Chapter 262: Plentiful Bounty

The Kui Cow King gazed solemnly at Lin Feng, who was floating in the sky. Although Lin Feng appeared unremarkable, the Kui Cow King did not dare to be even a little careless.

Even if nothing else, the very fact that Lin Feng remained calm and composed with the Kui Cow King pushing his demonic energy to the limits was enough to warrant the Kui Cow King being extremely wary.

"Who dares cometh?" The Kui Cow King asked deeply, his voice sounding like blasts of thunder.

However, Lin Feng's attention was not on the Kui Cow King. His gaze landed on a small patch of ground below the body of the Kui Cow King; there grew a short sapling, merely 2-3 meters tall, a toothpick compared to the Kui Cow King's immense body.

The sapling was entirely jet-black like the finest iron. Several tender leaves grew out of the slender stem, but they were a golden hue, shimmering with a faint glow.

Lin Feng nodded his head. "So, this is that Saros Steel Tree sapling?"

Carefully probing the fluctuations of spiritual energy, a thought surfaced. "The spiritual energy has not yet been converted into demonic energy, which means that this Saros Steel Tree is not yet a demon. It has not spawned its own consciousness and thoughts, just the most basic instincts of a plant."

With that thought, Lin Feng felt as if he thought of something, but not quite clear enough to discern what.

"Never mind, get my hands on this Saros Steel Tree first and think about it later." Lin Feng shook his head, temporarily putting other thoughts behind him.

Seeing Lin Feng's gaze fixed squarely on the Saros Steel Tree sapling, the Kui Cow King was enraged. "So, another thief coveting this Strange Tree!"

There was no time for him to consider his uneasiness towards Lin Feng as he summoned thunderclouds. A massive bolt of lightning fell from the sky, blasting towards Lin Feng's head.

Lin Feng didn't even acknowledge him, with his gaze still fixed on the Saros Steel Tree sapling.

With a cry, the body of the Black Dragon Jieyu materialized. His black scales vibrated as countless runes flashed, activating the Royal Bastille Curse and resisted the lightning from the skies with the high magical-defense Bastille scales.

Among the blasts, Jieyu saw that all of the runes on his scales were shaking, and couldn't help but freeze silently. "Such strong lightning...this Kui Cow is Intermediate Demonic Lord Stage."

However, Jieyu was not even frightened but simply pounced savagely, engaging the Kui Cow King.

Although the Kui Cow was one of the Immemorial strange beasts as well, compared to the Immemorial Celestial Dragon Clan, it was still inherently inferior by a notch. Even if Jieyu fights him, an Intermediate Demonic Lord, as a Beginner Demonic Lord, it was still a reasonable match.

If Jieyu manages to seize an opportunity and engage in close melee combat, exercising the natural advantage of the Bastille Black Dragon, even the Kui Cow King must avoid him.

"A dragon? A Demonic Lord-level dragon?" The tone of the Kui Cow King changed abruptly. As he dodges Jieyu's attack, his gaze was visibly tinged with shock and wariness as he stared at Lin Feng.

"With a Demonic Lord-level dragon as your stead and appearing around the northern foot of Mount Kunlun...you are the Leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders?"

Lin Feng's personal reputation has already reached a peak around the northern foot of Mount Kunlun, such that even the Kui Cow King, cloistered deep among the mountains, was somewhat aware.

Recalling Lin Feng's unbelievable powers that crushed all enemies with a finger during the Battle of Shazhou, desperation surfaced in the heart of the Kui Cow King.

Just the Black Dragon Jieyu himself would be an opponent that could not be easily dispatched, without mentioning Lin Feng standing behind him.

The other Kui Cows were inclined to attack as well, but Xiao Budian and Tuntun sandwiched them in between and glared at them menacingly, like a wolf pack and a flock of grazing sheep.

The terrifying and savage aura of the man and the beast was enough to intimidate the Kui Cow herd into refraining from any moves, not even a snort, such as to not catch the attention of the two monsters.

"All of you, run." The Kui Cow King said to his Clan. "Master treated us with tremendous kindness. Now that he is completely without a trace, this Saros Steel Tree is the only thing he left behind. I, the King, will not allow anyone else to lay a finger on it."

As he talked, the Kui Cow King abruptly took a deep breath, opening his massive mouth and swallowing the rolling thunderclouds in the sky into his belly.

Instantly, countless claps of thunder sounded out from within his body, like the earth-shaking beats of a massive drum.

Waves, condensed into matter, radiated from the Kui Cow King, in a form similar to when Xiao Budian sounded the Green Bronze Ding of Emptiness with the Hammer of the Yellow Heaven Bell.

It's just that the sound of the Green Bronze Ding of Emptiness was grand and magnificent, while the thunder from the Kui Cow King's body was low and muffled.

But where the waves traversed, all obstacles crumbled, demonstrating their immense destructive potential. Jieyu's expression transformed; no attempt was necessary, he has the feeling that his Royal Bastille Curse would not be able to withstand the Kui Cow King's abhijna.

Lin Feng's gaze remained on the Saros Steel Tree sapling. Suddenly, he saw a tiny stone talisman suspended from a small branch of the sapling.

Seeing this stone talisman, Lin Feng's heart began to palpitate. "Is it possible..."

At this moment, the Kui Cow King cranked up his abhijna, forcing Jieyu onto the defensive. Lin Feng's eyebrows twitched as he spreaded his fingers and casted the Fences of the Heavens spell, cutting off the Kui Cow King's sound waves.

