The moonlight was hazy, and the twin-headed Purple Ring Snake, coiled around the mountain path, fixed its chilling gaze upon the human before it. “You great serpent, I’ve no desire to kill you.”

Wielding the Samsara Spear, Teng Qingshan strode towards the cavern above. Each step covered several yards. After merely three steps, he stood beside the snake. Its two ferocious heads were raised high, staring icily at him, seemingly astonished by the human’s audacity. Just as Teng Qingshan took his fourth step—

A thick, foul stench of wind swept over them. Both heads of the Purple Ring Snake opened simultaneously, lunging to swallow Teng Qingshan whole. “Hmph!”

Teng Qingshan’s cold snort resonated like thunder. He shifted his weight, twisting his waist, channeling immense power through his arms into the Samsara Spear. The spear moved like a swimming dragon, a dazzling, illusory silver arc flashing forth, slamming down with astonishing speed upon one of the biting heads.

The twin-headed serpent instantly recoiled with a swift evasion. “Peng!” The spear shadow struck the Purple Ring Snake’s thick, elongated body instead. “Woo!” The snake emitted a screech of intense agony, bright crimson blood spattering from both maws. Its massive body, fully fifteen yards long, was actually hurled into the air by that single strike from Teng Qingshan. Its serpentine form twisted mid-air before crashing down, snapping trees, flattening weeds, and ultimately slamming onto the rocks, even crushing several ordinary venomous snakes that couldn't evade in time.

Stones tumbled down the slope. Teng Qingshan glanced at the downed Purple Ring Snake, shook his head with a faint smile, and continued toward the cavern entrance.

Both heads of the twin-headed snake were slick with blood. They were raised high again, watching the spear-wielding human advance toward its lair, yet it dared not obstruct him in the slightest. The speed and sheer power of the human’s previous strike had thoroughly terrified it; it knew this human could eradicate it with ease if he chose to.

…… “Reasonably perceptive,” Teng Qingshan murmured, holding the Samsara Spear as he reached the cavern mouth. “This time, I hope it’s the Cloud Dream White Fruit. If not that, then at least something on the level of ‘Linglou Grass’.” “Please, don’t let me down.”

Muttering under his breath, Teng Qingshan smiled and stepped into the deep, dark cavern. At night, the cave was utterly black, but to Teng Qingshan, who possessed Dark Vision, it was akin to daylight. Everything was clearly visible as he strode swiftly inward, examining his surroundings closely. Pervasive, foul odors filled the cave.

Teng Qingshan’s expression remained unchanged as he quickly reached the depths. He swept his gaze around: “Hmm, no treasures in this cavern?” The walls were composed of ordinary dark green stones. “Just got my hopes up for nothing.”

After surveying the area, Teng Qingshan shook his head and turned to leave, but after only two steps— “Wait.”

A flicker of movement caught the corner of Teng Qingshan’s eye near an edge. There, amidst the dark green stones, he noticed an extremely faint trace of green light. This tiny glimmer was only visible from his current position; from any other vantage point, it would have been impossible to see. “What is this…” Teng Qingshan walked over and found several rough stones perfectly positioned to seal off that patch of green. Thankfully, a sliver escaped, allowing him to spot it.

He crouched down and carefully moved two of the stones aside. A breathtaking green burst into view, causing Teng Qingshan to draw a sharp breath, his eyes instantly lighting up. There were lush, vibrant leaves and a grayish-brown stalk. What captivated Teng Qingshan most was the fruit hanging there, slightly smaller than his fist, resembling an infant. The entire small fruit tree grew within a rock crevice. The branches, the leaves, and the fruit itself emitted a faint, vital green aura, brimming with life force. “Hoo!” Even inhaling the scent of the fruit tree made Teng Qingshan feel refreshed throughout his body. “Cloud Dream White Fruit!”

An intense surge of elation flooded Teng Qingshan’s heart, his eyes blazing. “I finally found it!” After eighteen days of meticulous searching, soaring across the skies on his Gale Eagle, Teng Qingshan had practically scoured the entirety of Cloud Dream Marsh. Now, on the night of the eighteenth day, he had located this single Cloud Dream Fruit Tree inside the lair of the twin-headed Purple Ring Snake. “Hm? The color of this Cloud Dream White Fruit?” Teng Qingshan frowned.

The infant-sized fruit hanging on the branch, radiating a jade-green luster, did not have a white peel, but rather a blue-green one! At first glance, Teng Qingshan had assumed the blue-green color was merely due to the ‘green aura.’ Upon closer inspection, he realized the peel itself was inherently blue-green. “Not ripe yet?” Teng Qingshan gasped in surprise. “What should I do?” Teng Qingshan felt a pang of anxiety. “It’s not mature yet, I absolutely cannot pick it. Do I just wait here like an idiot? I have no idea how long the Cloud Dream White Fruit takes to fully ripen.”

A serious dilemma presented itself before him. A torrent of thoughts flashed through Teng Qingshan’s mind, and soon, he reached a decision. “A divine treasure like the Cloud Dream White Fruit has extremely stringent requirements for its growing conditions. I certainly cannot transplant it to the Cloud Dream War God’s domain.” Teng Qingshan knew well that no spiritual treasure—be it Vermilion Fruit or Black Fire Spirit Fruit—was ever rumored to be transplantable. Otherwise, the major sects would have already engaged in mass cultivation. “I’ll let it continue growing here, and I’ll immediately go notify the Cloud Dream War God.” “The Purple Ring Snake can continue residing here! If I killed the snake, this cavern would likely become a den for countless other venomous snakes. Those common venomous snakes lack intelligence and wouldn’t recognize the rarity of the Cloud Dream White Fruit. They might inadvertently destroy it.” Teng Qingshan hesitated no longer. He carefully replaced the two stones, concealing the Cloud Dream Fruit Tree once more. Then, holding the Samsara Spear, he swiftly walked out.

