Chapter 114

County Government Office.

Inside a magnificent hall.

County Magistrate Du Wentao sat upright in a chair, his eyes quite worried.

Standing beside him was also a middle-aged man dressed as a scholar in white.

"Lord, now that group of heretic cult bandits is becoming increasingly rampant, when shall we go out of the city to exterminate them?"

The middle-aged man's tone was low.

"Sigh... let's wait until we get that batch of modified bed crossbows from Qingning Prefecture City..."

Du Wentao sighed softly.

His face showed some helplessness.

The heretic cult outside the city was powerful, and he could only barely support the entire government system.

Plus, his own inner residence seemed to have problems.

His daughter Du Ling seemed to have become a different person, becoming increasingly silent.

At first, he thought she had been frightened, but now he always felt something was wrong.

And there was also no news of his younger sister, whom he had been looking for for many years; it was as if she had evaporated from the world.

Multiple miscellaneous matters piled up in his heart, making him somewhat exhausted.

"Sigh... it's a pity that Qingning Prefecture cannot send experts to help us."

The middle-aged scholar was also full of worry.

"Don't think about it; the situation in the entire Prefecture City is rotten, and there is simply no spare power to be drawn out..."

Du Wentao's eyes flickered uncertainly.

For the next few days.

Lu Zhangsheng chose to lie low, practicing blade techniques in the courtyard, rarely contacting the outside world, except for a few former teammates like Yue Shulan.

He also became increasingly low-key within the Demon-Suppressing Division, almost making people forget his existence.

Lu Zhangsheng guessed that Mo Xueyou and Miao Qingfeng were likely tracking his whereabouts in secret with full force.

So during this period, he had rarely made a move.

He was still quite wary of the Tuotai experts of the heretic cult.

These days, he was accompanied by spirit wine every day, sometimes sitting in the restaurant for a whole day, and his entire mind gradually settled down.

The pangolin side was also on the right track; under long-term large-scale excavation of spirit jade, the depths of the mountain were almost hollowed out.

The growth of resources had also slowed down somewhat.

Lu Zhangsheng knew that as his strength increased crazily, his demand for spiritual objects became larger and larger, and these small mountain ranges could no longer satisfy him.

He felt it was time to head toward the Shiwan Dashan.

Night, silent as water.

Lu Zhangsheng lay on the bed, his mind moved, controlling a wisp of consciousness to descend into the pangolin's body.

Looking around, it was still that familiar cave.

The ground was full of scattered gravel, and the air emitted a faint scent of moss.

Near him, there were also many members of the Ant Tribe.

"Clang, clang, clang..."

Lu Zhangsheng swung his claws rapidly, digging at the giant rocks on the cave ceiling.

As a large amount of stone fell, a passage leading to the ground was rapidly formed.

Not long after.

Lu Zhangsheng dug to the ground, poked his head out, and turned to look around.

All around were towering trees, lush and green, under the moonlight, like ghost shadows.

The entire air seemed extremely quiet.

Seeing no danger around, Lu Zhangsheng charged rapidly toward the southeast.

Behind him followed a large group of the Ant Tribe, majestically forming a magical landscape.

That's right, Lu Zhangsheng decided to migrate the ant colony to the Shiwan Dashan as well, to help him collect spiritual objects together.

The Cangyun Mountain Range was, after all, just a branch of the Shiwan Dashan, and spiritual resources were limited.

Now that this exotic beast clone's strength was gradually improving, he assumed he could also begin to explore the outskirts of the Shiwan Dashan.

Traveling over mountains and through water, resting during the day and coming out at night.

Lu Zhangsheng traveled through the dense forest, relying on keen perception to avoid a large number of exotic beasts.

Until more than a month later.

At dusk.

On an open space formed by giant rocks.

Lu Zhangsheng lay on the ground, looking at the towering, continuous high mountains in front, feeling quite shocked in his heart.

This mountain was the Shiwan Dashan; as the largest mountain range within tens of thousands of miles, it was indeed extraordinary.

