Chapter 90: Chapter 86: Flower Spirit, Profound Grass Banquet
On both sides of the steps, there was nothing but dense fog.
Yet in Gu Yuanâs Spiritual Sense, four strange creatures appeared.
These four creatures all had the appearance of young girls, complete with hands and feet, resembling human figures, but their bodies were extraordinarily small, only the size of an adultâs thumb.
Each little girl had two small buns tied on her head, wearing pink long dresses, their entire bodies enveloped in a strange aura.
This aura concealed their bodies, merging them almost entirely with the world, not detectable to those without extraordinary Spiritual Sense.
Moreover, their conversation wasnât transmitted by sound but through a peculiar wave of Spiritual Sense that drifted back and forth in the Void.
They were so well hidden that previous passing cultivators failed to notice them.
But at this moment, within their perception, a silver Flood Dragon, covered in scale armor, mouth wide open, claws and fangs bared, roamed over as if ready to devour.
"Wow!"
"Itâs truly a Top-Grade Spiritual Sense, and itâs a Silver Flood Dragon!"
"Run, run, or weâll be eaten!"
"Quick, go tell the young mistress, a powerful creature has arrived!"
Feeling this terrifying Spiritual Sense, the little creatures cried out in fright, holding hands, transforming into a pink flash, vanishing into the fog in an instant.
"Is this... a Flower Spirit?"
Watching the pink Escape Light vanish before him, Gu Yuan couldnât help but furrow his brow slightly.
Flower Spirits, a type of mystical creature that only a millennium-old Spirit Flower might give birth to.
They possess high spiritual wisdom, have a long lifespan, are adorably cute, and if they stay with cultivators for a long time, they can slowly enhance the cultivatorâs Root Bone and lifespan, while continuing to grow themselves.
Moreover, they are naturally merged with the world, their aura ripple exceedingly subtle, their sensing of Spiritual Qi incredibly delicate, only a Top-Grade Spiritual Sense can perceive their tracks, making them excellent scouts.
Only genuine Noble Families and powerful individuals have the capacity to domesticate them as Spirit Servants.
Gu Yuan hadnât expected to encounter four of them before he even set foot on Yunxuan Island, which speaks volumes about the Bian Familyâs depth.
"Worthy of being a top Noble Family in the Daoist School..."
Gu Yuan sighed inwardly but also felt somewhat puzzled; why were these four Flower Spirits not cultivating with the Bian Family members but instead hiding stealthily in the fog as if investigating something?
Recalling his exposed Spiritual Sense, Gu Yuan felt a bit wary.
At this moment, the stone steps reached the end, the fog parted, and the scene before him became clear, with humid air rushing towards him.
A lake, as clear as a mirror, appeared before his eyes.
In the lake, numerous precious flowers shone brightly, competing in their splendor, while large blue fish resembling dragons swam around endlessly.
On both sides of the lake, verdant mountains rose from the earth, ancient trees towering, lush and green, with massive waterfalls cascading down, radiating a rainbow of colors, merging into the lake with a deafening roar.
Rich Spiritual Qi exultantly surged, visibly like strands of fog, floating between the mountains and the lake.
Gu Yuan inhaled deeply, and his whole body felt light, as if he could soar with the wind.
This is truly a treasure land, capable of sustaining Golden Core cultivatorsâ top-grade Spirit Meridian.
In the center of the lake, there was a pavilion made of jade, decorated with carved railings and jade inlays, luxuriously dazzling, with shadows of people moving about on the platform, indicating that many cultivators had landed there.
Noticing these numerous figures, Gu Yuan frowned slightly but still mounted his Flying Shuttle, heading towards the Jade Platform.
...
...
"Are you also here to seek the Gold-Slaying Mysterious Grass?"
Gu Yuanâs Escape Light had just landed on the Jade Platform when a tall, graceful maiden, draped in colorful ribbons, greeted him.
The maidenâs eyes gleamed bright, a naturally formed, glowing jade shell adorned her dark hair, seemingly connected to her body.
She was a Shell Maiden, a servant commonly used by Noble Families, gentle and agreeable, with a long lifespan, being from an Alien Race, capable of signing a Magical Contract to maintain loyalty.
Gu Yuan glanced at the Shell Maiden and then nodded slightly.
"Please follow me, Daoist."
The Shell Maiden smiled softly, then led Gu Yuan into a Jade Hall.
The Jade Hall was spacious, adorned with pearls, agates, Golden Bell Jade Plates, arranged lavishly, contrasting starkly with Gu Yuanâs bare Qianyuan Cave.
Inside the Jade Hall, over twenty seats with Jade Altars and meditation mats were already set up.
Behind each Jade Altar sat cultivators cross-legged, surprisingly filling every seat.
Observing their cultivation level, they were uniformly at the Peak of Qi Refining Eighth Layer.
Gu Yuan was momentarily stunned.
So many people indeed?
Seemingly sensing Gu Yuanâs confusion, the Shell Maiden said softly:
"Gold-Slaying Mysterious Grass not only breaks chains but also refines Mana and enhances Sword Seals, thus those at the Mortal Daoist School practicing Sword Seal, even capable of self-breaking into Qi Refining Ninth Layer, would suppress their realm and wait for the right moment to seek Mysterious Grass."
"Moreover, there are proxy seekers, either for kin, friends, or sale; anyone with connections to obtain the Golden Talisman would come here."
"After all, we do not sell Mysterious Grass for Spirit Stones but rather to foster good relationships, thus making it a prominent event, hence the large number."
Gu Yuan suddenly understood.
There are two reasons; no wonder Xiang Ronghua told him to be mentally prepared.
After the Shell Maiden paused slightly, she guided Gu Yuan to sit behind a Jade Altar, then gracefully retreated.
The surrounding cultivators glanced at Gu Yuanâs attire, then turned back.
Gu Yuan surveyed the hall, observing the individuals there, either with embroidered words on their cuffs or jade tokens hanging from their waists.
Embroidery on cuffs signifies Noble Family disciples; jade tokens at the waist indicate disciples of each hallâs stewards.
Only a few people, like Gu Yuan, neither bore family emblems on cuffs nor jade tokens at the waist.
However, these few, Gu Yuan did not recognize either.
Clearly, todayâs gathering was somewhat different.
But Gu Yuan only took a glance and then closed his eyes for rest.
"Ding-dong!"
Before long, after the Jade Thrones in the hall were fully seated, a sound of tinkling ornaments rang from behind the Jade Hall.
Gu Yuan opened his eyes and saw a graceful maiden, adorned with dangling jewels and ribboned robes, descending slowly from behind the hall.
The maidenâs beauty was unparalleled, surpassing even Yun Hanyou, a gentle smile always gracing her lips, her eyes sparkling like stars, exuding an understated charm, as if unperturbed even amidst hardships.
"Chuyao apologizes for keeping everyone waiting, and asks for your forgiveness."
The maidenâs voice matched her temperament, light and soft, gentle and tender.
"Junior Sister Bian is too courteous; today, we seek from the Bian Family, so thereâs no cause for apologies."
As the maidenâs words fell, a tall youth from the front Jade Altar rose swiftly to respond.
In the neighboring seat, someone intended to rise too, but was preempted, uttered a cold snort, and sat back down.
"Thank you, senior brothers, for your understanding."
Bian Chuyao gave a gentle bow, then looked at the crowd in the hall, hesitating as she spoke:
"However, only one Mysterious Grass is available, yet over twenty senior brothers have arrived, what shall we do?"