The Immortal Clan begins with deductive intelligence.

Chapter 107 Dry Bones

"All things in the universe are mutually generative and mutually destructive; those that prefer cold and shady environments must also fear the warmth and heat of fire."

Xu Changqing's mind raced. He gripped the crack in the stone tightly with his left hand, freeing his right hand to pull out a handful of fresh, red grass stems.

It was the "Yangyuan Grass" that he instructed Xu Dayou to buy in large quantities at the market during the fish plague on Cangwu Island.

Although this herb is privately regarded in the marketplace as a filthy substance used by male cultivators to patronize prostitutes and strengthen their constitution, it has a bad reputation.

However, the pure yang energy of the plants it contains is genuine.

He gently kneaded the grass stem in his palm, channeling a wisp of wood-elemental spiritual power into his fingertips, and replaced the Crimson Flame Talisman with a low-grade first-tier Fire Serpent Talisman.

After doing all this, he flicked his wrist to activate the talisman, which he then deftly tossed into the depths of the crevice three zhang away.

"Sizzle—"

'

When the tender grass stems come into contact with an open flame, they continuously emit thick, pungent blue smoke, mixed with the spicy smell of burnt grass and wood, which spreads through the cracks.

Such smoke and fire are tantamount to being boiled in a cauldron for poisonous insects.

Xu Changqing held his breath and activated the Blood Fiend Pearl, covering his body with a layer of blood-red aura as thin as a cicada's wing yet solid and thick.

In just a few breaths.

The faint humming sound deep within the crevice suddenly rose in pitch, transforming into a chilling hiss.

Like a rolling dark cloud, swarms of rotting bone venomous bees fled from the thick smoke, rushing out of the cave entrance in a frenzy.

The swarm of bees scattered and fled in all directions. Dozens of disoriented bees crashed into Xu Changqing's protective blood aura, their stingers striking him with a series of crisp "clinking" sounds, like metal striking stone, creating ripples of crimson blood.

Fortunately, the number was small enough that they failed to pierce the blood barrier.

The poisonous bees, unable to tolerate the thick smoke and ignoring the strange sight on the cliff face, fluttered their wings and fled to the deeper, colder waters.

Once most of the poisonous bees had gone far away, Xu Changqing squeezed into the cramped cave.

The cave was dry, but filled with a putrid smell.

The skeleton, now deceased, leaned against the deep rock wall, its ribs broken and its left arm missing.

It is evident that he must have experienced an extremely fierce battle before his death, and was so severely injured that he finally succumbed to his injuries.

Xu Changqing stepped forward, his gaze falling on the "Illusory Sweat Fur" draped over the withered bones.

The water vapor in the swamp was extremely corrosive, and this robe had been covered in dust for countless years, yet it remained spotless, its entire body shimmering with a faint, clear light, as if it were made by nature itself.

"Good stuff."

With a wisp of gentle spiritual energy covering his fingertips, Xu Changqing gently peeled the robe off the withered bones.

It feels soft and slightly cool to the touch, as light as a feather, and the interwoven array patterns on it are perfectly integrated, clearly the work of a master craftsman.

After taking the robes, Xu Changqing did not leave.

Such elite scouts, capable of wearing top-grade robes, would surely possess more than just this one relic.

He crouched down and rummaged through the rotten clothes and bones.

A moment later, a storage bag full of mud was dug out from a pile of mud below the ribs.

The master had been gone for a long time, and the divine imprint on the storage bag had long since dissipated like the wind.

Xu Changqing probed the bag with his divine sense. The bag was not very spacious, with two or three hundred low-grade spirit stones scattered in the corner.

Besides these, there were several bottles of long-diminished fasting pills, a pile of broken array flags and array plates, and a jade slip.

He examined it briefly, then separated a wisp of his divine sense, like spring water seeping into a crack, and slowly probed into it.

The jade slip contained no earth-shattering martial arts techniques, but rather a map of the eastern waters drawn by the scout during his lifetime, along with some fragmented notes.

This map is far more detailed than the standardized one issued by the Black Wind Pass Military Affairs Bureau.

