She wondered what he meant by getting the Six-Headed Divine Monarch’s Inner Pill. Did he even know what he was saying?
A hundred years ago, the Six-Headed Divine Monarch had ascended Cyan Hill Mountain and battled the Celestial Fox Ancestor. They fought until the sky turned dark and the sun and moon lost their light.
The Celestial Fox Ancestor was injured and poisoned, forcing her into a century-long seclusion. Meanwhile, the Six-Headed Divine Monarch had returned to his cave dwelling, only to be murdered by his own disciple, his body destroyed and his Dao Practice erased.
First of all, the Six-Headed Divine Monarch had been dead for a hundred years. Where would Gu Zhao even find his Inner Pill?
Secondly, if the Six-Headed Divine Monarch were alive, how could Gu Zhao possibly take it from him?
Wait... Gu Zhao had previously gone to the Mo He Divine Monarch’s cave dwelling, and the Mo He Divine Monarch was the Six-Headed Divine Monarch’s eldest disciple...
"Did you find the Six-Headed Divine Monarch’s Inner Pill in the Mo He Divine Monarch’s cave dwelling?" Bai Qianzhu could not help but ask. "Shouldn’t he have carried such an important treasure on his person?"
She knew that the Mo He Divine Monarch had become a Fallen Demon and entered the Central Plains with two of the Six-Headed Divine Monarch’s Magical Treasures, only to be killed by Gu Zhao.
To be honest, if her opponent had possessed the Six-Headed Divine Monarch’s Inner Pill, the victor would have been entirely unpredictable.
Was Gu Zhao just that lucky? Or was the Mo He Divine Monarch too overconfident?
"No," Gu Zhao shook his head, then recounted the story of the youth in black. "I had some good luck. I ran into him right after he finished refining the Six-Headed Divine Monarch’s corpse into a zombie. He had come to cause trouble for his senior brother but happened to bump into us. So, we killed him, destroyed the Six-Headed Divine Monarch’s corpse, and obtained this Treasure Pearl."
Gu Zhao reached out, and a Six-Color Treasure Pearl appeared in his hand.
"This Treasure Pearl contains endless lethal poison. It can release toxic gas to kill, but it can also absorb poison gas to cure all sorts of toxins," Gu Zhao said. "If the Celestial Fox Ancestor has not yet been cured, this pearl might be of use."
Feeling the aura of the Treasure Pearl, Bai Qianzhu’s eyes instantly lit up.
The Celestial Fox Ancestor had been inflicted with the Six-Headed Divine Monarch’s deadly poison. Now, the poison had seeped into her Dantian, bone marrow, soul, and Divine Sense. It had almost completely fused with her, making it impossible to separate. Even experts with Ten Thousand Years of Dao Practice would likely find it difficult to help.
However, this Treasure Pearl shared the exact same origin as the lethal poison. If it truly had the effect of drawing out the poison...
Perhaps the only thing in the world that could save the Celestial Fox Ancestor was this Six-Headed Divine Monarch’s Inner Pill!
Bai Qianzhu watched in stunned silence as Gu Zhao offered the Six-Color Treasure Pearl to her. "This Treasure Pearl isn’t difficult to use. Sister Zhu, you’ll know once you try it."
Bai Qianzhu looked up, her voice slightly hoarse as she asked in disbelief, "You’re lending this to me?"
"Your Dao Practice is more than enough to activate the Treasure Pearl, so I won’t go over there with you," Gu Zhao said with a smile.
Bai Qianzhu gave Gu Zhao a profound look before reaching out and taking the Treasure Pearl from his palm. "Words cannot express my gratitude for such a great favor. Brother Gu will forever be Cyan Hill Mountain’s greatest friend."
Without wasting another second, Bai Qianzhu took a step back, her figure transforming into a streak of white light that swiftly shot toward the back of Cyan Hill Mountain.
Gu Zhao pondered for a moment. She still hadn’t mentioned what kind of friends she had invited over. If curing the Celestial Fox Ancestor’s poison took too long, how would they arrange the subsequent matters?
But that was a problem for later.
Relaxing his mind, Gu Zhao leisurely strolled over and found Silk Embroideress, Bai Ke, as well as Bai Yiqi and her sister playing with several young Fox Race girls.
The young girls were having a flower-crown weaving competition.
Silk Embroideress was ingenious and deft; the flower crown in her hands was exquisitely styled. Various colored flowers were arranged in an orderly yet seemingly random pattern, forming an incredibly beautiful crown.
Bai Yiqi and the other girls were also doing a decent job. Only Bai Ke and Bai Yixuan ended up weaving some bizarre contraptions that were neither entirely round nor quite square.
