Xiaoxiao.

It is worth mentioning that although Zhu Xian himself only had the cultivation level of the Golden Core stage, he was able to forcibly extract the spiritual energy of Lu Chunyang and others who were also at the Golden Core stage. The reason for this was that he had planted an extremely subtle and hidden divine consciousness in the bodies of the Vermilion Fruits that these people had absorbed.

With this mysterious and unpredictable divine sense, Zhu Xian was able to remain undefeated in this battle.

However, to his sorrow, the twin Vermilion Fruits should have each contained a wisp of the Vermilion Fruit King's divine consciousness.

However, for some unknown reason, when Kuang Zheng caught them and handed them over to Wu Ren and Ying Yue to absorb, the two strands of divine consciousness that were originally hidden within them inexplicably escaped on their own and disappeared without a trace.

In reality, the reason they act this way is entirely due to the deterrent effect of the incredibly powerful spiritual force that is being rectified.

Upon sensing that soul-shaking power, they instinctively felt danger.

Therefore, they chose to flee immediately, as seeking advantage and avoiding harm is an animal's nature.

However, Kuang Zheng and the others were completely unaware of this.

Even now, they are still kept in the dark.

Time flies, and even though so much time has passed, they still firmly believe that a battle with the King of Vermilion Fruit is inevitable.

Little did they know, the King of Vermilion Fruit was the most wronged one!

Back then, the two precious strands of divine consciousness it left inside the twin vermilion fruits inexplicably and without warning returned to its own body, but the two vermilion fruits disappeared without a trace.

This situation is just like a fishing enthusiast who has spent a lot of time and energy painstakingly preparing a mysterious bait specifically for catching huge fish.

Just as he cast his fishing rod into the water with great anticipation, he suddenly noticed the float sink to the bottom – it had gone black!

Upon seeing this, the excited fisherman immediately and without hesitation lifted his fishing rod with force.

Hey!

You know what, this fishing rod feels incredibly heavy, as if it has the strength of a thousand pounds, and it's impossible to budge it even a fraction.

Without a doubt, this was a huge fish that had taken the bait!

At this moment, the fisherman's joy was palpable. He mustered all his strength and swiftly reeled in the fishing line with lightning speed.

Even more surprisingly, the so-called "giant" was unusually cooperative. Instead of desperately trying to escape into the depths of the river, it slowly approached the riverbank little by little, following the tightening of the fishing line.

Finally, the most thrilling and exciting moment has arrived!

The unusual noise also drew the attention of other anglers nearby, who gathered around to watch the exciting scene that was about to reveal the mystery...

Everyone held their breath, staring intently at the river, waiting with bated breath for the decisive final moment to arrive.

The experienced angler gripped his fishing rod tightly, his sharp eyes fixed on the float, not missing a single slight movement.

He secretly figured the time was ripe.

In the blink of an eye, the fisherman flicked his wrist and suddenly pulled the fishing rod upwards.

However, at that very moment, he suddenly felt the pole in his hand become light and airy, as if it had lost all its weight.

The angler was startled and exclaimed, "Oh no!" His first thought was that the fishing line had been cut, but when he calmed down and looked closely, he was surprised to find that the hook was intact, except that the bait that had been on it had disappeared without a trace, completely eaten.

Just as the fisherman was puzzled, a ripple suddenly appeared on the calm water, and then a huge creature slowly emerged from the water.

To everyone's disappointment, the big guy didn't actually bite the hook; it was clear he was just playing a trick on the poor fisherman.

What's even more surprising is that it even leisurely opened and closed its mouth, breathing in the fresh air in large gulps, as if it were intentionally showing off to the fisherman.

It looked so smug that it practically begged for a beating; all it did was spin around in place.

It seems that this cunning behemoth has had enough of this cat-and-mouse game.

It disdainfully raised its enormous tail fin, which resembled a palm leaf fan, and slapped the water's surface forcefully, splashing several high sprays of water.

