12dz Chapter 29 Dilemma
Chapter 29 Dilemma
After showing Han Li several matches of the Ascension Tournament, Lin Changqing led him north, flying all the way to Huangfeng Valley. From there, Lin Changqing returned to the market town of Huangfeng Valley, preparing to begin his Foundation Establishment.
"I've already reached the thirteenth level of Qi Refining. If I use a few more Foundation Establishment Pills to restore my Qi, my chances of successfully establishing my foundation will be even greater. However, I've been away for many days, and I don't know how Li Zhijing is doing. I should go check on her first!"
"The books we've collected this time can be left to Li Zhijing, and the extra Yellow Dragon Pills can also be considered a reward for him helping to watch the stall."
Walking through the market, Lin Changqing pondered the subsequent Foundation Establishment matters and prepared to go to Yuanwu Kingdom again to exchange for Foundation Establishment Pills. However, he found that Li Zhijing, who was usually at this stall, was gone. In her place was a round-faced, fairly good-looking girl.
The girl was dressed in the robes of a disciple of Huangfeng Valley. She was about sixteen or seventeen years old and her cultivation level was probably around the sixth level of Qi Refining. The items she sold at her stall were also magical artifacts and pills, but she had fewer spiritual materials than Li Zhijing had when she was selling them.
Seeing a young girl at the stall, Lin Changqing politely went up to ask her what was wrong.
"Fellow Daoist, wasn't this Fellow Daoist Li Zhijing's place before? Where did Fellow Daoist Zhijing go?"
When the girl from Yellow Maple Valley saw someone approaching, she thought it was a business opportunity, but she didn't expect him to be asking about someone. Nevertheless, she still cupped her hands in response.
"My name is Li Yin. Li Zhijing is my cousin. A few days ago, he went out with my cousin Zhiping and the others, so my cousin Zhijing asked me to temporarily take over his stall."
Li Yin then took a closer look at Lin Changqing's appearance, was slightly surprised, and finally asked a question.
"May I ask if you are Fellow Daoist Lin?"
Unexpectedly, Li Zhijing also confessed herself.
"I am Lin Changqing. I wonder where they went and when..."
Before Lin Changqing could finish his question, three people rushed over from a distance, shouting to Li Yin:
"Xiao Yin! Xiao Yin!! Tell this senior Song Meng quickly, what are Zhi Ping and Zhi Jing doing? The soul fire in Zhi Ping's soul tablet is already very weak. We must find them before the soul fire goes out, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable." A middle-aged strong man ran over, chasing after Li Yin to ask about Li Zhi Jing and the others.
"Yes, I wonder how Senior Brother Huang is doing. Junior Sister Li, Senior Brother Huang and Senior Brother Li went out together the day before yesterday. Do you know where they went?" A woman surnamed Cui also stepped forward to inquire about the situation of the three.
The two people came over anxiously to ask questions, which startled Li Yin, who was only sixteen or seventeen years old, and made her forget to speak for a moment.
Seeing this, Song Meng, a Foundation Establishment disciple under Li Huayuan, stopped the two from asking any more questions. He calmly reassured Li Yin, "Junior Nephew Li, don't worry. Just tell us what you know, and we'll handle the rest."
After a while, Li Yin's complexion returned to normal.
"A few days ago, Brother Zhiping and Senior Brother Huang came to see Cousin Zhijing and asked him to help them analyze an ancient map. After that, the three of them went to a place called Yanshi Mountain and said they would be back soon. How come something happened just a few days later?"
"Yanshi Mountain? It doesn't seem that far."
"Nephew Cui and Nephew Li, please board my spirit boat. I will fly at full speed and arrive in a day."
Song Meng summoned his flying artifact and called out to the two people accompanying him.
"Senior Song, I am a good friend of Li Zhijing. I wonder if I could come along with you?" As he spoke, Lin Changqing released his cultivation.
Li Zhijing has been helping him for so long, and is considered his subordinate. Now that he is in trouble, he should help him out.
"Peak of Qi Refining?"
"Not bad, come on up!"
Song Meng's cultivation level is only a few years old and he has not yet reached the peak of the early stage of Foundation Establishment. At this moment, he sensed that Lin Changqing's magical power was more powerful than that of ordinary people, so he readily agreed, since one more person means one more strength.
In comparison, the woman surnamed Cui only had the ninth level of Qi Refining cultivation, while the middle-aged strong man, although much stronger, was still slightly inferior to Lin Changqing, being a Qi Refining level twelve cultivator.
With their consent, Lin Changqing and the two others leaped onto the flying boat artifact.
As for investigating what dangers Li Zhijing might be in, he wasn't afraid. On the surface, he was only at the Qi Refining stage, but now his strength might not be inferior to Song Meng's.
Moreover, even if they were to engage in a battle of wits, it would be fair: Foundation Establishment stage versus Foundation Establishment stage, Qi Refining stage versus Qi Refining stage!
On the airship, the middle-aged man learned that Lin Changqing was someone who had cooperated with the Li family many years ago, and his expression warmed up considerably as he recounted the details.
The woman on the airship looked worried and anxious, fearing that something might have happened to her senior brother Huang.
A day later, the flying boat arrived at the Yanshi Mountain area, and the sensation of the Soul Fire became even stronger.
The expressions of the crowd grew increasingly solemn. Just then, Song Meng stopped the flying boat, landed on the ground, and said cautiously, "I don't know what will happen next. I'm going to recover my magic power in case of any unforeseen circumstances."
And so, Lin Changqing and the other two stayed by Song Meng's side, waiting for Song Meng's magical power to recover.
Two hours later, Song Meng, his breath coming in a deep breath, put away his cultivation technique and led the three of them into the Yanshi Mountain area.
