The company of the Great Luo Sword Sect moved with unnatural speed, never faltering as they followed the Whispering Road, their destination held firmly in their sights.

Should any monstrous beast cross their path, the two elders, barely touched by the grace of Nascent Divinity, needed only a single incantation to reduce it to nothing more than smoke and memory. What Qian Qin struggled against with all her might in her own stone halls was dispatched with casual ease, filling her heart with a bitter brew of inadequacy.

A whisper of resignation began to bloom within her. Perhaps she was destined for a simple life. If she could but secure a single Sparking Gold Fruit from this venture, that would be enough.

Guo Xingyi, for his part, was disturbingly attentive, seeking to mend their fractured bond with a constant stream of chatter. Qian Qin, bound by circumstance, endured his attentions with a weary grace. The display of the Great Luo Sword Sect’s power left her with little choice but to feign cooperation, swallowing her pride with each step.

Guo Xingyi’s uncle, a wizened elder who had attained the realm of Spirit Transformation, cast glances that lingered a moment too long upon Qian Qin’s form, a strange light flickering in his ancient eyes.

On the surface, all appeared tranquil, as calm as a mountain lake. Even should a formidable beast rear its head, the two Nascent Divinity elders of the Great Luo Sword Sect would dispatch it with apparent ease.

Yet, beneath the veneer of serenity, the most fraught of all were those very elders of the Great Luo Sword Sect!

This was not their first foray into the Demonic Northlands, but this time, an unnatural disquiet coiled around them. It began subtly, barely a prickle. But as they ventured deeper, a crushing oppression, capable of shattering the very soul, crept in, unseen and unheard, enveloping them like a shroud.

Others might not sense it, but these two elders felt its chilling tendrils with bone-deep certainty.

It was as if they were constantly watched, a pair of eyes boring into them from the unseen world. Yet, whenever they attempted to pierce the veil with their own divine senses, they found nothing. Time and again, their efforts came to naught, leaving them questioning their own sanity.

“We are not yet in the Deep Wastes,” one elder muttered to the other, his voice a whisper carried only on the currents of spiritual energy. “It is unlikely that any true Abyssal Beasts would be here. Yet, the sensation is so… palpable. What could be the cause?” Though their faces remained impassive to those around them, within their minds, anxiety swelled like a rising tide.

“Something stirs in these Demonic Northlands. For these past ten days, that feeling has persisted. We have tested the boundaries, and yet… nothing. Perhaps it is not directed at us alone.”

“Enough!” the other snapped, his mental voice laced with a desperate edge. “This place feels cursed. Let us hasten our departure upon completion of this task. Every breath here feels like a mountain pressing down upon me. A feverish urge to violence burns within me, an impulse I have not known since I first achieved Spirit Transformation, Shi!

“You too feel this… compulsion? When we slew the Shadow Hound, I barely kept control of myself. Shi Fang, something is terribly wrong. Should we not turn back now?” The shorter elder’s eyes flashed with a primal fear as he spoke.

The elder known as Shi remained silent, his gaze flickering toward the younger members of their company ahead. With a subtle shake of his head, he replied, “We have come too far. Three days more, no more. We will simply accelerate our pace, and all shall be well.”

They exchanged a grim look, and then, silence descended once more as they continued their march.

The others in the vanguard, including the Spirit Transformation elder, remained blissfully unaware of the terror that gnawed at their powerful companions, content in their belief that this journey progressed smoothly.

The Sparking Gold Fruit. Not for consumption, but a material of unparalleled power in the crafting of arms and armor. Those objects imbued with its essence could unleash greater and greater might with each passing strike.

Legend whispered of Ling Tianhou, Sword Saint of the Great Luo. The four ethereal blades that danced behind him were said to be forged with an unfathomable quantity of Sparking Gold Fruit, a testament to the material’s extraordinary potential.

The Sparking Gold Fruit was born in strange environments, showing no particular affinity for any specific place. Truthfully, it was a manifestation of the very essence of primal gold, capable of taking root anywhere in the boundless world.

When it first emerged, it was indistinguishable from any other wild fruit. But as it matured, it would undergo a metamorphosis, overflowing with metallic energy.

The time it took for a matured fruit to fall from the branch varied wildly, from the span of a few breaths to several months. There was no rhyme or reason to it, and no scholar to this day could predict when they would fall.

When the fruit ripened, it would attract the attention of metal-aligned spirit beasts. They would transform into guardians, protecting the fruit until it fell to the earth. Then, the fallen fruits would be absorbed into the roots, forming the Golden Spirit Root, a powerful elixir that could open the mind and quicken the spirit of any beast that devoured it.

Should the fruit be taken before it fell naturally, the formation of the Golden Spirit Root would be affected. And if too many were stolen, it would cease to form at all.

