ragginovel Chapter 2471 The Celestial Fox Kingdom
Chapter 2471 The Celestial Fox Kingdom
Chapter 2471 The Celestial Fox Kingdom
Lin Yue Kingdom.
Luohu Mountain.
This mountain is surrounded by water on all eight sides, accessible only by boat. Its terrain is rugged and towering, and no matter how high the water level rises, it cannot submerge the mountain. Therefore, a tribe has lived in the mountain for generations, known to outsiders as the Crocodile People.
Crocodile people have the bloodline of snake-scale crocodiles and are born with a crocodile tail. The rest of their bodies are basically the same as those of humans, without any particularly strange features. They are considered normal among the half-demons who are full of monsters.
Thanks to their snake-scale crocodile bloodline, the crocodile people are naturally skilled in water-based supernatural abilities and possess formidable combat power. They dominate this area, and generally no cultivator dares to trespass on Luohu Mountain.
On this day, two guests arrived at Luohu Mountain.
Qin Sang and Ling Xi changed their appearances and visited the man's home, presenting the token given to them by Xian Ying, which dispelled the crocodile man of Luohu Mountain's suspicions.
When investigating the clues, Xuan Ying put a lot of effort into it. Not only did the person involved in the investigation disguise himself as a half-demon, but every detail was almost perfect. Otherwise, if he were to act here as a demon, he would definitely be rejected by the half-demons.
They were greeted by an old crocodile-man with white hair, thin and leaning on a cane, who looked somewhat frail, but his crocodile-like eyes occasionally flashed with a sharp light, making him someone not to be underestimated.
"Fellow Daoist Li left in such a hurry last time that I was unable to fulfill my duty as host, and I have been feeling very bad about it ever since..."
The old crocodile man narrowed his eyes, sizing up Qin Sang and Ling Xi. "Why didn't Fellow Daoist Li come in person this time?"
The Fellow Daoist Li he mentioned was the Zhaofeng Clan cultivator who was the last to discover the clues.
Qin Sang answered fluently, "Brother Li has other important matters to attend to and is unable to leave, so he entrusted us to come. After Brother Li returned last time, he read through many ancient books. This time, he came to borrow the ancient books in your possession to take a look and confirm them again. I hope you can do me a favor."
Back then, that "Fellow Daoist Li" determined from the ancient book in the old crocodile man's possession that "Luohu Mountain" was the "Fujiang" marked by the ancestors of the tomb people. He originally wanted to buy it, but the old crocodile man refused. In order to avoid any complications, he did not use force.
"Oh?"
The old crocodile man gave Qin Sang a deep look, "It seems Fellow Daoist Li has made another new discovery..."
As he spoke, the old crocodile invited them into the cave, then turned and took out a wooden box from the inner chamber.
The wooden box was large, and when opened, it was filled with all sorts of miscellaneous items. Besides jade slips, there were also bamboo slips, silk scrolls, and some treasures that had lost their power. All these items had a dull luster and bore the marks of time; they were clearly antiques.
"These are all things I found in the cave of an unknown senior. There's nothing special about them. Please take a look," the old crocodile man said, sitting down opposite Qin Sang, taking a sip of tea, his eyes half-closed.
Some of the items were extremely fragile; if not for the protective barrier, they would have long since turned to ashes. Qin Sang walked to the wooden box, carefully extended her divine sense, and quickly found what she wanted in a jade slip.
This is a very detailed map, with a river called "Fu River" whose course almost perfectly matches the Fu River recorded by the ancestors of the Ling people!
The map Qin Sang gave to Xianying only went up to the Fu River, so the investigation ended there. This time, Qin Sang will continue the investigation along the Fu River. As long as it is confirmed that the two Fu Rivers are the same, the approximate location of the secret vault can be deduced.
"Brother Li said that cave is not far from Luohu Mountain?" Qin Sang turned to look at the old crocodile man who was pretending to be asleep.
