Covering the Sky: Fairy, I really need to control you properly.

The residence of Fairy Zixia is no ordinary cave dwelling.

This place was once the place where a Dao-slaying King-level sage from Tian Shu Peak passed away ten thousand years ago. It covers an area of ​​several miles, and that sage left behind sensing array patterns.

Despite the erosion of thousands of years, its foundation remains, faintly resonating with the earth veins of the entire Tian Shu Peak.

After Zixia moved in, she refined it again using the original essence of the innate Dao embryo.

Even when elders of the Holy Land come to visit, she must personally activate the formation before they can enter.

At this moment, Duan De had already reached the outer perimeter of the cave.

"Um?"

He crouched behind the purple bamboo, his shifty eyes scanning the surroundings, his gaze settling on a side room not far away.

The side room was in a secluded location, with a layer of moss covering the door, looking as if no one had set foot there for a long time.

"It seems closer now."

He sniffed, and the dragon vein's essence became clearer, but it wasn't wafting from this side room; it came from the main cave where Fairy Zixia usually cultivated.

"The source of the dragon energy should be the house next door," Duan De said, stroking his chin. "I wonder if it's related to that Dao tree?"

……

Inside the cave, Xu Jinhuan was bickering with Fairy Zixia.

Suddenly, his expression changed drastically, and he stopped speaking.

Just now, deep within the Sea of ​​Bitterness, the Immortal-Slaying Gourd suddenly surged with dark light, buzzing as if trying to break free. The entire Sea of ​​Bitterness was churned and turbulent by this surge.

Since obtaining the Immortal-Slaying Gourd, this treasure has always remained quiet, hanging above the Dao Fruit, never causing trouble.

This is the first time I've ever seen such a violent reaction.

That feeling was a warning of some kind of danger.

Although the deity of the Immortal-Slaying Gourd has not yet recovered to its peak state, an imperial weapon is an imperial weapon, and its status is undeniable.

An existence that could make a supreme imperial weapon deity feel threatened, to the point that it issued a warning...

What could it be?

He dared not think any further.

"Walk!"

Xu Jinhuan grabbed Zixia Fairy's wrist.

Zixia was startled by his sudden action and instinctively tried to break free: "Dead tree, what are you doing...?"

"Don't speak, activate the Landscape Painting!"

Zixia Fairy didn't ask any more questions. After going through so much, she had already developed trust in Xu Jinhuan, or rather, in this dead tree.

With a thought, the Purple Mansion Landscape Painting flew out of the Sea of ​​Bitterness. The scroll unfurled, filled with purple mist, transforming into a hazy Daoist realm.

Xu Jinhuan pulled Zixia into the picture, while simultaneously sending a telepathic message to Yao Xi, who had been cultivating inside the scroll: "Get in the gourd, quick!"

Then, the Landscape Painting rolled up and was sucked into the Immortal-Slaying Gourd.

"Bang!"

Outside, the gourd slipped from Xu Jinhuan's hand, fell to the ground, rolled twice, and stopped in a corner of the cave.

"Immortal-Slaying Gourd, heed my command, quell the unrest!"

The dark light from the gourd's mouth subsided, and Xu Jinhuan forcibly suppressed the violent fluctuations, making it return to its ordinary, dark state.

Outside the cave, Duan De was about to take a step when suddenly, a tremor came from between his eyebrows.

"Um?"

This treasure was unearthed from the depths of that ruthless man's dojo; its origins are astonishing.

Something's strange.

Duan De's expression was uncertain, but he did not retreat.

"Damn it, even if it's a dragon's den or a tiger's lair, I'm going to brave it today! Anything that can cause this thing to react like this must be either extremely dangerous or a great treasure!"

When has Duan De ever been afraid?

If you're afraid, you won't do this job.

……

A moment later, a chubby figure emerged from the ground.

Duan De patted the dirt off his clothes and looked around.

This is a woman's boudoir, with purple curtains, a dressing table carved from green jade, and a pot of fragrant flowers in the corner.

The air still carries a lingering body odor, indicating that someone lives there regularly.

"Which maid's room?" Duan De clicked his tongue.

He scanned the entire room but found nothing of value.

