Chapter 254

Just then, two figures followed them in and landed.

Number Six was full of excitement and handed Zhou Qing a notebook.

"According to the Old Peng Wang's records, this place was once the palace of a pure-blooded Kunpeng. Since you have refined the essence blood of the true Jin Peng clan, you might be able to find some special opportunities here."

Number Six reminded him.

"Kunpeng? The one that can't be stewed in one pot?" Zhou Qing asked, his face full of astonishment.

Hearing this, Number Six frowned slightly, a flash of confusion in her eyes: "What can't be stewed?"

Zhou Qing hurriedly waved his hands to explain: "Nothing, I just heard before that in the Northern Darkness there is a fish, and its name is Kun. The Kun is so large that I don't know how many thousands of miles it spans; it transforms into a bird, and its name is Peng. The back of the Peng is I don't know how many thousands of miles long."

After hearing this, Lu Lu Yaoyao's eyes widened directly.

A demon beast thousands of miles long?

Is that for real?

Number Six nodded lightly and said with a serious expression: "It's catchy, but it's also correct. The Kunpeng is a true supreme bloodline among the ancient demon clans, a divine beast possessing both Kun and Peng forms."

Speaking of this, her tone was full of reverence.

"It can transform into a giant Kun, mastering the power of the waters to roam the four seas; it can also spread its wings as a Peng, controlling the power of the void, wind, and thunder to traverse the heavens and earth."

"Moreover, whether it's the pure-blooded Jin Wu, Suanni, or Golden Winged Great Peng, they are all a grade lower in front of such a divine beast!"

Hearing this, Zhou Qing was completely shocked.

The Old Peng Wang was at the late stage of Soul Severance, and even the Peng Emperor of Taiyao Mountain had the goal of his entire life to constantly purify his bloodline to align with the true Golden Winged Great Peng clan.

Yet even so, a pure-blooded Golden Winged Great Peng could only be considered a branch existence in front of such an entity as the Kunpeng?

This Kunpeng could truly be said to stand at the pinnacle of divine beasts, looking down upon all living things.

"Let's not talk about that for now. Please help me find this item!" Number Six scanned the surroundings quickly, her expression becoming serious.

She then pointed to a page recorded in the Old Peng Wang's notebook.

Zhou Qing looked over.

【Today, deep in the palace, I saw a strange spiritual plant. Its body was surrounded by a crimson flame color, and golden patterns flowed on its vines, as if it had its own spiritual charm. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was the divine medicine, the Crimson Flame Golden-Patterned Vine.】

【Although this vine is still young, the medicinal power it contains is already astonishing. If it can mature, it will surely be a heaven-defying item.】

【However, I considered that all things grow in their own time; rashly picking it might destroy its spiritual roots and cut off this spiritual object's chance to grow, so I abandoned the thought of picking it.】

【I will leave it here; it won't be too late to pick it when I come in next time!】

Seeing this, Zhou Qing felt a hint of regret in his heart.

The Old Peng Wang ultimately failed to step into this place again; fate is truly unpredictable.

"Crimson Flame Golden-Patterned Vine!" Zhou Qing muttered to himself after seeing the record in the notebook.

These days, divine medicines capable of transformation are few and far between; each one is a treasure of heaven and earth.

This could be seen from the ten-thousand-year blood ginseng that Second Uncle obtained.

"According to the subsequent pages of the Old Peng Wang's notes, this ruin is one of the Kunpeng's palaces. Although I don't know what happened back then, it can only be opened once every thousand years."

"And each time we can stay for at most five days before being forcibly expelled, so we must hurry," Number Six continued.

Zhou Qing nodded repeatedly, indicating he understood.

It seems the Old Peng Wang had to go to the Eastern Region to seek other opportunities because his time was up. Who could have imagined he would fall there? It is truly sigh-inducing.

"This transforming divine medicine is of great use to me. If you can help me find it, there will be a great reward!" After Number Six finished speaking, she took out a communication jade slip and handed it to Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing asked: "Are we splitting up?"

Number Six nodded and replied: "Yes, splitting up gives a better chance. The Old Peng Wang only explored the outer area back then and didn't go deep, so this divine medicine should be outside."

"Moreover, according to his notes, the dangers in the outer area had almost all been cleared by him."

Since Number Six said so, Zhou Qing had to nod and reply: "This junior will do his best!"

