On top of a mountain, a group of dozens of young people in red robes gathered. Their eyes filled with hatred as they stared fixedly at the large procession in the distance.
"Itâs infuriating! Those two brats donât have much power, but theyâre really good at tricking those Monkeys."
A young man in a red robe clenched his fists, knuckles creaking.
"Senior Brother! Our Xuanyang Sect has suffered such a great loss this time. We lost more than eighty fellow Cultivators. If word of this gets out, how will we explain ourselves to the Sectâs elders?" a young man beside him asked, his face etched with worry.
"We will settle this score sooner or later, just not now." The red-robed young man chuckled coldly, watching the distant procession gradually disappear before speaking again, "The Sect Master has high expectations for us this time. Our current goal is to find the Ten Thousand Year Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Tree and obtain the Ten Thousand Year Golden Osmanthus Fruits. As for those two Loose Cultivators, we donât need to bother with them for now."
"Understood, Senior Brother!" everyone beside him shouted in unison.
"That Ten Thousand Year Osmanthus Tree has already gained sentience. It moves without a fixed location and is skilled at disguise; we donât know where it is currently. We must race against time to find the Ten Thousand Year Osmanthus Tree," the red-robed young man instructed again.
"Senior Brother, is it true that there are three Osmanthus Trees over ten thousand years old in this Heavenly Moon Secret Region?" someone asked.
"Thatâs right. Itâs said that two of them are Ten Thousand Year Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Trees, and one has reached around twenty thousand years. If we can pick Twenty Thousand Year Osmanthus Fruits and contribute them to the Sect, the rewards weâll receive are unimaginable," the red-robed young man said excitedly, clenching his teeth.
Though they greatly coveted the Ten Thousand Year Osmanthus Fruits, they were obligated to hand them over to the Sect for unified distribution. However, as long as they could submit Ten Thousand Year Osmanthus Fruits, the rewards they would receive would be massive, beyond their wildest dreams, making all their efforts worthwhile.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
Streaks of Sword light pierced the sky as the Disciples of the Xuanyang Sect scattered in different directions, searching for those Ten Thousand Year Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Trees.
ăTime passed.ă
In the blink of an eye, another seven or eight days had gone by.
Leading the troop of Monkeys slowed Jun Moxiao and Lei Qinian down considerably, so it took them this long to finally reach the place where Lei Qinianâs ancestor had hidden the thousand-year Laurel fruits.
"This should be the place."
Lei Qinian excitedly scanned his surroundings, spotting a Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Tree over seven thousand years old in the distance. However, the golden Laurel fruits on that tree had already been plucked.
Lei Qinian wasnât disheartened, though. They had already obtained quite a few Laurel fruits along the way. Adding the thousand-year Laurel fruits hidden by his ancestor, their harvest was already far greater than that of ordinary Cultivators.
After shifting a huge rock aside, Lei Qinian began to dig furiously, going dozens of meters deep before uncovering a green stone slab.
"Itâs under this stone slab!"
With an excited look, Lei Qinian lifted the slab, revealing a small space underneath. Neatly arranged inside were over thirty golden Laurel fruits.
"Brother Jun, come down quickly! Weâll split these Laurel fruits, half each," Lei Qinian shouted up excitedly from the bottom of the pit.
Now, he could finally repay some of Jun Moxiaoâs kindness.
Jun Moxiao didnât stand on ceremony and dropped down. The two began to divide the golden Laurel fruits. Despite the long time that had passed, the fruits showed no signs of change.
After dividing the Laurel fruits, the two of them returned to the surface.
Jun Moxiao walked straight to the several-thousand-year-old Cassia Tree. He took out the Jade Tablet and hung it on the tree. After waiting for a short while without seeing any change, Jun Moxiao sighed and shook his head.
"Itâs still not working."
Lei Qinian came over and comforted him, "Brother Jun, donât be too disheartened. If we can find a Ten Thousand Year Osmanthus Tree, we might be able to complete the seniorâs task."
Jun Moxiao nodded.
"Brother Lei, I heard that these Ten Thousand Year Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Trees have gained sentience and donât have fixed locations. Where should we even begin to look for one?" Jun Moxiao said with some frustration, looking at the countless Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Trees of varying ages all around them.
"Weâll really have to rely on luck for this one." Lei Qinian, having no better ideas, shrugged and smiled helplessly.
The Monkey Leaderâs ears twitched as it heard their conversation, and it suddenly darted over. It tapped the several-thousand-year-old Cassia Tree twice with its staff and began to chitter.
Jun Moxiaoâs eyes lit up.
Could these Monkeys actually locate a Ten Thousand Year Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Tree?
"Brother Monkey, are you saying you can help us find a Ten Thousand Year Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Tree?" Jun Moxiao asked instinctively.
The Monkey Leader nodded, then held up five fingers.
"Brother Monkey, you mean if we give you five of those pills, you can help us find a Ten Thousand Year Osmanthus Tree?" Jun Moxiao quickly asked.
The Monkey Leader nodded again.
Overjoyed, Jun Moxiao unhesitatingly took out five Demigod Dragon Tiger Pills from his Storage Ring and handed them to the Monkey Leader. The Monkey Leader examined them, then excitedly stuffed the five Dragon Tiger Pills into its cheek pouches for safekeeping.
Lei Qinian was dumbfounded by this scene.
Heâd never imagined the Monkey Leader could actually find a Ten Thousand Year Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Tree. But on second thought, it was understandable. These Monkeys were native demon beasts of the Secret Realm; they were exceedingly familiar with the Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Trees. Even if that Ten Thousand Year Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Tree was skilled at transformation and moved erratically, once spotted by the Monkey Leader, it could hardly escape its Fiery Golden Eyes.
The Monkey Leader suddenly let out a cry, leaped into the air, and flew off in a specific direction. Jun Moxiao and Lei Qinian quickly followed.
After flying merely seven to eight hundred zhang, the Monkey Leader abruptly descended from mid-air, landing beside a tiny Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Tree. It gently tapped the ground with its staff and pointed towards this Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Tree.
"Brother Monkey, are you saying this is a Ten Thousand Year Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Tree?" Jun Moxiao asked in surprise.
The Monkey Leader nodded and then began to rapidly strike the trunk of this Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Tree with its staff.
THUMP! THUMP!
After being forcefully struck more than ten times, the Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Tree suddenly swelled, transforming into an incredibly enormous Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Tree.
Gazing at such an enormous Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Tree, Lei Qinian and Jun Moxiao both couldnât help but suck in a sharp breath. This Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Tree was clearly different from all the previous ones; it was massive, at least ten thousand years old.
"Brother Jun, there are mature Laurel fruits up there!" Lei Qinian exclaimed in pleasant surprise, his eyes wide as he gazed at the green leaves high above.
Jun Moxiao looked up and instantly smiled as well. On this Ten Thousand Year Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Tree, there were dozens of golden Laurel fruits growingâat a rough count, at least forty or fifty of them.
This is truly a bountiful harvest!
Jun Moxiao was thrilled. He said loudly, "Brother Lei, you go pick the fruits. Iâll go hang the Jade Tablet and try my luck!"