Two days later, a streak of light shot across the sky. Closely trailing behind that radiance was a small, pink figure, and behind them even more countless black shadows that blotted out the heavens, all surging in pursuit of the fleeing light.
Xiao Lingyu’s expression was grave. His right hand gripped the spiritual marrow tightly, and all of his spiritual energy was poured into the Water Moon Wheel beneath his feet as his entire body shot forward at extreme speed.
“Xiao Lingyu, how long are they going to keep chasing us?” Zhu Xier asked breathlessly.
Xiao Lingyu swept his divine sense toward the tightly following black shadows behind them and felt a wave of headache. “How would I know?”
Seeing the shadows behind them closing the distance once again, Xiao Lingyu no longer had the time to speak. He focused entirely on controlling the Water Moon Wheel, only hoping to fly faster.
The black shadows chasing Xiao Lingyu were composed of countless strange giant birds. Xiao Lingyu did not recognize this type of bird. It was Old Ghost Head who informed him that they were called Crow Demons—an extremely ferocious ancient exotic beast. These crow demons were about one meter long, with a single leg and dual heads, ugly in appearance, and their feathers were as hard as iron. Individually they were vicious, and they lived in groups. In ancient times, they were existences that cultivators avoided at all costs.
Xiao Lingyu deeply regretted provoking the crow demons. He had already been fleeing for an entire day, yet no matter how he tried to evade them, the crow demons clung tightly behind him without the slightest intention of giving up.
Zhu Yurun, who had been nestled in Xiao Lingyu’s arms the entire time, cautiously poked his head out and peeked at Xiao Lingyu’s expression with a flattering look.
“Little monster, little pig can give you a fruit to eat, okay?”
Hearing the word “fruit,” Xiao Lingyu immediately thought of the reason behind their current miserable situation. He let out a cold snort. Zhu Yurun trembled all over. After thinking for a moment, he carefully asked again,
“Then… little pig can give you two fruits, okay?”
Zhu Yurun looked at Xiao Lingyu pitifully. One fruit already pained him greatly, but the little monster was angry. In the end, Zhu Yurun gritted his teeth and took out two fruits. Surely the little monster wouldn’t be angry anymore now.
Xiao Lingyu glanced at Zhu Yurun, who was staring at him eagerly, and sighed inwardly. He stroked him and asked, “Will you still run around next time?”
Hearing that Xiao Lingyu’s tone had clearly softened, Zhu Yurun immediately shook his head vigorously. “Little pig will never run around again.”
Seeing that Xiao Lingyu’s expression was no longer as cold as before, Zhu Yurun grew bolder again.
“Little monster, do you still want little pig’s fruit?”
Xiao Lingyu expressionlessly glanced at him. Zhu Yurun immediately declared, “There are three fruits in total. Little pig gets one, little monster gets two.”
The “fruit” Zhu Yurun was talking about was precisely the cause of their encounter with the crow demons.
A day earlier, Xiao Lingyu had been traveling with Zhu Xier while searching for treasures. Passing by a certain place, Zhu Yurun, who had been quietly staying in his arms, suddenly became unusually excited. According to him, there was a “super good smell” not far ahead.
With the mindset of never missing anything that came their way, Xiao Lingyu followed Zhu Yurun’s guidance and arrived at a place where a massive dark mountain stood.
At that time, Xiao Lingyu had been puzzled. The surrounding area was all flat land—why would such a mountain suddenly appear here? But the thought only flashed briefly through his mind. After confirming that the pleasant scent indeed came from within the mountain, Xiao Lingyu was about to step forward when Old Ghost Head suddenly shouted,
“Little Yuzi, it’s crow demons! Run!”
Although Xiao Lingyu had never heard of crow demons, he trusted Old Ghost Head’s warning and immediately retreated. But it was already too late.
Before him, the entire black mountain seemed to come alive and, with a thunderous “boom,” scattered apart. When he looked again, there was no mountain at all—only countless giant strange birds one meter long, surging toward him like a tidal wave. Only then did Xiao Lingyu realize that the black mountain he had seen earlier was actually formed by these birds stacked together.
Behind the dispersing flock of birds, a small earthen mound was revealed. On top of it stood an old, nearly withered tree, lifeless and desolate. Strangely, however, three jade-green fruits hung from its branches.
The stark contrast between vitality and death created a shocking visual impact. Even though he was at some distance, Xiao Lingyu could still smell an indescribably fragrant scent coming from the fruits. Zhu Yurun in his arms became even more agitated, almost struggling free.
“Ascension Fruits!” Old Ghost Head exclaimed in shock.
Xiao Lingyu froze. In recent days, Zhu Yurun had led him to many treasures, but he had never seen Old Ghost Head react like this. These Ascension Fruits were clearly extraordinary even in ancient times—but treasures, no matter how good, were useless if one had no life to take them.
