The captain and his squad watched as Chen Chuan's figure disappeared into the distance. High above, the magnificent shape wheeled through the air, letting out a sharp chirp before it too dove into the forest.
One of the squad members nudged up his steel helmet. "Captain, this Consultant Chen doesn't put on airs at all. Not like those officers I've seen—just two ranks above you and they're already strutting around with their noses in the air."
Another chimed in, "Hey, the bigger the figure, the more easygoing they are. Xiao Mao, you just haven't seen enough big shots."
Xiao Mao curled his lip. "Quit bragging. Last time that captain picked Da Ya to be his orderly, you were so thrilled you buzzed about it for three straight days! When you were asleep at night, I even heard you saying, 'Sir, let me fetch a basin of hot water to soak your feet!'" He roughened his voice, mimicking the other man with uncanny accuracy.
The squad burst into a roar of laughter.
The teased soldier flushed red and argued back, "Wasn't that right after I'd just enlisted? That was ages ago!"
His teammates found it even funnier.
The captain spoke up then. "All right, pipe down. We've got work to do today. This place is dangerous. When Consultant Chen left, he said he hopes to see every last one of us when he returns. I want to bring every single one of you back in one piece, too. So snap to attention!"
"Yes, sir!" the men answered solemnly.
Chen Chuan moved through the forest at a brisk pace. On his previous visit, to make navigation easier, he had deliberately stacked piles of large stones along his path to serve as waymarkers, meaning this time he didn't need to follow the river.
Since his main goal on this trip was to find a suitable place to cultivate and explore trails he hadn't traversed before along the way, he didn't linger on the road. In under two days, he crossed the entire dense forest and arrived at the edge of the desert.
This was where he had encountered the pouch apes last time. Back then, he had headed toward the ocean; this time, he decided to take a different direction.
He turned and set out along the path taken by the migrating pouch apes.
Because this was an unfamiliar route, he slowed his pace slightly and set up easily recognizable markers as he went.
By day, he took notes and took in the scenery; by night, he stopped to rest, in no rush to cultivate, instead attuning his mental state.
Back when he trained at the Danliu School, after each bout of cultivation, he would sit before Master Hongfa's lotus seat to nourish his heart and center his spirit. Now, he could achieve this on his own. Cultivation didn't require constant, unrelieved tension; it demanded a proper balance between exertion and relaxation.
Traveling in this steady, intermittent manner, a series of verdant peaks and rugged ridges appeared before him after three days. A waterfall hung from the mountains like a slender ribbon of silver, while billows of mist drifted and spread throughout, creating a sight that seemed almost ethereal.
At that moment, the whoops and cries of apes echoed from the valley, and he could see figures leaping through the mountain streams. Strange and exotic birds darted into the mist, their fluttering forms flickering in and out of sight.
Chaoming seemed exceptionally delighted upon arriving here, chirping repeatedly overhead.
Taking in the landscape, Chen Chuan nodded to himself. No wonder those pouch apes had migrated in this direction; it truly was an exceptional place. He decided right then not to venture any further forward, but to find a spot nearby to cultivate.
After getting his bearings, he set off toward the highest peak in the area.
As he made his way over, he noticed all kinds of exotic flora and fauna unique to the convergence zone scattered throughout the valley—some familiar, others never seen before.
He didn't inspect them in meticulous detail. After all, cataloging every species here would take more than half a year for a lone traveler, so he merely snapped a few quick shots with the special camera he carried and pressed deeper into the mountains.
Beyond that point, there were virtually no trails left to speak of—nothing but deep ravines and precarious cliffs. Yet to him, these presented no real obstacle. In just over an hour, he arrived at the foot of that towering peak.
Looking up from below, the peak rose like a solitary pillar piercing into the clouds, draped with dense mats of tangled green vines and moss, birds wheeling around its heights. Scaling it by hand would have been no easy feat, but he had no need to do so.
Drawing a soft breath, a force field materialized around his body. With a gentle tap of his toes against the ground, light flashed, and he soared straight upward in an instant.
Moments later, a thunderous rumble echoed from high within the clouds and mist, startling the surrounding birds into flight.
A breath or two later, Chen Chuan reached a spot near the summit and touched down along its rim. Looking around, he found the vegetation arranged with orderly elegance, vivid green and dripping with vitality, boasting wondrously wild and graceful forms. Certain areas were flat and open, as if they had been deliberately tended.
Not far to his left, a waterfall several meters high cascaded down with a rushing splash. The water feeding it was actually a hot spring, giving off billowing plumes of warm steam. He had no idea where the heat came from, but it was certainly a welcome feature.
Diagonally across from the waterfall stood a stone cavern, its entrance preceded by several hewn stone steps of varying heights.
This clearly showed traces of human construction. His curiosity piqued, he stepped into the cave entrance and found the lighting exceptionally good. There were numerous apertures pierced through the cavern walls, allowing crisscrossing beams of light to illuminate every corner. What was more, there were actually several stone beds and stools inside. He reached out to gently brush across one, and the cushion originally laid over it crumbled into fine powder, weathered away by time.
