The next morning, the rising sun bathed Yunze Lake in a golden red hue.
On the southern side of Chongmei Mountain, Chen Mu opened his eyes, immediately taking out the Five Ghosts Bag to check.
The previous day, he had captured nearly a thousand Netherworld Worms, of which more than half successfully transformed into Ghosts. At this moment, the total number of Ghosts in the bag reached one thousand two hundred. Nearly all of the space above the interior of the Five Ghosts Bag was obscured by Ghosts, resembling a vast cloud of darkness.
“Relax, even if there’s just one more Primordial Energy, that’s still a gain.”
Chen Mu took a deep breath, trying to calm his emotions, and carefully pulled open the drawstring of the Five Ghosts Bag like usual. A cluster of inky black Primordial Energy immediately floated out from the bag.
Without a close count, it was clear that there was a significant increase in the amount of Primordial Energy.
“Beautiful!” Chen Mu couldn’t help clenching his fist and waving it in excitement.
He then quickly activated the Dark Cloud True Method, absorbing the cluster of Primordial Energy into the Jade Seed without missing a trace.
“Seventy-nine strands of Primordial Energy, nearly half more than before.”
“The Primordial Energy needed to refine the Divine Orifice just once, can now be accumulated in a month and a half. What used to take twelve or thirteen years to complete the River Chariot cultivation, now just needs over nine years.”
“I haven’t been waiting in vain these past six months, haha!” Chen Mu couldn’t help but laugh out loud after a quick calculation.
“How great it would be if another Strange Demon showed up.” He shook his head in regret.
It was likely that Yuan Xian was starting to suspect it was him causing the disappearance of the Strange Demon. With that crafty old man’s shrewdness, even if he wasn’t certain, he wouldn’t send another Strange Demon to Yunze Lake.
“Forget it, I can’t always think about capturing Strange Demons. Those things are really bizarre. If I encounter another one like the Worry-Free King level of Strange Demon… Tch!” Just the thought of his previous experience being chased by Li Wuyou in the Netherworld made Chen Mu’s scalp tighten.
“If it comes to it, I’ll just spend time grinding the Dark Cloud True Method to its peak.”
This Secret Technique was a core secret transmission of the Li Yang Path. The more profound the cultivation, the higher the efficiency of Divine Orifice Refinement. Then there would be no need for more Ghosts, and the cultivation of the River Chariot could be accelerated.
With a thought, the gray walls appeared, and Chen Mu’s gaze shifted downward.
Dark Cloud True Method: 8789/10000/Third Rank;
“In just over half a month, the Secret Technique will be advanced.”
“A Third Rank Dark Cloud True Method can save twenty percent of Primordial Energy, and advancing another rank could further increase that amount.”
Chen Mu made his calculations and took out the Exquisite Jade Plate to start it up. Feeling the Earth Spirit Vital Energy around him growing denser, he immediately began cultivating the Dark Cloud True Method.
…
North of Yunze Lake.
Amid the mist, a black-cloaked boat about four or five meters long bobbed with the waves.
Inside the cabin, Yuan Xian sat cross-legged at a low square table, staring expressionlessly through the small window beside him at the surging clouds in the distance.
At a certain moment, a black shadow as large as a door panel appeared beneath the hull.
The shadow, seemingly alive, clung to the stern and crept up onto the black-cloaked boat. Then, it slowly gathered and rose, and in the blink of an eye, the tall and thin Yuan Xia’s figure was revealed within the shadow.
“Master, just yesterday, that Strange Demon disappeared abruptly,” he said with a grave expression.
A flicker of realization crossed Yuan Xian’s eyes.
“Was it Gongsun Sheng?” Yuan Xia asked hesitantly.
“It probably was.” Yuan Xian nodded slightly.
He had suspected that Gongsun Sheng’s sudden disappearance was deliberate, aimed at luring him into a false sense of security to drive Strange Demons into Yunze Lake and then capture them.
“Shall we contact Gongsun Sheng through Li Moliang?” Yuan Xia suggested out loud.
Contact him for what?
To ask Gongsun Sheng to kindly let the Strange Demon go?
Nonsense!
Gongsun Sheng’s goal was the Strange Demon to begin with; there was no way he’d back down easily!
“Then, should we find an excuse to stall for time? Perhaps we could go deal with another Lower Courtyard first?” Yuan Xia spoke again.
“I’d like to, but unfortunately…”
Unfortunately, the Jade Spirit Venerable wouldn’t allow it!
Yuan Xian’s expression grew unpleasant.
He had thought that after mastering the Celestial Capital Transformation, he would be powerful enough to move unopposed throughout Da Qian. Yet, upon meeting the mysterious and unfathomable Jade Spirit Venerable again, he felt the same sense of powerlessness as before.
“Follow the Jade Spirit Venerable’s orders and continue driving Strange Demons into Yunze Lake,” Yuan Xian sighed with resignation.
“If that Strange Demon is captured by Gongsun Sheng again, it will certainly delay things, which might lead to the Jade Spirit Venerable coming to investigate.” Yuan Xia spoke with worry, “With that, Gongsun Sheng is very likely to be exposed to the Jade Spirit Venerable.”
