Chapter 234: Stunning a Wingform-realm Cultivator
Xiao Nanfeng sailed across the Eastern Sea with a group of cultivators to more spiritbeast lairs.
As they flew, You Jiu reported, "Sir Xiao, after we excavated three draconic veins, the Immortal sects all over the Eastern Sea began searching for us, but to no avail. They're all trying to take down spiritbeast lairs and excavating draconic veins now. Perhaps they've been planning this for a while, but none wanted to be the first to try it."
"There are quite a few spiritbeast lairs in the region, but not all of them have draconic veins associated with them," Xiao Nanfeng replied, smiling.
He had a map of draconic veins throughout the Eastern Sea, a princely gift from Long Jiu. None of the Immortal sects would be as knowledgeable as he was about their location.
"I've received reports that the Immortal sects have expended a great deal of treasure and raw materials to excavate two draconic veins," You Jiu replied.
"We won't have to worry about them. If all these Immortal sects were only able to excavate two draconic veins in this time, they'll barely get anywhere. Indeed, it's better if they join in, so we don't stand out," Xiao Nanfeng replied.
Their fleet sailed into a certain region of the sea.
The carcasses of some sea spirits were scattered across its surface, and there were fleets piled high with sea spirits sailing away. An Immortal sect had raided the spiritbeast lair. Some of its disciples were heaping the carcasses onto the ships, while others were gathered on a rocky island carting shattered gemstones around. They were shouting at each other and clearly in a bad mood.
"This sect raided the spiritbeast lair and expended a great deal of treasure in an attempt to excavate a draconic vein, but they failed. Are we going to waste our time here?" You Jiu asked.
"They failed because they were unlucky. There is a draconic vein in the area, but it's fifteen kilometers south of where their altar is," Xiao Nanfeng replied.
"Oh?" You Jiu was taken aback.
"Right by that island. Prepare the formation immediately!" Xiao Nanfeng commanded.
"Understood!" the disciples replied.
The Taiqing disciples had arrived at the scene quietly. Fog surrounded their fleet, making it difficult for the other cultivators to discover their identity.
They began preparing a formation following Xiao Nanfeng's orders. The region was quickly enveloped with thick fog, drawing the attention of the cultivators nearby.
"Senior Brother, there are others setting up a formation over there!"
"What? They're not trying to take advantage of us, are they? I've already inspected that region over there. There's nothing there!"
"Surely they aren't aiming for the draconic vein in the region?"
"The draconic vein? There isn't one around, I'm sure of it! We've checked the whole region exhaustively. The spiritual aether is densest where we are. If we couldn't find a draconic vein here, how would they find one over there?"
The cultivators mocked the ignorant newcomers, but otherwise left them alone. Instead, they focused on heaping their fleet with the spoils of the raid.
However, some of the cultivators, perhaps out of curiosity, remained behind to observe the newcomers from afar.
That evening, the islands suddenly began to shake. A tsunami formed, followed by the keening of a dragon from deep underground.
"A dragon! They've excavated a draconic vein?!"
"A draconic vein? That's ours!"
"Inform Master, quickly!"
The cultivators gasped in surprise as they sent word to their masters and elders.
Meanwhile, amidst the thick fog, a nine-hundred-meter long draconic vein was unearthed. Everyone looked at it expectantly.
"Croak, Warble, this draconic vein is all yours. I need you both to break through," Xiao Nanfeng said.
"Got it!" Croak and Warble leapt forward in excitement.
"The Divine Golden Toad!" The two spirits simultaneously invoked the technique they had just learned.
Their bodies suddenly expanded in size. One toad began to devour the dragon's head; the other, its tail. They used the technique they had just learned to absorb draconic aether furiously, swallowing it all up and storing it to be digested.
The draconic vein was so large that both toads were completely stuffed. They radiated with golden light as they fell into meditation.
Xiao Nanfeng stood beside them and waited patiently as You Jiu returned from beyond the fog.
"Sir Xiao, these cultivators were too cautious. If we had made a move, we would have been able to kill the majority of them, but things would have been disastrous if even one got away. In the end, I commanded everyone to stay their hand. Half of them have gone to summon their masters or elders," You Jiu reported, frowning.
"That's fine. We just have to delay until Croak and Warble break through. Let's go. We'll take the rest of them down together," Xiao Nanfeng replied.
"Yessir!" You Jiu replied.
Xiao Nanfeng and You Jiu silently headed toward those cultivators observing them from afar, then quickly dealt with them in the span of an hour. Xiao Nanfeng flew back through the fog and continued guarding Croak and Warble as they broke through.
Four hours later, a number of figures began to emerge from over the horizon. A blue-robed man was in the lead, the blue light emanating from him so intense that the entire sky was tinted a shade of blue. Furthermore, because of how rapidly he was flying, the wind around him parted the ocean in two. The aura surrounding him was even more imposing than that around Croak and Warble. He headed straight toward the middle of the thick fog.
"Hold it!" a shout came from the fog, echoing around the islands.
The blue-robed man narrowed his eyes and didn't stop. "What manner of conniving, cowardly cultivator are you, to dare to steal the draconic vein of the Flying Immortal Sect?"
