Immortal Venerable of the Beast Race
Chapter 176 - 176 Skywolf Tribe_2

176: Skywolf Tribe_2 176: Skywolf Tribe_2 Sanliya asked cautiously.

“That is a bead Dharma Treasure.

The treasure itself is not rare, but with it in hand, one can pass through a certain area of the Burial Immortal Tomb, where there is something very precious.

That’s the rumor,” said Gu Hong, his face filled with longing.

Sanliya’s expression became serious, realizing that even Nascent Soul Cultivators valued it; the item tied to the treasure must be extraordinary.

Sanliya nodded, “I see, I understand now.”

“There’s a saying among the Human Clan, ‘Any source of milk is a mother.’ As long as we are willing to invest Cultivation Resources, I believe many Human Cultivators would be willing to serve us.

Of course, they must not act under our banner but can do so under the banner of some Human Clan’s power.

This will reduce their sense of guilt and make it easier for them to accept,” Gu Hong instructed.

Gu Hong commanded wisely.

Sanliya’s face was filled with flattery.

“Alright, you may go now!

I hope to hear good news from you soon.”

Gu Hong ordered.

Sanliya responded and bowed before withdrawing.

…

Chu Country is one of the thirty-six countries in the Donghua Cultivation Realm, comprising eight provinces and forty-two counties, with rich mineral resources.

Huainan is one of the eight provinces of Chu Country.

The Azure Dragon River, the largest river in the Donghua Cultivation Realm, flows through Huainan, providing convenient water transportation and attracting merchants.

The Golden Tangerine Mountains are located in the southwestern part of Huainan, with a tributary of the Azure Dragon River flowing by them.

A rapid river flowed, and a blue small boat drifted on its surface, moving downstream.

Shen Long and two identical-looking golden-robed men sat around a cyan tea table, discussing as they enjoyed their tea.

“Taoist Friend Shen, another thousand miles east and we’ll arrive at the Golden Tangerine Marketplace,” said one of the tall, golden-robed men with a booming voice.

“We should be able to make it in time for the Feiyun Assembly.

The Bai Family has put forth quite a few treasures to attract Cultivators to the Assembly,” said the other slim golden-robed man, his voice gentle and his face smiling.

Shen Long smiled slightly, “If you ask me, you two Taoist Friends Qin will surely secure good rankings at this Feiyun Assembly.”

He had been traveling for over a decade without any sign the bottleneck was loosening.

He’d visited over a dozen countries, met a number of Foundation Establishment Cultivators, experienced different customs, and gathered many Cultivation Resources.

Located far behind the human territories in the Donghua Cultivation Realm, Chu Country was separated from Qin Country by over a dozen nations.

Shen Long had not given up on finding remnants of the Faction of Hermit Cultivation, but to his dismay, he hadn’t found a single one—it was as if they had vaporized from the world or perhaps had met their demise.

Chu Country boasted abundant mineral resources and a strong tradition of Artifact Refining.

The Bai Family had a heritage spanning over a thousand years and was a well-established Cultivation family in the country, protected by several Core Formation Cultivators.

Every dozen years or so, the Bai Family would host the Feiyun Assembly, where mainly Foundation Establishment Cultivators would compete in flying with their Dharma Treasures; the top ten were awarded prizes.

Initially, the Feiyun Assembly was created by the Artifact Refiners of the Bai Family to compare the speed of Flying Artifacts.

Over time, it evolved to include other Artifact Refiners.

The Feiyun Assembly had strict participation criteria: competitors had to be Artifact Refiners, and the Flying Artifacts used must be crafted by themselves, with only one set of materials provided by each participant.

Strictly speaking, the Feiyun Assembly was a gathering for Artifact Refiners, where Flying Artifacts was just one of the activities.

Artifact Refiners could share their Refining Insights and exchange Cultivation Resources.

Up to today, the Feiyun Assembly had become a significant celebration for the Bai Family.

Besides providing a forum for Artifact Refiners to exchange techniques, it was also an opportunity to sell goods.

To increase its influence and attract more Foundation Establishment Cultivators, the Bai Family offered Cultivation Resources as rewards.

During his travels in Chu Country, by a stroke of luck, Shen Long had met the brothers from the Qin clan.

They were born in the Hundred Puppets Sect of Chu Country, a sect known for its mechanical Puppet Beasts throughout the Chu Cultivation Realm.

“Taoist Friend Shen, you praise us too much.

This Feiyun Assembly has attracted a lot of Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

I’ve heard that even cultivators from the neighboring Wei Country have come to participate, so securing a good place won’t be easy,” said the slim golden-robed man seriously.

