"Terrible, something must have happened. Ji Mo, wait for me, I'm coming to save you."
Wen Die's aura instantly surged, and she rushed into the stone gate.
At this moment, she was extremely worried about Ji Mo's safety, filled with regret for not having stayed by his side.
Rumbling sounds echoed incessantly, and countless cracks appeared on the ground.
Subsequently, the Innate Eight Trigrams Formation emitted a burst of radiant light, like flowing water nourishing the earth, restoring all the cracks that had appeared.
Coincidentally, a cultivator witnessed this scene and was so terrified that he soiled himself.
"Sister Tian Can, it seems something big has happened. Should we go check on Master?"
Tian Peng showed a worried expression.
In the next second, he was directly sent flying by a mysterious force.
He looked bewildered, not understanding what he had done wrong. Was worrying about his master's safety also punishable?
"You talkative thing, who told you to tell that woman about Master's whereabouts?"
Nine Transformations Celestial Silkworm's tone was sour. She then transformed into a nine-colored auspicious glow and disappeared into the stone gate.
Tian Peng also wanted to follow, but then he remembered there was a little brat at home, so he didn't dare to leave.
He still wasn't entirely at ease with Xuan Ao and Ginseng King, and wouldn't dare to leave Ah Li alone with them.
Indeed, a change had occurred in the ruins.
An Emperor Artifact had appeared.
It was the weapon of the White Emperor, the jade flute he always carried with him.
On a mountain peak deep within the ruins, a jade flute floated, emitting ten thousand feet of radiant light. A monstrous aura, like a surging tide, swept in all directions.
This was the legendary weapon that had accompanied the White Emperor throughout his battles. Although it was only of dreamlike quality, it was rumored that the White Emperor had used it to slay immortals, its power being unimaginably great.
The surviving cultivators in the ruins went mad, rushing towards the location of the jade flute.
At the same time, the demonic beasts also seemed to be summoned, swarming towards it.
Compared to the perilous journey of others, Ji Mo and his group's progress could be described as a leisurely stroll, encountering no danger whatsoever.
The powerful demonic beasts saw them and even avoided them from afar, not daring to engage with them.
"Strange, Mr. Ji hasn't emitted any pressure. Why are these demonic beasts so afraid and avoiding us?"
Fan Jingxing was very puzzled. He wasn't so arrogant as to believe the demonic beasts were afraid of him because he was a Spirit Saint, as he had encountered many demonic beasts of the Demonic Saint level.
In terms of individual strength, demonic beasts of the same level were far superior to Spirit Saints, and demonic beasts were inherently ferocious and bloodthirsty, so there was no reason for them to back down.
Hui Neng prompted, "Alas, Old Fan, have you eaten so much Shennong Rice in vain? Don't you use your brain to think why Mr. Ji is wearing the Primordial Soul Devouring Toad on his waist?"
"Oh, I see."
Fan Jingxing suddenly understood.
He had wondered why Mr. Ji wore such an ugly toad on his person. It turned out to be a deterrent to the demonic beasts.
If even the Demonic Emperor Primordial Soul Devouring Toad met such an end, why would those demonic beasts dare to trouble them?
Mr. Ji truly lived up to his reputation as a master. Every word and action carried profound meaning. From now on, he needed to observe and ponder more to comprehend.
"Hmm, there's a white jade flute on the mountain peak ahead. It looks quite nice."
Ji Mo also noticed the flute.
But unlike others, who saw it as an Emperor Artifact, Ji Mo merely thought that if the material was jade, it might be worth a lot of silver.
"I'll get it for Mr. Ji right away."
Upon hearing this, Fan Jingxing immediately believed that Ji Mo had taken a liking to the White Emperor's weapon and acted accordingly.
Hui Neng had also intended to follow, but after a cautious glance, he immediately abandoned the idea of acting rashly.
This was because the mountain's shape strongly resembled a frog, and upon closer inspection, it was almost identical to the Primordial Soul Devouring Toad on Ji Mo's waist.
The difference was that this mountain was crisscrossed by more than a dozen cracks, dividing it into eighteen neat sections.
"Ah..."
As soon as Fan Jingxing stepped onto the mountain, he was thrown to the ground by a force. If not for the treasure light emanating from his shovel, which blocked half of the impact, he would have been injured.
"Such powerful pressure, such dense demonic energy!"
Fan Jingxing felt a lingering fear, having almost capsized due to carelessness.
Hui Neng helped him up and whispered a few words in his ear.
Only then did Fan Jingxing realize that the mountain before them was not an ordinary peak, but the transformed body of the Primordial Soul Devouring Toad.
Legend had it that the White Emperor fought the Primordial Soul Devouring Toad for three days and three nights, finally cutting it into eighteen pieces. It turned out to be true.
And the jade flute was likely left by the White Emperor specifically to seal the Primordial Soul Devouring Toad's body.
However, this Primordial Soul Devouring Toad was truly tenacious, managing to escape with a wisp of its remnant soul, which ultimately fell into Ji Mo's hands.
In other directions of Toad Mountain, many cultivators, unaware of the danger, stared intently at the jade flute on the mountaintop and rushed up the mountain like madmen. The outcome was as expected.
Except for a few who were strong enough to protect their lives, the rest became corpses.
Although the Primordial Soul Devouring Toad had been dead for ten thousand years, its body still retained terrifying energy.
"The mountain path is rugged. You two old bones don't need to go up. Look for some good medicinal herbs nearby and dig some to take back."
Ji Mo instructed, regretting bringing these two burdens along. They stumbled even while climbing a mountain, completely useless.
With that, he ascended the mountain alone.
Hui Neng and Fan Jingxing felt immensely disappointed, feeling as though they had been rejected.
Mr. Ji had clearly implied that they were incompetent, lacking even the strength to run errands.
As Spirit Saint powerhouses, they were already considered great cultivators capable of dominating a region, yet in Mr. Ji's eyes, they were still worthless. It was truly disheartening.
The two dejectedly began searching for medicinal herbs, contemplating how to become useful to Ji Mo in the future.
"It seems the White Emperor is truly dead, otherwise he wouldn't have left behind this personal jade flute. If I can obtain this jade flute, perhaps I will have the qualifications to negotiate with Patriarch Jiuyou."
Ma Peng appeared at the foot of Toad Mountain, his face filled with greed.
Although he had received countless benefits from Patriarch Jiuyou, he had also lost his most precious freedom, becoming a lackey.
Furthermore, he had personally witnessed Patriarch Jiuyou's brutality. Nearly ten thousand members of the Sky Wolf Gang had been sucked dry into husks.
Unfortunately, by the time Ma Peng saw Patriarch Jiuyou's true face, it was already too late.
Perhaps obtaining this jade flute could make Patriarch Jiuyou return his freedom.
Compared to other cultivators, Ma Peng had an absolute advantage and was not afraid of the erosion of demonic energy, thus his speed up the mountain was very fast.
However, someone was even faster than him.
As if leisurely sightseeing, without any pressure, he walked easily towards the mountaintop.
"Who is that person?"
Ma Peng saw Ji Mo, and killing intent flared in his eyes.
He could not tolerate anyone being more outstanding than him, and he was even more afraid that Ji Mo would snatch the jade flute first.
"Ji Mo!"
Ma Peng finally recognized Ji Mo, the culprit who had caused him to fall to his current state.
Instantly, his hatred surged, and his entire being transformed into a streak of dark light as he swung his sword towards Ji Mo's head.