“Before, you only told the Jade Spirit Venerable about the existence of a hidden expert at Chongmei Mountain, but not about the connection between Gongsun Sheng and us. If Gongsun Sheng is captured by the Jade Spirit Venerable, Master…”
Yuan Xian’s face twitched, and a sense of frustration rose in his heart instantly.
He couldn’t afford to provoke the Jade Spirit Venerable, nor could he afford to provoke Gongsun Sheng.
Truly a difficult situation!
After careful thought, Yuan Xia squinted his eyes, “In that case, make a personal visit to Nanxian Mountain in the Shu Kingdom.”
“There lies a Strange Demon, which is the transformed form of the former head of a loyal and diligent family of the Da Qian, who fell into demonism.”
“The family of the loyal and diligent Marquis has been practicing the Illusion Transformation for generations, specialized in concealment and change.”
“The Strange Demon formed from the mutation is also elusive, and unless a Lock Dragon Knight uses the bloodline of the Marquis’ descendants as a guide, it is almost impossible to find.”
“If it can’t be found and remains unseen, Gongsun Sheng will have no means to deal with it, and the Strange Demon will be able to successfully infiltrate the Yun Chong Lower Courtyard!” Yuan Xian revealed a smiling face.
Yuan Xia’s eyes lit up at once, “Master is truly brilliant!”
…
At the northern side of the peak of Chongmei Mountain, on the second floor of a wooden pavilion.
Lian Xi was drenched in sweat, chanting spells with an anxious expression.
Huang Jiu pushed the door open and entered, looking at Lian Xi with a cold face, “Enough, stop chanting.”
“The monster has been running away all night already, what use is chanting spells now!”
Lian Xi’s face fell, “The Nightmare Victory Spell clearly captured the qi of that monster, why did it fail?”
“It survived the violent resistance at the beginning, so why did it suddenly disappear without a trace?”
“No, no, no! There’s definitely someone messing around here!” he shouted repeatedly.
“Are you suggesting that the strange monster you worked so hard to find was easily discovered by someone else?” Huang Jiu leaned forward, peering down at Lian Xi, “And then was forcibly taken from your hands?”
“Ha!”
“Even if you want to find an excuse, at least find a credible one,” Huang Jiu straightened up, his face unimpressed.
“It’s true, believe me!” Lian Xi cried out, trying to defend himself excitedly.
“Enough.” Huang Jiu waved his hand to interrupt.
“Lost is lost, the urgent matter now is to quickly carry out a blood sacrifice to Yama to refine the Primordial Energy and aid us in completing the Divine Orifice Refinement,” he said with detached demeanor.
“Didn’t you intercept the monster’s qi? If someone really challenges us, just use it as an excuse.” Huang Jiu’s expression was indifferent, “By then the Earth Vein Spiritual Spring will be depleted, leaving no evidence. As long as we insist it was the monster causing trouble, what can Goose Yang Mountain do to us!”
Lian Xi was shocked, then immediately overjoyed, “Brother Huang’s courage is impressive!”
The Nightmare Victory Spell lost effectiveness, and he had feared Huang Jiu would back down, yet Huang Jiu was even bolder than he was.
“Yunzhou happens to be undergoing a millennium change. It’s both a disaster and an opportunity.” Huang Jiu slapped the windowsill, his eyes sparkling continuously, “Just be courageous enough, and with an early completion of the River Chariot, the Daoist Foundation is right before our eyes!”
If luck was on his side, maybe he could even glimpse the scenery above the Primordial Spirit!
…
Half a month later, in the evening.
To the south of Chongmei Mountain, in Chen Mu’s Cave Mansion.
In front of the massive Jade Window, Chen Mu lay in a rocking chair with his eyes closed, cultivating.
Within the Jade Seed, nine layers of the Divine Orifice rotated chaotically, strands of mana drifted out from within the Divine Orifice, filling the entire Jade Seed.
Surrounding clouds were like the Dark Cloud Talisman, slowly billowing. Its foundational Talisman had been stacked by Chen Mu to nearly two thousand, becoming more mysterious and natural. At a glance, it looked just like a real dark cloud.
Chen Mu opened his eyes, the gray walls appearing in front of him.
Dark Cloud True Method: 169/10000/Fourth Rank;
“Using a Third Rank True Method to refine the Divine Orifice saves twenty percent of Primordial Energy. Now that it’s entering the Fourth Rank, the effect must improve again.”
“Even if I can’t capture more Ghosts, just by farming experience points for the Dark Cloud Secret Method, I can greatly speed up the Divine Orifice Refinement.”
“This method is good, but alas, it’s a bit too costly in White Jade Coins.” Chen Mu shook his head helplessly.
After all, the Yun Chong Lower Courtyard is still a lower courtyard; it has Earth Spirit Vital Energy, but it’s not rich. Over the past six months, he had been using the Exquisite Jade Plate to assist in cultivation. With significant expenditure, he now had only four to five hundred White Jade Coins left on him, which made him feel insecure.
“I need to find a way to earn a good sum of White Jade Coins soon,” Chen Mu mused, narrowing his eyes as he stroked his chin.
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