txolops Chapter 288 Crimson Thunder Monster
Chapter 288 Crimson Thunder Monster
On the dark silver flying boat.
Looking at the gradually enlarging Donghua Mountain in the distance, Li Ping had a thoughtful look in his eyes.
Not long ago, he went to the Jade Belt River to see his fifth brother, Qi Hanmo, and left him the top-grade magic artifacts Nightfall and Purple Gold Flying Fork that he no longer needed, and also gave him a stack of second-grade high-quality thunder talismans.
He was encouraged to vanquish evil and subdue demons, and to eliminate evil and protect the righteous path.
Before leaving, he also made a special trip to visit Qi Hanmo's master, Yan Changqiu, a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator.
After a conversation with Yan Changqiu and some probing, he finally confirmed that it wasn't that the academy was keeping Xiao Yunzhi's whereabouts a secret, but rather that she hadn't returned to the Western Wilderness.
Moreover, it seems to be a generally accepted fact in the academy that Xiao Yunzhi has already passed away.
Even a Core Formation cultivator like Yan Changqiu firmly believed in this.
Considering that this was Xiao Yunzhi's private matter, Li Ping did not deliberately inform Yan Changqiu and Qi Hanmo that she was still alive.
The only thing that puzzled him was, where did Yunzhi go?
He originally thought that Xiao Yunzhi had returned to the Western Wilderness, which was why she did not return to Feixue City to find him after refining her natal magic weapon. But now that Xiao Yunzhi has not returned to the Western Wilderness at all, it means that she refined her natal magic weapon in the far north.
So here's the question: why didn't she return to Flying Snow City after successfully crafting her natal magic weapon?
Even if the treasure refining failed, or something else caused a delay in another main city, they could still use the Star Gazing Platform to send a message to him.
Given her status as a Core Formation True Person, using the Star Gazing Platform to send a message was not difficult.
After pondering for a long time without any clue, Li Ping could only shake his head in the end.
He did not keep Xiao Yunzhi's life tablet, so he does not know her current condition.
However, before leaving the far north, he told Ji Nianyun where he was going. If Xiao Yunzhi returned to Feixue City, she could easily find out that he had returned to the Western Wilderness.
Moreover, he had already visited the academy, so if Xiao Yunzhi returned to the sect, she would know that he had been there.
"May we meet again someday," Li Ping sighed.
He didn't think Xiao Yunzhi would have any trouble in the far north. The only thing that could threaten Xiao Yunzhi's life in the far north was that ice dragon.
However, after the Silvermoon City incident, powerful cultivators from the Great Zhou Dynasty could arrive at any time, so the Ice Dragon probably wouldn't dare to show itself easily.
Therefore, there is no need to worry too much about Xiao Yunzhi's safety.
……
Donghua Mountain has changed a lot since Li Ping last visited.
The third-order grand formation that covered the entire spiritual mountain was gone. Only the second-order spiritual veins above the mountainside were covered by formations, while the lower parts were left exposed, divided into first-order formations or without any protection.
Li Ping had already learned this from Qi Hanmo.
The area below the mountainside, the most expansive part of Donghua Mountain, has spiritual veins that are mostly only at the first level. Not only do they not earn much spirit stone, but they are also extremely troublesome to manage.
Therefore, in order to obtain greater profits, the Donghua Mountain Market Alliance simply set up a spirit-gathering array above the mountainside to further restrict and prevent the leakage of spiritual energy on the mountain. At the same time, they sold all the scattered first-order spiritual veins at the foot of the mountain through auction, obtaining a large amount of spirit stones in one go.
Although the academy strongly opposed it, it could not withstand the approval of all other forces.
In order to maintain the facade of unity within the Defenders of the Way, they ultimately had no choice but to compromise.
Currently, those who manage the spiritual veins at the foot of the mountain are mainly independent cultivators from the original Western Wilderness cultivation world, as well as some small cultivation families that originally did not have family spiritual lands.
Li Ping glanced at the vibrant scene below, shook his head, and flew towards the market town located above the mountainside.
The independent cultivators may have obtained a family spiritual land that they could pass down, but in reality, this was just an illusion.
After all, having already received the spirit stones, the market town wouldn't expend much effort to ensure their safety.
Previously, the spiritual veins belonged to the academy, and independent cultivators cultivated spiritual fields and herbs. Although they seemed to receive fewer spirit stones than they do now, the academy would maintain order and stability to ensure that no vicious incidents like raiding and plundering by cultivators would occur in Jixia.
In reality, the academy's operations in the lower city were unprofitable, and the academy's investment in the lower city far exceeded the amount of spirit stones it received.
The real sources of spirit stones and resources are the second-tier spirit veins above the mountainside and the third-tier spirit veins at the summit.
In the past, the academy would use the income from the upper city to subsidize the lower city.
But now... the independent cultivators can only pray for their own good fortune.
……
The purpose was to ascertain the specifications of the teleportation array in the Cloud Mist Mountains, as this teleportation array connected the Great Zhou and the Western Wilderness, making the matter of great importance.
To avoid revealing the teleportation array and causing himself trouble, Li Ping deliberately changed his appearance and appeared outside the array of Donghua Mountain Market as Li Jingyu.
Li Ping landed in front of the entrance to the magic array, releasing his Core Formation realm aura without any concealment.
The Foundation Establishment cultivator in charge of overseeing the area felt the astonishing pressure surging in like a tidal wave, and his expression instantly changed.
