Translator: CinderTL
You Ci and the azure fox stared at each other, their eyes locked in a silent battle for half an incense stick's time.
Then, the strange divine sense fluctuations emanating from You Ci vanished, as if their communication had concluded.
She turned back, clasped her hands in a respectful bow, and reported, "Reporting to Daoist Monarch and Senior Yuanrong, this junior has finished questioning the beast. According to its testimony, it is not a divine beast but a spirit fox with the bloodline of the Nine-Tailed Fox. It belongs to a powerful clan known as the Azure Jade Fox Clan, which boasts six eighth-tier azure foxes."
"Six eighth-tier azure foxes!" Yuanrong's pupils contracted slightly. "Their strength is considerable. We should avoid direct confrontation."
After muttering this, Yuanrong asked, "Did it reveal anything about the blessed grotto-heavens?"
You Ci replied, "This junior inquired. Within the Azure Jade Fox Clan's territory lies Azure Heaven Valley, a forbidden territory said to contain various heavenly materials and earthly treasures. However, the clan maintains a permanent garrison of two eighth-tier experts to guard the valley."
Daoist Monarch Yongcheng's expression turned peculiar as he scrutinized the azure fox with a skeptical gaze.
"It divulged such secrets so readily? Fox demons are notoriously cunning. Could this be a trap?"
"That's what the beast said," You Ci reported. "As for its truthfulness, this junior cannot verify."
Yuanrong interjected, "Though fox demons are cunning, they also fear death. Under the combined pressure of our cultivator forces, its words may well be genuine. We simply need to capture a few more Azure Jade Foxes to confirm its claims."
"Fellow Daoist Yuanrong, are you planning to infiltrate the Azure Jade Fox Clan's forbidden territory?" Daoist Monarch Yongcheng asked. "And what about the spider-bodied, human-headed demon beast we encountered earlier? Are we just going to let it run rampant? Though those creatures possess some strength, if we set up a formation and lure them into a trap, wiping them out entirely wouldn't be difficult."
"Of course we can't let them run rampant," Yuanrong replied, a cold glint flashing in his almond-shaped eyes.
He turned to You Ci and instructed, "Ask the azure fox how much it knows about the spider-bodied, human-headed demon beast."
You Ci obeyed, communicating with the azure fox once more.
After a moment, she reported, "Reporting to Senior Yuanrong, the azure fox says that the spider-bodied, human-headed demon beast is called the 'Ghost-Faced Spider.' It's an extremely powerful clan with several eighth-tier experts. The Ghost-Faced Spider Clan also has a 'spider mother,' an enormous creature at the peak of the eighth-tier."
"A spider mother at the peak of the eighth-tier!"
Yuanrong and Daoist Monarch Yongcheng immediately grew more serious.
During the group's rampage through the Ghost-Faced Spider Clan, the spider mother had clearly not revealed herself. Otherwise, their escape would have been far more difficult.
After all, when numerous Ghost-Faced Spiders coalesced into a massive demon beast, their combined strength would increase dramatically. If the spider mother served as the core and leader of this monstrous entity, its power would likely approach the ninth-tier, far beyond what the two could withstand. In that scenario, not only would their plan to slaughter the spiders fail, but their very survival would be uncertain.
At that moment, You Ci continued speaking.
"Ghost-Faced Spiders dislike conflict. Most of the time, they hide within their territory, cultivating Crimson Brocade Flowers and occasionally practicing cultivation within the flowers themselves. These flowers are rare spiritual objects for demon beasts. The azure fox came here specifically to steal some of these millennia-old Crimson Brocade Flowers."
Upon hearing this, the group exchanged bewildered glances.
Those vermilion monstrous flowers were actually rare spiritual objects?
They had assumed the flowers were merely symbiotic plants of the Ghost-Faced Spiders and had destroyed many without considering collecting any. Even if the cultivators couldn't use them directly, they could have traded them with the demon race for valuable resources.
Song Wen's finger, bearing his storage ring, twitched slightly.
He had collected some Crimson Brocade Flowers.
