Book 6 Chapter 9 Dear Baby

  It all came to nothing.

  Because Lingbao Tian was raining heavily below. The raindrops were as big as a bowl, shining brightly and dazzling, simply a flying meteor hammer that hit me dizzy. On the opposite mountain cliff, the rainwater poured down from the top of the cliff, like thousands of angry silver dragons, rushing towards the ground, and along the mountain road, it kept rolling up a group of water-filled misty smoke. In the distance, occasionally one or two emerald peaks came out, and then were submerged by the white rain, surrounded by a vast expanse of mist.

  Wow, is there anyone selling umbrellas here?! I hugged my head and ran around everywhere, looking for a place to take shelter from the rain. The dense raindrops hit me, it hurts so much! My heart skipped a beat as I looked at the back of my hand, the white tiger's pattern had mysteriously disappeared.

  "The Flying Ascension Spirit Treasure Heaven, the four spirits naturally leave the body. It won't reattach until you return to the dream of Night Flowing Ice." Moon Soul explained indifferently.

  Just thinking about the fierce battle with Ye Liu Xing after the flight ascension, I couldn't help but feel a heavy heart. Yue Hun urged impatiently: "What are you staring at? Rarely do foolish people get lucky breaks, and you've got a chance to obtain the Flight Ascension Spirit Treasure Heaven, so why not seize the opportunity to search for treasure?"

  "You're the stupid one." I retorted casually, but in my heart, I agreed with Yuehun's words. Yeah, if I'm lucky and find some super device, maybe I can take down Ye Liu Bing in one shot and teach that sly old fox a lesson at the same time. Thinking about this, I got excited, and the rain hitting my body didn't feel so painful anymore.

  "Look at you, your eyes are darting back and forth, I can tell you're up to something. You think finding an all-powerful treasure is easy? This is harder than killing Night Flow Ice. Firstly, whether it's the Heavens or the Spiritual Treasure Heaven, there has never been a magical pill or artifact that can make someone become the number one expert in the Northern Realm overnight. Secondly, the treasures of the Spiritual Treasure Heaven are notoriously difficult to find, otherwise they wouldn't give cultivators an entire day to linger. Thirdly, many of the treasures of the Spiritual Treasure Heaven can transform into human form and have their own will. Even if you find a treasure, it will try every means to escape unless it is willing to submit."

  No way! The treasure also acknowledges its master? Is this really so mysterious? My boiling hot blood was cooled down by the rain again. It seems that Haiji had a hard time getting the Golden Shell in Lingbao Tian as well. I wiped the rain off my face and rushed into a forest. The dense trees were crackling in the rain, and the ground was covered with white mist, which was blown away by the wind.

  This forest is very strange, almost every tree has a black hole. I found an old pine tree with a diameter of several arms, the branches were tangled and twisted, and the trunk had a particularly large hole in it, just big enough to avoid the rain. I jumped onto the tree, crawled into the hole, hid from the rain, and stared blankly at the heavy downpour. Even if I found a treasure like Jin Luo's, it wouldn't be enough to withstand the night's icy flow.

  "Bang", my back was suddenly pushed, and I stumbled, almost falling out of the tree. I turned around to see a pair of bright blue, round eyes staring straight at me from the dark hole in the tree.

  He was actually a chubby baby! Naked, with snow-white and tender skin, inlaid with small pieces of blue scales. Lotus root-like small arms akimbo, proudly pointing his mouth outward, indicating me to leave.

  I couldn't help but pause, and then smiled and bowed to him: "I'm Lin Fei. I came from the Demon Realm and borrowed your tree hole to avoid the rain. Are you a treasure? Are you powerful or not? Would you like to go to the Spiritual Treasure Heaven with me?"

