Realizing she did not have much time left, she turned and headed south. As Li Qingjiu snapped back to his senses, seeing that the young man's figure was about to vanish, he hurriedly followed.
Yet no one noticed that within the pool of blood, a shattered Zhuzi recorded the final scene...
Two figures darted through Qianbo Forest, finally catching sight of a pure white flower, faintly beginning to unfold atop a precipitous cliff, seemingly waiting for the setting sun to sink before blooming in its full glory.
Jin Bao'er, however, frowned as she looked around. It was not that she was being overly paranoid; she knew that rare treasures of heaven and earth were invariably accompanied by guardian monster beasts. Although the Muling Flower was rarely used by ordinary people, it was exceedingly scarce and of vital importance both to monster beasts and to those whose Golden Cores had been damaged.
When Li Qingjiu saw the Muling Flower, a look of joyful surprise crossed his face as well, making it clear that his goal was also this object.
"Where did this brat come from? This item was found by us first, get lost at once!"
A voice laden with threat came from nearby. Jin Bao'er turned her head to look and quickly noticed the camouflage on the small slope. It seemed someone had already arrived ahead of them to bide their time.
"What kind of talk is that, Senior? Since we've come, naturally we cannot return empty-handed."
The man had not expected Jin Bao'er to be so stubborn. A Golden Core Stage aura pressure rapidly spread, directly suppressing Jin Bao'er, who only possessed an Early Foundation Establishment cultivation. Li Qingjiu also felt that overwhelming oppressive force; even though it was a difference of only a level or two, at this moment it was an impassable chasm.
Jin Bao'er stood on the spot, biting her lip fiercely. Under the gloomy shadows, her expression grew increasingly cold and powerless. Even though she was advancing faster and more steadily in this life than in her past one, when facing those powerful figures, she was still like an ant, entirely devoid of dignity.
Perhaps realizing that the cultivation of the two could not compare to his own, the man let out a disdainful, cold snort.
"Just two brats at the Foundation Establishment Stage dare to snatch the Muling Flower from this seat? Hmph! Why aren't you rolling away?!"
The powerful aura pressure of the Golden Core Stage forced the two to retreat repeatedly, while also arousing the vigilance of the monster beast behind the Muling Flower.
The cultivator hastily withdrew his aura pressure, not forgetting to issue a warning to the two of them. Only then was Jin Bao'er freed from the restraint, her body jerking backward. The faint sweat dripping from her forehead and her pale complexion revealed just how strenuous that moment had been for her.
She sat down on a rock, struggling to calm the turbulent spiritual energy within her. Seeing this, Li Qingjiu was filled with distress.
"What should we do? Forget that old man, the two of us can't even beat the guardian monster beast. Stealing it is basically impossible either. Could it be that we're just going to return empty-handed like this? That's too humiliating!"
As the ceaseless, muttering voice entered Jin Bao'er's ears, she raised her head, her sharp gaze fixed intently on the Muling Flower as she spoke in a determined and calm tone.
"Who said we're giving up?"
Li Qingjiu was stunned. His mumbling stopped instantly, and he asked in pleasant surprise.
"You have a way?"
For some reason, he always felt that the young man before him was far from ordinary!
Jin Bao'er, however, did not reply to him, instead closing her eyes once again to regulate her breathing. This posture left Li Qingjiu completely baffled, but he did not continue asking. Through a whole day of chasing, he had roughly come to understand the young man's cold and taciturn personality.
Until the sun set and the surroundings plunged into pitch darkness, the Muling Flower slowly opened its petals, casting a soft, warm white glow that gradually illuminated the area.
And behind the flower, a emerald-green serpent slowly poked out its head...
This sight was soon discovered by the people hiding in the dark, and it was clear that several of them harbored great dread toward the green snake.
The Muling Flower was only considered mature when fully opened, and at that moment it was still moving slowly, which had the Golden Core Stage cultivator extremely excited. The five youths by his side were equally thrilled, and through a moment of carelessness, they let out a sound...
"Creak..."
The noise instantly provoked the green snake's vigilance, its gaze locking fiercely onto the small slope.
That disciple could only stiffen his body, not daring to move at all. The Golden Core Stage cultivator was also extremely annoyed. Seeing that their position was exposed, he no longer hid, abruptly casting aside his camouflage as his aura surged mightily!
"Monster beast, seeing that your cultivation has not come easily, as long as you leave at once, this seat can spare your life!"
That arrogant attitude immediately amused Jin Bao'er. Being both at the Golden Core Stage, a naturally endowed monster beast's strength was bound to be stronger than this old man's, yet he actually had the audacity to demand that the monster beast leave.
How utterly shameless!
Hearing this, the disciples behind the cultivator became even more smug and filled with adoration, their expressions as if they had already won for sure.
The green snake opened its mouth, its forked tongue letting out a "hissing" sound. The threat could not have been more obvious, and its golden slit-pupils were filled with utter disdain.
Promptly, in his anger, the cultivator lunged forward directly, engaging the monster beast in fierce combat. His disciples also continuously launched surprise attacks on the green snake. The battle dragged on with neither side gaining the upper hand!
Until only the last two petals of the Muling Flower remained to unfold before it reached maturity, the green snake grew anxious. Within the span of an incense stick after such a spiritual flower fully matured, its spiritual energy was at its densest; once that time passed, the spiritual energy would dissipate, and it would no longer be so precious!
Basic effects would still remain, but its usefulness to a monster beast would not be nearly as great.
Seeing this, the cultivator seized the right moment and joined forces with his disciples to ambush the monster beast. Following a miserable shriek, the monster beast crashed directly onto the steep cliff!
The outcome was instantly clear! The monster beast had lost. Its slit-pupils suddenly constricted, its gaze locked fiercely onto the cultivator as if branding this mortal enemy into its memory! Just as it turned to flee, however, the cultivator suddenly spoke.
"A Golden Core Stage green serpent beast... rumor has it that a snake gallbladder is a supreme antidote, worth thousands of gold and impossible to buy!"
A single sentence instantly made several disciples shift their eyes toward the battered and fleeing green snake. At this moment, in their eyes, the Muling Flower was already a sure thing; if they could also obtain the snake gallbladder, wouldn't that be icing on the cake? Greedy gazes were cast at the green snake...
The few of them charged forward once more, preparing to carve out the snake gallbladder alive. The green snake had already given up on the Muling Flower, but seeing that these people still intended to kill it, a sudden surge of anger rose in its heart. The Golden Core Stage aura pressure directly suppressed the disciples, unleashing an immensely powerful force. The cultivator had not expected that the green snake still possessed such power, and failing to dodge in time, he was heavily lashed by the snake's tail.
The situation reversed once more. Li Qingjiu watched with rapt interest, occasionally complaining to Jin Bao'er that the old cultivator was too greedy, failing to notice that Jin Bao'er had furrowed her brow.
Although the cultivator had been struck, both his stamina and spiritual energy currently exceeded the green snake's. If this dragged on, the green snake would likely die! And even if she faced the injured cultivator, she probably wouldn't come out ahead!
Jin Bao'er, who had intended to sit back and reap the fisherman's profit while the two sides battered each other, was just weighing whether to launch a sneak attack when the green snake was defeated. Its snake skin was covered in large and small wounds; the cultivator had injuries too, but he was in much better shape than the green snake, and his spiritual energy was only half-depleted.
Just as everything became one-sided, the green snake suddenly hissed toward the heavens, its slit-pupils expanding...
Noticing this, Jin Bao'er's pupils instantly shrank, and her whole body rapidly retreated! This was a sight she knew with agonizing familiarity...
Golden Core self-detonation!