Hearing this...
Jiang Yuechu's expression turned strange, and she glanced at it.
"Our Great Tang?"
Scarlet Sun Demon Venerable's body stiffened as it realized what it had just said.
It shrank its neck awkwardly and gave a dry laugh. "Well... this old servant... has long considered himself a... a part of the Great Tang."
Jiang Yuechu was too lazy to bother with the old thing's schemes.
She turned her head, her gaze falling back onto Running Ox.
"Your condition, I accept it."
Hearing this, Running Ox felt as if it had been granted a general amnesty, and its tense body instantly relaxed.
"Thank you, Senior! Thank you, Senior, for your mercy in sparing my life!"
It didn't dare to delay, immediately forcing a wisp of essence blood from between its brows, which transformed into a streak of light and shot toward the western horizon.
After doing all this, it honestly transformed into a human form.
It was a burly, black-faced man, though that conspicuous copper ring still hung from his nose.
He stepped forward and bowed deeply to Jiang Yuechu.
"Senior, the message has been sent."
"From now on, Little Ox is Senior's lapdog, at your beck and call."
Jiang Yuechu nodded slightly.
She didn't say much.
She turned and walked toward the cave that had already half-collapsed.
Since the trouble was resolved...
...then it was time to handle the main business.
twelve-colored rosy cloud silver.
This was the purpose of her trip.
As for this ox and that flood dragon... they were just weeds by the roadside that she had plucked in passing.
Running Ox hurriedly quickened his pace, following along obsequiously.
When passing by the Scarlet Sun Demon Venerable...
...this honest-looking old ox suddenly stopped.
He looked down at the resentful Old Flood Dragon and clicked his tongue. "Tsk."
Although he didn't know where he had offended the other party...
...the rhetoric just now clearly showed it wanted him dead.
Toward an enemy...
...he wouldn't show a good face.
If not for his consideration of Jiang Yuechu, he would have slapped this tiny Demon Venerable to death long ago.
Scarlet Sun Demon Venerable trembled with rage.
It stared fixedly at Running Ox's broad back and made a silent vow.
Dead ox.
Just you wait for me.
The position of the number one lapdog...
...is mine!
No one can take it away!
...Deep inside the cave.
It wasn't as messy as the outside.
The further they went in, the more obvious the gentle coolness became.
Reaching the end...
...atop a naturally formed stone platform...
...a fist-sized silver ball of light floated quietly.
Inside the light ball...
...it seemed as if clouds and rosy light were flowing, as if moonlight were condensing.
Jiang Yuechu stopped, her gaze resting on that ball of light.
Even without touching it...
...within her Primordial Spirit, a longing throb already stirred.
It was like sweet rain after a long drought.
"Good stuff."
Wang Ziyu's voice of admiration came from behind.
"This piece of twelve-colored rosy cloud silver is of excellent quality and can be refined immediately."
"It couldn't be more appropriate as the first tempering material for your Primordial Spirit."
"Naturally."
Hearing this...
...the ox demon behind them immediately chimed in, "Back then, this place was just a desolate grotto. When I, Old Ox, passed through here, I saw at a glance that this area held an extraordinary item."
"To nurture this thing, I spent a tremendous amount of effort."
"I channeled moonlight and gathered Geng-Metal, guarding it for several thousand years."
At this point...
...the honest black face instantly slumped.
Running Ox let out a long sigh.
Sigh... after all that hard work, in the end, I was just making a wedding dress for someone else.
He stole a glance at Jiang Yuechu's expression.
Seeing the girl was expressionless and not moved in the slightest...
...Running Ox's heart skipped a beat. He didn't dare to act pitiful anymore and quickly changed his tone.
"However, since it has fallen into Senior's hands, that is also this treasure's destiny."
He paused, his expression becoming a bit more solemn.
"Senior, although this twelve-colored rosy cloud silver has formed, in my opinion, now is not the best time to take it."
Jiang Yuechu glanced sideways. "Oh?"
Running Ox pointed outside the cave. "Although there is a moon today, it is not a full moon."
