“Daisy is willing to dedicate herself entirely to the master, even at the cost of her life!” Daisy knelt down, her words resolute and firm.
Yun Qingxue, however, looked at the three of them in utter confusion.
She had merely asked them how much progress they could make in half a year by cultivating with the aid of inner cores and the treasure pearl.
And then?
The snake and the fox started bickering, and Daisy inexplicably knelt down, spouting a bunch of terrifying pledges of loyalty like “dedicating her life.”
As for the question she had asked…
They tacitly chose not to answer it at all…
“Hey… you still haven’t answered my question,” Yun Qingxue reminded them weakly.
A-Dai stopped arguing with Liu Li and instantly adopted a serious expression. “With the help of these two things, if cultivation progresses quickly, I might soon be able to transform into human form!”
“Yes! Me too!” Liu Li hurriedly nodded, as if afraid of being left out.
She didn’t want the master to think she was just a glutton like that stupid A-Dai!
Yun Qingxue then turned to Daisy, who was the weakest among their group.
Frankly speaking, she was also the one holding everyone back the most.
Though no one said anything, Yun Qingxue knew Daisy was aware of this herself and felt insecure about it.
“This… this servant doesn’t know…”
Daisy lowered her head, her answer lacking the confidence of A-Dai and Liu Li.
“Then, are you willing to do your utmost to improve your cultivation?” Yun Qingxue asked her kindly.
Daisy immediately nodded like a chicken pecking at rice. “This servant is naturally willing…
I only beg… I only beg the master not to disdain this servant for being slow-witted.”
“I won’t.” Yun Qingxue smiled, taking out ten bat demon inner cores from the bag. She distributed three each to Daisy, Liu Li, and A-Dai, keeping one for herself.
“Take these inner cores. If you need more, just ask me.”
“Thank you, master.” The three of them beamed with joy as they received the treasures.
After distributing the items, Yun Qingxue left the house and carefully surveyed the bamboo forest.
Based on the terrain and her knowledge, she set up a few simple formations around the bamboo grove and added a protective barrier.
Since she planned to lead everyone in cultivation, she had to ensure proper defenses.
This was also the main reason she didn’t immediately start their training.
Zhu Tao seemed to have the same idea. While Yun Qingxue was setting up formations, he was leading his clansmen in laying traps and mechanisms.
Working together, they completed the defensive preparations by nightfall.
The night passed without incident.
The next day, Zhu Tao led Yun Qingxue and the others back into the underground tunnels where they had previously hidden from the bat demons.
After reinforcing the defenses at all entrances, Yun Qingxue took Daisy, Liu Li, and A-Dai into the secret chamber where Zhu Tao and his brother Zhu Bai had once lived. The rest of the group sat cross-legged in the connected passages.
Admittedly, underground tunnels weren’t the ideal place for cultivation. After all, there was no sunlight or moonlight here.
For spirits and demons, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon during cultivation was highly beneficial.
Fortunately, with the inner cores and the treasure pearl, the lack of celestial energy wasn’t a major issue.
Most importantly, with the defenses set up aboveground and the added security of hiding in the tunnels, their safety was significantly enhanced.
This way, everyone could focus on secluded cultivation without worry. That was why Yun Qingxue and Zhu Tao had chosen this location.
Once everyone was ready, Yun Qingxue took out the treasure pearl and suspended it in midair.
Threads of spiritual energy seeped from the pearl, soon enveloping everyone in a dense aura.
One by one, they entered deep meditation to begin their cultivation.
Time flew by—especially for cultivators. Some could close their eyes and open them years or even decades later.
For those in deep meditation, four short months passed in the blink of an eye.
—
At an unnamed mountain peak in the Yunhuang Illusionary Realm…
Jin Lin raised his head, gazing melancholically at the blue sky and white clouds at a perfect 45-degree angle.
Mo Changxing leaned lazily against a silk tree, his eyes indifferently fixed on some distant point.
“Ah…!!!” The melancholic, sky-gazing Jin Lin suddenly tilted his head and let out a long, ear-piercing howl.
That single cry instantly shattered any semblance of poetic beauty.
Mo Changxing remained unfazed, not even bothering to react to Jin Lin’s outburst.
Four months had passed. Day in and day out with the Dragon King had long inured him to such antics.
Jin Lin pretending to be a brooding, skyward-gazing pretty boy? Normal.
Suddenly screeching like a banshee? Normal.
Rambling incessantly in his ear every day? Normal.
In short, no matter what Jin Lin did, Mo Changxing found it utterly unsurprising.
After all this time together, he’d concluded that the only abnormal thing was Jin Lin himself. Everything else was par for the course.
“Whoosh—”
A pebble shot through the air, aimed straight at Mo Changxing, who stood calmly under the tree.
With a slight tilt of his head, he dodged it effortlessly. In the next instant, he teleported right beside Jin Lin.
Jin Lin barely had time to register his shock before a swift kick sent him tumbling off the cliff.
“Ah!”
After a brief yelp, Jin Lin floated back up, his face twisted in fury.
“Mo Changxing! You actually ambushed me… You… You’re despicable!”
Mo Changxing gave him a bland look. “Takes one to know one…”
Jin Lin took a deep breath, as if suppressing his rage. “I can tolerate you ambushing me… But what I can’t tolerate is—”
He paused, unable to continue.
Being ambushed as a king? No big deal.
Being kicked off a cliff? Whatever, he could fly!
But…
But being kicked in the *rear* and sent plummeting? Just thinking about it made his face burn with humiliation!
He was a king—a *Dragon King*! Since when could someone just casually kick a dragon’s backside? And yet, Mo Changxing had the audacity to do it!
Worse, he’d aimed *right* at his royal posterior!
As a Dragon King, he instantly felt stripped of all dignity.
Kicking his noble derrière—what kind of behavior was that?
It was suicidal!
It was an insult to his majesty!
It was outright provocation!
It was a declaration of war!
In short, it was absolutely *unforgivable*!
Yes!
Jin Lin instantly made up his mind. To reclaim his honor, he would retaliate—immediately!
Not only would he kick back, but he’d do it *multiple* times, thoroughly avenging this disgrace!
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