Immortal Venerable of the Beast Race
Chapter 129 - 129 Trap 86_1

129: Trap 86_1 129: Trap 86_1 “That’s right, after extensive investigation, we found out that it is indeed the Zouhua Cave of Qingdan Layman.

He disappeared over a hundred years ago, and before his disappearance, he was at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage,”

Lin Guang explained.

“What kind of Formation is so formidable that the four of you can’t break it, even when working together?

Why come to me specifically?

There must be many Foundation Establishment Cultivators you know!”

Shen Long asked in confusion.

“It’s a Minor Five Elements Ban, and it requires five Cultivators to break the Formation together.

Other Foundation Establishment Cultivators are mostly in small groups, and we don’t trust them.

We’ve interacted with Taoist Friend Shen for quite some time, and you are known for your loyalty and reliability,”

Ye Hong said.

They needed to find another Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

If they were to invite others, they might either be of higher Cultivation, and if valuable treasures were involved, they surely wouldn’t be able to compete, or those Cultivators might have their own small groups, which could lead to conflict over the loot.

Shen Long was a loner and only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, whereas the four individuals, Ye Hong included, were in their middle stages.

Even if there truly were valuable items in the cave abode of the ancient Cultivator, Shen Long wouldn’t be able to compete with them.

“Qingdan Layman was a second-order Alchemist, capable of refining various second-order Elixirs.

After the success of our venture, all Pill Formulas will belong to Taoist Friend Shen, how does that sound?”

Ye Hong offered.

“Where is this ancient Cultivator’s cave located?

How did you discover it?”

Shen Long pressed.

“We can’t tell you where it is.

If you join our treasure hunt, we will take you there.

We found an Inheritance Bead inside the body of a second-order Monster Beast.

It took us a long time to locate Qingdan Layman’s Zouhua Cave, but the defense of the Minor Five Elements Ban is too strong.

We tried many times and failed,”

Ye Hong explained.

“Inheritance Bead!”

Shen Long suddenly understood.

Some Cultivators, with no hope of breaking through or trapped in deadly Secret Realms, would record the location of their Zouhua Caves within a bead-shaped Magic Artifact, known as an Inheritance Bead.

The fated ones could use the Inheritance Bead to find these caves and obtain the inheritance and treasure within.

Some lower-level Cultivators who obtained an Inheritance Bead and found a high-level Cultivator’s Zouhua Cave would acquire a vast amount of Cultivation Resources and see rapid advancements in their Cultivation.

There are many such legends in the Cultivation Realm.

Of course, there are also Evil Cultivators who set traps to lure and kill other Cultivators.

After pondering for a while, Shen Long said, “Give me some time to think it over, alright?”

“No problem, we hope that Taoist Friend Shen can give us a response within a day.

We can’t wait too long,”

Ye Hong said.

Shen Long agreed to consider their offer.

Even if he truly decided to go treasure hunting, he would make further preparations instead of setting out immediately.

After chatting for a bit longer, Shen Long said his goodbyes and left.

A short while later, Shen Long appeared at the entrance of a five-story tall green pavilion.

The signboard read “Hundred Talismans Pavilion,” which clearly indicated that it was a shop that sold Talismans.

Shen Long strode in and, not long after, he walked out again.

He spent ten thousand Spirit Stones to purchase fifteen second-order Talismans covering attack, defense, and escape techniques.

Back at his place, Shen Long took out a Messaging Plate to contact Chen Li and Liu Shi, inquiring if there had been any recent incidents caused by Evil Cultivators in the Cultivation Realm.

Both Chen Li and Liu Shi had not heard of any such incidents recently.

Shen Long then contacted Ye Hong again and agreed to the treasure hunt.

Ye Hong arranged to meet with Shen Long at the marketplace exit the next day at the hour of Chen.

Shen Long sat cross-legged on a green stone bed, taking stock of his possessions.

He had over a hundred thousand Spirit Stones, a top-quality defense Magic Artifact—the Lihuo Amulet—one set of Mother-Child Blades, and sixteen second-order Talismans, with the most powerful being the Five Thunder Talisman acquired at an underground auction years ago.

Besides the Snow Wind Sparrow, the Gold-Winged Windroc, and the Green-Eyed Spirit Fox, the other Spirit Beasts and Spirit Insects had all advanced to the second-order.

The strongest among them was the Iron Tail Scorpion, followed by the Gold Ant, with the Hundred Eyes Cicada being suitable for treasure seeking and the Fire Rock Beast known for its toughness.

Shen Long recalled his conversation with Ye Hong and the others, and couldn’t find any inconsistencies.

As for Qingdan Layman, this person did indeed exist and was active over a hundred years ago.

Liu Yushan and Qin Yuwei’s elders had even had dealings with Qingdan Layman.

Feeling sufficiently prepared, Shen Long felt at ease and rested with his eyes closed.

The next morning, at the hour of Chen, Shen Long arrived on time at the marketplace exit, where Ye Hong and the others had already been waiting.

After leaving the marketplace, Lin Guang summoned a green Flying Boat, lifting them into the sky.

Seven days later, they arrived above a small valley surrounded by mountains on three sides.

Shen Long’s Divine Sense spread out, but he detected nothing unusual.

Lin Guang performed a spell, and the green Flying Boat gently descended.

Ye Hong took out a sparkling golden bead and infused it with Mana.

The golden bead was a mid-grade Magic Artifact called the Bright Eyes Bead, which allowed one to see every blade of grass and tree within ten miles.

Its primary use was enabling long-range vision; locating the Formation’s critical points was still impossible.

This was to prevent Shen Long from finding someone to follow them.

After half a day, Ye Hong hadn’t noticed any other Cultivators, which allowed him to relax.

“Taoist Friend Shen, please don’t misunderstand; it’s always good to be cautious.

This kind of thing requires caution,”

Ye Hong said.

“I understand.

This isn’t the location of the ancient Cultivator’s cave, right?”

Shen Long stated.

“Of course not.

The real cave is somewhere else.

We’ll head there now,”

Lin Guang performed another spell, and the green Flying Boat took to the skies with them, quickly disappearing from view.

A day later, they arrived at a steep mountain peak with lush vegetation covering it.

With a change in Lin Guang’s spell, the green Flying Boat slowly landed at the foot of the mountain.

Shen Long’s Divine Sense spread throughout the area again, still not detecting anything out of the ordinary.

Ye Hong wielded a green flying dagger and slashed at a certain spot at the foot of the mountain.

A dull thud was heard, and a pale yellow light screen flashed, revealing an entrance about a meter wide.

Ye Hong moved on in, with Lin Guang and the other three following closely behind.