Chapter Eighty-Six: The Girl in White

The divine sun ascended, its rays filtering through the gaps between leaves, casting vast patches of shadow upon the ground. Somewhere in the wild forests of the Celestial Azure Mountain Range, two third-tier demon beasts were engaged in a brutal fight for territory. Blood and carnage abounded, but such was the law of the wild—only the strong survived while the weak perished.

Not far from the dueling beasts, beneath a dense layer of withered leaves, Luo Hao concealed his aura to its utmost, lest he draw the attention of these creatures whose strength rivaled that of experts at the Astral Stage. Silently, he circumvented the area, his face travel-worn and his brows marked by an exhaustion that could not be hidden.

"It's already the second day, with only eight left," Luo Hao carefully made his way around the beasts' territory, inwardly calculating the time. The Crystal Lotus of Azure Waters bloomed and withered within ten days; once missed, the opportunity would not come again for another five hundred years. That would mean little Hei would lose his only chance at survival.

Five hundred years—a cycle in the lives of mortals, enough for generations to rise and fall, and even for demon beasts, it was an epoch of time.

"No, I must move faster!" Skirting the beasts’ domain, Luo Hao immediately summoned all his draconic power. Like an arrow loosed from the string, he shot forth, leaving only a fleeting afterimage in the air.

In another part of the wild woods, an old man with a long beard, tangled white hair, and a wine gourd in hand was also making his way toward the central depths of the Celestial Azure Mountains. Every few steps, he would tip the gourd back for a hearty swig, then smack his lips with satisfaction. “That rascal truly lives up to his title as the world's foremost master of wine. His brew is no idle boast. Pity the stubborn lad insists on brewing only once every hundred years—does he mean to spite an old man like me?”

"Grandfather, what are you mumbling about again? Hurry up! If you keep dawdling, when will we ever arrive?" A clear, melodious voice sounded from ahead, like the gentle babble of a mountain spring.

At the sound, the old man’s long beard trembled, his mouth twitching as he hurriedly tucked away the wine gourd and, with a grand sweep of his hand, dispersed the lingering scent of alcohol. These actions took place in the blink of an eye.

Having composed himself, the old man put on a kindly, benevolent expression and strode forward. Approaching him was a striking figure clad in white, who gradually came into view.

Her simple white dress fluttered in the wind, three thousand strands of dark hair cascading to her slender waist. Her bare arms were fairer than snow, eyes bright and lively as the stars, her delicate nose and rosy lips enchanting as if touched by rouge.

As she drew near, the old man regarded her with affectionate eyes. “My little Youyu grows lovelier by the day. Truly, you take after your mother and have inherited my excellent genes. In my youth, I too was a dashing young man, driving countless girls mad with infatuation!”

His snow-white brows arched, his eyes sparkling with pride and mischief, though nothing about him suggested the demeanor of a heartbreaker.

Flushing at his shameless boasting, the girl made a playful gesture at him, then lifted her dainty nose and sniffed the air. “Grandfather, you stole Brother Yun Jun’s wine again, didn’t you?”

Chastened, the old man’s face fell. “Youyu, how can a connoisseur call it stealing? I simply borrowed it. Borrowing and repaying makes borrowing easy, doesn’t it?”

Unwilling to be scolded further by his granddaughter, he coughed lightly to cover his embarrassment. “Youyu, weren’t you seeking the Crystal Lotus of Azure Waters as a birthday gift for your mother? If we don’t hurry, someone else may get there first.”

“Ah! Grandfather, it’s all your fault for being so slow!” At his reminder, the girl grew anxious. She could not afford any mishap with her mother’s gift. Without waiting for the old man, she strode swiftly into the depths of the wild woods, vanishing without a trace in a matter of seconds.

The old man looked after her, taking another swig of wine, a smile on his face. “The girl’s cultivation grows ever more formidable, though thankfully she’s not like her father!” Yet at the mention of his son-in-law, a trace of displeasure flickered in his eyes. With a sigh, he too vanished, chasing after the direction in which the girl had gone.

