As Mei Ji's Divine Sense was exhausted, the radiance from the Flowing Light Mirror rapidly receded.
Everything returned to calm. The air was so still it was frightening.
Luo Xiu's murderous aura seemed to have solidified, freezing the very space around him.
"Dad..." Lin Shanshan called out softly.
Mei Ji reached out to wipe the blood from her nose, her voice weak. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but the Flowing Light Mirror consumes too much Divine Sense. I'm at my limit and can't continue using it. Moreover, it has recognized me as its master, so no one else can use it." She added, "However, straight ahead should be the central area of Boundless Heavens... If we follow this path, we should be able to find Miss Dou Dou."
A flicker of light shone in Luo Xiu's left eye as he opened the spatial portal to the Land of Lawlessness. "All of you, go to the Land of Lawlessness first. I'll pursue them alone."
"From the time-rewound images, those people are most likely from the Celestial Realm," Master Ping said.
Mei Ji nodded.
Master Ping looked at Luo Xiu and advised, "Kid, I know you're anxious—in fact, I am too. But no matter what, when you find those people, you can't act recklessly. You might risk a relapse of your condition."
Shaking his bald, feathery head, Lao Ba suddenly interjected, "Didn't Technician Number One say that Dou Dou is Her Highness the Princess of the Ageless Tribe? When you find her, Crown Prince, you can just call Technician Number One out to deal with those bastards. Damn it! Picking on a little girl! I, Lao Ba, despise them!"
Master Ping nodded. "Baldy's right. An Ran is the Heavenly Emperor! With her strength, what is there to fear?"
Lao Ba chuckled. "See? That's why I, Lao Ba, am the clever one."
"I see that bird head of yours isn't just for show," Master Ping retorted.
"I will," Luo Xiu nodded, saying nothing more.
A short while later, after Lin Shanshan, Master Ping, and the others had entered the Land of Lawlessness, Luo Xiu unleashed his Destructive Thunder Wings. His speed instantly shot to its absolute peak as he chased after them in the general direction. At the same time, he spread out his powerful Divine Sense, refusing to miss a single clue.
However, the deeper he ventured, the more powerful the omnipresent Wandering Spirits became. Many had even cultivated corporeal forms, capable of wielding the strength of the Emperor Realm. But Luo Xiu was consumed with worry for Dou Dou's safety and had no intention of wasting time on them. Any who dared to block his path were annihilated by his Glazed Thunder!
...
...
「Boundless Heavens. Central Area.」
In a mountain hollow shielded from the wind on all sides, a middle-aged man named Kui Dou quietly gazed at a Pill Furnace that stood over two zhang tall, his expression contemplative.
Dou Dou had been bound hand and foot and thrown into the Pill Furnace. She was soaked in a special medicinal solution that also contained various rare Spiritual Medicines. At this moment, she was still cursing up a storm, crying and shouting all at once.
A young man in green robes walked to Kui Dou's side and asked, "Big Brother, can this really refine the full medicinal power of the Mysterious Ancient Calamity Pill from her body?"
Kui Dou replied flatly, "Not completely. But with the addition of my Spiritual Medicines, we should be able to extract seventy to eighty percent of its power."
"Hah," the green-robed youth sighed, then cursed, "This damn girl is incredibly stubborn. Death is too good for her!"
Kui Dou stated, "Regardless, we must bring the Mysterious Ancient Calamity Pill back to the Master."
The green-robed youth said worriedly, "I just wonder if the Master will encounter any trouble while exploring the Azure Emperor's Palace."
Kui Dou glanced at him. "With the Master's strength, and Lord Wuxing Chuan accompanying him, what trouble could they possibly face? I may have never witnessed the Azure Emperor's might, but he is, after all, just a Demon from the Mortal Realm. How strong could he possibly be?"
"Heh, you're right, Big Brother. Still, it's strange. Why would the Azure Emperor's Palace suddenly appear in Boundless Heavens out of nowhere?"
Kui Dou didn't answer. Instead, he shouted, "Men!"
"Present!"
"The hour has come! Place the lid on the furnace and light the Pill Fire!"
"..."
As the Pill Fire blazed fiercely beneath the Pill Furnace, the temperature of the medicinal solution inside rapidly soared. Dou Dou felt her whole body begin to burn. Her little face flushed red, and she hastily shielded herself with her Spiritual Power to resist the scalding liquid.
Are these people really going to cook and eat me? This is trouble! No, I have to think of a way out quickly!
Though she was anxious and terrified, Dou Dou had not completely lost her wits. Suddenly, her eyes fell upon the Spiritual Medicines floating around her. Steeling her heart, she decisively bent down, craned her neck, and began to bite and eat whatever she could reach.
You want to cook me? Fine! I'll eat all of your Spiritual Medicine first!
...
Time ticked by.
The medicinal solution was now boiling, beginning to evaporate and reduce in volume. The steam condensed into a gel-like substance that adhered to Dou Dou's skin, gradually enveloping her. By this point, Dou Dou had eaten every last bit of the Spiritual Medicine. But other than an uncomfortable, bloated feeling in her stomach, it had no effect. On the contrary, the chaotic mix of potent medicinal energies was now ravaging her meridians.
It's over... it's really over now!
Despite trying everything she could think of, Dou Dou couldn't escape. An intense fear flooded her heart, and she began to spiral into panic and despair. The terrifying Pill Fire gradually burned away the Spiritual Power she was using for protection, and the gel-like substance wrapped around her ever more tightly.
Her mind grew faint. She collapsed weakly, quietly feeling her life slipping away.
It looks like this time... I'm really going to die.
Sigh... even though I can't bear to leave everyone, maybe this is for the best... I'm going to find Chen Shuisheng... I'm going to find Yaya...
Without me, they must be so bored...
Chen Shuisheng... Yaya... I'm coming to find you...
She slowly closed her eyes. As her consciousness blurred, her thoughts drifted far away. It was as if she had arrived on a vast prairie, where she saw the backs of Luo Xiu and Yaya.
...
At this very moment, Luo Xiu was streaking forward at maximum speed. Suddenly, his sweeping Divine Sense locked onto a mountain hollow.
The group of people within that hollow was the very same one he had seen in the time-rewound image!
A towering rage instantly consumed Luo Xiu, and he transformed into a bolt of lightning!
Dou Dou, I'm coming!
...
BOOM!
Kui Dou, who was sitting in meditation, was startled by Luo Xiu's sudden landing. For a moment, he thought the Pill Furnace had exploded. When he realized it wasn't the furnace but the arrival of an uninvited guest, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Kid, who are you?"
The green-robed youth at his side glared at Luo Xiu with malice, as if looking down at an ant.
"Get out of my way." Luo Xiu slowly straightened up and asked, "Earlier, did you take a little girl?"
"I told you to get out of my way. Are you deaf?" The green-robed youth grew impatient and moved to strike him.
SLAP!
Without even looking, Luo Xiu sent the green-robed youth flying with a backhanded slap. He then fixed his gaze on Kui Dou and said coldly, "If she lives, you die. If she dies, your nine generations will accompany her in death."
...