Chapter 264

If it weren't for the scene that often appeared in his mind over the past few years, if it weren't for the crisp "crack" in his ears, Liu Xiaolou wouldn't have paid too much attention to this array plate key after it was delivered, but would have regarded the refining of this array plate key as a problem-solving exercise in cultivation.

The problem was solved, and progress was made in the array path, that's all.

But now, he definitely wouldn't let it go without asking. For a cultivator, this meant an opportunity in his cultivation career. Although he didn't know what kind of opportunity it was, it was definitely an opportunity.

"Brother Daoran, can you tell me who entrusted you to refine this array plate key? I know the rules, and logically I shouldn't ask, but this might be an opportunity for me."

"Since Xiaolou said so, I won't hide it. It's a guest from the hundred thousand mountains in the southwest, but he didn't tell me his name. He came here by reputation. Actually, you and I both know that he should have found some ancient cultivator's cave dwelling in the southwest mountains. If we rashly inquire, it might cause trouble."

"I know, I won't rashly inquire, Brother Daoran, rest assured."

"I have to hand over the array key tomorrow, at Snake Ridge in the north. Brother Xiaolou, don't come to disturb me. I will share the spirit stones with you when I get them."

"Understood, hahaha, many thanks, Brother Daoran."

The next day, Liu Xiaolou came out of the side door of the manor and rushed to Snake Ridge. After waiting for a long time at the ridge, he saw Liu Daoran swaying up the mountain ridge, so he followed behind, but didn't follow too closely, trailing far behind by several dozen zhang.

He saw Liu Daoran go up to a cliff platform, and a person turned out from behind the cliff platform. He was bare-armed and barefoot, with a bow slung over his shoulder and a quiver on his back, full of arrow clusters. He looked like a typical Miao mountain hunter.

Liu Daoran handed the array key to this person. After this person took it, he sat cross-legged, and Liu Daoran also sat cross-legged. The two were immediately blocked by the bushes, and he couldn't see clearly.

Liu Xiaolou was very anxious and wanted to stand up to see clearly, but he couldn't find a suitable angle. So he climbed to the right. Just as he found a suitable gap, the other side had already finished. He only saw the other party take the array key, bow to Liu Daoran, and say goodbye.

After they separated, Liu Daoran went down the mountain, and Liu Xiaolou followed behind that person. Because he couldn't determine the other party's cultivation, he trailed even further away. It wasn't until an hour later that he determined the other party's temporary cave dwelling, and then he returned to Liu Family Manor.

After meeting Liu Daoran and inquiring about the details of the handover, Liu Daoran replied: "I have to go again tomorrow. The other party will inform me if it is completed. If the array key is usable, the other party will deliver the spirit stones, and at the same time, we will open the opening of the array key completely for their long-term use."

That night, Liu Xiaolou instructed Fang Bu: "I might have to go on a long trip. Cultivate well here, and don't come out of seclusion until you reach Stage 5 of Qi Refinement."

Fang Bu was at a critical moment in his cultivation. After a moment of hesitation, he didn't follow Liu Xiaolou as he had before, and nodded in agreement.

After giving instructions, Liu Xiaolou rushed to Snake Ridge overnight, chose a location with an excellent view in advance, looked at the route to follow, and waited until dawn.

Looking at the handover between Liu Daoran and the other party again, he could see it very clearly. Actually, there was nothing to see. The other party had clearly tested it after returning, proving that the array key was usable, so he delivered the spirit stones to Liu Daoran, and Liu Daoran spent a quarter of an hour opening the opening of the array key completely. Both sides settled the account, bowed to each other, and said goodbye.

Liu Xiaolou turned and followed that person again. He had chosen the tracking route in advance, which was easy to find the other party, but the other party couldn't easily find him. While following, he carefully observed the other party's cultivation, but this person walked the mountain road normally, without anything unusual, and didn't show any cultivation, making Liu Xiaolou unable to make up his mind to act.

He originally planned to act when the other party reached the temporary cave dwelling, but the other party bypassed that cave dwelling and didn't go back at all, so he could only continue to follow with patience.

He followed for more than twenty miles of mountain road, following until dark, and then followed to another cave dwelling. At this time, he finally determined that this person's cultivation was likely not very high, so he made up his mind to act.

Approaching quickly, when the person entered the cave, Liu Xiaolou came to the outside of the cave mouth on tiptoe, just about to find an opportunity to approach and burn incense, when he suddenly heard a

miserable cry from the cave, which startled Liu Xiaolou, and he quickly retreated.

After a while, another person came out of the cave, but it wasn't the hunter he had been following. It was a middle-aged cultivator, dressed no differently from the rogue cultivators in the Central Plains.

After this person came out, he leaped up, flipped over to the top of the cave, and swept straight toward the southwest.

Liu Xiaolou glanced at the cave mouth in a hurry and saw the hunter lying in the cave, a pool of blood at the corner of his mouth, already dead.

He felt a chill in his heart, reminded himself to be extremely careful, and quickly leaped up, following behind that person.

After following for a long time, judging from his movement, the middle-aged cultivator in front should be at Stage 10 of Qi Refinement, with a higher cultivation than his own, but because he wasn't going all out, he was barely able to keep up. Therefore, he was extremely careful and followed all the way down.

He followed for more than ten days, always moving forward in the wilderness. The direction of progress was always southwest. This person traveled about two or three hundred miles a day, not fast, not slow, and didn't delay resting at night. He calculated that he had followed for more than two or three thousand miles, and still hadn't reached the destination.

After following for so many days, he felt like he had entered a vast primeval forest. The mountains were tall, the canyons were deep and dangerous, often a hundred zhang high and a hundred zhang deep. The mountains were continuous, layer upon layer, looking like layers of blue smoke from afar, piled up to the end of the sky, and he didn't know how many thousands or tens of thousands of mountains there were.

And the dangers in the mountain forest were constantly increasing. Those vines, mosquitoes, poisonous snakes, and fierce beasts appeared from time to time. The arrogant roars of spiritual beasts, plus the miasma that often spread silently and the swamps that looked no different from the surroundings, brought great trouble to the journey.

The greater trouble lay in the confusion of direction, the disorder of time, and even the overlapping of space. The dangers were such that they often made one sweat profusely.

Liu Xiaolou had long wanted to give up. By this time, Liu Xiaolou actually didn't dare to retreat anymore. Once he retreated, there was a great possibility of being trapped here and quietly turning into mud from then on. Fortunately, the figure in front was clearly familiar with the route, avoiding various major dangers and leading Liu Xiaolou forward safely all the way.

His tracking had become passive tracking. If he didn't follow, he wouldn't know how to find a way out.

Finally, one night, Liu Xiaolou was staring at the faint campfire in the distance when he suddenly heard a wild roar shaking the mountain forest. It sounded like a tiger roaring in the forest, but also like a lone wolf howling at the moon. He didn't know what it was. Judging the direction was also very difficult; it seemed to be on the other side of unknown mountains, and at times it felt like it was right in front of him, making one's heart palpitate to the extreme.

Such a spiritual beast, one could tell with one's toes that it wasn't something he could challenge. But wanting to escape, he didn't know where to escape to. Liu Xiaolou had no choice but to muster his courage, climb the large banyan tree in front of him, and hide in the canopy to look around.

Under the moonlight, dense black shadows suddenly rolled up in the east, sweeping across the night sky. Looking intently, they were countless startled birds flying rapidly toward his side.