Chapter 103: Butterfly and Buddha Lotus

Sister Hu slowly spread her arms. Starting from her fingertips, they transformed into patches of white phosphorescence, gradually dissolving away. At the same time, a faint fragrance filled the entire room, making Long Tian and Ye Feng feel as if they were in a sea of flowers.
“I call myself Hu Die. In fact, I am a butterfly…” As her arms turned into phosphorescence, a pair of white glowing wings formed behind her, adorned with intricate patterns that shimmered as the light moved. Ye Feng and Long Tian stared in awe at this sight.
“Due to the slow development of butterflies, it took me nearly two thousand years to cultivate a Golden Core and transform into a human form, just as you see me now,” Hu Die said as she gently flapped her wings.
“My pale complexion and discomfort are because a celestial calamity is approaching. The pressure from this calamity would force me to revert to my original form. Your arrival has allowed me to hold back this transformation at all costs…” Hu Die explained shyly, feeling somewhat guilty for lying about having a cold earlier.
“Sister Hu, it’s okay. How can I help you?” Seeing her condition, Long Tian finally believed she wasn’t joking.
“You are already a powerful being at the Yuan Ying stage. The transformation calamity shouldn’t be too harmful to you,” Hu Die said after a pause. “I only hope that on the day I face the calamity, you can be there to watch. I’m not sure I can withstand the last three thunderstorms. I hope that when I can no longer resist, you can help block them for me. I know this request is excessive, but I’m willing to offer compensation!”
“No need for compensation. After all, we’ve known each other for ten years—we’re practically friends! Besides, you and Sister Li Qing are sisters. I can’t just stand by and do nothing if something happens to you,” Long Tian quickly refused her offer.
“That won’t do. The path of truth emphasizes karma. If you help me without accepting payment, who knows what calamities might strike me in the future. This principle may not be as strong in humans, but as far as I know, it’s fatal for us cultivators of the demonic path. If you help me, you must accept something as a token of my gratitude,” Hu Die insisted firmly, refusing to let go of her gift for Long Tian.

“Well then, you don’t need to give me anything too precious; something symbolic will suffice. After all, the items used by you cultivators might not be very useful to us humans!” Seeing that Hu Die was persistent, Long Tian couldn’t refuse any longer and could only nod in agreement.

“Over a thousand years ago, when my cultivation level was still low, I encountered a Buddha lotus on Mount Emei. By then, its cultivation level had far surpassed the Yuan Ying stage. Only plant-based demons can transform into human form after surviving the true Ascension Tribulation, at which point they become Flower Immortals. I helped it by imparting the last dose of pollen before ascension, as it was about to undergo the tribulation and become a Flower Immortal the following year. As a token of gratitude, it gave me twelve thousand-year lotus seeds and also a Buddhist Sumeru ring for storing things.” Hu Die recounted her story gracefully, captivating Ye Feng and the others.

“Thousand-year lotus seeds can only be truly absorbed by those with a cultivation level above Yuan Ying, so I’ve never used them and have kept them to this day. These seeds are also the most precious treasures I possess now, as this tribulation is crucial for me. I’m willing to give you half of them in exchange for my life. That should be fair!”

“How can that be? Such precious items! Sister Hu, it’s okay if you exchange them for something else. Won’t you still be able to use these lotus seeds after reaching the Yuan Ying stage? Why give them to me?” Although Long Tian was somewhat greedy, he really felt embarrassed to accept such a precious gift from Hu Die.

“Actually, one person can only consume three of these lotus seeds. If they consume a fourth, they won’t be able to absorb any spiritual energy at all. You should know that the effect of most spiritual herbs diminishes when consumed directly by the same person, unless they are turned into pills! The same principle applies to these thousand-year lotus seeds! I’ll give you six—three for you to consume, and the other three can be given to friends or used to make pills in the future.” Hu Die glanced at Ye Feng beside Long Tian.

“I see… one person can only consume three…” Long Tian immediately understood Hu Die’s intention. Seeing that Ye Feng was also there, she was giving him six seeds—three for himself and three for Ye Feng. “If that’s the case, thank you! Call me the day before the tribulation arrives. I’m afraid if you call on the day itself, I might not make it in time. I’ll come then!”

“That would be perfect! It’s fortunate I met you. Otherwise, I might really have died under the tribulation. I have no confidence in surviving this minor tribulation.” Hu Die smiled with relief.

The original wings reformed into arms once again. With a flip of her left hand, which wore a ring, six round, pitch-black lotus seeds appeared in her palm. A layer of misty vapor rose from the surface of the seeds, leaving Long Tian in awe. Yet Ye Feng, wearing the treasure detector, saw something entirely different—through his glasses, those seeds appeared as six small spheres emitting intense golden light, shining as brightly as the sun when gathered together. Ye Feng naturally knew what this color meant: yellow indicated that the item was of spiritual rank, with brighter colors signifying greater energy content. Such an object was undoubtedly a high-tier item among the spiritual treasures in the entire cultivation world. He, who had originally planned to exchange items at the ghost market, was now extremely excited. At that moment, the little creature in Ye Feng’s arms quietly poked its head out. Although it was already three days old, its eyes still hadn’t opened. Yet it was naturally far more sensitive to spiritual energy fluctuations than anyone else. It didn’t need to open its eyes to tell, through those fluctuations, who were acquaintances and who were strangers. But at that moment, its head was turned toward Hu Die—clearly, the moment Hu Die took out the lotus seeds, the creature, which had been sleeping in Ye Feng’s pocket, sensed an enticing scent. Before Ye Feng and the others could react, a yellow figure rushed out of Ye Feng’s arms and suddenly landed on Hu Die’s hand. Hu Die couldn’t help but scream, but she dared not move due to the lotus seeds in her hand. By the time Ye Feng and the others saw clearly, the little creature had already pecked at one of the lotus seeds and, before they could stop it, swallowed it in one gulp. Then, as it lowered its head to eat the second one, it hesitated for a moment. No one knew whether its hesitation was because it was full and unsure whether to eat another, or because it was choosing one with more spiritual energy to swallow. In that instant, Ye Feng grabbed it and turned it upside down, trying to make it spit out the lotus seed. “Is this… a spiritual beast?” Hu Die asked curiously, looking at the chick-like creature in Ye Feng’s hands.

“That’s right, a glutton. We’ve only infused it with spiritual energy three times so far; it needs at least twenty infusions before it can eat on its own. It’s so small now—who knows if eating will cause any problems!” Ye Feng said as he shook the little creature, trying to make it spit out the lotus seed it had just swallowed. At that moment, the little creature, which had been struggling a bit earlier, suddenly stopped moving…