Chapter 558: Is It Reliable?

Fully sated, Lu Ye took out some materials from his storage space and channeled his spiritual power to refine formation flags. He had few usable formation flags left from the hunting ground. If he were to set up a spirit land here later, he would certainly need a large number of them, so refining them now would ensure he was prepared.

Initially, Ju Jia sat quietly to the side, savoring the delicious snake meat. But as time passed, he slowly closed his eyes and entered a deep state of stillness. His breathing became imperceptible, and even his vitality and aura were retracted to their absolute limit, making him seem like a living corpse. A milky-white glow emanated from his robust, towering form, drawing down moonlight from the sky. In an instant, over half the valley was bathed in a hazy yet magnificent moonlight.

The wolf pack gathered around Ju Jia, all tilting their heads back to greedily absorb the moonlight descending from the sky. Even Amber, perched on Ju Jia's head, adopted the same posture as the wolves. Lu Ye stopped what he was doing and watched silently.

He wasn't sure why Ju Jia could trigger such an anomaly during his cultivation. The only thing he was certain of was that this anomaly was extremely beneficial to demonic beasts; otherwise, the wolf pack wouldn't cling to Ju Jia so persistently. Amber had cultivated like this with Ju Jia before, and it had indeed been helpful. Legends say that demonic beasts naturally possess the ability to cultivate by absorbing the essence of the sun and moon. However, ordinary demonic beasts don't cause such a spectacle when they cultivate this way; Ju Jia, on the other hand, was quite different.

After a thought, Lu Ye also focused his mind and attempted to cultivate. However, he soon gave up helplessly, as it seemed to have no special effect. Although the moonlight bathing his body felt warm, it didn't enhance his strength. It was the same for Yi Yi. They finally concluded that this cultivation method was only suitable for demonic beasts! Ju Jia was undoubtedly an exception.

Giving Yi Yi a brief instruction, Lu Ye stood up and summoned his spirit boat, soaring into the sky. He wanted to see how large the range of Ju Jia's cultivation anomaly was. Although the valley was surrounded by mountains on three sides, largely concealing the anomaly's spread, if the anomaly's commotion was too great, there would still be a risk of exposure. At that point, demonic beasts from Mount Taimang would undoubtedly converge, adding a lot of trouble. If it also attracted cultivators, then this place would no longer be suitable for establishing a spirit land.

After a thorough inspection, he found the situation to be manageable. Most of the anomaly was concealed by the valley. It would be difficult to detect unless one was exceptionally close. If he later set up a special concealment formation for Ju Jia, there shouldn't be any major issues.

Returning to his original spot, Lu Ye continued refining formation flags. By dawn, he, Ju Jia, and Yi Yi began working together to build a dwelling. Since they had decided to establish a spirit land here, a dwelling was naturally essential. Even if cultivators didn't have high demands for living conditions, they still needed a place for shelter. Building a few wooden cabins was not difficult.

Several days passed in a flash. A few small wooden cabins now stood in the picturesque valley. Regarding formations, Lu Ye had only set up a concealment formation for Ju Jia to hide the anomaly during his nightly cultivation; other formations had not yet been laid out. Everything else would wait until Li Baxian and the others arrived and confirmed that the spirit land would be established here.

One day, as Lu Ye was refining formation flags, he suddenly sensed something. He looked up in one direction and saw two streaks of light rapidly approaching him. He focused his vision, discerning the figures within the streaks of light. Lu Ye stood up to greet them. Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan had arrived!

Seeing Lu Ye, the two immediately flew towards him. They soon met, and Lu Ye saluted, "Fourth Senior Brother, Senior Sister Feng!" Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan looked travel-worn, and even somewhat disheveled. Although both now possessed cultivation at the fifth-level Cloud River Realm, they had encountered some difficulties on their journey. The demonic beasts in Mount Taimang were too numerous; no matter where they came from, they were bound to run into trouble. If Feng Yuechan hadn't carried many treasures, it would have been impossible for them to penetrate so deeply with just their cultivation levels. Even so, they had almost been targeted by a powerful demonic beast earlier, and only narrowly managed to escape.

Seeing Lu Ye now, Li Baxian finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Junior Brother," he said, "this place really isn't easy to get to." However, it was precisely because it was difficult to reach that it was sufficiently secluded.

Feng Yuechan was captivated by the picturesque scenery. She looked around, and upon seeing numerous large demonic wolves scattered about, her expression tightened. She tugged on Li Baxian's clothes and pointed ahead. "Senior Brother, look." Li Baxian's gaze swept over the scene, and his expression also subtly changed. He looked at Lu Ye with surprise and uncertainty. "What's going on?" So many demonic wolves gathered here clearly formed a pack. What puzzled him was that his junior brother seemed to be living peacefully with them.

"It's a long story," Lu Ye said, beckoning Ju Jia over. He first introduced the two parties to each other. Ju Jia grunted a greeting, acknowledging Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan. Feng Yuechan looked up at Ju Jia, who was two or three heads taller than her. Even though she had seen many stout body cultivators, four words involuntarily flashed in her mind: "Extraordinary natural talent!" Ju Jia's physique alone exuded an incredibly strong imposing presence. It was hard to imagine what terrifying strength was contained within such a tower-like body.

