Let Us Row Our Oars!

It's Chinese Parasol Tree! Song Shuhang's eyes lit up. The branches of the parasol tree are where the Phoenix roosts!

Could the spirit beast I'm about to encounter be Phoenix? Even if it's not Phoenix, it should at least be a spirit beast of the Phoenix lineage, right?

I'm really looking forward to it! What kind of splendor and beauty will this mythical beast, which exists only in legends, possess? It is the most beautiful and noble mythical beast in China legends.

Although he was excited, Song Shuhang still followed closely behind Miss Jiudeng, staying by her side at all times, afraid of getting lost.

As they got closer to the sycamore tree, Song Shuhang's sharp eyesight allowed him to see the entire tall tree.

A towering tree, over fifty meters tall, stands majestically at the valley entrance. Its thick trunk and branches bear the marks of a long and eventful history.

Wait a minute, there seems to be a white-and-red object perched on this tree.

It looks round and plump, very appetizing, and makes one's mouth water.

It is neither Phoenix nor a bird.

Song Shuhang tried to widen his eyes as much as possible, adjusting his vision to its strongest state.

Then he saw the true form of the round object—it was a pig, round as a ball...

Because it was so fat, its four legs appeared very short. But even with these short legs, it held tightly to the trunk of the huge Chinese Parasol Tree, preventing it from falling off.

But it always seems so tired...

"A pig that can climb trees!" Song Shuhang exclaimed in amazement.

"Keep quiet," the Miss Jiudeng leading the way said softly.

Song Shuhang quickly shut his mouth. However, such a fat, ball-shaped pig hanging on the trunk of Chinese Parasol Tree was too conspicuous.

So, Song Shuhang couldn't help but glance at it again and again.

Perhaps it was because Song Shuhang's gaze was too expressive that the round pig sensed his stare.

Then, it turned its head, its dark eyes looking back at Song Shuhang.

"What are you looking at?" the round pig suddenly opened its mouth and shouted, its voice booming so loudly that Song Shuhang's ears were ringing. It was as loud as Lion's Roar.

Before Song Shuhang could answer, the Miss Jiudeng in front of him smirked and said, "What are you looking at!"

"Try taking another look?!" the round pig roared.

"Try it then! What's wrong with that?" The Miss Jiudeng tilted her head and glared fiercely at the round pig. Her eyes were fixed on it, not blinking an eye.

The round pig stopped answering, and after a moment, its entire body turned pink.

After a long pause, it weakly spoke up, "Stop staring at the old pig like that, it's embarrassing for the pig..."

Song Shuhang: "..."

Don't tell him that this round pig is the target this time, a powerful spirit beast senior?

Even if the senior wasn't Phoenix, shouldn't they at least be a pig? The gap is too big!

At this moment, the Miss Jiudeng smiled and said, "Fat Ball, stop talking nonsense. Every time you come over, I have to put on this show with you. Aren't you tired of it?"

"That's exactly what I like," the pig, its entire body flushed pink, replied timidly.

"At least change your lines next time, or I'll beat you up." The Miss Jiudeng said, "I'm not going to waste my breath on you. Is Senior still in the valley?"

"Here, is there something you need?" the pink, Fat Ball asked.

"Isn't that obvious? I'm so busy, why would I come all the way to this valley to tease you instead of looking for a senior?" Miss Jiudeng sneered.

Song Shuhang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that this pig named 'Fat Ball' wasn't a senior spirit beast, but rather a spirit beast responsible for guarding the valley entrance. Thank goodness...

"I really thought you came to play with me," the Fat Ball murmured, then it stretched out its paw and gently tapped the Chinese Parasol Tree three times.

The next moment, the fairyland in the valley before Song Shuhang suddenly changed, transforming into a vast black ocean—an endless black ocean, and utterly silent!

Moreover, there wasn't a single thing floating on the vast sea. It seemed that everything that had fallen into the sea had sunk to the bottom.

If... without the starting signal from the Fat Ball, anyone attempting to rush into the previous Fairy Valley would fall into this endless Black Dead Sea.

After the Black Dead Sea appeared, the Fat Ball on the Chinese Parasol Tree stretched out its other claw and tapped three more times.

On the deathly black sea, One-Leaf Lone Boat suddenly appears out of nowhere.

"Come on, follow me." The Miss Jiudeng led the way to the lone boat. "Remember, when we're on the sea, don't say a word until we reach the shore! No matter who asks you a question, even if it's me asking you a question, don't say a word... Otherwise, no one can save you."

Song Shuhang nodded silently and followed the Miss Jiudeng onto the lone boat.

After boarding the lone boat, Jiudeng remained silent, simply handing the oar to Song Shuhang.

Song Shuhang picked up the oar and tried to paddle in the water.

The lone boat sped through the still sea... Strangely, although he could clearly see the oars moving and the waves churning, Song Shuhang couldn't hear a sound.

As the lone boat continued its journey, Song Shuhang gradually felt his body grow heavier.

Normally, a gentle stroke of the oar would send the lone boat darting far across the sea. But now, even a forceful stroke only moves the boat forward a tiny bit.