Looking at the surroundings and judging by the remaining traces, the last occupant here had probably lived several hundred years ago, while whoever built this dwelling went back even further.
Looking at the style of the stone table and chairs...
He studied them for a while. They carried a very pronounced flavor of the Xuan Cult—an archaic Xuan Cult, rustic and natural.
Their placement was also remarkably deliberate; while appearing casual at a glance, each piece balanced the others and blended seamlessly into the surrounding environment.
Could the person who once came here have belonged to the Xuan Cult?
It was not at all impossible.
This convergence zone in Jibei Dao had existed since antiquity, so it was hardly surprising that predecessors had visited.
However...
He suddenly recalled something.
Back then, when the yaogui Guardian You had entered this place, he had supposedly come in search of a lost Xuan Cult treasure. That indicated Xuan Cult predecessors had lingered in this area long before him.
Furthermore, Chen Chuan remembered that among the words Guardian You left behind, many touched upon phrases related to water. This place possessed precisely those features. Could there be a connection to what lay before his eyes?
Whether there was or not, he had come here to cultivate. Until that was done, everything else could wait. Since this place was suitable, he would simply borrow it for now.
Setting down his luggage case, he inspected the cavern thoroughly and discovered it was actually quite vast. The chamber he had entered was merely the uppermost tier; below it lay multiple levels of caverns of varying sizes, connected by apertures roughly the size of water vats, though offset from one another and in some cases separated by considerable distances.
Upon closer inspection, he realized these chambers were not originally connected, but had been forcibly hollowed out. Moreover, they hadn't been excavated from top to bottom, but cleared all the way up from below.
From the look of it, the entire mountain peak seemed to have been tunneled through. To accomplish such a feat, the person had to have been at least a martial artist.
That was hardly surprising; reaching this place presupposed having such strength in the first place.
Having just arrived today, he needed to get a clear picture of his surroundings. He opened his luggage case and released several small bio-engineered scouting creatures, sending them down to investigate.
Meanwhile, he walked over to an opening in the cavern wall and looked out. From this vantage, he had a clear view of the plains on the far side. Through the swirling clouds and mist, he could faintly make out an elongated ridge rising from the earth. Its shape was meandering and gentle, resembling a long serpent coiled there, pointing directly toward this high peak.
He did not understand the Xuan Cult's geomantic arts, but he guessed the ancient Xuan Cult predecessor had chosen to hollow out a grotto-dwelling here for good reason.
However... in a convergence zone, what looked like a ridge might not actually be one.
He watched a while longer. The scouting organisms had yet to return, but having confirmed that his immediate area was clear of danger, he didn't wait around idle. Taking out the esoteric ritual materials from his luggage, he set up an esoteric ritual on the spot.
Having arranged such rituals frequently of late, he had grown increasingly practiced and even developed his own subtle insights into them, allowing him to set it up swiftly and solidly.
Once finished, he sent Chaoming down to stand guard in the lower cavern. Then, taking up the Xuejun Saber, he slashed through the empty air before him. With a sharp hiss, a massive burst of light bloomed outward like rippling water, expanding continuously until an oval fissure fully three to four meters tall materialized before him.
Chen Chuan was somewhat surprised. He raised the Xuejun Saber and examined it. Slicing open such an enormous fissure in a single strike demonstrated that the saber's carrying capacity had undoubtedly surged.
This probably wasn't merely because they were in a convergence zone.
He pondered it and felt it likely had something to do with the saber being tempered by Xuankong Fire last time.
This was a good thing; the fissure would clearly remain stable for longer.
Sheathing the saber, he stepped inside. Once immersed in that brilliance, his body floated upward. A moment later, light flashed between his brows, and the surrounding mist churned violently before a colossal spiritual visage manifested behind him.
Compared to last time, it had reached a towering height of sixteen to seventeen meters. A larger, more stable spiritual visage meant it could absorb even more energy.
He sat cross-legged, and the spiritual visage mimicked his posture in unison as the vertical eye between its brows lit up.
While he cultivated within, Chaoming perched beside the lower opening and lay down. It took a great liking to this place, finding it cozy and warm.
After a long time, it caught a faint sound. Its head snapped up in alert, staring down into the dark depths beneath the opening.
Moments later, it bounded into a spin from where it stood, its four paws tapping rhythmically against the cavern wall and the floor before twisting back around. Clamped in its beak was a long, black, snake-like creature.
The thing was only about as thick as a chopstick, its body remarkably tough and squirming relentlessly.
Chaoming gripped its body and gave it a violent thrash from side to side, instantly dislocating its joints. The creature, which had been trying to coil around Chaoming, lost all strength in an instant.
Chaoming tossed it upward, aligned its head straight down, and swallowed it whole in just a couple of gulps. Then it narrowed its eyes and lazily lay back down.
Chapter 1005