Chapter 509 - 363: Scavenging Hyenas (2)
The Cloud-Clawed Lizard’s territory spanned nearly fifty thousand square kilometers. Adding Bear Wind’s domain to that brought the total to one hundred ten or one hundred twenty thousand square kilometers. The potential for this venture was immense.
Fang Qingyuan naturally gave his full support to Lechuan’s plan. After all, the Qingyuan Sect and the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect now shared a common fate—they would prosper or fall together. Without the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect’s backing, the Qingyuan Sect’s development would be far more difficult than it was now.
Even a late-stage Golden Core Cultivator like Yan Nanxing had to consider the Spirit Wood Alliance’s mood. Fang Qingyuan, who had just reached the Golden Core realm, could hardly make any waves.
Although he had broken away from the Beast Taming Sect, no one dared to treat the Qingyuan Sect as a faction without powerful backing.
As Fang Qingyuan mulled these things over, he took out the Eight Sceneries Red Dust Lamp and began to inspect it.
Only three of the Eight Sceneries Red Dust Lamp’s sceneries remained: the Red Dust World, High Mountains and Flowing Water, and the Nether Heart Prison. Of these three, the Red Dust World was the most powerful.
The Red Dust World panel used an Illusion Technique to affect an enemy’s spiritual perception, making it impossible for them to distinguish reality from illusion. It was especially effective against those with weak minds but powerful combat abilities.
Take the berserk Huo Hu, for example. If Fang Qingyuan had possessed this Magical Artifact at the time, he could have certainly trapped Huo Hu deep within a false illusion, unable to break free.
The High Mountains and Flowing Water scenery, on the other hand, was primarily for cultivation. It focused on creating a profound atmosphere and could foster an excellent training environment.
The Nether Heart Prison could amplify the fear in an enemy’s heart. If an opponent with a weak will who clung to life and feared death was pulled into it, there would be no escape.
However, while these three sceneries each had their own unique uses, the lamp lacked any powerful offensive abilities, which diminished its overall value.
But Fang Qingyuan didn’t lack decisive, finishing moves, so he wasn’t too concerned about the lamp’s shortcomings.
There were still five blank panels on the lamp, which Fang Qingyuan would need to refine with a Secret Technique later on.
Currently, the lamp was in an unrefined state. It might have been refined in the past, but after so long without being nourished by core energy, its Sacrificial Refining Level would have decayed over time.
The only exception would be if the Magical Artifact itself birthed a Primordial Spirit, gained consciousness, and began to cultivate on its own. Only then could it maintain its Sacrificial Refining Level without a Cultivator’s intervention.
After taking out the lamp, Fang Qingyuan channeled a wisp of core energy from the Golden Core in his Dantian and infused it into the lamp. The next moment, a faint purple light glowed, and he felt a nascent connection, as if to his own heart and soul, emanating from the artifact.
It was like an extension of his own body, though the sensation was still very faint.
At the First Heaven of sacrificial refining, the mind and spirit connect. At the Second Heaven, form and spirit merge. And after reaching the Third Heaven, the Magical Artifact could be stored inside his Dantian, accompanying his Golden Core.
Each Heaven of sacrificial refining unlocked corresponding Divine Techniques. This was the difference between a Lifebound Magical Treasure and other Magical Artifacts.
Realizing he was still on the road, Fang Qingyuan toyed with the Eight Sceneries Palace Lantern for just a moment before storing it in his Immortal Mansion. He then focused on directing Yinbao to fly around the mountain ranges and deeper into the Barbaric Wilderness.
The route Fang Qingyuan had chosen started from the Qingyuan Sect. From there, it followed the Barbaric Border past his sect’s own outpost in the wilderness, heading toward the Pill Alliance’s territory.
Instead of taking the usual path, this route was a wide detour that nearly tripled the length of the journey.
To avoid unwanted attention, they had to periodically cut through the Barbaric Wilderness itself. Fortunately, the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect had been clearing out Wilderness Demonic Beasts for the past few years, which had significantly reduced the dangers there.
Even so, Fang Qingyuan had to lead his team to kill several waves of demonic beasts drawn by the scent of the Spirit Rice and the Tuo Yao mounts themselves, just to keep the supplies safe.
After flying for three consecutive days, the caravan of Tuo Yao mounts finally reached the first destination of their journey: the border of the Yan Gui Sect’s territory.
Since the Pill Alliance did not share a border with the Barbaric Wilderness, delivering the supplies meant they had to pass through the territory of one of the vassal Golden Core Sects. For this, Fang Qingyuan had chosen the Yan Gui Sect.
Three years ago, Yan Nanxing had used a Heaven-Reaching Order to do the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect a favor. Now, Fang Qingyuan wanted to bring him in on this profitable venture as well.
The matter didn’t require Yan Nanxing to get involved personally. He simply needed to clear the way and turn a blind eye to Fang Qingyuan’s caravan of Tuo Yao mounts.
To that end, the Pill Alliance was willing to pay a hefty transit fee for the Yan Gui Sect’s cooperation. All Fang Qingyuan had to do was transport the goods through the Yan Gui Sect’s territory and unload them in the area controlled by the Pill Alliance.
But even on this short leg of the journey, a problem arose at the final moment. Just as the caravan of Tuo Yao mounts left the Yan Gui Sect’s domain and entered Pill Alliance territory, Fang Qingyuan realized his team was being watched.
With his spiritual sense, Fang Qingyuan detected several dozen Cultivators tailing their group from a distance. Because they were heavily laden with cargo, Yinbao and the other Tuo Yao mounts were not flying quickly. Even a Qi Cultivation Cultivator could easily keep pace.
Sensing their ill intent, Fang Qingyuan summoned Han Ping and asked:
"Can’t your Pill Alliance even control its own territory? This is supposed to be your heartland."
Han Ping looked embarrassed. He opened his mouth to protest and explain, but Fang Qingyuan cut him off.
"This isn’t what we agreed to. A situation like this... is going to cost you extra."
Han Ping froze for a moment, then gave a wry smile, took out the illustrated treasure catalog, and handed it to Fang Qingyuan once more.
Fang Qingyuan didn’t stand on ceremony. He casually checked off a few items and tossed it back.