Chapter 338: Chapter 338: A Coincidental Encounter Between Four Groups
This scene, Gong Qingqiu would never forget for the rest of her life.
The Three-tailed Fox Clan led an army to attack Shuiyang City, and her elder brother was obliterated by the body of a Demon King, his existence and dao perishing with him.
Countless brave cultivators fell in succession.
Several elders self-destructed to buy her a chance to escape.
As she looked at the scenes flashing before her, Gong Qingqiu clenched her fists, her eyes filled with tears and rage, the aura around her body rapidly intensified.
Boom!
She broke through to the peak of the Element Gathering Realm in one fell swoop, angrily regaining her cultivation level from before the battle of Shuiyang City.
Element Gathering Realm Fifth Layer!
This was her original realm.
“Hoo!”
Gong Qingqiu took a deep breath and exited the illusionary realm inside the archway, her eyes fixed on the row of golden text that appeared before her, revealing a look of astonishment.
“Let go of your obsession and march forward with courage.”
The text soon dissipated.
But Gong Qingqiu’s heart was not easily calmed.
She knew she had to let go, yet she didn’t know why, she always dreamt of those tragic scenes, unable to completely let go.
“Perhaps, this is the demon in my heart.”
Gong Qingqiu left the illusionary realm area.
This trip didn’t erase the obsession in her heart, but at least she had regained her previous cultivation level, which was a significant gain.
At the peak of Misty Peak.
“Not bad, in less than a day, you’ve broken through to the third layer of the Qi Refining Realm, truly surprising,” Ye Feng said, smiling at Lan Die.
Lan Die’s aptitude was not high, merely of a lower grade, but when she awoke the Spirit Butterfly Reincarnation Body, she absorbed a massive amount of spiritual power, storing it within her body. Now that she officially began cultivating the Five Qi Dynasty Yuan, she could gradually release it, transforming it into cultivation.
However, rushing straight to the third layer of the Qi Refining Realm was her limit.
After this, her cultivation speed would drastically decrease.
“Thank you for your guidance, Sect Leader,” Lan Die said as she knelt to express her gratitude.
At this moment, Gong Qingqiu approached.
After much consideration, she decided to visit the ruins of Shuiyang City to see if she could finally let go of her obsession.
She came to ask Ye Feng for leave.
“Sect Leader, I would like to go to the ruins of Shuiyang City to clear my mind,” Gong Qingqiu said softly.
Ye Feng realized that his physical strength had increased substantially and, upon hearing Gong Qingqiu’s voice, discovered that she had recovered to her peak condition and had returned to the fifth layer of the Element Gathering Realm.
“It seems that Elder Gong’s cultivation in the Cultivation Tower has been very fruitful,” Ye Feng said with a smile.
“Yes, I’m currently stuck at the fifth layer’s illusionary realm. I plan to return to Shuiyang City to clear my mind,” Gong Qingqiu nodded.
Ye Feng nodded and turned to Lan Die beside him, asking, “Xiao Die, do you want to go to the ruins of Shuiyang City and have a feel for it?”
“Ah?” Lan Die was puzzled.
Gong Qingqiu looked at Lan Die with surprise, not understanding why Ye Feng wanted her to go to the ruins of Shuiyang City as well.
“Lan Die, the Heaven-Devouring Demon Sect has sent an undercover operative to our Misty Sect. Of course, she’s only nominally undercover; in fact, she is one of us,” Ye Feng said as he pointed at Lan Die, introducing her with emphasis to Gong Qingqiu.
Upon hearing this, Gong Qingqiu was flabbergasted.
An undercover operative from the Heaven-Devouring Demon Sect?
With her vast experience, she quickly grasped the general situation and said, “Does that mean, Sect Leader, you have turned this disciple to our side?”
“I wouldn’t say turned; the Heaven-Devouring Demon Sect is already Xiao Die’s enemy,” Ye Feng explained.
“I see,” Gong Qingqiu understood.
Ye Feng sharing this important information with her likely meant he wanted her to collaborate with Lan Die in this act.
“So you are Lan Die? I am Gong Qingqiu, an Outer Sect Elder, in charge of the cultivation lessons for you second-generation disciples. From now on, you will likely be cultivating under my guidance,” Gong Qingqiu introduced herself to Lan Die.
“This disciple pays her respects to the elder,” Lan Die bowed deeply as a sign of respect.
“Let’s settle on that! Elder Gong, take Xiao Die out to see the world, and by the way, teach her about cultivation, making up for the progress she has missed,” Ye Feng concluded, then laid down on his rattan chair.
He made a small daily wish, and a large bucket of frothy Happy Water appeared by his side. He took a long sip through a straw, then let out a satisfied burp.
“Yes.”
Gong Qingqiu took Lan Die, and they soared into the sky, heading for Shuiyang City.
In the high skies.
“Xiao Die, under the guidance of Sect Leader, you’ve achieved such a cultivation level in just one day. It seems your potential is quite good,” Gong Qingqiu clasped Lan Die’s wrist, infusing a wisp of True Yuan into her.
Then, she was surprised.
“You have only a lower grade aptitude?”
“Yes, my aptitude is not high. The reason I was able to reach the third layer of Qi Refining in a day is due to the potential of my physique,” Lan Die nodded, appearing quite reserved.
