Start slaying demons from the proficiency panel.

Ning Xiu didn't know why the Demon Buddha would come to such a remote place. None of the tasks he had given him were related to this area. Could it be that he was planning to live in seclusion?

Not long after entering the deep mountains and forests, Ning Xiu heard the sound of water coming from nearby. The noise was quite loud, and it seemed that there was a waterfall nearby.

The location indicated by the evil thought happened to be in the direction from which the sound of water came, so Ning Xiu commanded the dragon to rush over there.

This is a waterfall at least a hundred feet high. The water falls from a great height, crashing against the pool below with a deafening roar.

At this moment, the direction indicated by the evil thought is upward, that is, above the waterfall.

"Can you get up there?" Ning Xiu patted the dragon's head.

With a roar, the dragon leaped into the water and swam swiftly towards the waterfall. Dragons are creatures that prefer to live in water, where they can unleash their full power.

Upon arriving at the waterfall, the dragon immediately climbed the rock face upwards.

The rock face here has been eroded by the waterfall for countless years, making it smooth and slippery, and difficult to climb. However, the dragon's claw can make five holes in the rock face with a single stroke, making rock climbing easy and effortless.

Before long, it had conquered the hundred-foot-high waterfall, easily bringing Ning Xiu to the top of the waterfall.

In the distance, towering peaks rise one after another, their summits pure white—these are all snow-capped mountains. The waterfall's waters flow from the melting snow of those snow-capped peaks.

Upon arriving at this place, Ning Xiu could sense the aura of the Demon Buddha Ning Xiu even without relying on the evil thought in his arm; the other party was nearby.

"Roar!" The dragon stood atop the waterfall, letting out a roar to the sky.

The sound immediately spread, echoing far and wide, as if the distant snow-capped peaks had experienced an avalanche as a result.

Most dragons live in the mountains and rivers, so when they come to an unfamiliar area with water, they will often use this method to determine whether there are any of their kind nearby.

But the dragon's roar didn't attract its kind; instead, a dark shadow darted quickly from afar.

Only when they got closer could they see clearly that it was none other than the Demon Buddha Ning Xiu sitting on the black lotus platform.

"What are you doing hiding here? I have something to do now, and you need to come with me." Ning Xiu said immediately upon seeing the Demon Buddha appear.

"To enlighten Xiaodie's mind."

"Xiao Die?" Ning Xiu didn't react for a moment. Who was this Xiao Die? Did this person exist before? Could it be that the Demon Buddha could flirt with girls while he was away?

But soon, the image of the white butterfly that Ning Xiu, the Demon Buddha, had always carried with him and regarded as a treasure came to mind.

Presumably, this "Little Butterfly" is the name that Demon Buddha Ning gave to the other party.

Enlightening a butterfly, once successful, transforms it into a demon. This inevitably requires a great deal of effort and energy. Judging from what Demon Buddha Ning Xiu did, it's clear he truly loves that white butterfly.

Ning Xiu's interest was immediately piqued: "Take me to see how much longer your intellectual development will take."

"It will happen soon, today."

They summoned the dragon and followed the Demon Buddha, and the two quickly headed towards a snow-capped peak in the distance.

It must be said that the location chosen by the Demon Buddha Ningxiu for the Spirit Awakening was indeed quiet. On the way here, he did not see any other living beings at all. It was so quiet that it was like a deserted place.

Arriving at a secluded cave on a hillside atop a snow-capped peak, Ning Xiu was immediately enveloped by a surge of abundant spiritual energy. It turned out to be an altar entirely constructed from various precious herbs, upon which rested a piece of blue crystal.

Above the blue crystal lay the white butterfly that Demon Buddha Ningxiu always carried with him.

[109] Lan Hai Dragon Crystal

The presence of this altar made the cave seem extremely spiritually rich.

Natural treasures generally emit spiritual energy. If a large number of natural treasures can be gathered together, a spiritual treasure land can be artificially created.

However, this method is too extravagant, and unless there are special circumstances, almost no one would choose to do it.

The blue crystal placed above the altar was obviously much more precious and rare. When Ning Xiu got closer, he could clearly feel the powerful spiritual energy emanating from the blue crystal.

