A life of leisure is worse than a life of flowers and splendour

Wushuang had been using his spiritual sense to explore the surroundings, fearing that he would be ambushed like the others before and end up as corpses. When a person is alive, what he gains is his own; if he dies, there is nothing left.

The woods, where he'd expected to find treasure, were completely silent. Not even a bird or insect was around, let alone a cultivator. It was a stark contrast to what he'd seen outside. Wushuang surveyed his surroundings, the more he looked, the more he felt something was amiss. Something unusual must be wrong. He prepared to return the way he'd come, but when he turned around, the path he'd taken was nowhere to be found. Had he entered an illusion? It didn't look very advanced, though.

Wushuang had no choice but to calm down and use his limited knowledge of formations to try to find the flaws in the formation.

By this time, people had begun to descend from the abyss. Unaware of its depth, they were all carrying ordinary climbing ropes and various improvised equipment. Some had even crafted hang gliders and parachute-like devices. Whether they worked was unknown, but they were certainly useful. Although spirits were forbidden, they were all monks, and generally speaking, they wouldn't die if they fell.

After many cautious attempts, a considerable number of people finally succeeded in descending to the mysterious and unknown realm below. However, what was surprising and confusing was that the information they fed back was so different and varied!

Some of them landed on the top of a lush mountain, surrounded by clouds and mist, as if they were in a fairyland; some others unfortunately fell into the turbulent sea, and were beaten by the endless waves, and were in danger of their lives at any time; some people fell directly into the depths of the vast desert, with golden sand dunes all around and the scorching sun baking them mercilessly; some people fell on a rocky mountain, with steep and dangerous cliffs under their feet, and they would be crushed to pieces if they were not careful; and another part of people fell to the top of a snow-capped mountain, and the biting cold wind blew across their faces like a knife, and it was extremely cold.

Even more bizarre was the fact that many people, seemingly on their way down, had inexplicably vanished without a trace. Of those who had successfully landed, some found themselves in areas filled with a rich spiritual energy, leaving a sense of well-being and invigoration; others, however, were devoid of any spiritual energy, utterly silent. Some even found their resting places completely sealed off from the elements, rendering any spells or magical powers useless. Most terrifying of all, some found themselves in areas completely sealed off, with even their essential storage devices rendered useless, making it impossible to access their contents.

Each of the disciples who followed prepared several large sacks filled with supplies. They also carried their magic weapons with them instead of storing them in the storage space. If they encountered a blocked area, these things would ensure they wouldn't starve or freeze to death, and they could also provide support if they encountered fellow disciples.

Wushuang carefully observed her surroundings, her eyes as sharp as a hawk's. After a lot of searching and careful calculation, she finally found a seemingly flawed spot, which was most likely the center of the formation.

She took a deep breath, quickly formed seals with her hands, and muttered something. In an instant, a ball of blazing flame condensed in her hands. With a wave of her arm, a powerful blast of flame roared out, bombarding the suspected center of the formation!

With a resounding "boom," the scenery before him shook violently, as if the entire world was about to be overturned. Then, like ripples in water, the previously clear images gradually blurred, eventually vanishing completely. In their place, a truly beautiful mountain and forest scene unfolded before Wushuang.

Wushuang looked closely and found himself in a tranquil valley. Lush trees and green grass covered the valley, and colorful flowers vying for attention, exuding a captivating fragrance. Birds sang cheerfully from the branches, their clear, melodious voices echoing through the valley like the sounds of nature. Even more surprising was the exceptionally rich spiritual energy here. The fresh air, laced with wisps of spiritual energy, penetrated Wushuang's nostrils, leaving him feeling incredibly refreshed. It truly felt like a fairyland.

Recalling the feeling she had once had in that spiritually-depleted place, Wushuang couldn't help but feel a lingering fear. Back then, she'd always felt a tightness in her chest, even her breathing had become somewhat difficult, as if she were enveloped by an invisible pressure, feeling extremely uncomfortable. Now that she could once again feel this abundant spiritual energy, Wushuang's joy was simply indescribable.

Not far away, a fiery red fox was peeking out. A red fox, or rather a phantom fox, no wonder there was a formation here. It was so frightening that he set up a formation right away, fearing that he would find someone else's way like the others before him.

The little fox was still young and not very advanced, so the illusion was a bit crude, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to see through it so easily and break it. Creating illusions was a magical power of the fox, but this illusion was also like an ordinary formation, with its key points, which could be broken by the method of breaking the formation.

