Chapter 179 - 174: Bloodthirsty Stone
After leaving the hill where the Array was located, Li Yuan continued north along the valley.
The Bloodthirsty Stone was in his storage bag, and he didn’t take it out again.
An item’s modifier was always a reflection of its inherent properties.
As a rule, these properties determined the modifier’s effect.
The Bloodthirsty Stone’s modifier increased the probability of a breakthrough by killing Cultivators.
There were dried bloodstains on the stone platform. The Array’s function was to ’gather,’ and its Array Hub was a Bloodthirsty Stone.
The Array was set up inside the Secret Realm in a hidden location and had a concealment function.
Of the three people guarding it, one carried a Token from the Li family, and the other two were Loose Cultivators. Their storage bags contained supplementary materials for the Foundation Establishment Pill.
’If this modifier also corresponds to the Array’s function, then the Li family is clearly hunting Cultivators.’
Li Yuan ran through this information in his mind. Not dwelling on it further, he quickened his pace and headed north.
For the next while, Li Yuan kept an eye on his surroundings as he walked.
Along the way, he gathered a few more herbs of average quality. The most valuable was a clump of Cyan Spirit Vine growing on a stone cliff by a stream, which could probably sell for around ten Spirit Stones. The rest combined were only worth a few Spirit Stones.
It wasn’t that there were no treasures in the Secret Realm, but most grew near dangerous areas, either guarded by Demon Beasts or in treacherous terrain. This outer ring had been scoured by Loose Cultivators countless times, so anything left wasn’t worth much.
After walking for about an hour, he felt a reaction from the aura he had marked.
A familiar aura was coming from the northwest.
Deep, steady... Qi Refining Ninth Level.
’Captain Wang.’
Li Yuan changed direction and headed northwest.
After passing through a thicket of low bushes, an open, grassy slope appeared before him.
A few large rocks jutted out from the top of the slope. Captain Wang was standing on the highest one, surveying the area from his vantage point.
Beside him stood another Cultivator from the guard team, at the Qi Refining Seventh Level. He had a longsword strapped to his back and had been part of the group that entered the Secret Realm.
When Captain Wang saw Li Yuan approaching, he leaped down from the rock to meet him.
"Run into some trouble?"
His eyes swept over Li Yuan. He saw no injuries, but the lingering scent of battle hadn’t completely faded.
"I ran into an Array."
Li Yuan got straight to the point.
"On a hill about two li to the south. The Array has a concealment function; you can’t see it from more than thirty zhang away. There were three people inside—two Loose Cultivators and one from the Li family. All of them had Cultivations at Mid-stage Qi Refining."
"And them?"
"I killed them."
Captain Wang’s expression remained unchanged. He nodded, gesturing for Li Yuan to continue.
Li Yuan took the Li family Token from his storage bag and handed it over.
He then took out the Bloodthirsty Stone and placed it in Captain Wang’s hand.
"I found this in one of their storage bags."
Captain Wang took the Bloodthirsty Stone, turning it over in his hand. His expression darkened.
"Bloodthirsty Stone," he muttered, his voice laced with disgust.
He brought the Bloodthirsty Stone to his nose and sniffed it, then probed its internal structure with his Spiritual Power. He fell silent for a few moments.
Then, as if he’d realized something, his expression shifted to one of dawning comprehension and surprise.
"You destroyed the Array?"
"I did. The Array dispersed after the stone platform shattered. I retrieved the Bloodthirsty Stone from the Array Hub."
Captain Wang put the Token into his own storage bag but handed the Bloodthirsty Stone back to Li Yuan.
"I’ll take the Token. You keep the Bloodthirsty Stone."
Li Yuan accepted the Bloodthirsty Stone without asking why.
He paused for a moment, then said, "Your information is very useful."
"Do you know what the Li family is up to now?" Li Yuan asked.
"I have a good idea, and I’ve learned a few other things as well."
Captain Wang’s tone grew taut. "I can’t give you the specifics, but what you’ve brought me is enough."
He took a short-bristled brush and a palm-sized sheet of yellow paper from a cloth pouch at his waist. Squatting beside a rock, he quickly wrote a few lines, then took a seal from his sleeve and stamped the bottom-right corner of the paper.
The ink and the Spiritual Power from the seal merged on the paper’s surface, forming a faint, counterfeit-proof Spirit Pattern.
Captain Wang folded the paper and handed it to Li Yuan.
"Take this back to the Wang family’s administrative office. It’s all you need to terminate your contract."
Li Yuan took the document and unfolded it for a quick look. The content was brief: "Permission to terminate contract." It was signed with Captain Wang’s name and seal.
"I don’t need to wait and leave with the rest of you?"
"No. We need to stay in the Secret Realm for a while longer to confirm a few things. You should go back first and settle the contract."
Captain Wang stood up and dusted off his hands. "However, you still have to finish your talisman-making contract with Pill Refiner He. That’s between you and him, unrelated to your contract with the Wang family. You must fulfill it even after this one is terminated."
"Understood."
Li Yuan nodded. He would have fulfilled it even if Captain Wang hadn’t mentioned it.
Captain Wang said no more. He turned and walked north with the Qi Refining Seventh Level guard.
Their figures soon vanished into the trees on the other side of the slope.
Li Yuan stood where he was, folded the document, and tucked it into an inner pocket of his storage bag next to the Spirit Essence Fruit.
The Teleportation Stone wasn’t fully charged yet; it would need at least another hour.
Instead of rushing to find a place to wait, Li Yuan continued east along the slope.
’Since I’m already here, it’d be a shame not to explore a bit more. I’ll gather as many herbs as I can before the Teleportation Stone is ready.’
Over the next hour, Li Yuan roamed the northeastern region of the Secret Realm.
He hunted two more Tier One Low Grade Demon Beasts. Their materials weren’t worth much, but it was an easy opportunity.
He gathered seven or eight more herbs, mostly common Tier One Low Grade ingredients. Only one stalk of Red Sun Ginseng was of good quality, likely to fetch thirty or forty Spirit Stones.
He came across two more groups of Loose Cultivators, but they all kept their distance and went their separate ways, avoiding any conflict.
Most Loose Cultivators in the Secret Realm were highly cautious. They avoided strangers whenever possible, as you never knew if someone wanted to be friends or just rob you.
His ability to reduce his presence was proving very useful in the Secret Realm.
After Li Yuan dialed his presence down to a low level, the Loose Cultivators he encountered were always a beat slow to react. It was as if they didn’t notice him at first, only realizing someone was nearby when he got closer.
A little over an hour later, the Teleportation Stone in his sleeve began to grow warm.
A faint halo lit up on the surface of the grayish-white stone. The fluctuations of Spiritual Power grew from weak to distinct, signaling that it had finished charging.
Li Yuan found a rock that sheltered him from the wind, sat down with his back against it, and clutched the Teleportation Stone in his palm.
He infused his Spiritual Power into the stone, and the halo flared brightly.
A familiar teleportation field emanated from the stone, enveloping Li Yuan’s body. The ground beneath his feet vanished, and his vision was consumed by a curtain of grayish-white light.
The feeling of suspension lasted for two or three breaths.
Then, his feet touched solid ground.
The light faded, and the stone gate outside the Secret Realm’s entrance appeared before him.
The evening sun cast a long shadow from the stone gate. The Primordial Yang Sect disciples flanking the entrance glanced at him but paid him no mind.
Li Yuan put away the depleted Teleportation Stone and walked back toward the settlement along the dirt path.