The Aloof Immortal Venerable is Pregnant with My Fox Cub - Chapter 80

Chapter 80

The mushroom cap, struck by the pebble launched with Cang Ran’s inner strength, immediately expelled a large cloud of white, misty spores. These spores were light and thin, and a gust of slanted wind carried them directly onto the ground, where traces of morning frost still lingered.

Golden beams of light pierced through the spores in the gloomy forest, looking brilliant and dazzling. Where the light spots landed, a flowing secret realm entrance was revealed on the ground.

Its color was earthy yellow, almost blending in with the surrounding environment, and it was extremely similar to a quicksand trap. Because it was covered in a large amount of spore powder, it became noticeably clearer.

The reason they couldn’t find this secret realm before was that the slight spiritual energy radiating from the secret realm’s entrance was quickly absorbed by the dense cluster of yellow mushrooms directly above it.

This clump of mushrooms had grown well and vigorously, several sizes larger than the others. Cang Ran guessed that Yun Muyu must have intended to pick the large mushroom and was instantly sucked into the flowing secret realm.

Is this the luck of the original novel’s protagonist? To be sucked into a secret realm just by casually picking a mushroom.

Shen Yunyan quickly said, “That must be the flowing secret realm we’ve been looking for. Was Muyu sucked in? How did Senior find it?”

Cang Ran pointed to her nose, “By smell. The scent on each of your human bodies is different. If you ever face pursuit from demon cultivators, you can use a scent similar to grass and trees to conceal yourselves, and the demon cultivators won’t be able to track you down.”

Shen Yunyan nodded, “I see. Thank you for the teaching.”

Cang Ran looked at Tan Qingxuan, “Let’s go find Muyu together now. The Divine Wood Essence and Profound Ice Spirit Marrow we need should be inside.”

Tan Qingxuan nodded slightly, “Let’s go.”

Lin Mingyue asked, “Venerable, what about the capybaras?”

Tan Qingxuan, “The capybaras were expelled by the secret realm before and likely can’t go back in. Let them stay outside. We’ll have them come over when we exit the secret realm.”

Shen Yunyan took out a small, bird-shaped wooden whistle, “I have this. I’ll communicate with them. If I blow the whistle, they can come and pick us up.”

Cang Ran casually picked up the mushrooms on the ground, “Since everything is arranged, let’s all go. The Venerable and I will enter first.”

Cang Ran and Tan Qingxuan stood together at the secret realm entrance. The ground felt like stepping on a smooth mirror, completely different from the feeling of stepping on quicksand earlier. Soon, Cang Ran felt a familiar, powerful suction pull them into the secret realm.

The scenery instantly changed. They felt as if they were falling from ten thousand miles up, accompanied by an intense sense of weightlessness.

Cang Ran saw a vast, emerald-green lake directly below. She quickly transformed into a fiery red giant fox, carrying Tan Qingxuan on her back and wrapping her five large, fluffy tails around Tan Qingxuan.

With a splash, the big fox fell into the lake. The fox’s body and all four paws were soaked in water. The lake water here seemed very deep.

Fortunately, she protected Tan Qingxuan well, keeping her from getting splashed by the icy water. Otherwise, the intense heat from the little fox cub combined with the extreme cold from the lake would surely make Tan Qingxuan ill.

Cang Ran looked at the endless lake surface. There was nothing around. The whole fox was stunned.

She knew it! Just like the last time in the Divine Sword Tomb secret realm, she never got directly transported to the correct location through the secret realm entrance.

In front of her wife and child, she had to be confident and not lose heart! She would definitely take Qingqing out!

Cang Ran turned her head and said to Tan Qingxuan, “Qingqing, we can’t use our spiritual power here. I’ll carry you out of this lake. Don’t go down; the water here is very cold. I wonder where the others landed.”

“They might have fallen in other places.” Tan Qingxuan stroked the fluffy fox head. She took out a Bigu Pill from her sleeve and fed it to Cang Ran’s fox mouth, “I heard your stomach rumble just now. Eat some Bigu Pill before we go.”

Cang Ran was about to say she didn’t eat Bigu Pills, but after chewing a couple of times, she found that the taste was different from what Tan Qingxuan used to give her. It had a rabbit meat flavor, like an improved version, and it wasn’t as choking as the Bigu Pills she used to spit out after one bite.

Feeling a bit like a small pet being fed, Cang Ran rubbed her head against Tan Qingxuan’s palm, “This Bigu Pill seems to taste better than before, but you and the baby can’t just eat this. I’ll cook for you as soon as I get out of the lake.”

A hint of a smile spread in Tan Qingxuan’s eyes, “This Bigu Pill was specially made for you. Before, when you wrote to me complaining about having no meat to eat and refusing Bigu Pills, I had someone improve the flavor. The child and I are not hungry yet. This lake has a unique history. Don’t be impatient.”

