Chapter 479: Blissful Joy Flower

In the current Fenghai County, human cultivators were rarely seen. Under the unified order of the Sword Courts in each prefecture, most of them had gone far to the two battlefields in the northwest to fight for the protection of Fenghai County.

For human sect forces, it wasn't just the Spirit Repository and Returning Void stages going; except for leaving behind some hope for the sect, almost the entire power of the sect was dispatched.

So at this port in Zhaoxia Prefecture, looking at what Xu Qing saw, most were alien races.

These alien races lived in Fenghai County on weekdays and had been protected by humans to a certain extent for countless years.

Although this protection wasn't very great, they hadn't been driven out of the county after all, so they could be considered to have a place for their tribes to inhabit.

But thinking of the way they had refused in every possible way when asked to send strong members of their tribes to participate in the war before, Xu Qing shook his head.

Although he could understand these alien races, knowing that they thought this war had nothing to do with their tribes, and no matter who ruled Fenghai County, it made little difference to them.

Since that was the case, why bother putting in effort.

Standing from their perspective, they might not be wrong, but Xu Qing was not a saint who sympathized with all races. His stance made him have no good feelings for these alien races.

Especially among these alien races, Xu Qing also saw the Yanmiao Clan.

The Yanmiao Clan didn't only exist in the desert; the abyss sea of Zhaoxia Prefecture had mist, and places with mist were suitable for this clan to inhabit.

Their bodies were composed of mist, so unless one was particularly knowledgeable, it was difficult to distinguish their gender, and one couldn't see their specific appearance.

One could only see clusters of mist shadows drifting around the wharf of the port, shuttling back and forth, as if looking for something.

At the same time, there was also a special kind of black puppet that appeared within the Yanmiao Clan, permeated with many cracks on it, which could allow the Yanmiao Clan to parasitize and drive them.

Xu Qing, sitting on the turtle's back, naturally also attracted the investigation of the Yanmiao Clan. However, Xu Qing looked a bit eerie when viewed alone, after all, the turtle he was sitting on had no head, and there was a barnacle the size of a fist parasitizing its tail.

But placed in the group of cultivators at the wharf, compared to those alien races of various strange shapes, Xu Qing was not abrupt here. The alien races beside him even had those riding on corpses.

And for the Yanmiao Clan, Xu Qing had an even deeper sense of disgust. When he was in the desert before, this clan's attitude was full of malice, and the fragment of the great world where he fought Chu Tianqun was also borrowed by this clan.

After the fact, Xu Qing calculated the time. When he met Chu Tianqun, it was only an hour's journey away from stepping into the boundary of the County Capital. This hour... was delayed by the Yanmiao Clan.

But he knew that this time he was investigating secretly, so after sweeping his gaze, he suppressed his killing intent and didn't pay attention to them. Instead, he sat on the back of the stone lion that had transformed into a turtle, silently waiting for the ferry boat to arrive at the wharf.

Soon, those Yanmiao Clan members searching here found nothing and flew away rapidly, continuing to search at another wharf.

Xu Qing didn't care what they were looking for, but he heard many alien cultivators at the wharf where he was, after those Yanmiao Clan members left, discussing in low voices.

"The Yanmiao Clan has been searching for several days now, and I don't know what exactly they are looking for. I heard they are not only searching at the port but also on the abyss sea."

"The external explanation is that they are searching for a large amount of remains of the sun that collapsed throughout Zhaoxia Prefecture after it fell. But the remains of the sun have long been found and taken away by human and other tribal forces in these countless years. There has been no record of new flesh and blood being discovered in this millennium."

"It shouldn't be searching for those extinct remains of the sun. Why do I feel like it's searching for or preventing someone from entering Zhaoxia Prefecture?"

Xu Qing was lost in thought, raising his head to sweep a glance at the Yanmiao Clan in the distance.

Until an hour later, when there were quite a few more alien races waiting for the ferry at the wharf, a whimpering sound came from the mist on the abyss sea in the distance.

The alien races at the wharf looked over one after another.

Following the sound, there were also bursts of cold, strong winds.

This wind blew along the abyss sea to the port, and gradually, some giant boats with strange appearances appeared in the billowing mist, slowly becoming clear.

