Chapter 69: Deep Mountains and Old Forests

Deep within a mountain range, sunlight filtered through the dense branches and leaves of tall trees, casting dappled light upon the grass below. At this moment, a young man in a pale blue robe walked gently through the woods. The man's features were ordinary, yet his brow appeared exceptionally refined, giving one a sense of honesty and reliability.

This person was Zhang Nuo. Having flown on his sword for several days, he felt that the people from the Song Family could no longer find him, so he descended to the ground. However, the scenery before him startled this lad who had never left home alone before.

The rolling mountains seemed to stretch on forever. The forest within the mountains was dense and completely devoid of human presence. At the time, he had only been focused on escaping the Song Family and had no idea where to go; after flying aimlessly, he had arrived here.

Breathing in the forest air, Zhang Nuo was in no rush to leave. Such a secluded environment was perfect for his cultivation. Consequently, Zhang Nuo stopped in front of a small mountain, closed his eyes slightly, and opened his Divine Sense wide to survey the surroundings. A moment later, he opened his eyes.

"The Spiritual Qi here is quite decent; I shall build a Cave Abode here!"

Thinking this to himself, Zhang Nuo moved his body and leaped to the mountainside. Having chosen a spot, four Flying Swords emerged simultaneously from the Nine Dragon Sword Case on his back, flashing and disappearing deep into the small mountain. With Zhang Nuo's current cultivation at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage, he could activate ten Flying Swords from the sword case at once, but doing so consumed too much Spirit Power.

Although he was a Dual Spirit Sea Cultivator, his cultivation level meant he could not squander the Spirit Power within his body at will.

A series of booming sounds echoed from within the mountain belly. Zhang Nuo just watched with a smile. About half an hour later, with a dull rumble, the four Flying Swords shot back out from not far in front of him.

After a cloud of dust and smoke drifted past, Zhang Nuo looked at the cave entrance with a measure of joy. This was the first time in his life he had opened a Cave Abode. Ignoring the smoke and dust inside, he stepped in. He saw that the hollowed-out mountain belly was quite spacious, though it paled in comparison to Lin Fan's Cave Abode.

With a movement of his Divine Sense, two more Flying Swords flew out from the sword case on his back. Zhang Nuo carefully carved the interior of the Cave Abode. After a full half-day, the Cave Abode was finally completed.

The facilities inside were almost all made of stone by Zhang Nuo: a stone bed, a stone table, and a few stone stools. Although no one would ever come to visit his Cave Abode, Zhang Nuo was in the habit of placing a few extra stools.

After finishing all this, Zhang Nuo cleaned the entire Cave Abode once more, and finally fetched a huge stone slab from somewhere outside to serve as the door to the Cave Abode.

Sitting on the stone bed, Zhang Nuo looked at the Cave Abode he had meticulously crafted and felt a sense of accomplishment. He set the Nine Dragon Sword Case aside and took the Mysterious Heaven Gold-Devouring Insect from his bosom. He saw that the little fellow was still fast asleep; the massive commotion of opening the Cave Abode had had no effect on it at all.

The faint golden light circling its surface was radiating warmth, giving one a feeling like bathing in sunlight. After watching for a long time and seeing that the Spirit Insect still did not react, Zhang Nuo could only shake his head with a wry smile and tuck it back into his bosom.

Everything fell quiet, and Zhang Nuo experienced the loneliness of being alone. Previously, when he lived with Gao Dakuan and the others in Lin Fan's Cave Abode, although everyone had their own room, there was always someone to talk to when coming and going. But here, there was only him; even if he wanted to speak, he could only talk to the walls.

However, long-term closed-door cultivation had made Zhang Nuo less concerned about these things, though occasionally thinking of his master and senior brothers still made him feel somewhat sorrowful.

To avoid thinking about these things, Zhang Nuo closed his eyes and began to cultivate. During this period, he had not cultivated properly. Now that the surroundings were incomparably quiet, it was the perfect time for cultivation.

Perhaps only through diligent cultivation would Zhang Nuo stop thinking about the past.

Gradually, the night deepened. A faint white light began to emanate from the Nine Dragon Sword Case, and the surrounding Spiritual Qi began to thicken. As before, Zhang Nuo seized this opportunity, his body crazily absorbing the Spiritual Qi. The Dual Spirit Sea within his body shone brightly at this moment, absorbing the nearly liquid Spiritual Qi.

The reason a Dual Spirit Sea Cultivator had such abundant Spirit Power was precisely because they had one more Divine Sea than other cultivators to store Spiritual Qi. Likewise, the time they spent absorbing Spiritual Qi would also be longer.

Not until the sword case stopped gathering Spiritual Qi did Zhang Nuo slowly open his eyes. While pondering his cultivation progress, he took several small bottles out of his Storage Bag.

These small bottles were filled with Spiritual Medicine to improve cultivation, but the quantity was small. If he were to use them to break through to the Foundation Establishment Mid-stage, it would be far from enough.

"If I want to stay in long-term closed-door cultivation, it seems I must find a shop to purchase some Pills."

Muttering to himself, Zhang Nuo made up his mind.

The next day, Zhang Nuo left the Cave Abode and flew off in one direction. In truth, he did not know where there were any shops, so he could only fly in one direction and try his luck.

After about three days, Zhang Nuo finally flew out of the deep mountains. Flying several hundred miles further, a large city appeared before his eyes. Putting away his Magic Treasure, Zhang Nuo walked into the city.

Shops of this kind could be found in every large city, so Zhang Nuo did not spend much effort to find one.

As soon as he walked into the shop, he saw there were no other customers. A young shop assistant of sixteen or seventeen was leaning idly against the counter. Seeing a customer enter, the assistant immediately ran over. Zhang Nuo swept his Divine Sense over him and saw that the other party was only at the fifth or sixth layer of the Qi Refining Stage.

"This Senior, what would you like to purchase?"

The assistant was very polite, especially when he saw the aura radiating from the other party, which was that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator; a brilliant smile bloomed on his face.

"Do you have 'Inedia Pills' here?"

For a Foundation Establishment cultivator like Zhang Nuo, if he wanted to stay in long-term closed-door cultivation, he had to have a large supply of 'Inedia Pills'. One Inedia Pill could sustain him for three months without eating, which saved a lot of trouble.

"Yes! Of course we do!"

Upon hearing Zhang Nuo say he wanted 'Inedia Pills', the assistant immediately said loudly. 'Inedia Pills' were relatively common, so almost every shop sold them.

"How many Spirit Stones for one?"

What Zhang Nuo cared about most was the price. Previously, when he was at the Divine Sword Sect, his supply of Pills was provided by Lin Fan, but now it was different; he had to get everything himself, and the Spirit Stones on his person were pitifully few—only the hundred-plus Low-grade Spirit Stones he had obtained from the man in black from the 'Great Underworld Mansion'.