Chapter 176

Cao Zhengyang naturally understood Hou Fei's current mood. Putting himself in his shoes, if the sacred medicine he had carefully tended for a thousand years had disappeared so inexplicably, anyone would be furious.

"Brother Hou, don't be angry yet. We will definitely help with this favor!" Cao Zhengyang hurriedly walked over with a face full of smiles, pulled Hou Shan to sit down, and tried to soothe his emotions.

Mount Canglan, Mount Qing'ai, Mount Dongming...

In these mountain ranges, countless great demons lived, and each had a Demon King sitting in command, and they had good relationships with each other.

Once they truly united, for the five major sects, it would be catastrophic.

After Hou Shan sat down, his tone softened slightly, and he said: "Anyway, there is at most half a year left. The Fusang Fusang Lingkui must be found. You humans have many cities and sects, so it is inconvenient for us to appear."

After all, there were only a dozen of them who were Soul Formation Demon Kings, and their bodies still retained some characteristics of the demon race, making them too conspicuous. If they were to enter the city rashly, it would instead cause panic among the populace.

As for other demon races, they could at most stammer out human speech and could not be of much help.

"Next, I will go to the Cangyan Dao Palace for a turn. For the sake of my old Hou, your five sects will cease fire for half a year. After that, do whatever you want."

Hou Shan said this, stood up, and then added: "If any of you help me find it, I, old Hou, am not a stingy person and will definitely give a generous gift. If not, in half a year, no one knows what I will do."

Having said this, Hou Shan did not linger, his figure flashed, and he left.

Leaving only the people in the great hall looking at each other.

"This is troublesome!" Cao Zhengyang said with an ugly expression.

If Hou Shan led the crowd to join one side, or directly launched a beast tide, no force could stop it.

Yan Xiaohu, who had been standing on the side, could not help but speak up: "Isn't this extortion? Why are you so sure it was us who did it?"

Cao Zhengyang glanced at him and sighed: "Old Hou is not a person who makes unreasonable trouble. It can be seen that he is truly angry this time, and that Fusang Fusang Lingkui must be extremely important to him."

Ling Yuexiao, the Peak Master of Hundred Battles Peak, walked out and said with a solemn expression: "That's right. If the item cannot be found, he might really come to the five sects to vent. Could it be that the people from Cangyan Dao Palace did it?"

"I don't know, but I estimate he wouldn't do such a stupid thing. For so many years, the five sects have always minded their own business with the Demon Kings everywhere, let alone at this juncture. Is he, Sikong Yan, not afraid that our three-sect alliance will become four?"

Ruan Mingxiu, the Peak Master of Cloud Hidden Peak, also walked out of the crowd, stroking his chin while analyzing.

The other peak masters also nodded repeatedly.

Tong Min, the Peak Master of Jade Purity Peak, said: "Didn't Daoist Hou say that he has been investigating in secret for this past year and has not found that sacred medicine in any of the five sects?"

Cao Zhengyang had a thoughtful look on his face, his brows locked tight: "Then that's strange. Stealing the sacred medicine a year ago, yet not refining it to this day, but watching the medicinal efficacy slowly fade and even wither—what exactly does the other party want to do?"

Zhou Qing said: "Could it be the Imperial Capital again?"

Everyone immediately looked at Zhou Qing; this speculation was not impossible.

"Everyone disperse. I will go to communicate with the Jin Leizong and the Qingyu Xian Sect first, and then see what plans the Cangyan Dao Palace and the Tianji Sect have!"

After Cao Zhengyang finished speaking, he left.

Zhou Qing and Yan Xiaohu came out.

Yan Xiaohu said: "Did Senior Hou Shan come to see you just to see what you look like?"

Zhou Qing said: "I suppose so."

"Heh, you really are a famous person. I came forward, but he didn't even glance at me. By the way, if the Second Yuan Shijie really breaks through to Soul Formation, you will leap to the top of the kill list."

Yan Xiaohu was envious.

Zhou Qing no longer cared about this, but instead showed worry.

A monkey wrench was truly thrown into the works. If a beast tide broke out, even if the five sects joined forces, they would likely suffer heavy losses.

