Chapter 655 436: Northeast Gua State
Li Lishan stood on the city wall of Baojiao County, his eyes reflecting the city's partly reconstructed buildings, some people needing to be registered again, and others preparing to move to Qiu Dragon Mansion.
At other times, he would absolutely not agree to let these people enter Qiu Dragon Mansion, but this time was different.
A city long occupied and fallen to the Demon People, was astonishingly, without moving a single soldier, recaptured by him as if in a dream overnight.
Such a remarkable achievement, not to mention sheltering thousands of refugees, even granting them some land in Qiu Dragon Mansion to cultivate, would not pose any problem.
Such a merit was too significant.
Especially during the current war between the two countries, where even the only city painstakingly recaptured by Xiang Kunlun was swiftly retaken and fell again.
Imagine, the recapture of Baojiao County signifies what kind of accomplishment.
Though merely a county, not a major mansion, and not recaptured from Yuan Country, it remains a great merit, causing Li Lishan, who has navigated officialdom for thirty years, to have his heart racing these days...
Perhaps, he is due for a promotion.
Chen Ku, before leaving, observed Li Lishan's arrangements with regard to him as not an exemplary official, but one who would certainly care for the people of Baojiao County for his own future.
Meanwhile, as Chen Ku heads toward the Northeast and Gua State.
On the other side, deep in the mountain domain of the Northeast of Daji, tens of thousands of miles away.
Under the Heavenly Dome, several lines of light drew colorful traces in the blue sky and white clouds, but upon closer inspection, one would find cultivators standing on flying swords at the tail end of these beams.
"Senior Lin Dong, will there really be such a massive Super Spirit Vein?" The speaker on the flying sword is a somewhat young-looking Sword Cultivator.
If there were observers from the battlefield of the two countries below, they could sense the Qi Mechanism from this group of seven.
The leader among them is shockingly a First Realm Unification-level Qi Cultivator, while the remaining six include three Tenth Realm Divinity Transformation, and three Ninth Realm Peak of Void.
Such a team, in Yuan Country, with merely these seven, could sustain a sect.
Known as Lin Dong, this Qi Cultivator has a resolute face, composed and steady, as majestic as a mountain, calm yet poised.
He wore a purple-black long robe, with hands behind, standing on the flying sword, said gravely:
"This is intelligence sent out from within Ji Country; the scout has perished, so whether it is true or false, we must confirm it thoroughly; this is our mission, otherwise, why deploy such a formation."
Lin Dong, among the top ten true disciples of the Holy Land of Five Internal Organs Temple, has cultivated for three hundred years, once turning the tide in a battle between two sects, singlehandedly suppressing half of a large sect's cultivators, becoming renowned, called the "Qi King."
"You mean, this information might have been leaked by Ji Country, deliberately luring us?" A companion, showing signs of tension, said.
"Regardless, a Super Spirit Vein capable of supplying three million Qi Cultivators' needs for ten years, even if false, must be judged personally, otherwise...such an immense strategic resource will completely slip away from us."
Lin Dong, arms folded, said gravely:
"On this journey, stay vigilant, unless absolutely necessary, avoid combat with anyone, confirming the location of the Spirit Vein and the reserve of the spirit mine is of utmost importance."
......
Whoosh~~~
All around, surreal and strange, marking traces of space fragments.
Heading to Gua State.
Chen Ku would not foolishly walk alone, after all, from Qiu Dragon Mansion to Yan Capital, requires eighteen thousand miles; even at the speed of Primordial Spirit, traveling alone would take three to five days to arrive.
Not to mention, it being an outer province.
That Gua State is even more located below the Northeast Changbai Province, near the Central Plains region.
Therefore, Chen Ku directly chose to enter Martial Arts Heaven and Earth of Qiu Dragon Mansion with his Martial Arts Gold Order identity, using space shifting within Martial Arts Heaven and Earth to teleport to Gua State.
This move, although requires around fifty thousand martial destiny travel expenses, poses no burden for Chen Ku.
A few hours later.
Gua State!
Chen Ku walked out from the Martial Temple in Gua State City, immediately feeling the temperature difference between the south and north of the Daji Dynasty.
Though he had reached a state of not fearing hot or cold, he was still surprised by the scene visible to his naked eyes.
