Chapter 3396: Tailgating

Three men and one woman stood inside a narrow valley, led by Xu Xin. Five yellow giants with indistinct features were attacking them. Xu Xin and her three companions used their flying swords to counter-attack the five yellow giants.

A series of deafening explosions rang out. The bodies of the five yellow stone figures shattered into countless yellow stones, scattering across the ground.

The yellow stones quickly gathered together, reformed, and once again transformed into five yellow giants, attacking Xu Xin and her companions.

Xu Xin's delicate eyebrows furrowed. She formed a sword incantation, and her flying sword glowed intensely before slashing towards the five yellow giants.

With a loud bang, the five yellow giants once again turned into countless yellow fragments. Just as these fragments were about to coalesce into yellow stone figures once more, a short, stout old man in white robes conjured a small white mirror. After its surface glowed with a dazzling red light, it emitted a stream of white mist that enveloped the yellow fragments. The yellow fragments quickly froze, and the ice spread rapidly.

Seizing this opportunity, Xu Xin and her three companions flew out of the valley and appeared in a dense red forest.

"Thankfully, the restriction entered a weak period," the white-robed elder said with a tone of relief. "Otherwise, it would have been truly difficult to escape."

"I hope we can get the Seven Flames Golden Peaches!" Xu Xin said in a deep voice. "Be careful. So many years have passed; those two Golden Flame Sky-Swallowing Pythons should have advanced to Rank 7, Upper Grade by now."

The last time the Myriad Spirit Ruins opened, cultivators from the Seven Sword Palace entered to search for treasures. They unexpectedly discovered a Seven Flames Golden Peach tree, but the fruits were not yet ripe, and it was guarded by two Rank 7, Middle Grade Golden Flame Sky-Swallowing Pythons. Their strength was insufficient, so they had no choice but to leave.

This situation is not uncommon: being limited by one's strength, unable to retrieve a treasure, and forced to return another time.

They each cast defensive spells on themselves and continued forward.

After more than half a day, they stopped, their brows furrowed. Ahead lay an open area where numerous massive craters could be seen, their interiors scorched black.

"Where is the Seven Flames Golden Peach tree?" Xu Xin asked with a frown. "And the Golden Flame Sky-Swallowing Pythons?"

"Did it undergo tribulation here and destroy the Seven Flames Golden Peach tree?" the white-robed elder speculated, "Or did someone beat us to it and slay the beasts?"

They thoroughly examined the area but found no Seven Flames Golden Peach tree, only some damaged scales.

"What bad luck!" the white-robed elder sighed, his face filled with disappointment. "We came all this way, only for the Seven Flames Golden Peaches to be gone."

"Forget it, if it's not here, it's not here. We can only blame our bad luck," Xu Xin said in a deep voice. "Let's go slay that Rank 7 Ice Flood Dragon instead!" They then left the area.

In a vast, boundless black forest, a gigantic azure wolf puppet advanced slowly. Wang Rumeng and her five companions sat on its back, their faces filled with vigilance.

They planned to go to the Five-Thunder Beast's lair and wait there for Wang Qingfeng and his two companions.

"Someone is coming," Wang Zongque said, his brow furrowed. "Three Integration-stage cultivators are approaching." He formed an incantation, and the gigantic wolf puppet stopped.

He cultivated the 'Grand Void God Forging Art', and his divine sense was considerably stronger than cultivators of the same stage. His divine sense detected three Integration-stage cultivators hurrying their way.

"Let's hide," Wang Yier suggested. "If they are human, it's fine. If not, we'll act according to the situation."

Wang Zongque nodded and conjured a banner glowing with red light. On its surface was a red lizard, and its spiritual energy was astonishing; it was indeed a Mid-Grade Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure. With a gentle shake, the surface of the red banner glowed brightly, emitting a large expanse of red mist that enveloped their figures.

A gentle breeze blew, and as the red mist dispersed, they had also vanished.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, two men and one woman appeared in the dense forest. They were True Monarch Jinhong and his two companions.

The red-robed elder and the young woman in the green skirt walked side-by-side, keeping some distance from True Monarch Jinhong. All three had wary expressions; it was unclear if they were guarding against other cultivators or each other.

"Why aren't we there yet?" the red-robed elder asked, clearly displeased. "You're not leading us in circles, are you?"

"I cannot defeat a Rank 7 Tiger Phoenix Butterfly alone, so I have no intention of leading you in circles," True Monarch Jinhong said sincerely. "We are still some distance from our destination. I hope we succeed quickly."

"I hope so!" the red-robed elder responded. The three continued forward and disappeared into the dense forest.

Half a day later, a red light flashed in a certain void, and Wang Zongque and his five companions reappeared, their expressions varied.

"They seem to be looking for something," Wang Yier analyzed. "A Rank 7 Tiger Phoenix Butterfly is not weak. The fact that they dare to confront it indicates that what they are looking for is very important."

The Tiger Phoenix Butterfly is a spirit insect ranked fifteenth on the Myriad Insects List and possesses spatial divine abilities. For three Integration-stage cultivators to dare to target it, the item it guards must be extraordinary.

"Ancestor Qingfeng is still waiting for us to meet up," Wang Shenfeng reminded them.

"Let's follow them and see," Wang Zongque said dismissively. "If there are rare cultivation resources, and we don't get them, then so be it. It's fine to meet up with Ancestor Qingfeng a little later."

Since he said so, Wang Rumeng and the other five had no choice but to obey.

Wang Zongque flicked his sleeve, and a yellow-glowing metal orb flew out. He infused it with an incantation, and the orb emitted a dazzling spiritual light, transforming into an entirely yellow centipede. This was a Rank 7 puppet beast. He infused it with another incantation, and the centipede puppet's abdomen split in half, revealing an entrance. He put away the gigantic wolf puppet, and the six of them successively entered the centipede puppet's body.

The centipede puppet submerged itself underground and burrowed to follow them.

Seven days later, True Monarch Jinhong and his two companions appeared outside a narrow valley. On either side of the valley were two steep peaks, and the sky above was black, giving off an oppressive feeling.

"We must pass through here to reach our destination," True Monarch Jinhong said, his expression grim, pointing at the canyon. "The Tiger Phoenix Butterfly's nest is within the canyon. If it hasn't died, it should have at least advanced to Rank 7, Upper Grade."

There was a special restriction here that greatly limited divine sense, so the red-robed elder could not investigate the situation inside the valley.

The red-robed elder flicked his right hand, and a buzzing sound rang out as hundreds of azure bees flew out from his spirit beast bracelet, scattering and flying towards the peaks on either side of the valley. As soon as they appeared above the peaks on either side, their bodies shattered into pieces and fell to the ground, their spirits destroyed as soon as they tried to escape.

"Use the Wang family's puppet beast to investigate," the red-robed elder instructed.

The young woman in the green skirt acknowledged, and with a raise of her right hand, a golden-glowing metal orb flew out. She infused it with an incantation, and the orb emitted a dazzling spiritual light, transforming into a gigantic golden ape with vacant eyes. A streak of azure light flew from the young woman's glabella and entered the gigantic golden ape's body. The golden ape's eyes began to move, and it started walking into the valley.

True Monarch Jinhong and his two companions retreated far back, observing from a distance.

The gigantic golden ape was not fast. Before long, a several-zhang-wide cave appeared before it. The gigantic golden ape opened its maw and sprayed a thick beam of golden light that entered the cave.

With a thunderous roar, the void rippled, and a colossal Tiger Phoenix Butterfly materialized out of thin air, appearing in the void above the gigantic golden ape's head.