"Fifth-stage spiritual treasures?!"
Xiao Rong nearly jumped up in surprise.
Tang Xiangyin's face also lit up with joy.
"After you get your own farming tools, distribute the rest to the people of Longyin Village, Bishui Village, and Biliu Sect," Yao Ranran said.
Xiao Rong and Tang Xiang Yin nodded repeatedly, their eyes fixed on the fifth-stage spiritual treasures, unwilling to part with them.
Yao Ranran did not disturb them. She walked out of the Taoist temple alone, overlooking the surrounding green peaks.
"I wonder how Lu Ziqian is faring in Youyan Sect these past few days. Suohong Tower has been destroyed, and Youyan Sect is clearly the main force behind it all. I should send him a message, check on my disciple's life."
She took out a transmission talisman and bent her fingers to guide the lingering evil energy from the mountain below, circling its surface.
Then, with a slight movement of her lips, she sent the talisman far away.
Xiao Rong and Tang Xiangyin did not notice her subtle action. They took the farming tools happily and walked out.
"Boss, are you coming with us to check on those spiritual plants?"
Yao Ranran was also curious about the effect of the water Tang Xiangyin had used, and she nodded. "Yes. Da Huang stays here, and we'll go together."
The phoenix hiding in the corner of the temple froze, its head drooping instantly.
Xiao Rong nodded enthusiastically. "The temple cannot be left empty!"
Tang Xiangyin hugged the green-gold hoe in her arms, staring blankly. She did not yet understand what effect that bathwater could have.
Without the phoenix, she might never have known that her bathwater could even be sold for spirit stones.
The three of them passed over Gu Ling Mountain, descended Lone Star Peak, and arrived at the plots of cultivated spiritual fields.
The green spiritual plants sprouted tender shoots, aligned neatly like a soft carpet of green.
Yao Ranran was surprised by their vitality. She had thought that on such ordinary land, the chance of sprouting would be small.
She never expected them to grow so well.
Xiao Rong lightly touched the tips of the tender shoots and smiled. "Maybe after a while, they'll be able to speak like me!"
Yao Ranran shook her head.
"Children are children", she thought. For spiritual plants to develop intelligence is far from simple. Besides requiring hundreds or thousands of years, these plants must have their own inherent fortune.
Among tens of millions of spiritual plants, having one that absorbs heavenly energy is already lucky. She would not dream that the few thousand plants she planted would contain any intelligent treasures.
"Xiang Yin, take out the holy water."
Yao Ranran turned to Tang Xiang Yin.
Tang Xiangyin blushed and produced the plump gourd.
Holy Water was the name Yao Ranran gave it. She believed that to sell a product at a high price, presentation was essential.
The bathwater's main flaw was that it had no prestigious name.
So Yao Ranran called it Holy Water.
Tang Xiangyin lowered her head in embarrassment. Saying "Holy Water" out loud felt awkward.
Xiao Rong had already become thick-skinned under Yao Ranran's guidance.
"Boss, I'll pour all the Holy Water out!" He looked at Yao Ranran with anticipation, hoping she would entrust him with this important task.
Yao Ranran did not refuse. "Alright, Xiao Rong, you handle it."
Xiao Rong nervously rubbed his hands and took the gourd. Several deep green vines sprouted behind him. He tossed the gourd into the air, scattering crystal-clear water droplets. The vines moved in unison, distributing the water evenly to the base of each spiritual plant, soaking the soil.
Yao Ranran's eyes flickered with a trace of admiration.
Xiao Rong had not been lazy this autumn.
Every droplet landed precisely at the roots, and the tender leaves visibly perked up.
Yao Ranran's mind shifted slightly. "Xiang Yin, water them every day. When they mature, the spirit stones you owe me will be considered repaid."
Tang Xiangyin's cheeks still glowed red. Upon hearing this, she lifted her head immediately. "Fairy… I cannot repay your kindness…"
Yao Ranran raised a hand to stop her from expressing thanks. "Xiang Yin, from my estimate, these spiritual plants need at least a thousand years to fully grow. Based on the millions of spirit stones you owe me, I am not losing out."
Tang Xiangyin, almost moved to tears, sniffled, staring at her blankly.
At that moment, only one thought ran through her mind:
Perhaps she could earn a little, but the Fairy never loses.
After checking on the spiritual plants, Yao Ranran and Xiao Rong parted ways and continued training at the foot of Gu Ling Mountain.
To others, the violent evil energy was terrifying, but to her, it was a treasure for cultivation.
Yao Ranran toyed with her jade-like Nine Lotus Ring, the clinking producing a crisp, clear sound.
After days and nights of nurturing it in her dantian and surging with her luck, the Nine Lotus Ring had reached fifth-stage spiritual treasure quality, perfectly attuned to her.
After some practice, she set off toward the yao bat nest.
Having left it unattended for so long, the yao bats should be stronger now.
Perfect for practice.
A faint thrill ran through Yao Ranran. She loved the feeling of a challenge.
The dense black mist seemed to fear her. At her appearance, it automatically parted, creating a wide passage.
She froze.
"Not a single yao bat?"
The nest was intact, with no signs of battle. The black mist was impenetrable.
So where had the bats gone?
Yao Ranran circled the nest several times, finally finding a clue.
A yao bat's damaged wing was pinned under a stone. The congealed blood showed it had been dead for some time.
She scanned the surrounding area, walking through the black mist and checking every corner.
"No other life signs. Did they fight among themselves, or did they all leave?" She touched her chin, puzzled.
Every time she trained, she left enough to ensure the bats could reproduce. So why would they move?
Maybe in a new place, no one would harm them?
Perhaps they faced a fate harsher than her own—they could have been wiped out entirely. She regretted that the yao bats never felt her benevolence, and she felt sorrow for the possible extinction they had suffered.
With them gone, what demon beasts should she train against?
Yao Ranran gazed through the black mist toward the distant green mountains.
"Perhaps it is time to go out and find opponents!"
Youyan Sect
"That idiot Kuang Lei is dead!"
"He may be dead, but Mingxia Sect cannot survive!"
Hao Yinqin's veins bulged, smashing the main hall into chaos.
Lu Ziqian lightly dodged flying debris and entered the hall.
"Sect master, what has made you so angry?"
Hao Yinqin's glare softened slightly at his arrival.
"Demon general, you do not know. Last night, Yun Gu Sect and Suohong Tower joined forces. They seized the spiritual veins of Wanxiang City and annihilated Mingxia Sect, which had only one Golden Core cultivator guarding it.
Right now, all disciples of Mingxia Sect are either dead or fled. The sect is in ruins, fully controlled by Yun Gu Sect and Suohong Tower!"