Chapter 107: One Finger Turns into a Peach Grove_3
Liu Ningshuang nodded slightly and chuckled, "Yes, I'm ready. We can leave at any time."
"Then let's go find Elder Ming."
"No need, I'm here." Elder Ming appeared silently on a branch not far from the cave mansion, hands clasped behind his back, floating ethereally like an immortal.
"Since everyone is ready, let's set off. I too had attended the Divine Sword Sect's Sword Tao Conference... It's been thousands of years since then," Elder Ming reminisced, stepping forward to join Lu Yi and the other person.
Lu Yi hesitated, then spoke, "Elder Ming, with the war at its height in the sect, as a strong practitioner of the Cave Void Realm, wouldn't your departure impact the White Cloud Sect?"
Although Elder Ming said he wanted to protect the way for Lu Yi and he intended to accompany him on a long journey, given the current situation, Lu Yi was still worried about the sect.
Even if Elder Ming did not accompany him, he now had many means at his disposal and would not be in any danger.
Elder Ming chuckled lightly and said indifferently, "Not at all, our White Cloud Sect still has its trump cards, and besides, the war is stable now; no significant changes will occur."
Seeing Elder Ming say this, Lu Yi naturally nodded without further comment.
"Let's set off."
The three of them transformed into streaks of light and flew out of the sect.
They didn't use a flying treasure, keeping a low profile to avoid attracting attention.
After all, with the intense ongoing war, there were certainly scouts from the Blood Spirit Sect among the Four Sects watching the White Cloud Sect, and it was even possible there were traitors within.
As an Immortal Seed, if Lu Yi drew attention, he might provoke the Four Sects' powerhouses to ambush him.
The trio were swift, turning into a rainbow light, and soon flew beyond the mountain range of the White Cloud Sect.
After a while, Lu Yi suddenly found the scenery in front of him somewhat familiar.
Soon, he realized where he had arrived.
Lu Yi had come here before with Jiang Fan and Bai Yulong on a task, this place was within the territory of Mohe Country.
Looking afar, Lu Yi saw many mortals in tattered clothes, struggling to move forward; farther away, he saw the capital of Mohe Country.
The once bustling capital was now much desolate, and one side of the once sturdy walls had collapsed, while the other three sides also bore many signs of damage.
Lu Yi frowned and asked with some confusion, "What happened here?"
Liu Ningshuang glanced and spoke softly, "Some time ago, Heavenly Snake Sect's scouts were discovered near our sect by our powerful cultivators. They were chased here, and a large battle ensued, affecting Mohe Country's capital in the aftermath."
Hearing that, Lu Yi fell silent.
Elder Ming's expression remained calm. Having lived nearly ten thousand years and seen many dynasties change, even having experienced several major wars in the cultivation world, he had long seen through everything.
He looked at those impoverished mortals and said, "When cultivators battle, countless cultivators perish, but the Mortal World cannot remain unscathed. Within the territories of all the Great Sects, there are numerous dynasties; as territories shift, dynasties will also attack nearby rival states, and internal chaos may even arise. In such times, humanity is like chaff, with bones scattered everywhere."
Lu Yi felt a mix of emotions and sighed lightly, "When immortals clash, the mortals suffer."
With a casual gesture, the flow of Natural Tao transformed; in the barren desert, new sprouts suddenly appeared, quickly growing into large trees.
These were peach trees, laden with ripe peaches.
The struggling refugees, seeing this, were stunned.
After a moment of panic, they looked up at the sky, saw Lu Yi and the others, and quickly knelt down to express their gratitude, shouting continuously.
"Thank you, Immortal Lord!"
"Thank you, Immortal Master!"
"..."
Lu Yi whispered, "Let's go eat something."
Currently, everywhere was in chaos, and all he could do was help those he came across, within his limited power.
A group of refugees hurriedly rushed toward the peach forest.
Elder Ming and Liu Ningshuang were both startled when they saw Lu Yi conjure a peach forest with a single gesture.
Elder Ming exclaimed in astonishment, "Is this...the Natural Tao? Kiddo Lu, have you... perceived the Natural Realm?!"
Beside them, Liu Ningshuang, with surprise on her cold, beautiful face, asked, "Junior Brother Lu, when did you comprehend the Natural Realm?"
Lu Yi smiled awkwardly, "Yun Xi has the Ten Thousand Flowers Spirit Body, deeply understands the Natural Tao, and through exchanging insights with her, I somehow grasped the Natural Realm unconsciously."
Elder Ming and Liu Ningshuang were left speechless.
After a moment of silence, Elder Ming said indifferently, "Kid, you truly are a monster."
Light gleamed in Liu Ningshuang's cool eyes as she softly sighed, "Junior Brother Lu really has the demeanor of an Immortal."
Lu Yi smiled helplessly, "Let's hurry on."
The two nodded, and then the three of them continued to transform into streaks of light, making their way into the distance.
Along the way, Lu Yi witnessed much suffering.
Skeletons lay uncollected by the roadside, among many other hardships.
In the great war of the Cultivation World, mortals were living miserably.
Lu Yi was moved but lacked the power to quell the chaos in Qingzhou and could only help as much as he was able.
Soon, they had crossed the territory of the White Cloud Sect and reached the area of the Ten Thousand Flowers Sect.
The trio did not notify the practitioners of the Ten Thousand Flowers Sect, moving covertly and rarely entering cities to avoid attracting the attention of the powerful from the Blood Spirit Sect and the Four Sects.
After a few more days, they crossed the territory of the Ten Thousand Flowers Sect, and the expressions of the three hardened.
Elder Ming began, "From here on, we enter the territory of the Heavenly Snake Sect. We should be careful to avoid being detected by their practitioners."
Lu Yi and Liu Ningshuang both nodded.
Although the Heavenly Snake Sect did not have a Cave Void Cultivator, their alliance did, and being discovered still posed a danger.
The trio became even more cautious, traveling through deserted wild mountains.
Two days later, Lu Yi and the others rested by a mountain stream.
Lu Yi was roasting meat, which was golden brown and dripping with fat, emitting a rich aroma.
Elder Ming couldn't help but swallow his saliva and, taking a sip of Jade Wine, exclaimed with relish, "Kiddo Lu, your culinary skills are getting better and better. I'm afraid that in a few more days, even Yulan won't match you."
Lu Yi chuckled, "Elder Ming, you flatter me. Yulan Peak Master's Spirit Food Cooking Skill and Spirit Wine Brewing Skill have already reached the Transformation stage, I am still far from that."
Truth be told, even handling Nascent Soul Realm Spirit Food was somewhat difficult for Lu Yi, let alone Divinity Transformation Realm Spirit Food, even with a recipe in hand.
Elder Ming chuckled, "It's rare that people get to taste your culinary skills; if Yulan knew about your talent, Ling Luo Peak would be turned upside down by her."
Lu Yi smiled helplessly, "Elder Ming, you're exaggerating."
Liu Ningshuang sipped her wine and remained silent.
Just then, a long laugh rang out, "Elder Ming, coming onto our turf, how come you didn't give us a heads-up?""
Suddenly, an immensely terrifying aura emerged, and under the pressure of the spiritual force, the surrounding mountains fell deadly silent, even the chirping of insects ceased.