Cang Ran looked down at the lake water again. The emerald green lake water was very clear, reflecting her and Tan Qingxuan’s shadows. She stirred the water with her four paws, shattering the reflection.

She asked, confused, “What’s special about this lake? It looks endless. I wonder how far we have to swim to reach the shore.”

Tan Qingxuan cupped a little of the clear lake water with her bare hand, only causing a slight ripple, “Spiritual energy cannot be used in this secret realm. This lake is a place where cultivators can temper their minds (liàn xīn). The lake surface will display illusions. What you see as endless water is actually not.”

Cang Ran was a little puzzled, “Qingqing, is what you see different from what I see?”

Tan Qingxuan nodded slightly, “Mm. Try to break through the illusion yourself. If you can break through your mental state, your cultivation can also advance.”

She had been cultivating for eight hundred years and had encountered countless similar illusions. She could break through it in just a few breaths.

The scene she saw was different from Cang Ran’s. They were not far from the shore. Given the fox’s size, it would only take the time needed to burn one stick of incense to swim directly across.

However, Cang Ran hadn’t experienced many illusions. This was also an opportunity for her to gain experience.

Many people encounter a lake like this and see the desperation they can never forget in their hearts. But Cang Ran saw only endless water, which indicates that her mind is very pure.

Cang Ran listened to Tan Qingxuan saying the shore wasn’t far. Carrying Tan Qingxuan, she started swimming with the dog paddle using her four paws.

Her thought process was simple: as long as she swam in a straight line, she would eventually reach the end.

The big fox was swimming with great vigor in the lake. Tan Qingxuan watched as Cang Ran swam in the correct direction. She raised an eyebrow, thinking Cang Ran had indeed improved quite a bit since her last solo trip to a secret realm.

Just as she was nearing the shore, the fox suddenly gave a forceful kick with its two hind paws, making a sharp turn and swimming back toward the center of the lake.

Tan Qingxuan had no choice but to lift Cang Ran by her two thick fox ears and ask helplessly, “Where are you going?”

Cang Ran didn’t realize she had unintentionally turned, and answered earnestly, “I’m swimming towards the shore! I’ve been swimming for a long time. The lake can’t be this wide! I’ll definitely reach it before dark!”

Tan Qingxuan chuckled, “Why don’t you swim two more laps?”

Cang Ran realized Tan Qingxuan’s laugh was unusual. Tan Qingxuan is truly mischievously subtle.

She couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong? You’re laughing strangely. I’m going to get angry!”

The little fox was small but had a quick temper. Tan Qingxuan squeezed her fox ears again and said softly, “You reached the shore just now, but you turned back yourself.”

Cang Ran’s glazed eyes widened, “Why didn’t you tell me? I could have gotten ashore directly!”

Tan Qingxuan said gently, “If I told you, it wouldn’t count as breaking through the mental state yourself. Even if you got ashore, you would still feel like you were in the illusory lake water.”

Cang Ran’s expression instantly became wronged, “Are you willing to let me swim around in circles here? I’m just a delicate and helpless little fox!”

Tan Qingxuan looked at the big fox’s strong physique and the bulging muscle shapes on her four paws. She felt very stable sitting on her. Moreover, most demon cultivators practice body refining, and the fox’s body was even better refined after learning the sword. She was truly not very related to “delicate and helpless.”

Tan Qingxuan knew the fox was being flirtatious. She curved her eyes and lightly kissed Cang Ran’s fox ear, saying, “There are too many external distractions. Close your eyes and break through the illusion with your mind.”

Cang Ran was kissed by Tan Qingxuan. Her ears were so hot they felt like they were melting. She was also stroked several times on her back fur. The whole fox was so thoroughly coaxed that she was dizzy with happiness. Hehe, Tan Qingxuan still gave her a hint!

She had been constantly worrying about the child and wondering where the others were. She was too anxious. Now, this illusion seemed to reflect her inner state: the more she rushed to leave the lake, the more entrenched she became.

Cang Ran pushed all distracting thoughts out of her mind and focused only on the lake that confined her. After a long period of calm, she gradually emerged from the confusing, mist-like predicament.

Cang Ran opened her eyes again, and sure enough, the scene before her had changed. It was no longer endless as it had been just moments ago. This time, she saw the opposite shore, just as Tan Qingxuan did, within reach.

She swam to the shore in one go. Her warm paw pads touched the grass, and she felt much more at ease.

Cang Ran’s cultivation realm also showed signs of loosening at this point. She was originally at the sixth stage of the Condensing Soul phase. During the period of dual cultivation with Tan Qingxuan, her cultivation reached the seventh stage of the Condensing Soul phase. She had been working hard on cultivation ever since. She hadn’t expected this breakthrough to be based on breaking through her mental state.

She didn’t plan to break through in the secret realm. If a Heavenly Tribulation descended, she wondered if it would cause the entire secret realm to collapse. So, she decided to wait until after they left and find a barren area to break through. That way, she would also be protecting the environment.

