"Unknowingly, I'm twenty years old now…"
It had been four years since he left home.
Standing on a jagged, rocky outcrop, Wang Yu gazed at the three Profound Bone Mountains. Even today, Liu Jinxian and the others had not returned from the underground palace.
Thinking of the Foundation Establishment Corpse Demon that had charged towards the [Condensing Moon Palace] back then, he felt a moment of hesitation. *Could they have died down there?*
It was hard to say about the others, but Liu Jinxian definitely had a life tablet, soul lamp, or something similar in her father's possession. She might even have trump cards given by a Core Formation elder.
If she truly died in the underground palace, that "Green Snake True Person" would surely come to Profound Bone Mountain personally. The fact that there had been no movement for half a year…
It was more likely they were trapped.
Having waited in vain for the three to appear, Wang Yu made a trip to Profound Bone Mountain. He discovered that over the past six months, a group of cultivators who had already been at the peak of the sixth level of Qi Refining had used the Profound Essence Flowers to break through to the seventh level.
The Five Yin Peak and Gu Poison Peak had gained eight newly promoted late-stage Qi Refining cultivators in total. When Wang Yu infiltrated using the Night Concealment Charm, they were gathered in the abandoned camp between the three mountains, discussing something.
"Senior Brother Si Tu and Senior Sister Liu have been missing for over half a year. We can't wait any longer."
"Fellow disciple, anxiety won't help."
"Indeed. The pit Senior Sister Liu descended into is blocked by a large amount of fallen rock for some reason. I've already sent people to excavate and clear it."
"It will be cleared in at most six months."
"Dig, dig, dig, dig your mother's head!" A newly promoted seventh-level Qi Refining disciple from the Gu Poison Peak slammed the table and stood up, glaring at the Five Yin Peak disciples.
"After Senior Sister Liu went down, Si Tu Hong went to find Gu Zhengshun and hasn't come out since. They went down to seek opportunities too, didn't they?
"I think you're just stalling to buy time for that Si Tu slave!"
His shocking words immediately drew angry glares from the Five Yin Peak disciples. One said阴测测 (in a sinister tone):
"I don't think you're worried about Liu Jinxian's safety; you're worried about yourself."
"What do you mean by that?"
The Five Yin Peak disciple narrowed his eyes.
"Whatever you think I mean. I heard Liu Jinxian likes to use gu insects to control the male attendants she fancies. Could it be… you're one too?"
"Hahahaha~"
"Pretty boy, how dare you slander Senior Brother Si Tu!"
"You—"
Within a few sentences, serious conflict erupted between the two sides, escalating to personal attacks.
Not far away, Wang Yu leaned against a wall, eavesdropping. He couldn't help but smile briefly before quickly suppressing it.
The Heavenly Corpse Peak disciples brought by Gu Zhengshun remained hidden behind their formation and had never emerged. Now, with conflict breaking out between the other two peaks, the meeting ended acrimoniously.
They almost came to blows.
However, both sides still organized teams internally. On the Five Yin Peak side, Si Tu Hong's prolonged disappearance led to power being seized by the newly promoted seventh-level Qi Refining cultivators.
They claimed it was for rescue, but they actually coveted the secrets underground.
The Gu Poison Peak side was genuinely anxious to rescue their leader. Because what that inner disciple said was true; Liu Jinxian not only used gu insects to control all the late-stage Qi Refining cultivators,
but also the outstanding ones among the mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators. Now, after six months without the soothing effect of Liu Jinxian's spiritual power, the gu insects inside them were growing increasingly restless.
Once they awoke from dormancy, some of them would die horribly. They were truly desperate!
Consequently,
they immediately dispatched a large number of people to search everywhere for naturally formed caves, hoping to find a new route.
The Five Yin Peak disciples, however,老老实实 (steadily and obediently) continued digging through the rock.
As a result, a large number of personnel were dispatched from the three Profound Bone Mountains. The total number of people left to manage the Bonewood forests across all three mountains was less than a hundred.
Wang Yu's mind began to stir.
Knowing that the underground palace ruins held secrets, and considering the Nascent Soul-level legacy jade slip like [Lunar Nether Pupils], he reasonably suspected that the ruins underground might not be the remains of a mere Core Formation-level ancient sect.
What if it was just a branch?
Just like the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect occupied four provinces in the Crimson Kite Demon Domain, the prefectural cities in each province housed sect branches, typically manned by Core Formation level forces.
If it truly was the ruins of a branch of an ancient Nascent Soul sect, there would be many more clues to find in ancient history.
Furthermore, before the three Profound Bone Mountains were established,
cultivation families had resided here. Now, they had all become the "Earthbound Spirits," the ghost farmers of Profound Bone Mountain. They might have knowledge of the underground palace ruins, which was another potential clue.
With Liu Jinxian and the others trapped in the underground palace, their remaining followers were in disarray. If no progress was made soon, a chaotic conflict was inevitable.
The more he thought about it, the more Wang Yu wanted to go down and investigate.
But reason held him back.
"Wait a bit longer. There might still be new developments. I shouldn't rush for immediate gains."
......
......
Thus, time flew by.
The seasons turned. Winter passed, spring came, and the summer breeze gradually arrived. However, in the northern part of Maple Province, close to the Endless Ice Plains, it was hard to feel the summer heat.
The season for the Bonewood to bloom arrived once again.
In June of the following year,
last year's Profound Essence Flowers were only a portion. This year, another batch of Bonewood trees produced flower buds, but the quantity had drastically reduced to only about one-third of last year's.
Moreover, because Liu Jinxian and the others had taken all the late-stage Qi Refining experts, manpower was clearly insufficient this year.
Both the Direbone Lions and the Rot-Poison Wasp swarms were peak first-grade troubles.
For the eight newly promoted late-stage Qi Refining cultivators, even one-on-one combat was difficult because, while their realms had increased, their spells and magical instruments had stagnated.
They could only control mid-grade magical instruments in battle, so efficiency naturally dropped significantly. They couldn't even clear the three mountains completely. The demonic beasts crawling out from underground were truly hard to deal with!
With the flowering season imminent, everyone grew anxious.
A second meeting was quickly convened.
"Have you considered the matter of cooperation?" a Five Yin Peak cultivator spoke first.
This was a matter of necessity. The Profound Essence Flowers could help cultivators complete spiritual refinement, usable for breakthroughs from the third to the fourth level and from the sixth to the seventh level of Qi Refining.
For late-stage Qi Refining disciples, they could even semi-liquefy their spiritual power in advance, greatly aiding future Foundation Establishment.
Therefore, the Profound Essence Flowers would never be enough.
There were too many of them.
Now, with the higher-ups gone and the mid-level cultivators rising, even the lower-level disciples could benefit from the first-grade Profound Essence Flowers. After this second year's harvest, the lowest cultivation among those stationed at Profound Bone Mountain would break through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining.
The Gu Poison Peak disciples frowned deeply. One said:
"Cooperation is naturally desirable. The problem is that there's still no news from Senior Sister Liu. If this delays any further, people will start dying pointlessly within half a month."
This was a practical issue. The Gu Poison Peak disciples were as anxious as ants on a hot pan and could delay no longer.
In the face of life and death, the Profound Essence Flowers paled in comparison.
Hearing this, the Five Yin Peak disciples smiled, as if expecting this. One said, "In that case, since you haven't found a new route, why not take the path we've excavated?"
"You've cleared it?!"
The Gu Poison Peak disciples stood up abruptly, their tone full of surprise.
"Naturally.
"We've been digging for nearly a year to reopen this path. It's just that… there have been changes down below."
**(End of Chapter)**