Chapter 39 Straight Man, But Pretending to be Homosexual is More Terrifying Than Having a Homosexual Apprentice...
Before he finished speaking, Fu Ming chased after him like a shooting star, leaving the jade slip to crash to the ground and spin around in the grass for a few moments before Fu Ming waved it back.
The image in the water mirror appeared more slowly, thus remaining fixed on Fu Ming's bright and cheerful smile.
Xiao Huaiyuan sighed softly upon hearing the abruptly interrupted transmission of the jade slip.
He really should be...
Fu Ming has become increasingly smug and complacent these past two days.
Judging from Xiao Huaiyuan's disgusted and hesitant expression, his plan to win him over must be progressing quite well.
What's even more terrifying than the apprentice's suspected homosexuality is that this homosexual apprentice is also eyeing his backside!
In this way, Xiao Huaiyuan would naturally avoid him and wouldn't think about seeing him alive or dead. At that time, he could escape unscathed and return smoothly.
It was this momentary lapse in concentration that nearly led to a major disaster.
Fu Ming figured that Shenmu was at least at the mid-Nascent Soul stage, and since he hadn't sensed any spiritual energy fluctuations above the Foundation Establishment stage, nothing serious should happen.
But where did this bald fox come from?
"Zhugan, I'm very disappointed in you. Shouldn't you be the most powerful demon in Daiyu? How come you can't even beat a bald fox?" Fu Ming lightly stepped on the grass, using the air currents to fly all the way.
The sacred tree was so angry that its withered leaves turned red: "It doesn't belong to Daiyu at all! That fox snatched it and ran away! Don't blame everything on me!"
Fortunately, Fu Ming had been careful and kept the divine tree connected to the vine, so he didn't lose track of it. The connection between the vine and the fruit was as strong as iron, and even a Nascent Soul cultivator wouldn't be able to untie it in a short time.
Fu Ming called out, "Senior Brother Jiang, bring some more wind."
Jiang Jie nodded upon hearing this, and formed a hand seal to create a gust of wind: "My wind is hard to control, Junior Brother Ming, you catch it!"
Suddenly a gust of wind arose, and the longsword that had been thrown suddenly turned at a tricky angle, weaving through the trees and riding the wind with lightning speed, cutting off the fox's path with a single stroke.
"Excellent swordsmanship!" Even though he was busy controlling the wind, Jiang Jie still managed to find time to offer his praise.
However, the red fox transformed itself, twisted its tail, and leaped into a waterfall.
This waterfall stretches for hundreds of feet, with water splashing and mist churning, creating a rainbow-like ribbon across the sky under the sunlight.
Fu Ming and his two companions followed closely behind and plunged in. Behind the waterfall, which resembled flowing clouds, lay a hidden world. A brick arch bridge connected the inside and outside of the waterfall, leading to a complex palace hidden in the darkness.
"Wow, where did such a huge waterfall and cave come from?" Jiang Jie, as expected of a new generation disciple who was known for his laziness within the Tianyan Sect, looked around excitedly as he made his way forward in the dark, just like a primary school student on a spring outing.
But he was right; the terrain of Daiyu was flat, without even a small hill except for the pit where the divine tree was planted. Their divine sense probes had never stopped; how could they possibly overlook such a massive waterfall?
Fu Ming spread out his divine sense network, but it was like a mud ox sinking into the sea, without any response: "We didn't see it when we came here. This place must have appeared recently."
Shenmu, who was always mocked by Fu Ming, finally got his revenge: "Haha, you stupid human brats, of course you couldn't see it before, because it came from other islands. I told you that stinky fox wasn't from Daiyu."
"Such things used to happen a lot."
"Of course not many."
Fu Ming's heart tightened. Oh no, Shenmu really is a bit dim-witted. It's alright on Daiyu, but if it's moved to another immortal mountain, far away from the emperor, then it will be impossible to catch up with it.
"Then what are you grinning about like an idiot? Aren't you afraid you'll lose your seed?"
Shenmu suddenly realized, "Oh right!"
The palace had no doors; above the doorway hung a blank plaque. Inside, it was pitch black and nothing could be seen. From a distance, it looked like a tomb for the dead.
