Mitian Ring

Seeing the strange runes spread across the ship's prow, with strands of oddly colored wind flickering between them, Xiao Hua froze, failing even to notice the eagle beast's corpse falling toward him.

Whooo... The wind suddenly rose, and a silver palm dozens of zhang wide abruptly extended from the ship's bow, grabbing at the eagle beast's corpse.

"Xuan'er..." Another voice, like heavenly music, rang out at the same time. "Don't let any wind slip through."

"Hmph..." Yet another coquettish voice sounded. "Then this loose Nascent Soul gets to benefit!"

Xiao Hua shuddered. He wore a black robe that covered even his head and face, yet the person aboard the ship could see through it to his true body. Such divine ability was beyond anything he could imagine.

The wind howled again, and Xiao Hua hurriedly looked up. Only then did he see that the eagle beast's corpse had reached directly above him. Startled, he hastily dodged. Even so, one of the eagle beast's talons easily snagged his robe. With a rip, it tore open the robe at his waist.

"Heehee..." A light laugh came from atop the Purple Gold Ship as it watched Xiao Hua's bedraggled state. "This muddleheaded little loose Nascent Soul is quite interesting."

"Sigh, yes. The Immortal Realm isn't as you imagined it to be..."

"I know, I know, Sister..." the voice said impatiently. "Isn't it enough if I cultivate seriously?"

As she spoke, the purple-gold light was torn apart, and a ring as large as a dou flew out of thin air, hurtling straight toward Xiao Hua.

Xiao Hua was greatly alarmed at the sight and hurriedly turned to flee.

"Little loose Nascent Soul, don't be afraid. This is the toy Fourth Uncle gave me for playing hide-and-seek when I was little. I'm giving it to you! Live well, all right? Don't let the Sky-Rending Eagle eat you! Heehee..."

Sure enough, the ring stopped before Xiao Hua and did not attack him.

Xiao Hua hurriedly took the ring and bowed. "I am Xiao Hua. Many thanks..."

Unfortunately, no one answered Xiao Hua. As he bowed, hundreds of black-and-white halos appeared from the prow of the Purple Gold Ship. The void around the halos was torn apart. It was impossible to tell whether the Purple Gold Ship's prow was charging forward or the black-and-white halos were retreating. As the halos on either side spun like wheels, the enormous purple-gold prow crashed back into the void and gradually vanished from sight.

"Wh-what kind of immortals are these?" Xiao Hua had just begun to straighten when a cold voice rang in his ear again. "Xiao Hua, since Xuan'er gave you the Mitian Ring, she would surely be heartbroken if I killed you. Therefore, I will not take your life. However, I do not wish anyone to know that the Purple Gold Ship appeared in Yunmeng Marsh..."

"Chu understands!" Xiao Hua murmured without hesitation, so softly that only he himself could hear. "Chu can swear that I will absolutely not reveal what happened today!"

"Mm..." A murmur seemed to arise inside Xiao Hua's mind. His vision went dark, and he fell through the air.

With a thud, Xiao Hua's body dropped straight onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. Xiao Hua knew that the immortals aboard the ship were asserting their might, so he did not dare rise immediately. Only after the golden light vanished from the sky and the ripples in space faded did he cautiously get to his feet. Beside him lay the pitiful Sky-Rending Eagle, whose lofty ambitions had gone unfulfilled before death, its eyes still wide in grievance. Even in its dreams, it likely never imagined that using its innate divine ability to kill a little loose Nascent Soul would draw out a Purple Gold Ship that happened to be passing through the nearby void.

Xiao Hua stored the Sky-Rending Eagle in his space, then looked up at the empty sky and thought, Who are the immortals aboard this Purple Gold Ship?

There was no need to say it aloud. Xiao Hua knew that the Purple Gold Ship must possess an immense background in the Immortal Realm, but he had already decided to forget everything that had happened today. Looking at the Mitian Ring in his hand, warmth rose in his heart. Though he did not know who Xuan'er was and had never seen her face, he could feel her kindness. The Mitian Ring was entirely azure-green, smooth and unmarked on its surface. Tiny patterns covered its interior, while countless ant-like runes flickered within like stars. Xiao Hua knew that an immortal artifact like this could be activated through a blood sacrifice, but he had a Nascent Soul Body—where could he obtain essence blood? After pondering for a moment, Xiao Hua entered his space with the Mitian Ring. When he emerged, his face was full of astonishment.

"Whose Purple Gold Ship is this? Though Chu still does not know what grade this Mitian Ring ranks among immortal artifacts, nor its true power, merely looking at the three layers of refinement incantations inside is enough to show that this is an extraordinary object. How... how could they give it away so casually?"

As Xiao Hua inwardly marveled at the extravagance of immortals, he exhaled a breath of immortal qi onto the Mitian Ring. The Mitian Ring spun round and round, releasing a hazy azure radiance that fell over his head. When the radiance brightened and dimmed nine times each, Xiao Hua's figure likewise vanished nine times. As the radiance withdrew, the Mitian Ring disappeared into Xiao Hua's body. Xiao Hua clapped his hands and laughed. "With this item, I can evade a killing tribulation!"

Jueyu Pool was a lake several hundred li in circumference. Its chill was bone-piercing, and its deep-blue waters lay perfectly still. From afar, it resembled an enormous piece of jade, perhaps the very origin of Jueyu Pool's name.

