By the time Wu Yu returned to Capital Wu, it was already noon.
The news of the fight between the immortals and the destruction of Upper Qian Hall had already spread throughout the nation, and the entire country was stirred up.
Just in Capital Wu alone, the once prosperous streets stood desolate, many hiding in their houses.
The only one who Wu Yu still cared about in the entire Capital Wu was Princess Wu You. Besides her, there was nothing he could be threatened with. Therefore, Wu Yu quickly came to Carefree Palace. He would first hide Wu You.
After returning, Wu Yu quickly brought Wu You up to speed.
"Hao Tian is so cruel. He actually managed to convince Jiang Junlin to come kill you." Wu You frowned worriedly.
"Hao Tian has given him a huge boon. In turn, Jiang Junlin will, of course, not begrudge him this. Luckily, I pursued him today and gained this information; otherwise, we would not even have time to escape."
Having seen the Lifegiving Fruit today, Wu Yu knew that Jiang Junlin would be extremely determined to kill him on the spot.
Even the status of being a Heavenly Sword Sect disciple would not save him.
"What do you plan to do?"
Wu Yu was still rather calm. "The matter of revenge can wait a few days. I'll take you away from Capital Wu first."
Wu You knew that time was of the essence. She packed hurriedly, then made arrangements for Mi Chang and the others, then followed Wu Yu out of Capital Wu. Wu Yu was physically strong. He carried Wu You out of the city without slowing his pace at all.
If it were not for the fact that Wu You would be battered by the winds, he would move even faster.
"Leave Capital Wu. As long as they cannot find us, we'll be fine."
The lands of Dong Yue Wu were vast. As long as they left Capital Wu, Jiang Junlin would be searching for a needle in a haystack.
Wu Yu hid on a tall mountain. He found a cave, then chased out the beasts inside. He hurriedly cleaned it and then provided a few days' worth of necessities for Wu You. Then he sat at the corner of the cave, prepared to cultivate.
This time, he retrieved the last four Spirit Concentration Pills.
Originally, he intended to divide them into two and condense his qi in about 10 days' time.
"Wu Yu, are you in that much of a hurry?" Seeing him hurry along the road, he had entered a detached state that spoke of a dangerous enemy on the horizon. Wu You was slightly worried.
"There's not much time left. This is a risk, but also an opportunity."
Wu Yu replied tersely. He bid Wu You keep her distance from him, then swallowed all four Spirit Concentration Pills in one go, prepared for his last burst of effort.
"Nngh!"
He grunted and revealed a pained expression.
Seeing this, Wu You clasped her hands tightly, her eyes trembling slightly.
"The fight he is about to face must be a lot harder than he expected."
She understood the depth of Wu Yu's hatred for Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian.
Wu You rolled up her skirt, leaning against the cave wall. Each and every change that Wu Yu had been through had been a source of worry for her.
That's right. When the four Spirit Concentration Pills entered Wu Yu's body simultaneously, it was his limit. The hot flow roiled like molten lava within his body, until his body itself was burning.
The scorching hot flow was like shards of broken blades, incomparably sharp. They cut along the way in, causing Wu Yu's internal organs and vessels to be injured. From the outside, heated air billowed, as though he was about to explode.
"Endure!"
Just at this moment, the scene of Imperial Concubine Xi's palace hall played over and over within his mind's eye.
Every line that Hao Tian had spoken had destroyed Wu Yu's world!
And now, Hao Tian still did not know he was Wu Yu!
He longed more than anything to take off his mask in front of all of them.
He was done with waiting.
Now was the time!
"Martial cultivation needs one to yield."
How could anyone without power attain new life in the face of such destruction?
Wu Yu gritted his teeth, directing the power of the Spirit Concentration Pills. He accelerated his transformation, focusing the power within his spiritual source. The Chest Meridian glowed blindingly. The light actually passed through the mountain rock, bathing the entire mountain with light!
One day, two days!
Wu You was emotionally restless. In her heart, the worry and anxiety were almost unbearable. When she saw Wu Yu hold on even more resolutely than ever before, she understood the extent of his hatred.
The death of Wan Qing alone could not even things out.
"Yu...."
Wu You did not sleep or rest for four days. Her emotional state was in disarray, and her barely recovered body was weakening rapidly again.
She was really worried that Wu Yu was overzealous this time around and would crash and burn.
"He could have done it like before, taking his time to condense his qi. At most he would have taken 20 days. Why this time...." While Wu You considered this question, a beam of golden light suddenly shot out from Wu Yu, who was sitting in the middle of the cave.
"Little Brother!"
Wu You fumbled over her skirt, tripping her way out of the cave. Suddenly, the entire mountain range started to shake. The beam of golden light exploded, filling the entire mountain region with a mighty aura.
By the time Wu You raised her head, her tears were falling. She could see the golden light emanating from Wu Yu's entire body. He suddenly fell 20 feet, the light vanishing in an instant. To Wu You, the Wu Yu before her was no different from a god.