Standing at the cave mouth, Teng Qingshan glanced into the distance. The twin-headed Purple Ring Snake was watching him from afar. “You can stay for now,” Teng Qingshan thought to himself, then pushed off the rocks and launched himself downward, resembling a soaring roc. Seeing Teng Qingshan depart, the twin-headed Purple Ring Snake immediately slithered back into its lair. The only treasure in its dwelling was the Cloud Dream White Fruit. The snake inspected it, and finding the Cloud Dream Fruit Tree completely unharmed, and the concealing stones still in their original places, it finally relaxed. In the serpent’s view… Humans must have very poor vision in the dark. Discovering the Cloud Dream White Fruit would have been impossible.

** The next morning at dawn, Teng Qingshan was already seated on the back of the Gale Eagle, flying swiftly eastward. After two hours of flight, with the sun hanging high in the sky, the Gale Eagle arrived above Cloud Dream Ancient City. Looking down from high altitude, the figures in the ancient city resembled ants, dense and countless. “Little Gray, down we go.” Teng Qingshan gently patted the Gale Eagle’s back, pointing toward the ‘Rising Sun City’ within Cloud Dream Ancient City. “Swoosh!”

The Gale Eagle plummeted. Rising Sun City covered only a few square miles, and Teng Qingshan easily located the residence and palace of the Cloud Dream War God. “Little Gray, over there.” Teng Qingshan directed, and the Gale Eagle flew straight towards the open ground in front of the War God’s palace. The rapid sound of marching feet!

Many guards, noticing Teng Qingshan diving from the sky, quickly converged. “Who are you? How dare you trespass in Rising Sun City!” While a very small minority of these elite guards had seen Teng Qingshan and the Gale Eagle nineteen days prior, most did not recognize him. “Fall back!” A deep shout commanded.

A streak of cyan lightning tore through the air and landed before the assembled guards—it was the Grand Elder Mu Wang. Mu Wang smiled at Teng Qingshan: “Brother Teng, returning from Cloud Dream Marsh—it seems you bring good news.” “Brother Mu,” Teng Qingshan replied with an equally warm nod. “Rumble~~” The palace gates opened, and two figures in green robes emerged. One of them boomed, “Mister Teng, please come in.” “Disperse!” Mu Wang immediately admonished the guards. Upon seeing this, the guards realized Teng Qingshan’s relationship with the Mu family leadership was extraordinary. They dared not utter another sound and quickly dispersed. “Brother Teng, come, let us go inside.” Mu Wang enthusiastically led Teng Qingshan and the Gale Eagle into the palace.

It was the same courtyard where he had first met the Cloud Dream War God. The War God sat, engrossed in reading a book. “Qingshan has arrived.” The Cloud Dream War God smiled, placing the book on the low table before him. “Haha, it seems you’ve found the Cloud Dream White Fruit, Qingshan. Having a flying demonic beast certainly speeds things up; if it were me searching, it might take a year or more to find it.”

Teng Qingshan and Mu Wang approached. “It’s true that I found it. However…” Teng Qingshan shook his head. The Cloud Dream War God’s heart sank slightly, and he asked with concern, “What is the matter?” “I did find the Cloud Dream White Fruit, but it hasn’t ripened yet; its skin is still blue-green,” Teng Qingshan sighed. “What?” The Cloud Dream War God was slightly startled. “It’s fine,” the War God laughed quickly. “At worst, we can wait a few years before harvesting.”

Teng Qingshan felt a twinge of unwillingness. Wait several years? According to his plan, once he cultivated to the Void Realm, he intended to return to the Nine Provinces mainland! If he reached the Void Realm and the fruit still wasn't ripe, that would be a major problem. Teng Qingshan didn't know the growth cycle of the Cloud Dream White Fruit. Some spiritual fruits might take decades, even centuries, to mature. Others, only a few months. “Wait several years?” Teng Qingshan frowned. “Brother Teng, how large was the Cloud Dream White Fruit you saw?” Mu Wang interjected. “Was it the size of a wine cup? Or about half a fist?” “It was close to the size of a fist,” Teng Qingshan replied. “It shouldn’t take too long.” “Close to the size of a fist?”

The Cloud Dream War God showed a look of delight. “That means it’s nearing maturity. At most, we should only need to wait about half a year.” “At most half a year?” Teng Qingshan breathed a sigh of relief. No matter how arrogant he was, Teng Qingshan didn't believe he could reach the Void Realm within six months. “Haha…”

The Cloud Dream War God rose with a laugh. “Qingshan, you have done me a great service. Immediately, you will take me to Cloud Dream Marsh to see this Cloud Dream White Fruit! Of course, I stand by my word! After I see the fruit, I will lend you the stone carvings of the ‘Thirty-Six Styles of Mountain Splitting,’ personally sculpted by the Divine Ax God ‘Yu’—all six pieces collected by my Mu family.” “Congratulations, Brother Teng,” the Grand Elder Mu Wang chimed in cheerfully.

A joy bloomed in Teng Qingshan’s heart. Six stone carvings? One piece had already brought him immense progress; perhaps these six carvings could help him fully step into the Void Realm!