Starting as a spiritual plant master, may I eventually become the master of all lands.

An hour later, Xuan He and Cheng Tu flew away from this place.

Only Song Chuan remained in the wooden house, sitting cross-legged with a solemn expression.

It turns out that the so-called "Kongsang Curiosity Hunt" was actually a "feast" for Qi Refining cultivators throughout the entire Qi Kingdom.

Moreover, the timing is not fixed, but it only happens once every sixty years at the very least.

The last time I explored Kongsang was 140 or 150 years ago.

In the easternmost part of the Eastern Region where the State of Qi is located, there is a mountain range called the Yunduan Great Mountain Range.

It contains countless mountain ranges, truly the "Ten Thousand Mountains" in the literal sense.

The mountains are teeming with exotic flowers and rare herbs, as well as countless powerful demons.

The entire outer perimeter of the Yunduan Great Mountain Range is connected to dozens of countries in the Eastern Regions.

The Kongsang Mountains are located along the eastern border of the State of Qi.

Once the Kongsang Mountains open, all the major sects, families, and independent cultivators in the Qi Kingdom will enter the mountains for a thrilling adventure.

It is said that since countless years ago, cultivators have been invading the Yunduan Mountains, and some areas have been plundered and destroyed by a coalition of cultivators from multiple countries.

Ultimately, this not only led to the participation of some extremely powerful demon races deep in the mountains, but also caused significant changes in the weather and phenology of many regions.

Some countries have become extremely dry, while others have simply begun to desertify.

The twenty-four solar terms also became disordered, which had a significant impact on farming for ordinary people and spiritual practice for monks.

Even now, summers are still several times hotter than they were years ago, and some ordinary people have died from the heat!

Some spiritual plants and demons that originally grew in human countries have also gradually become extinct.

Resources are becoming increasingly scarce!

Upon hearing this, Song Chuan suddenly recalled the phenomenon of global warming in his previous life. It really is the same everywhere!

Later, even the concentration of spiritual energy in the Eastern Region dropped significantly.

Half of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is generated by spiritual plants.

If things continue like this, what will be the point of future cultivators cultivating immortality?

Therefore, the various kingdoms and sects proposed a truce to the demon race, which was called the "Alliance of the Mountains".

The alliance stipulates that cultivators will not organize large-scale coalitions to attack the mountains, but cultivators may come to explore on their own, and once they enter the mountains, they are responsible for their own lives.

The treaty also includes sub-sections that are signed separately by each country and its neighboring mountain range.

For example, the State of Qi reached an agreement with the high-level demonic beasts in the Kongsang Mountains that every sixty years or more, all sects, families, and independent cultivators in the State of Qi could send Qi Refining cultivators into the mountains in groups.

The reason for this timing and the level of cultivators is said to be related to the occasional outbreaks of beast tides by low-level demonic beasts in the Kongsang Mountains.

Due to their large populations, demon beasts in the Transformation Stage and those at the First Order will cause a beast tide if they run out of space.

This also caused considerable headaches for high-level demonic beasts. Moreover, if the beast tide were to spread beyond the Kongsang Mountains, the consequences for mortal settlements would be unimaginable.

Meanwhile, the human cultivators were eager to come in and harvest spiritual plants and capture demonic beasts.

Therefore, the State of Qi and the Kongsang Mountains signed a mutually beneficial treaty.

Depending on the situation, the Kongsang Mountains will open dozens of mountains each time, allowing a large number of Qi Refining cultivators to enter together.

This solved both the beast tide problem and the needs of the human race.

As for who hunts whom after they're inside, that's hard to say. In short, everyone's fate is in the hands of destiny.

This time span also gives the spiritual plants and demonic beasts ample time to recuperate.

Otherwise, if they come every five or ten years, or even two or three times, wouldn't the spiritual plants and demons of the Kongsang Mountains be completely plundered long ago?

As for the Emperor's Dew, Xuan He never mentioned it.

He was probably afraid that if Song Chuan knew too much, it would affect the main mission of his trip.

Song Chuan sneered inwardly. Just as Master Ku Zhuo had said, since it was already gone, he would definitely find out what it was before considering whether to search for it again.

It seems I still need to make a trip to Yuewei Hall to carefully review the records of the Kongsang Mountains.

The dangers of exploring Kongsang are self-evident.

This is the first time in over a hundred years that such an event has occurred. Not to mention the first-tier demonic beasts inside, it's inevitable that the human race will fight amongst themselves once they enter.

However, if we can successfully complete the mission and obtain the Foundation Establishment Pill, then taking any risk is worthwhile.

Didn't I come to Vine Flower Valley precisely to have a chance to establish my foundation? Otherwise, how could I avenge my parents?

One can cultivate in a lowly manner, but one must never back down when it comes to seizing opportunities.

Song Chuan glanced at his side and saw the two magical artifacts left behind by Xuan He.

One is a white bead about the size of a thumb, called the "Concealing Breath Bead," which can help cultivators conceal their aura and remain undetected.

The other item was a black insect sac, which Xuanhe said belonged to Master Kuzhuo and was used to hold cave salamanders.

Song Chuan will return these two items to Xuan He after he returns.

In addition to the three spiritual plants that Cheng Tu had previously promised Song Chuan that he could use, the two allowed Song Chuan to use a few more of the more precious ones in exchange for a protective magic weapon.

Song Chuan inwardly grumbled, "Why doesn't he just give me two of his best items? I have to exchange them with spiritual plants. How stingy!"

However, Song Chuan still had some doubts. Although this matter was instructed by Master Kuzhuo, it was essentially for Xuanhe's lifespan.

Xuanhe appeared to be simply following Master Kuzhuo's instructions, but he didn't seem particularly enthusiastic about the matter.

Is adding another 10 or 20 years to his lifespan really too little for him?

Whether mortal or cultivator, when facing death, one should yearn to live one more day, yet this person remained so indifferent.

This defies all common sense!

If Xuan He were to say that he had taken life and death lightly, Song Chuan would never believe it.

Perhaps this person has other ways to prolong life that Master Kuzhuo is unaware of?

Or is this person certain that they will enter but not leave?

Song Chuan shook his head, no longer wondering what Xuan He was thinking, and instead began to plan his curious adventures in Kongsang.

Fortunately, the Kongsang Curiosity Hunt will not open for another two years, and most of the low-level cultivators in Qi should still be unaware of this.

He essentially received the information from the Core Formation cultivators in advance, allowing him to begin preparations earlier than others.

He tried the Concealing Breath Bead, and his aura indeed disappeared.

Qi Refining cultivators and first-tier demonic insects certainly wouldn't be able to detect it; it's just unknown whether Foundation Establishment cultivators could detect it.

He glanced at the storage bag; although it contained few items, they were all high-quality.

Mid-grade magic artifacts and wood-based escape talismans are invaluable items in the hands of any Qi Refining cultivator.

If Xuanhe and Chengtu knew that they possessed these items, they probably wouldn't have asked them to exchange them for any magical artifacts.

However, Kongsang is a gathering place for so many Qi Refining cultivators from the Qi Kingdom, as well as various first-tier demonic beasts, so my little bit of stuff is not safe.

Just as he was planning this, a thought struck him, and then a look of great joy suddenly appeared on his face.

He turned the insect bag over, and the orchid insect fell onto the couch.

The insect was completely unresponsive, as if it were a dead thing.

"Finally, I'm about to advance!" Song Chuan murmured.

He carefully picked up the insect, went to the garden, found a sacred orchid, and placed the insect on it.

He then disappeared into the soil beneath the spiritual plant and sat down to meditate.

If this insect can successfully advance, it will become a powerful weapon for me!