Even the air emitted a cool aura, and from far away, one could feel many exotic beasts active in the mountains.

"This mountain must have countless treasures."

Lu Zhangsheng's eyes seemed to have light flickering.

As long as he could dig up a portion, it would be enough for him to break through to the Innate Martial Dao, or even a higher realm.

However, one must also be careful of those top-tier exotic beasts in the mountain; he guessed there might even be Innate-level exotic beasts inside.

"Clang, clang, clang..."

Lu Zhangsheng no longer hesitated and immediately began to dig a hole.

As his claws dug rapidly, the surrounding soil and gravel flew, and soon a deep small pit was formed on the ground.

"Swish..."

He drilled hard and instantly disappeared from the ground.

Because his own speed was far faster than those of the Ant Tribe, the ant colony would likely take some time to reach the outskirts of the Shiwan Dashan.

Inside the cave, it was pitch black, and a faint scent of soil filled the entire space.

Deep underground, there were various plant roots everywhere, like a network, intertwined together.

Lu Zhangsheng dug forward all the way, gradually heading toward the foot of the Shiwan Dashan.

Occasionally, he heard bursts of beast roars coming from the ground, deafening.

Making him quite vigilant.

Even on the outskirts of the mountain range, fifth-tier exotic beasts could be seen everywhere.

If not for his ability to dig holes, it would likely be very difficult to come here to collect spiritual objects.

Digging all the way, not long after, his claws touched a very hard object.

"Something's up?"

Lu Zhangsheng immediately dug out the stone and placed it in front of him.

The stone was not large, only the size of an adult's fist, presenting a turbid white color throughout, with many spots on it.

【Lower-grade Origin Stone full of impurities, insufficient Origin Qi to absorb.】

At this time, a system light screen appeared in the void in front.

On it was also an introduction to this kind of stone.

"Origin Stone?"

Lu Zhangsheng's eyes flashed with light, and he felt quite excited in his heart.

He didn't expect to have a discovery just after arriving at the outskirts of the Shiwan Dashan; it was indeed worthy of being a treasure vault.

One must know that this kind of Origin Stone could not exist alone; there must be a mine vein nearby.

Since there were such stones full of impurities, there must also be pure Origin Stones.

Even if it were just a small mine, it would be enough to greatly increase his strength.

Thinking of this, he was full of energy and began to dig hard toward the front.

With his strength as a fourth-tier Mountain Spirit, plus his claws after the breakthrough, digging these ordinary stones and soil was almost effortless.

One hour later.

Deep underground, at a passage entrance.

"Clang, clang..."

Lu Zhangsheng dug up a large piece of hard giant rock again.

Digging it open to look, it was all this kind of inferior Origin Stone, extending into a piece behind, with no end in sight.

"Finally dug to a mine."

Lu Zhangsheng's face was full of joy.

After his multi-directional exploration and taking many detours, he finally determined the location of this mine.

He no longer hesitated and immediately began to dig hard.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

A large amount of gravel fell to the ground, soon forming a small hole, and he drilled in fiercely, digging toward the depths of the mountain.

Traveling along the passage all the way.

Another half an hour passed.

"Swish..."

Lu Zhangsheng suddenly arrived in an underground space, looking around, there were rock walls everywhere, and there was also a lot of excrement on the ground.

The air was filled with a pungent odor.

"Are there exotic beasts here?"

Lu Zhangsheng's gaze sharpened; this space was clearly excavated by exotic beasts.

Traces left by exotic beasts were everywhere around.

If there were fifth-tier exotic beasts, that would be a bit troublesome.

Next, Lu Zhangsheng dug forward even more carefully.

Not long after, he had a discovery.

"Bang..."

As the mountain in front was dug into pieces, a large piece of rock wall appeared in front of him.

The rock wall was as bright as jade, emitting a clean white light, and even the surrounding air became much cooler.

"It's Origin Stone."

Lu Zhangsheng's eyes lit up, and he immediately swung his claws to dig forward.

"Clang, clang, clang..."

Pieces of Origin Stone were dug to the ground, soon piling up into small stone piles.

