On the vast, boundless lake, a flying boat was speeding south.
On the flying boat, besides Ning Fa and other members of the Ning Family, there were also the siblings Yun Ying and Yun Jian.
Yun Ying only spoke occasionally to indicate the direction, remaining silent the rest of the time.
Although this woman was stunningly beautiful, the other members of the Blazing Wind Hall acted as if the two of them didn't exist, never casting their gaze in their direction.
It was understandable; even a fool could tell that their Hall Master had designs on this woman, so how could they dare to openly stare.
Xiao Yu, however, was not afraid. Her large eyes darted around Yun Ying.
Then, she looked at Ning Fa and said with a giggle, "Uncle Fa, Sister Liu just left, and you've already found another sister, Yun. Aren't you afraid Sister Liu will be sad if she finds out?"
Ning Fa rolled his eyes. "Children shouldn't meddle in adult affairs."
He then said seriously, "Can you sense that thing more clearly now?"
Xiao Yu nodded, confirming, "I can clearly sense its presence now. It should be about a hundred miles in our direction of travel."
Hearing this, Yun Ying looked up at her, a hint of shock in her eyes.
Before long, a drab island appeared before everyone.
This island had no spiritual energy, not even a trace of life. The gray and white withered branches and fallen leaves made Ning Fa frown inwardly.
As soon as they landed on the island, Ning Fa looked up into the distance.
He murmured, "I didn't expect someone to have arrived already. This is a bit troublesome."
Yun Ying closed her eyes and sensed for a moment, then pointed southwest, stating with certainty, "The spiritual item is in that direction, it shouldn't be far now."
Ning Fa nodded, then said, "Someone has already arrived. They'll likely make a move soon. Daoist Yun, you stay here to look after your brother. Xiao Yu, you stay too; your strength is too low."
Yun Ying nodded.
Although Xiao Yu really wanted to go, she was sensible enough not to insist on following.
Afterward, Ning Fa led Ning Yunhui and the others towards the southwest corner of the island.
They hadn't walked far when piercing beast roars clearly reached them.
This caused Ning Yunhui and the others' expressions to change slightly.
Before long, the group passed through the dense forest and arrived at a clearing.
The scene before them was quite lively.
Several groups of people were in a standoff. When they saw Ning Fa and his group arrive, they all looked over in unison, surprise flashing in their eyes.
And Ning Fa recognized all these people.
One group was the cultivators from the Chang Kong Alliance and the Meng Family, led by Meng Ruoqi and Shi Shaoyang, numbering about ten people.
The other group was the cultivators from the Xue Family, led by Xue Danping, numbering seven people.
The last group was more unusual, consisting of two demonic beasts.
One of them was about ten feet long, resembling a lizard, its entire body covered in dark green bark-like armor, with only a pair of small eyes exposed.
In its green pupils, fierce light and anger could be clearly seen.
An extremely powerful spiritual pressure emanated from it, revealing it to be a second-tier demonic beast at the early stage, equivalent to a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
Looking at this demonic beast, Ning Fa's eyes showed a trace of apprehension.
This beast was named the [Wood Dragon Beast]. Its wood-attribute divine abilities were very potent, and even Foundation Establishment Cultivators of the same rank were not its match.
The other demonic beast was even stranger. It was several feet long, shaped like a dog, with beautiful golden fur.
Its large eyes rolled around, giving it a very cunning, almost human-like appearance.
Its aura was also not weak; although it was still some distance from being a second-tier demonic beast, it appeared to be close.
Seeing this demonic beast, Ning Fa was stunned.
This demonic beast looked very similar to the golden retrievers on Earth, even sharing that infuriatingly roguish expression.
If it weren't for the conspicuous flame spirit pattern between its eyebrows, Ning Fa would have mistaken it for a golden retriever.
Ning Fa really didn't know there were demonic beasts in the cultivation world that looked so much like golden retrievers.
Ning Fa strangely shifted his gaze away from this beast and looked behind the two beasts.
On a small, dark green tree, only a few feet long, grew a small cluster of green fruits, emitting a faint rosy glow.
A dense, pure wood spiritual energy emanated from these fruits, which was simply astonishing.
Ning Fa's eyes showed shock.
No wonder Xiao Yu and Yun Ying had sensed these fruits.
This fruit was the famous [Wood Origin Fruit], a top-tier wood-attribute spiritual item, even known as [Minor Wood Spirit Origin]. Its grade reached the second-tier high-grade.
For cultivators with a primary wood spirit root, consuming this fruit had infinite benefits, and refining it could increase one's cultivation by several years without issue.