Moreover, they had been fighting for so many years, and gaps had long since formed between them. If they encountered danger, it would be a mercy if both sides didn't stab each other in the back.

Just like that, only a day later, the Taiqingmen received a ceasefire invitation from the Cangyan Dao Palace and the Tianji Sect.

The sect masters of the three sects immediately took people to discuss relevant matters.

The next day, news came.

Starting today, the five sects will temporarily cease fire for half a year. During this period, they cannot attack each other. If there are violators, those in the Soul Formation realm can enter the field and kill them directly.

Next, all disciples of the five sects will join forces to search for a sacred medicine called the Fusang Fusang Lingkui, and each person will be given a portrait of it.

The first to find it will be rewarded with thirty supreme-grade spirit stones, and the Demon King of Mount Canglan will additionally bestow a great opportunity.

Looking at the latest news, Yan Xiaohu was excited; this reward was too high.

But from another perspective, it also showed that the five sects attached great importance to this matter.

Don't fight each other for years, only to end up doing the work for someone else.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go to Mount Canglan to find clues first. I've grown up so big and haven't been to a Demon King's cave yet!" Yan Xiaohu was excited.

He had even started planning the itinerary.

Zhou Qing agreed; it was just right to use 【Daily Appraisal】 to see the situation.

If he could really help Senior Hou Shan find that sacred medicine, not only would there be an opportunity bestowed, but he could also use this to draw their relationship closer.

In case the sect encountered any situation in the future, he might be able to lend a hand for the sake of this favor.

Soon, a team personally formed by Sect Master Cao Zhengyang prepared to go to Mount Canglan first to investigate.

As Zhou Qing, Yan Xiaohu, and Lu Yaoyao had already been there once, they were naturally in the team.

Besides them, there were three Soul Formation elders skilled in tracking, as well as many Nascent Soul cultivators following.

Not long after, people from the Jin Leizong and the Qingyu Xian Sect arrived by teleportation array. After the three sects merged into a hundred-person team, they headed straight for Mount Canglan.

…………

"Lei Luo, you brat actually came too!"

"Yuan Shijie Yuan Ya, long time no see!"

"Zhou Shixiong Chu, Yuan Shijie Deng!"

"Junior Brother Zhou, you are amazing. You could even kill Yu Ziqi. It seems I will have to call you Zhou Shixiong in the future."

On the huge flying boat, the people who were familiar with each other in the past met again, and it was truly enthusiastic.

Everyone greeted each other, and everyone's face was filled with smiles, but behind these smiles, there were some complex emotions hidden.

After all, being able to survive until now in this cruel war, everyone had an indescribable sense of trance in their hearts; no one knew if they would have the chance to see each other again.

Fortunately, because of this matter with the Demon Wang Hou Shan, it gave everyone half a year of breathing room.

Of course, if not handled well, the situation that followed would only be more severe.

Because the situation was urgent, the flying boat was very fast, shuttling in a near-leaping manner, and it only took two short days to successfully arrive at Mount Canglan.

Looking at the abyss below that no one cared about anymore, Zhou Qing and Lu Yaoyao looked at each other and didn't say much.

Not long after, they arrived in the depths of Mount Canglan.

"They are actually this fast!" Seeing the flying boats of the Cangyan Dao Palace and the Tianji Sect that had arrived one step ahead below, Cao Zhengyang couldn't help but frown.

If they discovered any clues and then erased them, it would be troublesome.

"Old Lei, Immortal Immortal Immortal Xuanyou, I think we still need to make two-handed preparations. The item was lost a year ago, and by now there probably aren't any traces left. But to prevent Hou Shan and the others from defecting to the opposite side, we must find a way to buy a Fusang Fusang Lingkui."

Cao Zhengyang looked at Sikong Yan, who was waving at him below, and quietly transmitted his voice.

Lei Wuji and Immortal Immortal Immortal Xuanyou looked at each other.

"You mean the Wan Xiang Auction in Lingyun Prefecture?" Immortal Immortal Immortal Xuanyou replied.

