ragginovel Chapter 50 Returning Empty-Handed, Shazhou Spring Lake
Chapter 50 Returning Empty-Handed, Shazhou Spring Lake
Five days have passed in the blink of an eye.
Wushan, Qingyuan Mountain.
Three streaks of light, one blue, one white, and one purple, flew in from the north and arrived at Green Ape Mountain in just over ten breaths.
"Why is it empty!?"
Chen Mu's mid-Foundation Establishment stage divine sense instantly enveloped the main peak of Green Ape Mountain, his gaze extending several miles, searching for the original spirit monkeys and spirit foxes in the mountains and forests, but ultimately finding nothing.
They got away!
Chen Mu clenched his fists, a flash of anger in his eyes.
It was obvious that the spirit fox in the early stage of Foundation Establishment had been on its way for several days, and all the spiritual cultivators in the mountains had disappeared. Only some low-level spiritual cultivators were still busy in some spiritual fields at the foot of the mountain.
There is nothing else besides that.
'That spirit fox was so cautious; at the slightest sign of trouble, it abandoned this second-tier spiritual vein and fled far away.'
Chen Mu never expected that the spirit fox could lead such a large family from Green Ape Mountain to escape together.
"Senior sister, is this the lair of the Foundation Establishment spirit fox you mentioned?"
A young sword cultivator named Qian Yuantong, dressed in a white robe, scanned the mountain below with his divine sense. There was no Foundation Establishment spirit fox, not even a Qi Refining fox.
"Ahem!"
"Junior brother, that spirit fox must have realized senior sister's intentions and escaped."
"However, with so many spirit foxes and monkeys leaving with us, it will be very difficult to conceal our presence along the way."
"Senior sister, your junior sister will help you."
Zhao Rou, dressed in a light yellow dress, took out four green talismans from her storage bag after speaking. The next moment, the talismans were infused with spiritual energy and transformed into four green birds several feet long.
After circling a few times above Green Ape Mountain, several birds flapped their wings and flew south.
"Senior sister, with these four tracking talismans, we're sure to find traces of their departure."
Zhao Rou cupped her hands in greeting.
"Thank you, junior sister."
"Let's go."
Chen Mu cast a hand seal and chased after the fledging bird.
Qian Yuantong and Zhao Rou exchanged a glance and followed closely behind. Even though they didn't encounter the spirit fox in the early Foundation Establishment stage this time, they still owed their senior sister a favor.
Either way, they both made a profit.
Half an hour later.
Thousands of miles away.
Standing atop a towering peak on the border between Yunzhou and Shazhou, Chen Mu gazed at the few birds circling in front of him, while before him stretched an endless sea of yellow sand.
A fierce wind howled, and sand and dust rose everywhere.
Looking out, there was a sandstorm that blotted out the sky more than ten miles away.
"Senior sister, should we still pursue her!?"
Qian Yuantong frowned slightly as he looked at the boundless sea of sand. If they ventured deeper into this sandy region, they might encounter the sand people, most of whom were remnants of the previous dynasty.
They are very xenophobic towards human cultivators from outside Shazhou, and if you encounter them, you might end up fighting them.
Moreover, their Core Formation Sect, Thousand Shadows Pavilion, is also stationed in the northern part of Shazhou. Thousand Shadows Pavilion is proficient in assassination, intelligence gathering, and sand escape techniques.
Although they are all Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, the cultivators of Thousand Shadows Pavilion have a local advantage in this Sand State, and the power of their sand-type spells and supernatural abilities can be increased by 10% or 20%.
In short, Qian Yuantong did not want to venture into Shazhou for adventure. It was completely unnecessary to pay so much just for a spirit fox in the early stage of Foundation Establishment.
"Liu Ya!"
Standing atop the peak, gazing out over the sea of sand, Chen Mu's eyes flashed with murderous intent.
"I refuse to believe that Liu Ya can find a place to settle down in this sandy area."
"I won't be returning to Yunzhou."
Chen Mu raised his hand and took out a spirit pet bag. After the bag was opened, wisps of thick black mist flew out and swirled around it.
Upon closer inspection, the black mist contained tiny Gu worms.