Just as he was feeling somewhat disappointed, his gaze suddenly fixed on the corner of the wall.

There, lying there, was a gourd.

It is entirely black with a restrained luster, and looks quite unremarkable.

"Hmm? Something's not right."

At that moment, a scene suddenly flashed through Duan De's mind: the Dao tree that stretched across the Eastern Wilderness, with seven large stars hanging among its branches and leaves, arranged like the Big Dipper.

If I remember correctly, a pitch-black gourd was embedded on the first large star.

"Could it be...?"

"Hahaha, am I really that lucky? I found it right away?"

He took three steps at a time, walked forward, bent down, and picked up the gourd.

It's not heavy when you hold it, and it feels cool to the touch. It's neither gold, jade, nor wood, and it's hard to tell what it's made of.

Duan De brought the gourd close to his eyes, examining it from all angles, and the more he looked at it, the more he felt that this gourd was extraordinary.

"So the dragon energy was emanating from this gourd?"

The dragon energy overflowing from the gourd's mouth grew increasingly dense, wisps of golden energy that made one feel every pore on their body relax with just one breath.

"My darling, my darling..."

Duan De liked it more and more as he looked at it, and wished he could stuff the gourd into his arms on the spot.

"This place is not safe to stay any longer. Let's take it with us for further study!"

Without hesitation, he stuffed the gourd into his robes and turned to use his earth-遁 (earth-遁术, a technique for escaping underground) to make his escape.

However, the moment the gourd touched his chest, it suddenly jolted.

Duan De suddenly felt his hand go empty; the gourd broke free from his fingers and flew into the air, drawing an arc in mid-air.

Then, with lightning speed, it hit the back of his head.

"Bang!"

This strike was precise and ruthless, with an absurdly strong force, as if a wild dragon had swung its hoof at him.

Duan De's vision went black, and he staggered two steps, but he did not fall down.

He clutched the back of his head, wincing in pain, and cursed, "You damned Heavenly Venerable! Who are you, you scoundrel who dared to ambush this Daoist master? You have no martial virtue! Come out and fight me one-on-one if you dare!"

"You damn gourd, have you become a spirit or something?"

Before the words were finished, a figure flashed out of the gourd. His hair was as black as ink, his features were handsome, and a wisp of white-gold energy was gathering in his palm.

The power of immortals.

"It was you! You startled me!"

Xu Jinhuan originally thought it was some kind of ominous object, but he never expected that it was this tomb raider who caused the Immortal-Slaying Gourd to react.

Without saying a word, he swung his sword at the back of Duan De's head.

At the same time, Fairy Zixia also appeared. With a wave of her hand, she fully activated the innate Dao embryo's origin, and endless Dao energy descended from the sky like a waterfall, transforming into a purple Dao domain that suppressed Duan De.

"what!"

Duan De screamed as he was struck forward by the power of the flying immortal, rolling several times on the ground and knocking over the dressing table.

Even so, he still didn't faint.

"We cannot give Duan De a chance to react; we absolutely cannot allow the Devouring Demon Jar lid to revive!"

If this thing were to revive within the Purple Mansion Sacred Land and clash with the Immortal-Slaying Gourd, not only would Tian Shu Peak be unable to be protected, but the entire Purple Mansion Sacred Land would also be destroyed.

Xu Jinhuan gritted his teeth, picked up the Immortal-Slaying Gourd, and swung it around his arm.

"Bang bang bang bang bang!"

He didn't activate the gourd's sword energy and divine power, nor did he dare to let it resonate with the lid of the Devouring Demon Jar. Instead, he treated it like a brick and smashed it repeatedly on Duan De's head.

The gourd itself was made of an absurdly hard material, and each strike made a whooshing sound, leaving Duan De with bumps all over his head, swollen high, his horns gleaming.

"I……"

Duan De struggled to get up, and the bowl-shaped lid between his eyebrows began to glow...

Xu Jinhuan dared not stop and smashed down another gourd.

"Taoist priest, please faint!"

"You...ah!"

Duan De reached out, as if trying to grab something.

Another gourd.

"This humble Taoist priest...is unwilling..."

After being struck several times in succession, Duan De finally lost consciousness and his vision went black.