The old crocodile man nodded and said lazily, "I heard some legends when I was young, but it wasn't until I saw these things that I realized there really was such a large river here in ancient times. That senior built his cave in the middle of the Fu River, intending to absorb the essence of the mountains and waters. The cave was built on an island in the middle of the river, but that island, like the Fu River, no longer exists. Luohu Mountain is probably a part of what remains."
"Since this is the very center of the Fu River, we must first travel 90,000 li south..."
Qin Sang calculated in her mind, put down the things, and bowed to take her leave.
The old crocodile man, unable to persuade them to stay, personally escorted them out of the mountains, frowning as he watched their departing figures.
“My lord, it seems someone is following us,” Ling Xi said in a low voice as the two rode on clouds, standing behind Qin Sang.
Qin Sang hummed in agreement. He had already noticed and wanted to see what their purpose was. The followers were completely unaware that Qin Sang was watching their every move.
It was eventually determined that they didn't know much, and that the old crocodile man had become suspicious and invited these helpers.
……
"Huh, what about people?"
"It was just here a moment ago, did we encounter a ghost in broad daylight?"
The pursuers suddenly lost their target and wandered around aimlessly like headless flies, while Qin Sang had already driven away with Ling Xi.
Next, Qin Sang used various methods to search for clues along the way. Hard work pays off, and he finally confirmed that the secret repository painted by the ancestors of the Ling people was in this area.
Several months later, Qin Sang appeared at the border of the country. Stepping across this boundary, ahead lay a superpower no less powerful than Cangwu Kingdom—Tianhu Shangbang.
According to Qin Sang, there are currently five superpowers among the half-demon kingdoms. They are recognized as the five most powerful nations in terms of territory and national strength. In addition to Cangwu Kingdom and Tianhu Shangbang, there are Geng Kingdom, Xingtu Guizhou, and Zhuqian Dynasty. These five kingdoms occupy the five directions of east, west, south, north, and center respectively, and are therefore known as the Five Superpowers.
The Five Kingdoms are centered around the Geng Kingdom, also known as the Great Geng. The Tianhu Kingdom is in the north, the Cangwu Kingdom is in the south, the Xingtu Ghost Continent is in the east, and the Zhuqian Dynasty is in the west.
The Kingdom of Jiaosheng is located in the southwest of the Five Directions Kingdom. In terms of location, it lies between the Kingdoms of Da Geng, Cang Wu, and Zhu Qian. However, it is extremely remote and not close to any of the three superpowers. As long as one is cautious, there is no need to worry about attracting the wrath of the great powers in the early stages.
Besides the Five Great Kingdoms, there are several other Immortal Kingdoms. Although they are not as famous as the Five Great Kingdoms, they are still very well-known. Among them is a former overlord from the previous chaotic era, whose legacy is long-standing. Perhaps they can rise again in this chaotic era.
Qin Sang came from Fengmo and now stood in the southwest of Tianhu Shangbang, looking northeast.
The secret vault was actually located within the territory of the Heavenly Fox Kingdom. Qin Sang recalled his experience of searching for the altar in the Cangwu Kingdom. He hadn't expected that he had made contact with two of the Five Kingdoms. With a bit of caution in his heart, he slipped across the border.
Soon after entering the Celestial Fox Kingdom, Qin Sang learned that the kingdom was clearly divided into social classes. The royal family consisted of fox-people with fox demon bloodlines. It was said that the Celestial Fox Kingdom's royal family were descendants of a union between celestial foxes and humans. They founded the Celestial Fox Kingdom, living a life of high status and eternal wealth. The common people were also mostly of fox demon bloodline; regardless of the specific type of fox demon bloodline, one could find them all in the Celestial Fox Kingdom.
As long as you have fox demon blood, no matter how strange you look, you will not be discriminated against in the Heavenly Fox Kingdom. At the bottom are those half-demons who do not have fox demon blood. Although there is no such thing as a 'slave race', Qin Sang felt that their status was no different from that of the slave race.
Traveling through the Celestial Fox Kingdom, Qin Sang disguised herself as a fox-person for convenience. After more than a year of investigation, she finally selected three places.