Their shapes were divided into two types.

One type looked like a swallow, thousands of feet in size, with exquisite and luxurious pavilions built on its back, and there were also many maids with rabbit ears, each with a sweet appearance and graceful figure.

Xu Qing swept his gaze and recognized this as the Spirit Rabbit Clan. This clan had a large population, but they didn't have their own tribal land. All the clansmen were scattered in several prefectures, relying on strong members of large clans as a way of survival.

As for the other type of giant boat, perhaps it shouldn't be called a boat, because they looked more like giant leaves, with four thin, rod-like legs growing underneath, deep into the bottom of the abyss mist.

These leaves were about a hundred feet in size. Compared to the swallow boats, they were not only much simpler, but their quantity also far exceeded the swallow boats, occupying about ninety percent.

At this moment, following their arrival, cultivators at each wharf jumped up one after another, choosing giant boats according to the different directions they were going.

Xu Qing saw that among the cultivators, there were a few with Nascent Soul fluctuations, and the places they were going were those swallow boats, while the others were all leaf boats. He understood in his heart that these two types of ferrying were prepared for different cultivation bases.

So he observed for a while and found the leaf boat heading to Qingwu Mountain, and stepped onto it.

Qingwu Mountain also belonged to the central area of Zhaoxia Prefecture, not very far from Zhaoxia Mountain.

Going directly to Zhaoxia Mountain, Xu Qing felt it was somewhat inappropriate. Since it was a secret investigation, he planned to rely on his own cultivation base after arriving at Qingwu Mountain to cross a distance and head to Zhaoxia Mountain.

Although Xu Qing felt he couldn't do a long-term crossing relying on his own cultivation base, for a short time, in his judgment, it was possible.

At this moment, after stepping onto the leaf boat, Xu Qing swept his gaze around.

This leaf boat was extremely simple, without any buildings, and without any maids. Only a few green-robed people wearing ghost face masks were sitting cross-legged at the very front, responsible for steering the boat.

As for the cultivators boarding the boat, there were more than thirty of them. Except for seven or eight sitting together, the others were all alone, each occupying a range of a hundred feet. Accommodating these people, it was still considered spacious.

Xu Qing found a corner and sat down cross-legged, his gaze falling on those three green-robed cultivators in the distance.

His understanding of Zhaoxia Prefecture was mostly known through the Sword Holders' archives. For example, the one responsible for ferrying here was a business alliance named Shuguang.

This business alliance was composed of many forces in Zhaoxia Prefecture, and the Sword Court here was naturally among them. After all, the specialty of Zhaoxia Mountain made the boat ferrying here extremely profitable.

The attire of the Shuguang Business Alliance was this kind of green robe.

After looking carefully, Xu Qing swept his gaze over the other cultivators on the leaf, and only then closed his eyes, silently meditating.

Not long after, about a stick of incense's time, some of the giant boats at this port wharf began to set sail.

The leaf boat where Xu Qing was located was one of them. After they paid the fee, following the vibration of the tree leaf, the four thin legs underneath slowly stepped forward. The strong wind blew, without any obstruction, and fell directly on the people on the leaf.

As the leaf boat continued to move forward, gradually moving away from the port, when the wind blowing became a bit stronger, only then did a thin light shield disperse from the leaf to shroud the surroundings, blocking the wind outside.

But the feeling of bumping and shaking became more and more intense.

Xu Qing didn't care about these, closing his eyes to rest. Just like that, three days passed.

During these three days, Xu Qing occasionally opened his eyes, looking into the distance. What he saw was the endless abyss sea. While the cold aura permeated the heaven and earth, there were also some strange existences appearing within the abyss sea.

For example, whales with wings, for example, countless red lanterns dancing, and for example, bats with huge bodies and two heads. But these alien beasts clearly had an agreement with the Shuguang Business Alliance; although they appeared in the surroundings, they didn't launch attacks on the leaf boat.

Besides this, Xu Qing also saw that under a relatively shallower abyss sea, a giant flower with a size of a full thousand feet was blooming.

This flower was red and very obvious under the abyss sea. There were even flower cores rising from the flower, floating above the abyss sea, permeating in all eight directions.

