bookbashuk Chapter 65 Insistence
Chapter 65 Insistence
About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
The flying boat slowly descended onto a relatively flat mountain terrace.
The plateau is backed by a cliff.
Several long-abandoned mine entrances were carved into the cliff face, sealed with rough wooden fences. On the fences, a talisman had long been weathered and broken, with only a few yellowed paper corners remaining, rustling in the wind.
On the mesa.
A few stone houses remain, mostly collapsed, with dark purple vines climbing all over the walls.
This is the last temporary stronghold of the Spirit Sword Sect, located on the outskirts of Tianfu Mountain.
After everyone disembarked, Zhang Ruxue gracefully leaped down from the bow of the boat and withdrew her magic spell.
The flying boat rapidly shrank, transforming into a streak of silver light and flying back into her sleeve.
When she landed, she staggered slightly and her face was a little pale.
A fine layer of cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and his breathing was a few steps faster than usual.
Controlling the Flying Cloud Boat and flying over hundreds of miles of mountain roads was quite a burden for her, who was in the middle stage of the Fetal Breathing stage.
Without making a sound, Zhang Ruxue took out a jade bottle from her waist, poured out a Qi-nourishing pill and swallowed it. She closed her eyes and regulated her breathing for a moment before opening them again.
"I need to regulate my breathing for several hours."
Her voice remained cool and clear, but it was a little weaker than usual. "Please rest here for now and do not wander around."
After saying this, she sat cross-legged on a sheltered rock, made a mudra with her hands, closed her eyes, and entered a meditative state.
The faint sword intent surrounding him slowly receded into his body, making him like a sword returning to its sheath. Though his sharpness was completely concealed, he still made people afraid to approach him.
The moment Zhang Ruxue closed her eyes, the atmosphere on the platform subtly changed.
Yao Ye flipped off the tiger's back, patted off non-existent dust from his robes, and looked around.
His gaze swept around the surroundings.
He turned his head and glanced at Zhang Ruxue, who was meditating and regulating her breathing.
A barely perceptible chill flashed in Yao Ye's eyes before he strode to the center of the platform and waved to the disciples of the Spirit Sword Sect.
The outer disciples immediately gathered around, including two young disciples whose clothes and accessories were clearly more luxurious than those of the others.
These two were members of two minor immortal clans in the area, one surnamed He and the other surnamed Wei.
His cultivation level wasn't outstanding, only at the early stage of the embryonic breathing realm, but he was good at sweet-talking and quick-footed. He flattered Yao Ye all the way, and now he rushed to Yao Ye's side first.
"Junior Sister Zhang needs to recuperate, so I will temporarily take charge of the affairs here."
Yao Ye stood with his hands behind his back, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable authority, "Leave five outer disciples here to protect Senior Sister Zhang."
The rest of you will follow me into the mountains to investigate the mission situation at Tianfu Mountain.
"A few mandrills aren't worth wasting most of our day on. Let's wait until she finishes her meditation."
These words sounded grand and righteous, but anyone with a discerning eye could see through them. He wanted to beat Zhang Ruxue to the punch and claim the credit for clearing out the mine.
Duan Heisi gave a low hum and didn't say anything.
Wu Liang, without making a sound, unfolded the topographic map again and glanced at it a few more times.
The location of Tianfu Mountain on the map is circled in red with a vermilion pen, about the size of a thumb. Next to the red circle are several small characters, which Miao Wu Niang added with charcoal earlier.
Those were all locations she deduced based on the information about demonic beasts provided by the Spirit Sword Sect, suggesting that the mountain demons might be lurking there.
Such meticulous work is something that someone like Yao Ye would obviously not care about, but it is precisely these kinds of things that the rogue cultivators care about.
"Old Duan," Wu Liang lowered his voice and nudged Duan Heisi with his elbow, "if trouble comes up later, let's not scatter."
Duan Heisi nodded and tightened his grip on the knife slung over his shoulder.
Yao Ye mounted the tiger's back again, took out a roll of map from his pocket, and spread it out on the tiger's back.
The map marks several routes leading to Tianfu Mountain with cinnabar. One of them goes around the mountain ridge, avoiding several areas marked as being inhabited by high-level monsters, and it will take three or four days.
The other route goes straight through, shortening the journey by more than half, but it passes through several strong monster territories along the way.
The outer disciple in charge of leading the way was a lean man in his early thirties with a dark complexion.
He spends most of his time running errands and patrolling the mountains in the outer sect, and is extremely familiar with the terrain of this area. He is considered one of the few people in the outer sect who actually gets things done.
Seeing Yao Ye frowning at the map, he quickly stepped forward, pointed to the detour route, and said respectfully with a hint of caution, "Senior Brother Qi, the mine marked in the mission is still dozens of miles away from here."
There are three mountain peaks in between, and the journey passes through several powerful monster territories.
In my opinion, it's best to take a detour... Although it will take more time, it's safer.
Yao Ye's gaze lingered on the straight route for a moment, then he looked at the dense cinnabar markings on the detour route. His brows furrowed more and more, and he suddenly snorted coldly: "What detour?!"
How strong are the monsters marked in these locations?
The disciple who was leading the way hesitated for a moment before replying, "At least two of them are mid-stage Nascent Soul demon beasts, and one of them may be approaching the late stage of Nascent Soul."
Although the other territories remain unexplored, those who can establish a foothold on the outskirts of the Ten Directions Mountains are likely to possess cultivation levels no lower than the early stage of the Fetal Breathing realm.
"Mid-stage embryonic breathing?"
Yao Ye curled his lips into a disdainful smile, and pressed his finger heavily along the straight line. "Just a mere mid-stage of fetal breathing."
The beast beneath me possesses a few traces of the bloodline of the ferocious beast "Horse's Belly," and is already in the mid-stage of the embryonic breathing realm.
With you all added in, are you still afraid of a few insignificant monsters?
Why bother with detours? Let's just charge straight in!
The junior immortal disciple named He Mo immediately echoed, his tone obsequious, "A mere mid-stage Nascent Soul demon beast is naturally insignificant in front of Senior Brother."
The other immortal disciple beside him, Wei Ziyu
Not to be outdone, he quickly chimed in, "Senior Brother Yao, a noble of the immortal race, would not give way to a few lowly demon beasts."
It's just a pebble in my way; I can kick it aside! I, Ziyu, am not talented, but I am willing to serve my senior brother with utmost loyalty!
Standing in the crowd, listening to the two of them flattering each other, Chen Bai couldn't help but silently give them the middle finger in his heart.
They really dare to say anything out loud.
The Ten Directions Mountains are fraught with danger. This is not the human heartland where they can act recklessly and whimsically... Every decision, if not made with caution, could cost them their lives!
The rogue cultivators looked at each other, but none of them dared to utter a sound.
Duan Heisi's lips moved, but he ultimately didn't speak. He wasn't stupid; he knew that anyone who stood up to provoke Yao Ye at this time would definitely suffer the consequences.
Wu Liang simply sighed softly, folded the map in his hand, and put it into his sleeve. A rare hint of helplessness appeared on his shrewd face.
Going in a straight line means head-on collisions. Yao Ye probably never even calculated how many people would die fighting his way through the three mountain peaks of monster territory.
Or perhaps, he never even considered it.