Moreover... if he stops rowing even slightly, the lone boat will back up.

In this strange sea, even rowing a boat is no easy task!

Song Shuhang smiled bitterly to himself, his only recourse being to row the boat with all his might. At the same time, he activated the qi Blood Qi in the acupoints of his body; only in this way could he keep the lone boat moving forward smoothly.

************************

Let's row our oars, the little boat pushes through the waves~~ Song Shuhang's pale face is reflected on the sea~~

Song Shuhang is already taking Blood-Qi Pill.

It won't hold up if it doesn't bump against something.

He had lost track of how long he had been rowing on this desolate ocean. But he could see no shore ahead and no horizon behind. The vast sea stretched endlessly, with no end in sight.

His internal Blood Qi Value had been depleted time and time again. Each time his internal Blood Qi and Blood Qi, as well as those stored by the Spirit Ghost, were exhausted, he could only replenish his depleted energy and Blood Qi reserves by consuming Blood-Qi Pill.

He had almost used up all the Blood-Qi Pill he carried, but he still hadn't seen the Other Shore.

However, although Song Shuhang's face was somewhat pale, he remained calm.

--This is all thanks to Onion Lady. Not long ago, when Song Shuhang entered Onion Lady's dream, he personally experienced what it was like to become an onion and live a monotonous life in the wind and rain for countless years.

His patience therefore became very strong.

Even with the incredibly monotonous act of rowing, and with no end in sight, he could still maintain a calm and composed mindset.

Even the Miss Jiudeng looked at Song Shuhang in surprise at this.

The small boat continued its journey, paddling across the lifeless sea.

He didn't know how much time had passed when Song Shuhang suddenly felt a lightness in his body.

The feeling was like carrying a hundred-pound weight across the desert, and suddenly someone untied the weight from your body. Song Shuhang felt as if his body was so light it was about to float away, and he could swing the oars with incredible speed.

"Are we about to reach the shore?" he wondered to himself.

As Song Shuhang was pondering this, the scene before him changed once again.

The once lifeless black seawater turned pure white. And, seemingly out of nowhere, a dock appeared before him.

Furthermore, pure spiritual energy from heaven and earth continuously poured into his body. This was a reward, a reward for his successful passage through the long Black Sea.

"Now you can speak." At this moment, the voice of the Miss Jiudeng came.

Song Shuhang breathed a sigh of relief and was about to answer.

But suddenly, he covered his mouth tightly with one hand—he was so close, so very close, to speaking. But he was still on the sea! He hadn't reached the shore yet!

That was close!

As Song Shuhang covered his mouth, it seemed he had passed some kind of test, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged into his body even more rapidly.

Before entering Heavenly Island, Song Shuhang had already activated the four major acupoints of the heart, eyes, nose, and ears, and was now working on breaking through to the Fifth Aperture, the Mouth Aperture.

Song Shuhang didn't cut off the Onion Lady. If he had followed Senior White's advice and cut off the Onion Lady seedling and consumed it, he might have been able to accumulate enough Blood Qi Value in his Mouth Aperture to reach perfection in one go.

However, now, the pure spiritual energy of heaven and earth is continuously flowing into Song Shuhang's body. Especially when he opens his mouth to speak, the spiritual energy is like a pillar, rushing directly into his mouth and into his Mouth Aperture, giving him a terrible oral explosion.

In addition, Song Shuhang's repeated swallowing of Blood-Qi Pill while rowing on the desolate sea was equivalent to repeated cultivation.

In this way, the Blood Qi in his Mouth Aperture suddenly increased to nine-tenths of their capacity. With just a little more accumulation, he could reach the point where the Blood Qi in his Mouth Aperture were overflowing, thus breaking through to the Mouth Aperture Realm!

Once the Mouth Aperture is opened, one faces the final step: the 'Leaping Over the Dragon Gate Leap' realm.

This is truly a pleasant surprise.

Song Shuhang rowed frantically, and finally... brought the boat to shore.

After mooring the boat, the Miss Jiudeng lightly leaped onto the dock. She then reached out and pulled Song Shuhang ashore.

"Now you can speak," the Miss Jiudeng said with a smile.

Seeing her mouth open and close, Song Shuhang was certain that his feet were firmly planted on solid ground and he was no longer above the sea before he let out a deep sigh of relief.

"That was close," Song Shuhang replied.

"Hmm, you're quite clever." The Miss Jiudeng smiled and patted her pale blue monk's robe. "Let's go, now we'll formally meet that spirit beast senior."

Song Shuhang asked cautiously, "Miss Jiudeng, what was that spirit beast senior like? What were his likes or dislikes? And what did he look like?"

Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory in every battle.

"Personality is another matter; it's pointless to ask. Likes and dislikes are also incredibly varied." The Miss Jiudeng sighed deeply and said, "Even their appearance has as many as thirty-six variations."

Song Shuhang: "..."

What kind of divine object was the Miss Jiudeng describing?

Second update complete~~~ Still requesting monthly votes for support.