Cao Zhengyang nodded and said: "That's right. The Wan Xiang Auction's business not only spreads throughout Lingyun Prefecture but also has relevant acquisition shops in other prefectures. Their channels are very wide; maybe they can really find it."

Lei Wuji pondered and said: "That is a way. At worst, our three houses will spend more money. However, I have checked on the Fusang Fusang Lingkui; it is extremely rare, and it can be said that it is priceless and unmarketable. I'm afraid it won't be easy to get from the Wan Xiang Auction."

Cao Zhengyang sighed.

If it really didn't work, he could only send Zhou Qing and Yan Xiaohu. They had a good relationship with the young master of the auction, Zhang Wanbao; maybe he would do his best for their sake.

Furthermore, it would be relatively safe for the two of them to go there.

"Let's go!" Cao Zhengyang immediately led the crowd to fly down quickly.

Sikong Yan and Master Xuanji were all smiles at this moment, looking very enthusiastic, and bowed to Cao Zhengyang and the others: "Brother Cao, Brother Lei, Immortal Immortal Immortal Xuanyou, you are late. We have been waiting for quite a while."

Looking at their appearance, the three were displeased, and suppressing the unhappiness in their hearts, they said: "We made some preparations. Why, you two came so early, did you find anything?"

Sikong Yan let out a long sigh and shook his head: "Difficult, difficult, difficult. There is no way to investigate at all. I even told Brother Hou Shan that your sect's Zhou Qing has risen so fast in just a few years, even killing a half-step Soul Formation from my sect, and he also appeared in the abyss a year ago. Maybe he refined that sacred medicine. He didn't believe it."

Cao Zhengyang's face immediately turned ugly, and he said angrily: "Bullshit!"

"Look, look, why are you getting anxious? I'm just joking with you. Don't worry, Brother Hou said he has already seen Zhou Qing, and there is no such thing!" Sikong Yan laughed.

The three men's hands were clenched tightly.

This Sikong Yan was truly deep in thought. In just two sentences, he had already caused a certain rift between the three sects and Hou Shan.

People from the Taiqingmen appeared in the abyss a year ago, and now that the sacred medicine was lost, the other two houses had to bear the risk.

The Demon Wang Hou Shan went to the Taiqingmen first and checked Zhou Qing, which clearly showed that he did not trust the Taiqingmen and even had suspicions.

A crack had already appeared between the three sects and the Demon Wang Hou Shan.

Zhou Qing, who was behind, also had an ugly expression, especially Li Hanshan in the crowd opposite, who was carrying a large halberd and provocatively made a throat-slitting gesture toward Zhou Qing.

Facing the current ceasefire agreement, Zhou Qing could only suppress the anger in his heart and secretly keep it in mind.

"A few of you, you're here!" Hou Shan stepped out of the cave.

Cao Zhengyang and the others bowed.

"Forget the formalities. Hurry in and take a look. They have already finished investigating!"

Hou Shan's face was gloomy, his tone revealing impatience. After speaking, he turned and walked into the cave, signaling everyone to follow.

Cao Zhengyang immediately led everyone in.

The entire Demon King cave was huge. From the entrance, many Nascent Soul Demon Commanders were lying down, each staring at the crowd with unkind intentions.

Cao Zhengyang asked first: "When you left before, were they also guarding here?"

Hou Shan heard this, nodded, and said: "That's right. They are my most loyal subordinates, and I have already searched their souls, but I have not seen anyone enter or leave. This is the most bizarre thing."

"Could it be that a Soul Formation did it? And then erased their memories?" Lei Wuji said.

Hou Shan said: "I don't know about that. The first to arrive were the people from Cangyan Dao Palace and others, as well as the few Supreme Elders of your Taiqingmen. The only ones with signs of suspicion are your two houses."

Facing Hou Shan's blunt words, Cao Zhengyang and the others didn't know what to say for a moment.

But they could also understand his mood.

He had always given so much help to the five-sect trial, and in the end, the sacred medicine nourished for a thousand years just disappeared. When it was stolen, only these two houses arrived with a batch of Soul Formation experts at the fastest speed. How do you explain that?