"Young Master!" Seeing Gu Zhao appear, Silk Embroideress revealed a pleasantly surprised expression. She then walked over to him with a smile, showing off the flower crown in her hands. "There are even more flowers on Cyan Hill Mountain than on our Cuiluo Mountain."
In truth, Cuiluo Mountain was originally just an ordinary mountain within the borders of Xiuyue County. However, that changed when the Daluo Palace was established there, and Gu Zhao had even hired a Minister of Gardening who had achieved Harmony with an Orchid Demon.
Although Wang Yue and the Orchid Demon’s Cultivations were not high, they possessed the pure Wood Attribute. After switching to cultivating Taoist Techniques, the Cultivations of both the human and the demon grew increasingly higher, and their sphere of influence expanded. Initially, it had only affected the Daluo Palace, but now it almost encompassed the entirety of Cuiluo Mountain.
It remained evergreen throughout the four seasons, adorned with vibrant clusters of flowers.
Previously, the only place that could compare to Cuiluo Mountain was the White Spirit Mountain in Wanling Jiangbei. Now, Cyan Hill Mountain was added to the list, and its beauty even surpassed the others.
"It’s really beautiful," Gu Zhao praised.
"Would you like to try it on, Young Master?" Silk Embroideress asked, her eyes full of anticipation.
Gu Zhao could tell just by looking at the size of the flower crown in Silk Embroideress’s hands that she had made it specifically for him. Naturally, he wouldn’t reject her kind intentions. He reached out, took the flower crown, casually placed it on his head, and asked her, "How does it look?"
"It looks great!" Silk Embroideress clapped her hands and laughed.
The other girls and Bai Yiqi also gathered around Gu Zhao. Gu Zhao had sharp eyes and noticed that the flower crown in Bai Yiqi’s hands was the exact same size as the one Silk Embroideress had woven. Seeing Gu Zhao’s gaze sweep over, Bai Yiqi subconsciously pulled her flower crown back a little.
Gu Zhao smiled faintly. Soon after, he was surrounded by the young girls, who began asking him all sorts of questions about the Central Plains.
"Actually, the scenery in most parts of the Central Plains isn’t as beautiful as Cyan Hill Mountain," Gu Zhao explained as he fielded their questions.
"The East Sea? I’ve never been there either.
"The Central Province Imperial City? I haven’t been there either.
"However, the lives of the mortal commoners are indeed better than in the Southern Border.
"If you ever go to the Central Plains, just mention the name of the Daluo Palace while you’re in Wanling Jiangnan. I guarantee no one will dare to bully you."
"What if we really encounter danger?" one of the girls piped up.
"Then I’ll just have to avenge you," Gu Zhao chuckled.
Gu Zhao continued chatting with the group of little foxes. Later, Ye Ruyan, Miaoyun Princess, and the Hou Hao couple arrived after hearing the news. They learned that Gu Zhao and the others had already found the Demon Cave in the Poison Dragon Swamp, and the four old Taoists had stayed behind to cleanse the Demon Realm. The operation had gone smoothly.
They also learned that Bai Qianzhu had invited a few friends from the Southern Border over, meaning everyone would have to stay on Cyan Hill Mountain for a while longer.
Hou Hao and Yuan Lin naturally didn’t mind, and Miaoyun Princess was quite satisfied with the Southern Border’s environment. Only Ye Ruyan’s eyes lit up as she soundlessly stepped up beside Gu Zhao and secretly hooked her pinky around his finger.
Early the next morning, in a sun-facing spot on the eastern side of Cyan Hill Mountain, Gu Zhao slowly practiced the Eight Pieces of Brocade. By the time he finished the set of Fist Techniques, the sun was finally high in the sky.
At that moment, a pure and profound burst of Demon Power suddenly erupted from the back of Cyan Hill Mountain, scattering the white clouds in the sky above.
All the Fox Race members living near Cyan Hill Mountain involuntarily looked toward the direction the Demon Qi was coming from.
"Is it the Ancestor?"
"Has the Ancestor emerged from seclusion?"
"Has the Ancestor’s injuries fully healed?"
Gu Zhao also withdrew his fist stance and looked toward the back mountain.
Ye Ruyan emerged from a nearby room. Casually sweeping a lock of hair past her temple, she exuded an air of languor and charm as she walked over to Gu Zhao’s side, equally curious.
"The Celestial Fox Ancestor has been in seclusion for a hundred years, and she’s finally fully healed and coming out?" Ye Ruyan’s eyes were filled with curiosity. "What a coincidence!"
As soon as her words fell, her vision blurred, and a white figure suddenly appeared before them.
A beautiful woman who appeared to be in her thirties, her face adorned with a gentle smile, gracefully bowed to Gu Zhao. "Many thanks for Gu Palace Master’s helping hand, allowing me to escape my sea of suffering."