Meanwhile, on a deserted island, Li Zhijing and the other two had different expressions.
Li Zhijing paced anxiously back and forth on the island, muttering, "Alas, Brother Zhiping is so badly injured, and we can't get out. Fellow Daoist Huang, what should we do?"
Li Zhiping's face was ashen, and he wore a look of utter despair. He placed his only remaining arm on his chest, appearing utterly hopeless, as if he had suffered both physical and emotional trauma.
Two days ago, the three of them arrived at this dark green lake together according to the map. In the middle of the lake was a small island, about thirty feet long and wide.
This area is the location marked on the map, and it was also the core residence of the Poison Dragon cultivators eight hundred years ago.
The Poison Dragon Cultivator was a cultivator with a poisonous spiritual root that mutated from a dual water and wood spiritual root. He possessed the strength of a pseudo-core cultivator and founded the once-powerful Poison Dragon Gang.
The Poison Dragon Gang was founded by a group of rogue cultivators who manipulated poisons. They revered Poison Dragon cultivators and established a new force in the northwest of the Yue Kingdom, aiming to break the old rule.
However, this poison cultivator, who possessed the strength of a pseudo-core stage cultivator, died inexplicably. Keep in mind that he was only sixty years old at the time and had ample lifespan.
To achieve the pseudo-core stage at such a young age is truly a gift from heaven. Even if he doesn't reach the Nascent Soul stage in the future, reaching the Core Formation stage is at least a certainty.
What's even more baffling is that when the Poison Dragon cultivator perished, there was absolutely no news or commotion from the Poison Dragon Gang.
It should be understood that even ordinary Core Formation stage cultivators cannot guarantee that they can defeat a pseudo-Core cultivator with a different spiritual root. Even if they do, it is impossible to do so without causing any disturbance.
Therefore, for hundreds of years, this incredible event has become a topic of much discussion in the cultivation world and an unsolved case in the Yue Kingdom.
As for the Poison Dragon Gang, without the Poison Dragon cultivators, they gradually dissipated or voluntarily left the Yanshi Mountain area within a year.
Only a few independent cultivators who genuinely followed the Poison Dragon remained, staying in this lake to cultivate until their demise.
Over a long period of time, the once-glorious Poison Dragon Gang has long since disappeared, leaving behind various legends. As for this map, it is unknown why it ended up in Li Zhiping's hands.
Afterwards, since Li Zhiping couldn't figure it out, he found Li Zhijing. After Li Zhijing's analysis, they soon deduced that the map was related to the Poison Dragon Gang, and they explored all the way here.
Based on the map they left behind, after searching through various places, the three of them naturally found some resources that could be used during the Qi Refining stage. In the end, the only place left to go was the small island in the lake.
Having only gained a little, Li Zhiping was certainly unwilling to give up and wanted to find out more.
Huang Sheng hesitated for a moment when he saw the lake water as black as jade, but then agreed to Li Zhiping's suggestion. After all, he and Li Zhiping were both excavators of the ancient map. If they didn't go, how would they divide the treasures? He couldn't take them all by himself.
On the contrary, Li Zhijing didn't want to go. He was only there to lead the way. If his cousin Li Zhiping hadn't found him, he wouldn't have agreed to this mission. He just wanted to read books and set up a stall to earn some spirit stones. There was no need for him to take risks with the two of them.
However, persuaded by the principle of majority rule and the encouragement of his family brothers, he was convinced and flew to the island with them.
To ensure safety, Huang Sheng cast spells into the lake several times to check if any demonic beasts were hiding there. However, no matter how long he bombarded it, the lake remained as calm as still water, and no demonic beasts appeared. His vigilance decreased considerably.
Seeing the calm surface of the lake, Li Zhijing couldn't help but ponder deeply. As the one with the lowest cultivation level, he needed to be on the safe side even if there was no danger, otherwise he might never see Lin Changqing again.
"To be on the safe side, let's use the protective magic item that Fellow Daoist Lin gave us, just in case."
As Lin Changqing's only subordinate, Li Zhijing received a lot of care from Lin Changqing, who provided him with protective magical artifacts and some common life-saving pills. This is why he was willing to bow down and risk his life in front of Lin Changqing.
Even though Lin Changqing was not yet a Foundation Establishment cultivator and did not have his own spiritual vein cave, he was willing to follow him because Lin Changqing's treatment was too good. There was little work and a lot of spirit stones, and he did not suppress his interests. In the cultivation world, it was impossible to find a fellow cultivator as excellent as Lin Changqing.
Others would love to squeeze every last drop of your spirit stones dry, while Lin Changqing would love to see you fall behind in cultivation level.
Seeing that Huang Sheng's relentless bombardment had no effect, Li Zhiping lowered his guard and said urgently, "Junior Brother Huang, Zhijing, let's go to the island! I imagine the treasures are all there."
Li Zhijing finished stacking the ritual implements, affixing talismans, and reminded her cousin.
"Brother, let's not rush things. Let's prepare for the worst first."
Perhaps because Li Zhijing had the lowest cultivation level and was the youngest in the family, Li Zhiping did not pay attention to his words and set off for the lake with his magic weapon.
Huang Sheng, who had regained his magical powers, straightened his clothes slightly and followed closely behind Li Zhiping.
After hearing Li Zhijing's suggestion, Huang Sheng also put up a talisman to show his respect for him, and did not look down on Li Zhijing because of his lowest cultivation level.
Seeing that Li Zhijing still had some reservations, Huang Sheng reminded her after affixing the talisman.
"Let's go, Fellow Daoist Zhijing. The center of the lake isn't too far. After all that blasting, there shouldn't be any monsters around. We'll be fine."