The person sent to capture the little flower demon returned, bringing news that caused Xiu Jie Ming and the others to frown secretly.

The little flower demons that were once everywhere in Beimang Mountain mysteriously vanished overnight and could no longer be found.

Moreover, prior to this, someone had been purchasing the little flower demons in large quantities. There were very few little flower demons left in the market; they spent a hefty price, buying them at one hundred and two yuan each, acquiring only a dozen, which was not enough to equip each member of the task force with one. However, they couldn't find any more in this city.

Upon hearing that a little flower demon could now sell for one hundred and two yuan, Chen Guan was naturally pleased, but he knew this was only the beginning. When everyone starts developing those little red spots and worse conditions, the value of the little flower demon would skyrocket further. Unless another solution emerges, little flower demon pets were bound to be a hit.

"It seems someone, like us, is eyeing Cuiyun Mountain," Xiu Jie Ming deduced that this matter must be related to Cuiyun Mountain, with someone secretly eyeing its contents and laying groundwork quite early. This made him more cautious in his responses and more eager to enter Cuiyun Mountain.

However, no matter how urgent he felt, he could only wait until the Primordial Evil dissipated enough to enter; otherwise, no one could come out alive.

Wen Yutao, who was tasked with observing the Evil Energy, informed Xiu Jie Ming that the evil energy on Cuiyun Mountain would take at least two more days to dissipate to a level safe for Cultivators to enter.

Xiu Jie Ming could only continue waiting, while also dispatching scouts to the surrounding area to investigate. If anyone was indeed targeting Cuiyun Mountain, they should be nearby.

Yet the scouts sent out did not find anyone in the vicinity. Fortunately, the two days passed quickly, and Xiu Jie Ming set off with the group towards Cuiyun Mountain.

Upon reaching the Boundary Monument, Chen Guan kept vigil but did not see any trace of the Holy Horned White Deer.

Looking again beside the Boundary Monument, he found the Vermilion Fruit still there, its bright red fruit still hanging on the branches.

"One is missing." Even with just a glance, Chen Guan had already counted, finding one less fruit than when he last left.

"Button, it's your turn." Xiu Jie Ming instructed Brother Button to lead the way ahead.

Brother Button responded with a nod, promptly stepping over the Boundary Monument to guide the way.

After traversing a hundred or two meters past the Boundary Monument, Brother Button found nothing amiss and turned to wave at Xiu Jie Ming and the others, indicating they could proceed.

Xiu Jie Ming led the group across the Boundary Monument, while Chen Guan deliberately stayed at the rear, crouching down after crossing to pluck the Vermilion Fruits.

Cuiyun Mountain was lush with exotic flowers and fruits; a small plant hidden in the grass beyond the Boundary Monument was unremarkable.

On Chen Guan's last visit, if not for the White Deer's appearance and consumption of the Vermilion Fruit, he wouldn't have discovered one here.

With a mere wave of his hand, Chen Guan had grasped the fruits, but upon close inspection, these fruits differed somewhat from the one given to him by the White Deer.

Though both were tainted blood-stained mutant Vermilion Fruits, close examination revealed these lacked a certain something; they did not have the vivacious energy of the one before.

"Indeed, not all Vermilion Fruits are stained with the Spirit Devouring God's blood, it's likely that only two were genuinely tainted, one was given to me, and the other must have been taken by the White Deer." Chen Guan took out a thermos, pretending to take a sip of water before placing the Vermilion Fruits inside and screwing the cap tightly shut.

Despite lacking the Spirit Devouring God's blood, these mutant Vermilion Fruits at least possessed rapid energy recovery abilities, possibly even increasing the Primordial Energy limit, making them quite valuable.

"What are you dawdling about for? Why are you carrying a Celestial Immortal Peony on your back?" Xiu Yingmei noticed Chen Guan lagging behind and deliberately slowed her pace, walking alongside him at the back.

"When I came, I noticed this Celestial Immortal Peony was blooming beautifully, so I dug it up to plant at home after the mission is over." Chen Guan casually explained.

"Is there even an afterwards?" Xiu Yingmei's heart trembled, feeling extremely conflicted as she didn't want Chen Guan to die, yet couldn't ignore Xiu Jie Ming's words.

"You're here for the mission, not on vacation. Carrying a flower around, where do you get such ideas?" Xiu Yingmei scolded Chen Guan, seeing that no one was paying attention to them as everyone focused on Brother Button exploring ahead, she moved closer to Chen Guan's ear and whispered a warning only the two could hear: "Stay by my side, no matter what happens, do not stray more than three steps from me. Be careful, be careful."

After saying this, Xiu Yingmei immediately distanced herself from Chen Guan and angrily added, "Stop dawdling, catch up with me quickly."

Chen Guan stared at Xiu Yingmei bewilderedly, unable to discern her true intent.

He suspected Xiu Jie Ming might harbor ill intentions against him, but Xiu Yingmei's warning was unexpected.

Without pausing his steps, Chen Guan hurried to keep up.

With Brother Button leading, they followed his footprints along the path, encountering no danger.

The once mysterious and eerie Cuiyun Peak now seemed rather mundane.

Chen Guan observed his surroundings closely but still found no sign of the White Deer.

The terrain of Cuiyun Mountain was not steep, almost flat, with merely some slopes; it hardly felt like mountaineering.

Rounding a mountain corner, a bluestone archway appeared ahead.

Inscribed with "Cuiyun Mountain," beyond the archway lay a relatively steep stone stairway, likely several hundred meters long. At its end, an old building loomed faintly in the morning mist.

"Here is the mountain gate; beyond is out of my depth. Last time, I ventured past the gate and up the stairs only to glimpse the dilapidated Chunyang Temple on the platform, felt a surge of dizziness, and barely escaped with my life," remarked Brother Button, gazing up the steps.

"The Primordial Evil here has dissipated, lacking the prior threats. Go up again to have a look," smiled Wen Yutao, the Third Awakening Cultivator responsible for observing evil energy.

Wen Yutao wasn't a Celestial Court Army soldier but a guest recruited by the Xiu Family, serving them exclusively.

Brother Button glanced skeptically at Xiu Jie Ming, believing his task was merely to bring them to the mountain gate, unaware he'd need to continue the ascent.

"Wen Yu is right; present-day Cuiyun Mountain isn't what it used to be. The Primordial Evil has dissipated, with no climbing prohibitions. Now is the time for a true unveiling," Xiu Jie Ming nodded at Brother Button.

With Xiu Jie Ming's nod of approval, Brother Button gritted his teeth in agreement, channeling his Primordial Energy cautiously across the mountain gate and onto the stone steps, continuing upwards.

Everyone behind watched, as Brother Button's role was indeed to scout ahead.

Before long, Brother Button quickened his pace, swiftly reaching the top, vanishing from sight.

"There really is no fainting sensation now, nothing unusual. You can come up," Brother Button called from the stairway's end.

Xiu Jie Ming and Wen Yutao exchanged glances before leading the group up the stone steps.

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