Seven-Colored Glazed Flower?

Jiuxiao casually tossed the giant ape's corpse aside, then coiled his body upon the ground as he turned back to look at Li Guanqi. Resting his massive dragon head flat against the earth, he gestured for Li Guanqi to step onto him. The corners of Li Guanqi's mouth curved slightly, and he murmured softly, "No need." He understood that Jiuxiao wanted the demon beasts in this forest to recognize that his master was the human cultivator before them. Yet Li Guanqi did not want Jiuxiao to lose his dignity before this crowd of beasts. Reaching out, he stroked the dragon's snout and patted it gently. Jiuxiao narrowed his eyes and slowly rose. His colossal form flanked Li Guanqi protectively, and as they walked past the great demons, his aura grew even more imposing. Under that crushing pressure, the rank-seven great demons shivered in terror. Looking at the bowing, subservient horde of great demons, Li Guanqi could not help feeling a surge of emotion. Furrowing his brow, he finally understood why this place was called the Illusory Forest... Everything seen from the outside had been a deceptive illusion. Only by truly stepping into the forest could one encounter these terrifying great demons. If any other cultivator ventured in unprepared, merely dealing with these hundreds upon thousands of great demons would be enough to overwhelm them. Beside him, Meng Wanshu also remarked in wonder, "It truly is unbelievable..." "If it were just the two of us, even if we fought our way through... we would have had to fight until we dropped from exhaustion..." Pengluo's eyes suddenly darted about, and he clambered cheekily onto Jiuxiao's head, grabbing the dragon's horns tightly with both hands. Jiuxiao shook his head in mild irritation, yet he did not fling Pengluo off. Li Guanqi looked back to see Pengluo standing with hands on his hips, his head held high with an arrogant smirk as he looked down at the prostrate great demons. The little fellow could not have looked more smug and pompous. "Heh heh, this feels amazing!" Having said that, Pengluo suddenly remembered something and leaned in to whisper into Jiuxiao's ear. Jiuxiao halted his steps, looking down at the Scarlet Sun Celestial Deer at his feet and letting out a rhythmic dragon roar. The great demon slowly rose, cautiously stepping forward to guide the group. Pengluo's eyes lit up, and he sent a voice transmission: "Master, follow it! We'll be able to find the exit of this forest!" Meng Wanshu's eyes brightened as well. She had not expected Pengluo to be so dependable at a crucial moment, having Jiuxiao ask for the way out. Yet a moment later, Pengluo spoke warily: "Master, from what I can hear... it seems these great demons are confined to the forest. None of them have ever set foot in any other region." As he spoke, Pengluo seemed to realize a blind spot... "Uh... this realm doesn't just consist of this forest. Other areas seem to exist as well!" Holding Red Lotus, Li Guanqi retorted dryly, "Isn't that obvious?" Before long, guided by the Scarlet Sun Celestial Deer, the group traversed the territories of numerous great demons and arrived at the deepest recesses of the mountain range. Surrounded by mountains on all sides, every peak stood fully eight hundred zhang tall, their summits brushing against the clouds. The Scarlet Sun Celestial Deer brought them to the saddle between two peaks, looking down into the mountain col below. Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes, gazing at a massive, fiery-red formation altar overgrown with weeds nestled in the col. For a moment, an ill foreboding seized him. Standing at the rim of the hollow, the Scarlet Sun Celestial Deer refused to descend no matter what. Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes and spoke softly. "Let's go. Allow it to leave." Only then did Jiuxiao rein in some of his oppressive aura. Seeing this, the Scarlet Sun Celestial Deer trotted on flames and instantly darted away. With Jiuxiao pulling back his pressure, sound finally returned to the forest. The three flashed down before the formation altar. A small stone stele stood there, its carved characters weathered and blurred. Yet after some effort, Li Guanqi managed to decipher the inscription: "Pass the trial, obtain the token." At the sight, Li Guanqi could not help furrowing his brow. Did it mean the trial here was unavoidable? When it came to trials within ancient ruins and domains, Li Guanqi remained wary. After all, sometimes what appeared to be a reward concealed unknown perils. Li Guanqi looked past the col and suddenly frowned. In truth, the area behind this trial hollow should be the next region, merely blocked off by these towering mountains. If they skipped this trial and simply climbed over the mountain ridge, they could likely reach the next domain as well. Standing at the edge of the formation altar, Li Guanqi pondered for a moment before saying softly, "Let's not rush into this so-called trial. I'll go up and take a look first." Meng Wanshu frowned. "I'll go with you so we can watch each other's back." Li Guanqi said nothing more, merely nodding. "All right. Stay close behind me in a moment." Without taking Jiuxiao and Pengluo along, leaving the two behind at the edge of the altar, Li Guanqi took Meng Wanshu and sped toward the mountain summit! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! With fleet footwork, Li Guanqi's form was as light as a feather yet impossibly swift. Combining immense physical strength with surging primal energy and movement techniques, Li Guanqi transformed into a streak of white lightning darting upward. Behind him, Meng Wanshu moved with ethereal grace, her slender figure shifting and gliding through the air with equal swiftness. Swish! Li Guanqi landed atop the canopy of a pine tree on the summit, with Meng Wanshu right behind him. Looking outward, Li Guanqi saw what seemed like a heavenly river pouring down! A colossal waterfall of spiritual river water appeared in the distance, its roaring torrent echoing into the clouds. Mist billowed upward from this river of the purest spiritual energy. Moreover, across the stone cliff beneath the waterfall, lush greenery peeked through the haze, unable to conceal the shimmering glows and misty radiance of diverse spiritual lights. Waves of potent spiritual energy rippled outward. Li Guanqi's eyes lit up slightly, and he murmured under his breath, "This mountain ridge completely blocked the sound. We couldn't hear a thing from back there." "There must be quite a few exceedingly rare spiritual herbs and plants growing on the cliff beneath that waterfall!" Suddenly! The cascading waters of the waterfall parted, and a streak of seven-colored radiance flashed before Li Guanqi's eyes! Li Guanqi's heart leaped. His eyes narrowed, and he muttered in disbelief, "Could it be... the Seven-Colored Glazed Flower?" "Could it really be such a coincidence?" Meng Wanshu's beautiful eyes gleamed, and she whispered in astonishment, "I... I think I saw it too." "Right at the very top of the waterfall." Li Guanqi drew a deep breath. Stamping down with immense force, his figure shot forward like an arrow! Gripping the Red Lotus sword tightly, he knew he had to try no matter what. As his body began to dip slightly, Li Guanqi stomped violently against the empty air, the rebound force propelling him another several hundred zhang forward! Watching Li Guanqi's departing figure, Meng Wanshu suddenly recalled the stone stele at the entrance for reasons unknown, and a dire foreboding seized her heart. Driven by this intense intuition, Meng Wanshu immediately took flight to pursue him. Yet just as Li Guanqi was still fixing his gaze upon the distant waterfall of spiritual water, his heart suddenly tightened, and a chill crept up his spine! Boom!