"Cloud Fox City..."
Qin Sang stood on the clouds, gazing at the vast sea of clouds in the distance.
Within the sea of clouds lies a celestial city. The sea of clouds is a manifestation of the power of an array, capable of withstanding wind disasters. The Celestial Fox Kingdom practices a feudal system, with the royal family and various kings jointly ruling the Celestial Fox Kingdom. The master of Cloud Fox City is the Cloud Fox King, who possesses the bloodline of the Cloud Fox.
Cloud Fox City is one of the three targets. If the Lingren Secret Treasury is here, it must be buried under the city. It won't be easy for Qin Sang to secretly dig up the secret treasury without attracting attention.
After thinking it over, Qin Sang decided to leave Cloud Fox City for last. Forcibly taking the treasure would offend the Cloud Fox King and would definitely lead to being hunted down by the Heavenly Fox Alliance.
The next place is called Chenshuiwei.
Chenshuiwei is not far from Yunhu City. It is said that it was once a large lake surrounded by mountains, which acted as a dam. A mysterious force protected the lake from being swept away by windstorms. Later, for some unknown reason, the lake suddenly dried up overnight, and the protective force mysteriously disappeared.
Just when everyone was feeling horrified, they discovered that there was a huge spirit stone vein at the bottom of the lake, as well as many strange associated mineral veins. Their worries turned into joy. This spirit stone vein was naturally occupied by the Cloud Fox Royal Palace and has not been fully mined to this day.
Qin Sang flew over several mountain ranges and saw a huge basin, from which came the aura of many cultivators.
The Cloud Fox Royal Palace only occupied the best central location. Other cultivators could enter the outer area by handing over spirit stones, and all the gains would be theirs. Therefore, many Cloud Fox City cultivators came to seek their fortune.
The guards of the Prince's Palace patrolled around but did not discover that anyone had secretly entered the mine.
Over the years, the mine has been continuously mined, and the underground network is like a net. As Qin Sang walked through the mine, he spread his divine sense. Spiritual ore would affect the earth's veins, and it would take some effort to investigate it clearly, but Qin Sang had his own way.
Qin Sang stopped at a mine, summoned Ling Xi, and ordered him to force out his essence blood to activate the blood talisman he had previously cast. Crimson light illuminated the two of them. Ling Xi engraved the blood talisman in his palm and focused all his attention on sensing something.
A moment later, he opened his eyes and gently shook his head.
Qin Sang immediately took him to the next place, and tried this more than ten times, covering the entire outer perimeter of the spirit mine. Then Qin Sang infiltrated the core area controlled by the Cloud Fox King's Mansion and repeated the same method.
The Spirit Mine Center was guarded by many experts, yet none of them discovered Qin Sang. Qin Sang moved in as if he were in an empty place, consuming a lot of Ling Xi's essence and blood, but ultimately gained nothing.
It seemed the secret vault wasn't in Chenshuiwei, so Qin Sang headed straight for the next place, on a mountain on the other side of Yunhu City.
"Moon Lake Cottage".
Qin Sang gazed at the mountaintop and softly recited the four characters on the archway. Several powerful auras emanated from the mountain.
This place seemed to be the location of a sect's mountain gate. The three locations Qin Sang had selected were all occupied. If the secret vault hadn't been well hidden, it would have been discovered long ago. Now, all they could do was pray that the vault hadn't been opened yet. Qin Sang signaled Ling Xi to continue casting the blood talisman, while she herself circled the mountain, searching for weaknesses in the protective array.
This protective array was more complex than Qin Sang had anticipated; it must have been set up by a master. It would have been simple if the Heavenly Eye Butterfly were awake, but now, not wanting to alert it, she would have to go through a more complicated process.
After patiently waiting for two months, Moon Cauldron finally opened its gates. Taking advantage of the disciples coming and going, Qin Sang silently slipped into the mountain and then had Ling Xi activate the blood talisman. Previously at the foot of the mountain, the blood talisman had no effect, but now the blood talisman in Ling Xi's hand was flashing with an unusual bloody light.