The building was square and dark, with no lights. This gloomy layout reminded Fu Ming of his last visit to the Grand Competition Secret Realm.
It was also in a strange palace that resembled a coffin that he and his junior brother accidentally entered and split up to explore, getting lost for seven days and separated for half a month.
They gained no opportunities, and when they returned, Xiao Huaiyuan was distraught, saying that he had witnessed his senior brother's death.
At that time, his junior brother was still very attached to him and regarded his words as golden rules, so he came to seek his advice.
Normally, his senior brothers would offer some comfort, while those with malicious intentions might hurl insults. But Fu Ming was different. He didn't even look up; he was simply roasting mushrooms he had just picked from the base of the wall by the campfire.
"Let them look. Since they're just flesh and blood who haven't ascended, they'll die sooner or later anyway—want some roasted mushrooms?"
The warm firelight illuminated Fu Ming's profile and made the browned mushroom caps look incredibly delicious.
Xiao Huaiyuan had complete trust in Fu Ming, so he took the branch without hesitation and ate all the mushrooms on it.
Then I vomited all night.
Fu Ming was very regretful, explaining that those at the Golden Core stage sometimes couldn't resist many toxins. However, looking on the bright side, hadn't his senior brother's lovingly prepared dinner successfully helped him forget his troubles?
The moral of this story is that the places where the dead live are ultimately somewhat eerie, including the mushrooms.
Having learned a valuable lesson from this experience, Fu Ming instructed the children in advance not to wander off: "Let's go in together and explore the way. Stay close and don't get separated."
However, as the saying goes, what you fear most is what happens. As soon as Fu Ming stepped across the threshold, he saw his companion's figure disappear in an instant, replaced by a thick, sticky darkness where you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.
It seems his luck has indeed gotten worse year by year.
His divine sense felt like it was stuck in a quagmire, unable to detect anything. Fu Ming decided to request outside assistance: "System, help me scan the surrounding terrain and spiritual energy fluctuations."
"Sizzle..."
"system?"
"Host...I...am here, but the signal is...bad."
The intermittent mechanical sounds had never been so jerky before. Was it even more dangerous than the Demon Realm? It seemed that this place held many secrets.
Fortunately, because Fu Ming had made a master-servant pact with the divine tree, he could still vaguely sense the location of the divine tree and the fruit.
The bad news is that the space here is unstable and constantly changing, causing the connection to sometimes appear closer and sometimes farther away.
Fu Ming decided to hold back for the time being. He placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, stood still, and waited for the darkness to recede like the tide.
Perhaps he waited for three hours, or perhaps only a quarter of an hour, before the intense white light poured down on him roused him from his daze.
"Have you heard? Before ascending to immortality, the Immortal Venerable will hold a sermon in the mandala."
A few figures brushed past his shoulder, followed by soft laughter and chatter, which grew clearer and clearer.
Gazing at the magnificent palace that had suddenly been brightly lit, Fu Ming couldn't help but fall into deep thought. According to his limited knowledge of the immortal realm's history, the last time a cultivator ascended to immortality was five thousand years ago.
"Is it too late to leave now? I'll go with you."
The two women talking in front of Fu Ming were kind-looking female cultivators, at least at the Mahayana stage.
In modern times, he would certainly be considered the number one person in the Three Realms. But in ancient times, his cultivation was nothing more than ordinary.
True immortals discussing the Dao—could this be the Mahayana opportunity the system spoke of?
As a protagonist who is arrogant and domineering, he is no stranger to encountering extraordinary events by taking just a few steps.
Fu Ming became interested and followed them into the next palace room. The door was wide open, and the space behind the door was upside down, with some small winged insects floating around.
He smelled a slightly rotten, fishy odor coming from inside the room.
The two female cultivators were completely unaware and continued forward.
As he went further away, the location of the sacred tree and the fruit relative to him changed, to approximately the northwest. The gentle ties belonging to the fruit became more and more obvious, indicating that he was quite close to that wretched fox.
If they were a little luckier, they might be able to accomplish both things at the same time. Fu Ming planned optimistically.
At this moment, the elders of the Immortal Alliance, who were not involved in the matter, were drinking tea and chatting.
