Chapter 420: An Absolute Yin Spirit Vein
Su Yi thought for a moment. “What am I most interested in? Pursuing the Grand Dao, naturally. Beyond that, my only other interests are life’s pleasures.”
Qing Ya giggled, “Then we’re a bit similar, except that I’m?only?interested in life’s pleasures. Big Brother Su Yi, why are you so fixated on pursuing the Grand Dao anyway?”
“.....” Su Yi suddenly realized that the girl was full of seemingly endless questions. If they continued chatting like this, she could keep going for a long time.
Fortunately, Ling Yunhe took out a plump, ripe Fire Peach just in the nick of time and passed it to Qing Ya. She instantly focused all of her attention on devouring it, and soon, she was happily chomping away.
The four of them continued their journey to the Great Xia together.
They encountered no major incidents along the way.
Half a month later, the ninth day of the eighth lunar month.
Around noon, Ling Yunhe pointed at a range of rolling mountains and said, “Fellow Daoist, after we pass through the Cloud Python Mountains, we’ll enter the Great Xia.”
Su Yi nodded.
He first left the Great Zhou on the second day of the seventh month. A month and seven days had passed since then.
Only when he thought back to his journey did Su Yi fully realize just how vast the distance between the Great Zhou and the Great Xia was.
“Rumor has it that the Great Xia is the heart of the continent. It’s home to both natural treasures and illustrious heroes, and its territories are thirty thousand miles across. It has over a hundred factions of cultivators. They say it’s a?cultivation?nation, although I don’t know if that’s true.” Yuan Heng’s face filled with longing.
“Of course it’s true,” said Ling Yunhe. “Pick any cultivation faction of the Great Xia at random, and it could single-handedly dominate just about any other nation on the continent!”
“And each of the Great Xia’s four peak-level orthodoxies has Spirit Dao cultivators in residence. Each?towers?above the Azure Continent, and their foundations are mighty to the extreme.”
Su Yi and Yuan Heng had already learned that the so-called “Four Great Orthodoxies of the Great Xia” were the Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect, the Qingyi Dao Sect, Cloudsky Divine Palace, and Maha Temple.
To the cultivators of the Great Xia, each was like a pillar supporting the heavens. They dominated the world and intimidated the masses.
In the eyes of the common folk, the cultivators of the Four Great Orthodoxies were no different from gods and immortals.
Throughout the continent, these four transcendent orthodoxies stood at the very pinnacle.
The crux of the matter was that each was home to Spirit Dao cultivators, and no small number of them, either!
“Aside from the Four Great Orthodoxies, the Great Xia has three major clans. They say that each of the three top clans’ roots can be traced back thirty thousand years; their accumulations run unfathomably deep.”
Ling Yunhe sighed. “However, the highest authority in the Great Xia still belongs to the imperial family!”
“The current emperor is intelligent and shrewd, a legendary figure. He became a Spirit Dao cultivator many years ago, and they say his cultivation is unbelievably profound.”
When he heard this, Yuan Heng’s heart churned with emotion, but Su Yi didn’t find any of this the least bit strange.
If the imperial family of the Great Xia weren’t strong, how could it possibly suppress the Four Great Orthodoxies?
At the end of the day, the emperor of the Great Xia’s authority was sufficient to control the mundane world, but without personal strength, he’d become nothing but a puppet for cultivation factions.
As they spoke, the group reached the airspace over the Cloud Python Mountains.
The mountains rose and fell, extending far into the distance. It was a magnificent sight. Everywhere they looked, they saw springs, rivers, and strangely-shaped rocks.
“The Cloud Python Mountains?neighbor the Great?Xia’s southern border. In the past, yao ran rampant here, including no shortage of mighty yao kings. Every last mountain was perilous,” said Ling Yunhe, the words flowing out of him.
“However, the mountains produce an abundance of goods. Not just spiritual medicines, either; there are spiritual ores buried here too. Over the years, the natural resources have drawn countless cultivators here, mostly to pluck medicines.
“Rumor has it that once, a cultivator discovered the ruins of an immortal cave, and that inside, there was a tier-seven Gold-Thread Spirit Lotus. The cultivator auctioned it off in the Great Xia’s imperial capital, Nine Tripod City. In the end, it fetched an astronomical price—eight hundred tier-six spirit stones.
“There’s also a rumor of an Absolute Yin Spirit Vein deep within the mountains, but they say a terrifying giant python dwells nearby. It’s apparently so powerful that not even Origin Palace cultivators dare approach it.”
When he heard this, Su Yi instantly stopped in his tracks. “An Absolute Yin Spirit Vein?”
If it really was an Absolute Yin Spirit Vein, there was no way he could miss it!
“It’s just a rumor, that’s all,” said Ling Yunhe.
Su Yi thought for a moment. “I’ll check. Then we’ll know if it’s true or not.
He then stood in the sky, swept his gaze across the vast mountain range below, and took a deep breath. His hands rapidly formed seals.
Whoosh~!
The origin power spread throughout the surrounding sky reacted as if it had been summoned, gathering around Su Yi’s hand seals.
Beneath Ling Yunhe, Yuan Heng, and Qing Ya’s curious gazes, the seal Su Yi had just created took to the skies and whirled about, scattering a rain of colorful light.
Before long, the seal transformed into a lively, lifelike spirit finch. It paused to preen its feathers, then flapped its wings and flew toward the northwest.
Witnessing this miraculous scene made Qing Ya’s eyes lit up, and she chirped, “Big Brother Su Yi, what kind of magic was that?”