The splashes of water, like strings of sparkling pearls, not only soaked the angler's entire body but also drew a burst of laughter from the other anglers around him.

The feelings of the Vermilion Fruit King when he sensed the two strands of divine consciousness planted in the twin Vermilion Fruits suddenly returning to his body were remarkably similar to those of the unfortunate fisherman, filled with loss, helplessness, and unspeakable sorrow.

However, as the saying goes, Heaven is fair. Just when King Zhu Guo had completely given up hope, the wheel of fate began to turn quietly.

A wisp of divine consciousness, detached from the body, wandered leisurely within its vast and boundless territory, like a ghost.

During this routine patrol, an unexpected situation occurred.

This wisp of divine consciousness unexpectedly encountered Kuang Zheng, Wu Ren, and Ying Yue!

In an instant, the rich aura of Vermilion Fruit emanating from Wu Ren and Ying Yue was like a dazzling light, instantly penetrating the Vermilion Fruit King's senses.

Zhu Xian was overjoyed and could hardly believe his good fortune.

This is exactly what they mean by "searching high and low without finding it, only to have it come to you effortlessly"! These two actually delivered themselves right to our doorstep.

At this moment, the only thought in the mind of the Vermilion Fruit King was to capture them quickly, then replant a wisp of his own divine consciousness in them, bring them to the Vermilion Fruit Garden to cultivate them vigorously, and make them work for him as soon as possible.

Therefore, Zhu Xian launched an offensive without hesitation, eagerly anticipating the victory that was about to be in his hands.

However, to his utter surprise, just when the cooked duck was about to be in his mouth, it suddenly flew away at the last crucial moment!

The sense of loss and depression was simply indescribable.

He hadn't expected that an ant at the mere second level would possess such abnormal mental power, and what was originally a sure thing suddenly turned into nothing.

Since the consciousness within the twin Vermilion Fruits had long since returned to its original form, Zhu Xian was completely unaware of the whereabouts of Kuang Zheng and the others.

Anger erupted like a volcano, and King Zhu Guo was furious, causing the entire Zhu Guo King's palace to tremble.

Enraged, he gave the order, and Noguchi Rei mobilized almost all his forces to launch a massive manhunt.

These things are being carried out at a rapid pace, but Ying Yue, who is fully recovering, is completely unaware of them, as is Wu Ren, who is also racing against time to repair himself.

At this moment, both of them were focused on restoring their strength and healing their injuries.

From the moment they encountered the King of Vermilion Fruit, the situation became unprecedentedly critical, and a monstrous storm was about to sweep in.

Clearly, the Vermilion Fruit King would not easily let go of this "fat piece of meat" that he had been coveting for so long.

The willow branch that he planted unintentionally unexpectedly grew into a towering tree, something he would never give up on.

Therefore, even if they were to escape by sheer luck, King Zhu Guo would certainly issue a bounty on their head.

At that time, they will not only have to guard against the sudden arrival of a top-level expert in the Nascent Soul Realm, but also face the encirclement and interception of wild beasts all over the mountains and plains.

Indeed, Zhu Xian issued a bounty immediately, and the entire wilderness was in an uproar.

Keep in mind that this is a bounty issued by the Vermilion Fruit King, one of the three great lords. Once the mission is completed, need I say more about the benefits?

Although the bounty order requires that one's strength must at least reach the second level, which is the human enlightenment stage, only those who have reached the second level can refine the transverse bone in their throat and thus speak human language.

But is this really a requirement for a land teeming with wild beasts and where level two monsters are as common as dogs?

Today, the ancient wilderness that has stretched across the planet Penglai for countless years has once again revealed its ferocious and terrifying face like a lurking beast...

In an instant, troops were being assembled in various places, and wild beasts could be seen everywhere.

Faced with such a perilous situation with powerful enemies all around, can Kuang Zheng and his men escape alive?