Chasing Life Butterfly · Metamorphosis Pill

After a brief rest and reorganization, Jun Mukong led his team away from the ancient battlefield ruins, heading elsewhere to continue their experiential training.

Gongsun Qingling stood at the forefront of her own team, watching Jun Mukong's group until they disappeared beyond the hazy gray skyline.

She withdrew her gaze, turned to look at the disciples behind her, and gave a slight nod.

No words were needed; with tacit understanding, they followed her lead, continuing their exploration in the opposite direction of Jun Mukong.

Hou Zhiyu stood to the side with her arms crossed, the corner of her eye fixed on Hou Tianqi beside her. She watched her seventh sister standing on her tiptoes, her gaze glued to the direction where Jun Mukong's team had vanished.

A teasing glint surfaced in her eyes. She gently nudged her sister's arm and pointed it out directly:

They are already long gone. Are you still looking?

Hou Tianqi's body stiffened slightly, like someone caught red-handed doing something guilty.

She snapped her head back, the movement so abrupt that the hairpin in her hair bun wobbled, and a rosy pink hue spread across her cheeks at a visible speed.

N-no I wasn't~

Her voice pitched up a notch, but the trailing end softened, carrying the obvious guilt of a blatant lie.

Seeing her seventh sister act like this, the smile on Hou Zhiyu's face deepened.

She didn't speak, but merely gave Hou Tianqi a meaningful look, her eyes seemingly saying: keep pretending.

Feeling thoroughly uncomfortable under her sister's stare, Hou Tianqi finally gave up the struggle. She lowered her head, her voice as quiet as a mosquito's hum:

...I just took a quick look.

A quick look?

Hou Zhiyu smiled and shook her head, raising a hand to lightly tap her forehead.

Your eyes were practically glued to him, and you call that just a quick look?

Hou Tianqi fell silent, standing there with a flushed face, her hands unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.

Hou Zhiyu looked at her, a hint of complex emotion flashing through her eyes.

She raised her eyes toward the distant direction where Jun Mukong had disappeared. There was nothing but a hazy gray sky and a desolate earth.

The man's figure was long gone, yet his presence seemed to linger in this heaven and earth.

If you are truly moved, Xiao Qi, you will have to work hard.

Hou Zhiyu's voice softened, so quiet that only the two sisters could hear.

Hou Tianqi looked up at her sister.

Otherwise, Hou Zhiyu paused, then said slowly, you won't be able to catch up.

The phrase catch up here had two layers of meaning.

One was the romantic pursuit between a man and a woman.

The other was catching up in terms of status and position.

The Zichen Imperial Dynasty indeed possessed strong influence and prestige in the Southern Continent.

Wherever the dynasty's banner went, both major and minor factions of the Southern Continent would give them some face.

However, compared to the Celestial Sacred Land, the Zichen Imperial Dynasty was far too inadequate.

There was no need to even compare them to the Celestial Sacred Land; even the Heavenly Demon Sect, which was closest to the Southern Continent, was not an entity the Zichen Imperial Dynasty could contend with.

The strength of the Ten Great Demon Ancestors of the Heavenly Demon Sect not only held a terrifying influence in the Demon Realm but was also thunderously renowned in the Southern Continent.

Any single one of those Demon Ancestors casually stepping out would be enough to make the Supreme Emperors of the major dynasties in the Southern Continent come out to personally welcome them.

And Jun Mukong was the personal disciple of the Sacred Ancestor of the Celestial Sacred Land, the Eleventh Ancestor of the sacred land.

Trying to catch up to such a person would likely be a path harder than ascending to the heavens.

But Hou Zhiyu did not speak these words aloud. She merely said you won't be able to catch up, keeping it light and stopping exactly where she needed to.

Some things, if spoken too bluntly, would only have the opposite effect.

Looking at Hou Tianqi, Hou Zhiyu could feel that her seventh sister was changing.

It was not a breakthrough in cultivation, nor an increase in strength, but a growth in her state of mind.

The heaven-chosen genius who had been held in the palm of everyone's hands in the Zichen Imperial Dynasty, the Seventh Princess who was used to being looked up to, used to being praised, and used to having everyone revolve around her, had for the first time seen an existence higher and further than herself.

An experiential journey that could make her correct her personality and cultivate seriously was already a significant harvest for this trip to the mystic realm.

As for the treasures, fortuitous encounters, and gains within the mystic realm, Hou Zhiyu actually did not care much.

Coming to the Immortal Emperor Mystic Realm this time was originally just to bring Xiao Qi out to see the world; they hadn't even made many preparations.

In fact, the Immortal Emperor Mystic Realm restricting cultivation to the Soul Formation realm this time was a significant blow to many factions.

Those hastily assembled Soul Formation teams either had uneven cultivation levels or lacked coordination, making it difficult for them to move a single inch in this danger-ridden mystic realm.

For the Zichen Imperial Dynasty to be able to retreat unscathed with no casualties was already a blessing within misfortune.

......

Desolate Ruins of Extinction.

Just moments ago, Gu Xing'er and her group had accidentally triggered a hidden stage of the mystic realm: Life-Chasing Butterfly - Genesis Pill.

The moment the stage was triggered, the ground suddenly vibrated slightly. Streaks of emerald spiritual light surged from the soil, and immediately after, twenty-two lustrous Life Butterflies fluttered their wings and flew up.

They flapped their vivid emerald wings. The patterns on their wings were like clear leaf veins, crisscrossing and shimmering with a faint luster.

As they flew, they scattered tiny green motes of light. Where these motes fell, withered grass turned green again, and moss grew on shattered stones.

Upon successful capture, a Life Butterfly would transform into an entirely emerald Genesis Pill.

The efficacy of the Genesis Pill was extremely heaven-defying. Once consumed, it could instantaneously stimulate the power of creation within the body, allowing the user to immediately recover from all injuries and replenish all spiritual energy on the spot.

Even if one was heavily injured and their spiritual energy depleted, they could instantly return to their peak state.

Besides this, the Genesis Pill could also serve as the core for healing or life-attribute magical treasures. When embedded into a magical treasure, it could significantly enhance its healing effects.

Compared to the Dao Spirit Deer from before, their temperament was docile. They would not initiate attacks, and their flight speed was not considered fast, making them not too difficult to capture.

However, they could not be captured by force. Forcible capture would cause the Life Butterfly to instantly dissipate into nothingness. One needed to wrap them in gentle spiritual energy and guide them with spiritual sense, allowing the Life Butterfly to willingly land in their hand.

But this was not difficult for Gu Xing'er and her companions. In no time at all, all twenty-two Genesis Pills were secured without a single one going to waste.

Gu Xing'er looked at the emerald Genesis Pills in her hand, feeling the warm and gentle power of vitality transmitting through her fingertips.

She could clearly sense the majestic aura of creation contained within these pills and felt secretly delighted.

She knew the value of these items very well.

At a critical moment, a single Genesis Pill equated to a second life.

Let's keep moving.

She stored the Genesis Pills away, clapped her hands, and took the lead in walking toward the depths of the desolate ruins.