The little beast stood before the statue of Bixi bearing a stele. Beside the mountain-sized statue, it was as tiny as a grain of millet.
It stretched out its bony little arms, bent down, and hugged one of the statue's toes with all its strength, then leaned backward with all its might.
The sight was like an exploited little laborer...
Truly... heartbreaking.
It...
Seemed to want to lift the statue?
Having returned to her smaller form, Sushang hugged the Radiant Sun Sword, her almond eyes wide and round. She rubbed her little chin, pondering to herself.
That fellow was far too scrawny.
A single toe of that Bixi looked as though it could crush it to death...
The enormous statue slowly rose with a rumbling sound. An angry cry burst from the little beast's chest, and it actually lifted the statue, dozens of zhang tall!
Because of the strange suction within it, its true weight could practically be called infinite!
Even a Primordial White Tiger with Sushang's tremendous strength quailed at the sight!
Boom!
The little beast held the statue aloft as easily as pulling up a weed.
It hurled the statue to one side. With a tremendous crash, the colossal thing turned straight to powder.
A long passage appeared before the little beast, stretching into endless darkness as far as the eye could see.
For such a frail little fellow to possess such terrifying strength, it was clearly anything but ordinary.
Xie Feng walked toward the passage. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the little beast had reverted to its timid state.
Shivering, its shoulders hunched, it shuffled step by step into a corner and pressed itself against the wall, making way for him of its own accord!
Xie Feng let Sushang enter the passage first, then told the little beast, "Guard the passage."
The little beast widened its eyes and slowly opened its mouth, looking overwhelmed by the favor. Its claws pressed tightly against the wall, and for a long while, it dared not move.
Xie Feng and Sushang walked through the long passage and saw a bronze door covered in green patina standing at a bend.
Xie Feng pushed the door open and entered. Spiritual essence filled the secret chamber, forming a nourishing spiritual power.
The spiritual power enveloped the small space.
This was where the immortal Xuanqiong had fallen!
At the very center of the secret chamber sat a human skeleton!
The skeleton was perfectly intact, sitting upright and cross-legged on a gray prayer mat woven from vines that would not rot for ten thousand years.
The bones were a lustrous snowy white, as though even millions upon millions of years had not eroded them in the slightest. Had they still been clothed in flesh and blood, one could imagine what peerless splendor he had possessed!
The bones Xuanqiong had left upon passing away in meditation!
Surging spiritual resonance circulated in an orderly fashion through the long river of time, nourishing the immortal bones and keeping them from withering.
This was one of the spiritual ingredients needed to refine the divine pill: ten-thousand-year immortal bone!
If the Xuanqiong Immortal Tower were exposed, it would surely shake the world, and countless powerful cultivators would come to fight madly over the immortal bones!
For an immortal's bones contained immortal essence!
Whether used as weapons, power sources, or spiritual ingredients, they were like giving wings to a tiger, and could even directly raise the grade of mundane objects!
Thus, the emergence of any immortal bone would draw people flocking like ducks, fighting madly for it!
Xie Feng stepped forward and lightly touched it with a finger...
Clatter!
The bones collapsed like sand!
"These immortal bones looked glossy on the surface, but I never imagined their insides had already rotted to mush.
"Now that I've touched them, it was naturally like the final straw that broke the camel's back, leaving them unable to bear it...
"No matter how powerful something is, it still cannot withstand the years..."
Xie Feng sighed.
The human bones turned to ash, and dust spread through the air.
In the end, only two hard immortal bones remained!
One tooth!
One frontal bone!
Xie Feng had originally thought they would all decay. He had not expected this unexpected gain!
Outside the passage.
Changying walked over, her hands behind her back, humming a little tune. She seemed to be in quite a pleasant mood, and the white jade gourd and sachet swayed beside her slender waist.
Seeing the passage, she lifted her foot to enter, only for her leg to suddenly grow heavy, as though an immense weight were pressing down on it.
Her misty brows knitted slightly. She looked down and nearly jumped.
Ah!
What an ugly little thing!
Wait...