"Where did this come from? This is something good!" Ning Xiu couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

In terms of quality, this gemstone would be considered extremely valuable even in the tomb of Eunuch Yin.

"I don't know who left it in the mountains, so I just picked it up and used it," the Demon Buddha said quite calmly.

"You managed to find this? You're the chosen one!" Ning Xiu exclaimed in astonishment.

These stories of accidentally discovering rare and precious materials in the wild have always only happened to other people; Ning Xiu himself had never encountered one.

Seeing others make a fortune because of good luck, Ning Xiu felt envious just hearing about it.

"Little Butterfly is about to awaken her intelligence." Demon Buddha Ning Xiu sat cross-legged beside the altar, quietly observing the white butterfly perched on the blue crystal.

Although Ning Xiu's purpose in coming to Donghai Prefecture was to find the Demon Buddha and go to Sixiang Prefecture with him, he didn't mind waiting a little longer, so he sat down on a rock nearby and waited.

Anyway, the enlightenment session is today, so no matter how anxious we are, a day or two won't make a difference.

Meanwhile, deep in the mountains.

A group of martial artists dressed in tight-fitting clothes and with agile movements were moving quickly through the mountains. Judging from their urgent expressions, they seemed to be looking for something.

The leader held a scroll in both hands, which was now open, revealing a map with a rather ancient style, complete with routes and markings, which looked like a treasure map.

"Many years ago, the ancestor of the Zheng family hid the Lanhai Dragon Crystal in the Tiger Beard Tree in the mountains, intending to leave it to the descendants of the Zheng family for the purpose of turning their lives around one day. Now, the last remaining descendant of the Zheng family has been eliminated by us, and this Lanhai Dragon Crystal, which is said to be able to draw upon the spiritual energy of the East Sea, will soon belong to our Dragon Tiger Hall."

"It is said that the Lan Hai Dragon Crystal has a mysterious origin and is extraordinary. The Zheng family patriarch accidentally discovered this Lan Hai Dragon Crystal in the belly of a fish that was washed ashore when he was young, which greatly increased his cultivation speed and led to his great achievements. If our Dragon Tiger Hall can obtain it, we can cultivate a large number of experts with the same strength as the Zheng family patriarch."

"I'm really looking forward to it."

The group followed the map on the scroll, gradually venturing deeper into the mountains, and eventually discovered their destination.

It was a huge old brown tree, three or four zhang tall and as thick as a house. Its shape resembled a tiger lying on the ground, and every branch and leaf was like a beard growing from the tiger's face.

Such a strangely shaped tree would surely fetch a high price at auction if it were sold elsewhere. If it could be transplanted into one's own backyard for daily enjoyment, it would certainly be a very interesting thing.

However, as the group drew closer, they realized that something seemed amiss.

There is a very obvious mark on the trunk of the tiger beard tree, as if it has been gutted and a hole has been chiseled out.

Everyone's expression changed drastically, and their hearts sank. They walked to the tiger beard tree and examined it carefully. Sure enough, there should have been something inside the opening, but the item had vanished without a trace, and someone had gotten there first.

"Damn it! Who was so fast that they beat us to it and took the Lan Hai Dragon Crystal?" someone shouted angrily.

They had traveled a long way and finally arrived at this place, only to find that what they wanted had been stolen. How could they accept this?

"That shouldn't be the case. The map is in our hands, and the descendants of the Zheng family have been hunted down and killed by the brothers of the Dragon Tiger Hall. Where did this person come from?"

"Stop talking now, quickly search the surrounding area for any traces. Even if someone took it, we have to get the Lan Hai Dragon Crystal back!"

……

With so much spiritual energy flowing into it, the white butterfly clinging to the blue crystal finally began to show signs of movement.

Its wings fluttered slowly, and in about ten breaths, it took off and flew up and down around the cave. Every time it flapped its wings, it would sprinkle a faint blue fluorescent powder, which looked quite beautiful.

Once any demon is awakened, it will exhibit some special behaviors. If these behaviors become too powerful, they will evolve into supernatural powers.

