Chapter 255: Subduing the Dragonblood Kelp
The other person accompanying Gu Mo, of course, was Chu Feifei. Previously, Gu Mo had contacted her through the little smoke beast she had left with him. When she learned that he was returning to Qinghe Immortal Realm to settle old karma, Chu Feifei also decided to go with him.
Her karma with Qinglu Sect had, in fact, long since been settled by her master, the Hundred Flowers Fairy of the Hundred Flowers Sect. But settling karma did not mean karma ceased to exist—it merely meant that the target of that karma was no longer the Qinglu Sect as a whole, but a particular individual.
Now, with the full support of the Hundred Flowers Sect, Chu Feifei's cultivation had advanced rapidly. She was already on par with the top true disciples of the greatest sects. Though she had not yet broken through to Nascent Soul, her combat power was strong enough to contend with a Nascent Soul True Lord.
It was precisely because she possessed such strength that the Hundred Flowers Sect allowed her to leave. After all, with power at that level, she would absolutely be capable of protecting herself in the Qinghe Immortal Realm.
Not to mention, the Hundred Flowers Sect would surely have equipped Chu Feifei with a full array of life-saving treasures.
Gu Mo brought Lu Lingmei quietly to an immortal seaside city within the Tianyuan Immortal Realm. This was the meeting place he had agreed upon with Chu Feifei.
Although the demonic sects had lessened their focus on righteous path prodigies for now, keeping a low profile was still the wisest course.
"Senior Brother, I think this city has an auction going on. Should we check it out?"
Lu Lingmei held Gu Mo's arm. Rarely having the chance to be alone with him, she clearly had not given up on trying to win his favor.
Only after becoming a disciple of Shennong Valley did Lu Lingmei truly realize how extraordinary this senior brother of hers was. He was the greatest fortune of her life, and naturally, she intended to seize it tightly.
Of course, after having been scolded by Gu Mo before, her behavior this time was more restrained. She no longer pressed herself against him, and since she was only linking arms with him, Gu Mo let it be.
"No. Let's go find her first."
Gu Mo refused without hesitation. With his current wealth, an ordinary city auction was of no interest to him whatsoever.
The meeting with Chu Feifei went smoothly. Once inside the city, the little smoke beast she had left behind became the perfect guide, quickly leading Gu Mo straight to her.
"Gu Mo, this is…?"
Chu Feifei's gaze fell on Lu Lingmei with some curiosity. That was all it was—curiosity. No matter how naturally alluring this girl might be, Chu Feifei felt no ripple in her heart.
Her bond with Gu Mo had been forged in their earliest, weakest days. The two of them were the kind of friends who could trust each other completely. For a cultivator, to have even one such friend in a lifetime was an extreme stroke of fortune—most lived their entire lives amid schemes and betrayals, never knowing a single person they could truly trust.
Thus, Chu Feifei never worried about anyone taking her place in Gu Mo's heart.
"She's my junior sister from my lineage, also originally from Qinghe Immortal Realm." Gu Mo briefly explained the story of the Lu family's flight.
"Greetings, Senior Sister."
Lu Lingmei bowed obediently. Standing before this Senior Sister, she felt immense pressure. The faint mist surrounding the woman's form obscured her appearance, but it was obvious she must be a great beauty. More importantly, she could not see through her cultivation at all.
But anyone who could have such ties to her senior brother was surely a prodigy on the same level. That thought only added to Lu Lingmei's burden.
With such a rival, how could she possibly win?
Yet after a moment, Lu Lingmei reconsidered. She didn't need to compete with this Senior Sister. She could simply take another path—playing the role of the cute, caring little junior sister.
"Hello, Junior Sister Lu." Chu Feifei smiled as she replied.
After meeting, the three did not linger in the city. They set out directly for the Qinghe Immortal Realm. The longer they stayed outside, the higher the chance of being discovered.
For this reason, they chose not to take any of the commercial ships that traveled between the two realms, instead crossing the ocean on their own. With Gu Mo's Nascent Soul cultivation, such a journey posed no danger as long as they avoided certain special forbidden areas.
Across the endless expanse of sapphire-blue sea—
A golden ribbon streaked through the sky. On closer inspection, it wasn't a ribbon at all, but a great golden koi, the brilliant trail of light streaming from its passage.
This golden koi was, of course, Xiaoli. With the long ocean voyage ahead, Gu Mo could hardly rely on his own flight the entire way. Even though his Heaven and Earth Nascent Soul meant he had no fear of running out of true essence, Chu Feifei and Lu Lingmei could not endure such a pace.
Besides, Xiaoli was very fast in the sea.
Naturally, such a radiant golden koi drew attention, but most sea creatures quickly retreated after sensing Xiaoli's peak third-rank great demon aura.
As for those without discernment, Xiaoli could easily swat them aside. With her gift for water control, her combat power in the sea was formidable.
"Xiaoli's gotten so strong."
Chu Feifei stroked Xiaoli's smooth golden scales, marveling. Back when she first saw her, Xiaoli had been nothing more than a silly, dim little koi. Now, she could truly be called a local overlord of the sea.
"Master, Master, something big and scary is coming." Suddenly Xiaoli's nervous voice rang out.
