Chapter 297: Chapter 297: Attempting to Awaken the Dragon Vein
While Song Wanning was engrossed in her search, a major event occurred in the outside world.
A monster with unpredictable movements had appeared in the Cultivation World, abducting many Cultivators.
From Foundation Establishment Stage disciples to mortals who couldn’t cultivate, many people had vanished without a trace.
At first, everyone thought it was a coincidence, until a Cultivator happened to witness an incident. After that, the news spread like wildfire.
Upon learning of this, Song Qingyun immediately contacted that Cultivator. After asking for the location, he personally went to investigate, but the monster was incredibly clever and had long since fled.
He returned empty-handed. After some thought, he decided to inform the other families and Sects.
As long as this monster remained at large, the disciples would never know a day of peace.
Soon, news of the monster was everywhere. The various Sects and factions issued bounties, offering rewards to any disciple who could provide accurate information.
The Sects and families all began to take the matter seriously, which made the Loose Cultivators even more anxious.
If even these major powers were on high alert, the monster was surely no ordinary foe.
They, the Loose Cultivators, had no power, no influence, and no one to rely on. They were in the most danger.
For a time, everyone flocked to the cities, not daring to linger outside on their own.
The cities grew bustling as a result, with guard patrols constantly moving in and out.
In the He Family’s estate, a travel-worn He Xiao returned from his journey and went to the He Family Master’s study.
"How did it go?"
the He Family Master asked, his brow furrowed.
He Xiao shook his head, his expression grave. "The Song Family is very secretive. I couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary."
"Big Brother, do you think the Song Family really discovered a Spirit Vein?"
News of a Spirit Vein was not easy to hide. After all, once a Spirit Vein was mined, the dense Spiritual Energy would leak out, making it very difficult to conceal.
"I can’t be one hundred percent certain, but for the Song Family to suddenly become so extravagant, it’s hard not to be suspicious."
"Besides, some Spirit Veins have natural restrictive formations that make them very hard to detect."
The He Family Master sighed. The Song Family had several Divinity Transformation cultivators. Even if He Xiao had gotten close to the Spirit Vein, its presence would have likely been concealed from him.
"Forget it. Let’s set this matter aside for now. You should go back and rest."
The He Family Master felt weary. Ever since the Song Family’s rise, it seemed nothing had gone smoothly for the He Family.
Now, even the Heavenly Inquiry Sect was gradually slipping from their control and becoming the Song Family’s domain. The disciples of the He Family were finding it extremely difficult to get by in the Heavenly Inquiry Sect.
He Xiao, however, didn’t leave. His eyes glinted as he asked, "Big Brother, what’s this about the monster? I saw the city is under martial law everywhere. It seems the situation is serious."
"Is that monster really so powerful?"
Hearing this, the He Family Master nodded calmly. "Yes. All of you should be careful recently. Don’t let any of our family’s disciples get captured."
"Yes, I understand."
Having received his answer, He Xiao stood up, turned, and walked out the door.
As he watched the family disciples’ tense and guarded postures, a profound look flashed in the depths of his eyes before he strode away.
...
Time passed quietly. There were still no leads on the monster, but people continued to disappear from time to time.
The monster’s movements were secretive and its speed was astonishing. On several successive occasions, even pursuits by Nascent Soul Cultivators ended without a trace.
It sent a wave of panic through the populace.
Song Wanning knew nothing of this. She had already been underground for half a year.
The Dragon Vein was simply immense. Its head was located beneath the Song Family’s city, but its body and tail stretched out to occupy what was likely half of the entire Human Clan Territory.
Once awakened, the entire Human Clan would benefit, and the Song Family would undoubtedly be the greatest beneficiary, as the head of the dragon was the location with the most concentrated Spiritual Energy.
But after half a year of searching, Song Wanning still hadn’t been able to find the slumbering Dragon Spirit.
Even the Golden Small Sword was starting to feel discouraged.
"Big Sister, do you think maybe this Dragon Vein doesn’t have a Dragon Spirit, or that the Dragon Spirit vanished long ago?"
The master’s clone and her true self had been searching separately for a full six months without any clues. They had searched nearly the entire Dragon Vein.
"Let’s keep looking. Don’t be anxious."
Song Wanning wasn’t in a good mood either.
’But a Dragon Vein is no ordinary thing,’ she thought. ’How could finding the Dragon Spirit be so easy?’
She suppressed her inner restlessness, calmed her emotions, and resumed the search.
Soon, another three months had passed.
Song Wanning, her eyes tightly shut, suddenly snapped them open. Her expression changed drastically as she flew at top speed toward one of the Dragon Vein’s claws.
Finally, she came to a stop on one of the dragon’s claws—on its nail.
’Who would have thought that in a Dragon Vein so vast and immense, the Dragon Spirit would be hiding inside a toenail...’
The corner of Song Wanning’s mouth twitched. ’This Dragon Spirit really knows how to pick a sleeping spot...’
She swept her Divine Sense over it again. A ball of white light was curled up inside the nail. With each "breath," the surrounding Spiritual Energy rose and fell in rhythm.
Just gazing at it for a few moments was enough to completely calm the urgency and restlessness in Song Wanning’s heart.
It was like a soothing, cool breeze sweeping through her mind, smoothing everything out.
A smile graced her lips. Standing on the nail, she lowered her head slightly, then took out several items from her Storage Ring.
A common Spiritual Pearl, a box of vermillion, and three sticks of incense.
She sat down cross-legged, arranged the items before her, and piously cleansed her hands with the incense smoke before beginning her preparations to awaken the Dragon Spirit.
Within her Sea of Consciousness, the mantra from the ancient text appeared with perfect clarity. She exhaled a breath of turbid air, closed her eyes, and began to silently chant the Heart Method Mantra.
The Heart Method Mantra needed to be chanted silently a full forty-nine times.
As she reached the final repetition, the Spiritual Pearl beside her suddenly flew up and began to revolve rapidly around the nail.
SNAP—
The three incense sticks ignited without a flame. Their red tips glowed brightly, then dimmed, and soon a faint fragrance drifted out with the smoke.
The moment she finished the final mantra, Song Wanning’s eyes snapped open, and she reached for the vermillion.
After dabbing her finger in the vermillion, her expression turned icy as she began to rapidly draw in mid-air.
Her movements were so fast they were impossible to follow with the naked eye.
The Golden Small Sword and the Divine Nether Profound Fire both watched nervously from the side, their eyes gleaming as they stared at the symbol slowly materializing in the air.
The symbol she drew was filled with a mysterious aura, as if it had come forth from ancient times, carrying with it a vast and boundless sense of desolation and vicissitude.
At this moment, Song Wanning was enveloped in a mysterious, hazy glow, making her appear like one of the Heavenly Gods—an awesome and unapproachable figure.
"Go—"
With a soft cry, the symbol seemed to come to life, rushing into the nail.
The Spiritual Pearl also found its direction and sped toward the Dragon Spirit’s location.
Song Wanning opened her eyes and began to rapidly chant the mantra of the mental method again, her pace accelerating, faster and faster.
Just as the Spiritual Pearl was about to reach the Dragon Spirit, something unexpected happened.
KABOOM—
A tremendous roar echoed from the heavens. A bolt of Nine Heavens Divine Thunder tore through the firmament, pierced through layer after layer of obstacles, and struck deep underground.
The intense Power of thunder and lightning instantly engulfed Song Wanning, giving her no chance to react.
PTHOO—
Song Wanning was slammed to the ground.