Li Baxian had seen Ju Jia from a distance before, but they had never interacted directly. At that time, Ju Jia's cultivation was also much lower than his. Now, seeing him again, the impression was completely different. Even without exchanging blows, Li Baxian could tell at a glance that this Junior Brother Ju Jia was not someone to be trifled with easily.

"The wolf pack was brought by Ju Jia," Lu Ye explained simply. "When Ju Jia cultivates, there are certain anomalies that greatly benefit the wolves. Because of this, the wolves consider Ju Jia their tribe's sacred object, and can be said to be somewhat dependent on him."

"Dependent?" Li Baxian exclaimed in wonder. He suddenly realized, "Is this the 'somewhat complicated situation' you mentioned earlier?" Lu Ye nodded. Li Baxian didn't know what to say. This situation was more than just 'somewhat complicated'; it was unheard of. It was truly unimaginable that such a wolf pack would choose to be dependent on a cultivator.

"Are they reliable?" Li Baxian asked.

"For now, they seem reliable," Lu Ye replied. "In the past few days, the wolves haven't shown any hostility towards me. They just want to cultivate with Ju Jia."

"What kind of anomaly is it? Why does it make a wolf pack follow Junior Brother Ju Jia?"

"Well, you'll see tonight," Lu Ye replied. "In short, it's an anomaly that is very attractive to demonic beasts. Before, many cultivators saw the anomaly and thought some rare treasure had appeared, causing quite a commotion."

Li Baxian suppressed his doubts and nodded slightly. He then turned to examine the surrounding environment and said, "This place is deep within Mount Taimang, with excellent geographical advantages, good scenery, and natural barriers... If this wolf pack proves reliable enough, it's indeed suitable for establishing a spirit land. Junior Brother, you have good judgment."

Lu Ye shook his head. "The wolf pack actually led me to this place." He raised a hand and pointed to the largest demonic wolf. "That's their alpha wolf. When there's something to discuss, I usually talk to it."

"Oh?" Li Baxian looked in the direction Lu Ye pointed. He saw the alpha wolf looking their way, with a curious expression in its eyes, as if wondering why two more humans had appeared. However, in the alpha wolf's understanding, as long as their tribe's sacred object didn't leave, it didn't matter how many more humans arrived. So, the alpha wolf only watched for a moment before lying down, no longer paying attention to them.

"Senior Brother, do you think this place is suitable for a spirit land?" Lu Ye asked.

"If the wolf pack is reliable, then it's suitable," Li Baxian replied. The only issue with establishing a spirit land here would be the harassment from demonic beasts, and any demonic beasts found in such a location would undoubtedly be powerful. If the wolf pack was reliable, it would serve as a natural barrier, and presumably, few demonic beasts would dare to cause trouble.

"I'd like to know, what's the general strength of that alpha wolf? And what's the typical strength of this wolf pack?" Li Baxian asked cautiously.

"I've observed them for the past few days," Lu Ye replied. "The alpha wolf is at the ninth-level Cloud River Realm. The pack's strength varies; there are those at the eighth and ninth levels, and also at the first and second. Most are above the fifth level, with only about 30% below that. I know what Senior Brother is concerned about, and I've considered that issue before. However, based on my observations over the past few days, the wolf pack has shown a strong dependence on cultivating with Ju Jia, but no other intentions."

"And Junior Brother Ju Jia?" Li Baxian asked again.

"Ju Jia is at the fourth-level," Lu Ye answered. His cultivation level was currently the same as Lu Ye's. He had entered the Cloud River Battlefield a few months earlier than Lu Ye. However, when Ju Jia ascended to the Cloud River Realm, the power of the demonic core within him had not been fully depleted. Therefore, his cultivation already had a certain foundation after his promotion to Cloud River.

Lu Ye's cultivation advanced so quickly because he had obtained many spirit tokens. Ju Jia was different; his cultivation improvement came from arduous cultivation in that state of profound stillness. As early as in the Spirit Stream Battlefield, Lu Ye had discovered that Ju Jia was someone who could endure solitude. Aside from cultivation, his greatest joy was eating with Lu Ye. Other than that, nothing else seemed to capture his interest. Lu Ye had met many people, but none lived a life purer than Ju Jia's. It was precisely because of this purity that his cultivation advanced remarkably fast, even through simple arduous cultivation. Moreover, Ju Jia's cultivation method was more unique than anyone else's.

"Senior Brother, do you think Ju Jia isn't strong enough to suppress the wolf pack?" Lu Ye asked, perceiving Li Baxian's concern.

Li Baxian nodded. "Demonic beasts are, after all, still demonic beasts; their wild nature is untamed. Without sufficient strength, it's hard to subdue them." His concern was natural. If one day the wolf pack suddenly rebelled and attacked them, no one would have an easy time. But there was no way to give a sufficient guarantee for such a situation.

As the two talked, Ju Jia, who had been standing idly by, suddenly looked up. He let out a strange sound towards where the alpha wolf was. The sound was low, somewhat like a wolf's howl, yet not quite. The alpha wolf, which had been crouching, immediately stood up. It took a few steps to Ju Jia's front, looking at him with an inquiring gaze. Ju Jia raised his hand and patted its head a few times, making thumping sounds. Lu Ye and Li Baxian's eyes widened in surprise.