He seemed to be intending to head right into the fog to see what was going on within.
"Sir, I recommend you have a look at what lies on the island to the south first," the voice continued speaking from within the fog.
The blue-robed man turned, then stilled. His face darkened, and those cultivators following behind him were shocked stiff.
"Master, everyone's been captured!"
"Have they been killed? No, they're all unconscious!" the cultivators cried out in surprise.
In the distance, the disciples of the Flying Immortal Sect had all been hung up in the air. Beside them were a group of figures covered in fog, their weapons bared, poised to kill the unconscious cultivators at any moment.
The blue-robed man cried out, "You dare take my disciples as hostage? Do you intend to make enemies of the Flying Immortal Sect?"
"If we did, your disciples wouldn't be hanging in the air. They would be dead—and there would be no chance that any would have survived to bring word back to you," the voice continued.
The blue-robed man frowned. "Just who are you?"
"Don't worry about that. We bear you no malice. We've been eyeing this location for years now, and just recently locked in on the location of the draconic vein. We were going to wait for word from the draconic palace, but your sect reached these islands first. On account of the fact that we've had some dealings with the Flying Immortal Sect, I chose not to compete with you, to wait until you failed to excavate the draconic vein and were about to return to your sect before we made our move."
The blue-robed man narrowed his eyes, as though analyzing the veracity of the statements.
"Your lot missed the draconic vein by your own doing, and our claim has nothing to do with yours. There is no basis behind your anger. Furthermore, me and mine have already absorbed the draconic vein. What would you have achieved by barging in? Your disciples have been spying on us impolitely, but we reprimanded them not. We cared not even when they sent word to you—again on account of the relationship between our sects. But those cultivators hanging there weren't satisfied even with that. They attempted to sneak into my formation, and have reaped their just punishment. I chose not to have them killed to maintain relations between our sects. I hope you respect that decision." The voice coming from the thick fog was almost magnetic.
The blue-robed man frowned. He was a little upset that others had taken the draconic vein, but that wasn't his main reason for coming. He was more interested in how the other party had precisely located the draconic vein. Was there some esoteric technique in play?
That would be the most important thing to get out of all this. With a means of locating draconic veins, the sect would be replete with draconic aether in no time, allowing for the birth of a few cultivators of immense strength that would instantly elevate the sect.
Why were Wingform-realm cultivators laying an ambush for Xiao Nanfeng after he had excavated just a few draconic veins in a row? Were they all just enemies of his father? No. Their main purpose in ambushing him was to figure out how he had identified the locations of these draconic veins.
How did the mysterious group of people ensconced in the fog before him know about the draconic vein here? They had come to this region and precisely unearthed the draconic vein right after the members of the Flying Immortal Sect had failed. He couldn't help but become suspicious.
Even so, he was hesitant to strike after the information that the voice had revealed.
"Just who are you? What relationship do you have with the Flying Immortal Sect?" the blue-robed man continued.
He clearly didn't want to leave just like that; he wanted to see what lay within the fog.
"I'll warn you once again. If you continue to offend us in this manner and disrupt my disciples from breaking through, then don't blame me for taking action." Killing intent drifted out from within the fog.
The blue-robed man understood what lay unspoken: he had come here to safeguard his disciples as they absorbed the draconic vein to break through.
The blue-robed man thought things over for quite a while. In the end, he was unwilling to leave matters be.
"You claim some relationship with the Flying Immortal Sect, but you refuse to reveal your identity. You're just trying to delay things, aren't you? I suppose you must all just be Spiritsong-realm cultivators," the blue-robed man probed, laughing coldly. He drew close to the fog, attempting to get a sense of their strength.
Just then, a tremendous aura emerged from within the fog, transforming into a wave of energy that shot out from within.
"The aura of a Wingform-realm cultivator—someone's broken through to Wingform!" The blue-robed man blanched.
A group of Spiritsong-realm cultivators, even those bearing some relationship with the Flying Immortal Sect, could be easily taken in for interrogation. With a Wingform-realm cultivator in their midst, however, things would be trickier.
Just then, another potent aura could be felt from within the fog.
"Another Wingform-realm cultivator?" The blue-robed man was taken aback.
He could sense that these were two different auras; two new Wingform-realm cultivators had appeared within the fog. If they really were to fight, he would suffer greatly. If what the voice said was right, and these two new Wingform-realm cultivators were the disciples of the owner of the mysterious voice, then there had to be three Wingform-realm cultivators within! He suddenly felt the desire to turn and run.
"Since you hail from the Flying Immortal Sect, I shall not trouble you. Mind your disciples," the voice spoke again.
The blue-robed man's eyes flashed with unwillingness, but he had no choice but to bear with it. "How might I address you, sir?"
The voice in the fog simply didn't respond. The formation peeled away, but the figures within continued to manifest thick fog around themselves with an enchantment. They flew into the air, along with those guards that had been poised to kill the Flying Immortal Sect disciples. The group of cultivators vanished across the horizon as though they had never been present.
The blue-robed man watched them depart with a frown on his face.
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