Main Text, Volume Two, Chapter Eighty-Eight: Fruit of Rebirth

Yu Mu, drenched in cold sweat, set down the offering and dropped heavily onto the stone platform, panting for breath. In truth, he had not spent much spiritual power at all, but the immense pressure on his mind had nearly broken him.

This was the most harrowing ordeal he had faced since the desert worm.

The priestess was even more shocked. She had shattered the spirit crystal in her hand and unleashed the Great Purification Art, intent on annihilating the wraith. Yet to her astonishment, she had only cut away half of its soul body. That creature must have possessed the strength of a late Nascent Soul cultivator.

After Yu Mu steadied himself, he realized the monkey was nowhere to be seen.

After some inquiry, Yan Xiaosan learned that their journey had actually involved such a perilous and uncanny encounter. He bitterly regretted his injury, which had kept him from taking part.

Once the group had rested, they introduced themselves to one another. The priestess was named Naga. Yu Mu said to her, “Once we descend this cliff, we will be heading to Falcon City. Would you care to come with us?”

The moment he spoke, a chill entered Ye Yu’s eyes. Naga was powerful; if they could travel with her, the road would be much safer. That was the fine scheme Yu Mu had in mind.

Unexpectedly, Naga shook her head. “Not until I have found Sister Naya, I cannot leave this place.”

“And if you are alone here, is it safe?”

“It is fine. I have already sent word to the Holy See. In a few days, people from the Holy See will arrive. You may rest assured.”

Yu Mu said with some regret, “In that case, we must part here. I wish you success in finding Sister Naya. Farewell!”

“Farewell!”

The four parted ways, and Yu Mu once again summoned his bamboo hat before descending the cliff.

After reaching the cliff’s foot, Ye Yu and the other man decided that the first thing to solve was Yu Mu’s inability to fly. Among the three of them, he alone could not take to the air, and that was far too much of a hindrance.

Before, it had been impossible because his cultivation was insufficient. But now Yu Mu had already advanced to the Core Formation stage, and of course he could begin to cultivate flight techniques.

Besides, among the magical treasures seized from the white-faced man and the others, flying artifacts were the most numerous, perfect for Yu Mu to try one by one.

A few days later...

“How can you be this stupid?”

“Watch out, Brother Yu!”

Oof.

Yu Mu clutched his backside and got up with a pained expression.

Ye Yu streaked up to him, hands on her hips, glaring ferociously. “You are truly the greatest fool rarely seen in ten thousand years. Such a simple art of controlling a magical tool in flight, and you still can’t learn it? Have you ever heard of a Core Formation cultivator who cannot fly? Is your true form that pig?”

Yu Mu had nothing to say. Yan Xiaosan covered his mouth nearby, snickering gleefully like someone enjoying the spectacle.

For some reason, Yu Mu simply had no affinity for the art of flight. The moment he left the ground, he felt an indescribable discomfort, as though his roots had been severed.

After several days of practice, he could only rise a little over thirty feet. Every time he flew less than half a mile, he would inevitably lose control of the artifact and tumble down, filthy and disheveled. He had never once landed properly. No wonder Ye Yu was furious.

The three of them had already left the Devil’s Slope for some distance, but they were still within its bounds, and the situation remained extremely dangerous. All of this was Yu Mu’s fault.

Not only was his control over flying artifacts clumsier than a pig’s, his flight speed was also painfully slow, not even as fast as a white boar running on the ground.

In her rage, Ye Yu pointed at a mountain peak and said, “If you cannot fly to that peak today, you need not think of resting.”

Yu Mu looked up and felt his heart sink. The peak she pointed at was at least three hundred feet high, more than ten times beyond his current ability. How could he possibly do it?

But over the past few days, he had been thoroughly tamed by Ye Yu and did not dare disobey this young lady even in the slightest. He could only brace himself and once more urge the flying artifact forward, wobbling toward the mountain peak.

Just as Yu Mu had reached the foot of the mountain, he suddenly heard an eagle cry from above. He looked up to see a white blur circling over the peak, as though issuing him a warning.

Startled, Yu Mu toppled straight to the ground.

Ye Yu flew into a rage. “Don’t even think about slacking off. Get up this instant.”

Yet Yu Mu remained seated on the ground, pointing at the white blur in the sky. “Look at that. Doesn’t it resemble the giant silver-feathered eagle Naga mentioned?”

The instant Ye Yu heard the word Naga, her brows shot upward. But after hearing Yu Mu’s words, she looked up in suspicion. Sure enough, the white shape in the sky was a colossal eagle, white all over.

