Chapter 338

"Hmm... I've accumulated some materials over the years. When Princess Xiao returns, she'll likely need a magical artifact befitting her status. Consider it a gift for her when we meet!"

The Penglai Earth Immortal.

"I was just saying it casually at the time, it's kind of you to remember it all this time."

Innate Osmanthus chuckled. She recalled that she had told the Penglai Earth Immortal about Princess Xiao and jokingly asked him to prepare a gift for their meeting. She never expected that the Penglai Earth Immortal would keep it in mind.

It's alright.

The Penglai Earth Immortal smiled gently and said, "She's just a child, yet she bears the hopes and responsibilities of everyone. I must show some sincerity."

Earth Immortal Xuan Du nodded in agreement, saying, "Most of the children under my tutelage at her age are still engaged in fierce competition and rivalry among their peers... It seems I should also prepare a gift."

Upon hearing this, Innate Osmanthus joked, "I didn't realize you two had such a senior-like demeanor."

She then changed the subject, saying, "Speaking of which, one of the princess's Dao Companion has some connection with Fellow Daoist Xuandu..."

"Oh?" The Earth Immortal Xuan Du raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Before the princess left, she entrusted her Dao Companion to my care. I can sense that one of them has an aura similar to that of Fellow Daoist Xuandu."

"Is that so?" The Earth Immortal Xuan Du was intrigued and said, "Let's go take a look; perhaps we can forge a good relationship."

Then, the two went together to the cave where Lin Wanqiu was.

Upon meeting, the Earth Immortal Xuan Du immediately realized that the cultivation method Lin Wanqiu practiced was his Earth Immortal classic, the "Xuandu Forgetful Heavenly Tome".

After a few words...

"I never imagined that the Lin family had such a connection with our senior..."

Lin Wanqiu suddenly understood after hearing this.

It turns out that long ago, the Lin family was just an insignificant and unknown Lineage, with no powerful figures among them.

At that time, by a stroke of luck, the young Lin Zu received the teachings of the Earth Immortal Xuan Du and obtained the classic text of the Earth Immortal, the <Xuandu Forgetful Heavenly Tome>, from which he soared to great heights.

Although Lin Zu created his own classic after becoming an immortal supreme being, without the opportunity bestowed by the Earth Immortal Xuan Du, the Yang Prefecture Lin Clan might not have become Longevity Family.

Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to say that the Earth Immortal Xuan Du was a great benefactor of the entire Yang Prefecture Lin Clan.

Now, Lin Zu has passed on the <Xuandu Forgetful Heavenly Tome> to Lin Wanqiu, and has also met with the Earth Immortal Xuan Du. It can truly be said that this is a wonderful coincidence.

"Young lady, since you cultivate the <Xuandu Forgetful Heavenly Tome>, then I can be considered your half-teacher. Today, I will bestow upon you a great fortune, paving a smooth path for your cultivation from this day forward..."

"The Earth Immortal Xuan Du said with a smile."

"Thank you very much, senior!" Lin Wanqiu quickly bowed in gratitude.

Immediately, the Earth Immortal Xuan Du reached out and pressed down in the void, and in an instant, a vast and boundless torrent of information rushed into Lin Wanqiu's head.

Instantly, endless messages swept in like a tidal wave, causing a roar in Lin Wanqiu's mind, as if her soul was about to burst.

This is the understanding of the Earth Immortal Xuan Du regarding the <Xuandu Forgetful Heavenly Tome>, containing the Earth Immortal Xuan Du's lifelong cultivation experience and insights.

These experiences and insights are far more profound and effective than the original text of the exercise manual.

She had a premonition that absorbing and digesting these insights would take a long time, but when she emerged from seclusion, she would be completely transformed, as if reborn!

Seeing this, Innate Osmanthus frowned slightly and said, "Fellow Daoist Xuandu, isn't your method of imparting insights a bit too simplistic and crude? This might be a case of forcing growth..."

Looking at Lin Wanqiu's pained expression, the Earth Immortal Xuan Du smiled calmly, "Fellow Daoist Yuegui, you are overthinking it. This girl's talent is so high that even I have never heard of it. To her, my insights are only insufficient, not excessive."

"Once she has fully digested all my insights, her understanding of the Dao will be elevated. Whatever path she chooses from now on, it will be a smooth and easy road leading directly to the supreme realm!"

Upon hearing this, Innate Osmanthus said with relief, "That's right. She is blessed by the Heavenly Dao and has gained some insights, so it shouldn't be too much for her to force her growth."

