"Congratulations!" Lü Zhong said sincerely. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Yu Feng’Er had grown to the point where her strength was now on par with the elite disciples of the Sect.

The gap between her and a True Inheritance disciple of Changchun Valley had narrowed significantly. All that remained was for her to accumulate more experience with various Secret Skills and combat. If she could build on that in the future, her combat abilities would be little different from the likes of the Sword Cultivator, Ma Cheng.

With enough opportunities, it was even highly possible for her to one day equal someone like Lady Butterfly.

...

Two days later, the pair finally arrived at Overlapping Waves Sand.

Lü Zhong stood by the water’s edge. As far as the eye could see, there were only white-sand shoals.

Coral reefs of all sizes were scattered across the shoals like stars in the sky. Colorful Antler Coral grew on them, and occasionally, schools of vibrant little fish could be seen darting gracefully through the coral.

After a careful survey, he determined the place was not dangerous.

They made their way to the center of Overlapping Waves Sand, where a reef platform was covered in Purple Jade Coral. The Purple Jade Spirit Marrow they were looking for was inside this coral. By feeding the coral a specially prepared Spirit Liquid, they could make it spit out the marrow. How much they could get was entirely up to luck.

Fortunately, their luck was quite good.

After a flurry of activity, they had filled eleven Small Jade Bottles.

Once they returned and refined the contents, they would have the true Purple Jade Spirit Marrow.

"And with that, our objective for this trip is complete!" Lü Zhong said to Yu Feng’Er with a smile.

She nodded. She had expected the journey to be fraught with difficulties, but it had turned out to be surprisingly easy.

And their rewards were far from small. Not only had they obtained their target, the Purple Jade Spirit Marrow, but they had also gathered two stalks of Black Gold Insect Grass. On top of that, they had feasted heartily on delicious Odd Crow Demon Fish.

It was safe to say the trip had been well worth it.

Afterward, the two found a stretch of beach to rest.

They planned to wait until it was about time, then fly to the White Jade Platform to rendezvous.

But things don’t always go according to plan. Lü Zhong suddenly spotted several streaks of Escape Light in the distance. It was three cultivators fleeing for their lives, pursued by a crimson glow—an incredibly ugly Demon Beast.

It was dog-like, but not quite a dog. Its body was covered in mangy skin with only a few twisted, sparse hairs. A long, narrow mouth was filled with sharp fangs, and a pair of bat-like wings protruded from its shoulders. Relying on its incredible speed, it continuously launched ferocious attacks on the three fleeing cultivators. If they hadn’t constantly interfered with Talismans, Magical Artifacts, and other items, the three of them would have likely perished long ago.

"It’s Lin Muyun and the others!"

Once Lü Zhong got a clear look at the three fleeing figures, he immediately guessed what kind of Demon Beast was chasing them.

A Blood Demon!

He was secretly astonished by the beast’s power. With a single flap of its bat wings, it transformed into a Blood Shadow, its Escape Speed so fast it was almost like Instant Teleportation. Its weaving attacks were impossible to defend against.

Realizing the enormous gap in strength, Lü Zhong abandoned any thought of helping. He was neither friend nor family to Lin Muyun; there was no reason to get involved. If he helped, he might just end up drawing the trouble upon himself.

So, he and Yu Feng’Er concealed their auras and hid.

After the three cultivators and the beast were long gone, Lü Zhong turned his gaze in the direction from which Lin Muyun had fled.

He released his Flying Ship and followed the trail, soon finding a deserted island saturated with Demon Qi. There, on a rocky mountain in the center of the island, he saw an ancient vine with a stalk as crimson as blood and leaves that resembled a True Phoenix in flight.

"The Phoenix Blood Ancient Vine!"

Yu Feng’Er exclaimed in pleasant surprise.

"Quick! Let’s grab this treasure before the Blood Demon comes back!"

Lü Zhong hadn’t expected that, after all this, the Phoenix Blood Ancient Vine would still end up in his hands.

And in such a way, too—by simply picking up what someone else had left behind.

Looking at the surrounding area, the ground was a total mess. Fragments of Magical Artifacts and Array Flags were scattered about, along with two mangled, bloody corpses. It was clear that Lin Muyun and his party had fought a great battle against the Blood Demon to obtain the Phoenix Blood Ancient Vine.

But they had underestimated the Blood Demon’s strength, and all their efforts had merely paved the way for someone else.

If Lin Muyun ever found out about this, he would probably be angry enough to spit up blood.