Translator: CinderTL
Yellow sand filled the sky, a howling wind roared, and sand and gravel danced wildly in the air.
The sand obscured the sun and moon, shrouding the world in a desolate haze.
Relentless sand and gravel battered Song Wen's Mana Shield, producing a piercing, grating sound.
Seeing that Du'e wasn't pursuing him, Song Wen let out a long sigh of relief.
He had meticulously planned his approach to secure the Bodhi Spirit Core, but none of his preparations seemed necessary.
The one who had traded with Monk Mingcheng was the Cosmic Transformation Incarnation.
After obtaining the storage pouch containing the Bodhi Spirit Core, the Incarnation injected a Dao of Corpse Qi into Hui Zhen's body, solely to delay Du'e.
The Incarnation then traveled over two thousand li south to this desolate, sand-swept region, where Song Wen's true body lay in wait.
This was the heart of the desert, where sandstorms raged ceaselessly.
Song Wen had intended to use this chaos to shake off Du'e, but to his surprise, Du'e hadn't pursued him at all.
Still, he didn't immediately leave the sand-swept area. Instead, he found a sand dune, buried himself in the sand, suppressed his aura, and lay hidden.
Several days later, Song Wen released the Shadow King Gu to survey a ten-thousand-mile radius. After confirming there were no anomalies, he finally emerged from the sand dune.
As he swiftly traversed the swirling sand, Song Wen's brow furrowed slightly. He was pondering where to go next.
Returning to the cultivation cave he had rented in Cloudveil City was out of the question. Moreover, that cave no longer met his current needs.
To continue refining King Gu Pills, he couldn't use all the thousand Bodhi Spirit Cores he had just acquired for pill-making. He needed to plant a portion of them to cultivate seeds, ensuring a sustainable supply of the cores.
Cultivating Bodhi Spirit Cores required a Spirit Field of considerable size. Furthermore, this Spirit Field had to be far from Cloudveil City. If the Dry Zen Temple discovered he was cultivating these cores, it would invite immense trouble.
After repeated deliberation, Song Wen realized he couldn't immediately think of a suitable location to establish a cultivation cave.
Ultimately, he decided to return to Cloudveil City.
Cloudveil City was the largest cultivator city in the Qicang Domain, drawing cultivators from all corners of the domain and bringing with them intelligence from various regions. It would be the easiest place to inquire about suitable locations for establishing a cultivation cave.
Song Wen disguised himself as an early-stage nascent soul monk and returned to Cloudveil City.
He planned to first visit various intelligence shops to gather information.
There were essentially two paths to establishing his own cultivation cave:
First, find an unclaimed location rich in Spiritual Qi. But such places were rare; blessed grotto-heavens with abundant Spiritual Qi were either already occupied or guarded by powerful Great Demons.
Second, seize an occupied location.
As Song Wen walked through the streets of North City, he suddenly spotted a familiar figure in the crowd:
Shi Man!
He had tried contacting her multiple times without success. Yet here she was, unexpectedly meeting him on the street—a truly remarkable coincidence.
Shi Man wore a cyan Daoist robe embroidered with the small characters "Veiled Moon" on her chest.
Clearly, she had successfully joined the Veiled Moon Hall and become an outer sect elder.
Her status as an outer sect elder of the Veiled Moon Hall granted Shi Man a status comparable to ordinary Void Refinement Stage cultivators. Even the abbot of Dry Zen Temple would treat her as an equal.
Yet at this moment, she showed no trace of arrogance, instead wearing an obsequious expression.
Bowing low and wearing a fawning smile, Shi Man followed cautiously behind a young male cultivator.
Song Wen immediately deduced that the young man must be of extraordinary status.
After all, the young man's cultivation level was only at the Divine Transformation Stage.
An ordinary divine transformation stage cultivator would never warrant such deference from Shi Man.
The pair seemed to be searching for a particular treasure, tirelessly entering one shop after another.
Song Wen couldn't help but wonder what exactly they were looking for.
Given the Veiled Moon Hall's influence in the Qicang Domain, what treasure could they not obtain through their resources, requiring them to scour North City themselves?
Moreover, Cloudveil City's south city was the true hub for rare and precious materials. North City, by contrast, offered either low-grade spiritual resources or shady goods like poisons, Gu insects, and stolen merchandise.
After a moment's contemplation, Song Wen quietly withdrew.
He found a cheap inn nearby and rented a room.
Then, he swiftly altered his appearance, restoring his face and aura to the "Gou Jun" persona Shi Man had previously encountered. However, he made no changes to his monk's robes or shaved head.
Leaving the inn, Song Wen hurried after Shi Man and her companion.
He soon spotted them emerging from a shop.
With a spring in his step, Song Wen quickly approached.
"Senior Shi Man! I never expected to run into you here!" he called out, his face beaming with surprise even from several yards away.
Hearing his voice, Shi Man turned to look.
"You're Gou Jun?"
The moment the words left her lips, her slightly hunched posture straightened abruptly. The fawning expression vanished from her face, replaced by a stern, serious demeanor.
"Gou Jun, why are you dressed like this? Have you joined the Buddhist sect?"
Song Wen bowed slightly, a sheepish smile on his face.
"I'm just adapting to local customs. In Cloudveil City, many Daoist cultivators dress as monks. I'm simply following the trend."
Shi Man opened her mouth to speak again, but the young male cultivator beside her frowned slightly, his tone impatient.
"Shi Man, since you've run into an old acquaintance, why don't you catch up? I'll check out the other shops."
With that, the young master strode forward.
Shi Man hurried after him, her face once again adopting its obsequious expression.
"Young Master Chi Pei, I'll accompany you."
"Aren't you going to catch up with your old friend?" the young male cultivator, addressed as Chi Pei, asked as he walked.
"Just a rogue cultivator I met briefly," Shi Man replied. "Hardly an old acquaintance."
Song Wen watched the pair depart, then hastily quickened his pace to catch up.
"Young master, I am Gou Jun, a rogue cultivator who has been wandering North City for some time. I have a decent understanding of the city. May I humbly ask what you seek? Perhaps I could offer some small assistance."
Chi Pei didn't even glance at Song Wen, his voice cold as ice.
"If you don't want to die, get lost!"
"Please, young master, give me a chance. I will serve you with utmost loyalty, like a faithful dog or horse," Song Wen pleaded, his face thick with shamelessness as he doggedly followed Chi Pei's footsteps.
Chi Pei tilted his head slightly, casting a chilling sideways glance at Song Wen, his gaze as cold as if he were looking at a corpse.
Song Wen froze in his tracks, his face contorted with terror as he begged for mercy.
"Young master, spare my life! I... I'll get lost right away."
As he spoke, Song Wen stumbled backward in a panic.
"Hmph!"
Chi Pei snorted coldly, ignoring Song Wen completely as he continued forward.
Shi Man glanced at Song Wen before hurrying after Chi Pei.
(End of the Chapter)
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