In the frigid lands, after my exile, I began to slay demons and monsters.

Chapter 299 Departure from Wangxian Mountain

Ning Xiaoxi's eyes lit up; it was a small beast's cloak, and she placed her hand on it.

Suddenly, the Wuji Cauldron, shrouded in a cloak, and Xiao Jiu vanished from their original spot and reappeared at the very edge of the cave.

The moment the Wuji Cauldron landed, the cloak suddenly expanded outward, forming a new independent space at the edge, which covered the Wuji Cauldron under the cloak space.

Xiao Jiu's body began to move across the cauldron, which remained unusually calm, showing no further intention to resist.

Tuanzi stared at the cloak with some envy, [The magical artifacts of Chaos are indeed divine.]

"Xiao Jiu, is it alright to just place it in the cave?" Ning Xiaoxi wasn't that carefree; putting such a powerful weapon in her cave was no joke.

Before Xiao Jiu could reply, the spiritual energy suspended high in the cave once again exerted its power, pressing down on the cloak as if it were free. The originally ordinary cloak was baptized by the spiritual energy, and a brilliant white light shimmered, gently pouring onto the Wuji Cauldron, layer by layer, making the runes on the cauldron become clearer and clearer.

The moment the runes were fully revealed.

"Buzz!"

Suddenly, the entire cauldron began to vibrate at a high frequency. The Wuji Cauldron seemed to be reborn, and a "humming" sound kept emanating from its body.

"Boom! Boom!"

Ning Xiaoxi clutched her chest; the vibrations of the cauldron made her heart pound violently, causing her legs to buckle and her to collapse to the ground.

"Xiao Jiu!" Ning Xiaoxi's shrill voice rang out.

"Clang!"

Xiao Jiu suddenly exerted force, and golden light shone brightly, causing the Wuji Cauldron to quiet down.

The cloak suddenly unfolded again, blocking the spiritual energy pouring out from the source. A layer of water rippled on the lining inside the cloak, and a binding array fell from the cloak, covering the Wuji Cauldron and trapping Xiao Jiu inside as well.

Xiao Jiu watched as the formation descended, sealing it together with the Wuji Cauldron. It offered no resistance. "Alright, it won't harm you again until I've finished adjusting the altered formation."

Ning Xiaoxi doesn't trust Xiao Jiu much right now. Who knows what hidden skills these ancient things might have? She glanced furtively at the little beast's den under the three mulberry trees, her meaning quite clear.

The little beast seemed to sense the strong will and immediately rolled over. By the time it was finished, its little den was outside the cloak, along with Nine Domains who were leaning against the den and Little Star Point who was lying outside. There was a huge relocation all at once, and the area under the Three Mulberry Tree was now empty.

Looking at the Wuji Cauldron, which was covered by a cloak, pressed down by Xiao Jiu, and guarded by the little beast and the Nine Domains, Ning Xiaoxi felt much more at ease with so many layers of protection.

[I just wanted one Gu King, did it have to be so risky? If all else fails, I think just taking any one of the ten would be good enough.]

[What Hou Qing wants are the Gu Kings of the Li Clan. Although these are top-tier Gu Kings in the Demon Insect Valley, they still lack the refined quality of the Li Clan Gu Kings who specialize in refining Gu. These semi-naturally spawned Gu Kings haven't been refined, so their abilities might not be much different, and they might even be stronger than those refined by the Li Clan, but the marks on their Gu Kings are different.]

"Okay, so I mean not the most powerful, just the most suitable." Ning Xiaoxi still felt something was off. "Tuanzi, don't you think Xiao Jiu is being a bit too enthusiastic? Ever since it found out I wanted a Li Clan Gu King to rebuild Nüba's body, it's been overly proactive. It helped me find the way, helped me collect materials, and in the end, it even dug out the Wuji Cauldron that had been hidden underground for who knows how many years."

Indeed, according to records, it shouldn't have had any interaction with Nüba. Even when it hid in the North Sea, it never interacted with Houqing. Logically, it shouldn't be so enthusiastic about reconstructing Nüba's physical body; it's not the kind of demon that's enthusiastic.

Ning Xiaoxi's nerves tightened even more. "They're willing to sacrifice the very foundation of the Demon Insect Valley to help me; I don't think we have that deep a relationship yet."

The cave fell silent. As the spiritual energy from the source shifted to support the cloak, the light in the entire cave dimmed, as if night had fallen.

Looking at the seemingly quiet cave dwelling, which was actually teeming with undercurrents, Ning Xiaoxi felt that it was becoming more and more like an independent world. However, this world was not something she could completely control or dominate; in fact, it wasn't entirely hers alone. With those other creatures around, she was just a gatekeeper.

[Tuanzi, help me see if there's any way I can regain control of my cave. No matter if they're powerful demons or demon lords, once they enter my cave, they must follow my rules.]

Tuanzi nodded seriously. "Understood. I'll go investigate now. Our cave dwelling must be under your control."

A gentle breeze blew through the empty valley, carrying a faint, fishy smell from the valley ahead. The golden barrier that Xiao Jiu had set up at the top of the valley had disappeared with it as it entered the cave, and the entire valley was once again exposed to the night sky.

The mountainside collapsed, leaving a large, bottomless pit. The bare, black mountainside, with trees and fallen rocks all sunk into the pit, is now barren.

A cold wind blew by, and Ning Xiaoxi turned her head, her gaze deep as she looked at the valley in front of the canyon, which was full of demonic insects.

Xiao Jiu cleaned up all the Gu worms in the valley that she could name. Without the protection of the Wuji Cauldron, and relying only on the outer blocking array and the cover of the Migu Tree, how much chance the demonic insects in the valley could survive was truly up to fate.

Regardless of its purpose, a demon is a demon and cannot be completely trusted.

Not wanting to linger any longer by that eerie pit, he turned and left without hesitation.

She opened the map and confirmed the location of Wangxian Mountain again. She didn't have much time to waste and had to get to the royal city as soon as possible.

Tianxian is currently fighting for the royal family and won't be staying in the capital. Tianji has been transferred to the south to clean up the remnants of the Li and Wu tribes. Although Tianwei has returned to the capital, he is no less dangerous than Houqing. Regardless of Houqing's true intentions, his brother absolutely cannot be left alone in that perilous place.

Tianji gave her the thousand-year-old lightning-struck wood so easily; she couldn't believe he knew nothing about Houqing's affairs, nor did he mention his brother's entry into the royal city.

Half of Yangzhou's territory connects to the East China Sea. The coastline here differs from that of Beixiao City; it lacks the ruggedness and steepness of the latter. Instead, it consists mostly of gentle mudflats. Three major rivers flow into the sea here, forming a natural agricultural area within Yangzhou's borders. The land is fertile, the climate is pleasant, and two crops can be grown a year, making it the granary of the entire Xia Dynasty.

Ning Xiaoxi stood on the broad back of a sea monster, heading from the mouth of the Liuhe River into the vast depths of the East China Sea.

Our destination this time is Wangxian Mountain.