Normal butterflies wouldn't naturally shed blue fluorescent powder, so Ning Xiu asked with interest, "Is this considered a supernatural ability?"

The Demon Buddha extended a finger, and the white butterfly immediately and tacitly landed on his fingertip.

“Little Butterfly’s powder can heal some external wounds,” the Demon Buddha said suddenly after a moment of silence.

"You can even talk to butterflies?" Ning Xiu was quite surprised to hear this.

Little did they know that the Demon Buddha, being a manifestation of evil thoughts, was adept at communicating with other thoughts through thought. Even plants and trees, as long as they possessed thought, could be communicated with by the Demon Buddha.

Now that Xiaodie had successfully awakened her intelligence, Ning Xiu saw no need to stay any longer. He packed up the altar and blue crystal set up by the Demon Buddha and left the cave with these precious materials, completely satisfied.

He was just worrying about finding materials to forge ten top-tier spears for himself, and the Demon Buddha's preparations came at just the right time.

Based on the materials Ning Xiu currently has, he can probably commission a craftsman to forge about two.

As soon as he stepped out of the cave, the dragon that had been waiting outside eagerly approached him. Ning Xiu jumped onto its back and sat down, stuffing all the materials in his hand into the body of the Overlord Puppet.

It's fortunate that we paid someone to build this thing back then, otherwise Ning Xiu wouldn't have anywhere to store all these materials now.

Since the Demon Buddha had the Black Lotus Platform as his vehicle, he did not need to ride a dragon, so Ning Xiu ignored him and led the way directly towards the East Sea Prefecture.

With nothing to do, Ning Xiu sat on the dragon's back and took out the blue crystal to play with.

Of all the rare materials that the Demon Buddha prepared for Xiaodie, this was the most precious.

This crystal exudes an aura that even Ning Xiu, a martial arts master at the third rank, finds unfathomable, making it quite mysterious.

Furthermore, even when Ning Xiu exerted his strength, it posed no threat whatsoever to this crystal, demonstrating its reliable hardness, making it suitable for polishing into the head of a spear.

In an instant, Ning Xiu had already thought of several ways to use this blue crystal, waiting for an opportunity to try them out.

[110] Riding a Dragon, Sitting on a Lotus [Bonus Chapter for the Update Request Event]

"No trace? How could there be no trace at all?"

"Could it be that the Lan Hai Dragon Crystal wasn't taken by a person, but by some evil spirit?"

The Dragon Tiger Hall members searched the forest but found no trace of any strangers.

Just as they were wondering and wondering, the ground suddenly began to tremble, as if some enormous creature was approaching.

Although the Dragon Tiger Hall had sent only the best fighters, the depths of the mountains were extremely dangerous, so caution was essential. Everyone immediately ran behind a nearby tree to hide, craning their necks to see what it was.

Soon, a huge dragon's head emerged from the bushes, followed by the dragon's enormous body.

Ordinary martial arts practitioners had never seen anything like this before. The members of the Dragon Tiger Hall were all stunned and hid behind a big tree, not daring to make a sound, for fear of attracting the attention of the dragon and being swallowed whole.

Just then, Ning Xiu, who was sitting on the back of the dragon and playing with the blue crystal, also attracted everyone's attention.

"Brother Tiger, doesn't that thing look like the Lan Hai Dragon Crystal depicted on the Zheng family scroll?" someone asked in a low voice.

The Dragon Tiger Hall steward, who was called Tiger Brother, looked at Ning Xiu's hands and his expression immediately became serious.

To be honest, it really does look incredibly similar! No, that's Lan Hai Dragon Crystal!

Originally, everyone was thinking of finding out who stole the Lan Hai Dragon Crystal and then finding that guy to take it back.

But now that they've discovered who the culprit was, they feel a deep sense of powerlessness.

Impossible, there's absolutely no way we can get it back!

Regardless of Ning Xiu's actual strength, the dragon he commands is powerful enough to defeat all of them.

This group of people probably couldn't even break the dragon's skin. As the dragon gradually disappeared into the distance, everyone stood still in perfect unison, and none of them chose to make a move.