Remembering Old Ghost Head’s earlier panic warning, Xiao Lingyu did not hesitate. Just as the crow demons were about to descend upon him, he summoned the Water Moon Wheel and prepared to flee.
But a sudden change occurred.
At the moment Xiao Lingyu turned, Zhu Yurun in his arms suddenly kicked free, landing on the ground and charging straight toward the withered tree.
Xiao Lingyu was greatly alarmed. Zhu Yurun had always been timid and cowardly, hiding behind him—this was the first time he had acted so recklessly. Watching him weave through the flock of birds with surprising agility, Xiao Lingyu gritted his teeth in frustration but could not bear to abandon him. Helpless, he gave up escaping and instead met the attacking crow demons head-on.
At that moment, Zhu Xier, who had already fled far away, noticed something was wrong and turned back. Seeing Xiao Lingyu and Zhu Yurun both rushing toward the tree despite the danger, she cursed inwardly at their greed—but remembering the demon emperor’s orders, she reluctantly returned.
Only then did Xiao Lingyu realize how terrifying these crow demons truly were. Their feathers were extremely tough—his full-force attacks only left shallow marks. Even worse, their claws were sharp enough to damage magical artifacts. Seeing scratches appear on his Water Moon Wheel, Xiao Lingyu was forced to avoid direct confrontation.
This made his already disadvantaged situation even worse, pushing him into constant danger. Without the protection of the Heavenly Water Without Traces technique, he would have already been torn apart.
When Zhu Xier returned, she saw a dense mass of black crow demons surrounding Xiao Lingyu, with flashes of light flickering within the swarm. Realizing both Xiao Lingyu and Zhu Yurun were trapped inside, she immediately began spewing demon fire at the flock.
To her surprise, the crow demons—unafraid of magical artifacts—seemed to fear the demon fire greatly. Wherever the flames fell, they scattered. Seeing this, Zhu Xier grew overjoyed and concentrated her attacks, gradually forcing a gap in their formation.
Xiao Lingyu seized the opportunity and burst out, immediately grabbing Zhu Xier and flying in the opposite direction—toward the withered tree.
Zhu Xier was stunned. Even after escaping, he was still thinking about the fruits. She nearly wanted to split his head open to see what was inside.
But before she could speak, Xiao Lingyu said one sentence that stunned her:
“Zhu Yurun is still inside.”
“What?!” Zhu Xier shouted immediately.
“You think I wouldn’t have run otherwise?” Xiao Lingyu replied coldly.
Hearing that Zhu Yurun was still inside, Zhu Xier immediately stopped complaining and followed Xiao Lingyu back toward the tree.
At that moment, Zhu Yurun had already reached beneath the withered tree. The closer he got, the stronger the irresistible attraction became. Instinct told him that these fruits were extremely important to him. Once he ate them, something would change—though he himself did not know what. He only knew one thing: he had to eat them.
Now, Zhu Yurun was anxiously circling under the tree, drooling as he stared at the fruits but unable to reach them. Helpless, he hugged the trunk and tried to climb up clumsily.
By the time Xiao Lingyu arrived, this was the scene he saw.
Despite his earlier anger, seeing Zhu Yurun’s ridiculous struggle softened his expression.
Just as the crow demons began regrouping, Xiao Lingyu grabbed Zhu Yurun and tossed him onto the tree canopy. Moments later, all three fruits were absorbed into Zhu Yurun’s body.
Without hesitation, Xiao Lingyu turned and fled on the Water Moon Wheel.
As the fruits were consumed, the entire crow demon flock erupted in shrill cries. All of them locked onto Xiao Lingyu once again and pursued him relentlessly for an entire day.
Now, Xiao Lingyu rubbed his temples as he looked at the endless pursuit behind him.
According to Old Ghost Head, the reason they refused to give up was the Ascension Fruits inside Zhu Yurun. If the fruits were discarded, they might still have a chance to escape.
But Old Ghost Head had also said that Ascension Fruits were not only rare treasures for human cultivators—they were also crucial for the evolution of spirit rhinoceros pigs. If they missed this opportunity, Zhu Yurun might never encounter such fortune again.
Xiao Lingyu glanced at the obedient little pig clutching his clothes and sighed.
Unless absolutely necessary, he would not abandon those fruits.
Meanwhile, Chu Mingwei was frowning as he carefully examined his surroundings. This was the exact location described in Xiao Lingyu’s last transmission talisman. Since then, there had been no further news.
Chu Mingwei searched meticulously, trying to find any trace of him. A day without Xiao Lingyu’s news filled him with anxiety, fearing he might have encountered danger. Thinking of Old Ghost Head at Xiao Lingyu’s side, Chu Mingwei could only hope that the ancient spirit would use its experience to help him avoid disaster.