Cang Ran placed Tan Qingxuan down steadily. She had originally wanted to use spiritual energy to dry the fox fur on her body, but found that spiritual energy was unusable here. She had to ask Tan Qingxuan to stand a little further away while she shook the fox fur on her body.

The big fox shook her fur vigorously. The surrounding grass looked as if a summer downpour had fallen.

Cang Ran shook several times but couldn’t completely dry herself. The wet fox fur was very uncomfortable. She picked up a large piece of white soft cloth with her mouth and offered it to Tan Qingxuan, “Qingqing, wipe me.”

A trace of gentle warmth appeared in Tan Qingxuan’s eyes. She took the cloth, intending to wrap the fox in it and hold her close.

Cang Ran realized she was too big now. The largest piece of cotton cloth was like a small towel, only enough to cover half of her fox head. It would be very tiring for Tan Qingxuan to help her wipe so many places.

She shrunk herself down a bit. The large cotton cloth was just enough to wrap around her upper fox body. The entire fox was enveloped in the cloth, leaving only her round eyes exposed. The sunlight shining into them looked like transparent gems, refracting beautiful light.

Seeing that Tan Qingxuan was really about to hold her, Cang Ran remembered something and quickly pushed her away with her paw, “I’ll just wipe myself casually. You are pregnant with the baby now. You can’t hold me; it will tire you out.”

She backed up two steps, spread the comfortable cloth with her arms, and rolled back and forth inside it, like a fiery red fox burrito being packed up.

The fox paw then reached out from the cloth, folding the soft cotton cloth and wiping herself arbitrarily. The absorbent cotton cloth roughly wiped her fur. Some wet spots were missed but quickly put away by the fox.

Tan Qingxuan looked at Cang Ran, who couldn’t even take care of herself well, and said softly again, “Come here. I’ll help you wipe.”

Cang Ran had already put away the cloth. She was so used to acting spoiled around Tan Qingxuan that she forgot Tan Qingxuan was pregnant with the cub. She shouldn’t always rely on Tan Qingxuan to take care of her from now on; she should take good care of Tan Qingxuan.

“That’s enough,” Cang Ran transformed back into her human form. She looked down and wrung the water from her close-fitting skirt a few times with her hands. She said to Tan Qingxuan, “Let’s go find the others and regroup. I wonder if Elder Qu’s communication jade token works?”

Cang Ran took out the jade token and found that there were no messages from anyone else. It seemed the communication token was also ineffective, “It looks like it’s broken. Qingqing, should we look for the Divine Wood Essence and Profound Ice Spirit Marrow first, or should we look for people first?”

Tan Qingxuan nodded slightly, “Let’s go find people first.”

The deeper they walked, the denser the forest became. Everywhere were towering ancient trees, blocking out the sun. Any random tree looked tens of thousands of years old, requiring dozens of people to embrace its trunk.

The ground was covered with wildly growing weeds and flower bushes, full of plants whose names she couldn’t recognize, reaching about knee-height. Various colored ethereal lights floated in the air.

Cang Ran quickly opened the jade slip and found that the divine tree depicted in the slip looked exactly like the trees she was seeing now. She excitedly handed the jade slip to Tan Qingxuan, “Qingqing, these trees look just like the ones drawn in the jade slip. With so many Heavenly Mulberry Divine Woods (tiān sāng shén mù), we’ll definitely find the Divine Wood Essence quickly.”

Heavenly Mulberry Divine Wood is an extremely precious material for refining artifacts. Any single tree here, if sold to a Heaven-grade artifact refiner, would be enough for them to spend spiritual stones without worry at the upcoming auction.

However, since they couldn’t use spells, even if cultivators have great physical stamina, it would take at least three months to saw down a Heavenly Mulberry Divine Wood with a saw. They couldn’t afford to waste that time, as they needed to save their Junior Sister and the child.

Tan Qingxuan looked around and said, “The Divine Wood Essence is the spiritual liquid from the root of the Divine Wood. We must find a ten-thousand-year-old Divine Wood whose trunk is entirely dark green. It just rained here, and all the tree trunks turned black when wet, so it won’t be easy to find.”

Cang Ran nodded, “I’ll use my strange fire to get close to the trees and dry them. If the color changes, it must be a ten-thousand-year-old Heavenly Mulberry Divine Wood.”

Only the ten-thousand-year-old Divine Wood Essence is a golden spiritual liquid. Those less than ten thousand years old only produce a purple spiritual liquid. Although those liquids could improve Song Zhen’s condition, they couldn’t completely cure her. Therefore, they absolutely had to get the ten-thousand-year-old one.

Searching for these Divine Woods would take a lot of time. Cang Ran and Tan Qingxuan, each holding a ball of strange fire, began searching for people and Divine Woods along the way.

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