The location of the underwater currents that harbored predators and the swarms of poisonous insects that lurked in the miasma forests were all clearly marked with fine cinnabar ink.

Xu Changqing glanced at the map quickly, his consciousness finally settling on a marker called "White Bone Beach" at the edge of the map.

Beside it was a short inscription in seal script: "Braving the dangers of venturing into the heart of the White Bone Beach, I was astonished to discover the traces of the first-grade spiritual herb, the Mysterious Yin Water Lotus."

"However, the guardian water beast is fierce, and I was no match for it in battle. My left arm was severed at the root, and I fled here desperately—my life is nearing its end, and I will wait for fate to intervene."

Xu Changqing slowly opened his eyes, put away the jade slip, and his gaze fell once again on the desolate skeleton.

The wages of avarice is death.

This unnamed elite scout, dressed in a superior concealment robe and skilled at drawing maps, must be a bold and meticulous individual.

But in the end, he couldn't overcome the temptation of greed. For the sake of that Xuan Yin Water Lotus, he ended up dying and his body lying exposed in the wilderness. Even his bones became a breeding ground for poisonous insects.

Unfortunately, opportunity and misfortune have always been intertwined for the Li brothers.

Xu Changqing casually tossed aside the few bottles of discarded fasting pills, but pocketed all the scattered array flags and array plates.

These scouts who went out on patrols carried flags primarily for temporary alert and to conceal their presence.

For Xu Changqing, who was about to wander alone in these eastern waters for more than ten days, this was a practical item that could solve his immediate problem.

He did not linger in the cave.

The bone-corroding poisonous bees, having been scorched by the fiery heat of the Yangyuan grass, temporarily fled, but most of them returned to their nest once the smoke dissipated.

Xu Changqing glanced at the decomposing skeleton, then pointed his finger like a sword and chopped off a piece of rock from the cliff top to bury it.

The path to immortality is long and arduous; everyone is struggling for their life.

Today I bury your withered bones; tomorrow, if I die and my soul dissipates, I will be nothing more than a handful of yellow earth.

He draped the newly acquired Illusionary Robe over his body and slightly activated his spiritual power.

As the surface of the robe rippled with water, Xu Changqing's figure merged with the surrounding dark, damp cliff face with each breath, and even the aura of a living person was completely dissolved by the water ripples.

Xu Changqing nodded in satisfaction, lightly touched the crevice with his toes, and leaped down the cliff.

He did not linger in the stagnant and desolate place of Kugugou, but quietly escaped dozens of miles along the waterway.

They stopped only when they reached a backwater with lush vegetation and numerous reefs.

Xu Changqing took out the array flags he had just obtained from his storage bag.

Although this array of flags is not a top-tier magic formation, it is still quite ingenious.

Following the positions of Kan (water) and Gen (mountain), he submerged the array flags one by one into the silt, and buried the array plate at the base of a clump of withered reeds.

With a slight release of spiritual energy, the array activated, and the surrounding mist instantly thickened, completely isolating the area within a ten-zhang radius.

After doing all this, Xu Changqing finally sat down cross-legged on a bluestone that was half-submerged in water.

The "Mysterious Yin Water Lotus" of the White Bone Beach could cause an elite scout clad in a high-grade magic robe to be defeated and killed. Its guardian demon beast must be at least a late-stage first-order demon beast, or even a ferocious creature with one foot in the Foundation Establishment stage.

With his current cultivation level of the sixth level of Qi Refining, and with the help of the Palm Thunder and the Blood Fiend Pearl, he can protect himself. It would be unwise for him to try to fight against such a ferocious creature and seize its treasure.

"Even the best opportunities are rare, but you also need to be alive to enjoy them."

Xu Changqing suppressed a slight flutter in his heart.

With the Heavenly Mirror at his fingertips, he has no shortage of ways to seek opportunities, so there's no need for him to gamble his life for an unknown danger.

The most urgent task is to seize the opportunity to take control of this thirty-mile stretch on the eastern front, based on the defense zone issued by the Military Affairs Department.