Although he was already quite tired, this idle conversation had still restored some of his stamina.
Coupled with the remaining spiritual energy in his body, walking or running a short distance was still no problem.
But Su Zhiyun was somewhat hesitant.
Looking at the charred and ruined landscape beyond the dense forest, she couldn’t help but frown, pointing at the lifeless scorched earth, and asked:
“Go back the same way?”
It wasn’t unreasonable for Su Zhiyun to ask this.
Wherever the Heavenly Palace had passed, everything had been swept by black liquid, cutting off all life, leaving only a shocking expanse of blackened ruins.
The field of vision would indeed be much wider, but walking on it instinctively made one feel resistant and uneasy.
“Otherwise? We’ve been heading north all the way. It’s definitely faster to go back the same way.”
Jiu Baiyun wasn’t that worried.
Since they had already left, they couldn’t just circle back, right? Besides, before entering the dense forest, he had also taken a look and found that the other party hadn’t left anything dangerous behind.
What’s more, in his opinion, the ruins left by the Heavenly Palace still carried a certain deterrent effect, keeping other eerie creatures from approaching.
Su Zhiyun hesitated for another moment, then nodded.
Seeing this, Jiu Baiyun didn’t say anything more.
He gestured for Xiao Mu and A Ran to follow, then turned and took the lead.
But A Ran hesitated for a moment, then couldn’t help asking:
“Aren’t we going to find the Lord Fox Immortal?”
The moment A Ran’s words fell, Jiu Baiyun’s movement froze, and his heart skipped a beat.
‘Damn, he forgot about this!’
To get A Ran to leave that dangerous place, he had indeed used the excuse “We’re going to find the Lord Fox Immortal” in a hurry.
But now that the crisis was over and he wanted to go back the same way, this excuse had become a huge problem.
He hadn’t prepared any explanation for this problem!
After thinking for a long time without coming up with anything, Jiu Baiyun subconsciously turned his gaze to Su Zhiyun.
Su Zhiyun had obviously heard A Ran’s words.
Seeing the look Jiu Baiyun shot her, a flicker of panic that read “this is trouble” quickly crossed her face.
But soon, Su Zhiyun took two deep breaths, her face returning to calm, clearly having thought of a way to explain.
She even cleared her throat with a couple of tactical coughs.
Then she looked at A Ran, a gentle smile on her face.
“A Ran, don’t worry. We’re heading back now not because we’re not going to find the Lord Fox Immortal, but to avoid being caught up in what’s happening over there.”
As she spoke, Su Zhiyun pointed in the direction where the Heavenly Palace had disappeared to the north, her tone serious.
“You just heard what Big Brother Jiu said. Over there is extremely dangerous right now. If we go there now, we might get pulled in and hurt.”
A Ran’s little face still showed worry, but she nodded.
Seeing this, Su Zhiyun pressed on while the iron was hot.
“And you don’t need to worry about the Lord Fox Immortal’s safety at all!”
“The Lord Fox Immortal is so powerful, such a strong cultivator, right? The place she’s in is definitely much farther and safer than the direction we’re heading.”
“No matter how powerful the Heavenly Palace is, it won’t affect the Lord Fox Immortal’s area anytime soon.”
She paused, her gaze intentionally flicking to Jiu Baiyun, whose body had stiffened slightly, and a smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
“Most importantly, A Ran, we didn’t know before that Big Brother Jiu is of the same clan as the Lord Fox Immortal. Now that we know, we can have Big Brother Jiu go find her!”
“Isn’t that more reliable? And Big Brother Jiu will definitely be able to find her, right?”
Hearing Su Zhiyun’s words, A Ran looked at Jiu Baiyun with some concern.
“Is it okay to only have Big Brother Jiu go find her? That might not be good?”
Seeing that A Ran was still hesitant, obviously worried about Jiu Baiyun, Su Zhiyun immediately shot Jiu Baiyun a glare.
Jiu Baiyun quickly caught on and hurriedly replied:
“Don’t worry, I can contact the Lord Fox Immortal.”
‘How could he not be able to contact her? He himself was the Fox Immortal!’
But Jiu Baiyun also sighed inwardly.
With all this, his Fox Demon Transformation had worsened.
The tail and ears simply couldn’t be retracted anymore, and even his appearance had changed somewhat in the direction of the Fox Demon Lord.
‘Fox Demon Transformation it is, then… At least it wouldn’t change his gender.’
A Ran, after receiving Jiu Baiyun’s assurance, finally nodded.
Then she looked at Jiu Baiyun and said:
“Big Brother Jiu… I’ll leave it to you then.”
Jiu Baiyun nodded, turned, and walked at the front.
His silver-white hair was still conspicuous under the somewhat gloomy sky.
Xiao Mu followed beside Jiu Baiyun, her small hand tightly gripping the fabric at the back of his waist, giving a faint tug.
Su Zhiyun walked at the rear, holding A Ran’s hand with her left hand.
Her gaze seemed to fall on Jiu Baiyun’s back and A Ran ahead, but her attention was completely immersed in the system panel only she could see.
[Obtained: Legendary Draw Chance x1]
The system prompt made Su Zhiyun’s heart beat uncontrollably faster.
A legendary quality draw chance! This was a first since her transmigration! Previously, no matter how hard she fought, the rewards were at most rare quality.
Now that they had escaped the most dangerous situation, Jiu Baiyun was tired but could still move, and A Ran and Xiao Mu were emotionally stable—this was the perfect time to claim the prize!
Su Zhiyun suppressed her excitement and focused her mind on the golden glowing draw button.
[Use “Legendary Draw Chance”?]
The virtual panel in front of her was instantly flooded with dazzling golden light.
Countless profound runes swirled, collided, and reconfigured within it at high speed.
Su Zhiyun’s heart was in her throat.
She held her breath, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on that mass of light.
The golden light slowly converged and condensed, eventually forming an ancient and mysterious scroll’s phantom shadow, floating quietly in the center of the panel.
The scroll emitted a warm, jade-like luster, and the edges flowed with an indescribable Dao resonance.
Just looking at the projection gave one a sense of weight and orthodoxy, as if it were recognized by heaven and earth.
Information about the scroll soon appeared below it.
[Item Name: Preliminary Sect Establishment Scroll (Legendary Quality)]
[Description: Upon use, instantly establish a fully functional preliminary sect in a designated area (including a core hall, basic cultivation meditation rooms, a preliminary spirit-gathering array, protective formations, etc.), and directly gain widespread recognition and basic respect from the entire cultivation world.]
[Note: This recognition is a basic cognition forcibly granted at the level of the Dao, not an emotional inclination. The sect’s subsequent development and status must be managed independently.]
Su Zhiyun’s gaze was fixated on the phrase “directly gain the entire cultivation world’s recognition of this sect’s existence.”
She sharply inhaled a breath of cold air.
The icy air filled her lungs, but it couldn’t suppress the sudden surge of burning heat in her heart!
Recognition from the entire cultivation world?! What did that mean?!
Remember, in this world, cultivation resources and sects were almost entirely controlled by eerie creatures! Humans either became expendable materials or were herded like livestock.
Even if they had ability, it was impossible to be recognized by the eerie-controlled cultivation world.
If any human tried to establish a sect, they would be eliminated immediately!
With this scroll, it meant she could instantly have a “legitimate” base! A starting point that was “officially certified” by the cultivation world!
“Won’t change his gender” Jinx’d yourself bro.