At the time, he hadn't given it much thought, simply fulfilling his promise to Ying Wu to bring back some exotic beasts from the Eastern Profound Continent that were unavailable there. Seeing the mystical properties of the Ghost-Faced Spiders and Crimson Brocade Flowers, he gathered several large specimens of the flowers and a few Ghost-Faced Spiders.
When Daoist Monarch Yongcheng and Yuanrong learned that the Ghost-Faced Spider Clan was led by an eighth-tier peak spider mother, they abandoned their plan to exterminate the spiders to ensure the teleportation array's safety.
As they fled the spiders' territory, Yuanrong buried the teleportation array under layers of earth and stone. The Ghost-Faced Spiders were unlikely to waste effort digging through the debris; without seeing the array, they would have no reason to destroy it.
Thus, even without eliminating the spiders, the teleportation array was likely safe.
The pair decided to temporarily avoid provoking the Ghost-Faced Spiders. Once their mission was complete, they would quietly infiltrate the spiders' territory again, activate the teleportation array, and depart.
On their next visit, they would bring more than just two Great Ascension Stage cultivators and prepare countermeasures against the spiders, such as formations and poisons, making it easy to wipe out the entire Ghost-Faced Spider Clan.
"Little friend You Ci, ask this azure fox if it knows whether this is the Western Rong Continent," Daoist Monarch Yongcheng said, changing the subject.
In the crowd, Song Wen's eyes flashed with a sudden glint of sharp light.
Among all the cultivators present, he was the most eager to know the answer to this question.
Everyone had come here seeking heavenly materials and earthly treasures. Most had no specific target, willing to claim any spiritual object that could help them break through bottlenecks or enhance their cultivation. But Song Wen had a singular goal: the Yaoguang Lotus of the Willow Serpent Clan. If this place wasn't the Western Rong Continent, his life-threatening journey would have been utterly pointless.
You Ci didn't communicate with the azure fox again but answered directly.
"Junior has already asked. It doesn't know the name of the continent beneath its feet."
Daoist Monarch Yongcheng nodded. "It seems we'll need to find a demon race with greater power to inquire further."
"Fellow Daoist Yongcheng, why don't we visit the Azure Jade Fox Clan?" Yuanrong suddenly suggested.
Yongcheng nodded slightly. "Good, let's follow your suggestion. The Azure Jade Foxes dominate this region and are bound to have more information. We can also take a look at their so-called forbidden territory while we're there."
With the two Great Ascension Stage cultivators in agreement, the opinions of the others became irrelevant. The group set off, following the azure fox's directions toward the Azure Jade Fox territory.
Thirty-two streaks of light flashed across the sky, cutting through the high-altitude clouds.
Song Wen quietly approached You Ci and transmitted his voice: "This humble one is Ji Yin. Greetings, Fellow Daoist You Ci."
You Ci's cloudy eyes rolled in their sunken sockets, glancing at Song Wen. "What brings you here, fellow daoist?"
"I was wondering if you might be willing to sell your Truth-Hearing Technique," Song Wen replied.
A smile crept across You Ci's aged face, her withered lips crinkling into layers of wrinkles. "In this world, everything has its price. It's simply a matter of whether you're willing to pay it. If you want this old woman's Truth-Hearing Technique, you'll have to show me what you're willing to offer."
Seeing You Ci's obvious attempt to inflate the price, Song Wen remained unfazed, a faint smile playing on his own lips. "One hundred thousand high-grade spirit stones. What do you say, fellow daoist?"
The price Song Wen offered was not low; in fact, it was quite high. The Truth-Hearing Technique was ultimately just an auxiliary secret art, incapable of enhancing one's combat prowess. Under normal circumstances, it would never be worth one hundred thousand high-grade spirit stones.
Yetโ
You Ci simply smiled serenely at Song Wen and replied calmly, "Not enough."
(End of the Chapter)
---------------------------
๐ You are reading [300] Chapters behind.
๐ฅ Read up to Chapter [1710] now, only on ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ฅ๐.๐๐ ๐.
๐ Read upto [12,000+] Chapters on Site with [9,900+] Free Chapters!
๐ซ Also get FREE lifetime ad-free and join the giveaway by joining our Discord!
---------------------------