Immortality Cultivation

Chapter 205: Arriving at Wangyue Valley

Fang Hao slipped out of the Listening to Rain Pavilion like a night owl, twisting and turning through the city, specifically choosing pitch-black alleys to traverse. Although there was no curfew in Heavenly Capital at night, there were many patrolling City Guards. From time to time, the Divine Sense of Cultivators at the Golden Core Stage or even higher would sweep through; he didn’t want to be caught and interrogated. The journey was fraught with danger but ultimately safe. Reaching the base of the city wall, he found a secluded corner and activated Shrinking the Ground to an Inch. With a flash of his shadow, he silently cleared the high wall and landed outside the city.

"Phew—I’m finally out!" Fang Hao breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced back at the brilliantly lit Heavenly Capital, sprawling like a giant beast, and that slight sense of unease bubbled up again. This job... the future was uncertain! He shook his head, oriented himself, and summoned his yitian sword, which had been modified to look utterly unremarkable. He mounted the sword and rose into the air, transforming into an inconspicuous grey streak of light, flying low toward the direction of "Wangyue Valley" marked on the map.

He didn’t dare fly too high for fear of becoming a target. He pushed the Shadowless Evasion Technique and the Ereal Art to their limits, concealing his aura as much as possible while skimming the treetops or mountain ridges. According to the map given by Princess Mu Yijing, he had to fly east first, then turn southeast through a stretch of barren mountains, bypass several dangerous areas occupied by various factions, and finally reach that godforsaken "Wangyue Valley." The entire journey was about six or seven thousand miles—not a short distance.

After flying for most of the night, as dawn approached, Fang Hao found a remote cave to duck into. He sat down to meditate and regulate his breathing to recover his Spiritual Qi. The target would be too large during the day, so he planned to stay hidden by day and travel by night, which was safer. Anyway, there were still three days until the appointed time; there was no rush.

Moving and stopping like this, hiding during the day and traveling at night, he was cautious throughout the journey. He avoided crowded places and areas with powerful auras, and encountered no trouble. Occasionally, he ran into a few groups of low-level Cultivators or small packs of Demon Beasts, but he bypassed them in advance. If he truly couldn’t avoid them, he would quietly slip past using the Shadowless Evasion Technique, trying his best not to cause trouble.

That night, while he was flying, his Clear Spring Spirit Eyes suddenly scanned a mountain peak ahead. Behind it, the faint glow of Spells flickered, and the sound of fighting reached him. Fang Hao frowned and immediately landed. He pushed the Shadowless Evasion Technique to its limit and, like a ghost, silently crept over to see what was happening. If someone was fighting and blocking the way, he would just go around.

Peering from behind a rock, he thought, ’Heh, it’s quite lively!’ Two groups of people were fighting over something! One group had three people dressed in uniform black martial attire, looking like Loose Cultivators or members of a small Family. Their cultivation consisted of two in the Late Foundation Establishment Stage and one at the Great Perfection Foundation Establishment. The other group had only two people—an old man and a young girl. They were dressed in rags and looked like Loose Cultivators. The elder was at Great Perfection Foundation Establishment, while the young one was a girl in the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. She looked quite delicate, but her face was pale with fright. The two groups were fighting over a Spiritual Plant with pale blue flowers growing on a cliff face.

"A High Grade Tier 2 ’Ice Heart Orchid’? No wonder they’re fighting for it." Fang Hao recognized the Spiritual Plant; it was a primary ingredient for refining several ice-attribute Medicinal Pills. It was worth a bit of money, but useless to him. He didn’t want to meddle in others’ business and was preparing to slip away quietly.

However, the two Loose Cultivators were clearly no match for the three opponents. The leader in black threw a vicious dart, wounding the old man’s leg, and looked ready to deliver a killing blow. The young girl screamed and lunged forward to block him, only to be kicked away by another man, coughing up blood.

"Damn it!" Fang Hao cursed under his breath. He hadn’t intended to interfere, but seeing the girl’s desperate eyes stirred a bit of compassion in his heart. He sighed. Fine, consider it a good deed for the day! Besides, in his current guise, no one would recognize him.

