The Magical Little Pond

Hoo, hoo...

Suddenly, the sky churned with wind and clouds. A massive dark cloud appeared above everyone without warning. A gale roared, and even with the cultivation of Zhao Hong, he found it impossible to move forward, forced to close his eyes and collapse to the ground to avoid being blown away.

The two women were in the same predicament.

Huh.

In a short while, the dark clouds vanished and the gale subsided. When the group opened their eyes again, Sanbao had already been blown to the mountainside, hundreds of meters away from Zhao Hong.

When the gale struck, Sanbao knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Ignoring everything else, he stood up, drew his sword, and sealed his wounds with spirit power. Just as he was about to flee down the mountain, a massive gust of wind swept through, forcibly pushing him hundreds of meters further up the mountain. Fortunately, Sanbao's movements were agile, and he channeled his Nine-Turn Golden Body throughout his entire frame, allowing him to land steadily. Seeing Zhao Hong chasing after him with sword in hand, he had no choice but to flee toward the summit.

"Brat, prepare to die!"

The gale had provided Sanbao with an unexpected chance to escape, and Zhao Hong, looking livid, swung his sword and gave chase.

At this life-or-death moment, Sanbao unleashed his powerful potential. Despite being severely wounded, he relied entirely on a sheer, indomitable willpower to control his body, and his Nine-Turn Golden Body seemed to reach a height he had never touched before—the third level.

To the distant Zhao Hong, it appeared as if his opponent's figure could instantly split into three. After each manifestation, Sanbao's figure would be further away, and once the three phantoms vanished, Sanbao had widened the gap by several dozen meters.

Repeating this process, in the blink of an eye, the distance between the two slowly stretched from a few hundred meters to nearly a thousand.

Sanbao knew he could not hold on for long. Taking advantage of the peak power of his Nine-Turn Golden Body, he pushed upward with all his might and soon reached the summit.

If he could just cross to the other side of the mountain, his chances of escape would increase significantly.

Ahead, a small pool suddenly caught Sanbao's eye. A deer with a coat of strange, colorful hues was lounging leisurely by the water, playing, seemingly unaware of Sanbao's arrival.

Could this be the mysterious pool that Wang Liang mentioned? Sanbao only gave it a hurried glance and didn't pay much attention; escaping was the priority.

However, Sanbao's body had already reached its limit, and combined with his severe injuries, his vision began to blur.

Thwack. With a sway of his body, Sanbao could no longer hold on and collapsed at the summit, right beside the small pool.

"Sigh, I still couldn't avoid death..."

Sanbao sighed in his heart and quickly lost consciousness.

A cold, crisp breeze blew, making Sanbao feel chilly. He opened his eyes to see the sky filled with stars twinkling with countless rays of light, and in the center of the sky, a round, bright moon illuminated the entire earth.

When he woke up, night had already fallen.

Sanbao shifted his gaze slightly. The lazy little deer was kneeling beside him, and upon seeing him, it showed no signs of fear at all.

"Strange, where are the people?" Sanbao struggled to rise from the edge of the pool and looked around vigilantly, but he found no trace of Zhao Hong and his group, and Wang Liang was nowhere to be found.

He really was lucky; the woman's strike to his chest hadn't pierced his heart, and despite being hunted by Zhao Hong, he had unexpectedly survived.

Under the starlight and moonlight, the surface of the small pool shimmered with layers of milky-white light, just like milk. Wang Liang was right; this pool water likely had a profound origin.

"Comfortable..."

Recalling what Wang Liang had said, Sanbao did not hesitate to submerge his wounded body into the pool. A strange, tingling sensation quickly spread throughout his entire body, causing Sanbao to close his eyes and sigh. Beside him, the little deer was watching Sanbao intently.

"Why don't you come in for a soak too?" After recovering some strength, Sanbao smiled and called out to the Colored Deer.

When Sanbao first emerged from the Thousand Desolation Mountains, he had seen countless strange beasts and birds along the way. Although this Colored Deer had different colors than a common Bell Deer, there was nothing particularly special about it. Sanbao didn't take it to heart, though it was a bit unusual that this deer didn't fear humans.

Whoosh...

Sanbao, sitting in the pool, suddenly sat bolt upright, his eyes wide as he stared at the Colored Deer.

His suggestion for the deer to join him had been a joke, but to his shock, the Colored Deer shook its head gently, as if it could actually understand his words.

"You, you... you can understand what I'm saying?" Sanbao asked, stuttering.

The Colored Deer's reaction made Sanbao's heart skip a beat; it nodded, appearing highly intelligent.

It was said that spirit beasts reaching the eighth rank (equivalent to a Spirit Saint) could transform into human form and possessed intelligence almost identical to humans. Seventh-rank (Spirit Profound) spirit beasts, while unable to transform, still possessed intelligence far superior to other spirit beasts. Could the creature standing before him be a powerful seventh-rank spirit beast?

Sanbao quickly dismissed the thought.

