"Wake up... wake up..."
Xiao Xueyu crouched down, grabbed Zhuo Dongxuan by her delicate shoulders with both hands, and gently shook her as she called out.
Though the shaking was gentle, Zhuo Dongxuan's stunning figure still swayed, making her look even more alluring.
"Young Clan Leader, why hasn't she woken up yet? Could she have fallen under an illusion?"
Xiao Yao shook his head lightly. "It wasn't an illusion. I probably scared her!"
"How could that be? She's the Saintess of the Mysterious Moon Society. Her mental fortitude is absolutely beyond that of ordinary people," the Mysterious Moon Society cultivators protested indignantly.
At that moment, Zhuo Dongxuan's delicate body trembled violently. Coming back to her senses, she looked at Xiao Yao again. This time, she didn't shout for him to stop. Instead, she calmly parted her red lips.
"Sorry! I made a fool of myself!"
Xiao Yao didn't mind. He turned his gaze toward the Dao Fruit Tree. The three Dao Fruits that had been hanging from it earlier were now gone without a trace.
No need to think twice—they must have been picked by Xiao Xueyu, Xiao Yang, and Xiao Juan!
"System, how many Dao Fruits are in my space?" Xiao Yao asked silently.
[Beep! Host, I can't believe you still remember me. I'm so happy right now!]
Xiao Yao was speechless. It hadn't even been half an hour since he completed the system's mission and obtained Heaven and Earth One Sword. Did the system really need to act as if it had been ages since they last talked?
"Just tell me the exact number. Stop dawdling!"
[Beep! Reporting to the host: 100 Dao Fruits in total.]
Xiao Yao glanced around. After subtracting the three taken by Xiao Xueyu and the others, that left 58 people without Dao Fruits.
He swept his arm outward. Fifty-eight Dao Fruits flew out of the system space, scattering through the air like flowers tossed by a celestial maiden as they sailed toward the Mysterious Moon Society cultivators and the Xiao Clan members.
"Why did a Dao Fruit land in my hand?"
"Does the Young Clan Leader mean that everyone gets one? This is amazing!"
"Even those of us from the Mysterious Moon Society got one. It's unbelievable!"
Looking at the Dao Fruit in her hand, crystal-clear and resembling a tiny human baby, Zhuo Dongxuan suddenly understood!
Xiao Yao's gesture had won people's hearts to remarkable effect.
But when she thought about it further, Xiao Yao had that token. He had no need to win anyone over at all!
So why hadn't he kept them all for himself? Why share them with people like them, who had contributed almost nothing?
Zhuo Dongxuan furrowed her delicate brows and looked up at Xiao Yao, about to ask, when his hearty voice rang out. "This is your reward for guarding the Dao Fruit Tree."
Most of the cultivators present felt they didn't deserve it, and sincerely thanked Xiao Yao from the bottom of their hearts.
The rest, however, thought they had earned it. Some even believed that if they hadn't guarded the Dao Fruit Tree, Xiao Yao wouldn't have been able to obtain so many Dao Fruits.
But they forgot that apart from the three Dao Fruits picked by Xiao Xueyu and the others, every other Dao Fruit was in Xiao Yao's possession.
Still, they wore the same expressions as the other cultivators and didn't say anything that might offend Xiao Yao, so all was well.
Tap, tap, tap!
Xiao Yao walked over to Zhuo Dongxuan, bent down slightly, and held out a hand.
Zhuo Dongxuan was puzzled at first, but soon realized she was still sitting on the ground. She took Xiao Yao's hand and got to her feet with a strong pull from him.
After using a spell to clean the dust from her clothes, she clasped her hands respectfully. "Thank you!"
Xiao Yao gave a quiet "Mm." His gaze seemed to be on Zhuo Dongxuan, but he was actually looking at the Dao Fruit Tree, still sparkling with dazzling lights.
So beautiful!
If he took it back and planted it where his master cultivated, she would surely be delighted.
[Beep! The system has sensed the host's strong desire to take the Dao Fruit Tree away, so a mission has been issued: Uproot the Dao Fruit Tree. Upon completion, you will receive one bottle of Four Extremes Dao Liquid of the Emperor Tier!]
Four Extremes Dao Liquid was a kind of water imbued with Dao aura. It could preserve the vitality of anything immersed in it.
However, its effects were weaker on Emperor Tier cultivators and objects, and there was a high chance it wouldn't preserve their original vitality.
Only then did Xiao Yao realize that if he forcefully uprooted the Dao Fruit Tree, it would lose a great deal of vitality, even if he placed it in the system space.
By then, the tree might die before he could plant it where his master cultivated!
"System, your mission came at just the right time!"
[Beep! It's just my job. There's no need to praise me so much.]
