To comprehend all laws and attain immortality

Azure light flowed freely within the Li Huo Hall, originating from a small umbrella in Gu Fan's palm.

This umbrella is called the Azure Cloud Covering Umbrella. When it is not open, it is only seven inches long. The handle is made of Frost-Free Azure Jade, and a pigeon-egg-sized Azure Glass Bead is inlaid at the top. Inside the bead, there seems to be flowing clouds surging and faintly glowing.

The umbrella ribs are made of sandalwood, as thin as bamboo strips yet stronger than steel. When closed, they fit snugly against the handle, revealing only a very faint cloud-patterned border around the edge of the umbrella surface.

The umbrella is made of brocade silk, the color of which is like the blue clouds after the morning mist has just dissipated. Upon closer inspection, you can see the fine flowing cloud patterns. When still, it looks like clouds hanging from the sky, and when in motion, it seems as if a gentle breeze is blowing. It exudes an ethereal aura but cannot hide its elegance.

Inside the magic weapon, fifteen layers of restrictions were stacked, showcasing the profound power of a mid-grade magic weapon.

Gu Fan slowly infused a wisp of magic power into the Azure Cloud Covering Umbrella, which suddenly slipped from his hand and spun in the air in a shallow arc.

The moment the umbrella unfolded, a pale blue light poured down, like clouds and mist, and the cascading veil of light fluttered gently.

Gu Fan stood under the umbrella, exuding both the elegant and handsome air of an immortal descending to earth and the defensive presence of a mountain as steady as Mount Tai, displaying an otherworldly and noble demeanor.

A moment later, Gu Fan put away the Azure Cloud Covering Umbrella and held it in his palm, playing with it carefully.

Because of the battle in Black Wind Valley, Gu Fan made the Azure Cloud Covering Umbrella more complex when carving the restrictions, so that it could deal with a variety of situations.

The azure aura can not only block attacks from magical treasures, but also prevent the intrusion of divine sense. It can even open the umbrella and emit a suction force to trap and capture enemies, or be used as a spirit beast pouch.

Unfortunately, top-grade spiritual materials are hard to find, and despite all efforts, they can only forge them into mid-grade magic weapons.

"Well, nothing can go perfectly."

Gu Fan sighed and walked out of the Li Huo Hall.

As soon as Gu Fan opened the door of the Li Huo Palace, he saw a small mountain that blocked out the sunlight and cast a shadow over the Li Huo Palace.

"Um?"

Gu Fan was taken aback, and upon closer inspection, he realized that the small hill was actually a gourd.

Hulu was fast asleep, his body rising and falling with his breath, his snores sounding like rolling thunder. If it weren't for the Fire Palace's ability to block out noise, Gu Fan probably would have heard it while he was refining the weapon.

Not far away, many disciples seemed unsurprised by the gourd's sleeping state and flew around it in their escape light.

"What's wrong with the gourd?"

Gu Fan looked at a side hall next to the Li Huo Hall.

Sensing that Gu Fan had emerged from seclusion, Chang Yuan and Xiao Hei crawled out from within.

Chang Yuan snorted and said, "So you're about to advance to the next level."

Gu Fan suddenly realized.

Chang Yuan was also very sleepy before advancing to the next level. Later, Gu Fan consulted the ancient books and learned that it was because the spirit beast was gathering the essence and magic power in its body, and the demon core was formed in the process.

The longer a spirit beast sleeps, the deeper its spiritual essence is considered to be.

After realizing what was happening, Gu Fan asked happily, "How many days has the gourd been asleep?"

"Three days."

Gu Fan nodded, not disturbing the gourd, letting it become a scenic view in Falling Phoenix Valley.

To his surprise, Hulu slept for five years.

Five years later.

Gu Fan was sitting cross-legged in the Li Huo Hall, his eyes slightly closed, holding a jade disc in his hand, carving it little by little with his divine sense.

The palace doors were not closed, and a spring breeze blew in, ruffling Gu Fan's hair.

Just then, a loud rumble of thunder suddenly came from beyond the sky.

Is it going to rain?

The thunder woke Gu Fan, but then he saw the small hill outside the Li Huo Palace tremble. The gourd slowly got up, rubbed its eyes with its two short hands, stretched its muscles and bones, and stared blankly at the gray clouds in the sky, as if it was not fully awake yet.

"No, it's a heavenly tribulation!"

Gu Fan immediately realized what was happening, and darted out of the hall, shouting, "Hulu, hurry up and come out with me!"

