Chapter 132: The Pearl of the Buddha's Palm

The space inside the flower was small, and as soon as Fang Junmei climbed in, the two were pressed almost immediately against each other.

As their gazes met, an awkwardness appeared in both their eyes. Although Yang Xiaoman was a spirited character, it was her first time being this close to a man. Her curved eyes held a look that was half-shy and half-annoyed, secretively and curiously flickering.

Her fingers moved in a rhythmic gesture, and the petals of the Hanzi flower began to fold inward. Fang Junmei’s gaze naturally fell upon her fingers. He had meant nothing by it, merely a casual glance, but it caused Yang Xiaoman’s composure to falter. Her movements became visibly disjointed, and she actually had to restart the incantation.

Noticing this, Fang Junmei couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh.

This laugh triggered Yang Xiaoman’s usual temperament; she lifted her small foot and kicked him, then glared at him fiercely. Fang Junmei gave an awkward smile and withdrew his gaze.

As the petals closed, an inexplicable force pressed in from all sides, pushing the two even closer together. Yang Xiaoman’s head was nearly pressed against Fang Junmei’s chest, and their legs and arms touched, transmitting the heat of their bodies.

A wonderful fragrance lingered beneath Fang Junmei’s nose—he couldn't tell if it was the scent of the Hanzi flower or Yang Xiaoman’s own natural perfume.

The world outside them gradually stripped away until they could no longer hear a single sound or feel any other presence, as if they had arrived in an isolated space.

"...It’s done."

Yang Xiaoman whispered these two words, her face flushed a wine-red, as if she were suffering from a hangover, her voice carrying a rare gentleness.

Fang Junmei felt his heart flutter upon hearing it. He quickly composed himself and, sensing that they were moving with a jolting rhythm, asked, "Senior Sister, is there really no problem?"

"If there’s a problem, we can just prepare to die together!" she replied, with her usual lack of tact.

But in the current atmosphere, her words carried a peculiar nuance. After speaking, Yang Xiaoman did not dare to look at Fang Junmei. Fang Junmei felt equally awkward.

The two fell into a silent stillness, and a strange atmosphere spread within the flower. In the quiet space, the sound of their breathing became exceptionally clear, seeming to grow even louder.

...

In the world outside, a human-shaped spirit root over a zhang tall, topped with a closed flower, walked forward on two leg-like stalks. To anyone witnessing this, the sight would be unbelievable.

Ahead, pillars of crystal stood like a forest, each emitting five-colored brilliance. The Hanzi moved forward at a speed three-tenths slower than a normal human walk. Once it entered the sensing range of the crystal spirit birds, they indeed did not emerge.

Time ticked away, bit by bit.

...

Half an hour later, Yang Xiaoman and Fang Junmei simultaneously felt the jolting sensation cease. Shortly after, they saw the petals around them slowly begin to open outward.

Both let out long sighs of relief. Once the light from outside streamed in and the petals opened wider, they flew out together.

Scanning their surroundings, they saw they had indeed passed the crystal forest, reaching a distance of seven or eight hundred zhang away. Before them lay a vast expanse of green wilderness, with rolling mountains visible in the distance, stretching toward an endless horizon. The vegetation here was clearly much larger than that of the outer world.

Fang Junmei cleared his mind of distractions and immediately became vigilant.

Yang Xiaoman, meanwhile, reached out to touch the stalk of the Hanzi. Her expression was sorrowful, and tears welled in her eyes. The Hanzi’s current life had not yet reached its natural end, but to continue their journey and to carry its seeds away, it had to end its life. For Yang Xiaoman, this was a painful decision.

The Hanzi, seemingly unwilling to part, embraced her with its vines and lowered its flower to brush gently against her cheek. Fang Junmei looked at the girl and the flower, his heart moved.

"Senior Sister, though its life in this form is brief, as long as the seeds remain, you will meet again in the next life. The seed is the vessel for its cycle of reincarnation!" Fang Junmei said gently.

Yang Xiaoman nodded slightly.

It is unknown what else she communicated with the Hanzi, but the spirit root began to wither. Starting from the flower, then the branches, and finally the stalk, the process was much faster than its growth had been, as if it did not want to delay Yang Xiaoman’s time.

A single tear finally fell from Yang Xiaoman’s eye.

A few breaths later, it had completely withered into a dry husk, and the dark petals scattered onto the ground. Yang Xiaoman reached into the soil, pulled out a seed, and upon sensing the life force within, her sadness eased slightly as she tucked it away with great care.

"Let’s go, Junior Brother."

After saying this softly, she turned and left. Fang Junmei followed behind.

...

The two utilized the Art of Transforming into Rainbows, weaving through the sky above the wilderness to search. From here on, opportunities would begin to intertwine, and strange, exotic spirit roots were most abundant.

The light in this place came from long, multi-colored rainbows of vitality drifting in the sky, with green being the most intense, rendering this world both mysterious and spectacular.

At a glance, there was not another soul in the wilderness; even Feng Jianmei, who had entered earlier, was nowhere to be seen.

"That last trial must have weeded out ten or twenty percent of the people, perhaps more," Fang Junmei said. "Compared to what Uncle-Master Tianfeng and the others described, the monsters in this space are much stronger than they were last time."

Yang Xiaoman nodded in agreement, then suddenly her eyes lit up. "There seems to be something over there." She pointed in a certain direction.

