Chapter 10: Setting Off for Cyan Rattan Stream
Chapter 10: Chapter 10: Setting Off for Cyan Rattan Stream
Frost on the mine tunnel’s walls glinted with a cold, blue light. Lu Zhao pressed his back against the slick stone, an Ice Cone coalescing in his palm, ready to be unleashed.
"SQUEAK!"
The moment the Rat King leaped down from a crevice overhead, three Ice Cones shot out in a triangular formation, sealing off its escape. Cold Qi erupted, and Ice Crystals scattered everywhere.
Another shrill scream echoed. In the past six days, this was the fourth Rat King he had hunted down. As for ordinary Spirit-Devouring Rats, he had slain nearly a hundred.
Fortunately, these Demon Beasts had astonishing reproductive rates and weren’t worth much, or else there wouldn’t be so many for him to kill.
He now had eight Mouse King’s Fangs, four complete Rat King carcasses, and the remains of several hundred ordinary Spirit-Devouring Rats. His Storage Bag was nearly full, and he was even starting to consider whether he should discard some of the materials.
At dusk on the seventh day, Lu Zhao finished his daily cultivation and went to the bank of a hidden river. This was where he usually practiced his Magic.
A quarter of an hour later, gazing at his sorry reflection in the water, he carefully recalled the key principles of the Wind Manipulation Technique.
This time, he had been closer to success than ever before.
A cyan stream of air had barely lifted his feet off the ground when, at a height of thirty feet, it conflicted with the Spiritual Power converted by his Little Spirit Rain Technique, and the Magic failed in an instant.
He plummeted from mid-air. His Protective Spiritual Light shattered, and he crashed heavily to the ground.
For the past seven days, aside from his unwavering daily cultivation and hunting Spirit-Devouring Rats, he had invested almost all his remaining time into comprehending the Wind Manipulation Technique.
He had thought that with his aptitude, reaching the Entry Level wouldn’t be difficult. After all, he had mastered the Ice Cone Technique—a technique no less difficult to cultivate than the Wind Manipulation Technique—in just three days. His other Magic techniques he had grasped in a single day.
’Looks like the attribute interference is more troublesome than I imagined,’ Lu Zhao muttered to himself.
Even so, he decided to continue practicing this Escape Technique. For his upcoming trip to Cyan Rattan Stream, for example, having an advanced grasp of the Wind Manipulation Technique would make his journey much easier. Besides, his current combat strength relied mainly on Magic, and even reaching the Entry Level with the Wind Manipulation Technique would be a helpful boost.
As for how to get to Cyan Rattan Stream, he had made a special visit the day before to see his fellow cultivator Chen Jianghe, who was recuperating in the medicine hall. From him, Lu Zhao had learned a great deal about the situation at the outpost, and he had already planned his route.
The next morning, the early mist had condensed into icicles that hung between the eaves of the Marketplace’s buildings.
As Lu Zhao walked along the bluestone street, a cold wind gusted past, and he tightened the gray-green cloak around himself.
This was the standard Magical Robe for a Zhou Family’s Honored Guest Elder when traveling. Although it was only a Low-Tier Magical Artifact, it had the minor effect of concealing one’s aura.
After activating the Magical Robe, the cloud patterns embroidered on the cuffs glimmered faintly in the dawn light before vanishing a moment later.
His figure seemed to fade slightly, as if he wasn’t there at all unless one looked closely.
He cast one last look back in the direction of the Cold Pool, where the swirling mist billowed just as it had when he first saw it three years ago.
He followed the thirty-foot-wide bluestone road into the depths of the fog. On either side, crooked Marketplace boundary markers bore the claw marks of Demon Beasts, attesting to the dangers of this land.
Just three li out of the Marketplace, Lu Zhao took out a pouch of powder and sprinkled it on his Puppets’ joints.
It was a folk remedy taught by an old Demon Hunter, made from the dung of a Middle-Tier Demon Beast. When applied, it could scare off ordinary, Non-Tiered Demon Beasts, but it couldn’t be used in truly dangerous areas.
As he walked along the path, the dry grass stirred without any wind. Three Puppet Guards shot out from his sleeves and fanned out in a triangular formation to scout ahead.
Memories of hunting demons with Wang Yun years ago quietly resurfaced. Back then, he always trailed at the rear of the group, breaking out in a cold sweat at the slightest disturbance.
But now, the "KLAK" of his Puppets’ claws striking the loose stones was a reassuring sound.
