Chapter 1608: Thousand-Spirit Mountain Zhao Family

"Nephew Shen, please brief everyone again on the East Fence Realm, covering its language and script, prominent cultivators, and powerful artifacts. Nephew Song, you too should contribute. We must all become thoroughly familiar with the East Fence Realm before we proceed." Long Hanjiao instructed, emphasizing the proverb: "Know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without defeat."

Shen Haoran acknowledged the order and began to explain the details of the East Fence Realm to the group. He admitted he knew little about the Soul Transformation cultivators there, as he had neither the opportunity nor the courage to approach them.

"In the East Fence Realm, six individuals have cultivated Nascent Souls, each feat accompanied by auspicious phenomena, and their powers are not to be underestimated. They include Master Haoyu, Master Fujiao Gongsun Yang, the Azure Lotus Immortals, Song Xiruo of the Three Flames Palace, and Han Tianxuan of the Supreme Unity Immortal Sect. Among them, Master Haoyu is the most powerful and holds the greatest potential. Gongsun Yang ranks second, having cleared the 36th level of the Immortal Suppressing Pagoda and acquired a Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure. Following them are the Azure Lotus Immortals, descendants of the annihilated Zhenhai Sect, which was one of the South Sea's top ten sects, ultimately destroyed by the Sun and Moon Palace."

While Shen Haoran spoke, Song Yuzhen presented portraits of the six individuals.

"Beyond these, other formidable figures include the Twin Sages of Sun and Moon from the South Sea, True Monarch Myriad Poisons, Sword Venerable Xiaoyao of the Supreme Unity Immortal Sect in the East Wilderness, Cheng Zhanxian from the Demon Race, the Qianyang Immortals of the Northern Frontier, Shangguan Wei of the Nine Nether Sect, and the Seven Absolutes Blade Emperor of the Seven Absolutes Sect in the Central Plains. The Seven Absolutes Blade Emperor, in particular, is hailed as the strongest cultivator below the Soul Transformation stage. He constantly challenges Nascent Soul cultivators and rarely tastes defeat, truly earning his reputation as the foremost Nascent Soul cultivator. Currently, the Seven Absolutes Blade Emperor resides at the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple in the Western Desert; his reason for converting to Buddhism remains unknown."

Shen Haoran and his four companions lectured for three full days, providing Long Hanjiao and the others with a much deeper insight into the East Fence Realm.

Long Hanjiao turned to a gaunt elder in a green robe and instructed, "No more disciples from our sect will be teleporting here in the near future. Nephew Zhao, you and Nephew Liu are to lead a reconnaissance mission to the Fallen Immortal Cave. Should you encounter cultivators from other realms, sound the alarm immediately; we will intervene to rescue you."

The green-robed elder, Zhao Hengbin, was a Mid Nascent Soul cultivator from a prominent cultivation family. Even before the Sky-Azure Sect unified the Sky-Azure Realm, the Zhao family was widely known for their mastery in controlling insects and taming beasts. They cultivated various rare insects and exotic creatures, among which was the Seven-Star Soul Pursuing Insect, a spiritual insect exceptionally sensitive to cultivators' auras.

The green-robed elder acknowledged the command, then selected fifty Core Formation cultivators and ten Nascent Soul cultivators. Under Liu Jiaojiao's leadership, they set off along the path they had arrived by.

This scouting party was deemed expendable. Every cultivator dispatched to the East Fence Realm had a restriction placed upon them; any attempt at forced soul-searching would activate it. Even under duress, they possessed few critical secrets. Only Soul Transformation cultivators were privy to the full extent of their hidden capabilities.

Fifteen minutes later, Liu Jiaojiao and her group emerged onto a low, yellow earth mound.

"Release the Seven-Star Soul Pursuing Insects," Zhao Hengbin commanded, "to see if any cultivators from the East Fence Realm are present here."

Zhao Hengbin gave the order. More than twenty cultivators from the Zhao family each retrieved a golden spirit beast pouch. Following a shimmering golden light, tens of thousands of pale golden spiritual insects swarmed out from the pouches.

These golden spiritual insects possessed butterfly wings, serpentine bodies, and bird-like beaks, their forms adorned with precisely seven pale silver spots. The swarm comprised two Fourth-tier Seven-Star Soul Pursuing Insects, several hundred Third-tier ones, and the remainder were Second-tier.

The tens of thousands of Seven-Star Soul Pursuing Insects fanned out, soaring in various directions.

Zhao Hengbin then conjured a fist-sized azure orb, its surface covered in arcane runes and shimmering with a soft, fluctuating azure glow. This was a Spirit-Breaking Orb, an artifact capable of exposing anyone concealed nearby, even if they were using a rare treasure or a powerful stealth technique.