"My lord! The secret vault is right here!"
Ling Xi was overjoyed, then turned his gaze and stared intently at a certain spot in the mountains.
A hint of joy flashed in Qin Sang's eyes, and she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. With the secret vault here, she no longer needed to cause a ruckus in Cloud Fox City!
Led by Ming Lingxi, the two followed the scent of the blood talisman to a stone wall. They used earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of magic that allows one to escape underground) technique and burrowed into the ground. They continued to move among the earth and rocks, descending to an unknown depth. They discovered that the location of the blood talisman's scent was constantly shifting within a certain area; the secret vault had been moving all along.
They quickly approached the secret vault. Without any warning, Qin Sang suddenly saw a burst of blood-red light, which then engulfed him. From the blood-red light, Qin Sang sensed an aura of the same origin as Ling Xi's. Then he saw the blood talisman in Ling Xi's palm detach from his hand and fly forward on its own.
The next moment, the scenery before Qin Sang and Ling Xi changed abruptly, and they were sucked into an unknown space.
This place, sealed for countless years, has finally welcomed two guests.
A heavy, oppressive atmosphere swept over us, and in the darkness, a dim, yellowish light stood out starkly.
Qin Sang looked over and saw a lamp on the long table, which was burning continuously, and there was even half a bowl of lamp oil left.
"An ever-burning lamp! Could it be from a merman..."
Qin Sang was secretly astonished. It was said that lamp oil refined by merfolk was the only true ever-burning lamp, capable of burning for hundreds of thousands or even millions of years without going out.
Nowadays, the alien race lives deep in the misty sea, and the merfolk are a powerful race that rules the waters. Who would dare to capture the merfolk?
Unexpectedly, I found a real ever-burning lamp here. It didn't have a burning, unpleasant smell; instead, it had a faint, sweet fragrance.
The lights illuminated the secret vault.
Qin Sang's gaze was drawn to the wooden shelf next to the long table. The shelf was piled with jade slips and ancient books, which might contain the cultivation techniques passed down by the Ling people, or they might contain the history of the Great Wind Plains that Qin Sang most urgently wanted to know!
The treasures in the secret vault are secondary; these ancient texts are the most important.
With a flash of light, Qin Sang stood in front of the wooden frame, his divine sense sweeping over the jade slips one by one, and he was immediately shocked.
"Geng Chu Zhi..."
He found what he was looking for: the ancient books treasured by the tomb people recorded some history and secrets.
As expected, this place was once the territory of the Daoist court, and one of the twenty-four righteous rulers of the Daoist court!
The Twenty-Four Cities are further divided into high and low grades, namely the Upper Eight Grades, the Middle Eight Grades, and the Lower Eight Grades. Among them, the Upper Eight Grades are either extremely prosperous or have extraordinary significance to the Taoist court. For example, Yangping City, the first of the Twenty-Four Cities, is the first city established by the Taoist court and the birthplace of the Taoist court. It is called the 'Ancestral Court' and also known as the 'Head Mountain'.
Geng Chuzhi was ranked sixth among the eight ranks, a position far exceeding Qin Sang's imagination!
Qin Sangyuan had no idea why Gengchuzhi held such a high position until he saw this ancient text and began to understand. It turned out that Dafengyuan had once been deeply affected by the Niehe River, with the ancient Qi of the Six Heavens rampant. When the Daoist Court decided to advance into the Niehe River, using the Divine Court to survey the heavens and determine the era, the first righteous government it established was Gengchuzhi!
Therefore, Gengchuzhi is also known as 'Gengchuzhi', which means to reform the old and start anew.
Qin Sang guessed that this place might be one of the Twenty-Four Righteous Courts, but he never expected that it once held such a high position in the Dao Court. As long as he found the Gengchuzhi Capital Merit Seal, he would definitely be able to alarm the Divine Court!
Thinking of this, Qin Sang hurriedly continued to search, hoping to find clues about Du Gongyin.