74: Chapter 74 The mission failed before the target was defeated.

The Cat Eagle was still in a deep sleep; having been nourished by the origin of a Heavenly Immortal, it would be impossible to digest such vast and pure energy in a short time.

However, Ancestor Que possessed the creation-tier immortal item known as the Green Lotus during her lifetime. She excelled in the Power of Creation and possessed unpredictable methods, storing the vast majority of her origin within the Cat Eagle's body. Over time, the Cat Eagle's aptitude would slowly increase until it fully digested all that energy.

"Roar~" (It's already an Earthly Immortal.)

Lu Hu observed the Cat Eagle's state; the colors of its fur were changing, and its body seemed to be surrounded by a faint spiritual light.

This was Ancestor Que's cultivation technique. When an elemental power is cultivated to a certain level, it condenses into a protective immortal light. Not only does it have infinite uses, but it also looks high-class; shrouded in immortal light, one appears sacred and mysterious.

Ancestor Que was like this; even in death, her skeletal remains still shimmered with rays of brilliant immortal light. If it weren't for the fear that the light would harm the Cat Eagle, and Ancestor Que actively disabling the light's offensive capabilities, Lu Hu wouldn't have been able to get near her remains earlier.

Having received Ancestor Que's complete inheritance, the Cat Eagle had already begun subconsciously cultivating the protective immortal light while asleep. It had currently achieved minor mastery, and its cultivation had easily stepped into the Earthly Immortal realm without any obstacles.

"Roar~" (It won't wake up for at least two or three days.)

After confirming the Cat Eagle's state, Lu Hu walked out of the cave-dwelling. He had stayed inside for a full day. The Dragon Li and the Owl had returned long ago, but during Ancestor Que's transmission of power, the Creation Cave-Dwelling had automatically activated its defenses, barring the two beasts—who had lived there for over two hundred years—at the entrance.

After Lu Hu came out, the light at the entrance dimmed slightly. The Owl and the Dragon Li hurriedly poked their heads inside, seeing the Cat Eagle lying on the Tianduan Sandbox covered in various lights. Fortunately, they could tell the Cat Eagle was merely in a deep sleep.

The two beasts breathed a sigh of relief, and the Owl asked,

"Great King, what happened to my son?"

"Roar~" (He's my son.) The Dragon Li countered. Seeing that the son was fine, it resumed its daily squabble with the Owl over the ownership of their son.

"Roar~" (He's fine, doing great. He's already an Earthly Immortal.)

Lu Hu explained the Cat Eagle's condition, and the Owl and Dragon Li both started grinning foolishly upon hearing it.

Lu Hu then looked toward the mountain forest barely three kilometers away, which was where he had emerged from the underground space.

As for the corpses of the three demons, those were a hundred miles away.

Originally, the Creation Cave-Dwelling was located above the three demons. It must have been that when the Sword God arrived, he fought the three demons underground and broke the cage holding them, eventually slaying them a hundred miles away.

Lu Hu looked toward the blurred Tianduan Mountain a thousand miles away.

"Roar~" (So that is the pillar of heaven!)

In Ancestor Que's memories, this place was originally an endless range of mountains, one after another. Then the pillar of heaven fell from the sky, splitting the endless mountains in two.

The Tianduan Mountains were indeed two different worlds. With the tallest Tianduan Mountain as the center line, the mountain range connected to it was the very pillar of heaven that had once linked to the Ascension Passage. Now, it had turned into a long, stretching mountain range.

"Roar~" (It shouldn't be.)

Lu Hu murmured. Even if the pillar of heaven lost its core, its essence was composed of countless precious mineral materials; it shouldn't look as ordinary as Tianduan Mountain.

'It's been too long!'

It must be because too much time had passed, and the pillar of heaven had been wrapped in layer after layer of rock, eventually becoming the Tianduan Mountain known to the world today.

If the outer layers were dug away, there should be a massive amount of precious materials inside.

"Roar~" (Better not to dig.)

Lu Hu had no intention of excavating Tianduan Mountain. The original endless mountains were icy all year round and lacked spiritual energy for ten thousand miles; the environment was even harsher than the frozen lands to the north.

It was Tianduan Mountain—no, it was the falling of the pillar of heaven that had changed the environment of the endless mountains.

If he recklessly damaged Tianduan Mountain, there was a slight possibility it might change the climate of the Tianduan Mountains. It wouldn't be worth it if he ruined his perfectly good fertile fields.

The various precious materials inside Tianduan Mountain were alluring, but they still lagged slightly behind the system's farming tasks.

Besides, he couldn't use those materials inside Tianduan anyway, so he might as well leave them be.

'So the Green Lotus originally came from Ancestor Que.'

Lu Hu mused. In Ancestor Que's era, spiritual energy was abundant, and many strange immortal plants were born. Those four Heavenly Immortals all held powerful immortal plants in their hands, and some Earthly Immortals possessed them as well.