He had seen many spirit beasts, and most of them gave off a sense of their general strength through their aura. This Colored Deer had no spirit power fluctuations at all; it was clearly just an ordinary Bell Deer, likely not even a first-rank spirit beast, so how could it be a seventh-rank one?

Sanbao still had confidence in his own soul power.

Ever since he began practicing the Saint Ancestor Secret Manual, his soul power had been steadily increasing. According to Jing Yifei, his soul power was already not much inferior to hers.

The world was full of wonders; perhaps this Colored Deer was born with spiritual intelligence. Sanbao rationalized it to himself, which helped him calm down slightly.

It was better to focus on healing his wounds first.

"Have you seen a man holding a sword? Where did he go? Do you know?" Sanbao tried asking again.

The Colored Deer nodded, then turned its head toward the other side of the mountain.

"What? He went that way? That makes no sense. He wouldn't let me go, and he wouldn't let this pool go, would he?" Sanbao was completely baffled.

He calmed his mind and circulated his spirit power with all his might. Under the influence of the pool water, the sword wound on his chest began to heal rapidly.

At dawn, aside from a slight ache in his body, the external wound on his chest had miraculously recovered.

"Time to go, I can't stay any longer." Sanbao didn't dare linger, fearing that Zhao Hong might return. After bidding the Colored Deer farewell, he hurriedly descended the mountain from the other side and left.

Not long after, Sanbao returned to the Fire Cloud Hall, pale but finally able to set his mind at ease.

With Master here, I trust that pair of scoundrels wouldn't dare come.

Aside from the dull ache in his chest, Sanbao felt a trace of discomfort—a feeling of heartache.

"Meier, Meier~"

She was certainly charming enough, but it was a pity she already belonged to someone else, Sanbao sighed inwardly.

"A-Tie, help me go to Orchid Creek Ravine to find someone..." As soon as he entered the main gate, Sanbao instructed A-Tie, giving him detailed instructions on what to do.

Afterward, he headed straight for the residence of Jing Yifei; if any unforeseen disaster were to occur, only his master could protect him for now, so it was better to stay close.

After eating the meal delivered by A-Hua, Sanbao began to cultivate in a side room of Jing Yifei's residence. In the entire Fire Cloud Hall, only Sanbao enjoyed this privilege, a decision made after Jing Yifei personally took Sanbao as his disciple.

Just as Sanbao had steadied his mind, the voice of Jing Yifei sounded from outside the door.

"Sanbao, this isn't like you. Why have you come to my place today?"

Sanbao hurriedly stood up to open the door and welcomed Jing Yifei inside, then recounted the experiences of the previous day.

However, Sanbao concealed the secret of the pool, instead claiming that he had accidentally stumbled upon Zhao Hong and the Light-Clad Woman having a tryst and engaging in illicit acts, after which he was hunted down and barely managed to escape back.

"That Zhao Hong should be the nephew of Zhao Youdao. As for that woman, I cannot be certain for the moment. I don't know if the woman named Meier is the one from the Third Sect Master's household..."

After listening to Sanbao's account, Jing Yifei frowned and fell into deep thought.

"Master, can our Cloud Saint Sect just kill fellow disciples at will? I only took a glance; it's no big deal!" Sanbao said, feigning grievance at the right moment.

"What do you know? If that woman is truly the daughter of the Third Sect Master, they would naturally want to kill you to silence you, because she is the betrothed of the current Second Prince of the Yunli Kingdom!" Jing Yifei shook his head, feeling somewhat troubled.

"Oh, no wonder. I wouldn't have said anything, there was no need to kill me," Sanbao breathed a sigh of relief. He had stumbled upon a dead rat by pure luck; he hadn't expected such a situation.

If the people offended were ordinary, including elders of the Cloud Saint Sect, Jing Yifei would have nothing to fear. But because it involved the Sect Master and concerned the reputation of the entire Cloud Saint Sect, it was much harder to handle.

"Sigh, no one wants to leave loose ends in a matter like this. As a mere entry-level disciple, they would naturally spare no means. But since they have provoked me, Jing Yifei, it won't be so easy. Sanbao, rest assured, I will definitely keep you safe..." After all, Sanbao was Jing Yifei's only disciple; at a critical moment, his master would naturally stand up for him.

"Thank you, Master. They shouldn't know which peak I come from yet. There are hundreds of entry-level disciples in the sect; as long as I don't go out, they won't be able to find me," Sanbao nodded in response.

"One can never be too careful. Regardless, stay here with me for the next few days and do not go out under any circumstances. Let's see who dares to come to my Fire Cloud Peak," after offering some comfort, Jing Yifei left calmly.

Having received his master's assurance, Sanbao finally set his mind at ease; otherwise, for the sake of his life, he might have had to flee Cloud Mountain.

After all, the other party's status was extraordinary, and there was no guarantee they wouldn't track him down.

After a short while, Sanbao woke from his meditation. The spiritual power in his Dantian was finally replenished, and even his injuries had improved significantly. He hadn't expected the pool water to be so effective; no wonder Wang Liang had not only fully recovered from his injuries in just a few months but had also stepped into the realm of a Spirit General.