"Don't rush to thank this old man. If you can't collect the Wanfeng Lingmu, I won't teach you. Alright, let's go."
Upon hearing this, the Wanfeng Elder chuckled and waved his hand, a spiritual light instantly enveloping Li Xuan. In the next moment, both of them vanished.
"Such pure spiritual energy!" Li Xuan opened his eyes and looked at the lush forest before him, his eyes brightening with emotion as he inhaled the surrounding air.
The Wanfeng Elder smiled at this and said, "This is the heart of the Wanfeng Lin Cave, and it nurtures the Wanfeng Lingmu, so naturally, the spiritual energy here is potent. This area, within a ten-mile radius, is where the Wanfeng Lingmu can roam. This is all I can do to help you. Little one, go on."
"Thank you, senior." Li Xuan nodded slightly. Although the Wanfeng Elder hadn't directly helped him, he had at least informed him of the Wanfeng Lingmu's range of movement. With this knowledge, Li Xuan could make some preparations.
"It's nothing. One last reminder, the Wanfeng Lingmu's period of weakness lasts for another month. If you cannot find its true form and collect it within this month, you must come out then. Otherwise, once it recovers, you will be forever lost in the boundless illusionary realm."
The Wanfeng Elder shook his head and spoke with a grave expression.
It seemed that even in its prime, the Wanfeng Lingmu was not something that could be collected at will.
"This junior understands." Li Xuan nodded. Seeing that the Wanfeng Elder had no intention of revealing more information, he moved his thoughts and his figure instantly appeared within the forest. In less than ten breaths, Li Xuan's form was completely swallowed by the dense woods.
"This child is quite good. Let's see if he can succeed in this trial." As Li Xuan disappeared, the Wanfeng Elder murmured to himself, gazing at the forest.
Deep within the Wanfeng Lin Cave, Li Xuan felt an immediate change in his surroundings upon entering the forest.
The trees around him grew denser, and the ground was almost completely obscured.
Li Xuan knew that this was the work of the Wanfeng Lingmu.
At this point, Li Xuan realized that as soon as he entered the ten-mile radius mentioned by the Wanfeng Elder, he had entered the Wanfeng Lingmu's illusionary realm. Instead of finding a path forward, he had to break through the illusions set by the Wanfeng Lingmu.
"This is truly a powerful illusion, capable of drawing me into its realm without a trace. If it were at its peak, I might indeed be unable to find a way to break it. However, at this moment, you will be disappointed."
Li Xuan murmured to himself, then closed his eyes, his divine soul instantly floating out. A web-like network of divine consciousness rapidly spread outwards from Li Xuan, instantly imprinting the situation within the ten-mile radius into his mind.
"The five elements are mutually generative and destructive. As it is of wood, it naturally fears lightning. Let me see where you can escape."
As his divine consciousness probed, Li Xuan indeed discovered over a hundred towering trees, each as thick as three people could embrace, within the ten-mile area.
Under Li Xuan's observation, these hundred towering trees were constantly shifting their positions. Li Xuan locked onto each tree with his divine consciousness; although the burden was significant, it was within his tolerance.
As Li Xuan finished speaking, he quickly formed hand seals, and a muffled thunderclap echoed through the heavens and earth.
*Crack!*
Accompanied by the thunder, all hundred trees locked onto by Li Xuan's divine consciousness momentarily faltered. Though the duration was extremely brief, Li Xuan still captured a trace of the anomaly. A smile touched his lips as Li Xuan's hands changed once more.
"Tai Xu Lightning Technique, Supreme Lightning Guidance!"
Li Xuan flicked his finger, and over a hundred bolts of lightning, each as thick as a waist, appeared. Each bolt of lightning was locked onto one of the shifting, towering trees.
"This little fellow is quite cunning. I didn't expect him to have delved into the path of lightning. This is beyond my expectations. To conquer wood with lightning, this Wanfeng Lingmu is likely doomed," the Wanfeng Elder muttered, his eyes showing a hint of surprise as he gazed at the sky.
"In ten breaths, reveal your true form. Otherwise, do not blame me for destroying all of you!" With lightning densely packed, Li Xuan calmly looked into the distance and shouted.
However, after ten breaths passed, there was no response from the surroundings.
"It seems you are unwilling to cooperate. If that is the case, do not blame me for my ruthlessness!" As Li Xuan finished speaking, he pressed his left hand downwards, and ten bolts of lightning roared down, striking ten towering trees.
"Stop, stop, I'll come out!"
Just as the ten bolts of lightning were about to strike, a voice suddenly echoed in Li Xuan's mind. Hearing this voice, a smile instantly spread across Li Xuan's face.
This gamble had paid off.
"Greetings, senior."
After Li Xuan collected the Wanfeng Lingmu, Qiu Jiuchian and Gong Hanfeng were also pulled out of the Ascending Heaven Road by the Wanfeng Elder. Seeing Li Xuan standing beside the Wanfeng Elder, although somewhat surprised, they immediately bowed and greeted the Wanfeng Elder.
"Your tasks for this journey are all complete, so the requirement for you to proceed further through trials is no longer necessary. However, the fact that both of you managed to pass the first two trials is beyond my expectations. I must say, the comprehension of the disciples of the Tianyi Pavilion is becoming ever better."
The Wanfeng Elder nodded in response.
"The mission is complete?!" Qiu Jiuchian and Gong Hanfeng were stunned and blurted out, looking at Li Xuan.
Li Xuan nodded slightly, his expression not changing much. Qiu Jiuchian and Gong Hanfeng, realizing they had spoken out of turn, offered a somewhat awkward, foolish grin.
"Alright, the rest is for you to tell them. Once you have settled matters, come and find me." The Wanfeng Elder paid them no mind, spoke to Li Xuan, and then slowly vanished.
"Commander Li, what exactly is going on?" After the Wanfeng Elder departed, Qiu Jiuchian and Gong Hanfeng approached and asked.
Li Xuan smiled slightly and then recounted his success in obtaining the Wanfeng Lingmu.
However, he did not go into detail about why the Wanfeng Elder had asked him to stay, as Li Xuan himself was not entirely clear about what would happen next.
It was only that after obtaining the Wanfeng Lingmu, the Wanfeng Elder had asked Li Xuan to arrange for Qiu Jiuchian and Gong Hanfeng.
"I never expected it to be like this. This mission has truly been completed successfully," Gong Hanfeng said gleefully after hearing Li Xuan's account.
After all, the completion of a purple mission came with incredibly generous rewards in cultivation resources. The Taiyuan Fruits alone numbered a hundred.