Just like Ancestor Que, who held the Green Lotus and the Gourd, or Ancestor Kun's strange grass. In that era, the number of immortal plants born was truly high, but most disappeared from the world due to the Ascension, leaving only a scant few behind.

Unfortunately, Ancestor Que didn't have a strong desire for treasure hunting and only found two types of immortal plants. The first was the Gourd, which she refined into the Seven Great Immortal Gourds, and the second was the Green Lotus, which became her defensive Dharma Treasure.

In the end, the Seven Great Immortal Gourds reverted to their original seeds, while the Green Lotus was completely shattered, and even its creative vitality was extracted by Ancestor Que to nurture the Cat Eagle.

However, this kind of Green Lotus, brimming with the Power of Creation, was itself a miracle. Perhaps its broken rhizomes regained vitality and grew again over time, eventually being discovered by the Medical Immortal.

Now that it had passed into his hands, he would have to cultivate it well and refine it into a Dharma Treasure in the future. Ancestor Que's Green Lotus back then was an extremely powerful defensive treasure.

Thinking about his future plans for the Green Lotus, Lu Hu returned to Tiger King Valley. Lu Qing was currently processing a large amount of medicine. He had been frightened by the plague, and seeing it again made him restless, which in turn made Mo Yun, Tiger Dad, and the others feel worried.

Even the spirit beasts were like this, and the animals in the mountains were all nervous, making the forest go quiet.

"Roar~" (No need to worry, there's no danger.)

Lu Hu reassured everyone. He personally visited the golden rice fields and summoned a large-scale spiritual rain to irrigate and sterilize the area, then tightly sealed all the cracks leading to the underground space.

Seeing this, the animals in the mountains resumed their daily lives.

Three days later, the Cat Eagle woke up with a head of yellow fur and multi-colored wings; the entire cat had become brilliant and colorful. The difference was that because its cultivation wasn't yet proficient, its fur couldn't shine like Ancestor Que's, and with too much undigested origin in its body, it temporarily couldn't control the color of its fur.

"Once I grow the Seven-Color Gourd Seeds, I can wipe out the demons underground!"

Ancestor Que's inheritance had caused the Cat Eagle's strength to skyrocket, and it also clearly understood what the threat underground was.

While preparing a plan to slay the demons, the Cat Eagle was extremely confident. It didn't even want Lu Hu to interfere, intending to solve it personally.

To this end, the Cat Eagle wanted to spar with Lu Hu to familiarize itself with Ancestor Que's inheritance. Lu Hu agreed, as he was also curious about the strength of an Earthly Immortal.

Lu Hu chose a remote spot to exchange moves with the Cat Eagle.

An Earthly Immortal is a step further beyond the mundane. Although the Cat Eagle had inherited Ancestor Que's origin and its constitution far surpassed the mundane, its body size was ultimately too small.

Lu Hu's constitution was soaring every day under the system's techniques and rewards. Aside from the Cat Eagle having a slight advantage in flight, Lu Hu held an absolute advantage in all other aspects.

In terms of physical combat, it was completely crushed by Lu Hu.

Regarding divine abilities, the Cat Eagle had mastered Ancestor Que's spells, using various minor spells with ease. It also had Ancestor Que's ultimate divine ability, the Myriad Spirit Immortal Light, which was also her protective immortal light.

The immortal light could protect the body, strengthen the physical form, assist in cultivation, and could also be attached to weapons to enhance their power. It could even be used as a standalone divine ability; its functions were comprehensive.

It was a very strong divine ability, but unfortunately, perhaps because the Cat Eagle hadn't mastered it skillfully yet, it was easily broken by Lu Hu's Four Methods of Thunder and Lightning.

"Roar~" (Still not proficient.)

Despite the loss, the Cat Eagle was not dejected. Ancestor Que had left it many inheritances, including detailed records of the combat power of many Earthly Immortals.

Although it had just entered the Earthly Immortal realm, its strength was not at the bottom tier. Losing to Lu Hu was because Lu Hu was too eccentric, giving the Cat Eagle an undefinable feeling.

Its strength was already enough to contend with the Centipede Demon among the three great underground demons. After practicing for a while longer, it would be enough to deal with the Scorpion Demon. Once the Seven-Color Gourd Seeds were grown and it held the resulting Dharma Treasures, it would be roughly enough to defeat the strongest Snake Demon.

Thinking of the future battle, the Cat Eagle's blood boiled, and it was already fantasizing about the thrill of fighting a bloody battle in the future.

"Roar~" (By the way, there's something I should tell you.)

Lu Hu pointed underground. "Roar~" (Those three demons died a long time ago.)

???

The Cat Eagle froze, unable to believe its ears.

Dead?

It hadn't even started its grand undertaking, and the ultimate goal was already gone?

...