Startled, he quickly stepped forward and respectfully said, "Junior greets senior, welcome to Donghua Mountain Market."
Li Ping nodded and said without ceremony, "Open the array gate. I need to go into the market to do some trading."
Hearing Li Ping say this, the Foundation Establishment cultivator felt a headache coming on. Of course, he dared not say no to the request of a Core Formation cultivator.
The problem is that, according to the rules of the market, anyone who wants to enter the market must register their identity and obtain an identity token. If he just lets Li Ping in, then the market's higher-ups will blame him.
Thinking of this, he braced himself and said, "Senior, do you have an identity token? If not, I will process it for you on the spot. You only need to wait a moment. It will definitely not delay your business."
Li Ping glanced at him before slowly saying, "I am Li Jingyu. Now, process my identity token."
"Yes, senior!" The Foundation Establishment cultivator breathed a sigh of relief.
Knowing the name of the Core Formation old monster in front of him was enough; he dared not ask any more questions and left it to the seniors in the market to handle.
In just a moment, a crystal-clear token was respectfully handed to Li Ping.
The guarding cultivators respectfully opened the market's array gate and watched Li Ping disappear through it.
"Captain, I don't think I've ever heard of this senior before," a Qi Refining cultivator cautiously approached him and said, his words filled with worry.
The captain shook his head: "Didn't the senior say his name is Li Jingyu?"
"But……"
"But what? We've already done our job of registering the senior's identity. As for whether his identity is true or false, how can we low-level cultivators verify it?" The captain shook his head at him: "Don't meddle. We just need to do our job. The seniors above will handle the rest."
"Yes... Captain, I understand."
The captain nodded slightly. What he didn't say was that some Core Formation cultivators had strange personalities, and if they accidentally angered the old monster, the old monster would kill them in a fit of rage.
Then there's really no reasoning with them. The Core Formation elders in the market won't risk their lives against an old monster of the same level just because of a few low-level cultivators like them.
……
As soon as he flew into the formation, Li Ping immediately sensed the rich spiritual energy in the air.
Donghua Mountain is renowned as the premier immortal mountain in the Western Wilderness, and its spiritual veins, in terms of both grade and size, are second to none in the Western Wilderness.
After using the Spirit Gathering Array to gather spiritual energy, the spiritual energy concentration in the mountainside area can now reach the second-tier high-grade level.
The aura emanating from Li Ping was as deep and boundless as the ocean, but it still couldn't stop the low-level cultivators who were acting as guides in the market. They flocked to Li Ping's side.
"Senior, I've lived in this market my whole life and know it very well. Just three spirit stones..."
My ancestors lived here...
"Senior, I only need two spirit stones..."
……
Looking at the crowd of low-level cultivators in front of him, Li Ping snorted coldly, about to disperse them.
A voice as loud as thunder came from afar: "I am Chi Lei. I have never seen this fellow Daoist before; he is quite a stranger to me."
Li Ping looked up and saw an exceptionally robust old man in a magnificent robe with slightly curly hair cascading over his shoulders flying down from the mountain.
What's rather strange is that his hair is crimson red; it's unclear whether this is due to the special nature of his cultivation technique or if he was born that way.
Upon hearing his self-introduction, Li Ping's heart stirred.
After scanning the other party with his divine sense, he sensed that the aura on his body had reached the mid-stage of Core Formation, thus confirming the person's identity.
If he guessed correctly, the person in front of him should be the famous rogue cultivator, "Old Monster Crimson Thunder".
To his surprise, Old Monster Chi Lei acted as if he were in charge, seemingly having joined the Donghua Mountain Market.
Upon seeing the arrival of the Crimson Thunder Old Monster, the low-level rogue cultivators who had been crowding around Li Ping hurriedly dispersed, clearly recognizing him.
"So it is True Immortal Chi Lei in person. I am a rogue cultivator who has been cultivating in seclusion for a long time, so it is normal that I have never met you before." Li Ping slightly cupped his hands in greeting.
"Haha... Forget about being a real person or not, they all call me Old Monster Crimson Thunder." Old Monster Crimson Thunder laughed heartily, then said, "It's not easy for a fellow rogue cultivator to come, I must treat him well. Fellow Daoist Li, let's go upstairs and chat."
As he spoke, Old Monster Crimson Thunder pointed towards the mountaintop.
A strange Core Formation cultivator suddenly appeared in the market. As one of the market's organizers, Old Monster Chi Lei naturally had to find out Li Ping's origins.
However, Li Ping's purpose was simply to search for spiritual materials and, incidentally, to ascertain the specifications of the teleportation array. Everything he did was aboveboard, with nothing to hide.
Therefore, upon receiving the invitation from Old Monster Chi Lei, Li Ping smiled and nodded, "Since Fellow Daoist Chi Lei has invited me, I, Li, will humbly accept."
The two then flew together toward the mountaintop.
During their casual conversation, Li Ping discovered that the old monster Chi Lei had a straightforward and unpretentious personality, with little eccentricity. It was difficult to reconcile the person in front of him with his past deeds.
Soon, the two landed in a spacious cave on the top of Donghua Mountain.
The spiritual veins here have reached the high-grade level of the third rank, which can supply cultivation for late-stage Core Formation cultivators.
After they sat down, the waiter served them spiritual tea and left. Only then did Old Monster Crimson Thunder ask meaningfully, "May I ask where you cultivated before?"