Unlike the Lingxiao Sect, Luofeng Valley is different. Even if Gu Fan breaks the formation, the heavenly tribulation will inevitably damage the arrangements in the valley. Therefore, Gu Fan needs to take the gourd outside Luofeng Valley to undergo the tribulation.

The gourd lowered its head, saw Gu Fan's figure, and immediately grinned. It nodded, and its body suddenly shrank, turning into a streak of green light that rushed onto Gu Fan's shoulder.

Gu Fan didn't have time to comfort it, and dragged his afterimage straight out of Falling Phoenix Valley.

The calamity clouds in the sky seemed to be blown by the wind, and moved slowly along with Gu Fan.

A moment later, two hundred miles away from Fallen Phoenix Valley.

The gourd looked up at the increasingly dense tribulation clouds, its large eyes filled with apprehension.

Turning his head to look into the distance, he saw Gu Fan waiting on a nearby cliff.

Then, Hulu took a deep breath, and the unease in his eyes slowly dissipated, turning into determination.

Although Gu Fan didn't say it, the gourd knew that it hadn't fought alongside Gu Fan for a long time.

At the second stage, it could still help Gu Fan, but it could no longer intervene in the battles of Golden Core cultivators, allowing Chang Yuan to dominate instead.

This is something the gourd doesn't want to see.

"I am my master's most reliable spirit beast!"

With this thought in mind, the gourd raised its head and roared at the tribulation clouds.

The tribulation clouds seemed to be enraged, and a bolt of purple lightning as thick as a bucket crashed down.

At this moment, the gourd's body had grown to fifteen zhang (approximately 33 meters), and any movement it made could cause the surrounding earth to tremble.

The lightning struck the gourd's head precisely, instantly turning its mane black.

The gourd cried out in pain, its eyes filled with anger.

But the tribulation lightning showed no mercy, striking one after another, tearing through the blue scales and leaving wounds on the gourd's body.

In no time, the gourd was covered in burns, with charred marks all over.

This massive heavenly tribulation, though slightly weaker than the one Chang Yuan faced, was still extremely limited.

Although the gourd did not have a primordial chaos embryo, its physical body was forged by Gu Fan using the Linglong Wood Heart, Changyuan's essence blood, and the Fire Scale Horn Lamp spiritual material. In comparison, its original Wind Breath Rat bloodline was more like a blank canvas that could be painted on at will.

To this day, the gourd has not fully developed the potential of this body.

Just then, a streak of light came from afar and stopped at the outer edge of the tribulation clouds.

Gu Fan looked around and saw that the person who had come was Cai Xuan.

"Fellow Daoist, it's been a long time." Gu Fan stepped forward and greeted him.

Cai Xuan smiled and nodded, replying, "I was patrolling the area around the Wilderness Mountain when I saw the tribulation clouds and rushed over. It turns out that the gourd is undergoing tribulation. Congratulations, fellow Daoist, on gaining the assistance of a third-tier spirit beast and further enhancing your strength."

Cai Xuan had seen the gourd when she was in the Abyss of Fallen Souls and was deeply impressed by its cute appearance.

Gu Fan glanced at the empty space beside Cai Xuan and sighed, "Has Fellow Daoist ever considered... raising another spirit beast?"

Cai Xuan once raised a lynx spirit beast, but it died in battle. Over the years, she never raised a new spirit beast.

Cai Xuan's eyes flickered for a moment, and she slowly shook her head.

"I already understand Master Taifeng's temperament, so there's no need to raise any more spirit beasts."

Gu Fan blinked, but said nothing more.

As the last bolt of lightning struck, Gu Fan rushed over immediately.

The spot where the gourd originally stood has turned into a deep pit, with a gray cloud of dust at the bottom, caused by the scales that fell off the gourd and were scorched by the lightning.

Gu Fan waved his sleeve, creating a gust of wind that swept away the ashes.

At the bottom of the pit, the gourd had shrunk to less than two feet in size, resembling a newborn puppy, lying on the ground with its eyes closed, its blue scales completely gone. The flesh and blood were covered by a charred shell.

The mane on its head was singed, only the two crimson horns seemed to be more vibrant.

Gu Fan stepped forward and held it in his arms, feeling the intense vitality beneath its charred exterior before he felt relieved.

"Since the gourd has just survived its tribulation, I will take it back to recuperate first, and visit you again later."

Gu Fan turned around and said.

Cai Xuan waved his hand: "Fellow Daoist, please go ahead."

As Gu Fan flew away in his escape light, a hint of sadness quietly appeared in Cai Xuan's eyes.