Currently, the southwestern Dragon Abyss Province is in the spring and summer, birds singing and flowers blooming.
Yet here in the northeast, the trees remain gray, unleavened, and the ground continually exudes cold air, with people on the streets still in thick clothing.
"From the Jade Scrolls of Zhu Jianfu and Liu Li, they described their 'Spirit Vein Exploration' team sent into Ji Country discovering a Super Spirit Mine in the direction of Gua State, but when the news returned, they were completely wiped out by a kind of demon within Gua State."
Chen Ku recalled the contents of the Jade Scroll in his mind:
"That demon is called the 'Heart Fire Snake,' reportedly one of the five major 'Immortal Beasts' commonly seen in the northeast of Daji, and even worshipped as deities by people from some northeast provinces, capable of establishing relationships with the populace."
He carefully assessed in his mind.
The persons sent to explore spirit veins in the northeast of Daji must possess fairly high prowess, likely bearing Eighth and Ninth Realm levels of strength.
And being annihilated, at least indicates the Heart Fire Snake as an Immortal Beast, possessing strength at least above the Ninth Realm, even reaching the Tenth Realm level.
Immediately, he set off towards Gua State's hunting guild.
Typically such Tenth Realm Demon Immortal-level demon beasts certainly draw attention; areas where they're found often form restricted zones, local hunters are most familiar with these territories, perhaps even cataloging it similarly to Qiu Dragon Mansion's Accounts of Demons and Anomalies.
Almost without waiting for Chen Ku to inquire at the bookstore, merely a visit to the hunting guild provided him with knowledge of the Heart Fire Snake Immortal's location.
A response from a hunter, initially somewhat secretive yet under Chen Ku's Primordial Spirit cultivation, easily coaxed into honesty.
"Usually, the Liu Daxians reside in the forbidden zone of Qingcheng Cliff within White Mountain Forest, outside Gua State City, the gathering place for Liu Daxians, those of us hunters entering the mountains to hunt always circumvent these Daxians' areas. Additionally, there are four other zones where similarly reside Immortal-level beings...even the fiercest person in Changbai Province, the Thirteenth Realm General Leader of White Mountain Black Water, Cao Yangu, holds deep respect for these places."
Upon hearing the hunter's words.
Chen Ku basically confirmed that the Qingcheng Cliff, as a forbidden zone, likely relates to the Super Spirit Vein.
He immediately sought the direction to Qingcheng Cliff.
His speed easily brought him to a white mountainous area within half an hour.
Not surprisingly, it's the northeast direction.
This season, the south is already blossoming, yet in the deep forest here, atop the mountain, staggering amounts of perennial ice and snow remain.
Entering the white northeastern forest, Chen Ku gently expanded his Divine Sense outward, and indeed discovered many serpents already considered demon-level.
Among them were flower-colored, green, red-and-white, black-and-white interspersed...
"Since within here, resides Great Demons feared even by a Martial Practitioner of Thirteenth Realm, better refrain from risking personal exploration."
Chen Ku transformed himself into the Six-Eared Macaque, appearing with a fruit in hand, a Holy Fruit, taking a bite yielded Primordial Qi, poured into his ears.
Of course, information gathering would be more convenient as the Six-Eared Macaque.
A single Holy Fruit of Holy Item level is equivalent to ten top-grade Spirit Medicines and can listen to ten green-level pieces of information.
Upon entering the listening realm, Chen Ku realized within this northeastern forest's perimeter of eight thousand miles, surprisingly...
ten golden messages.
Regarding green, purple, and red messages, they were intertwined like a net.
Information within the deep forest contained even more secrets than those within a Prefecture City.
With the desire to grasp basic local information first, Chen Ku began listening from the green messages, grasping at ten green messages, putting them to ear meticulously listening.
[One thousand six hundred miles northwest, an Eighth Realm Peak Heavenly Rhinoceros, gazing at the moon...]
Chen Ku was unexpectedly thrilled by just the first piece of information:
"Heavenly Rhinoceros, single-horned, fond of moon gazing, although only Eighth Realm Peak, akin to the Single-Horned Red Kui Bull, a descendant of Ancient One-horned Rhinoceros, a Totem Divine Beast descendant I require!"
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