Chapter 3110: Counting the Harvest

Savage Island, the stronghold of the Barbarian Tribe.

In the southwest corner of the island was a secluded manor. A graceful woman in a golden dress was speaking to a burly man in a red shirt. Both wore solemn expressions. The man in the red shirt was Wu Yan, the chieftain of the Barbarian Tribe, at the late Integration Stage.

"What? All four of Wu Tian's life soul lamps have gone out? Were they seeking treasure in the Myriad Spirit Ruins?" Wu Yan asked with a frown. Losing four Integration Stage cultivators at once was a significant blow.

"Precisely. It's said Wu Tian went to hunt a seventh-rank Azure Water Tortoise," the woman in the golden dress reported.

"Killing a seventh-rank Azure Water Tortoise requires five Integration Stage cultivators?" Wu Yan's face was filled with doubt.

"We heard there was a sixth-rank Ice Flood Dragon somewhere in the Myriad Spirit Ruins. They wanted to subdue it for their own use, and they mobilized five Integration Stage cultivators out of concern that the sixth-rank Ice Flood Dragon might advance to the seventh rank," the woman in the golden dress explained.

Wu Yan nodded. That explanation made sense.

"Wu Yun's life soul lamp hasn't gone out yet. I hope Wu Yun can survive!" The woman in the golden dress showed a hopeful expression.

"Let's hope so! Their strength isn't weak. Wu Tian and the other two's life soul lamps extinguished on the same day, so they must have encountered a powerful enemy. In terms of physical strength alone, they don't fear the Azure Carp Tribe or the Blood Whale Tribe. It's the Witch Tribe and the Nine Dragon Palace that are more troublesome. Perhaps one of these two forces was responsible. Contact our inside source and investigate; we can't let them die without knowing why," Wu Yan instructed.

"Yes, Chieftain," the woman in the golden dress assented, bowed, and withdrew.

***

Golden Crow Island, the ancestral land of the Li family.

The island's terrain sloped from high in the east to low in the west, with many pavilions and palaces visible, and exotic birds and beasts roaming.

In the reception hall, Li Tianhe sat in the main seat, Li Qinghuan stood to one side, and Wang Qingshan and his six companions sat on either side. A refined-looking man in a golden shirt stood to one side, his expression respectful. This was Li Tianbin, the Li family patriarch, at the mid-Void Refinement Stage.

"Tianbin, Qinghuan, make sure you treat Fellow Daoist Wang well. They are distinguished guests of our family, understand?" Li Tianhe instructed. Li Qinghuan and Li Tianbin assented. As Wang Qingshan had saved Li Tianhe and others, they were naturally honored guests of the Li family.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, you must be tired from your journey. I'll arrange accommodation for you!" Li Qinghuan said enthusiastically, personally arranging lodging for Wang Qingshan and his six companions.

Half an hour later, they appeared above a massive valley surrounded by mountains on three sides. Inside the valley was a manor covering tens of thousands of acres, with pavilions, towers, waterside pavilions, and long corridors everywhere.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, what do you think of this place? If you don't like it, I can find you another," Li Qinghuan said politely.

"This is very good. This will do! Thank you, Fellow Daoist Li," Wang Qingshan said with a smile.

"No trouble at all. If it weren't for your intervention, our Li family would have faced great misfortune. This is an access token. If you need anything, contact me using a communication plate. Please don't wander around randomly to avoid triggering the restrictions," Li Qinghuan took out a square, azure token and handed it to Wang Qingshan.

Wang Qingshan assented and took the azure token.

Li Qinghuan gave a few more instructions and then left. They needed to find a suitable physical body for Li Yunyao so she could seize it and resume cultivation.

Wang Qingshan used the token to open the restriction and led Duan Tongtian and the other six into the manor. The manor had many rooms available for anyone to reside in. Wang Qingshan and Duan Tongtian entered a three-story azure pavilion and went to a secret chamber.

Duan Tongtian flipped his right hand, and with a flash of azure light, a shimmering jade box appeared in his grasp. He opened the jade box and took out a miniature nascent soul. A shimmering silver talisman was affixed to the nascent soul, rendering it motionless. The miniature nascent soul was from a Barbarian Integration Stage cultivator and undoubtedly held important information. Along the way, Li family cultivators had always been present, so Duan Tongtian hadn't performed soul-scouring. Now that they were settled, he could.

Duan Tongtian grabbed the miniature nascent soul and cast the Soul-Scouring Art.

"Seventh-rank Ice Flood Dragon! Seventh-rank Five Thunder Beast!" Duan Tongtian's face showed a thoughtful expression.