  The baby rolled her eyes and waved her hand at me impatiently. I wouldn't give up, pestering her relentlessly: "Even if you're the treasure of Lingbao Tian, there's no need to reject someone from a thousand miles away. I'm young, handsome, elegant, and have excellent morals and plenty of money. Currently, I don't have a mount, but I can still afford a house. You won't lose out by acknowledging me as your master. Follow me, and I guarantee you'll eat well, drink well, and grow even plumper than you are now."

  The baby kicked me with his chubby little leg, sending me tumbling out of the tree. If I hadn't quickly performed a charming dance move, flipping my body lightly as I fell, I would have landed in a humiliating heap.

  One day, a tiger fell into Pingyang and was bullied by a dog. Even a little rabbit with long whiskers dared to be rude to me. My anger rose, I jumped onto a tree, and launched a Chaotic Armor Technique at the infant. As soon as my fist swung out, I knew something was off, the Chaotic Armor Technique couldn't be used at all. It turned out that both Lingbao Tian and Tian were unable to cast spells.

  A fist flew out, arcing through the air, and I shifted my body to the right. My left foot kicked out at an angle. This enchanting dance was as agile and natural as a deer leaping with horns, and even Lian Yue's soul couldn't help but cheer.

  The baby let out a loud "waaah" and curled up his arms around his neck, with his left leg raised and right leg bent, coiled around his waist, striking an extremely strange pose.

  Suddenly, a dazzling blue light flashed before my eyes, the baby's body was covered with shiny blue scales, he miraculously disappeared in the blue light and reappeared as a small blue symbol the same size as the baby.

  The talisman was made up of blue scales, the center of the talisman had a pair of bright blue eyes staring at me without blinking. The entire talisman was actually a "rolling" character. Then I suddenly fell from mid-air and involuntarily rolled all over the ground.

  Wow, no way! I crawled up all wet and as soon as my eyes met the word "roll", I slipped again and rolled around in the mud. The talisman on the tree turned back into a baby-like shape and looked at me with schadenfreude.

  The whole forest suddenly burst into a fit of laughter, covering up the sound of the rain. From each tree hole, babies jumped out, plump and white, with faces like peach blossoms, their bodies covered in colorful scales, and eyes of different colors. They were overjoyed, clapping their hands and cheering loudly.

  What the heck are these babies?! I see it's not good, hastily get up and want to slip away. A baby smilingly jumps down from under the tree, falls in front of me, tilts neck, with limbs either curled or stretched out, striking a peculiar pose.

  My heart cried out in protest, but it was too late. A bright yellow light flashed before my eyes, and the baby transformed into a bright yellow talisman, which happened to be the character for "jump". The pair of bright yellow eyes at the center of the talisman sneered at me. I immediately lost control and started jumping up and down uncontrollably, unable to stop. The babies in the forest clapped their hands and burst out laughing once again.

  Yuè Hún qiè xiào bù yǐ: "Shǎo xiǎo zǐ, tāmen jiào fú wá, shì tiān shēng de fú zhuàn zhī tǐ, jì yǒu qí miào de líng lì. Duì fù tāmen yě bù nán, zhǐ yào bì shàng yǎn jing bù kàn tāmen, fú zhuàn de líng lì jiù duì nǐ wú xiào."

  I hastily closed my eyes, and indeed my body stopped jumping around. "Why didn't you say so earlier!" I complained, having been tossed about and leaped upon by the Fuwa, treated like a monkey.

  "Who told you to scold me just now, so let you suffer a bit." Yuè Hún said with satisfaction: "However, your luck is not bad. Fú Wá dislikes seeing strangers and almost never shows up. I have been to Líng Bǎo Tiān with Mèi dozens of times, and this is only the second time we've seen them."

  "What good luck, I'd rather be unlucky for eight lifetimes than to see these troublesome monsters!" I closed my eyes tightly, felt around the tree trunk, and hastily ran out of the forest before daring to open them again. In the blink of an eye, the fox spirits had all disappeared into the woods, with only the heavy rain surrounding me. The misty rain rose up, as if nothing had happened at all.