Xiao Yao was speechless again. I didn't praise you!
Just then, Zhuo Dongxuan's cheeks grew redder and redder, as if she had caught a cold. In truth, she was indulging in a lovestruck fantasy.
"Xiao Yao, you don't actually have to keep looking at me."
"If you just tell your master, we can be together..."
Before she could finish, Xiao Yao cut her off. "What are you talking about? I've been looking at the Dao Fruit Tree this whole time. I wasn't looking at you!"
Zhuo Dongxuan's long-lashed eyes fluttered wildly. She stood frozen in place, feeling unbearably awkward.
The Mysterious Moon Society cultivators and Xiao Clan members all rolled their eyes. They couldn't help thinking that Xiao Yao was completely clueless about romance!
If it were them, even if they really had been looking at the Dao Fruit Tree, they'd have seized the chance and said they were looking at Zhuo Dongxuan!
That would've been the normal thing to do. But if you had a master far more beautiful than Zhuo Dongxuan, you probably wouldn't think that way.
Besides, Xiao Yao was only twelve. He was just a child, completely innocent and still so young. How could he think such impure thoughts?
"Young Clan Leader, why are you looking at the Dao Fruit Tree? Are you thinking of taking it back?" Xiao Yang asked casually.
Xiao Yao gave a firm "Mm." "That's right! I want to take it back. There's room for some beautiful plants in the courtyard."
In an instant, everyone present twitched, completely unprepared for Xiao Yao to actually mean it.
Xiao Yang stood rooted to the spot and blurted out, "I was really just asking!"
"Young Clan Leader, the Dao Fruit Tree is so enormous. It might be impossible to pull it out!" Xiao Juan said.
Xiao Yao shrugged calmly. "I have my own way!"
Without another moment's hesitation, he hurried over to the trunk of the Dao Fruit Tree and placed one hand against it.
As he released his mana and sensed with his Spiritual Sense, he felt the Dao Fruit Tree's roots buried deep underground.
But he found that his Spiritual Sense couldn't probe any farther down, as if something were interfering with it!
Could there be something else hidden beneath the Dao Fruit Tree?
After thinking it over for a moment, Xiao Yao decided he would find out once he pulled the tree out.
Using the ideal position and angle he'd found through his earlier probing, he wrapped both arms around the trunk and gathered all his mana into his hands. Then he began to uproot it.
Szzzz!
Rumble!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The earth trembled, and the sound of tearing rang all around.
The cultivators in the distance felt as if the heavens themselves were swaying.
A minute later, Xiao Yao had pulled the entire Dao Fruit Tree out of the ground. It hung suspended in the air.
[Beep! Congratulations, host! You have completed the mission: Uproot the Dao Fruit Tree. You have received one bottle of Four Extremes Dao Liquid of the Emperor Tier!]
Zhuo Dongxuan carefully examined the tree with her Spiritual Sense and found it completely undamaged. Clearly, Xiao Yao had used his vast mana to protect its roots.
Still, compared with the enormous Dao Fruit Tree, Xiao Yao looked tiny.
She couldn't understand how he'd managed to pull it up.
How could such a small body contain so much power?
To keep the Dao Fruit Tree from beginning to lose its vitality, Xiao Yao summoned the bottle containing the Four Extremes Dao Liquid.
He used his mana to open it with a pop, then drew the enormous Dao Fruit Tree inside.
After sealing the bottle, Xiao Yao immediately put it into the system space.
Yet in that brief moment, Zhuo Dongxuan, with all her experience, had already realized that the bottle contained Four Extremes Dao Liquid—something even her master would struggle to obtain.
She didn't believe Xiao Yao had gotten it through incredible luck.
It was far more likely that his background was so powerful that even Four Extremes Dao Liquid could be given to him.
Once she finished thinking this through, Zhuo Dongxuan noticed that Xiao Yao's gaze had been fixed on the shattered ground for a while now.
Her curiosity was piqued too, but a mysterious force blocked her Spiritual Sense, keeping her from seeing what lay beneath the earth.
So she flew up. At a glance, she spotted a Nine-tailed Celestial Fox asleep with its head resting on a huge, fluffy, soft, golden-orange tail.
This was the legendary Divine Beast of the Emperor Tier!
Why was it here?
"Ying, ying, ying!"
The Nine-tailed Celestial Fox seemed to sense the disturbance outside. It opened its sleepy eyes and cried out repeatedly.
Xiao Yao immediately dropped down. Strangely, the mysterious force that had blocked his Spiritual Sense didn't stop him.
Tap!
He landed on solid ground. At that moment, a flash of golden-orange light crossed his eyes.
He focused on what lay ahead. The Nine-tailed Celestial Fox was already within arm's reach. Was it launching a sneak attack on him?
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