Travelling by Pegasus was mostly to conserve energy, and it made the journey much more relaxed.
But this was not to say that Wu Yu could not cover ground slower than a Pegasus.
Capital Wu's layout was easy to defend and difficult to attack. Besides the east, it was shrouded in dense forests. Wu Yu plunged through them now, gritting his teeth as he chased the Pegasus.
With the foliage providing cover, Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian on his Pegasus did not notice him.
"The Pegasus was born for the skies. I'm chasing on my own two feet. If this keeps up, I will tire and be left behind."
All part of the inconveniences he faced since losing the Heavenly Cloud Roc.
Of course, if Wu Yu had been mounted on the Heavenly Cloud Roc, he would have long been discovered.
"Perhaps half the night more and the Pegasus can shrug me off.
"Given my current level of fatigue, if that scum Hao Tian finds me now, he can finish me off easily."
Therefore, Wu Yu could not follow too closely.
Half the night had already passed, and another half was left before daybreak.
After four hours, Wu Yu was so tired that he was finding it hard to keep up. Just then, the Pegasus finally slowed and began to descend.
"I had almost lost it. The Raw Sun Mountain Range is around there."
Because he had led troops into battle since his youth, Wu Yu was still very familiar with the layout of the Dong Yue Wu Kingdom.
"The Raw Sun Mountain Range produces cuprite ore through its mines. It has been mined for more than a century, and its resources are worn out. It is mostly deserted.
"Jiang Junlin and Yuan Chen came from the Zhongyuan Dao Sect to gather here. There must be some unspeakable anomaly here."
Wu Yu stealthily approached the spot where Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian had descended, not daring to make the slightest sound. After all, if either Jiang Junlin or Hao Tian was alerted, then he was dead.
In the desolate night, the atmosphere became especially tense. All around were the screeches of insects, as well as the howls of the wild wolves in the forest, echoing from afar.
"Now, I have the Immortal Kingdom Supervisory Order to manage Dong Yue Wu, so anything that is within Dong Yue Wu belongs to me, by the rules of both sects. Neither of them have the right to touch it. Who would have thought that I would come to bother them...."
Clearly, the few of them had completely underestimated this new Immortal Kingdom Supervisor.
He was near....
In the dark, Wu Yu was like a monkey, climbing with ease through the forest while hiding his tracks.
He was ensconced on the crown of a huge tree more than 100 feet tall. In the dense leaves, only a pair of eyes showed.
At this time, he could clearly see that there were three Pegasuses tethered beside a stone wall. They looked fatigued and were resting.
And nearby was Hao Tian, Yuan Chen, and Jiang Junlin!
Hao Tian had just arrived.
Because the tree cover was thick, and Wu Yu was capable, he could see them and vaguely make out their conversation, but it was difficult for them to discover Wu Yu.
Hao Tian and Yuan Chen were speaking face to face, while Jiang Junlin was sitting on a huge rock, his back turned towards Wu Yu.
Wu Yu followed his gaze but saw only a barren cliff. Within the singular fissure in the rock grew a plant about three feet high.
The plant was about as thick as an arm and had two palm-sized leaves which were dirty red in color. The rest of the plant was jet black.
At the topmost position of the plant rested a fruit the size of a fist. It was like a black ball, densely covered in lumps. It looked like a sea urchin, but the skin was too thick. And being so far away, it was hard for Wu Yu to identify it....
"Jiang Junlin came to Dong Yue Wu for this plant?"
No matter how you looked at it, the plant looked unremarkable.
That was why Wu Yu had to make a logical leap.
"He holds an esteemed position in the Zhongyuan Dao Sect. He would not even bat an eyelid at normal treasures, let alone travel all this way to personally see one."
Thinking thus, Wu Yu knew that this plant had to be something special.
He had to have a look.
Just at this time, he discovered a crack on the side of the black fruit.
That line was made out of tadpole-like script, dense and actually wriggling. It seemed to be vaguely connected with the spiritual qi of the world, as well as all things.
And it was precisely this line that elevated the fruit above common objects, making it a marvel.
"This wouldn't be a spiritual mark, would it...."
Wu Yu recalled the contents from The Chronicles of the Dong Sheng Divine Continent. There were countless different energies in this boundless world. Mystical energies and the spiritual qi of the world would condense over time to form immortal essences and precious treasures.
And such plants were known as immortal essences.
Besides plants, jewels, precious stones, or other natural objects were known as precious treasures.
Immortal essences could be consumed directly, or refined into pills. They had marvellous properties.
Precious treasures could be made into immortal treasures, and also materials for the dao world.
These two objects were completely natural.
As for pills, talismans, immortal treasures, all of these were man-made.
Talismans came in all sorts of strange and curious forms, with a wide variety of effects. They were mysterious, and martial cultivators did not have a strict ranking for them.
However, immortal medicines and immortal treasures were ranked. According to what Wu Yu knew, the common immortal treasures and immortal medicines, such as the Demon Subduing Staff and Spirit Concentration Pills, were the lowest level stuff.
And it was said that martial cultivators who surpassed the Jindan level could produce even stronger immortal treasures and immortal medicines!
As for immortal essences and precious treasures, they were naturally-occurring. But the world was a mysterious place. The quality of these natural objects would greatly differ.
And one clear marker of this difference was a mark - a spiritual mark.
