Just as Lu Yuan knew, several more of the Nine Cauldrons still existed in this world.
Yet because they were sacred artifacts of state, they were of paramount importance. Ordinary people would never be able to find them without immense fortuitous destiny.
Take Lu Yuan's previous experience in the Kunlun Mountains—that had only been possible thanks to the memories of his past life. Otherwise, even if he had entered Kunlun back then, he would never have obtained one.
To expand and strengthen the Heavenly Court, Lu Yuan had sent the Golden-Winged Great Peng to search for them, though he had not harbored excessive hope. He had simply not expected clues to turn up so quickly.
Lu Yuan had infused those Beast Kings with the destiny of the Nine Cauldrons to aid their search, though how to utilize it was up to them.
"Less than two months... I didn't expect the Golden-Winged Great Peng to be so efficient."
Lu Yuan smiled, stepped out of his room, and glanced toward the nearby residence of Jiang Ningxian. She remained in seclusion.
Choosing not to disturb her, he went straight to find Elder Ji, Elder Yun, and the others, informing them that he would be away for a period of time.
The two elders did not ask for his reasons; they simply assured him that with them present, he could rest easy regarding Heavenly Court affairs.
This was the advantage of having capable subordinates. There was no need to handle everything personally. No matter how high one's talent, being weighed down by trivial matters would only hold a person back.
With these matters settled, Lu Yuan first verified his direction. "According to the Golden-Winged Great Peng, the aura of a Nine Cauldron has appeared in the Hengduan Mountains region. The area is still too broad, so I should rendezvous with them first."
The Hengduan Mountains were vast to begin with, let alone in this New Era. In the old era, they had not been far from Kunlun, but with the world's transformations, a great distance now separated them.
Earth had expanded tremendously. Even with the power of a Void Saint, and even knowing the destination, one could not traverse it in a short span of time. He could not reach his objective in an instant. In outer space, the distance covered would have been far greater; here on Earth, however, it was a complete, intact world with exceptionally stable space.
Without hesitation, Lu Yuan soared into the sky, tore open the void, and stepped inside.
***
Meanwhile, amidst those towering peaks, two figures were advancing swiftly.
One was a woman, and the other a great roc.
The roc, of course, was the Golden-Winged Great Peng. Its aura was dense and powerful, and its bloodline was being purified day by day. The sheer might radiating from it sent the mutated beasts below fleeing in terror—such was its present prestige.
As for the woman beside it, she was the Nine-Tailed Fox in human form, possessing strength comparable to the Peng.
For Beast Kings of this realm, transforming into human shape was effortless before setting out.
The Nine-Tailed Fox King glanced at the Golden-Winged Great Peng beside her, unable to keep from frowning slightly. In human form, she was indeed profoundly alluring. Her figure and countenance could both be considered top-tier, and she possessed a natural seductiveness that would make it impossible for any ordinary person to look away.
A common fox was nothing special, but one possessing nine tails was an entirely different matter. In mythology, this was a legendary tier. If she fully unlocked her potential in the future and attained perfection, her strength could truly rival mythological figures.
The Golden-Winged Great Peng glanced at the Fox King beside it and remarked, "Honestly, this form of yours really isn't great. You'd be much better off returning to your true form. Having some fur is so much better, don't you think?"
Evidently, in terms of aesthetics, it shared the exact same taste as the Spirit Monkey.
The Nine-Tailed Fox King curled her lips, ignoring its words. "What do you know? When King Lu sees me like this, he'll definitely be pleased."
The Golden-Winged Great Peng could not help scoffing. "Looking like that, you can't even compare to Zhou Yunqiong. What's more, my master has Fairy Jiang at his side. Don't talk about competing for him—you couldn't even beat her in a fight!"
"You..." The Nine-Tailed Fox King bristled with anger, but her expression soon shifted slightly. "Forget it. Finding the Nine Cauldron is what matters most right now. Did you really sense its aura? Why haven't I noticed anything yet?"
"Of course I did, or I wouldn't have notified Master," the Golden-Winged Great Peng replied, for it had indeed caught that unique strand of aura.
With that, it paid her no further attention and continued sweeping forward, traversing the overlapping mountain ranges below.
Both the Golden-Winged Great Peng and the Nine-Tailed Fox King possessed formidable strength and remarkable speed.
Leaping past mountain after mountain, they headed straight toward the place where the destiny had manifested, unwilling to waste their master's time.
Thus, as time ticked by, after about an hour or so, they finally located the source of the aura at the very center of the peaks.
"It seems to be inside that mountain peak ahead." The Nine-Tailed Fox King looked up and pointed into the distance.
There stood a colossal mountain, straight as a sword, thrusting into the clouds as if connecting with the sky itself.
The two hastened toward that peak. Though they had not pinpointed the cauldron yet, they could not be far off.
With the revival of Earth, folded spaces had manifested in many places. Among them were the dao arenas of ancient legendary figures, such as Guangchengzi, belonging to mythological secret realms that had remained hidden within deep mountains and great rivers.
Traces of aura from the ancient era lingered within them, so following Earth's mutations, these places were the very first to be affected.
Yet many remained undiscovered by mortals, for these folded spaces were inherently fragile and virtually impossible to detect unless one searched deliberately.
At this very moment, however, the appearance of the folded space in the Hengduan Mountains was not spontaneous—it was being manipulated from beyond the world.
Utilizing the laws of space, an extraterrestrial entity had opened a passage.
Buzz~
With a faint hum, a beam of light surged directly from the deepest recesses of the mountain peak, connecting with the starry sky.
The light was nearly transparent, virtually invisible to the naked eye.
It radiated an uncanny aura completely alien to Earth, yet was being strenuously concealed by some power.
Neither the Golden-Winged Great Peng nor the Nine-Tailed Fox King noticed it. Strong as they were, they were still incapable of truly touching the realm of space.
However, gifted with extreme racial speed, the Golden-Winged Great Peng was exceptionally sensitive to spatial fluctuations. It pondered in thought: "This space seems somewhat unstable."
"It really does feel different," the Nine-Tailed Fox King agreed, having sensed it too. But she quickly continued, "Let's find that Nine Cauldron first. In all likelihood, King Lu has already set out. He can tear open the void, so he moves quickly. We can take this time to find the cauldron and give him a surprise."
Hearing this, the Golden-Winged Great Peng thought it made sense.
Without any hesitation, the two entered.
Within that beam of light, a space had appeared directly.
The space was not very large, but above it lay a passage that was continually expanding, pulsing with the laws of spatial fluctuation. Looking outward from within, one could see the stars beyond the heavens through this passage.
Yet inside, it was unstable, appearing ready to collapse at any moment—especially under deliberate external manipulation.
At the same time, along with traces of destiny, a peculiar aura lingered within.
From that passage, a young man stepped forth. His eyes were cold and indifferent, his entire demeanor exuding supreme arrogance and nobility, devoid of any human emotion.
Soon, the young man noticed the Golden-Winged Great Peng and the Nine-Tailed Fox King, who had already ventured deep inside.
A faint smile curled at the corners of his lips.
"Finally... I have descended."
Chapter 233