“This is a secret art related to?Fengshui?and geomancy. It’s called the Little Spirit Finch Guide, and it can discern the energy of the spirit veins distributed throughout the landscape.”
“Come on, let’s keep up.” As he spoke, Su Yi had already started following the spirit finch. The others soon followed suit.
A little less than ten minutes later, the Spirit Finch suddenly stopped in the air, looked down, and shot toward the mountain below.
A smile tugged at Su Yi’s lips. “There are indeed spirit veins distributed throughout the Cloud Python Mountains. Whether there’s an Absolute Yin Spirit Vein remains to be seen; I’ll have to conduct a more thorough investigation.”
The group didn’t delay. All of them continued after the Spirit Finch. Soon, they arrived at a mountain stream.
The mountains were shrouded in mist, and a gushing stream wound through them.
As soon as they arrived, cold energy assailed their senses, smacking them right in the face.
Yuan Heng was a golden softshell turtle, and he was proficient with the water element. He sensed their surroundings briefly, then shuddered. “Master, the water veins are bone-chillingly cold; this is no ordinary place.”
“That’s to be expected,” said Su Yi. “Lands capable of producing Absolute Yin Spirit Veins are always the places where the cold yin energy is the densest.”
Su Yi had only just said this when they heard a commotion from further into the mountains.
“Our Yuanyang Spirit Sect has already sealed off this area. Hurry up and leave, or we’ll kill you without mercy!”
“Scram!”
“If you stick around any longer, don’t blame us for our poor manners!”
…An explosion of voices echoed through the air, and a group appeared in the distance. Their ranks included a mix of men and women, all of them cursing and shouting with unsightly expressions.
“Friend, might you tell me what happened over there?” Ling Yunhe pulled a thin man aside and asked.
At first, the man seemed a bit impatient, but when he sensed Ling Yunhe’s aura, he jumped and said hurriedly, “Senior, Cold Emerald Valley lies up ahead. We normally gather spiritual medicine in the area, but today, we arrived only to discover that the Yuanyang Spirit Sect has already monopolized the entire area. They aren’t even letting anyone else get close…”
Before he could continue, Ling Yunhe asked, “Why have they sealed this place off?”
The man was briefly stunned. Then, he shook his head. “That, I don’t know.”
“Come on, let’s go take a look.” Su Yi was the first to continue ahead. The Spirit Finch he’d condensed earlier had already flown ahead.
His companions hurried after him.
A valley came into view in the distance. A chill enveloped the entire area, and the nearby vegetation was coated in frost.
A group of experts stood near the entrance. All of them had extraordinary auras.
Their leader, a middle-aged man in purple, sat on a rock, drinking leisurely.
When they saw Su Yi’s group approach, a young man in ornate robes bellowed, “Didn’t we tell you to?scram? Why are you getting closer? Do you really think our Yuanyang Spirit Sect is too afraid to kill you?”
The others looked impatient too, and all of their faces brimmed with killing intent.
“How strange. They’re obviously well aware that our Yuanyang Spirit Sect has business here. Why are they here? Aren’t they afraid of death….?” A purple-robed, middle-aged man sitting on a boulder sighed and set down his wine jug.
He glanced at Su Yi’s group, but when he saw Ling Yunhe, he was stunned. Then, he shot to his feet, clasped his fist, and bowed frantically.
“I am Li Huaibiao of the Yuanyang Spirit Sect. Greetings, Senior.” As he spoke, cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and his heart thudded in his chest. This was a Gathering Stars Realm expert!
The strongest members of the Yuanyang Spirit Sect, the high elders, were just Gathering Stars Realm Experts!
The others were initially impatient, but when they saw this, they immediately stopped berating Su Yi’s group. They were dumbstruck.?This… What’s going on?
Ling Yunhe said expressionlessly, “Your Yuanyang Spirit Sect is quite prestigious. Do you plan to have us ‘scram’ too?”
The purple-robed middle-aged man said hurriedly, “A misunderstanding! This is all just one big misunderstanding. Our disciples were blind; please, forgive us.”
The youths realized that this wasn’t looking good, and all of them fell as silent as cicadas in the winter.
Ling Yunhe glanced at Su Yi. When he saw that Su Yi seemed to have no intention of pursuing this matter, he said, “Forget it. The ignorant are free of sin. Just let us pass.”
The purple-robed middle-aged man sighed in relief, but he couldn’t help but feel stressed. “Senior, I won’t lie to you. Our Yuanyang Spirit Sect is currently pursuing a fortuitous encounter within the valley. The sect master ordered us to stand guard here; we’re not to let anyone get near. Might you come back another day?”
“This…” Ling Yunhe glanced at Su Yi.
This involved an entire faction of cultivators; if they barged in, it was highly likely to lead to trouble.
Ling Yunhe wasn’t afraid, but he wanted to hear Su Yi’s intentions before he did anything.
Su Yi said calmly, “These lands have no owner, and everyone is free to enter. Yuan Heng, clear a path.”
The Yuanyang Spirit Sect’s methods might intimidate ordinary cultivators, but how could they scare off Su Yi?
“Yes, sir!” Yuan Heng stepped right up, and his aura boomed around him as he said coldly, “It would be in your best interest to get out of our way. Otherwise, I’m afraid your lives will be in danger!”
His voice boomed like thunder, and his dominating majesty swept forth like waters at high tide.
The middle-aged man in purple and the sect disciples were visibly stunned. They would never have guessed that these people would attack despite knowing full well that they were from the Yuanyang Spirit Sect!
They obviously didn’t take their Yuanyang Spirit Sect the least bit seriously!
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