A spiritual mark was the markings that Wu Yu had spotted on the black fruit.
The mysteries of the world were written on the spiritual mark.
It was unimaginably profound. At least, from what Wu Yu could see, it seemed wonderful.
In truth, all immortal essences had to be marked with a spiritual mark in order to be considered genuine immortal essences.
For example, Su Yanli's immortal essence garden had countless immortal essences with all kinds of wonderful properties. But none of them had a spiritual mark.
"It's said that immortal essences or precious treasures with a spiritual mark are 10 times more efficacious than normal immortal essences. A 1,000-year-old ginseng could not even be compared to immortal essences that have a spiritual mark. They are of a completely different level."
This immortal essence was marked with a spiritual mark, and Jiang Junlin was personally guarding it. Clearly, its worth was more than 10 Spirit Concentration Pills. It could even be worth a hundred.
And according to the agreement of both sects, it should belong to Wu Yu.
"One spiritual mark already symbolizes such power. I wonder how it would be for those with two lines, or even three...."
Of course, that was almost unthinkable.
Wu Yu still remained calm. His gaze flicked away from the black fruit because at that moment Yuan Chen had brought Hao Tian over to face Jiang Junlin. Yuan Chen respectfully said, "Senior Brother Jiang, you have heard all that my father has said. That Sun Wudao is causing havoc in Capital Wu. He is infuriating. Most importantly, he is about to succeed in condensing his qi...."
Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian raised a hand and said, "This Lifegiving Fruit still needs more than 10 days to ripen. If you went and quickly returned, you could destroy that Sun Wudao without taking up too much time. If you wait a few days and he succeeds in condensing his qi, then it will be much more effortful...."
Originally, he planned to wait for Jiang Junlin to return before killing Wu Yu.
However, the matters at the palace today had pushed him over the edge.
After all, Wu Yu would be even more difficult to deal with after he condensed his qi.
He had just finished speaking when Jiang Junlin waved him off. "Hao Tian, you have left the Zhongyuan Dao Sect, but it seems like you are regressing day by day. Someone who just condensed qi has you this scared? No rush. In six days’ time, when the Lifegiving Fruit is ripe, I will immediately go back with you to crush him."
"Is it really time?" Yuan Chen asked joyously.
"That's right. I have seen many immortal roots ripen before. Given the current state, I judge six more days, no doubt," Jiang Junlin spoke confidently.
"Immortal roots?"
Wu Yu was stunned. He was beginning to realize that the value of this immortal essence before him was beyond what he had imagined!
He now knew that the fifth tier of the Qi Condensation Realm required one to lay down Immortal Roots. Those Immortal Roots were very important to one's entire dao. They were a sort of foundation. That was why the value of immortal roots was not something that just any spiritual-marked immortal essence could match!
If converted into Spirit Concentration Pills, it was worth at least hundreds of pills.
Even Su Yanli might not have such wealth!
While Wu Yu was still reeling, Jiang Junlin's lip curled with a nasty smile. "My father is such a bother. He clearly has immortal roots that are out of this world. He could have given them to me directly, but he said that I lack experience and asked me to go and find immortal roots by myself. Only after doing so will he give me that unrivalled immortal root."
"The sect leader only wishes for you to become even stronger," Yuan Chen said with a smile.
"That's true. In truth, immortal roots are notoriously difficult to find. Hao Tian, you provided me with the news of this Lifegiving Fruit and solved one of my problems. Rest assured that in the future, I will not treat you and Yuan Chen badly. Especially Yuan Chen. You can lay aside your worries. Your mother, brother, and all your future generations will rule Dong Yue Wu for thousands of generations," Jiang Junlin said.
Hao Tian frowned as he said, "I have been stagnating at the third tier of the Qi Condensation Realm for so long. I am already 170 years old, and my body is starting to wither, my flesh drying up. It seems like I will not be able to reach the fifth tier of the Qi Condensation Realm. This Lifegiving Fruit is a modest accolade by this humble creature. It is nothing worth mentioning..."
He was paving the way for future generations.
"That is why, Hao Tian, you should know the importance of this Lifegiving Fruit to me. In these six days, I will not leave it for even a moment." Jiang Junlin looked at Hao Tian, his eyes flashing.
A distance away, Wu Yu breathed a sigh of relief. Otherwise, he would have to fight the clock to hurry back to Capital Wu and spirit Wu You away.
As a result, Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian could only nod. "So be it. After all, it's impossible for that Sun Wudao to condense his qi within six days. I will also wait with you two for the Lifegiving Fruit to ripen. "
Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian must have been aiming to sweeten his relationship with Jiang Junlin to give up on returning.
From his perspective, with no one to bother him, Wu Yu would definitely not cause trouble in Capital Wu.
After all, six days was a fleeting time.
Hearing thus, Wu Yu got a sense of the current situation.
"If I remain in Capital Wu, in six days they will acquire the Lifegiving Fruit, and I will be dead.
"Since Jiang Junlin has promised Hao Tian, then he will probably not return to the Zhongyuan Dao Sect before murdering me.
"No matter when I condense my qi, the most important thing now is to hurry back to Capital Wu and take Sister away. And I will hide in the shadows. The rest can wait!"
Luckily, he had come today. Otherwise, he would still be taking his time to condense his qi in Capital Wu. He would definitely have been cut down by Jiang Junlin before he finished.
"Time to go!"
......