  "Grab it!" Moon Soul suddenly whispered. On a large tree by the edge of the forest, in front of a hollow tree, lay a symbol doll with black scales. It was different from other symbol dolls, particularly fat, lying on its back, limbs stretched out, eyes closed, snoring loudly like a little dead pig, despite the rain and wind.

  I glared fiercely at Yuè Hún: "Still want me to suffer?"

  Your tolerance is too low. Besides, these symbols are of no great use in the play.

  "Yuè Hún Zhèng Sè Dào: 'Fú Wá's talismans are far more powerful than those drawn by human hands. In battle, they can achieve an unexpected effect. In the northern border market, Fú Wá is considered a rare treasure, worth tens of millions of silver coins. I don't know how many people skilled in talismanic armor and shield techniques yearn to get their hands on Fú Wá. Ling Bǎo Tiān is not like the sky. As long as you can obtain this treasure, bring back as many pieces as you want. Hurry! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.'"

  I thought for a moment, then followed the method indicated by Yuè Hún, tearing off a corner of my blood-stained clothes and lightly jumping onto the tree. I approached the symbol wa. This guy immediately woke up with vigilance. My eyes were clear and my hands were quick, and before it could react, I used the clothes to cover its eyes fiercely. The symbol wa let out a "wow" and its four limbs convulsed, its fat body shrinking rapidly until it disappeared into the clothes. When I opened the clothes again, the symbol wa had turned into a small black scale.

  Yuè Hún Dào said: "As long as her eyes are covered, Fú Wá will never be able to escape again. This thing is very difficult to catch if it doesn't sleep."

  I carefully wrapped up the black scale pieces and hid them in my inner pocket: "After all, Lao Ma knows the way, Xiao Yuezi, hurry up and guide us, let's go to a place with more treasures."

  "Taking advantage of the situation, Yue Hun blew his own trumpet: 'It's your good fortune to have met me, who knows how many lifetimes you've cultivated for this chance. The treasure of Lingbao Tian is indeed hard to find, but with me, it's a different story. Don't worry, whether or not you can get the treasure depends on fate. Time is still early. First, let's go up the mountain and pick some Huang Jing herb to supplement your vital energy.'"

  This makes sense. The bloody battle at Xitang has exhausted me, and I still have to fight a tough battle against Ye Liu tonight, so I need to recharge my energy. I'm struggling forward in the wind and rain. In the vast white rain, the distant mountains are like islands, floating up and down in the misty rain. Because of the rain, the mountain road is very slippery, and the water gathered at the top of the mountain rushes down like a waterfall, if not for my help from Mei Wu, I would have difficulty climbing even one step.

  The rain poured down, making it hard for me to open my eyes. It was especially difficult to find the herbs. After much effort, on a rocky outcropping on the mountain slope, I discovered dozens of large yellow mushrooms. They grew in the hard stone, with tender yellow caps and light red flesh. I pulled them all up at once and wolfed them down. Although they tasted a bit bitter, Moon Soul said that this stuff vitalized the blood and unblocked the meridians, and could even strengthen yang energy, being many times more effective than ginseng.

  After crossing the stone ridge, under the guidance of Moon Soul, I continued to pick some medicinal herbs and mushrooms, and took them all. Before long, I only felt that my stomach was warm and cozy, my blood circulation was smooth, and my energy was overflowing. I climbed to the top of the mountain and then climbed up a nearby peak along a valley, eating a lot of things, but didn't find any treasures.

  The heavy rain stopped suddenly. The weather in Lingbao changed as quickly as a child's face, and almost at the same time, the bright sunshine came out. The mountains were lush and green, with white mist floating between them. In the hazy fog, a rainbow suddenly appeared in the sky.

  The colorful rainbow is magnificent, one end connecting to the mountain top, and the other stretching towards the vast distance. At that end, vaguely, a series of sparkling water-lit cities floated out in mid-air.