At this moment, an immortal in a black robe, nearly several dozen zhang tall, stood quietly beside the pool. He watched the yellow sunlight of Jiaotu Sunfire shine upon the water, producing floating strands of light like fireworks. It was as though those strands contained the mysteries of the Heavenly Dao, drawing all of his attention.

Splash! At one side of the jade-green pool, two azure fish several zhang long burst from the water. As they opened their mouths, they swallowed the fiery strands above the pool into their bellies. At the very moment the two fish swallowed the flames, the black-robed immortal waved his hand. A flame-colored giant hand appeared from thin air and seized both fish at once.

Hoo... As the two fish struggled, one azure and one crimson flame spurted from their mouths. The flames looked faint, but when they landed on the giant hand, the flame-colored hand actually showed signs of melting.

"Haha, since you have already taken the bait, why struggle any further?" The immortal laughed loudly. His other hand abruptly extended, and a dark-yellow Immortal Talisman wreathed in cloud-like strands flashed as it landed on the two fish. The fish immediately stopped moving.

The man smiled as he looked at the two fish in his hand and muttered, "People always say that Yin Yang Fire Fish from Jueyu Pool are impossible to encounter except by chance. It truly is so. The previous few times, I did not even see a fish scale. Yet today, after standing here for barely half an hour, I captured them. Taking them to the Immortal Market will bring another fine profit!"

As he spoke, the man raised his brow and looked in a certain direction. "Old Thief Chu is early today. It seems he can no longer hold himself back either..."

As he spoke, the man gave the Yin Yang Fire Fish in his hand another meaningful glance, then flicked his wrist and stored them in his Hundred-Gathering Bag.

Sure enough, a moment later, a Flying Shuttle drifted over, pressing down the surrounding grass and trees. After thinking for a moment, the man activated his movement technique and flew forward to meet it, cupping his hands. "Fellow Immortal..."

The Flying Shuttle stopped, and Xiao Hua, likewise dressed in a black robe, stepped down from it. He looked over the black-robed immortal, who was exactly as described in the flying crane message. Taking out a token from his Hundred-Gathering Bag, he waved his hand and sent it before the man, saying in a hoarse voice, "This is my token. Inspect it first!"

"Haha, there is no need!" Seeing Xiao Hua being so cautious, much like Chu Yu had been before, the man waved his hand. "Jing has joined forces with Fellow Immortal Chu many times. Although I have never seen Fellow Immortal Chu's true appearance, my trust in you has only increased. Moreover, few immortals come to Yunmeng Marsh, and Jueyu Pool is even more deserted. If not for our appointment, who would come here?"

"Hehe, it is better to inspect it anyway!" Xiao Hua chuckled, still insisting. "What if Chu had been replaced by someone else?"

"Fellow Immortal Chu still loves to joke as always!" The immortal surnamed Jing smiled faintly and reached out to take the token. Smoke like little sparrows flew from his palm and struck the token. With a light bang, the token exploded, and a phantom resembling foxtail grass rushed out from within.

"Hahaha..." At the sight of the foxtail grass, the immortal surnamed Jing could not help laughing. "Fellow Immortal Chu's identity has been verified without error!"

Xiao Hua frowned, secretly wondering what reaction Chu Yu would have had to this teasing. Before he could figure it out, an azure phantom several zhang in size suddenly appeared atop a giant tree in the distance. The phantom was like smoke, with lush green grass within it. But when Xiao Hua looked carefully, the phantom suddenly blazed brightly, like glowing tree rings. As the circular ripples rolled in alternating brightness and darkness, a tidal aura surged forth from within!

Though Xiao Hua stood far from that giant tree, when the aura reached him, he still could not remain suspended in midair. Like dead wood, he was blasted backward a thousand zhang. Feeling the terrifying spiritual pressure within that aura, Xiao Hua's heart, like the waters of Jueyu Pool, was thrown into waves a thousand zhang high.

Xiao Hua did not know the cultivation of the immortal surnamed Jing, but how powerful could someone on good terms with Chu Yu be? Even if the immortal surnamed Jing had invited an expert, how powerful could that person be? Yet now, before that immortal had even appeared, his spiritual pressure had already far exceeded Xiao Hua's expectations.

After the circular ripples bloomed like flowers, a silver figure stepped forth from the black-and-white core. That figure rapidly expanded beneath the fiery-yellow sunlight, reaching more than a hundred zhang in height. Naturally, after the silver light first flashed, it swiftly contracted into the humanoid body. Within several breaths, only an immortal about the same height as Xiao Hua and the immortal surnamed Jing stood above the surging Jueyu Pool.

The immortal surnamed Jing did not dare be negligent. He gave Xiao Hua a look and hurriedly flew over. After encountering the Sky-Rending Eagle, Xiao Hua had reviewed the basic Immortal Arts. He could still use this simple Flight Technique, so he likewise followed respectfully.

A faint layer of rosy light covered the immortal's face, making his appearance impossible to discern. The immortal surnamed Jing stepped forward and respectfully bowed. "This junior is Jing Sheng. Greetings, Senior. May I ask, Senior..."

Xiao Hua was startled. So this immortal was not invited by Jing Sheng?

Yet he did not dare neglect courtesy either and immediately bowed. "This junior, Chu Yu, greets Senior."

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