A few breaths later, tens of thousands of Gu worms scattered and spread out on the mountain ridges on the border between Shazhou and Yunzhou.
"Senior sister."
"Those Sand People and the cultivators of Thousand Shadows Tower are not to be trifled with."
"Rushing in headfirst might not be the best strategy."
When Zhao Rou saw Qian Yuantong speak, she quickly clasped her hands in greeting and followed suit.
"indeed."
"Junior Brother Qian, Junior Sister Zhao, thank you for your trouble this time."
"Senior sisters, I owe you a favor. If you ever need any help in the future, junior brothers and sisters, just let me know."
"That spirit fox is cunning and cautious; I never expected it to be scared away from a second-tier spirit vein by just one sentence."
"We can only go home empty-handed this time."
Chen Mu looked at the sea of sand in front of him, a hint of helplessness in his voice.
"Senior sister, that second-tier spiritual vein is incredibly valuable. It's currently unclaimed land. Although it's a bit remote, there are bound to be a few Qi-refining families willing to risk coming here."
Zhao Rou then spoke up to remind her.
"Several Foundation Establishment forces around that second-tier spiritual land are eyeing it covetously. Forget it, let's go back to the sect."
After saying this, Chen Mu set off northward in a beam of light.
After seeing Zhao Rou shake her head, Qian Yuantong also chased after her.
Chen Mu wasn't particularly interested in that second-tier spiritual vein.
It's a pity that the Foundation Establishment spirit fox with a lifespan of over four hundred years was not captured; it was tantamount to releasing a tiger back into the mountains.
Now that the two sides have become enemies, it would be even worse if they were to seize each other's spiritual veins and strongholds.
It will surely become a major threat to me in the future, so I should leave this line of defense.
...
...
The Kingdom of Nanyue.
Shazhou.
The area of Baiquan Lake.
This is an oasis lake stretching for thousands of miles above the sea of sand. The place is full of spiritual energy, with hundreds of spiritual springs gushing from underground year after year, which is why hundreds of Qi-refining families have gathered here to live and thrive.
This led to the formation of a somewhat well-known gathering place for independent cultivators at Baiquan Lake.
Many Qi Refining families jointly established a market town protected by a second-tier array. The market town attracted many independent cultivators from the surrounding area, as well as other Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment forces, to trade here.
The Qin family patriarch, the only Foundation Establishment family power in Baiquan Lake, was in charge, and an additional Foundation Establishment early stage cultivator was hired to oversee the operation.
The fame of the two Foundation Establishment cultivators deterred the Tribulation Cultivators and Demon Cultivators in the nearby Sand State from coveting this place.
The spirit fish raised in Baiquan Lake are known for their delicious taste and abundant spiritual energy, and are quite famous in this area north of Shazhou.
Moreover, this place is not far from the ruins of Penglai Mountain, so many treasure hunters choose to stay in this Baiquan Lake market.
now.
When the seven flying ships sailed into the area on the edge of Baiquan Lake, Qin Shanmian, the patriarch of the Qin family in the market, learned of the news immediately through the communication channels of the surrounding Qi-refining families.
He then summoned another human cultivator, Gu Jinghe, who was in the early stages of Foundation Establishment, to go and meet this fleet that had suddenly arrived.
Lin Li, atop the first ancient flying ship, unabashedly unleashed his Foundation Establishment aura.
Sensing the two early Foundation Establishment stage auras flying towards him from the depths of the lake oasis, he felt somewhat at ease.
Originally, Lin Li had traveled smoothly for several days according to the map given by Yuan Xiudao, and arrived at the hidden first-class high-grade spiritual vein. However, he did not expect that the spiritual vein had already been transformed into a spiritual mine by setting up a second-class array around it.
After Lin Li approached, he and the early Foundation Establishment stage Sand People guarding the spirit mine tested each other briefly before stopping and talking for a long time.
After learning of Lin Li's purpose, the sand people who were in the early stages of foundation building guided him to a path leading to Baiquan Lake.
"Fellow Daoist, what is the purpose of your grand and imposing arrival in our Hundred Springs Lake territory?"
Qin Shanmian, dressed in a deep red robe, hovered several hundred paces away from the fleet and asked with a wary expression.