Bai Jue wasn't boasting—his words were filled with genuine confidence.
Putting everything else aside, Water Demon was only at high Rank Three at most. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been chased around by Di Yao like that, nor would he have coughed up blood after taking a single punch.
For an ordinary Festival Bearer, reaching Rank Three in such a short time after awakening was practically impossible.
But for Bai Jue, it wasn't difficult at all.
After all, he was already at mid Rank One.
And he still had a bottle of Faith Origin Liquid he hadn't used yet. Once he consumed it, advancing to Rank Two wouldn't be hard at all.
When he reached Rank Three—and most likely mastered Yama Domain by then—
If Water Demon dared show up again…
Heh.
Who would die was anyone's guess.
"Good ambition," Di Yao said approvingly, patting Bai Jue on the shoulder.
Well—
She jumped up to pat it.
"Hehe. Teacher, got any lollipops left? Give me one."
Bai Jue grinned, licking his dry lips. After several days without proper food, even candy would help.
"Of course~ What flavor do you want?"
Di Yao counted on her fingers, lollipop in her mouth.
"Strawberry, banana, cantaloupe, watermelon—"
"Stop, stop!" Bai Jue quickly interrupted.
"Just watermelon is fine."
"Alright~"
Di Yao casually grabbed the air, and a lollipop appeared in her hand. She tossed it over.
Bai Jue unwrapped it and popped it into his mouth.
Sweet. Perfect.
About fifteen minutes later, the two finally exited the mountain cave.
They were preparing to head back to the ruins where the Darkflame Fruit was located. Judging by the time, it should be close to ripening.
"Sha Tiger, come out."
Standing in the open clearing outside the cave, Bai Jue waved his hand and called out.
Black mist swirled beside him, forming a vortex. A massive figure slowly stepped out—
The ferocious Sha Tiger.
Seeing it, Di Yao's eyes immediately lit up.
"Hehehe~ Xiao Bai, I'm sitting in front!"
Before Bai Jue could even respond, she hopped straight onto the tiger's back.
Bai Jue shook his head helplessly and jumped up after her, sitting behind Di Yao. He patted the tiger's back lightly.
"One o'clock direction. Move."
"ROAR!"
The Sha Tiger roared, its limbs stepping into the air as if formed of baleful energy, sprinting forward at terrifying speed.
As the tiger ran, Bai Jue rubbed his nose awkwardly.
His body was pressed closely against Di Yao's back, a faint fragrance drifting into his nose.
This riding position…
Really wasn't comfortable.
…
After running for an unknown amount of time, the Sha Tiger finally arrived at their destination—the ruined city they had visited before.
Bai Jue dismissed the tiger and turned to Di Yao.
"Teacher, you remember the spot?"
"What nonsense. Follow me."
Di Yao rolled her eyes and skipped off in a direction, her small body moving astonishingly fast. Bai Jue nearly failed to keep up.
Soon, they climbed atop a tall tower.
From there, the Darkflame Fruit finally came into view.
Di Yao licked her lollipop, frowning slightly.
"Judging by the situation, it's almost ripe—probably today. But…"
"There are quite a lot of watchers."
"Not just undead," Bai Jue reminded her, looking toward a corner of the ruins.
Three figures were hiding there, all staring intently at the Darkflame Fruit.
Two men and one woman—young cultivators, clearly after the same prize.
Di Yao glanced over and curled her lips.
"Just some family juniors from Sky魁 City. Nothing special."
"So… Teacher, do we strike together later?" Bai Jue asked.
Di Yao looked at him like he was an idiot.
"Xiao Bai, you're really dense sometimes."
"If other people are eyeing the Darkflame Fruit, why rush?"
"Let them grab it first and draw all the attention—then we snatch it away."
"Snatch… it?"
Bai Jue's eyes widened.
"Of course," Di Yao grinned, clenching her fair little fist.
"This world runs on strength."
"…That actually makes a lot of sense."
"Tch. Of course it does."
"Hehe. Alright then."
Bai Jue chuckled. "I'll cultivate for now. Teacher, just remind me when it ripens."
There was still time—no need to rush.
He sat down cross-legged, took out the resources he'd received earlier, and drank them down in one gulp before entering cultivation.
Qi surged in from all directions.
Cultivation began.
[Prompt: You begin cultivating. Prayer Power slightly increases.]
[Prompt: You begin cultivating. Prayer Power slightly increases.]
[Prompt: Your focus is heightened. Cultivation speed slightly increases.]
[Prompt: You steady your mind. Cultivation speed slightly increases.]
[Prompt: You enter a mysterious state. Cultivation speed greatly increases for a short time.]
[Prompt: Your Prayer Power is rapidly increasing.]
[Prompt: Your Prayer Power is rapidly increasing.]
Time passed—how long, Bai Jue couldn't tell.
He felt himself sink into a profound, indescribable state, Prayer Power surging endlessly.
Then—
BOOM.
A thunderous sound echoed in his ears.
He broke through.
A faint aura burst outward, immediately catching the attention of Di Yao, who had been boredly sucking on her lollipop.
Her small face filled with shock.
"Y-you broke through again?!"
"Didn't you just break through not long ago?!"
Bai Jue opened his eyes, grinning as he scratched his head.
"Haha, sudden enlightenment, I guess. Also means my talent's pretty good, right?"
After that round of cultivation, he had directly reached high Rank One.
Di Yao smacked her lips.
"Pretty good? That's envy-inducing, alright?"
Then her expression suddenly sharpened.
"The Darkflame Fruit is ripening."
Bai Jue turned to look.
On the pitch-black tree, black flames suddenly surged, wrapping around the three fruits.
The undead surrounding the tree began to howl and stir, restless and agitated—
The moment was about to arrive.
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