Gu Mo had already sensed it well before her warning. And this time, the one approaching was an old "acquaintance"—the fourth-rank demon king, Dragonblood Kelp. That meant they were nearing the Qinghe Immortal Realm.
Splash!
Just as Xiaoli spoke, a huge dark-green kelp dragon burst out of the sea ahead. It was the very same Dragonblood Kelp Gu Mo had encountered on his way to the Tianyuan Immortal Realm.
Back then, all he could do against this fourth-rank demon king was flee as far as possible.
But now…
Gu Mo reached out to stop Chu Feifei, who was about to make a move. Her strength was naturally nothing to scoff at, but in the sea she was just as helpless against the Dragonblood Kelp as it was against her.
"This won't be easy to handle."
Chu Feifei spoke up. She was well aware of Gu Mo's strength—she had carefully studied the intelligence reports from the Heaven's Chosen Tournament. That final formation which blocked the strike of a Nascent Soul Demon Lord—others might not have understood what it was, but she knew perfectly well. After all, she was the one who had designed it.
But right now, they were underwater, a place clearly unsuitable for setting up the Nut Formation.
"No problem."
Gu Mo waved her off. At his current level, he no longer needed the Nut Formation.
He leapt down from Little Carp's back and strode toward the Dragonblood Kelp. Yet the kelp's gaze was locked firmly on Little Carp. It had appeared because it was drawn to her aura.
Little Carp carried within her the bloodline of a true dragon. To the Dragonblood Kelp, which also possessed dragon blood, this was irresistibly attractive. Moreover, Little Carp had grown by continually consuming Sun Essence, and her body carried its aura. This was something the Dragonblood Kelp had been searching for many years.
"How about joining me? I can give you what you want," Gu Mo said.
For a special spirit-plant demon king like this Dragonblood Kelp, Gu Mo was very interested. Previously, he hadn't been strong enough—even with Sun Essence in hand, he dared not reveal it. Now that he had the strength, it was no longer a problem.
"Roar!"
In response to his invitation, the Dragonblood Kelp let out an enraged bellow. Clearly, a fourth-rank demon king could not be subdued with just a few words. A fight was inevitable.
With a raise of his hand, one blade of the spirit-treasure Gold Jiao Shears appeared in his palm. In the next moment, a blazing sun rose within the sea.
The Dragonblood Kelp felt a surge of mortal danger. Without the slightest hesitation, it turned to flee.
But after finally luring it here, how could Gu Mo possibly let it escape so easily? In an instant, the blazing sun transformed into a Golden Crow plummeting down. Wherever the Golden Crow fell, the seawater was vaporized, exposing the Dragonblood Kelp.
"Roar!"
Finding escape impossible, the Dragonblood Kelp roared and launched a counterattack. Yet the end result was its severe injury. And that was only because Gu Mo held back. Had he struck with full force, a fourth-rank early-stage Dragonblood Kelp would have been utterly unable to withstand him.
"Here, recover your wounds."
Gu Mo tossed a portion of fourth-rank Sun Essence to the weakened Dragonblood Kelp.
When it sensed the Sun Essence—far stronger than anything it had ever sought—the Dragonblood Kelp felt its dragon blood surge and boil. This was something that could help it take the next step forward.
"Well? Do you want to follow me?"
After the kelp absorbed the Sun Essence, Gu Mo asked again.
"All right. From today, you're my boss!"
After a brief silence, a deep voice rang out in Gu Mo's ears.
A fourth-rank demon king's intelligence was no less than a cultivator's. It naturally knew how to weigh gains and losses. Trading freedom for something so crucial to its growth—this was a bargain well worth making.
"Gu Mo, you, you…"
When Gu Mo returned with a dark-green belt coiled around his waist, Chu Feifei's eyes were full of shock. She had never expected Gu Mo to already be a Nascent Soul True Lord.
Chu Feifei had always thought her own cultivation speed was astonishing, but compared with Gu Mo, it was simply incomparable.
What's more, his breakthrough had happened without a single hint of news. Logically, a breakthrough by a Shennong Valley true disciple like Gu Mo could never remain hidden.
"This must remain secret."
Gu Mo only smiled without explaining. The fact that he had suddenly become a Nascent Soul True Lord was indeed inconvenient to reveal. On this trip to the Qinghe Immortal Realm, he planned to use it as the reason for his breakthrough. If others asked, he would simply say he had gained a fortuitous encounter there and advanced.
Otherwise, such a silent breakthrough would inevitably draw suspicion. Once examined too closely, some clues were bound to slip out.
"Mm."
Chu Feifei nodded. Gu Mo's willingness to share such an important secret with her was a sign of trust.
As for Lu Lingmei, with only Foundation Establishment cultivation, she likely couldn't judge Gu Mo's true level. To her, his display just now seemed unsurprising—after all, she had long known how powerful her senior brother was.
At that moment, Lu Lingmei was helping Little Carp collect the severed fragments of Dragonblood Kelp. Each piece still contained dragon blood, making them extremely enticing to Little Carp.
After tidying up, Little Carp once again carried the three of them toward the Qinghe Immortal Realm. Encountering the Dragonblood Kelp meant they were already close. Sure enough, not long after, Gu Mo saw the distant continent.
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