After the Great Luo Sword Sect and their entourage passed from sight, Wang Lin, astride his mosquito beast, appeared as silent as the wind. His gaze, unreadable, swept across the spot where they had vanished, and then he followed, a shadow gliding in their wake.

Perhaps driven by the elders’ unease, the Great Luo Sword Sect increased its pace. The three-day journey was compressed into a day and a half, the time lost like fleeting dreams.

Finally, the woman who had led them thus far pointed ahead, her voice soft. “It was there, two months ago, that my order found the Sparking Gold Fruit!”

All eyes followed her gesture.

They stood at the confluence of two mountain ranges, where a valley yawned open between them. The entrance was eerily silent, the ground covered in rotting leaves that emanated a foul odor.

Looking into the valley, one could perceive a faint golden shimmer. But the trees at the valley’s mouth obscured a more detailed view.

Qian Qin spoke no more, instead she retreated several steps, falling silent.

The two elders of the Great Luo Sword Sect exchanged a look. The taller of the two took two steps forward, formed a hand seal, and thrust his hand forward, pressing down upon the empty space before him.
Instantly, a staff of potent celestial energy coalesced before him, transforming in the blink of an eye into a gust of hallowed wind that swept into the valley.

As the celestial wind scoured through, decaying leaves upon the ground vanished, revealing the earth beneath. Trees that had dared to bar passage at the valley’s entrance crumbled into dust, scattering like whispers on the breeze.

Suddenly, a straight path appeared before the assembled throng, leading deep within the valley. The ground within was choked with weeds, yet every eye was drawn to the valley’s western edge, to a patch of untamed growth where a multitude of golden blossoms unfurled.

These flowers were not solitary blooms but a radiant cluster of no less than ten, each vying for supremacy in their dazzling display.

Beneath this golden tapestry nestled clusters of dark golden, thumb-sized fruits, each adorned with granular speckles. These small orbs clung together, like tiny grapes, appearing utterly ordinary, no different from any wild berry.

“Gleamgold Fruit! It truly is Gleamgold Fruit!” The two elders of the Great Luo Sword Sect exclaimed, their eyes alight with avarice. Yet, they did not immediately enter the valley, but instead scanned its depths with meticulous care, their gaze finally settling on a patch of weeds a mere ten feet from the Gleamgold Fruit.

Withered leaves clung to the stalks of the weeds, and at first glance, there seemed nothing remarkable about them. After all, the valley floor was littered with dead foliage. Then, a gentle breeze arose, swirling briefly within the valley, stirring the grass with a soft rustle.

As the grass stirred, the dead leaves throughout the valley quivered, rising and falling with the breath of the wind. And it was in this subtle movement, as the withered leaves shifted, that a collective gasp escaped the lips of those present.

For upon the undersides of the leaves, revealed in fleeting glimpses, lay a dense carpet of crimson dots, motionless, as though they were mere blemishes upon the decaying foliage.

“Nine-Li Worms…” Great Luo Sword Sect Elder Shi Fang said, his face grim, glancing toward the shorter elder beside him.

“A hundred Gleamgold Fruits will naturally be guarded by fierce beasts. The presence of Nine-Li Worms is hardly unexpected! However, dealing with these creatures requires a pair of bait,” the shorter elder responded, a cruel smile twisting his lips as his gaze fell upon the white-robed youth standing near Qianqin.

Unbeknownst to all present, a monstrous figure lurked a thousand fathoms behind them, hovering motionless in the air. Atop the creature’s back sat a solitary figure, his eyes devoid of warmth, radiating only icy calculation.

“This substance is clearly the Gold Spirit Root. The term ‘Gleamgold Fruit’ is likely due to these fools not knowing its true purpose, mistaking the fruit for its greatest virtue. They are ignorant of the fruit’s insignificance!” Wang Lin mused, his gaze sharp as lightning. Though the name Gleamgold Fruit was unfamiliar, the sight of it triggered a memory within the ancient god Tu Si’s knowledge.

As a manifestation of Formless Elemental Gold, its existence stretched far back into the ages. In Tu Si’s memories, its greatest benefit lay in consuming its Gold Spirit Root to fortify one’s own body, granting it unparalleled resilience.

For fledgling ancient gods, this was a most precious tonic.

As Wang Lin pondered, he glanced down at the mosquito beast beneath him. The creature’s alabaster body pulsed with faint light, its eyes fixed upon the Gleamgold Fruit in the valley, radiating an intense, hungry longing.

A thought struck Wang Lin. He gently patted the mosquito beast’s head. The creature turned to him, and upon receiving a nod of approval, its eyes flared with wild excitement. It spun around, its gaze fixed upon the Gleamgold Fruit, now burning with resolute intent.

“Could this object possess some special properties for the mosquito beast…?” Wang Lin wondered, his eyes gleaming with intrigue.