He looked saintly and dominating, shrouded by fairy mist and untouched by the concerns of mortals.
"Spiritual power!"
Wu Yu could feel the spiritual power that belonged to the first tier of the Qi Condensation Realm.
He had finally obtained his first spiritual source.
The Chest Meridian hid a sea of spiritual power that swirled in a vortex. It continued to replenish itself. Utilizing the spiritual source, Wu Yu could clearly feel the spiritual qi around him. He was one with the spiritual qi now.
Of course, because he had not yet cultivated the Qi Condensation Spiritual Art, his spiritual power was not much different from others.
"Complemented with spiritual power, my abilities will strengthen in explosiveness.
"If I can still learn the Qi Condensation Spiritual Art and dao techniques in the future, my fighting ability will become even better."
There was just one point that Wu Yu did not understand.
"It feels like there is a vortex swirling within my body that continues to sap my spiritual power. Why is that the case?
"Could I be imagining things, and it's always this way?"
After all, he had never discussed this with others who were in the Qi Condensation Realm.
"Forget it. I'll leave it aside for now. After all, it will not really affect my battles."
Wu Yu and Hao Tian had clashed twice before, and he had come out the worse for wear. And now that he had succeeded in condensing his qi, his heart was already filled with anticipation.
Wu Yu turned to Wu You, asking it immediately, "How many days have passed?"
"Four days."
Seeing her triumphant brother, Wu You could not hold back her tears. She knew the burden that he bore better than anybody.
"Four days!"
Hearing this, Wu Yu was overjoyed. Finally, he had done it in four days, compressing the time by more than half. No matter how arduous it had been, it was worth it.
"There are still two more days before the Lifegiving Fruit ripens." Wu Yu took a deep breath. Actually, he had chosen to take all four Spirit Concentration Pills at once because he had a plan.
"Wu Yu, are you thinking...." Wu You's heartbeat quickened. She clung onto Wu Yu's arms.
"That's right." Wu Yu nodded. "The Lifegiving Fruit will ripen in two days. In these two days, given Jiang Junlin's personality, he will definitely not leave the Raw Sun Mountain Range. This could be the only time to be certain of Jiang Junlin's location! And I've made it. I have succeeded in condensing my qi, and now I have the confidence in beating Hao Tian!"
The fire in his heart burned hotter than ever before.
It felt like the moment when he had bested Wan Qing and reduced her to pulp.
That's right. He felt that there was no need to wait. Today was his best chance to destroy Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian. Because today, Jiang Junlin would definitely be in the Raw Sun Mountain Range. Even if the sky fell on his head, he would not move.
"But isn't Hao Tian also at the Raw Sun Mountain Range...." Wu You fretted.
Her heart was too full of worry.
Wu Yu was too wild.
Wu Yu smiled thinly, saying, "Sister, how could you be so foolish? I have ways to make him rush back alone. Say, Imperial Concubine Xi and Yuan Hao."
No wonder!
All Wu Yu needed to do was return to Capital Wu and kidnap Imperial Concubine Xi and Yuan Hao. He need not worry that Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian would not return.
Because the Lifegiving Fruit was yet to ripen, Jiang Junlin would not return.
That way, he would have his chance at single combat with Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian!
"Must it be today...."
Wu You was in a panic. She did not understand matters of the Immortal Dao. It was hard to ascertain who was stronger.
"Sister, if I miss this chance today, and Jiang Junlin acquires the Lifegiving Fruit, then he will join forces with Hao Tian and chase us everywhere under the sun. That way, it will be 10 times more difficult to kill Hao Tian. And if he is scared, he only has to return to the Zhongyuan Dao Sect, and I will not be able to kill him ever!"
Wu Yu explained the crux of things.
"But if things don't go as you expect - say, the Lifegiving Fruit ripens prematurely, and Jiang Junlin has already gotten it, then he will return with Hao Tian, right? What if Hao Tian has many hidden trump cards? You're still young, and not as wily as that old fox. What if he kills you...."
After all, Wu Yu was too young. He had barely cultivated for two years. How could he compare with someone who had been training for more than a century?
Her two presumptions were not illogical.
"Sister. Firstly, if Jiang Junlin comes back early, I will retreat. Secondly, if I cannot kill Hao Tian, then I will be killed by him. That's life!"
Time was tight. No matter how worried she was, Wu Yu was out of time for discussion. He shouldered Wu You and prepared to leave.
"Little Brother...."
To Wu You, a huge fight would definitely have many surprises, such as Jiang Junlin returning early. Given their methods, and a century’s worth of cultivation and battle experience, Wu Yu might not be able to retreat....
Wu Yu had brought her with him because he had to go to Capital Wu for the fight. There were tigers and bears in the forest, and leaving her here without his protection would be foolish.
He still could not be sure how long the fight would be. He still had to bring Wu You to a populated place....