A large hole was also gradually dug out of the rock wall in front.

When the surrounding Origin Stones were all dug clean, he stopped.

Afterward, he placed his claws on the Origin Stone.

【Lower-grade Origin Stone discovered, absorb?】 A panel prompt sounded in his mind.

"Absorb."

Lu Zhangsheng's mind moved.

【Source Energy Points plus 1.】

【Source Energy Points plus 1.】

【Source Energy Points plus 1.】

As the Origin Stones on the ground disappeared one by one, the resources in his hand were also growing rapidly.

Soon he had absorbed all the Origin Stones on the ground.

Open the panel.

Source Energy Points: 1800.

Just one excavation had a huge harvest, making him even more full of confidence for the next excavation.

If it continued like this, this small mine would be enough for him to break through.

Just as Lu Zhangsheng was about to leave, a sudden change occurred.

"Sss..."

At the passage entrance in the distance, two exotic beasts rushed out rapidly, bringing a rolling baleful aura.

Lu Zhangsheng looked closely.

He saw two creatures like giant rats appear in the cave.

The opponent was as big as a lamb, the hair all over its body was like barbs, and a pair of eyes flashed with blood-red light.

"They are two fourth-tier exotic beasts."

Killing intent flashed in his eyes.

There was likely a rat colony entrenched here, and perhaps there was also a fifth-tier Rat King; thinking of this, a sense of urgency rose in his heart.

After years of exploration, he discovered that rat colonies also belonged to a very large-scale type among all exotic beasts, and the number of high-tier exotic beasts could not be underestimated.

The two giant rats saw an intruder and immediately charged toward Lu Zhangsheng, their momentum very fierce.

In the blink of an eye, they arrived in front of Lu Zhangsheng and bit down fiercely.

"Die."

Lu Zhangsheng immediately activated his talent skill, Soul Strike.

A strange fluctuation rushed toward a giant rat on the left, instantly sinking into the depths of its mind.

"Awoo..."

With a scream, this giant rat rolled crazily in the cave, sand and stones flew all around, and with one strike, the opponent completely lost its combat effectiveness.

Immediately afterward, Lu Zhangsheng thrust a claw forward fiercely.

The claw tip flickered with golden light, looking extremely sharp.

In an instant, it pierced fiercely into the head of the other giant rat.

"Awoo..."

The giant rat struggled violently in Lu Zhangsheng's hand.

For a time, crimson fresh blood sprayed on the ground, and the surroundings were a mess.

Not long after, the two giant rats completely lost movement, leaving only two corpses.

With Lu Zhangsheng's current strength, killing two ordinary fourth-tier exotic beasts was almost an instant kill.

At the same time, the moment he came into contact with the giant rats, the panel also sent a prompt.

Race: 【Bloodthirsty Rat】.

Tier: Fourth-tier.

Note: Underground creature, living for a long time in dark corners without sunlight, extremely cruel and fierce temperament, strong territorial awareness, belongs to large-scale gregarious creatures, led by the Rat King and Rat Queen.

"Sure enough, there is a Rat King; the opponent must be a fifth-tier exotic beast."

Lu Zhangsheng's eyes moved slightly.

He planned to first upgrade this exotic beast clone; otherwise, if he met a fifth-tier Rat King, it would likely be bad.

He must break through his realm before being discovered by the opponent.

Thinking of this, Lu began to charge rapidly toward the side passage, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

This time, he became even more careful and cautious, his movements very slight.

Just as Lu Zhangsheng was trying to search for the Origin Stone mine, deep in the mine, inside a large cave.

Dozens of Bloodthirsty Rats gathered together, baleful aura rolling.

In the middle, two Bloodthirsty Rats had particularly huge bodies, more than three times larger than other ordinary giant rats, their eyes full of baleful aura, very terrifying.

A group of Bloodthirsty Rats all around knelt on the ground, showing a posture of submission.

"Sss, sss..."

Two ordinary giant rats seemed to be reporting something.