"Old Four, your nose is more sensitive. It will be up to you later!" Yan Xiaohu lowered his voice.

Once they helped Senior Hou Shan solve the case, their three-sect alliance would have one more helper.

After hearing this, Lu Yaoyao couldn't help but mutter in a low voice: "It's been over a year; any scent would have dissipated long ago."

Zhou Qing didn't say anything, just silently followed the Sect Master and the others deeper into the cave, his eyes constantly scanning the surroundings, not letting go of any place that might hide clues.

Soon, they saw a huge jade bed appear, with hairs on it; it was clearly the place where Hou Shan practiced.

"Good treasure!" Yan Xiaohu looked at the jade bed, his eyes shining.

If his guess was correct, this was a jade bed made entirely of Biling Jade. Practicing on it not only could get twice the result with half the effort but also calm the mind and spirit; its value was immeasurable.

Damn, it was too luxurious and enjoyable; Yan Xiaohu's drool almost flowed out.

Zhou Qing was also amazed. As he turned, he saw a huge stone-pillar-like weapon, which was radiating bursts of scorching heat.

It seemed this was Hou Shan's weapon; he was truly not concerned with trifles.

With so many people visiting his cave, he just threw these things around casually, as if he didn't care at all.

The crowd continued to go deeper and successively saw many valuable crystals on the walls, and even a large patch of Spirit Essence Mushrooms.

Spirit Essence Mushrooms were the main medicinal ingredient for making Chongqiao Pills. If a Foundation Establishment Great Perfection wanted to break through to Golden Core, taking one would greatly increase the success rate.

Zhou Qing had seen them in that passage through the cave simulation before, and after passing through the gravity zone, he had picked and refined them all.

But there were only a dozen or so of them. The ones in front of them were probably no less than a thousand, leaving everyone dumbfounded.

However, for a Demon King at the Soul Formation Great Perfection, these were at most snacks.

"It's here!"

As the crowd passed through the Spirit Essence Mushrooms on both sides, Hou Shan suddenly stopped and pointed forward.

At this moment, what appeared in front of everyone was an independent cave. On the ground was a small spring piled up with stones, which was bright red inside; it was the extremely rare Yang Fire Liquid.

And in the middle position, there was a pit the size of an arm; it must have been the place where the Fusang Fusang Lingkui grew in the past.

Now that the sacred medicine was gone, only such an empty pit remained, appearing particularly eye-catching.

"Use your own methods!" Hou Shan signaled with his hand and then stood to the side.

After Cao Zhengyang and the three looked at each other, they first had people bring over a few Scent-Tracking Dogs and began to sniff around the surroundings.

Needless to say, there were no clues at all.

Immediately after, Cao Zhengyang, Lei Wuji, and Immortal Immortal Immortal Xuanyou began to search carefully according to the methods they were good at.

Sikong Yan and Master Xuanji also followed in at this time, standing behind the crowd, looking at the three, and shaking their heads slightly.

Time passed bit by bit, and the three had somewhat solemn expressions; there were no clues at all.

If you had come to us when it was first lost, maybe you could have found something, but now that so much time had passed, there was simply no way to investigate.

"You guys try!" Cao Zhengyang said to the three elders in the three sects who were best at finding clues.

After hearing this, the few did not dare to delay, stepped forward one after another, each exerted their full strength, and began to investigate seriously.

Just like that, batch after batch of people stepped forward to try, but they still gained nothing. Even in the end, Zhou Qing and the others began to take the stage.

Obviously, the place was only so big; what could one see?

Even if he used 【Daily Appraisal】, the information fed back would probably just be a missing sacred medicine, and it would not be of any substantial help.

But there was no other way for now; he could only treat a dead horse as a living horse.

Just as Zhou Qing was about to use it, Hou Shan, who had long been impatient, seemed to understand something from their expressions.

This matter was indeed difficult for them. After all, so much time had passed; how could it be easy to find clues? He then clapped his hands.

"Everyone, I, old Hou, act cautiously. When I left at that time, I placed an image stone in the cave. It was originally just in case, but I didn't expect it to actually record something."