Number Six said: "Thank you. Stay safe. If anything happens, just contact me directly using the jade slip!"

Having said that, she walked toward a floating stone platform further away.

Zhou Qing looked at the jade slip and then looked at Lu Lu Yaoyao.

"Time is tight, let's hurry and help look. Anyway, I'm with you!" Lu Lu Yaoyao said.

Zhou Qing looked at the dilapidated buildings around him and felt a bit weary.

The place was simply too big, and looking at these stone platforms, there were at least eight or nine thousand of them. How could they possibly search them all in five days?

And this was just the outer region; who knew what it was like deeper inside?

A single palace of the Kunpeng was already so luxurious; it was hard to imagine what its true residence looked like.

"Zhou Shixiong, why don't you carry me!" Lu Lu Yaoyao suddenly rolled her eyes and chuckled.

Zhou Qing was stunned upon hearing this.

Lu Lu Yaoyao hurriedly explained: "When a divine medicine takes shape, there must be strange phenomena. If we look from the air, it should be clearer, and my eyes are sharper while your nose is better. If we pair up, we will definitely be able to find it."

Zhou Qing flicked her forehead lightly and said: "You might as well just say you want to ride on my shoulders. Dream on! What if the divine medicine is inside some hall? Can you see it from up there? Hurry up and search step by step!"

After saying this, Zhou Qing took out his broken sword and began to explore forward.

Lu Lu Yaoyao touched her forehead and pouted.

"When I was little, you didn't even touch me with a finger, and now you shock me and flick me. What is this? Making up for childhood regrets?"

Lu Lu Yaoyao muttered softly and had to hurry to catch up.

"Zhou Shixiong, look at this broken sculpture, does it look like the Jin Peng you transformed into?"

"Wow, this must have been a super large bathing place, right? Too bad it's already dried up, and it's still stinky inside."

"Is the Kunpeng really as big as you said? Just the back is thousands of miles long? It could carry a city and run."

…………

Zhou Qing looked at Lu Lu Yaoyao, who was walking in front with her hands behind her back, talking non-stop, and felt a sense of helplessness.

We are here to explore, not to go sightseeing.

Why is this girl so carefree?

If we encounter danger, I might not be able to look after you.

However, searching aimlessly like this was undoubtedly like looking for a needle in a haystack.

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Qing simply transformed into the second form of the Jin Peng's true body; perhaps by using the Golden Winged Great Peng's instinctual senses, he could feel something.

Sure enough, that sense of desolation struck again. Zhou Qing had no choice but to walk forward while releasing his spiritual sense to quietly investigate the surroundings.

……

Two hours later, Zhou Qing and Lu Lu Yaoyao had finished searching the fourth floating stone platform.

It seemed there really was no danger.

But in the next moment, Zhou Qing, who was walking steadily, was unexpectedly tripped hard by some hidden object and staggered.

He turned his head quickly and discovered that what had tripped him was a corner of a plaque, half-buried in dust and rubble.

"What happened?" Lu Lu Yaoyao hurried back and asked with concern.

Zhou Qing shook his head and said: "Nothing, just an ordinary object in the ruins."

After saying this, he walked forward, but stopped after taking two steps.

Opening his hand and looking at the 【Good Luck Post】, which was dim in color and almost exhausted, his heart moved inexplicably, and he resolutely turned around and walked back toward the half-buried plaque.

At this moment, his hands instantly transformed into golden claws, sharp and exposed, and he began to dig deeply with extreme caution.

Lu Lu Yaoyao was full of curiosity, following closely behind, and also squatted down, asking: "Is there something good buried under here?"

Zhou Qing didn't look up and responded briefly: "I don't know!"

Lu Lu Yaoyao was even more confused and pressed: "If you don't know, why are you digging it up?"

Zhou Qing ignored her question and just continued digging with full concentration.

Finally, as he exerted force with both hands and gave a sudden lift, an ancient plaque was dug out from the ground.

The three large characters "Xiaoyao Palace" came into their view.

In an instant, a rich and ancient aura rushed toward them, as if carrying the vicissitudes of time.

Zhou Qing's heart rate suddenly accelerated, and an indescribable sense of familiarity welled up from the depths of his heart, making his breathing rapid.

"This... this is painted with true Peng blood!" Zhou Qing quickly reacted, his eyes full of shock.

