Chapter 125: Black Mountain Demon Land

Emotionally, he was more inclined to believe his third uncle was dead.

From a practical standpoint, the old man had likely fled, intentionally keeping him in the dark and trying to make him take the blame for the dereliction of duty.

The second theory seemed more realistic, didn't it?

Consequently, Yuan Qu was now incredibly tense, almost to a breaking point.

Just then, a subordinate at the third level of Qi Condensation jogged over, his expression somewhat strange. He said:

"City Lord Yuan, the Senior Envoy has ordered action."

"What?"

Yuan Qu nearly leaped up, grabbing his subordinate's lapel, his eyes bloodshot.

"Has he lost his mind? It's broad daylight! Widespread abduction will surely be noticed by those above!"

"No..." the subordinate said uneasily.

"The Senior Envoy and several disciples from the Vulture Peak Sect seem to want to search the entire city for a mysterious individual. This person captured the Senior Envoy's disciple, a cultivator named Wang Wu, last night."

Only then did Yuan Qu calm down slightly.

"Wang Wu? I know him. He's missing?"

"Yes."

"That little bastard! What a time to interfere with my plans."

After a few curses, Yuan Qu gradually calmed down. He felt something was amiss, and his third uncle's pristine bamboo house flashed into his mind again.

"Wait, where's the Senior Envoy sent by the Vulture Peak Sect?"

The subordinate wiped cold sweat from his brow.

"The Senior Envoy said he went outside the city to search, leaving the city's affairs to us."

"Nonsense! He's fled... he must have fled!"

In this world, the smarter one is, the more one trusts oneself. However, there are also prejudiced individuals who believe they are unique, often starting their sentences with phrases like, "Am I the only one who thinks..."

They want to display their superiority and uniqueness, unaware that in the eyes of others, they resemble a clown. They are blind to the strengths of others and their own flaws.

While being stubborn, they forever live in their own world.

Yuan Qu fell somewhere between these two types of people. He wasn't particularly intelligent, but he firmly believed in the "truth" he had deduced.

If he decided the old City Lord and the Senior Envoy had fled, then they had fled!

He couldn't see the irrationality in such a deduction.

For example, he couldn't grasp why the old City Lord had him inherit Stone Lake City, or why he chose to live in seclusion nearby. He also failed to comprehend the envoy's mission, stubbornly clinging to his imagined "truth."

"It must be an envoy from the Heavenly Void Sword Sect. Run! If we're too late, we'll lose our lives. Yes... we have to run!" Yuan Qu mumbled to himself in a voice barely audible.

After a long pause, he finally looked up and said:

"Issue the order: everyone is to immediately proceed with the abduction mission. All those brought in are to be taken to Tunnel Entrance Number Four and await the Senior Envoy's instructions."

"Understood."

The subordinate, without further questions, immediately went to carry out the order.

Once his subordinate was out of sight, Yuan Qu, who had appeared calm moments before, stumbled away like a panicked dog. Judging by his direction, he was likely going to gather his valuables.

It was puzzling that someone so timid would insist on doing such a thing.

In an unknown mountain forest, Wang Yu carried the unconscious Wang Wu. Using his Thousand Li Divine Travel technique, he proceeded directly towards Black Mountain Pass. He wasn't familiar with the terrain of the Taihu Spirit Domain, but he knew the direction of Black Mountain Pass. Using it as a landmark, he knew that the Withered Leaf Swamp lay to the north, and the Black Mountain Demonic Lands to the south.

Both of these regions were occupied by Core Formation stage demonic beasts, and there was more than one in each.

According to his plan, he wouldn't be able to return to the Spirit Reversal Blood Sect anytime soon. He had already prepared to achieve Foundation Establishment breakthrough in the Taihu Spirit Domain, having gathered all the necessary resources. With Wang Wu now in his possession, he just needed his secret technique to reach completion.