He picked up a small pebble from the ground and flicked it! The stone turned into a streak of light, accurately striking the wrist of the leader in black!

"Ah!" The leader cried out in pain as the dart fell from his hand. He looked toward Fang Hao’s hiding spot with a mix of shock and rage: "Who is it?! Get the hell out here!"

Fang Hao walked out from behind the rock lazily. He wore a mask that hid his expression, and he deliberately lowered his voice to a raspy tone: "A bunch of grown men bullying an old man and a young girl... have you no shame? Leave the item and get lost."

"You’re looking for death!" Seeing that he was alone and his aura wasn’t strong (Fang Hao had deliberately suppressed his cultivation), the leader thought he was just some meddling brat. He sneered and lunged forward with his two subordinates.

Fang Hao shook his head. With a flicker of his Divine Spirit Steps, his figure dodged the trio’s attacks like a phantom. He appeared behind the leader and lightly brushed his finger against the back of the man’s neck.

"Ugh..." The leader’s eyes rolled back, and he slumped to the ground. Before the other two could react, Fang Hao kicked each of them, sending them flying. they landed face-first in the dirt, unable to get up.

"If you don’t get lost now, you can stay here forever," Fang Hao said coldly.

The remaining two were scared out of their wits, realizing they had kicked a steel plate. They scrambled up, picked up their unconscious leader, and ran away without looking back.

Fang Hao didn’t even glance at the Ice Heart Orchid. He waved his hand at the shaken pair: "This place isn’t safe to stay. Take your things and go quickly."

The old man clutched his wounded leg and led the girl forward, expressing endless gratitude. They harvested the Ice Heart Orchid and hurried away.

Fang Hao cleaned up the traces of the scene, confirmed no one was following, and continued his journey. This was just a minor episode, and he soon put it out of his mind.

After traveling for two more days, on the third night, he finally arrived at a range of continuous, barren stone mountains according to the map’s guidance. The Spiritual Qi here was thin, no vegetation grew, and even birds didn’t visit. The "Wangyue Valley" marked on the map was deep within these stone mountains.

"This hellhole is really... remote enough!" Fang Hao landed on the ground, looking at the pitch-black valley entrance before him, feeling uneasy. The entrance was sandwiched between two steep stone peaks, leaving only a narrow crevice. It was dark inside, and nothing could be seen. When he tried to probe with his Divine Sense, it felt like a clay ox entering the sea—blocked by some mysterious force.

"It’s almost the hour of the Rat." Fang Hao looked up at the sky. The moon was obscured by dark clouds, and the surroundings were deathly silent, save for the "woo-woo" sound of the night wind scraping against the rocks, sounding like ghostly wails. He took a deep breath, braced himself, secretly gripped the black tortoise spirit shield in his hand, and prepared a minor teleportation talisman. Only then did he cautiously walk toward the valley entrance.

Just as he reached the entrance, a figure silently emerged from the shadows ahead. The person was completely wrapped in a black robe and wore a plain white mask with no patterns. Their aura was restrained, and their cultivation was unfathomable—at least at the Late Golden Core Stage! This was the "contact person" mentioned in the Jade Slip.

"Who goes there?" the black-robed person asked in a raspy, dry voice.

"A lone traveler under the moon,"

The black-robed person said nothing, merely stepping aside to clear the path and making a "please" gesture.

Fang Hao felt a bit creeped out but steeled himself to walk past the person and into the narrow valley path. The path was long and winding. The further in he went, the thicker the mist became and the lower the visibility dropped. His Divine Sense was also heavily suppressed, only able to detect a few yards around him. His Clear Spring Spirit Eyes could barely see through the mist, but there seemed to be a Formation blocking his vision deep within, making it impossible to see clearly.

After walking for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the space ahead suddenly opened up. The mist dissipated, revealing a small valley surrounded by stone walls. The valley was very empty, with only an ancient stone platform covered in moss and cracks standing in the center. A person sat cross-legged on the platform.

When Fang Hao saw the person clearly, his pupils suddenly constricted, and his heart skipped a beat. He thought to himself, "It really is her!"

Sitting on the stone platform was none other than Grand Princess Mu Yijing! However, her current state seemed somewhat off.