He couldn't help but reach out and gently stroke the characters.

He had once refined the third drop of true essence blood left by the Old Peng Wang before he died; the aura radiating from the plaque at this moment was exactly the same as that essence blood.

"Extravagant, truly extremely extravagant!" Zhou Qing muttered to himself.

After passing through long years, the characters on the plaque were still shining with golden light.

Lu Lu Yaoyao was also secretly shocked when she heard Zhou Qing muttering.

But she soon looked at Zhou Qing with admiration.

Dad's nose is really not usually good; buried so deep, he could still find it like digging for bones.

Why didn't I inherit any talent in this regard?

But soon, Zhou Qing discovered that the characters on the plaque were starting to dim, which made his expression change.

"Could it be that it can still oxidize?"

But he couldn't care about that; after instructing Lu Lu Yaoyao not to run around, he hurriedly sat cross-legged, and the Jin Wu fire in his hand instantly burned fiercely, starting to refine the blood essence in the plaque with all his might.

Time passed quietly. A full day later, the original plaque had already turned into fly ash, and in its place were nine drops of golden blood.

Zhou Qing's face showed joy, but after feeling them carefully, he noticed that the spiritual power of these drops of blood was slightly insufficient; compared to the essence blood left by the Old Peng Wang, they were truly inferior.

After all, the years were too long, and the spiritual power contained within them had probably long since dissipated into heaven and earth for the most part.

But fortunately, the quantity was relatively large, so it could be considered a big harvest.

If he could refine them with Yin Spirit Stones, it would not be impossible to step into the mid-stage of the Divine Transformation realm in a short time!

Lu Lu Yaoyao, who had been guarding him the whole time, was also full of excitement when she saw the refining was successful.

Zhou Qing said generously: "Those who see it get a share; I'll give you three drops!"

Lu Lu Yaoyao shook her head repeatedly and refused, saying: "No, you cultivate the 《Di Huang Jing》, you need them more than I do. And because my mental cultivation method has changed, these fierce and scorching things are actually disadvantageous to me."

After hearing this, Zhou Qing had no choice but to give up!

Just then, the jade slip given by Number Six vibrated, and a voice came through.

【How are you searching now? Have you encountered any danger?】

The two looked at each other. Lu Lu Yaoyao reacted very quickly, grabbed the jade slip, and deliberately pretended to be panting, saying: "Don't worry, Sister, Zhou Shixiong and I are doing our best to search."

Number Six's response came quickly: 【Sorry to trouble you, please be sure to stay safe!】

Having said that, the jade slip went silent.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing hurriedly scrambled up from the ground, his expression carrying a hint of guilt, and urged: "Let's go quickly!"

Lu Lu Yaoyao also nodded repeatedly.

It's never good for a father and daughter to deceive their mother together; if they get caught, it would be awkward.

Three days later, the two had searched more than forty platform cities, but still had nothing to show for it.

In one more day, they would be expelled together, and the next opening would be a thousand years later.

As for the 【Good Luck Post】, it had long since been exhausted.

Now they were simply like headless flies bumping around.

"Right, maybe we can try the four-colored flower!" Soon, Zhou Qing suddenly remembered something.

That time in the Old Peng Wang's cave, the four-colored flower had discovered the withered wood of the 【Ancient Tea Tree of Enlightenment】 and produced an anomaly, which kept him from missing it.

Clearly, it had a natural, keen perception of heaven and earth spiritual plants.

"If I enter it with my primordial spirit, I wonder if I can track the traces of the transforming divine medicine?"

A thought crossed Zhou Qing's mind, and he did it immediately.

He closed his eyes immediately, controlled his primordial spirit to slowly come to the side of the four-colored flower, and then tried to slowly merge into it.

A wonderful sense of compatibility struck instantly, which made Zhou Qing's eyes brighten, and he was secretly happy in his heart; he didn't expect this method to actually work.

After all, up to now, his research on the four-colored flower mainly focused on three aspects.

They were the four types of Nascent Soul amplification, preventing soul possession, and blocking others' spiritual sense intrusion.

Soon, as his primordial spirit completely merged with the four-colored flower, Zhou Qing's powerful mental energy, with the flower as the center, suddenly spread out toward the surroundings.

Unfortunately, he still found nothing this time.

However, this mental energy could instantly perceive the entire stone platform, greatly saving search time.

