Just as Lu Yuan knew, several of the Nine Cauldrons still existed somewhere on Earth, and as divine artifacts of Huaxia, their importance could not be overstated. Without extraordinary fortune, an ordinary person would never find them.

Lu Yuan obtained the Yongzhou Cauldron in Mount Kunlun, but it had only been possible because of his memories from his previous life. Without them, even if he had entered that place, he would never have claimed it.

Sending the Golden-Winged Great Peng to search for it was meant to strengthen the Celestial Court, though in truth, Lu Yuan had not pinned too much hope on it.

He hadn't expected to receive a lead this quickly. The cauldron was still not found, but it had to be nearby.

Less than two months. The Golden-Winged Great Peng's efficiency is surprisingly impressive. Lu Yuan smiled and walked out of his room. He glanced at Jiang Ningxian's quarters and saw that she was still in seclusion.

He chose not to disturb her and went directly to find Elder Ji and Elder Yun, informing them that he would be away for a while. The two did not ask why. They simply assured him that the Celestial Court's affairs were in good hands.

This was the best thing about having capable people beneath oneself. Lu Yuan didn't have to do everything personally. Without such subordinates, even the most talented individual would find themselves bogged down by trivial affairs.

With that settled, Lu Yuan acknowledged the information that he had received, muttering, "The Golden-Winged Great Peng said that it felt the aura of one of the Nine Cauldrons somewhere in the Hengduan Mountains. That place has become too big. I guess I'll group up with them first."

He rose into the sky and tore through the void before stepping inside it. He could not reach his destination instantly, though. Earth had become too massive and was still expanding. Even as a Void Sage, knowing the destination did not mean he could traverse the distance in a short time.

After all, Earth was a complete world with a stable spatial fabric. Of course, it was a different story in outer space. There, he could cover massive distances by traveling through the void.

***

The Hengduan Mountains hadn't been that far from Mount Kunlun in the old era, but the Global Awakening had changed everything. Now, there was a great distance between the two.

Just then, two figures weaved through the clustered peaks—a woman and a peng.

The peng was, of course, the Golden-Winged Great Peng. It emanated a formidable aura. It made sense. Its bloodline was becoming purer as the days went on, after all.

Its aura alone sent the mutated beasts below scattering in terror. If it ever fully unlocked its potential and reached its most perfect state, its strength would truly become mythical like its bloodline.

Meanwhile, the woman was the Nine-tailed Fox King in human form. Her strength was comparable to the Golden-Winged Great Peng's. An ordinary fox could not amount to much, but one with nine tails was another matter entirely.

Nine-tailed foxes were mythological creatures, after all.

"Are you sure you sensed its aura here? I'm not picking up anything," the Nine-tailed Fox King said, staring at the Golden-Winged Great Peng with a slight frown. In human form, she was genuinely bewitching. Her figure and face were flawless, and her innate charm made it impossible for any normal person to look away from her.

"Of course. I wouldn't have contacted Master otherwise," The Golden-Winged Great Peng answered, and then it eyed the Nine-tailed Fox King. "Honestly, that form doesn't suit you. You'd be better off in your original form. At least, you'd have some fur."

Clearly, its beauty standards aligned with the Spirit Monkey's rather than human beings. Of course, beast kings of their level of strength could easily assume human form.

"What do you know? King Lu will definitely appreciate seeing me like this," the Nine-tailed Fox King scoffed, ignoring the suggestion.

"Oh, please." The Golden-Winged Great Peng sneered. "In the looks department, you can't even compare to Zhou Yunqiong, let alone Fairy Jiang, who's already at Master's side. Forget competing, you can't even beat her in a fight."

With that, it ignored her and rushed forward, weaving through the mountains.

"You—" The Nine-tailed Fox King was about to erupt in fury, but her expression suddenly changed. She had sensed it, too. She could sense a faint but distinctive aura.

Before setting out, Lu Yuan had infused each of the beast kings with a thread of Providence from one of the Nine Cauldrons to aid them in their search. As for how they were going to use it, it was all up to them.

The Golden-Winged Great Peng came to a halt. The two exchanged glances and dropped the bickering at once. Right now, finding the cauldron was the top priority.

Without hesitation, they headed straight for the aura.

The Hengduan Mountains had always been vast, but in this new era, they became terrifyingly vast. However, both the Golden-Winged Great Peng and the Nine-tailed Fox King could travel at extreme speeds. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

After passing by mountain after mountain, they finally located the aura. It turned out to be at the very heart of the Hengduan Mountains.

The Nine-tailed Fox King raised her head and pointed into the distance. "It seems to be inside that mountain ahead."

In the distance, they saw an enormous mountain standing ramrod straight as it pierced the clouds. It was so tall that it seemed to be connected to the firmament itself. Besides the distinctive aura of Providence, an indescribable aura lingered around the mountain as well.

"The space here feels somewhat unstable." The Golden-Winged Great Peng frowned. Its innate ability was extreme speed, and it made it very sensitive to spatial fluctuations.

"It does feel different." The Nine-tailed Fox King sensed it as well, but she quickly moved on from it. "Let's find that cauldron first. King Lu should already be on his way here, unless something big has happened. He can tear through the void, so he'll be fast. In the meantime, we should find the cauldron and surprise him with it."

The Golden-Winged Great Peng agreed. There was no sense in wasting their master's time.

With that, the two of them headed for the distant mountain. As soon as they made their move, a beam of light erupted from the mountain's depths, and it pierced the firmament before seemingly linking with the stars above.

The light was nearly transparent, invisible to the naked eye. It pulsed with the laws of space.

The Global Awakening had caused many folded spaces to manifest. Some of them were sacred grounds left behind by legendary figures of the ancient era, like Guang Chengzi's Dao ground, which qualified as a Mythical Secret Realm.

However, many others remained undiscovered. Those folded spaces were inherently fragile and had always been concealed within blessed lands. They would never be found unless one specifically looked for them.

Since they contained traces of the ancient era, they were among the first places affected by Earth's awakening. However, the folded space that had just appeared within the Hengduan Mountains had not opened on its own.

Someone from outer space was manipulating it, and they were using the laws of space to force open a passage through it. A foreign aura radiated from it, but something was working to suppress and conceal it.

Neither the Golden-Winged Great Peng nor the Nine-tailed Fox King noticed it. They were strong, but they were too weak to perceive changes in spacetime, especially when someone was deliberately masking them.

Buzz!

An hour later, a faint noise rippled through the air.

Within that beam of light, a pocket of space materialized. It was not large, but it contained a passageway. Looking at it from the outside, one could see the stars of outer space on the other side.

The passage was unstable, and it could collapse at any moment. A short while later, a young man appeared from it. His eyes were cold, and he radiated an arrogance and nobility that made him look thoroughly cold.

He instantly sensed the Golden-Winged Great Peng and the Nine-tailed Fox King in the distance. A faint smile tugged at his lips as he muttered, "Finally... I'm here."