Not long after, the baleful aura around the two Rat Kings erupted, and fierce light was revealed in their eyes.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

Immediately afterward, a large group of Bloodthirsty Rats charged toward the passage entrances in all directions, like a tide.

Three days later.

Inside an underground cave in the eastern part of the mine.

Lu Zhangsheng lay on the gravel ground, not far in front were five Bloodthirsty Rat corpses, fresh blood spilled all over the ground.

Gravel was scattered all around, as if showing that there had just been a great battle.

He quickly collected the exotic beast corpses, his eyes quite gloomy.

These past few days, he had been subjected to crazy attacks by the rat colony, killing a large number of Bloodthirsty Rats.

The opponent seemed as if they would not stop until they killed him; no need to guess, he had definitely been exposed.

But fortunately, he hadn't met the Rat King.

But if it continued like this, he would meet the opponent sooner or later.

Lu Zhangsheng put away his thoughts and charged rapidly toward the cave entrance in front.

After digging for half an hour along the way.

A giant rock wall appeared in front of his eyes.

The rock wall was as bright as jade, with fluorescence flickering.

"Such pure Origin Stone."

Seeing that there was another harvest, and the quality was even higher, he felt happy in his heart.

Immediately afterward, he began to dig rapidly.

"Clang, clang, clang..."

Not long after, a few small piles of Origin Stone were piled up on the ground.

【Mid-grade Origin Stone discovered, absorb?】

Another panel prompt came.

"Absorb."

Lu Zhangsheng thought silently.

【Source Energy Points plus 5.】

【Source Energy Points plus 5.】

As the Origin Stones on the ground decreased one by one, the resources in his hand were increasing rapidly.

Soon, he had absorbed them all.

Open the panel.

Source Energy Points: 2800.

This harvest was huge, and the plus sign behind the exotic beast level lit up again.

Now crises were everywhere around, Lu Zhangsheng no longer hesitated and immediately began to upgrade.

Clicking on the level button continuously.

【Mountain Spirit level plus 1.】

【Mountain Spirit level plus 1.】

The Mountain Spirit level was rising crazily, as if there were no limit.

It added ten levels before stopping, and the Source Energy Points also decreased by two thousand.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

The Qi and Blood in his body surged crazily, erupting with wisps of golden radiance, as if some ancient bloodline was awakening.

His body did not expand again; instead, the scales became tighter, and it seemed as if wisps of golden symbols were flickering on them.

A pair of eyes emitted blinding radiance.

Not long after, the strange phenomenon stopped.

Lu Zhangsheng swung his claws hard, trails of afterimages flickering, and sonic booms came from the air; he felt his own strength increase by several times more.

Open the panel.

Bound Exotic Beast: Advanced Mountain Spirit 【Fifth-tier】.

Level: 50.

Talent Divine Ability: 【Domination】 (Excellent), 【Soul Strike】 (Excellent).

Skills: 【Burrowing】 (Perfect), 【Underwater Breathing】 (Perfect), 【Armor Enhancement】 (Perfect).

Divine Bloodline: One ten-thousandth.

Note: A powerful species evolved from an intermediate Mountain Spirit, possessing some kind of magical bloodline.

Divine bloodline continuing to awaken...

This upgrade was extremely huge, simply an all-around upgrade.

Not only did the level upgrade to a fifth-tier exotic beast, but even the skills were all upgraded; the divine ability became Excellent grade, and ordinary skills also evolved into Perfect grade.

Not only that, the divine bloodline in his body also increased by about ten times.

He felt a powerful force awakening in his body, as if gestating some kind of terrifying divine ability; once awakened, it would definitely be earth-shattering.

And he also had a premonition that the Advanced Mountain Spirit was the limit of the Mountain Spirit; the next upgrade would definitely be a brand-new species, which made him quite look forward to it.

After this upgrade, even if the Rat King led an army to come, he would not be afraid at all.

This Origin Stone mine would also be his possession.

Then Lu Zhangsheng put away his thoughts and charged toward the passage in front.

He prepared to start digging hard in the coming time, allowing himself to break through to the Tuotai realm rapidly.

(End of chapter)