Fang Junmei’s primordial spirit power was not as strong as hers, so he had not yet sensed it.

"It’s a Buddha Narcissus. Its fruit, the Buddha Palm Pearl, is one of the ingredients for refining the Dao Embryo Pill!" Yang Xiaoman had already recognized it. She let out a soft cry, suddenly veering in that direction, and Fang Junmei quickly followed.

Soon, their divine sense spotted a valley not far away. Within it lay a pool of green, misty liquid, about a hundred zhang in circumference. The water was dark green, and its depth was unfathomable to the naked eye.

On one side of the pool grew two spirit roots with leaves shaped like a Buddha’s palm. They stood three feet tall, a bright, pleasing yellow, resembling two pieces of jade, radiating brilliance. Most eye-catching of all were the three egg-sized, yellow jade-like fruits growing in the center of the leaves, resembling pearls held in a palm. White mist hovered over the surface of the fruits, adding a touch of mystery.

Fang Junmei had seen this in the sect’s jade slips and knew this spirit root was indeed the Buddha Narcissus. He didn't know if the fruit was fully mature, but that didn't matter—even if it wasn't, they had to take it.

Thinking of that Blood-Stanching Pill, his heart burned with heat, though he knew three Buddha Palm Pearls certainly wouldn't be enough to trade for it.

Then he would just have to find more!

Fang Junmei’s eyes brightened, and his speed increased instinctively.

...

The two halted and observed the area.

"I can't sense any other cultivators, but there are two beast auras in the pool, both at the Middle Stage of the Dao Embryo. Junior Brother, what are your thoughts?" Yang Xiaoman asked.

Fang Junmei replied, "Senior Sister, you go and distract them, luring them further away so that the commotion of the battle doesn't crush the Buddha Palm Pearls into powder. I will take the opportunity to retrieve them."

Having said that, he took out his Earth-Escaping Shuttle and held it up. Yang Xiaoman immediately understood his plan.

Fang Junmei said no more. He activated the Earth-Escaping Shuttle and drilled into the ground, his figure vanishing.

After waiting a few more breaths, Yang Xiaoman approached the dark green pool, golden light already flashing intensely on her body.

Whoosh!

Before reaching the edge of the pool, Yang Xiaoman stopped and unleashed the Hundred Flower Sword Art. The sword glow in her hand transformed into a rain of blades, which she smashed toward the pool.

Splash!

The water in the pool began to bubble violently and broke open. A massive monster resembling a black python with a single horn burst through the surface. Its body was as thick as a barrel, jet-black with strange patterns. Just the portion that broke the surface was twenty or thirty zhang long, and there was no telling how much more remained below.

It looked ferocious with a fierce gaze. Faint silver electricity crackled on its single horn, making a buzzing sound. It was unclear what kind of demon beast it was.

Crackle—

The single-horned black python arched its head, and a large barrage of thunderous electricity shot from its horn toward the sword rain.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A series of explosions rang out as the rain of sword light shattered midway.

Yang Xiaoman was not anxious; she continued to unleash sword rain, provoking the creature’s temper, while hoping to lure the other black python out as well.

Hiss—

Her plan half-succeeded. This python was indeed quickly enraged; it soared into the air, lunging at her with its jaws wide. Beneath it, clouds of electricity rolled, looking much like the Cloud-Stepping Art of human cultivators, though with a much more imposing flair.

However, the second python never emerged, merely watching from beneath the water with its triangular eyes, perhaps not deeming Yang Xiaoman worth leaving its den for.

Seeing this, Yang Xiaoman grew impatient. She dodged around the sky above the pool, continuing to strike at the water with sword light.

However, the python chasing her was no pushover. It spat lightning rapidly, and several bolts struck the protective light barrier around her, causing her delicate body to tremble repeatedly.

"Senior Sister, just focus on dealing with that one. I’ll handle the other," Fang Junmei’s voice echoed in Yang Xiaoman’s mind, carrying a reliability that put her at ease.

Yang Xiaoman frowned slightly, but ultimately chose to trust Fang Junmei and focused on the python chasing her.

A few breaths later, Fang Junmei, underground, finally moved. Piloting the Earth-Escaping Shuttle, he streaked toward the dark green pool at high speed—not toward the Buddha Narcissus, but toward the opposite side.

The python beneath the water soon sensed Fang Junmei’s approach and began spitting lightning in his direction.

Fang Junmei activated his Three-Breath Divine Stone and, combined with the Earth-Escaping Shuttle, easily dodged the attacks in advance. No matter how fast the lightning was, could it be faster than the strike of a White Horse?

After playing with the python for dozens of breaths and agitating it, Fang Junmei burst from the ground like a bolt of lightning and snatched toward the Buddha Narcissus!

Whoosh—

The Palm Wind of the Void erupted.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

The three Buddha Palm Pearls were quickly pulled away from the spirit root, shooting toward Fang Junmei’s palm.

Splash!

The other python broke the surface, chasing after Fang Junmei with bolts of lightning.

Fang Junmei’s expression was cold, his gaze calm to the extreme. He saw every movement of the python and every direction of the lightning clearly, swaying his body slightly to dodge every bolt.

The narrowness of his escapes was breathtaking.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

A moment later, three soft sounds followed.

Fang Junmei grabbed the three Buddha Palm Pearls and fled toward the horizon.

Yang Xiaoman saw the entire sequence of events clearly. With a satisfied laugh, she also turned and fled into the distance.