Chapter 121: The Ninety-Nine Soul-Scattering Gourd

Green Spirit was ecstatic. No sooner had he snatched the Demon Moon Mirror than he fled, not even bothering to greet the Golden Light Patriarch or the Eagle King. He had always been wary of those two. At first, it was fine, but ever since they had set up the Eight-Directional Pulse-Severing Array, both of them had begun to act in such an inscrutable manner that it kept Green Spirit on high alert.

Now, however, he had nothing to worry about; the Demon Moon Mirror was finally in his hands.

"Go ahead and fight," Green Spirit muttered, flipping the mirror over in his hands, unable to put it down. "Fight until the world turns upside down; it’s no concern of mine anymore."

The mirror surface was clear and bright, adorned with delicate cyan patterns, and felt cool to the touch. After turning it over several times, he produced a grey gourd from his other hand—a treasure he had begged from the Great King Zixia.

The gourd was no larger than a palm, appearing as withered and grey as a fruit that had never fully ripened. Yet, the moment it appeared, it exuded an aura of profound, deathly stillness.

As for the mysterious Great King Zixia, outsiders had only ever glimpsed a swirling mass of purple mist, and thus, over time, came to call him Great King Zixia. Green Spirit had never bothered to clarify this. In truth, he did not even know his master’s real name, but the more mysterious and fearful others found the Great King, the more prestigious Green Spirit felt.

He did, however, know the true power of his master, especially regarding this grey gourd, which remained unknown to outsiders. It possessed god-defying and ghost-crushing power, capable of harming people invisibly and scattering their very souls.

The gourd was named the Nine-Nine Soul-Scattering Gourd. Green Spirit gazed at it, his eyes growing feverish. He thought to himself, "If I run away right now, wouldn't it be possible to claim this Nine-Nine Soul-Scattering Gourd for myself? I already know the incantations. As long as I hide far away, in time, I can erase the master's soul imprint. With these two great spirit treasures in hand, I would truly be a force to be reckoned with in this world..."

The more he thought about it, the more tempted he became. He glanced at the mountain shrouded in purple mist, then back at the grey gourd in his hand. With a hardening of his heart, he enveloped his hand in a green glow, quickly tracing intricate seals in the void and pressing them onto the gourd.

Once, twice... dozens of seals were layered onto the grey Nine-Nine Soul-Scattering Gourd in a heartbeat. Without a second’s hesitation, he transformed into a hazy green light and vanished into the mountains.

The forest fell silent, but a moment later, a piercing, shrill scream tore through the air. Green Spirit’s figure tumbled out of the void, his face ashen. He collapsed, lifeless, hitting the ground with no sign of breath left in him.

His robe stirred, and the withered grey gourd flew out, spinning in the air. A hazy, indistinct silhouette appeared in the void. Simultaneously, the robe moved again, and a mirror emerged, blinking into existence directly opposite the gourd. The mirror reflected the scene, yet it showed only the withered gourd; it did not capture the hazy figure, whose gender remained impossible to discern.

The mirror and the gourd stood in silence. After a moment, a ripple of sound emerged from the cyan mirror: "Is that the Great King Zixia?"

"Heh, outsiders do indeed call me Zixia..." the hazy figure replied, their voice soft and neutral, still impossible to pin as male or female.

It was clear from the tone that "Zixia" was not their true name, but Nan Luo did not press for the truth. He simply asked, "Has Great King Zixia come for me, Nan Luo?"

"I have no desire to meddle in the grievances of the mortal world. I merely yielded to Green Spirit’s entreaties and lent him the treasure. I did not expect him to use it against a fellow practitioner. I hope you will not take offense."

Hearing these words, Nan Luo found it quite novel. He could sense that this Great King Zixia was at least as powerful as he was in his current state of integration with the mountain's spiritual pulses, yet the stranger was incredibly polite—and the term "fellow practitioner" was a fresh greeting.

Nan Luo smiled slightly. "In that case, I shall return to my mountain. Should you have leisure in the future, Fellow Practitioner, you are welcome to visit my Fallen Spirit Mountain."

The hazy figure chuckled. "Fellow Practitioner, you had best focus on your enemies."

"Heh, do not trouble yourself over that, Fellow Practitioner. Mere enemies cannot take my life." Nan Luo’s voice carried a faint, casual arrogance, and before the other could reply, he had already vanished into the void.

Green Spirit had believed that no one could keep their soul essence intact within a magical treasure under the force of Hou Yi’s arrows. That was why he had hidden away so securely after sealing the Demon Moon Mirror. He did not know that Nan Luo had refined the mirror to the point of near-sentience; that arrow was not enough to disperse the imprint of Nan Luo’s soul within the mirror.

This process of transformation meant shedding form to reach the formless. Once refined into the formless, the treasure could be absorbed into the body and fused with one's own soul—vastly increasing both its power and the variety of techniques one could employ.

Qingqing had always been a person of strong will. Back when she was a little green snake, Nan Luo had told her not to call him Master, yet she had insisted. When they were outside the mountains and the Bull Demon tried to hold her back, she had turned on him instantly. Upon arriving at Fallen Spirit Mountain, she became angry the moment she felt Nan Luo was not treating Northern Spirit with the respect she deserved. Now that Nan Luo had told her not to come out, how could she possibly sit quietly?

The moment Nan Luo spoke, she had already rushed to the stone platform in front of the Fallen Spirit Grotto. With the Banana Leaf Fan wreathed in divine light, her expression was resolute, her eyes bearing a striking resemblance to Nan Luo’s.

She was no rare beast of the primordial era; she was merely a small green snake. She had survived tenaciously in the woods until she met Nan Luo, gained intelligence, and listened to his teachings for so long that her mind had cleared. She had successfully transformed after receiving the *Great Purity Induction Scripture*. She could not have survived all these years without a stubborn, unyielding heart; cultivation required not just the techniques, but perseverance, grit, and opportunity.

The dangers she had faced on her journey from Kunlun Mountain to Fallen Spirit Mountain were unlike anything she had ever known. Yet, upon seeing Nan Luo, she had not mentioned a word, and Nan Luo had not asked, as if everything were understood between them. That was why Nan Luo could treat the insults hurled at him like passing clouds, but the moment Qingqing was besieged by those Demon Kings, he had drawn his sword in fury.

Slaughtering the mountain of Demon Kings with a single strike was his way of venting for her.

Qingqing stood tall. Her cyan dress was tattered in places, but she showed no signs of defeat. The Banana Leaf Fan in her hand glowed brilliantly; her fighting spirit was soaring, as if having her master behind her made her fearless.

Just then, a black shadow appeared in her eyes, tearing through the void like lightning. A murderous intent, cold and sharp, hurtled directly toward the Fallen Spirit Grotto.

The moment Qingqing saw it, without even identifying the attacker, she shouted, "Master, let me handle this!"

As her crisp voice rang out, the Banana Leaf Fan surged, expanding to the size of a banana leaf. Without a moment's hesitation, she swung it toward the Eagle King, who was streaking toward her like a bolt of black lightning.

As the fan moved, the clouds stirred, and the very heavens seemed to tremble.

A tempest of wild winds erupted, howling out like a tidal wave. The entire world seemed to shake, as if caught in the grip of this sudden, untamed gale.