"Let's go, to the next one!" Zhou Qing said decisively, and after speaking, he pulled Lu Lu Yaoyao and ran toward another floating stone platform.

In just a few breaths, it was the next one, and the next one after that...

Lu Lu Yaoyao was a bit worried, and after Zhou Qing landed again, she couldn't help but say: "Zhou Shixiong, are we going too fast? Even if we want to fool her, we should at least search roughly, right?"

Zhou Qing didn't speak, but stopped in surprise.

At this moment, in his perception, the eastern direction of this stone platform seemed to be permeated with an extremely vigorous vitality.

However, the source of that vitality was exceptionally ethereal; he couldn't lock onto the specific location no matter what.

"There's a chance!" Zhou Qing couldn't hide the excitement in his heart, whispered, and then pulled Lu Lu Yaoyao to run quickly toward the east.

"The spiritual power here is so rich!" As soon as Lu Lu Yaoyao's feet touched the ground, she couldn't help but exclaim.

The surrounding air seemed to have been dyed a faint gold by the rich spiritual power; taking a shallow breath, one could feel a cool sensation reaching the lungs through the throat.

The meridians of the whole body seemed to be cheering and leaping.

Zhou Qing was equally shocked.

After all, the two transforming divine medicines he had seen—one was in Number Six's forbidden area, and he could only watch from afar.

The other was half-dead; although the ten-thousand-year blood ginseng was saved by Second Uncle, it had also become much more cautious and no longer leaked any medicinal power.

And this divine medicine that hadn't appeared yet, just the spiritual power it emitted, made his heart move.

But soon he made a shushing gesture to Lu Lu Yaoyao and carefully observed the surrounding environment.

The last person to see this 【Crimson Flame Golden-Patterned Vine】 when it was young was probably the Old Peng Wang.

Now that it had transformed after long years and stayed in such a place with abundant spiritual power and no human presence, no one had posed a threat to it, so its vigilance would likely be greatly reduced.

But as a spiritual medicine, once it sensed danger, it was highly likely to flee by instinct or even launch an attack.

Moreover, it was not yet certain whether this was the 【Crimson Flame Golden-Patterned Vine】 they were desperately looking for.

Subsequently, Zhou Qing silently opened his heavy pupils and looked over with their unique perspective, only to discover that those golden air currents were weirdly coming from behind them.

Zhou Qing raised his hand, made a gesture to Lu Lu Yaoyao to be quiet and not move, and then crouched down, carefully exploring along the remains of the ruins.

Before long, on a piece of broken tile, he saw a golden snake coiled into a ball, sleeping leisurely.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing felt a burst of wild joy in his heart, hurriedly left on tiptoe, and quickly took out the communication jade slip to contact Number Six.

There really is a transforming divine medicine, but heaven knows where its main body is hiding; all of this still depends on Number Six to find it!

In just a few breaths, Number Six arrived, full of excitement.

From repairing the six-colored barrier, transforming into a Jin Peng to enter, to finding the divine medicine, Number Six was full of gratitude toward Zhou Qing at this moment, and for a time didn't know how to express it.

"You two step back, leave the rest to me!" Number Six whispered to the two of them, and then headed in the direction Zhou Qing pointed.

After the two retreated to a safe zone, Lu Lu Yaoyao gave Zhou Qing a thumbs-up with admiration.

"I knew it, there's nothing in this world that can stump you!" Lu Lu Yaoyao said.

Zhou Qing shook his head, unable to laugh or cry, but his eyes remained fixed on the direction Number Six had left, not daring to relax in the slightest.

Roar!

In the next moment, a terrifying beast roar suddenly came from the front, carrying endless majesty and deterrent power, followed by a violent shaking of the earth.

The expressions of the two changed instantly.

"Is this transforming divine medicine so fierce?" Zhou Qing was shocked.

Soon, they saw Number Six fly up quickly, and a giant turtle opened its bloody mouth, nearly swallowing her in one gulp.

This turtle was unusually large, like a moving, towering mountain, and its color even leaned toward ink black.

The terrifying aura radiating from its body made chills run through the depths of Zhou Qing's soul, and he trembled involuntarily.

"Run!" Number Six shouted anxiously, and then her hands formed seals quickly. In an instant, the giant turtle's massive body was wrapped in a thick layer of ice.

But this only delayed it for less than two breaths before fine cracks suddenly appeared on the surface of the ice.