Once he successfully achieved the breakthrough, he would directly traverse one of these dangerous regions. After returning to the sect, he would then plan further matters.

For now, his task was to set up a sufficiently hidden temporary cave dwelling and quietly await the day his cultivation reached fruition.

Compared to the harsh environment of the swamp, the Black Mountain Demonic Lands were a primitive mountainous region, brimming with spiritual energy. They contained multiple third-tier spiritual veins, along with a significant number of first and second-tier ones.

When he cultivated, aside from breaking through to a new realm, he had almost no specific environmental requirements.

As long as he found a suitable location on the outskirts, he could settle down in seclusion.

Furthermore, the six members of the slave-capturing team had disappeared to the north on a secret mission and had not yet returned. His journey south was also a deliberate attempt to avoid encountering them.

Should he encounter them, it would be difficult to explain his presence. In any case, his choice seemed perfectly reasonable.

He traveled like this, encountering no unexpected incidents along the way.

It took Wang Yu nearly half a month to finally reach his destination. Along the way, Wang Wu woke up several times, but each time Wang Yu forcefully knocked him unconscious, leaving his entire face swollen beyond recognition.

His neck dangled limply, giving him a distorted appearance, as if his spine was dislocated.

The Black Mountain Demonic Lands looked different from the Mysterious Bone Mountain and Spider Mountain he had previously seen. The land was fertile, spiritual energy abundant, and the air was filled with a natural, fresh fragrance.

Towering ancient trees, hundreds of meters tall, were ubiquitous. Vegetation was lush and vibrant, with ground cover and thatch growing over three meters high, making anyone who entered it practically invisible.

Only cultivators would typically venture into such a place, either to hunt demonic beasts or to search for spiritual herbs and rare treasures. This was due to these two regions being close to Black Mountain Pass.

Normal cultivators from the Taihu Spirit Domain would usually settle in Black Bear City near Black Mountain Pass and operate from there as their base.

Wang Yu, lacking identification, found it inadvisable to approach hastily. After all, he didn't even know the common knowledge of the cultivation world in the Taihu Spirit Domain, so it was better to keep his distance.

"This is the place."

After entering the Black Mountain Demonic Lands, Wang Yu no longer rode his Blue Butterfly Sword through the air. Instead, he landed and began to trek through the forest.

As he ventured deeper, he occasionally encountered second-tier demonic beasts. When he did, he would activate the stealth technique he had acquired from the Hidden Dragon Bone, circling around them.

He went from the outermost mountain peaks, deep into the edge of the inner perimeter, stopping just before fully entering.

Given his personality, planning ahead was always his modus operandi.

The maps he had collected for a while back at the Spirit Reversal Blood Sect proved somewhat useful. Although he didn't have a map of the Taihu Spirit Domain itself, the Black Mountain Demonic Lands bordered the Crimson Kite Demonic Domain.

Both were common exploration grounds for cultivators from both paths, essentially their everyday scouting areas.

Therefore, some rough or incomplete maps of these areas were available.

After careful observation, Wang Yu walked a few miles to the right. A rock wall, appearing as if carved by a knife and axe, came into view, its exaggerated central fissure particularly striking.

This was the result of natural geological processes.

Upon seeing the fractured cliff, Wang Yu finally felt a degree of calm. He entered from below, proceeding along a narrow path. After turning three corners and walking several dozen more steps, the space suddenly opened up.

Inside was a hidden paradise!

This was a sanctuary discovered three hundred years ago by a disciple of a Demonic Sect. At that time, after the Demonic Sect attacked the Taihu Spirit Domain and plundered it, they encountered an ambush by righteous cultivators while returning with their spoils.

Overwhelmed, they scattered and fled into the Black Mountain Demonic Lands to survive.

That was how this place was discovered.

This information was something Wang Yu had found in the biographies of cultivators in the Sutra Hall. The author of the biography was a Foundation Establishment cultivator who had already passed away.

Therefore, the place was still considered safe.

(End of Chapter)