525: Chapter 525 Bringing the Giants Back to the Small World

The issue of clothing being damaged during battle was originally a source of trouble for the female Disciples of the Moonshadow Sect, but... *cough*, after Ling Hao himself collected one hundred personal tokens from his Disciples, the System unlocked the [Rainbow Feather Garment] function. When a Disciple's clothing is about to be damaged during battle, it can be instantly replaced without damage.

This issue was no longer an issue.

The music for the dance began again, and the dancers had changed into their third set of outfits.

They wore pale gold, cross-collared long dresses, with patterns of fusang wood branches and leaves embroidered on the hems. The dresses were dignified, yet exuded a rustic elegance. As they spun, the skirt hems rippled layer upon layer like water waves, and the entire venue was filled with flowing gold and the shadows of fusang flowers.

Ling Hao raised his wine bowl and took a sip, when suddenly, his brows furrowed slightly.

He sensed a malicious gaze. It was completely different from the straightforward, enthusiastic, and smiling gazes at the banquet; this gaze was cold and scrutinizing, cast from a very high and distant place.

Taking advantage of the motion of raising his cup to drink, Ling Hao swept his gaze over an isolated stone tower on the cliff of Meigu Valley in the distance.

Behind a window at the top of the tower, a corner of a deep ochre garment flashed, then immediately disappeared into the shadows of the stone wall.

Ling Hao put down his wine cup, withdrew his gaze from the stone tower, and looked thoughtful.

It was also a woman...

The moon rose to the center of the sky, and the banquet ended.

The members of the Giant Clan dispersed along the stream.

Matriarch Ju Yingluo walked to Ling Hao's side and bowed slightly: "Moon Shadow Sect Master, Fellow Daoist Yu knows where the peach forest is, so I will not send anyone to escort you. Tomorrow, I will have someone send a small gift to express my gratitude—thank you for saving Yun Xiu and those five clansmen."

Ling Hao nodded in return: "Matriarch Ju, you are too kind."

Matriarch Ju Yingluo straightened up, turned, and stepped into the night, the hem of her vermilion long dress gradually blending into the shadows of Meigu Valley.

Ling Hao withdrew his gaze and looked up at the northern horizon.

Deep in the night sky there, a dark red light flickered behind the clouds. The dull thud that had come from deep underground during the banquet just now had come from that direction.

"What is in that direction?"

Yu Linglong walked to his side and looked in the direction of his gaze: "Yuyuan. The location of the fusang wood. Only, now there is only a tree stump left."

"Let's go." Ling Hao took one more look at the dark red horizon, then turned and walked toward the peach forest.

Soon, Ling Hao and his group returned to the peach forest.

The peach forest was unusually quiet in the night. The moonlight passed through the petals interwoven with pale gold and moon-white, spreading a layer of fine, fragmented light and shadow on the ground, and the peach branches on both sides of the path were gently stirred by the night breeze.

The pool deep in the forest shimmered with a warm, moist light under the moonlight. The water surface was as calm as a mirror, reflecting the cold moon in the sky, while threads of crimson mist seeped out from the crevices in the bottom of the pool, dyeing the entire pool a pale amber color.

Ling Hao sat down at the stone table in the center of the courtyard and casually added a layer of concealment Formation and a layer of warning Formation. The pale gold Formation runes flashed and disappeared into the night.

He poured himself a cup of cold tea.

The tea had a slightly bitter taste, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees. He took a sip, set it down, swept his gaze over everyone sitting around the stone table, and suddenly asked: "Does the Giant Clan have no males?"

Nangong Mei chuckled upon hearing this. She leaned back, slightly adjusting her crossed legs. Her ochre-red gauze dress wrapped around her voluptuous figure, and as the hem of the gauze skirt slid, it revealed half of her snow-white calf. "It's a wonder you're only asking now, Sect Master."

She raised her hand to tuck back the stray hair at her temples, her expression languid. "The Giant Clan indeed has no males. Why, has our Sect Master taken a fancy to them? Do you want to bring the Giant Clan back to your Moon Shadow Small World?"

"Smack." A crisp slapping sound was exceptionally clear in the quiet courtyard.

Ling Hao raised his hand and lightly slapped the side of Nangong Mei's hip. Through the thin layer of ochre-red gauze dress, his palm touched a patch of warm, elastic softness. The voluptuous curve trembled slightly under the slap, then was snugly wrapped again by the gauze dress. Ling Hao couldn't help but pinch it.

"This is a punishment." Ling Hao quickly withdrew his hand and picked up his teacup to take a sip, his expression unchanged.

Nangong Mei snorted and rolled her eyes; this was obviously taking liberties.

"In all seriousness, do you know the reason?" Ling Hao put down the teacup, his gaze passing over Nangong Mei and landing on Baili Qiao. Compared to Yu Linglong and Nangong Mei, at the very least, she would answer seriously.

Under the moonlight, Baili Qiao was lowering her head, fiddling with the embroidery on her cuffs. When she looked up, she happened to meet Ling Hao's gaze. She was slightly startled by his look and subconsciously straightened her posture.

She thought about it seriously. "It should be related to Yuyuan. Perhaps the males of the Giant Clan have all gone to suppress the Ancient Demon. They are in urgent need of the Sheng-Sheng Creation Spring and the Essence of Moonlight; it should be for the Abyss Guardian Elder over at Yuyuan..."

Ling Hao frowned slightly: "Abyss Guardian Elder? The Fusang Supreme suppresses the Ancient Demon, and the Giants guard Yuyuan. This shouldn't just be a matter for the Giant Clan alone, right? It's a matter of life and death for the entire Fusang Province. Do the other Sects have nothing to say? The Giant Clan as well, to actually carry it all by themselves, it's really..." Ling Hao did not continue; he felt the Giant Clan shouldn't have to be like this.

Yu Linglong played with the teacup in her hand, the cup rotating half a circle between her fingers before falling back into her palm. She said nonchalantly: "There used to be. Every year, the various Sects in Fusang Province had to provide the Giant Clan with Scarlet Blood Essence, which is the essence extracted from various spiritual objects capable of nourishing the Physical Body."

She raised her eyes, the corners of her mouth curling into a mocking arc. "But after the strange phenomena appeared, many Sects felt that the Ancient Demon was about to die, and that the Giant Clan was just using the opportunity to profit. Thus, those supplies were all stopped."

"Nowadays, those Heaven And Earth Treasures have all been collected by the Golden Crow Holy Land, saying they are to be used as Materials for the Dingding Ceremony. The relationship between the Giant Clan and the various major Sects is now extremely rigid. Except for the East Sea Chamber of Commerce, which still remembers old feelings and occasionally supplies some resources."

She turned her head to look south, as if seeing the blood-colored Tang Valley Plain. "It is fortunate that it is currently a truce period, but if the True Demon Realm seizes this opportunity and violates the convention to launch a forced attack..."