The Barbarian Tribe entered the Myriad Spirit Ruins to kill a seventh-rank Azure Water Tortoise, intending to use its shell for artifact refining. Besides that, they also planned to capture a sixth-rank Ice Flood Dragon. Unexpectedly, the sixth-rank Ice Flood Dragon had advanced to the seventh rank. They wounded the seventh-rank Ice Flood Dragon, but it escaped. An Integration Stage cultivator pursued the flood dragon, triggered a restriction, and died. They also found a seventh-rank Five Thunder Beast somewhere, which they intended to kill, but it was proficient in Lightning Evasion Art and managed to escape.

"A Five Thunder Beast! The inner core of a seventh-rank Five Thunder Beast is the main ingredient for refining the Five Thunder Spirit Transformation Pill," Wang Qingshan exclaimed in surprise. The prescription for the Five Thunder Spirit Transformation Pill came from a clone of Hunyuanzi. It was said to enhance the physical body's ability to resist lightning tribulations. This was a seventh-rank pill, and its main ingredient was the inner core of a seventh-rank Five Thunder Beast. Besides the Five Thunder Beast, there was even a seventh-rank Ice Flood Dragon. Unfortunately, its whereabouts were unknown.

"Even if we wanted to re-enter the Myriad Spirit Ruins for treasure, it would have to be ten thousand years from now. The restrictions have now returned to normal, so entering the Myriad Spirit Ruins at this time would be no different from seeking death," Duan Tongtian said in a deep voice. Ten thousand years from now, it's uncertain if the Five Thunder Beast and the seventh-rank Ice Flood Dragon will still be alive; they might already be dead. Even if they are alive, the Myriad Spirit Ruins are vast and heavily restricted, making it truly difficult to find the Five Thunder Beast and the seventh-rank Ice Flood Dragon within them.

Wang Qingshan nodded: "Where there's a will, there's a way. Ten thousand years from now, Yidao should have advanced to the Integration Stage. We can make another trip then."

Duan Tongtian placed the miniature nascent soul back into the jade box and handed it to Wang Qingshan.

After a brief chat, Duan Tongtian went out. Wang Qingshan took out three storage rings of different colors. With a slight flick of his wrist, a large swathe of ethereal light swept past, and a huge pile of items appeared on the ground. The three Integration Stage cultivators had significant wealth: eighteen mid-grade Heavenly Spirit Treasures, all offensive and mostly heavy-type treasures suitable for body cultivators. Wang Qingshan couldn't use them, so he could hand them over to the family or exchange them with others. There were over three thousand top-grade spirit stones, seven spirit herbs of twenty thousand years, forty-two spirit herbs of ten thousand years, and eight portions of Dharma Idol materials, including a piece of Ice Soul Crystal, with the remaining seven being Five Element materials.

Wang Qingshan's gaze fell upon a greenish-blue tortoise shell. According to the information Duan Tongtian had obtained through soul-scouring, this was the shell of a seventh-rank mid-grade Azure Water Tortoise. Used to refine defensive treasures, its defensive power would surely be excellent.

There were also hundreds of jade slips, which Wang Qingshan examined one by one. The content recorded on the jade slips covered a wide range. Besides information about the Barbarian Tribe and the Nine Dragon Palace, several jade slips described the situation on Xuanguang Continent. It seemed that the Barbarian Integration Stage cultivator had either killed human cultivators from Xuanguang Continent or had visited the continent himself. This treasure hunt in the Myriad Spirit Ruins yielded a significant harvest, a result of everyone's combined efforts. Without the intelligence provided by Wang Qingfeng, Wang Qingshan wouldn't have followed Qingchi and the others. Without Wang Tunian, they couldn't have detected powerful enemies in advance. Without Wang Huanyu, they couldn't have avoided powerful demonic beasts. And without Wang Xiangrong setting up the teleportation array for their escape, they might not have been able to get away.

Wang Qingshan sorted and put away the items on the ground. Upon returning to the family, he would give the tortoise shell to Wang Changsheng for artifact refining. Once refined into a treasure, it would make things a bit easier for Wang Yidao when he attempted to reach the Integration Stage.

He sat down cross-legged and summoned nine Azure Glaze Swords. The spiritual essence of the nine Azure Glaze Swords had been damaged, making them unsuitable for combat in the short term. He opened his mouth and spat out a stream of azure flames, radiating terrifying high temperatures. This was the sixth-rank spirit flame he had cultivated, named Azure Lotus True Flame. After devouring the Purple Blaze True Flame, it had completely turned azure. The spiritual essence of the Azure Glaze Swords was damaged, and the Azure Lotus True Flame, being extremely firm and pure yang, could help them recover their spiritual essence. The Azure Lotus True Flame engulfed the nine Azure Glaze Swords, which gently vibrated, emitting clear sword chants.