Chapter 438: Nine-Colored Origin Stone
Upon learning that the Fallen Ground of the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python Tribe had been discovered, Xiao Ming couldn't remain idle. He immediately followed Fairy Hua to the location.
The Fallen Ground corresponded to the description provided during the simulation, nestled within an expansive mountain range, and concealed within a secluded valley. Its revelation was a result of sheer luck by a female disciple from one of the Flower Sect's subordinate sects.
Upon Xiao Ming and Fairy Hua's arrival, they found the female disciple and an elder from the Flower Sect awaiting them.
"Alliance Leader! Grand Elder! This is the disciple who stumbled upon the valley," the Flower Sect's elder introduced her, bringing the nervous disciple forward to greet them.
The female disciple's cultivation level wasn't high, and in the presence of Xiao Ming and Fairy Hua, her legs quivered, and she struggled to speak.
"Alli... Alliance Lea... Leader."
It was over now. The two figures in front of her were both Saints! How could she perform so poorly? What should she do now?!
The female disciple almost wanted to cry.
Seeing the disciple's nervousness, the elder's face stiffened as well. This disciple had just spoken confidently a moment before, but now she could only stutter. If she had known, she would not have let her introduce the situation inside.
Based on Xiao Ming's instructions, besides this female disciple, no one else had entered the valley.
Seeing how nervous she was, Xiao Ming smiled lightly and took a bottle of seventh-tier pill from his storage ring.
"You've done well this time. This seventh-tier pill should suit you. Consider it a token of appreciation."
"… Y-yes! Thank you, Alliance Leader!"
The female disciple was elated, swiftly accepting the pill bottle. She had never encountered a seventh-tier pill before and was now presented with one as a direct reward.
"Let's go."
Xiao Ming nodded slightly and flew directly into the valley, with Fairy Hua following closely behind.
In this valley, overgrown with weeds and dense trees, there seemed to be a mysterious energy lingering in the air. Looking down from above, faint traces of snake bones could be seen.
Not harboring any intentions to delve further, Xiao Ming's formidable soul power surged from his forehead, shrouding the ground below.
Beside him, Fairy Hua found herself captivated by Xiao Ming's perfect profile. His soul power was the most potent she had ever witnessed.
In just an instant, Xiao Ming became fully aware of the situation in the area.
With a slight squint of his eyes, he appeared in a deep pit filled with overgrown weeds. Raising his hand, several palm-sized, rainbow-colored stones floated in the air, emanating a peculiar energy.
"Seven-Colored Origin Stones?"
Fairy Hua positioned herself beside Xiao Ming, her gaze fixed on the stones as she curiously examined them.
"Did you search for the Fallen Ground of the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python Tribe to find these Seven-Colored Origin Stones? But aren't they of little use to humans, especially someone like you who is already a Saint?"
"They are meant for others."
Xiao Ming didn't feel the need to explain too much and directly collected the Seven-Colored Origin Stones into his storage ring. Once he confirmed none were left behind, they left the valley.
Back within the mountain range housing the Flower Sect, Xiao Ming hovered in mid-air.
"Fairy Hua, my purpose here has been achieved. I'll head back to Holy Pill City now."
"Why not stay a few more days in my Flower Sect, Alliance Leader?" Fairy Hua bit her lower lip involuntarily when she heard this.
"While I appreciate the invitation, I must decline."
Xiao Ming shook his head. Although the Flower Sect was a paradise for many men due to its all-female disciples, he had already achieved his goal, and there were many other things he needed to attend to.
Fairy Hua's eyes dimmed momentarily. "I understand. I will relay your decision to my elder sister then."
Xiao Ming nodded and turned, directly flying into a nearby spatial wormhole. As a safeguard against incidents like the one with the Flower Sect, the alliance's major forces had established wormholes, providing direct access to Holy Pill City.
As his silhouette faded into the distance, Fairy Hua let out a sigh. 'Rumors weren't lying about the Alliance Leader, quite firm when it comes to matters of the heart...'
'If only our paths had crossed sooner... things might have turned out differently?' Shaking her head to dispel such thoughts, Fairy Hua set off to find her elder sister.
With his strength, Xiao Ming didn't need a spaceship to travel through the wormhole; he could traverse the void with his physical body. It didn't take him long to make his way back to Holy Pill City.
Upon his return, Xuan Kong Zi and several others approached him, explaining that there were specific matters requiring his direct attention as the Alliance Leader. He remained occupied until the evening before finally departing from the Pill Tower's headquarters.
"Hoo~"
Instead of returning to the Small Pill Tower, Xiao Ming went to his residence in Holy Pill City. He exhaled slightly as he felt some emotion within his heart. 'Good thing I was quick on my feet earlier. Ying'er remarks that day were correct; if every day was like this, I'd probably exhaust myself to death.'
Entering his home, Xiao Ming saw the long-unseen Venerable Tian Huo. He still wore his fiery red robe and greeted Xiao Ming with a smile. "Xiao Ming, you're back. I regret not witnessing your breakthrough to the Dou Saint realm last time."
"There's nothing to regret."
Xiao Ming smiled and exchanged pleasantries with him for a while before leaving some cultivation pills for him and returning to his room.
Although the room had been unoccupied for a long time, it was spotlessly clean, indicating that someone regularly cleaned it.
Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Xiao Ming took out the dozen or so Seven-Colored Origin Stones he had obtained earlier. He then retrieved a jade bottle containing Medusa's blood. To determine the number of colors within these stones, he needed the blood of the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python. So, he had prepared some in advance.
Tilting the jade bottle, a drop of Medusa's blood fell onto the first stone. Xiao Ming stared at it for a moment but saw no changes. He shook his head and continued with the next stone…
As he reached the last stone, he observed a slow, colorful pattern forming on its smooth surface after the seventh colored pattern.
'Only an Eight-Colored Origin Stone?'
Observing this, Xiao Ming felt somewhat puzzled. The simulator mentioned a Nine-Colored Origin Stone, so there should definitely be one.
He was certain that he hadn't missed any stones. The previous ones didn't react to the blood droplet, but this one did, indicating that it was indeed a Nine-Colored Origin Stone. However, he wondered why there were only eight colored lines.
While an Eight-Colored Origin Stone was still excellent, it couldn't compare to a nine-colored one. The energy contained within the two stones was vastly different, even though they differed by only one color.
Persistently staring at it, after a while, beyond the eighth colored pattern, there appeared a very faint and subtle additional line.
If Xiao Ming hadn't been attentive, it would have been hard to notice.
'That's more like it.'
Satisfied, he placed the Nine-Colored Origin Stone into a jade box and stored the other stones in a separate container.
It would take months for his girls to emerge from seclusion, and Xiao Ming couldn't bear to wait that long to personally deliver the items to them.
So he decided to entrust these items to Venerable Tian Huo tomorrow. Once Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin came out of seclusion, he would pass the items to them. When the girls returned to the North-Western Region, they could then deliver the stones to Medusa.
He planned to leave immediately and travel to the Fallen Spirit Ice Source. Among the ice-type spiritual entities, the Endless Spirit Ice was one of the most powerful. It was a rare tonic for him, so he couldn't pass it up.