Volume Two, Chapter Eighteen: Brothers in Hardship

Meng Fang watched as Yu Mu, like a child playing with a new toy, kept changing his clothes in fascination. He said, “Brother Gada, don’t tell me you’ve only just reached the Transformation Stage? Has no one ever explained these things to you?”

Yu Mu stopped his childish antics, only to ask an even more naive question. “Brother Meng, what is the Transformation Stage? I’ve never heard of it.”

That convinced Meng Fang even more of his guess. “Brother Gada, the Transformation Stage is the realm where we spirits can take on human form—that’s where you are now. Oh, right, human cultivators call this the Core Formation Stage.”

“Oh!” Yu Mu finally understood that there were such distinctions.

“Brother Meng, where are we now?”

“The Dragonfall Continent, in the Domain of Three Saints! You really don’t know anything, do you?”

“Dragonfall Continent?” Yu Mu was shocked. How had he ended up here from the Sage Continent?

He vaguely recalled overhearing Guan Yuyun and the others mention that the Dragonfall Continent was millions of miles from the Sage Continent. How had he managed, after a spell of unconsciousness and a random fall from who-knows-where, to arrive here?

He was about to ask a series of questions when a piercing cry came from the sky: “Lecher! Prepare to die!”

With the shout, a barrage of dazzling blades of light descended. The “new clothes” Yu Mu had just donned were instantly riddled with holes.

“Who dares attack my brother?” Meng Fang’s furious roar echoed as two giant axes appeared in his hands. He swung one up at the sky.

The two beauties above, focused solely on the hated lecher below, failed to notice the burly black-haired man standing at Yu Mu’s side. Meng Fang’s strike truly carried the force to split mountains, sending the unprepared Xiao Mei flying dozens of meters—even though she’d been airborne and far away, and was struck only by the force of the blow.

The two women were startled to see the lecher suddenly receive help from a master.

Meng Fang, seeing his attack had little real effect, immediately shouted, “Brother Gada, that girl is stronger than me—run!”

With that, he turned and strode away, quickly putting distance between them.

Yu Mu, still awed by the might of Meng Fang’s axe, saw him flee and wasted no time in running himself.

After a few steps, Meng Fang noticed Yu Mu wasn’t keeping up. Glancing back, he realized Yu Mu’s speed was barely better than an ordinary mortal’s. He stopped, doubled back, and hoisted Yu Mu onto his broad shoulder before dashing off again.

Sitting atop Meng Fang’s broad shoulders was as steady as riding an ox.

The two women, seeing their targets fleeing without the slightest intention of fighting, felt their contempt deepen and their anger flare.

But this abrupt retreat caught them off guard; by the time they reacted, their targets were already far away.

Burning with rage, the two women urged their magic tools forward, giving chase without pause. But as soon as they drew close, Meng Fang whirled and swung his axe again, sending Senior Sister Mo flying back several dozen meters.

These two surprise attacks didn’t cause real injury, but left Xiao Mei’s clothes and hair in disarray, her appearance disheveled, and nearly exposed her again.

Repeated humiliation left Xiao Mei incandescent with fury, but she dared not approach too closely, chasing from behind with ranged attacks. For the thick-skinned pair ahead, such attacks did no real harm.

This only infuriated the women further. Even the usually gentle and reserved Shu Shimei bit her lip in determination, unwilling to give up.

Compared to their pursuers, Yu Mu felt greatly relieved—his current situation was far better than his earlier brushes with death. Especially now, with the distance widened, the spiritual attacks were no longer so threatening.

Relaxing, he noticed that the clothes Xiao Mei had just slashed apart had already repaired themselves. Not only did this garb cover his body, its defensive power was impressive—a fact that lifted his spirits.

But after a while, Yu Mu realized the self-repairing ability of his clothing consumed a great deal of spiritual energy. While the women’s attacks were not severe, sustaining them would eventually exhaust his strength.

“Brother Meng, we can’t keep running like this forever. Do you have any way to shake them off?”

“Haha!” Meng Fang, still effortlessly carrying Yu Mu, replied, “Brother, you don’t understand. Flying on magic tools gives a big advantage in battle, but it burns through spiritual power fast. Judging from their aura, those girls are only at the mid-Core Formation Stage—they won’t last much longer.”

“Core Formation? What stage is that?” Yu Mu’s heart eased, but curiosity got the better of him.

“Oh, that’s what humans call the Golden Core Stage.”

“Brother Meng, why do humans have different names for these stages than we do?”

“It’s not that different, really. Most of the stages are the same. But since humans’ bodies are different from ours, some of their cultivation stages vary. For example, in our realm—what humans call Nascent Core—we condense our mystical energy into a core. For us, though, something else can happen at this stage: we gain the ability to transform.”

“Brother Meng, you already told me the Transformation Stage lets us take human form. But what’s the difference between our Core Formation and the Golden Core of humans?” It was strange to think of himself as a spirit, but Yu Mu had to accept it.

“Haha, let me correct you first. Transformation doesn’t just mean turning into a human—you can take other forms too, if you have the talent or the right techniques.”

“Ah!” The knowledge Meng Fang imparted opened Yu Mu’s eyes and made him see the world anew.

Meng Fang, pleased with Yu Mu’s astonishment, put on a mysterious air. “There’s a legend that in some ancient forests, tribes of half-human, half-spirit beings live. Their natural guardians, the most powerful among them, can transform into ancient dragons.”

“What? Dragons?”

Yu Mu’s reaction did not disappoint Meng Fang, who laughed cheerfully. “It’s just a legend, don’t take it too seriously. As for the difference between Core Formation and Golden Core, it’s not so easy to explain all at once. Anyway, we’ve lost those troublesome girls. Let’s find a secluded place to talk more—I’m a bit tired myself.”

Only then did Yu Mu realize their pursuers had vanished, likely gone off to recover their strength. In this duel of endurance, the two spirits had clearly emerged victorious.

Meng Fang set Yu Mu down, and the two began searching for a place to rest.