Immediately following, accompanied by a deafening roar, the giant turtle forcibly broke through the ice and chased after Number Six again.

"Give... it back to me!" The giant turtle spoke in human language, very much like the Flame Crocodile King in the third coffin.

Seeing all this, Zhou Qing only felt his heart tremble, and he hurriedly pulled Lu Lu Yaoyao to flee.

You know, Number Six is at the late stage of Soul Severance, but her attacks landed on the other party like tickling.

It is evident that this giant turtle is at least at the Great Perfection of Soul Severance, or even stronger.

Could it be that the Crimson Flame Golden-Patterned Vine was too young before, so no one noticed it?

Now that it has matured, it has caused some terrifying things deep in this ruin to come out and claim it as their own?

No wonder the Old Peng Wang, as a Great Perfection of Soul Severance, only dared to explore the periphery and didn't dare to go deep.

It is truly hard to imagine what kind of secrets are hidden in this palace left behind by the Kunpeng.

Thinking of this, Zhou Qing couldn't help but feel a lingering fear; fortunately, he had acted cautiously before and didn't rashly disturb it, otherwise he really wouldn't have known how he died.

Lu Lu Yaoyao was full of worry, her eyes red, looking back from time to time.

Zhou Qing hurriedly pulled her to fly toward another stone platform and restrained his aura to hide.

It seems Number Six has already succeeded, or perhaps this giant turtle never expected that after so long, someone would break in and steal things right under its nose.

"Don't worry, she is so powerful, she should be fine. At most, in one more day, we outsiders will be expelled!"

Zhou Qing whispered to comfort her. Lu Lu Yaoyao had to nod, but she also hurriedly put her hands together and prayed for Number Six while muttering something.

Roar!

Outside, the giant turtle's roars and attacks came again. The deafening roar made Zhou Qing feel as if the stone platform he was on was like a candle in the wind, which could shatter at any moment.

Fortunately, after a while, the noise outside gradually subsided, and the surroundings fell into dead silence again...

Just like that, the two didn't know how long they stayed in torment. Suddenly, ripples appeared in the surroundings, and then an irresistible suction force appeared out of thin air, pulling their bodies.

Before they could react, they were expelled.

Opening their eyes again, they had returned to the center of the island. The surroundings were quiet, with only the sea breeze blowing gently.

"Are you two okay?" Number Six's cold voice suddenly sounded.

The two turned their heads and saw her clothes were shattered, stained red with blood in many places, dripping continuously from her arms and the corners of her clothes.

Her hair was even messily stuck to her pale cheeks.

Seeing this, Lu Lu Yaoyao's tears burst out instantly.

She ran up immediately, carefully supporting Number Six, and said with a crying voice: "Sister, why are you so badly hurt!"

Zhou Qing stood frozen in place, his eyes full of disbelief.

He couldn't imagine what kind of battle Number Six, such a powerful person, had experienced in just one day.

Facing Lu Lu Yaoyao's inquiry at this moment, Number Six shook her head slightly and comforted her: "I'm fine, don't worry, but I'm afraid I have to trouble you two for a favor."

Zhou Qing then came back to his senses, walked quickly to Number Six's side, and bowed: "Senior, please give your orders."

Number Six's lips moved, and Zhou Qing nodded repeatedly.

……

Above the clouds, a small flying boat was flying quietly, and the person controlling this space ship had become Zhou Qing.

And Number Six was in the cabin at the back, rushing to heal her wounds.

After all, that island was not only known to Yan Sen, but was also the territory of a Demon Emperor. Now that she was seriously injured, staying there was undoubtedly more dangerous.

A slight carelessness could lead to disaster.

Just like that, days passed.

When the flying boat passed through a vast mountain range, Zhou Qing looked from afar and saw that the demon aura in the mountains was soaring to the sky; the thick demon clouds were like black waves, surging endlessly.

He even clearly saw that deep in the mountains, the Dragon Emperor and the Qingluo Beast, two Demon Emperors, were fiercely fighting over something in their original forms.

Besides that, on the edge of the mountain range, there were also figures of border soldiers, vigilantly watching the movements over there.

It seems that the Spider Emperor's territory is now caught in a frenzy of division by various forces.

Zhou Qing didn't dare to stop and hurriedly controlled the flying boat to speed past this place of right and wrong...

(End of chapter)