  The city seems to be dyed with the colors of the rainbow, bright and soft; it's as if it were built by the misty water vapor, faintly visible, floating with the light of the sky, slowly drifting in the air. The majestic city stretches endlessly into the distant sky, a continuous expanse. Illuminated by sunlight, it becomes even more resplendent, a kaleidoscope of colors, beautiful and magnificent.

  I was shocked and couldn't tell whether it was an illusion or a real city. Yuè Hún said with a smile, "The Empty City Water Market of Líng Bǎo Tiān is a famous treasure trove, we don't have much time, let's go quickly."

  "Lingbao Tian can't cast spells, and the city is in the sky, how am I supposed to go?"

  "Jump over the rainbow bridge and you can walk to the other side of the city."

  I was half-believing and half-doubting, climbing up the mountain top to a towering boulder. The rainbow floated in front of me three zhangs away, as if it were an illusion. Looking down, below was a cliff of ten thousand zhangs, with no bottom in sight. One misstep would result in a crushing fall. I mustered my courage and used all my strength to leap forward suddenly.

  Oh no, when I was less than a foot away from the rainbow, my momentum had dissipated and I was about to fall. In a moment of crisis, I raised both arms upwards, stepped on each other's feet, just like climbing a cloud ladder, and suddenly rose several meters high. With another elegant turn, I floated gently onto the rainbow.

  After shedding the mundane bones, my charming dance has been progressing ceaselessly. This movement was originally very strenuous and could only lift off the ground by about a foot at most. Now it's surprisingly light and flowing, lifting several feet high. It's as if the weight of the flesh has vanished, leaving only a fluttering dress dancing in the air.

  I stepped on the rainbow, and carefully took a few steps, feeling like I was stepping into a soft cotton heap. Haha, it's so much fun! I bent down, touched the rainbow, and the changing colors flashed on my hand. The red ones were a bit scorching hot, the yellow ones felt warm to the touch, and the blue ones were cool.

  "Good grief, what a naive little brat. You think this is something new? Hurry up, there's only half a day left."

  I galloped swiftly towards the other end of the rainbow. The clear sky wind blew against my face, and the faint clouds floated around me. The mountains only revealed their green peaks, and the lakes were like bright mirrors.

  "Huh?" Yuè Hún suddenly exclaimed in surprise. Following its small green bean-like eyes downward, the large and small lakes clearly reflected the mountains, forests, and towns. I deliberately smiled strangely: "Really haven't seen the world's young whippersnapper, this is also considered fresh. It's just a reflection in the water." As soon as the words came out, I immediately knew it was wrong. These mountains, forests, and towns were completely different from those floating in the sky, and there weren't any on the ground, so where did these reflections come from?

  Yuè Hún hummed, "Please don't pretend to understand when you don't. These are the aquatic markets of Líng Bǎo Tiān, not reflections. What surprises me is that I've seen several rare soul artifacts appear in the market at the same time."

  "What is a soul vessel?"

  "A soulful weapon or magic tool is called a Soul Tool. It can feel joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure just like humans and demons, and it can hear, speak, and move around just like them." Moon Soul fell silent for a moment before speaking in a low voice: "But I don't have flesh, I don't have blood, I won't feel cold, I won't feel hot. It's as if the soul of someone who has been reincarnated mistakenly entered a cold container. That's what I am - a Soul Tool."

  "Alright, alright, don't be so sentimental. I think you're living quite comfortably." I casually comforted Yuehun's soul, who looked lost in thought.

  Yuè Hún said resolutely, "Time is limited, let's not go to the empty city, but to Shuǐ Chéng! Youngster, take a few steps back, right, do you see that rhombus-shaped dark green lake below? Quick, jump into the lake!"

  I was shocked: "You're not kidding, right? Jumping from such a high distance, if you don't jump accurately, it's death without a whole corpse."

