As soon as the words were spoken, the sky noticeably darkened a bit.
It was the impending wrath of the heavens.
Jiang Fan hesitated for a moment and, seeing the worried look in Xu Youranâs eyes, handed her the mirror.
"Donât speak aloud about any future you see; just keep the answer in your heart."
Xu Youran nodded and took a look into the mirror. Soon, visions of the future flashed through her mind.
Her expression shifted several times.
There was shock, disbelief, relief, and some reluctance.
When the last wisp of Dao resonance faded from the ancient realm, she put down the Ancient Mirror.
Yue Mingzhu asked, "Did you see the murderer?"
Xu Youranâs expression returned to calm, and she shook her head gently, "No, I didnât."
Yue Mingzhu wanted to ask more, but Jiang Fan stopped her, "Donât ask anymore."
"Youran, with the scenes youâve seen from the future, plan well for yourself. You donât have to worry about me; Iâll find a way."
Xu Youran nodded, but the arm wrapped around Jiang Fanâs was noticeably tighter.
Clearly, she had seen something.
Yue Mingzhu pouted, "Might as well let Yun Shang take a look."
As she was muttering, suddenly a flash of yellow light appeared before them.
A blob of pale yellow substance, seeming to be chased by something, haphazardly crashed into Yue Mingzhuâs stomach.
"Ow!" Yue Mingzhu exclaimed in pain.
She focused her gaze.
The blob of light, after bouncing off Yue Mingzhuâs stomach, rolled on the ground a few times and revealed its form.
It was a small yellow rabbit.
Its mouth was still clutching a black leaf, munching away even after its tumble.
Huh?
Jiang Fan recognized it immediately; wasnât this the little wild rabbit by the Abyss, the one Yue Mingzhu almost sprained her ankle on?
How did it get here?
For a split second, Jiang Fan thought he might have been mistaken.
Yue Mingzhu was also stunned for a moment, but she quickly reacted, running over and stepping on it.
The little wild rabbit, caught off guard, immediately struggled with its limbs, trying to run away.
Yue Mingzhu bent down, grabbed it, and gave it two swift slaps, laughing angrily,
"Damn rabbit, do you have a grudge against me or what?"
"Not only did you almost sprain my ankle, but then you come and crash into my stomach!"
"Itâs a good thing I donât have a baby in my belly yet, otherwise Iâd cook you with ginger, mud, and cumin spice!"
The slapped little wild rabbit kicked hard, its eyes showing a pitiful look.
Jiang Fan moved closer, curiously examining the little wild rabbit:
"What exactly is this thing?"
"It looks like a creature, but it lacks the life force that creatures should have. Itâs somewhat like Mingzhuâs big white rabbit."
"But it seems even stranger than the big white rabbit."
Is that so?
Without a word, Yue Mingzhu took out a bag: "Ha, ha, if I canât fit the little gold tortoise, surely I can fit you?"
She immediately tossed it into the bag and handed it to Jiang Fan.
"Here, you hold it."
Jiang Fan was surprised, "This is your fortune, why give it to me?"
The little wild rabbit landing in Yue Mingzhuâs hands twice was an opportunity as obvious as it gets.
Yue Mingzhu shook her head, "My fortune isnât here; itâs in..."
As the sky suddenly darkened, Yue Mingzhu stuck out her pink little tongue and quickly withdrew what she was about to say.
"Anyway, itâs yours, I donât need it."
Jiang Fan thought for a moment and said, "Alright..."
Just as he was about to put it away.
The little wild rabbit suddenly started struggling violently inside the bag, leaving raised imprints as it struck against it.
It seemed to be very frightened.
Jiang Fan remembered how it had run over in panic earlier, his heart tightened; whatever was chasing it had arrived.
He looked up.
In the distance, an ominous aura was swiftly approaching.
Jiang Fan and Yue Mingzhu both froze, exclaiming in unison, "Itâs the Black Lotus of Tribulation!"
Recalling the item the little wild rabbit had been gnawing on, their pupils shrank even more.
The black leaf the little wild rabbit was eating was a part of the Black Lotus of Tribulationâs lotus leaf.
This creature dared to set its sights on the Black Lotus of Tribulation.
Jiang Fanâs expression changed, "Letâs go, back to the West Spirit Mountain quickly."
"The Black Lotus of Tribulation has changed beyond recognition, way beyond our ability to handle."
Perhaps from devouring the Evil Crow Venerable, the Black Lotus of Tribulation seemed to have opened the door to a whole new world, consuming anyone it caught.
Even the Asura Saint Son had been gnawed on by the Black Lotus of Tribulation.
"No need to run."
However, Xu Youranâs eyes were filled with complexity as she said, "Suppress all fluctuations in your bodies, donât reveal any aura, and stay still."
"It only pursues the living; inanimate objects donât interest it."
Hmm?
Jiang Fan and Yue Mingzhu looked over in surprise.
How could Xu Youran know so much about the Black Lotus of Tribulation?
With some skepticism, Jiang Fan clenched his teeth and pressed down on Yue Mingzhuâs shoulder, simultaneously suppressing all his aura.
If not for being visible to the naked eye, it would have been hard to sense the presence of a living person there.
Yue Mingzhu hesitated for a moment, then also concealed her presence.
Xu Youran followed suit.
The three of them stood together, completely still.
Just as Yue Mingzhu was puzzled, wondering where the Black Lotus of Tribulation was.
Suddenly, a stabbing and wriggling sensation came from her calf, startling her, and she instinctively wanted to jump away and check.
However, she quickly realized that she couldnât make any movement right now!
So, she endured the discomfort and anxiety.
Soon, the painful sensation faded, and silently, the ground beneath them cracked open.
A black lotus stem topped with a black leaf, with a long Soaring Stem, its base resembling a human-shaped black lotus root, slowly emerged from the earth.
Its stem, covered in short spines, explored the vicinity, searching for living creatures.
Jiang Fan quietly took in a sharp breath; it truly was the Black Lotus of Tribulation!
Compared to the last time during its fight with the Asura Saint Son, it had transformed again!
Last time, it already had distinct facial features, a torso, and limbs, and had even developed abs and chest muscles.
Now, perhaps from consuming a lot of Hell Creaturesâ flesh and blood, it had started to grow skin.
The skin had clear textures, complete with pores.
The whole was still black, but parts had begun to turn towards a fair color!
It was rapidly evolving into a human form!
The Black Lotus of Tribulation must have noticed the nearby disappearance of the little wild rabbit, lingering around and searching continuously.
The combing stems passed over them several times.
Just as Jiang Fan felt optimistic they might evade it by suppressing their aura.
The Black Lotus of Tribulation stopped, faced the spot where the three stood, and stayed motionless.
Jiang Fan was silently surprised; was it going to give up?
But soon, it moved again.
The lengthy stem split into a dozen tendrils, extending leisurely like tentacles towards Jiang Fan and the others.
Jiang Fanâs expression shifted slightly.
Was it learning to think?
It touched them several times, seemingly sensing they werenât exactly inanimate, so it decided to ensnare them first.
Yue Mingzhu and Xu Youran also showed slight changes in expression, unsure if they should continue the charade.
Jiang Fanâs eyes darted about quickly, his mind settled, as he opened the pouch.
The little wild rabbit was released, rolling onto the ground and getting dust-covered.
The tendrils that had been reaching towards Jiang Fan and the others quickly coiled around the little wild rabbit instead.
The latter was so terrified that its ears stood upright, and it bolted away on its legs.
As it ran, it turned and shrieked at Jiang Fan.
Though he couldnât understand, it probably was cursing him.