The silver eagle was circling above that mountain peak, emitting sharp cries from time to time.

“It really does look like it. It seems to be guarding something. Could its nest be on that peak?” Ye Yu’s eyes shone like twin moons as she gazed upward in confusion.

Yu Mu gave a sly smile. “I’ve heard that where a spirit beast stands guard, there is always a spiritual treasure. Should we...”

Smack.

He took a slap to the head.

“What do you mean, should we? You can’t even fly yet, and you’re already thinking of making mischief with that fierce bird.”

Yu Mu scratched his head awkwardly, while beside him Yan Xiaosan’s carefree laughter rang out.

The silver eagle circled for a while longer before finally flying off into the distance and vanishing into the mist and clouds.

“You two stay here. I’m going up to take a look.” The moment the eagle left, Ye Yu could no longer restrain herself. Though she had been scolding Yu Mu, in truth no one was more eager than she was to see what lay on the mountain peak.

Just as she was about to rise, Yu Mu suddenly said, “Wait. Look at that giant python.”

Following the direction he indicated, the other two indeed discovered a black-scaled python as thick as a thigh, slithering toward the mountain peak. They did not understand what this had to do with Ye Yu’s inspection of the mountain.

Yu Mu explained, “If there truly is something on the summit that the silver eagle cannot bear to leave behind, it surely won’t be gone for long. We might as well watch and wait, and let the python scout the path for us.”

Upon hearing this, the others found his reasoning sound. So the three of them widened their eyes and watched the python climb upward. This snake was no ordinary creature; it moved with astonishing speed and in no time had already neared the summit.

Just then, a furious shriek came from the sky, followed by a white blur shooting out of the mist. Like a bolt of lightning, it reached the summit in the blink of an eye.

The python reacted with great speed and fled at once. The silver eagle did not pursue. It hovered in midair, and with a shake of the three silver plumes on its head, there came a crack of thunder as a bolt of lightning descended. Silver as metal, it struck the python dead on.

The entire python, along with the rocks beneath it, was reduced to powder, revealing the terrible power of the lightning.

The three of them drew in a sharp breath at once. Ye Yu in particular broke out in a cold sweat, her heart pounding with lingering fear. This eagle’s cultivation was likely beyond the Soul Departure stage.

Upon seeing the eagle’s strength, Yu Mu and Yan Xiaosan immediately wanted to leave this place. But Ye Yu refused, saying, “The object this eagle guards cannot be ordinary. I suggest we stay a few more days and observe carefully, to see whether there may be an opening to exploit. If it truly will not work, then we leave.”

“Fine.” The two of them could not outargue her and had no choice but to agree.

Thus the three settled in the woods at the foot of the mountain and secretly observed the silver eagle.

After two days of observation, they indeed discovered that the silver eagle’s movements followed a certain pattern. Once each day, it would leave this place for a while, likely the time when it went hunting.

That period lasted about ten to fifteen minutes. If they moved quickly enough, the time would be sufficient for a round trip.

Yan Xiaosan volunteered. “I’ll go!”

Indeed, Yan Xiaosan was the best suited for this mountain reconnaissance mission. After these few days of recuperation, his injuries had already healed. Among the three, he was the fastest, and had ample time to complete the task.

Unexpectedly, Ye Yu objected. “What if the thing on the mountain is medicinal herb? If you go, wouldn’t that be a wasted trip? Let me do it.”

The others considered it and agreed she had a point. After some instructions, Ye Yu seized the moment the silver eagle had just left and immediately flew toward the mountain peak.

Watching Ye Yu’s figure vanish above the summit, the two of them could not help but grow tense. Each silently prayed that the silver eagle must not return early.

Who would have thought the silver eagle did not return, while Ye Yu did.

She came plunging down from the sky like a gale. The moment she landed, she urgently said, “Quick! Let’s go back and hide first.”

Seeing Ye Yu with a blackened face, her hair standing on end and wisps of smoke rising from her, the two were astonished. But they had no time to ask what had happened and hurriedly followed her into the woods.

In the woods, the three had already dug an underground hideout. Once they entered the earth pit and laid down a barrier, Ye Yu finally let out a long breath.

“What happened?” Yu Mu had only just spoken when a furious eagle cry rang out from outside.

“How dangerous!” The three of them were secretly alarmed. They had barely escaped by a hair’s breadth. Who would have thought the silver eagle had really returned early?

After catching her breath, Ye Yu said excitedly, “There really is a treasure on the mountain!”

“Haha!” The two of them were overjoyed. “What kind of treasure is it?”

“The Fruit of Rebirth.”