Seeing Lin Wanqiu gradually returning to normal, Innate Osmanthus seemed to remember something and suddenly said, "Speaking of which, Princess Xiao's Dao Companion are all extraordinary and possess unique skills. If they can be properly nurtured, they will undoubtedly be powerful allies in the future if they were to contend with the Eastern Pole Emperor!"

"All..."

Earth Immortal Xuan Du frowned, realizing that things were not so simple.

"Everyone... what do you mean?"

"Besides this young girl, does Princess Xiao have any other Dao Companion?"

Earth Immortal Xuan Du said with some surprise, "To be honest, this Princess Xiao is quite something..."

Innate Osmanthus smiled slightly and said, "Not many. Besides this little girl, there are four others, all of them young and beautiful girls."

Upon hearing this, the Earth Immortal Xuan Du chuckled, "As expected of you, you only remember youth and beauty, don't you?"

However, despite this, based on his understanding of the Innate Osmanthus, he could naturally realize that since the other party had said so, Princess Xiao's other four Dao Companion must be more than just young and beautiful.

"Let's call on Penglai Fellow Daoist, and... I'll go and bring Fellow Daoist Taichu over first. The four of us will go together to visit Princess Xiao's Dao Companion. In time, they will become a force that can turn the tide of the battle!"

Innate Osmanthus smiled and said, "That's exactly what I was thinking."

450. First Arrival in the Southern Wilderness

Southern Wilderness.

The land is barren and desolate, with yellow sand everywhere, not a blade of grass growing, and no humans or livestock grazing. This is the Southern Wilderness, a world devoid of life. There is no rich Spiritual Qi permeating the air, no rare and precious natural treasures to be found everywhere, and no immortal cultivation sects that open their gates to recruit disciples.

In this world of the Southern Wilderness, the only resource is human life, the only rule is death, and the only goal is to be in the heart of the Southern Wilderness, in the sacred place in the hearts of all the creatures of the Southern Wilderness: the Central Devil Palace.

Amidst the swirling yellow sand, a tiny figure quietly emerged.

The figure looked slender and delicate, but with each step, its form rapidly changed, and in the blink of an eye, it had traversed tens of thousands of feet.

Her speed was so fast that it was impossible for the naked eye to catch it.

I don't know how long I walked.

The figure abruptly stopped, standing amidst the yellow sand, raising its eyes to gaze into the distance, revealing an exquisitely beautiful face.

It was none other than Xiao Minghuang.

Gazing at the boundless desolation before her, her pupils flickered with an uncertain light.

The next moment.

Xiao Minghuang inexplicably raised his right hand, clenched his fist in the air, and an invisible silver hand materialized, slamming down hard onto an empty sand surface!

Bang!

The sand dune exploded, and a figure scrambled out in a disheveled state. It was a Saint Realm expert who had just been struck by Xiao Minghuang's palm. He was covered in blood, his hair was disheveled, and he was clearly seriously injured.

However, despite being severely injured, the figure showed no intention of fleeing. Instead, he ignited his own Purple Mansion Grotto-Heaven, causing his aura to surge, and charged towards her.

Seeing this, Xiao Minghuang remained calm and composed, as if she had seen it all before. Without uttering a word, she raised her hand again, clenched her fist in the air, and a large silver hand materialized once more, smashing the figure into dust with a single blow!

The battle ended, and all was calm.

However, the surrounding area was still filled with sandstorms, and nothing remained.

"So this is the Southern Wilderness..."

At this moment, Xiao Minghuang's emotions experienced a rare surge.

Previously, she had learned from books, from other people's words, and even from the memories of the demons she had killed that the Southern Wilderness was a desolate and barren world.

But ultimately, it's just knowing that this happened; without seeing it firsthand or experiencing it personally, one cannot truly grasp the extent that pale words can convey even a fraction of the facts.

It wasn't until he personally visited the Southern Wilderness that Xiao Minghuang understood why the cultivators there were called demons.

Why is the southern wilderness called the southern wilderness?

Because.

This world is so desolate, there is nothing there.

Xiao Minghuang continued forward. Since arriving in the Southern Wilderness, she had already survived more than one assassination attempt.

The assassins who dared to attack her varied in skill level.

Among them, those with lower cultivation levels were only at the Divine Sea and Spirit Seed stages, while the highest-level one had actually reached the fifth level of the Saint Realm! It was the figure that had been hiding under the yellow sand just now.

Initially, Xiao Minghuang did not intend to kill the other party; he wanted to capture them and find out their purpose.