"This treasure is of a cold nature and favors the Essence of the Great Yin the most."
"Three days from now, when the moonlight is at its peak, this item will be nourished by the full moon and can only then reach full Major Achievement, becoming a flawless core material."
"If Senior is not in a hurry..."
"...why not wait a bit longer?"
"If you take it now, although it can be used, its effect will likely only be eighty percent. To lose its spirituality for nothing would truly be a pity."
Hearing this, Jiang Yuechu's brow furrowed slightly.
Although she was anxious to improve her strength—after all, the situation in the Great Tang was unclear...
...in matters of cultivation, a tiny discrepancy could lead to a thousand-mile error.
If she lost twenty percent of the effect just to save three days... it would be a bit of a loss.
Thinking of this...
"Fine."
The girl nodded slightly, found a clean bluestone, and sat down cross-legged.
"Then we shall wait for three days."
Seeing Jiang Yuechu agree...
...everyone also found places to settle down.
Scarlet Sun Demon Venerable shrank its neck, its eyes darting around.
A moment later...
...it hurriedly rubbed its hands together and approached with a fawning look, preparing to massage Jiang Yuechu's shoulders and legs while showing its loyalty.
However...
...before it could get close...
...a burly figure had already bypassed it and walked straight to the cave entrance.
"Senior, please rest in peace."
"For these three days, I, Old Ox, will stand guard here."
"Before, it was to guard the treasure; now, it is to guard Senior."
"No matter which blind scoundrel wants to enter this cave, they'll have to step over my corpse!"
With that...
...he pointedly glanced at the nearby Scarlet Sun Demon Venerable.
His gaze was contemptuous.
"You..."
Scarlet Sun Demon Venerable's beard trembled with rage.
This black ox looked honest, but he was actually full of bad water!
In this day and age, is there even this much internal competition for being a dog?!
Originally, it hadn't felt much.
But now, provoked like this, a sense of crisis instantly arose.
If it didn't show off its value, it was afraid it would truly be squeezed out by this ox until it had no place to stand.
Gritting its teeth and disregarding its old face, it hurriedly stepped forward and bowed to Jiang Yuechu.
"Master..."
"This old servant... this old servant will also go and guard!"
"Although this old servant's skills are meager, my nose is quite sharp. If there's any movement..."
Jiang Yuechu waved her hand somewhat impatiently.
"No need."
"One doorman is enough."
"..."
Scarlet Sun Demon Venerable's body stiffened, looking like it had lost its parents.
It's over.
It's really over now.
It glared fiercely at that broad back, silently vowing to find an opportunity to trip up this dead ox.
The cave returned to silence once more.
Only the sound of the wind whistling at the entrance remained.
Jiang Yuechu did not enter a meditative state; instead, she turned and asked, "Just now, before that beast died, it mentioned the Eastern Region."
The girl's voice was cold, breaking the silence.
"What is that?"
Hearing this...
Wang Ziyu raised his head and looked at Jiang Yuechu.
If it were before, he might have acted profound, played riddles, or tried to take some verbal advantage.
But since witnessing the battle just now, especially the True Dragon body...
...this old fellow had tucked away his playful manner.
"The so-called Eastern Region is a general term."
"It includes your Great Tang, Spirit Mountain, the Ten Thousand Demon Great Marsh where demons congregate, and the Xuanzhen Grotto-Heaven where I reside... all are within the scope of this Eastern Region."
"The territory of this region is so vast that a Mortal could spend a hundred lifetimes and still hardly walk out of one corner."
At this point...
...a trace of inexplicable pride flashed in Wang Ziyu's eyes.
"Of the twenty-five orthodox Dao Lineages in the world, sixteen of them are rooted in the lands of this Eastern Region."
"It can be said to be a place of outstanding people and the focus of Luck."
Jiang Yuechu's brow furrowed slightly.
"Sixteen lineages?"
"What about the remaining nine?"
Her eyes flickered as she asked, "Since there is an Eastern Region... does that mean there is also a Western Region? A Southern Region? A Northern Region?"