Chapter 247: Urgency!

"Not coming?"

Yunhe waited on Huanhu Dao for seven days.

He had originally set up a strict formation, awaiting the formidable arrival of the Land Mountain Turtle, but after waiting seven days, it never came.

This surprised him a little.

"Could it be that the Land Mountain Turtle's injuries are so severe that it still hasn't recovered and cannot move freely?"

That possibility does exist.

But Yunhe thought that even if the opponent's injuries hadn't fully healed, it shouldn't be unable to act; if it really wanted to strike, dealing with a Third Level beast should be a piece of cake,

"That's not right; the Land Mountain Turtle doesn't know that I on Huanhu Dao am a Third Level beast—it only knows that none of the three beasts it sent have returned."

Among those three beasts, there is also a Late Third Level Earth Steel Wild Ox.

Normally, even when a Late Third Level beast faces another Late Third Level beast, as long as it isn't severely restrained, it can still fight or flee without much trouble.

But the Earth Steel Wild Ox couldn't return, which indicates

"It is worried that there is a Fourth Level beast on Huanhu Dao?"

Yunhe rubbed his chin, thinking to himself.

From the Land Mountain Turtle's perspective, that possibility isn't impossible.

Even if that possibility is rather small.

He, feeling tense and a bit helpless, scratched his head.

"Should we say it's being cautious, or that it's cowardly?"

After all, it has just broken through to the Fourth Level and is still severely wounded; if it encounters an experienced Fourth Level beast, the chance of its downfall isn't nonexistent.

"No wonder it has managed to reach the Fourth Level; this Land Mountain Turtle is indeed careful, just like the ways of our turtle kind."

Being alive is more important than anything.

However, one thing is certain: Huanhu Dao has already been on the Land Mountain Turtle's radar; once its injuries have mostly healed, relying on its strong defense, it should still come to Huanhu Dao.

"Fine, I'll use this time to develop further."

His cultivation cannot increase in the short term; he must first see when the Cultivator Body will break through to the Late Jie Dan Stage.

But the beasts on Huanhu Dao can temporarily boost their cultivation.

Then Yunhe summoned the White Ape King and the Blue Shadow Swallow, ordering them to take the Kun Earth Silkworm to the volcano to find the Fire Python.

After that period, the Fire Python should have collected plenty of Dragon Blood Stones and Dragon Blood Crystals, and Yunhe ordered the White Ape King to bring those ores back,

He can then have the He family's alchemists attempt to forge Breeding Pills, both to let them practice alchemy and to supply the Huanhu Dao earth beasts with ample Breeding Pills.

Accelerating the growth of Huanhu Dao's beasts will also make their practice of the Mysterious Beast Technique provide Yunhe with greater feedback in battle.

With a piece of Yunhe's Mysterious Scale in hand, the two beasts set off with the Kun Earth Silkworm.

Protected by the Kun Earth Silkworm, a Third Level beast, as long as they don't actively provoke other Third Level beasts, there should be no major problem.

Moreover, under Yunhe's training, the Blue Shadow Swallow's reconnaissance abilities are now quite good.

As for Yunhe himself, he shouldn't leave Huanhu Dao in the short term; he needs to guard against the Land Mountain Turtle that may arrive at any time.

Cultivation world.

South Dorm Island.

Huge and towering treasure ships slowly sailed away from South Dorm City.

The "Little South Mountain Meeting" organized by the new island lord of South Dorm Island officially concluded, effectively announcing to all the major families of South Dorm Island and several sects that his rules will become the standards the families must follow.

But Yunhe, seated aboard the He family's treasure ship, did not look pleased.

He paid no attention to how the He family's young cultivators performed, what rankings they achieved, or what they obtained; none of that concerned him.

What truly weighed on his face was the cryptic information the Jie Dan cultivators received at the meeting convened by the new island lord.