After Hou Shan finished speaking, he took out an image stone.

Everyone's eyes lit up in unison.

Should have said so earlier! What was recorded?

The Demon Wang Hou Shan quickly scanned the crowd, and surprisingly did not find even a trace of guilt in anyone's eyes.

Could it really not be them?

But even if it wasn't you, this favor that has accumulated for so many years, you must repay it no matter what.

Hou Shan didn't say much and immediately activated it.

Soon, the image of a sunflower-like spirit medicine wrapped in misty energy entered everyone's eyes.

Its main stem was slender, and the skin presented an ancient copper-brown color. In the center of the flower disk, there was a golden vortex, slowly rotating, constantly absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy.

This was almost exactly the same as the portrait of the sacred medicine that Hou Shan gave to their five houses. However, looking at it so intuitively now, everyone was still deeply shocked.

Just at this moment, from the entrance of the passage, a figure wrapped in a gray robe walked in openly.

Because of the angle, he didn't see the other party's appearance clearly, only vaguely seeing that the figure's belly was extremely large, bulging, like a pregnant woman.

No, to be precise, just the belly area alone was comparable to the size of five or six pregnant women combined, looking very strange.

Then, he saw the figure walk over slowly, directly reach out and pick the Fusang Fusang Lingkui, and then walk out as if no one was there. The whole process was very natural, as if this sacred medicine was his own thing.

Whether it was a man or a woman was unclear; after all, the gray robe covered the whole person tightly. Moreover, Hou Shan usually didn't know much about the light and dark forces of the five sects.

So he couldn't judge where this person came from for a moment.

However, this was at least the only clue for now, which was much better than having no clue before.

"The other party is at least Soul Formation. Her big belly might have been specially disguised!" Hou Shan analyzed.

After the other party picked the sacred medicine, it had been a year, but it hadn't been refined. At the very least, in the mountains and wilderness, his informants hadn't seen it.

Then, there was only one possibility: the other party was hiding in human cities, or in those large and small sects.

For this matter, only the five sects could help; he didn't have the time and energy to look for them one by one.

Immediately after, Hou Shan took out five identical image stones and handed them to the sect masters of the five sects to see if they could find any clues from them.

And after both sides took the image stones, they separated. Zhou Qing immediately appraised it when he left temporarily.

【Yang Fire Liquid: This is a pool of expensive Yang Fire Liquid, which contains pure fire-attribute energy. It had previously nourished a priceless Fusang Fusang Lingkui sacred medicine, but unfortunately, it was rudely picked and taken away.】

Looking at the information fed back, Zhou Qing knew it was useless.

And the crowd that had just left the cave saw a huge bird similar to a vulture, flapping its wide wings and landing slowly.

In the blink of an eye, it turned into a bald man with a face full of feathers, and the rest of his body was almost the same as a human.

Immediately after, the ground shook violently again, and a giant bear rushed toward them. As it jumped up, in an instant, it turned into a burly man with a sturdy build.

The muscles all over his body bulged, looking full of power, giving people a strong sense of oppression.

"Old Hou, I heard that the spirit medicine you worked so hard to cultivate is gone. Was it them who did it? Brothers will vent your anger for you!"

The big man had a mouth full of fangs, asking in a muffled voice while staring at Zhou Qing and the others with those copper-bell-like eyes, his eyes revealing unkindness.

The bald man stared even more closely at Zhou Qing and the others, and even licked his lips, as if looking at prey.

The people of the five sects frowned immediately.

These two seemed to be the Demon Kings of Mount Dongming and Mount Qing'ai, both at the Soul Formation Great Perfection.

If this matter was not handled well, one could imagine what kind of enemies the five sects would face next. And this was only two of the eighteen Demon Kings. If other Demon Kings were also incited, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Hou Shan said: "I have already asked them to help me investigate. You guys come in first."

The burly man ignored Hou Shan's words, but strode to the crowd, looked down at Cao Zhengyang and Sikong Yan and the others from a high position, and spoke in an unkind tone.

"If I, old Bear, find out that it was you who touched my brother's things, then wait to welcome the beast tide."

(End of chapter)