Their appearance also attracted the attention of many alien cultivators on the leaf boat, their expressions all carrying strangeness.

Because at the ends of those swaying flower cores, there were actually females of different tribes growing, and Xu Qing even saw humans.

They were graceful and charming, conforming to the aesthetics of every human, without any clothes covering them. After appearing, they postured and gestured frequently toward the cultivators on the leaf boat.

"Boss, we are in luck." When Xu Qing looked at those flower cores, the voice of the barnacle on the turtle's tail came to his ears. This barnacle was transformed by the head. At this moment, eyes were revealed on it, looking at the outside world with obsession.

"Blissful Joy Flower, the flower I liked the most back then."

Xu Qing frowned. For this kind of flower, he didn't recognize it.

"Blissful Joy Flower, that is a special weird plant in Zhaoxia Prefecture. When this weird plant blooms, the flower cores will transform into the appearance of women of different tribes to bewitch passersby."

"Once they succeed in bewitching, they will be dragged to the bottom of the abyss sea and sucked into dried corpses alive. Golden Core stage can last a bit longer, but they can't persist for too long."

"Only those with innate talent like me could turn things upside down among them back then and truly taste the supreme bliss brought by the Blissful Joy Flower."

The head murmured in a low voice, its eyes revealing reminiscence.

"So that's how your body was lost?" Responding to the head wasn't Xu Qing, but the giant turtle beneath him.

The head's eyes widened, just about to speak, when Xu Qing suddenly transmitted a low voice.

"Shut up."

Instantly, both the giant turtle and the barnacle didn't transmit any sound anymore. Xu Qing sat cross-legged, his perception spreading, permeating the place where those seven or eight alien races gathered. He had just faintly heard them seemingly discussing the Sword Court.

At this moment, while paying attention, the sound gradually became clear.

"Chaotic world, I heard that only when the number of tribes in Zhaoxia Prefecture decreases significantly will evil weird plants like the Blissful Joy Flower bloom."

"Humans are in a precarious situation this time, and the Sword Palace is also in danger. Have you heard? It seems there are quite a few tribes and loose cultivators who are fierce and cruel, wanting to target this Zhaoxia Mountain Sword Court."

"I also faintly heard that it seems someone is calling on loose cultivators, big thieves, and fierce criminals of all tribes to go and attack Zhaoxia Mountain in the near future and rob the Sword Court."

"Precarious, I have indeed seen many unfamiliar faces these days. They shouldn't be cultivators native to Zhaoxia Prefecture."

"This matter has nothing to do with us. Let's hurry back to the tribe. We can't manage the life and death of humans. If humans are eventually defeated... actually, it's not impossible for us to go and share a piece of the pie."

"That's right, I heard the Sword Court is very wealthy..."

Xu Qing, upon hearing this, frowned slightly, a cold glint appearing in his eyes. Suddenly, his expression moved slightly, and he raised his head to look at the mist on the abyss sea in the distance.

Faintly, seven or eight black puppets with a height of ten feet appeared in this mist. They walked on the abyss sea, red light appearing in their eyes, carrying unkindness, looking at the leaf boat.

It was exactly the Yanmiao Clan.

A cold glint flashed and vanished in Xu Qing's eyes. He looked at the black puppets of the Yanmiao Clan approaching, judging the cultivation base and combat power of the comers.

Following their approach, one could see wisps of mist drilling out from the cracks on the bodies of these black puppets, transforming into blurry figures outside. While examining the leaf boat, these mists also mostly drifted away, circling around the leaf boat.

And those seven or eight giant black puppets also stood in front of the leaf boat at this moment, blocking the way.

The four legs under the leaf boat trembled slightly, not daring to move anymore. The cultivators on the leaf were all shocked in their hearts. It was obvious that many of them showed vigilance and precaution.

Those three green-robed cultivators wearing ghost face masks also stood up rapidly at this moment, gazing at the Yanmiao Clan, when one of them cupped his fists and spoke in a low voice.

"I don't know what business the fellow Daoists of the Yanmiao Clan have coming here." ===== CHAPTER 480 =====

"I wonder, fellow Daoists of the Yanmiao Clan, what brings you here?"