A sudden shout rang out in the forest, followed by a terrifying surge of spiritual power as two figures clashed in a deadly melee. Though the scales of the serpent-drake he wore deterred most demon beasts, some reckless creatures still lunged at Luo Hao, intent on devouring him.

Dragons roared and contended. Since advancing to the peak of the Spirit Qi Realm, Luo Hao’s draconic power had grown many times over, his flesh tougher and his fists swifter than ever.

Across from him, the demon beast let out a chilling roar, its blood-red eyes filled with slaughter and bloodlust. Its venomous, barbed tail lashed through the air, stabbing at Luo Hao with a deadly gleam.

“Jade Scorpion!” Luo Hao’s eyes narrowed in grim recognition. The creature’s stinger shimmered with a translucent, jade-green beauty—deadly, but mesmerizing.

Though only a second-tier demon beast, the Jade Scorpion’s venom was so potent that even third-tier monsters would struggle against it. Once it set its sights on prey, it would chase relentlessly until either it or its quarry perished.

Retreating dozens of meters in a flash, Luo Hao’s heart sank. After three days of travel, dodging and hiding all the way to the verge of Star Lake, he had encountered this troublesome foe.

Sizzling with poison, the Jade Scorpion’s strike missed and crashed into the ground. Luo Hao, not far off, felt his breath catch as the spot where the stinger landed turned an unnatural black, a swath of earth eaten away by its corrosive power.

“Damn, that’s terrifying!” Luo Hao exclaimed, shuddering. He had heard tales of the Jade Scorpion’s lethal venom, but reality proved even more fearsome.

In the instant he hesitated, the scorpion’s jade-colored tail lashed out again, its passage warping the very air with corrosive miasma.

“A tiger uncaged is no sick cat!” Luo Hao’s draconic power surged, enveloping him in blazing dragonfire. Cloaked in flames, he became a titan of fire, his golden fist bursting through the inferno to meet the venomous tail head-on.

Gold and jade clashed in a dazzling explosion. The dragonfire incinerated the spraying venom, and golden fist met scorpion tail with an earth-shaking impact. For a heartbeat, the world fell silent. Then, a storm of violence erupted from their collision.

Both Luo Hao and the Jade Scorpion were flung backward, the raging wind flattening swathes of forest behind them, dust billowing skyward. Luo Hao’s face betrayed no fear, while madness flickered in the scorpion’s beady eyes.

Suddenly, a whistling sound cut through the haze. The swirling dust transformed into a black storm of poisonous sand, sweeping toward Luo Hao like a tidal wave.

“Well timed!” Luo Hao bellowed, a wild light flashing in his eyes. Behind him, a surging golden sea of divine energy materialized, its waves crashing with thunderous might.

The golden tide crashed into the venomous sandstorm, filling the sky with intermingled gold and black. Within the golden light, dragons roared as if ten thousand ancient beasts cried out.

“Heaven-Splitting Palm!” Luo Hao growled. From the golden sea, a colossal hand of pure light descended.

The heavens trembled as the golden palm swept down like a divine millstone, utterly shattering the obsidian sand beneath its crushing might.

With a thunderous boom, the palm struck, unleashing a blinding radiance and an ancient will that resonated through the air. The Jade Scorpion roared, its tail glowing brilliantly with jade as venomous liquid coursed within its translucent length.

With a frenzied hiss, the scorpion’s tail lashed upward, defying the descending palm. The ground beneath it cracked, fissures spidering outward in all directions.

“Die!” Golden draconic power surged, mysterious lines gleaming across the palm as a will that could rend the heavens erupted—echoes of ancient ancestors roaring, the void collapsing, the cycle of reincarnation crumbling.

With a sickening crunch, the golden palm broke the scorpion’s tail, venom spurting as the palm pressed down, blotting out half the sky. The Jade Scorpion dissolved into a mist of blood.

Amid the swirling blood mist, Luo Hao felt no triumph—only an icy wariness. Narrowing his eyes, he spun around and barked, “Who’s there?”

Even as he spoke, a girl in white stood silently by a withered tree, serene as an orchid blooming in a secluded valley. At that moment, she gazed at the solemn-faced Luo Hao with a gentle smile.