Zhao Hengbin infused a spell into the Spirit-Breaking Orb, which then erupted with blinding azure light, illuminating an area spanning ten thousand zhang. Liu Jiaojiao and her companions expanded their spiritual senses to their fullest extent but detected no anomalies.

At that very moment, a deafening explosion echoed, and a brilliant golden light flared in the southwest.

"They're found!" Liu Jiaojiao exclaimed. "Two Nascent Soul cultivators! Both are in the early Nascent Soul stage."

Liu Jiaojiao's expression turned serious. The two individuals clearly possessed a rare treasure, as they had previously concealed themselves and eluded the group's spiritual sense detection.

"Seventh Uncle," a young man with thick eyebrows and large eyes, dressed in green, said with a smile, "I can handle them myself. They are just two Nascent Soul cultivators." The young man, who had thick eyebrows and large eyes, was clad in a green shirt. A gruesome scar marked his left cheek, and a bronze ring adorned his left ear, giving him a peculiar appearance.

This green-clad youth was Zhao Junlan, an early Nascent Soul cultivator who carried several spirit beast pouches at his waist. Zhao Hengbin nodded and instructed, "Go. Be cautious, and try to capture them alive."

Zhao Junlan acknowledged the order. With a slap of his spirit beast pouch, an azure light surged forth, materializing into a magnificent azure spirit beast. It was a Fourth-tier spirit bird with a monkey's head, an eagle's body, and tiger claws, its wingspan an impressive five zhang. A resounding roar echoed as the azure spirit beast, carrying Zhao Junlan, soared towards the southwest.

In a narrow valley to the southwest, a rosy-faced elder in golden robes and a plump, middle-aged Taoist nun were engaged in attacking the Seven-Star Soul Pursuing Insects. The golden-robed elder wielded a shimmering golden flying sword, while the middle-aged Taoist nun commanded a blue jade ruler approximately two feet in length. The Seven-Star Soul Pursuing Insects were utterly outmatched by the two Nascent Soul cultivators and were swiftly annihilated.

"What sort of spiritual insects are these," the golden-robed elder wondered, "to be able to detect us? With our Profound Light Umbrella, even late Nascent Soul cultivators shouldn't be able to find us." The golden-robed elder expressed his confusion; it was indeed strange that, despite their extensive knowledge, they could not identify the origin of these spiritual insects.

"It's not surprising that you don't know," a slightly awkward male voice stated. "Allow me to enlighten you." A slightly awkward male voice echoed as Zhao Junlan flew in from a distance, his expression indifferent. Having only recently arrived in the East Fence Realm, they had learned its language and script from Shen Haoran and familiarized themselves with its circumstances, which explained why his speech was still a little unpolished.

"Who are you?" the golden-robed elder and the middle-aged Taoist nun questioned him in unison, their faces etched with wariness.

Zhao Junlan offered no explanation. He simply slapped his spirit beast pouch, and a yellow light erupted, materializing into a colossal yellow ape over ten zhang tall. This Fourth-tier spirit beast had golden eyes, a wide mouth revealing fearsome fangs, and was covered in dense yellow fur. This was his bonded spirit beast, the Golden-Eyed Mighty Ape, known for its boundless strength.

"Subdue them," Zhao Junlan commanded coldly. The yellow giant ape seemed to understand his command and immediately charged towards the two Nascent Soul cultivators.

From the small earth mound, Zhao Hengbin and Liu Jiaojiao observed with calm expressions, clearly demonstrating their profound trust in Zhao Junlan's abilities. The Zhao family of Thousand Spirits Mountain enjoyed significant renown even before the Sky-Azure Realm was unified. Following the Sky-Azure Sect's unification of the realm, a staggering forty percent of the sect's spiritual beasts, insects, and birds were placed under the Zhao family's stewardship. This clearly demonstrated their extraordinary prowess in controlling creatures, earning them immense trust and importance from the Sky-Azure Sect's leadership.

A series of thunderous explosions followed, shaking the very ground.

In less than fifteen minutes, Zhao Junlan returned. The golden-robed elder and the middle-aged Taoist nun were visibly pale; the elder's left arm was missing, and both were bound by yellow chains that sealed their magical power.

Zhao Hengbin wasted no time and immediately initiated a soul-search.

"They were here to search for treasure in the Fallen Immortal Cave!" he reported. "They possessed a rare artifact for concealment, the Profound Origin Umbrella!"

Zhao Hengbin frowned, pondering for a moment before turning to Liu Jiaojiao. "Junior Sister Liu," he said, "take them to Martial Uncle Long for her judgment. We will continue our search for other cultivators."

Liu Jiaojiao acknowledged the order, then escorted the two Nascent Soul cultivators back along their original path to report to Long Hanjiao.

Long Hanjiao personally performed a soul-search on the two Nascent Soul cultivators. She found no anomalies; these cultivators had limited lifespans and had specifically traveled to the Fallen Immortal Cave in search of treasure. Their circumstances appeared entirely normal.