behind them. They had no way out.
And from the torn clothing scattered inside the abode, they knew they were not the first unlucky souls the Black Fire Snake had captured.
"You lot, hurry up!"
"If you can't open the abode, I'll eat you!"
Black Huan's hoarse voice carried an overwhelming sense of menace within the abode. Together with its enormous body, it left these Qi Refining cultivators unable to muster even the thought of resistance.
After studying the formation for a long time and attempting all manner of methods, the Qi Refining cultivators finally reached a conclusion: this was no second-tier formation, but a stronger, third-tier formation.
One Qi Refining cultivator plucked up his courage and said, "Great King, this is a third-tier formation. We Qi Refining cultivators can't break it."
Black Huan was about to erupt in fury when the cultivator hurriedly added, "Please calm your anger, Great King! Although we can't break it, we have another way!"
"What way?" Black Huan asked.
The Qi Refining cultivator asked tentatively, "Great King, do you know of the Zhao Family in Sea Commandery?"
Seeing that Black Huan had not become enraged, the cultivator explained his idea. "The Zhao Family is a Purple Mansion lineage with many formation masters. We could trick a few members of the Zhao Family into coming here. They would certainly have a way to open this abode."
"How do I know you won't join forces with the Zhao Family to kill me?" Black Huan countered.
The Qi Refining cultivator was left speechless. He had indeed entertained that thought.
Cruelty filled Black Huan's slit pupils. It abruptly opened its mouth and swallowed the Qi Refining cultivator.
As Black Huan chewed, severed limbs and chunks of flesh dropped to the ground, terrifying the remaining cultivators until they collapsed, their bodies limp.
With the flesh swallowed, blood and fiery saliva still dripped from Black Huan's jaws.
Its slit pupils fixed the Qi Refining cultivators with a cold, merciless stare. "If you can't break this formation, you die!"
The cultivators looked at one another, then scrambled to their feet in terror and continued searching for a weakness in the formation.
Finally, one sharp-eyed cultivator spotted something amiss. He shouted in delight, "Great King! Great King! There's a weakness! There's a weakness!"
Black Huan's immense, heavy body slithered over. "What weakness?"
The cultivator pointed to a spot where the formation's circulation seemed sluggish. "Great King, who knows how long this formation has been maintained? It must be close to exhausting its spiritual energy."
"The spiritual energy is already flowing sluggishly here. If you attack this spot with all your strength, you will certainly break the formation!"
Black Huan examined the spot the cultivator indicated and tentatively spat out a mouthful of flame.
Sure enough, the flow of spiritual energy grew somewhat sluggish in the section of the formation struck by the flames.
Black Huan grew excited. It seemed its relentless attacks over the past few months had worked. The formation was nearly unable to hold!
Scorching flames poured continuously from Black Huan's mouth, burning that section of the formation until it became even more fragile.
Finally, the formation dissolved into fragments of shimmering light.
With nothing left to shield it, the abode lay exposed before Black Huan.
Black Huan's eyes burned with eagerness. "Jade-Green Lotus, I, Black Huan, am coming!"
Here's the second update, another full three thousand words packed with sincerity! Dear readers, please keep reading, bookmark the story, and subscribe~
PS: Lin Yuan had dumplings today. What did you all eat for New Year's Day?
(End of chapter)
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