Qin Wen, at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, a second-tier Artifact Refiner.

“Yes!

This year’s Feiyun Assembly is indeed more challenging than before.

Just look at the rewards—the first prize is a top-quality Magic Artifact,” said the tall golden-robed man.

Qin Wu, at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, a second-tier Artifact Refiner.

Shen Long gave a relaxed smile, “Success depends on human effort.

I believe in your abilities, Taoist Friends.”

“It’s a pity the Feiyun Assembly competes with Flying Artifacts.

If it were a competition of Spirit Birds’ flying speed, Taoist Friend Shen would certainly get a good ranking,” said Qin Wen with a tone of regret.

Shen Long smiled softly, looking toward the southwest, and said, “Someone is coming.”

Qin Wen and Qin Wu looked toward the southwest, but they did not see any figures.

After releasing their Divine Sense, they also did not detect the presence of any cultivators.

“Taoist Friend Shen, you must have sensed it wrong!

We haven’t discovered any cultivators!”

said Qin Wen, puzzled.

“I didn’t sense it wrong, they have arrived,”

Shen Long said.

As his voice just fell, a red Escape Light appeared in the distant sky and stopped with a flicker.

The Escape Light receded, revealing a flying boat shimmering with unceasing red light.

Standing atop it were a svelte girl in red and a tall man in a gold shirt.

Their clothes bore a golden flame symbol, representing a certain insignia.

“It is Fairy Xu of the Golden Flame Sect and Taoist Friend Xu,”

Qin Wen recognized the identities of both the girl in red and the man in the gold shirt.

The Golden Flame Sect was a small sect established not long ago.

The sect master was a Core Formation cultivator, and their lineage had not yet reached a hundred years.

The main base of the Golden Flame Sect was in Wei Country.

“Oh, Taoist Friend Qin, what a coincidence!

You’re also here to attend the Feiyun Conference, aren’t you?”

the girl in the red dress spoke, her voice sweet.

With a spell, the red flying boat flew toward Shen Long and the other two.

“I am Xu Yue, the younger sister.

I have seen the three Taoist Friends,”

the girl in the red dress said politely, her eyes filled with curiosity as she looked at Shen Long.

“I am Xu Wen,”

the man in the gold shirt introduced himself.

“I am Shen Shi!

I have seen Fairy Xu, Taoist Friend Xu,”

Shen Long gave a false name.

When he went out to travel, he had always used the pseudonym Shen Shi.

“So it is Taoist Friend Shen.

May I ask from which sect or faction Taoist Friend Shen comes?”

Xu Yue asked courteously.

“I am merely a Loose Cultivator, with no affiliation to any sect or faction,”

Shen Long stated.

Hearing that Shen Long was a Loose Cultivator, Xu Yue did not pay much attention.

Her gaze fell on Qin Wen as she smiled and said, “Taoist Friend Qin, I heard you can refine top-notch magic artifacts now, congratulations!”

“It was mere luck.

Given the same materials, I might not be able to craft them.”

Qin Wen said modestly.

“We will know when the Feiyun Conference convenes.

See you in the marketplace.”

After Xu Yue said this, with a spell, the red flying boat emitted a dazzling red light and flew away into the distance, soon disappearing from view.

“Taoist Friend Qin, are you quite familiar with Fairy Xu?”

Shen Long casually asked.

“We accompanied our sect elders on a mission to Wei Country and met her a few times at gatherings,”

Qin Wen explained.

“Taoist Friend Shen, let’s speed up and try to reach the Golden Tangerine Marketplace as soon as possible!”

Qin Wu urged.

Shen Long nodded.

With a spell, the blue flying boat instantly lit up with a blinding blue light and flew off into the distance.

Before long, the blue flying boat stopped over a lake island, which had numerous buildings and where many figures could be seen moving around.

The island was planted with many golden tangerine trees, thus earning its name.

Shen Long retracted the flying artifact, and the three entered the marketplace.

Shen Long greeted them and split off from the group.

He wandered around the streets, browsing leisurely.

Most of the shops on either side of the street were weapon stores, selling magic artifacts and puppet beasts.

Besides these, material shops were the most numerous, and elixir shops were less common.

Shen Long entered some shops selling artifact refining materials and bought second-tier refining materials, planning to use them to feed the Gold Ants.

After less than half an hour, Shen Long arrived at a vast Azure Stone Plaza.

There were many small stalls around, selling a variety of items.

As he browsed, whenever he encountered something unfamiliar, he would stop to inquire about the item’s name and purpose from the stall owners, broadening his horizons.