Hadn't she already beaten this fellow to death?
How was it still alive?
Its little skull was pretty tough...
But how could she shake this fellow off?
The little beast clung tightly to Changying's leg like a solid little scale weight. No amount of shaking could dislodge it.
"Let go," Changying said.
Two simple words carried authority without anger.
Terrifying immortal power began to surge. That pressure was enough to force even an Ascension Realm powerhouse to kneel in submission.
Fear appeared on the little beast's face. It trembled violently, yet its tiny claws clung desperately to the wine fairy's leg. It had promised someone it would guard the passage, and it would guard it even in death!
Roar!
Suddenly, a world-shaking roar rang out!
Billowing smoke rose from the little beast, and a gigantic phantom appeared: a dragon's head of jade green and gold, a mighty blue-green back like an ox's, sharp fangs, and long, flowing whiskers. Its golden wings spread, almost blotting out the sky and sun.
It had manifested its Dharma aspect!
Was it a dragon?
Was it an ox?
Was it a peng?
Changying blinked her clear eyes, somewhat bewildered.
"Earth Qilin!"
Suddenly, a low voice sounded. She turned and saw that Xie Feng and Sushang had emerged from the passage. Looking up, he spoke with absolute certainty.
In the primordial era, four emperor-level sacred beasts had been born. Beneath those four sacred beasts, there were also ten supreme sacred beasts.
The qilin was one of them!
The qilin race had evolved along the five elements, dividing into five basic types: Metal Qilin, Wood Qilin, Water Qilin, Fire Qilin, and Earth Qilin.
Among the five elements, earth reigned supreme. Earth Qilin were the strongest!
Countless epochs had passed, and the Primordial Qilin Clan, like the Primordial White Tiger Clan, had gradually declined, ultimately becoming nothing more than a mark in the annals of history.
Now!
An Earth Qilin had actually appeared!
Seeing Xie Feng and Sushang emerge, the little beast gave an "Urgh!" The qilin phantom vanished, and it hurriedly released its claws from Changying's leg and went back to pressing itself into the corner.
Changying bent her willow-slender waist and secretly lifted a corner of her white skirt. Seeing two red claw marks on her fair calf, with what seemed to be a foul smell wafting up, she pressed her lips together. Moisture misted her almond eyes, and she felt so aggrieved that she truly wanted to...
Smash that little thing's skull apart with her gourd!!
The little beast leaned against the wall and began playing dead.
As long as it closed its eyes, it could not see the human before it. As long as it could not see the human before it, that meant she did not exist.
"Miss Changying, we meet again," Xie Feng said with a smile.
"Mm... what a coincidence, hehe..."
Changying held her hands behind her back, her narrow shoulders slightly hunched. A trace of embarrassment appeared on her flushed cheeks. She wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. Always trailing behind someone like this-would she be taken for a female stalker with ill intentions?
A dignified fairy of Guixu...
"Um!
"Gui, Gui, Guixu is quite beautiful. You're welcome to visit."
Changying spoke incoherently.
Help...
She really did not know how to speak anymore!
She covered her burning little face, her delicate brows scrunching into an inverted V. Her heart raced, and she urgently needed a sip of wine to steady herself.
Xie Feng nodded and said, "Guixu. I'll go."
Of course he would go.
From Changying's unusual behavior toward the little girl to her taking the initiative to invite them now, it all pointed to one thing.
There had to be a connection between Guixu and the Primordial White Tiger!
He would go.
But not now!
He had gathered all three rare spiritual ingredients. He needed to refine a divine-grade pill to strengthen Sushang's soul power.
Strength was the greatest support one could rely on when traveling the world.
Changying blinked. "Huh?"
"But before that, I need to refine pills," Xie Feng said calmly.
"I can wait. But since I left Guixu to enter the world, I have nowhere to go for now. May I follow you?"
Changying raised her lovely, dewy face, her deep blue eyes gazing directly at Xie Feng without any reserve. Her beauty could leave one lost in a daze.
Just then.
The little beast pressed into the corner timidly raised a hand.
"M-me too!"