The Cloud Upper Hall, home to the three topmost Late Yuan Ying True Lords of Sun, Moon, and Star, like a divine needle anchoring the sea, the three closely linked individuals seem to have developed some contradictions and disagreements.

This has caused the current Cloud Upper Hall cultivators to subtly split into two major camps.

One side, led by the Sun True Lord and the Moon Laurel Fairy, two Late Yuan Ying cultivators, represents the conservative faction; they advocate maintaining the status quo of the Cloud Upper Realm, allowing the Cloud Upper Hall to simply ensure its own profits remain unchanged while the realm develops on its own.

The other side, headed by the Star Spread True Lord, forms the radical faction; they believe that since the Cloud Upper Hall has dominated the Cloud Upper Realm for so long, it should vigorously develop the Outer Cloud Realm, seek the ancient beast clan's heavenly palace ruins, and see if a spatial passage from the cultivation world to the beast world can be found, attempting a descent.

Originally, one camp had two Late Yuan Ying members, while the other had only one, making the superiority obvious.

But the problem is that both the Sun True Lord and the Moon Laurel Fairy are much younger than the Star Spread True Lord, yet the latter enjoys higher prestige in the Cloud Upper Hall!

Moreover, the Star Spread True Lord excels at astrological divination; many of the omens he once foretold have almost all become reality, giving him a somewhat transcendent status in the Cloud Upper Hall.

In truth, the Star Spread True Lord could be considered half a mentor to the Sun True Lord and the Moon Laurel Fairy, and many Late Yuan Ying cultivators and young cultivators in the Cloud Upper Hall have received his aid, giving him a large following.

Of course, the most crucial point is that the Star Spread True Lord, without the Sun True Lord and the Moon Laurel Fairy's knowledge, has already gained support from many forces outside the Cloud Upper Hall, including the Hall of Corpse Demons, the Hundred Ghost Sect, the Five Elements Sect, and other orthodox and demonic sects.

【48】 The Late Yuan Ying cultivators from these sects together constitute a very formidable force.

These sects' Yuan Ying Cultivators, when combined, are also a force not to be underestimated.

For example, the Five Elements Sect's Mu Ya Zi, though unable to go out freely, is a Late Yuan Ying senior cultivator who has lived over 1,108 years.

Various factors have thus allowed the two sides to reach a certain balance.

And this new island lord, a member of the radical faction backing the Star Spread True Lord, truly convened this "Little South Mountain Meeting" to unify all cultivation families and sects of South Dorm Island, turning the island into a member of the radical side.

Yunhe, of course, was forced to become one of the radicals.

Originally, this matter wasn't much at all; it was merely the opinion differences among the great figures in the Cloud Upper Hall.

Whether radical or conservative, can the Cloud Upper Hall even fight itself?

In fact, most people think the same; taking sides isn't a good thing, but as long as no fighting occurs, which side they choose doesn't matter to these Jie Dan cultivators.

After all, that's a concern for Yuan Ying cultivators.

However.

Having traversed the Luo Tian Secret Realm, Yunhe knows clearly.

This is not merely a factional dispute; it could truly erupt into a large-scale war!

Before, he actually didn't quite understand why the Xuanming Old Ancestor of the Corpse Slaughter Hall and the Old Ghost Matriarch of the Hundred Ghosts Sect would go to such lengths to hunt down Xingzi; that was tantamount to provoking the entire Cloud Upper Hall, and even if these two sects joined forces, they couldn't bear its wrath.

However, now he gradually came to understand.

The Corpse Slaughter Hall and the Hundred Ghosts Sect both belong to the radical faction of the True Lord Star Extension; their hunt for Xingzi is very likely carried out at his behest.

What does Xingzi mean for the Cloud Upper Hall?

It means he will be the heir of the True Lord Star Extension, will become his successor, and once the True Lord Star Extension passes away, Xingzi is very likely to inherit his position.