  Yuehun said coldly, "Whether you jump or not is up to you. Although the empty city hides treasures, finding them takes time and luck, and there are heavy mechanisms nearby, as well as strange beasts guarding them. The process of stealing treasure is extremely perilous. If you want to waste this opportunity for ascension...

  Before it finishes, I raise my hands: "Can't I jump? Chattering like a woman." I grit my teeth, aim at the rhombus-shaped green lake, and leap down with all my might.

  Book 6 Chapter 9 (Part 2) Dear Baby

  Rushing past my ears, I plummeted straight down, with clouds and mist whizzing by all around. Yet, I danced out a bewitching dance, nimble and twisting, dodging and weaving, dissolving the swift downward momentum. As I drew closer to the ground, a vast emerald-green lake came into view, its surface glinting with ripples, reflecting pavilions, towers, and intricately carved beams. The wind blew by, causing the water's light to flicker, while the reflected images stood still and unwavering.

  "Plump", waves splashed, I accurately plunged into the rippling water's inverted reflection.

  Everything is real and illusory, for when touched, those inverted reflections of bricks and tiles are like rippling water waves; but when walked upon, they are as flat as the ground. Everywhere there are jade pillars, crystal steps, pearl curtains, and icy tables, emitting soft and gentle light, intertwined with the shimmering water light, refracting a dreamlike myriad of scenes.

  Past a corridor, there is a waterside pavilion. The four sides are covered with beaded curtains. Through the layers of beaded curtains, I heard the sound of laughter and chatter. Following Moon Soul's advice, I didn't go in, but quietly opened the curtain to peek inside.

  Inside, there were nine strange creatures, which should be the soul instruments in Yuè Hún's mouth. They wore high crowns on their heads and were playing a game of touhu. In the Tang Dynasty, the game of touhu was very popular, but these monsters had blindfolded themselves with cloth strips, turned their backs, and shot arrows into the pot, while the mouth of the pot and the body of the arrow were almost the same size. Their claws, which held the arrows, were covered with dense scales, twisted muscles, and shone with a strange light.

  The monster with a leopard-like face was throwing pots, and he hit five out of ten times. A monster carrying a turtle shell on his back said in a pot-bellied tone: "Your aim is too poor."

  Like a jackal, the monster fiercely tore off the cloth strip, and with a fierce glance at the ringed eyes: "You have great strength, but your accuracy is not much better than mine."

  "Let's just watch the qilin instead." A grotesque creature with a hunchback and carrying a huqin said while singing. From behind him, a monster with a crimson high crown and an icy expression walked out. "Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh", the monster casually threw arrow after arrow. Each one accurately landed in the vase, without even touching the rim, completely hollow and entering the vase!

  This group of monsters played wildly, one after another taking off their high crowns and casually throwing them onto the corridor. It was only then that I realized these nine monsters all had scales and horns on their heads, some big, some small. My heart couldn't help but stir, weren't they the legendary nine sons of the dragon?

  Because I wasn't clear what the Moon Soul wanted me to do, I had no choice but to patiently watch them compete. Every time they competed in archery, the dragonfly-like creature won first prize. After a few hours passed, the monster carrying the huqin suddenly furrowed its brow and its nose twitched repeatedly: "This is not good, I smell the scent of a living person!"

  It's too late to talk, it's time to act. Moon Soul shouted loudly: "Quickly, snatch their high crowns! Grab one and run!"

  I didn't have time to think. At the fastest speed, I grabbed a crimson high crown and ran away with my legs. Behind my ears, I only heard the monsters' continuous angry roars, eight monsters picked up their high crowns, put them on their heads, and rushed out of the water pavilion. In an instant, they transformed into eight colorful sharp horns and disappeared in the misty water light. Only that monster called Xiǎng didn't leave. It lifted the pearl curtain, like a burning flame, and pounced towards me with a fierce roar.

