So it was that the duo and the fox followed the bouncing black flower as they ran towards the mountain range where they were located. Although it was said to lie deep within the mountains, in reality, they were simply moving further inward, still far from the true depths.
If they had a map, it would become apparent that the Soul Extinguishing Mountain Range was not situated between the Inner and Outer Cities. Instead of a single large mountain, it was a chain of peaks linked together, forming a ribbon-like range. Experience more on empire
Thus, the Soul Extinguishing Mountain Range stood erect between the Inner City and the Outer City, meaning that after leaving Thunder King City, Sun Wukong and the others had to climb to the top of a large mountain and then continue forward until they reached the other end of the range and descended.
Beyond the mountains lay a vast forest, after traversing which, they would arrive at Transforming Thunder City, one of the top ten Inner Cities.
Transforming Thunder City was established by those who came to the Netherworld World after dying in one of the four High Level worlds, the Transforming Thunder Ancestral Realm. Everyone within was a master from the Transforming Thunder Ancestral Realm, and Thunder King City was actually a branch that belonged to Transforming Thunder City.
Therefore, Xi Zhao and his companions were not afraid of losing their way, as the initial path was simply a matter of following the terrain upward. Once they reached the summit, they maintained their course at the highest elevation until they descended directly from the mountain’s end.
The Purified Soul Flower also hopped towards the higher elevation, so they weren’t worried about wasting time. Sun Wukong followed the Purified Soul Flower together with Xi Zhao and the Nine-Tailed White Fox, Leilei, somewhat surprised to find that despite being a plant, the flower’s speed was quite fast.
If Xi Zhao hadn’t left a trace of his soul imprint at the outset, they might have lost track of it completely. They continued this way until dusk, when Xi Zhao finally waved his hand, and the three (counting the demon fox Leilei as a person for the moment for ease of writing) stopped on the branch of an ancient tree simultaneously.
By then, the Purified Soul Flower had hopped into a valley. But it was nearly completely dark, and Sun Wukong’s fiery, golden eyes were already activated, while the demon fox Leilei’s eyes glowed with a gentle blue light, resembling two sapphire gems! Xi Zhao also seemed to have cast some spell that made his eyes faintly emit a red glow.
"It seems the lair of the Purified Soul Flower is within this valley. And indeed, this valley is exceptionally located, its spiritual energy shooting up to the sky. If I’m not mistaken, there must be numerous Heaven and Earth Treasures inside."
"Then what are we waiting for? All three of us can see in the dark, so why not just go in and raid the place? It’s much more straightforward!" Sun Wukong was indeed a bit impatient; reaching the Supreme Pool a day earlier meant becoming a Supreme a day earlier, which also meant leaving this world one day sooner.
"What’s the rush, you monkey? Not to mention that the Purified Soul Flower has been kind to you, but such a spirit land will certainly be guarded by powerful Soul Beasts. Rushing in recklessly, you wouldn’t even know how you died! Let’s rest here tonight, adjust to the optimal condition, and then we’ll see tomorrow!"
Having said that, he took out a water bag from the Space Ring, passed one to Leilei, took a few sips from another, and then handed it to Sun Wukong. After taking a few sips, Sun Wukong settled down and sat cross-legged on the tree branch.
He knew Xi Zhao was right; caution was needed here, especially with the Soul Beasts, for Soul Beasts, being aggregations of pure soul energy, had an easier path to increasing their strength. Hence, many spirit lands and treasured places were indeed guarded by formidable Soul Beasts.
"Ugh, are you sure? I feel like this is much more terrifying than the time I stole the Elder Lord’s Immortal Pills!"
"Why worry about so many things? Fortune favors the bold. What’s there to be afraid of, with me here!" With that, Xi Zhao became invisible instantly. But Sun Wukong was left stunned behind him.
"Xi Zhao, how can you do this, turning invisible yourself? Leaving me to fight alone?"
"Keep your voice down! It’s still much better than the two of us walking in there with great fanfare. I got to say, I feel much safer after turning invisible, haha!"
Feeling rather like crying without tears, Sun Wukong was always the one playing tricks on others, but ever since he met Xi Zhao, it seemed that he was the one being played more often! Glancing back at the White Fox Leilei, Sun Wukong realized that Leilei was neither suppressed nor scared, but still had that sneaky and cautious look.
Sun Wukong gave a wry smile, gently patted Leilei’s head, then moved forward along the wall. Even though Xi Zhao was invisible, Sun Wukong could still feel that Xi Zhao was just in front of him and hadn’t taken the opportunity to escape.
After walking like this for a quarter of an hour, Sun Wukong found that aside from the increasingly intense oppressive force, he hadn’t seen any soul beasts, but his eyes had been met with various Spiritual Medicines and precious Heaven and Earth Treasures. Even with Sun Wukong’s experience, he recognized several of them right away!
"This is Soul Solidifying Grass, it can stabilize scattered souls, a healing Holy Medicine! And this is the Spirit Enlightenment Fruit, which can purify the soul and even offer a chance to comprehend a higher-level Cosmic Law during advancement!"
However, just then, Sun Wukong suddenly heard a surprised shout from the void ahead, "Monkey, come over here, look, that, that whole patch, it’s all Transformation Grass. My heavens, what is going on here?
Why is there so much Transformation Grass?" Hearing Xi Zhao’s exclamation, Sun Wukong quickly walked a few steps forward and saw that on one side of the mountain wall ahead, there was a spot slightly indented and distinct from other areas.
The reason for this difference was that the spot was arranged with a plant known as the Soul Locking Flower into a Four Symbols Soul Locking Great Array and, at the center of the array, was a large patch of mature Transformation Grass!
Just as Sun Wukong was in shock, he suddenly felt his arm being grabbed though the space in front of him was empty. Knowing it was Xi Zhao who had grabbed him, he was about to ask what was happening.
But before he could speak, Xi Zhao covered Sun Wukong’s mouth with a hand and whispered in his ear, "Don’t make a sound, look at the center of the valley!"
At Xi Zhao’s words, Sun Wukong turned his head and saw that at the very center of the valley, there was a large round pile of rocks. He looked at it with some confusion, tilting his head to the side when Xi Zhao’s voice again whispered in his ear, "Look closely, that’s the Sacred Armor Supreme Turtle! A Nine Patterns Supreme with the Unity of the Eight Paths!"