Then, with a piercing whistle through the air, the Nine Thunder-Pattern Jujubes fell from the jujube tree one after another, and Xu Taiping swept every last one into his sleeve.
By then, Qu Chao Ci and Bai Yue had also reached the center of the Cloud Platform.
But before Xu Taiping could divide the jujubes with Bai Yue and Qu Chao Ci, an angry shout filled with authority suddenly thundered above the Cloud Platform:
"You little brat! You dare touch what belongs to This Venerable One!"
Almost at the same moment the voice rang out, an immense, crushing pressure poured down from above their heads.
Bracing themselves against that pressure, Xu Taiping and the other two looked up, only to see the phantom image of an old man with crane-white hair and a youthful face looming above the Cloud Platform.
At the sight, Bai Yue immediately breathed a sigh of relief and said:
"Don't worry. He should still be on another Cloud Platform. He can't threaten us for now."
But beside him, after making out the old man's appearance, Qu Chao Ci suddenly broke out in cold sweat across her forehead.
"Th-this... could this be Supreme Venerable Xuanwei, one of the Three Sages of Three Corpses Cave?!"
Although Qu Chao Ci had only murmured softly, the old man still heard her.
Then the old man spoke loudly again through the phantom image overhead:
"You have a good eye, little girl. You actually recognize this old man."
Then his voice filled with menace once more:
"You little whelps, that Nine Tribulations Fruit isn't something you should take. You'd best stay right where you are and obediently wait for this old man to collect it!"
"Otherwise, don't even dream of walking out of this Yaochi Sacred Land!"
As he spoke, Xu Taiping,