Seeing Wu Fei like this, Yin Fan felt an inexplicable flicker of panic. He stared at the serenely smiling Buddhist disciple, then gave a soft huff. "I am not the sort to broadcast other people's secrets."
Wu Fei believed him, but to him, there was no difference between one person knowing about this and a whole crowd knowing. Things had already come to this; he could only find a way to survive the impending life-and-death tribulation.
He was about to leave when Yin Fan followed him. "Where are you going?"
Wu Fei said, "To do what you interrupted earlier, Demon Venerable."
As the saying went, men died for wealth and birds died for food. Even with a great tribulation looming, Wu Fei was still thinking about those spirit herbs and spirit medicines guarded by nascent soul late stage Demon Beasts.
It was rare for Wu Fei to get along so harmoniously with the protagonist appearing as Yin Fan. Aside from following him everywhere, Yin Fan no longer said anything confrontational.
At last, they reached the final spot. The lake they had passed during the day looked even more bottomless beneath the night sky. Only the faint light of a moonstone revealed the lotus leaves and buds at its center.
The Hundred Summer Seven-Heart Lotus grew one leaf every hundred years. Once it had ninety-nine leaves, it could produce buds, only seven at a time, and those buds needed another thousand years to mature.
Thus, a blooming Hundred Summer Seven-Heart Lotus was at least ten thousand years old, making it exceedingly rare and precious. Judging by the shape of the buds in the lake, they were about to bloom.
But a black flood dragon lived in this lake, with cultivation at the nascent soul peak. On the surface, Wu Fei and Yin Fan were both in the Late Golden Core Realm, so when they had passed this place during the day, they could only leave it alone for the time being.
Now, the lake's surface was perfectly still. Presumably, the black flood dragon was lurking beneath the water, waiting for someone to approach before bursting out from an undetectable spot and swallowing them whole.
Calculating the time, Wu Fei knew he had to finish this quickly. Gripping his vajra dagger, he flew toward the center of the lake. Yet even when he touched the Hundred Summer Seven-Heart Lotus, the black flood dragon did not appear.
He frowned, a bad feeling lingering in his heart. Then, without further hesitation, he raised a hand to put the entire Hundred Summer Seven-Heart Lotus into his storage ring.
But when his gaze fell on the buds, he abruptly froze. Why were there only six?
Not good!
Wu Fei tapped his toes against the water and propelled himself backward, but he was still a step too late. A massive black flood dragon suddenly shot out of the previously tranquil lake.
This black flood dragon was fiercer and thicker than when the two had seen it during the day. Wu Fei immediately understood. It must have eaten one of the buds, and its cultivation had actually broken through the small world's restrictions, advancing to the spirit transformation stage.
With time running out, Wu Fei swiftly summoned the bonded Spirit Artifact he had nurtured within his body for years. A speck of golden light emerged from his Dantian.
Seeing that the white-robed Buddhist disciple was about to fall into the dragon's jaws, Yin Fan's expression hardened on the shore. Demonic Qi churned in his hand, and he hurled it at the black flood dragon. Wrapped in layers of Demonic Qi, an aura alternated between icy cold and searing heat.
Under their combined assault, the golden light and Demonic Qi pierced the black flood dragon one after the other, passing straight through its spirit transformation stage hide and body, killing it stone dead.
The black flood dragon's corpse fell into the lake, throwing up an enormous splash. The impact also sent Wu Fei flying backward, slamming him into Yin Fan, who had flown toward him.
With their cultivation suppressed by the small world, both men tumbled onto the shore.
Crack.
At that crisp sound, both men suddenly went rigid.
Wu Fei looked at the half-mask that had rolled in front of him and said nothing.
Yin Fan: "..."
Author's note:
Some masks just shatter without warning...
Thank you all so much for your support. I'll keep working hard!
Chapter 5: Seven Emotions Flower
When their bonded Spirit Artifacts clashed with the spirit transformation stage black flood dragon, the spiritual power's backlash had been so strong that it actually cracked the mask on Yin Fan's face.
"Demon Venerable... do you have another mask?" Wu Fei's thoughts raced, and he quickly reminded him.
He could only be thankful that their current position left his back to Yin Fan, so he had yet to see the protagonist's face. Otherwise... the consequences would be unthinkable.
As long as Yin Fan put on another mask now, they could act as though this had never happened.
At his words, Yin Fan abruptly came to his senses as well. He swiftly took another mask he had prepared long ago from his storage ring and fitted it over his face.
Both men felt a little relieved. Good thing I didn't see it!
Wu Fei stood up, his white Buddhist robes unstained by dirt. He raised his hand, and a streak of golden light suddenly sped toward him from afar. Before Yin Fan could make out what kind of Spirit Artifact it was, it landed in Wu Fei's palm, then flashed gold and sank into his body, returning to his Dantian.
Having returned his bonded Spirit Artifact to his Dantian to continue nurturing it, Wu Fei was about to lower his hand when a small sword suddenly flew over and landed in his palm.
Wu Fei recognized it. This was what Yin Fan had thrown out earlier. The miniature sword emitted flames one moment, then radiated cold all over the next.
This was the protagonist's bonded spirit sword, the Blazing Cold Sword.
With his back to Yin Fan, he raised his eyebrows, then turned around with a faint smile and slowly asked, "Is this... your bonded spirit sword, Demon Venerable?"
At this, a flash of annoyance crossed Yin Fan's eyes. He waved his hand to recall his bonded spirit sword, then lifted his chin. "It seems you are so beautiful that even my bonded spirit sword favors you, Buddhist disciple."
"You flatter me, Demon Venerable." Having heard such remarks several times, the Buddhist disciple was no longer affected by them. He smiled faintly. "I have yet to thank you for saving my life."
If his guess was right, this life-and-death tribulation had been the black flood dragon in the lake, which had inexplicably broken through the cultivation restrictions. Even as Wu Fei felt relieved, he grew more wary of the so-called rules, or the Heavenly Dao.
By now, Yin Fan had also calmed down. Hearing this, he asked, "How will you thank me?"
After a moment's thought, Wu Fei replied, "The Buddha Spirit Sect is poor. I doubt there is anything you would find worthy of your attention, Demon Venerable. After giving it some thought, only a string of prayer beads I made myself could serve as a small token of my gratitude."
In any case, giving away one was no different from giving away two...
"Why do you..." Give prayer beads to everyone?!
Yin Fan did not finish his sentence. Behind his mask, the corners of his lips suddenly lifted. "Who said the Buddha Spirit Sect has nothing that catches my eye?"