  I had already turned around and fled, then jumped ashore. The Qilin was closely pursuing behind me, its speed was frighteningly fast, and it soon caught up to my side, stretched out its claws, and roared: "Return the Dragon Crown to me!"

  I nimbly turned around, dodging its claw attack with a charming dance-like posture. I ran towards a mountain peak, saying in my mouth: "Old brother, it's just a broken hat, do you need to be so petty?"

  Yuè Hún chuckled: "This isn't just a simple hat, this is its **. As long as you hold it firmly in your hand, it will have to leave Líng Bǎo Tiān with you."

  I tiptoed on the mountain stone, dancing out a beautiful posture in mid-air, and flipped to the back of the Qilin: "So it was you who wanted me to find the treasure! Hey, dear treasure, aren't you bored playing ring toss at Lingbao Heaven? Come with me to Mohe Heaven and have some fun!"

  Its double eyes spewed fire, its body shape like lightning. It kept pouncing on me with all its might, trying to snatch back the high crown in my hand. Its speed was so fast that I couldn't keep up, and I could only dodge around the protruding rocks and trees while performing a charming dance and playing with it. Several times, its sharp claws tore open my clothes, almost taking back the high crown.

  A loud rumble, the ground shook, and a burst of thunder suddenly boomed in the sky. The weather turned gloomy, with heavy rain pouring down, thick raindrops falling like white whips, lashing down on people's heads and faces. Oh no, it's raining again!

  In the vast and hazy rain, the empty city and water town were like illusory shadows, fading away more and more, until they disappeared completely.

  Just as I was distracted, the claws of the dragon landed on the high crown. I panicked and grasped the crown tightly with both hands. At that moment, a dazzling white light suddenly burst forth from all directions, illuminating the lake and mountains, which were quickly submerged in the radiance, transforming the world into an endless sea of light.

  The day's flight has come to an end.

  The demon let out a despairing roar, transforming into a scarlet beam of light that shot into the High Crown. In an instant, it merged with the crown to become a resplendent crystal long spear that I tightly grasped in my hand.

  I couldn't help but let out a soft cry, from the barrel to the stock, it trembled by itself, as if it was about to fly out of my hand, as if what I held in my hand was a fierce and sharp energy.

  "Bang", the gun tip burst out a cluster of flames, rushing along the bright red gun body, flowing through the palm, and directly impacting the internal organs, igniting inside. I suddenly had an epiphany, and a scene of swift and fierce shooting flashed in my mind. I immediately understood how to use this soul device. With a thought, the long gun let out a low growl, shrinking into a small spark, merging into the palm.

  I sank into the depths of Guanghai, and heard the faint voice of Yuexing: "The halberd that can rival the Three Thousand Weak Water Swords and the Eyebrow Knife can finally emerge."

  The next moment, I was already in a dream of flowing ice at night.

  My fist has just withdrawn from the iceberg, with a white tiger pattern imprinted on my hand. The iceberg in front of me melts away, and countless streams of ice water flow rapidly. Lingbao Tian's ascension to heaven is only an instant matter here.

  "Chaos Armor Technique!" Ye Liu Bing stared at me with a mixture of shock and anger: "Armor Technique, Puppet Technique, Wind Blowing Technique, Fetal Transformation Longevity Technique... where did you learn these techniques?" He seemed to think of something, his expression revealing a hint of fear: "You, what's your relationship with the Demon Master?"

  "He's his master!" I said with a smile. Ye Liu Bing's figure flashed and disappeared into another ice mountain. But no matter where he escaped to, my light punch would make the ice mountain melt.

  The four sides finally became a barren expanse. Gan Zhen, Hai Ji, and Mouse Gonggong rushed towards the Night Flowing Ice.

  The night flowed with icy coldness, like ice. One by one, colorful bubbles emerged from his body, and in the bubbles, thousands of changing and mysterious phenomena were born, taking the place where he stood as the center, rolling out in all directions like clouds and waves.

  The dreams around me changed suddenly.

  The end of Volume 6