There were many spiritual plants in this valley. Wushuang had no time to worry about the little fox and began to concentrate on collecting them. If he found one that he didn't have, he would transplant it to his portable medicine garden. The medicine garden was no longer the same as before. It had expanded more than a hundred times and could grow many more spiritual plants. He no longer had to worry about running out of space. Although it did consume a lot of his own earth and wood essence, the concentration of spiritual energy in the space was also extremely high, and the vitality was extremely strong. Any spiritual plant he planted would thrive, except for those that grew in extreme cold or heat.

Wushuang was completely absorbed in digging for the spiritual plant, yet her spiritual awareness never relaxed, ever vigilantly monitoring her surroundings, especially the mysterious little fox. The little fox crouched quietly not far away, its bright eyes curiously gazing at Wushuang, as if exploring some secret. As time passed, the distance between the little fox and Wushuang gradually closed, unnoticed.

At that moment, a dazzling red shadow darted past like lightning. Its speed was beyond imagination! She was startled and instantly entered a state of high alert. Without hesitation, she activated her defensive equipment and quickly erected a sturdy protective shield.

However, what shocked Wushuang was that this seemingly indestructible shield was unable to stop the red shadow's impact. In the blink of an eye, the red shadow penetrated the shield like a ghost and rushed towards Wushuang.

Wushuang felt a flash of light before her eyes, and a slight stinging sensation in her hand. She looked closely and saw that the red figure had gently bitten a tiny wound on the back of her hand, then quickly sucked a few drops of blood before vanishing like the wind.

Wushuang looked at the direction where the red shadow left, and secretly rejoiced in her heart: "Fortunately, this guy is not here to take my life, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable..." Thinking of this, she couldn't help but touch the back of her hand that had just been bitten, and became thoughtful.

Yet, at that moment, a mysterious and subtle connection suddenly emerged within her consciousness! It was as if an invisible force had quietly descended, tightly connecting her to some unknown entity. Could this be the legendary contract? It had miraculously appeared in the depths of her consciousness! This sudden change surprised and delighted her, filling her with curiosity and anticipation.

"Master, you have the scent of our fox clan!" This voice was so cute that Wushuang's heart softened and she wanted to hug and kiss her. She stretched out her hand, and the little fox jumped up on her. Wushuang kissed the cute, furry little fox twice. The little fox was really small, only the size of her palm, very light, and seemed to weigh very little in her hand.

Alas, I wanted a mighty and majestic pet that can fight and travel, but I ended up getting this little thing. Apart from its immature illusion, it's just cute.

"No, Master, I'm also very powerful. I'm the Thousand-Faced Illusion Fox. I'm just small, but I can be used for transportation and fighting. I can grow bigger. Ordinary third-level monsters can't beat me!"

He leaped down and instantly transformed into the size of a calf. Wow, that's a lot more majestic and domineering! Wait, the Thousand-Faced Fox! Wushuang's eyes lit up. This is the legendary Thousand-Faced Fox! As an adult, it's not only incredibly powerful, but also possesses a myriad of transformative abilities.

She excitedly picked up the little fox and stroked its fur affectionately.

"Then you'll be called Xiaoli from now on!"

Xiaoli rubbed Wushuang's hand happily with his head.

"Master, I have some treasures here. I'll take you there to get them!"

Wushuang followed the little fox to a cave, and the little fox gestured for her to go in. Inside the cave was a hidden gem, filled with all sorts of precious elixirs and magical treasures, as well as storage bags, rings, bracelets, and belts. Wushuang's eyes widened; the value of these treasures was inestimable.

The little fox said proudly: "These are my savings over the years, and now I give them to my master!" Wushuang was very grateful. She found that the little fox was not only cute, but also a treasure fox who collected treasures.

With their bountiful harvest, Wushuang and the little fox left the cave. Next, they came upon a huge tree. Beneath the tree was a hollow, densely packed with fresh golden mushrooms. These were also considered a top-tier delicacy, incredibly delicious and nourishing to the meridians.

Picking them individually? How could that be possible? Wushuang simply transplanted the entire tree into the herb garden. Haha, how much easier that is! He even removed the nest.

The little fox was stunned. How could the owner of such a big tree just take it away? The owner was so powerful. He was worthy of being the owner he had chosen!