Lin Feng reached out and formed a fist with his hand, and the Fences of Heavens transformed into the abhijna Heaven Arrest. The spatial energy, forming an invisible hand, seized the mountain-like Kui Cow King, rendering it immobile and unable to escape.

The Kui Cow King, stubborn as always, boosted the demonic energy throughout his body as a myriad of lightning flashed across his skin in an attempt to break Lin Feng's grasp.

However, the strength of Lin Feng's Heaven Arrest was just too great. Despite all possible efforts by the Kui Cow King, it was still unable to escape.

The Kui Cow King, his eyes blood red, uttered a low roar as he prepared to release his Demon Soul as a last stand.

At this moment, Lin Feng opened his mouth and asked, "This...was left behind by your master, the Flowing Waves Holy Man as well?"

He pointed at the small stone talisman suspended from the Saros Steel Tree sapling.

The Kui Cow King was momentarily stunned. "That's right."

"Is his disappearance related to this stone talisman as well?" Lin Feng immediately asked. The Kui Cow King, his cool returning, replied, "Exactly, after Master left this stone talisman, he vanished and there was nothing more to be heard from him."

"I have examined it and this stone talisman does not connect to some alternate dimension, neither is it the key to some secret world. There is nothing extraordinary about it, so I have long been baffled."

Looking at Lin Feng, the Kui Cow King probed, "The Leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders knows about the true nature of this stone talisman?"

Lin Feng retrieved an object and placed it in his palm.

It is the same stone flute that he had obtained from Longye that day, which the Great Void Sect, Yan Mingyue and Pang Jie were all looking for.

Before, through the information obtained from Kang Nanhua, Lin Feng was largely certain that the stone flute was linked to a mysterious hidden trove and a set of Heavenly Stairs, but those stairs proved hard to trace. After failed attempts to locate it, Lin Feng had set it aside for the moment.

God knows that today, seeing this stone talisman on the Saros Steel Tree sapling, Lin Feng would discover, with bewilderment, that the stone flute responded yet again, resonating with the stone talisman.

Now, after listening to the description from the Kui Cow King, Lin Feng inferred that most likely, the Flowing Waves Holy Man has ascended that mysterious Heavenly Stairs as well, but the final outcome was hard to predict.

Did he pass the stairs and witness the wonders at the top, or was he annihilated by those mysterious stairs? Or rather, he entered some hidden trove through the stairs, but was trapped inside? None of these could be ascertained for now.

But without doubt, Lin Feng now knows a little bit more about those mysterious Heavenly Stairs.

The stone flute resonated with the stone talisman on the Saros Steel Tree, the surface of both lighting up with a whitish glow. The stone flute danced on Lin Feng's palm as if alive, while the stone talisman, hanging from the branch, oscillated like a pendulum despite the absence of wind.

At this sight, the Kui Cow King's eyes lit up with hope and expectation as he looked at Lin Feng.

A faint smile formed on Lin Feng's lips. He did not make a secret of it; "This is a strange item I obtained inadvertently. It seemed to be related to some hidden trove, but the details are unclear for now. If the opportunity arises in the future, maybe I shall go to explore it."

"As for your master, the Flowing Waves Holy Man, I have not seen him."

The Kui Cow King's expression changed several times, from loss to sorrow to eventual calm. Finally, appearing as if he just came to a hard decision, he turned to face the other Kui Cows. Mana fluctuated, seemingly as he communicated with his fellow clan members.

Moments later, all of the Kui Cows quieted down, faces firm, and nodded together at the Kui Cow King.

The Kui Cow King opened his mouth and said, "Thank you, Leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders, for telling us this truthfully. I am immensely grateful."

"To be able to acquire some hints to Master's whereabouts...I do not dare to push it further, but I hope that the Leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders could fulfill our wish to find our Master. We are willing to enlist in the Celestial Sect of Wonders and provide our services."

"We only hope that someday, when the Leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders explores that secret trove, he could bring us along. We have absolutely no greed nor inappropriate demands, but only hope to find Master."

Lin Feng subtly nodded. "These Kui Cows are truly loyal, with simpler hearts than ordinary humans."

"You wish to enter into my Celestial Sect of Wonders...it is not impossible." Lin Feng said emotionlessly. "I do not ask for your loyalty; you still honor your old master, I do not mind that. However, since you enter my Sect, you will follow the rules of my Sect. Can you do this?"

Humbly and respectfully, the Kui Cow King said, "We are willing to follow your commands, My Lord."

"If I were to ask you to fight the Flowing Waves Holy Man, you would definitely not obey." Lin Feng thought.

He gazed at the Saros Steel Tree sapling on the ground and said, "Since it is a memento the Flowing Waves Holy Man left you, then you shall keep it. Later, I will help you transplant it into the Celestial Sect of Wonders, where it shall still be taken care of by you."

Gratefulness rose in the Kui Cow King's heart. If Lin Feng were to take the Saros Steel Tree, he would be helpless, but now that Lin Feng voluntarily backed down, the Kui Cow King was somewhat embarrassed instead. "It was with Master undiscoverable and untraceable that we value this sapling so highly."

"Now with your aid, My Lord, we finally have prospects in the search for Master, so this sapling is naturally less important. This kind of rare treasure should be offered to the Sect; we do not dare to misappropriate it."

Lin Feng smiled silently, looking at the Kui Cow King and the hundreds of Kui Cows beside him. "Kui Cows have the natural ability to control thunder and lightning. Now, the lightning Xiao Budian needs for his cultivation is settled, not to mention an additional Demonic Lord-level stead."

"Plus this Saros Steel Tree sapling...not bad, not bad. This time, the bounty is rather plentiful."