But once those assassins were outmatched, they showed no intention of fleeing or negotiating with her. They simply burned their Purple Mansions and fought her to the death, or even self-destructed their Purple Mansions to end it all.

Later, Xiao Minghuang discovered that those who attacked her might not have been assassins at all, but a group of lunatics!

After all, even assassins aren't fools.

She had clearly revealed her aura; even cultivators whose cultivation levels were far lower than hers should have been able to feel her powerful pressure.

However, those low-level cultivators whose cultivation levels were only at the Divine Sea or Spirit Seed stages still dared to attack her.

This is something that a killer couldn't explain.

"Alas, the Southern Wilderness turns people into ghosts..."

"One region's water and soil nurture its people," Xiao Minghuang sighed softly. She could sense that this land was filled with resentment.

These grievances stem from the millions of lives in the Southern Wilderness.

The cultivators here, having no cultivation resources left, use human flesh and bones, Primordial Spirit and true souls, corpses and skeletons, and even human emotions and minds to cultivate. Everything that can be used is completely consumed and used up.

Every death of a Southern Wilderness person is filled with resentment, and whether alive or dead, they suffer endless pain and torment.

This land is filled with the hatred of billions of living beings, and is permeated with destructive negative emotions.

This is certainly an extremely vicious and cruel method of cultivation, but it is also the foundation upon which the creatures of the Southern Wilderness depend for survival.

Xiao Minghuang could not comment on this, after all, she was not from the Southern Wilderness. Although she had seen it with her own eyes, she had not experienced it firsthand and could not understand this longing rooted deep in her soul.

"Perhaps this land is cursed..."

"Sigh... Why think so much? I need to speed things up. Once we get to the Central Devil Palace, who knows how many troublesome things we'll have to deal with."

Xiao Minghuang shook her head, banishing the confusion and hesitation from her mind. From the moment she set foot on this land, she was perhaps cursed by its desolation and resentment, which affected her state of mind.

She must maintain a calm mindset; if her mindset gets affected, that would be a real problem!

Her body trembled slightly, and starlight flowed around her, enveloping her and transforming her into a dazzling rainbow that flew towards the center of the Southern Wilderness.

After several days of flying, Xiao Minghuang crossed endless yellow sands, but the scenery before her eyes remained unchanged.

Until a certain moment.

In her field of vision, a pitch-black city wall gradually emerged. The wall was built of huge stones, mottled and weathered, like an ancient trace.

However, the city is not very large, stretching only a few miles from east to west, and is more like a small town than a city.

Although Xiao Minghuang had never been to the Central Devil Palace, she knew that the city in front of her could not possibly be the Central Devil Palace.

Looking at the city so close at hand, Xiao Minghuang abandoned her plan to continue her journey, crossed the guarded city gate, and went straight into the city.

As soon as they entered the city, Xiao Minghuang's delicate nose twitched, and she immediately smelled a strong stench of blood in the air.

She turned her gaze and looked around, and saw countless corpses lying on both sides of the street.

Their clothes were tattered, their bodies shriveled and withered, reduced to skin and bones, as if all the flesh and blood had been drained away, their skin an eerie pale white.

"The flesh and blood have been drained; this must be the work of the Blood Demon Path."

Xiao Minghuang frowned and pondered. The Blood Demon Path is one of the six paths in the Southern Wilderness. Its cultivation method is to absorb the blood and flesh of living beings to nourish itself.

If she were in the Easternmost Point of Zhongtian, she might use her supernatural powers to find the whereabouts of the person who committed the murder, but this is the Southern Wilderness, and she doesn't want to do anything unnecessary.

"I was originally looking for an opportunity to find out how far this place is from the Central Devil Palace. These Blood Demon Path cultivators are really annoying..."

451. Meeting an old friend in a foreign land

Just as Xiao Minghuang was about to leave this place.

A shocked shout suddenly came from behind her.

"Princess Xiao!"

Xiao Minghuang turned around and saw a young man covered in blood struggling towards her, his face filled with excitement. "Is it really you?!"

The young man looked disheveled, his left arm broken and his right leg covered in blood, as if he might collapse to the ground at any moment. His eyes were bloodshot and filled with expectation as he stared intently at Xiao Minghuang: "Princess Xiao, don't you remember me?"

Xiao Minghuang frowned slightly as she carefully examined the young man, but couldn't recall anything.

The young man in front of me looked very disheveled, covered in wounds, clearly having just gone through a fierce battle.