The most famous use of this fruit was that it was one of the main ingredients for refining the [Crystallization Pill].
And the Crystallization Pill, much like the Foundation Establishment Pill, was a top-tier pill that offered the best results for Foundation Establishment Cultivators advancing to the Core Formation stage.
It's nowhere near as precious as a Foundation Establishment Pill.
Therefore, as one of the main ingredients for a Crystallization Pill, the value of the Wood Origin Fruit is incredibly high.
To put it without exaggeration, a mature Wood Origin Fruit can easily fetch several Foundation Establishment Pills.
As a Pill Master, Ning Fa was of course already familiar with such a renowned spiritual fruit.
However, this kind of spiritual item was too rare, far beyond what his current cultivation level could access.
He hadn't expected to see it today.
No wonder this island looked so desolate. It seemed all the life force of the island had been absorbed by this Wood Origin Fruit tree.
After his initial surprise, Ning Fa took a closer look at these Wood Origin Fruits.
His brow furrowed, and he couldn't help but show a hint of regret.
Having studied many ancient texts, he had naturally researched these famous heavenly treasures.
He discovered that these Wood Origin Fruits were still quite a ways from truly maturing, not yet matching the description in the texts for truly mature Wood Origin Fruits.
However, judging by some details, the medicinal age of these Wood Origin Fruits should be around the three hundred years needed for maturity.
Ning Fa guessed that it was likely due to insufficient spiritual energy on the island, which led to the stunted growth of this Wood Origin Fruit tree.
This meant that the efficacy and value of these Wood Origin Fruits would be significantly reduced, which made Ning Fa very regretful.
But in the next moment, he felt at ease.
Even stunted Wood Origin Fruits were still incredibly valuable, rare spiritual items.
His luck could be considered very good.
Moreover, judging by the situation, these Wood Origin Fruits wouldn't be easy to obtain.
Not only were they guarded by those two powerful demonic beasts, but people from the Xue Family, Meng Family, and Chang Kong Alliance were also lurking nearby, coveting them. The difficulty of obtaining these Wood Origin Fruits was not small.
At the same time, Ning Fa couldn't help but feel very puzzled as to how these people had found this place.
After all, it was so remote, and the island looked so barren that normal cultivators wouldn't even stop to glance at it.
Currently, these two factions and the two demonic beasts were in a standoff, neither daring to make the first move.
Seeing Ning Fa's group suddenly barge in, the others couldn't help but change their expressions.
After all, besides Ning Fa, a master, Ning Yunhui and the other five were all cultivators at the late Qi Condensation stage.
Coupled with their status as members of the Blazing Wind Hall and their rich combat experience, their overall strength could definitely contend with the other two factions.
Meng Ruoqi looked at Ning Fa, her beautiful eyes filled with surprise. Then, her gaze flickered as she thought about something.
Shi Shaoyang, on the other hand, looked at Ning Fa with a wary expression, his hostility unconcealed.
Xue Danping, the leader of the Xue Family group, looked at Ning Fa with a frown, clearly feeling that obtaining the spiritual fruits would be more troublesome.
Ning Fa chuckled, "What a lively scene. I didn't expect Fellow Daoist Meng and Fellow Daoist Xue to be here as well. It seems I've arrived at just the right time."
Meng Ruoqi's starry eyes flickered, and she smiled faintly, "Since Fellow Daoist Ning is here, I propose that we three parties first join forces to deal with these two demonic beasts, and then each contend for the [Wood Origin Fruits] based on our own abilities. What do you two think? After all, none of us can handle this Wood Dragon Beast alone."
Shi Shaoyang remained silent, appearing to follow Meng Ruoqi's lead.
Xue Danping pondered for a moment before decisively saying, "I have no objections."
Ning Fa rubbed his chin and chuckled, "I have no objections either."
Meng Ruoqi's eyes lit up, and she said charmingly, "Good, then let's attack together!"
The demonic beast that resembled a golden-haired creature seemed to sense danger and even frowned in a very human-like manner.
The Wood Dragon Beast also emitted a bright green light all over its body and turned to roar at it repeatedly.
The demonic beast resembling a golden-haired creature immediately put on an indignant expression, roaring angrily as well, looking as if it would fight to the death.
The great battle erupted.
The cultivators from Ning Fa's three parties either summoned their magic tools, threw talismans, or chanted incantations.
Various spiritual lights from magic tools and spells flashed in the air, unceremoniously striking the two beasts. The whistling sounds shook the heavens.