“You have a special physique as well? Could it be similar to Long Tianxing’s Dragonfolk bloodline or Qiao Jiaxi’s Ancient Giant God bloodline?” Gong Qingqiu was very curious.
“Neither,” Lan Die shook her head, “The Sect Leader said that my physique is called the Spirit Butterfly Reincarnation Body, which can create illusions and dreamscapes and read the memories of other beings.”
“Reading memories!” Gong Qingqiu was astounded.
This talent is truly freakish.
As the two chatted, they flew towards Shuiyang City, more than a thousand miles away.
Several hundred miles away.
Within a valley.
Rip!
Jia Yulan used the spell “Spirit Disc Flying Blade” to slay a malevolent High-rank Demon Soldier Level Demonic Beast.
“Sigh, nowadays, High-rank Demon Soldier Level Demonic Beasts barely put any pressure on us. We need to find a Demi-transformed Demon Beast to have a real challenge,” Jia Yulan muttered.
Yan Ruyu nodded, “Indeed, with the amplification of Auxiliary Cultivation Methods like ‘Second Qi Sea’, ‘Water Radiance Technique’, and ‘Nine-Turn Heavenly God Technique’, our strength is extremely high. Only a Demi-transformed Demon Beast would be able to fight us on equal ground.”
Mo Ying was curious, “Why don’t you continue to stay in the Gravity Zone of the Cultivation Tower? If you enter the twentyfold area, it should also help you break through your bottlenecks.”
“We’ve tried. The pressure in the tenfold area isn’t enough, and the twentyfold is too much. Fifteen times would be just right, but unfortunately, it doesn’t exist,” Jia Yulan explained with a hint of helplessness.
“I heard that Shuiyang City Ruins are nearby. Let’s go check it out and see if we can encounter a Demi-transformed Demon Beast,” Yan Ruyu suggested.
“Okay,” Mo Ying nodded.
…
Almost at the same time, two groups of people headed towards the ruins of Shuiyang City.
Unaware of each other’s intentions.
Shuiyang City Ruins.
The place had long been desolate, with no human presence.
The seeds of Spiritual Medicine that had fallen to the ground after the great battles absorbed the blood of countless Demonic Beasts over time and had now flourished into lush vegetation.
Some claimed that, in a few years, Shuiyang City Ruins would become a fine place for gathering medicinal herbs.
Dong Qiang stood at the center of the ruins.
In his mind, the voices of Dong Dongqiang and Hu Yuan argued.
“Listen to me. Use the Soul Refining Grass first to strengthen the soul power, then hit the Realm breakthrough.”
“Don’t listen to him; he’s an idiot. Listen to me, use the Bone-strengthening Pill first to fortify your physique.”
Dong Dongqiang and Hu Yuan started to quarrel.
Dong Qiang was rather helpless.
It was his body, yet he had to listen to these two predecessors bicker and plan in his mind.
“I’ll just take both at the same time!” Dong Qiang sighed.
“No! Taking them at the same time will cause your body to explode,” Dong Qiang’s decision was immediately met with the objection of the two powerhouses.
“Sigh!”
Dong Qiang really wanted to find a block of tofu to crash into and end it all.
His suggestions were never heeded by the two stubborn elders.
A vexing situation indeed!
Whoosh!
Someone flew in from a distance, stirring up a great wind.
“Quick, hide!”
Dong Dongqiang and Hu Yuan spoke in unison.
Dong Qiang quickly used the “Earth Escape Technique”, diving underground, and secretly employed his Spiritual Sense to scan the surroundings and assess the situation.
A figure landed on the ground.
Cloaked and emitting strong waves of Divine Sense Power, he swiftly swept his surroundings. He was a spy from the County King City of the Divine Race:
Han Er!
“I’ve heard that Shuiyang City Ruins are great for planting Spiritual Medicine. From now on, let’s make this our Divine Race’s secret spot for cultivating Divine Vegetables. Brilliant!”
Han Er looked around, making sure there was no one around, then began to set up a Formation, intending to cultivate a plot of vegetables within it.
But at that moment, more people arrived.
“Granny Gan, I haven’t even started tilling the field yet, and someone’s already coming?”
Han Er quickly dug a hole in the ground and hid himself.
Within the nearby soil.
Dong Qiang also hid, holding his breath, not daring to make a sound.
“This cloak man sneaking around, just by looking one can tell he’s no good. My king suggests we go mess with him.”
“Idiot, first see if there are more people coming.”
Hu Yuan and Dong Dongqiang had started arguing again.
Dong Qiang remained silent.
Soon, three figures landed on the ground.
Mo Ying looked around and saw that within the ruins of Shuiyang City, there weren’t any particularly strong Demonic Beasts; however, the ground was lush with Spiritual Medicine.
It’s just that their age was too low to be of any use for the time being.
“Senior Sister Mo, it seems there are no Demi-transformed Demon Beasts nearby!” Yan Ruyu murmured.
“Not necessarily!”
Mo Ying raised her hand, signaling Yan Ruyu and Jia Yulan to keep quiet, then pointed into the distance.
There, a great cloud of dust was billowing towards them.