"The palace is well-organized and foxes are seen around. Could this be the Fox Palace of Immortal Qian Yuan? That is the residence of a true immortal. Sect Leader Xiao, your disciple's luck is truly remarkable."
"However, other disciples have also fallen in one after another, and it is unknown who will ultimately win the treasure."
"Since he's not here, given how much Sect Leader Xiao loves this disciple, he probably sent a message long ago."
Not only are the Grand Competition's secret realms unpredictable, but the hearts of people are also unfathomable. Under the lure of supreme treasures, there are numerous instances of betrayal, ambush, and the slaughter of fellow cultivators. Elders of various immortal sects do not wish for their beloved disciples to die young, and therefore allow masters and disciples to communicate telepathically, which can be seen as leaving a way out for their disciples.
Even so, they would only exchange messages once or twice in times of crisis. For someone like Xiao Huaiyuan to make time to contact them every day was a sign of extreme pampering.
Everyone burst into laughter.
Xiao Huaiyuan blocked out the noise and spoke to Fu Ming by the railing: "You are in the Lihu Palace of Qian Yuan Immortal Venerable. The True Immortal has left a glimmer of hope for future generations. If you encounter the Divine Fox Relief, you can teleport out by injecting spiritual power into it."
The Fox Palace had not appeared for hundreds of years, and he only learned of this secret passage by consulting ancient books.
"call……"
All that could be heard on the other end of the jade slip was the sound of sword energy cutting through the air and rapid, labored breathing. Xiao Huaiyuan asked again, "Are you alright?"
"I'm listening."
Fu Ming, half-covered in blood, swung his sword and chopped up another mass of rotting flesh that was attacking him.
Damn it, where did all these zombies and dead flesh come from in the place where a true immortal lives? A true immortal, don't you have any requirements for your living environment?
The female cultivator in the Mahayana stage stopped in front of the door, seemingly waiting for him to open the bronze door before continuing.
This forced Fu Ming to obediently deal with the mutated guards. These zombies were clad in gleaming armor, but the flesh peeking out from the gaps in the armor was rotten beyond recognition. Upon opening the helmets, one could see that the heads beneath were nothing but skulls, and many small insects were flying out of their toothless mouths, yet somehow they could still move.
He kicked the rotting, dead flesh into a corner, then ran to the other side to reply to Xiao Huaiyuan.
"Master, please rest assured, I will take good care of myself. I am still waiting to deliver that half of the Pearl Jade Fruit to you."
The delivery will definitely be made, but who will deliver it is another question.
He thought it would be fine to have Jiang Jie deliver it to him, since that guy was a top-notch runner.
Xiao Huaiyuan was unaware of Fu Ming's intention to leave, and said in his usual tone: "Other disciples from the Lihu Palace are entering the palace one after another. You are now at the top of the list, and the news of recognizing the Divine Tree has spread. You must be careful in your actions, especially beware of Buddhist cultivators."
"I know, I'm not stupid. If I can't win, I can't just run away." Fu Ming dragged out the last syllable, sounding lazy and casual. "Speaking of which, I've been thinking these past few days that we have quite a few pearl-like seeds. I'll take a few out and transplant them into the peach grove on the sect leader's peak. Once they grow, the pink and white colors will complement each other beautifully."
The Immortal Alliance gathering place is not far from the Sect Leader Peak. Xiao Huaiyuan can see the delicate pink peach blossom on the peak when he looks up. Fu Ming then said.
"When we sleep side by side, we can also lean against the window and admire the flowers. Isn't that wonderful?"
To deal with someone as meticulous as Xiao Huaiyuan, it is said that one must be nine parts truth and one part falsehood to avoid being detected. Therefore, Fu Ming spoke the truth.
He would indeed like to do that if given the chance.
"Though pearls and jade are rare, they are not as important as your life. Do not act rashly."
Fu Ming smiled and said, "Okay, I promise you."
Xiao Huaiyuan seemed oblivious to his unusually ambiguous choice of words. Perhaps the idiom "sleeping side by side" wasn't quite right for a homosexual relationship, or maybe next time he should use "sleeping together on the same pillow."
This is what Fu Ming, a straight man, thought.
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