Logically, Xingzi should be a follower of the True Lord Star Extension, yet he is being hunted by the True Lord Star Extension's people; either this Xingzi only appears to be a follower of the True Lord Star Extension but is actually controlled by the True Lord of the Sun and the Moon Laurel Immortal, or the True Lord Star Extension seeks something greater.

According to Yunhe's knowledge, this True Lord Star Extension is quite old, with less than a hundred years of lifespan left.

According to the inheritance period of the Cloud Upper Hall, a True Lord with little lifespan left should already have at least Yuan Ying Stage cultivation as his successor; otherwise the succession would be problematic, yet this Xingzi is only at Mid Golden Core Stage, which is already suspicious.

He has reason to suspect that there were previously several Xingzi, but all died unnatural deaths.

The more he understands, the more Yunhe feels that the Cloud Upper Hall is a huge vortex.

The ancient demon clan's demon court relic that the True Lord Star Extension seeks is likely false; the aspiration for a higher God Transformation is probably the truth.

In short.

He does not want to get involved in the affairs of the Cloud Upper Hall, yet because of this "Little Southern Mountain Meeting" he cannot avoid being drawn in.

In fact, if things really develop as he imagined, no cultivator in the Cloud Upper Realm can escape this calamity.

The only fortunate thing may be that he is merely a Mid Golden Core cultivator; as long as he does not expose Yunhe's identity, he should not attract too much attention.

Moreover, he has one more escape route than other Cloud Upper Realm cultivators.

That is the ultra-long-distance teleportation array.

If the Cloud Upper Realm truly erupts into a large-scale war, he can use the ultra-long-distance teleportation array to leave this realm and return to the Eastern Realm; thereafter, whatever happens in the Cloud Upper Realm will have little to do with him.

Moreover, the cultivation techniques he practices, the "Great Longevity Five Elements True Scripture" and the "Myriad Insects and Myriad Worms Scripture", can only be continued in the Eastern Realm.

Since he is destined to return, why not go back before the great chaos?

However.

This great chaos, estimated to still last for a while.

Otherwise, this "Little Southern Mountain Meeting" would not be about forcing allegiance but about forcing onto the battlefield.

But this is enough to make Yunhe feel an intense sense of urgency.

Whether it is the Tiger-Gazing Landlord Lu Shan King of the Thus line: Yao Shou Shijie, or the impending turmoil in the Cloud Upper Realm, both give him a feeling of an approaching storm.

And amidst these two crises.

Mid Golden Core cultivation is indeed somewhat insufficient.

Hurry up and increase cultivation!

Therefore.

Upon returning to the He family's station.

Yunhe gave part of the "Dragon Blood Stone" to He Yuanlin, and also handed over the formula for the Second Stage Rearing Pellet, ordering him to have the He family's alchemists focus on refining this pellet thereafter, then directly returned to his manor and entered seclusion.

This time.

If he does not cultivate to Late Golden Core Stage and there is nothing particularly important, Yunhe will probably not leave seclusion.

The only thing to be cautious about may be the Thus line: Yao Shou Shijie side—when Lu Shan King will attack is not up to him.

Therefore, besides seclusion, Yunhe must also strengthen his control over the Yuan Ying Refined Corpse; this will not only aid the Demon Beast Body but also the Cultivator Body.

In his view, to strengthen control, aside from letting the Corpse Insect Gu undergo another metamorphosis, the only way is to enhance spiritual sense strength.

The stronger the spiritual sense, the stronger his control over the Corpse Insect Gu and the Insect Gu, and the more adept he will be at controlling the Yuan Ying Refined Corpse.

Fortunately, he has made a considerable breakthrough in the "Myriad Insects and Myriad Worms Scripture"; he is confident in fully refining its third layer, while whether he can break through the fourth layer depends on luck and opportunity.

However, Yunhe speculates that if he can successfully cultivate to the fourth layer, perhaps his spiritual sense could truly rival that of a Yuan Ying Cultivator.

I was discharged from the hospital today, busy all day, I will try to work hard to resume three updates tomorrow!

(End of chapter)