When passing Qixia Slope, he moved swiftly, keeping close to the rock face.
A Tribulation Cultivator attack had occurred here last month, rumored to be the work of the "Black Bone Three Owls."
This trio of Tribulation Cultivators had become extremely notorious in recent years because they specialized in using Black Bone Spiritual Artifacts and were utterly ruthless, which is how they got their name.
Suddenly, the Rat Guards all turned in unison. Lu Zhao immediately formed a hand seal and activated the Vajra Talisman at his waist.
The instant a faint golden shield materialized, three Poisoned Iron Thorns struck the ground just three inches from his feet.
A dark figure flashed past.
’They’re willing to spend a pretty penny,’ Lu Zhao sneered.
The Vajra Talisman could block a full-powered strike from a Mid-stage Qi Cultivation expert. Seeing their ambush fail, the attacker didn’t linger and swiftly retreated.
He slowly lowered the Wind-controlling Talisman in his hand.
These kinds of Tribulation Cultivators were the most cunning; they often retreated immediately after a failed strike, and pursuing them would likely lead into an ambush.
When the sun reached its zenith, he used his experience to find a sheltered cave out of the wind.
The cave walls bore the charred marks of old campfires, but he still chose to gnaw on a cold, hard Yellow Bud Cake. Starting a fire in the wild was like putting up a signpost for Demon Beasts. The three Kui Guards remained on alert at the cave entrance.
The path through the rotting-leaf forest was the most treacherous. Hidden beneath years of accumulated foliage were "bog eyes"—pockets of mire—and a single misstep could send one plunging in.
Lu Zhao held two fingers together like a blade, sliced off a dry branch, dipped it in realgar powder, and drew an Antitoxic Rune on the soles of his boots.
This was a trick he had learned from a Demon Hunting Cultivator. Although not as effective as an Antitoxic Pill, it could ward off the blood leeches that emerged from the rotting swamp. Such little tricks were quite useful when traveling.
As dusk seeped through the clouds, the day’s long trek finally came to an end.
In the distance, the silhouette of Cyan Rattan Stream emerged against the night sky.
In the Gorge cradled between two mountains, a Dark River roared like rolling thunder.
Lu Zhao took out the Token bestowed by the Zhou Family. The moment he infused it with Spiritual Power, the fog ahead suddenly split open, revealing a passage.
The sight at the bottom of the valley made his pupils contract.
The area was shrouded in mist year-round, and the air was filled with a damp, cool miasma. The mountains were formed from ancient black rock, their surfaces covered in dark green moss and mottled vines. Numerous waterfalls cascaded from the clifftops, converging at the bottom to form a winding Dark River.
The entire stream-gorge was about ten li long, with a varying width. It was only about ten feet across at its narrowest point but could be over a hundred feet at its widest.
The file’s description of "the Dark Rivers forming a spiderweb" was no exaggeration at all.
No wonder the swarms of Ink-Scale Snakes could come and go without a trace.
A middle-aged Cultivator in blue robes walked out of a stone house. The Jade Token at his waist resonated with the one in Lu Zhao’s hand, emitting a faint glow.
"Are you Mr. Lu? A Transmission Sound came a few days ago, saying a new fellow cultivator would be arriving. It’s my turn on duty today, so it’s a good thing I ran into you."
"You must be tired after your long journey. I’ll explain the mission procedures to you tomorrow."
With that, he pointed to several stone houses to the southeast. "Those are unoccupied. You can pick any one you like."
After a quick inspection, Lu Zhao chose one of them.
The stone chamber was more spacious than he had expected. The one he chose was a full hundred feet long and eighty feet wide, and it had been partitioned into three separate rooms.
The walls were decorated with a type of pale blue stone that faintly exuded a cool sensation.
Seeing the house, he immediately began to plan its layout in his mind: the left room would serve as a cellar, used for puppet making; the middle would be his master bedroom and cultivation chamber; and the right would be a guest area.
He sat cross-legged in the center of the cultivation chamber, and Spiritual Qi slowly flowed into his body along the pathways of the Little Spirit Rain Technique.
A Spirit Gathering Array had clearly been set up here, intercepting the power of a Spiritual Spring.
The concentration of Spiritual Qi was far greater than at the Cold Pool. After a single Circulation, the four strands of True Qi in his meridians trembled gently.
’If I cultivate here and use Ice Jade Pills, I could probably reach the threshold of the 5th Layer in less than two years...’ A slight smile touched Lu Zhao’s lips.