Celestial Taoist

Under the cover of night, without the cover of the Black Wind, the distant Black Wind Valley revealed its current state, now flattened.

Without putting away his Dao Foundation, Li Mofan floated the golden ball in front of his eyes. As the saying goes, one should enjoy life to the fullest when things are going well. However, the incident with the mage Han Li made him realize that there is no morality in this world. He could only keep a low profile. If he were to reveal his Dao Foundation, he would attract countless mages to refine him. Therefore, he could only appreciate the mystery within himself.

The enormous monster was scattered into a patch of rocks. One of the remaining objects after its head shattered was clearly made of a different material than the other stones. Li Mofan picked it up and examined it carefully.

This prismatic stone is pale green and translucent. It's still warm to the touch. Judging from what we just saw, it should be the core of that monster.

Just as he was about to casually put it away, the interface of the brain-computer interface lit up.

[Obtain quest items]

[Token]

"?!" Li Mofan's expression was complicated. He had been somewhat puzzled by the monster's strength, as this level of monster was far beyond the capabilities of a level 5 talent user. What if it were five newcomers? They probably wouldn't even have time to react before being crushed to death.

Seeing this token, which was clearly a demon core or something similar to a demon's, he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

On the way back, Li Mofan slowed down his flight and descended towards the faint lights that appeared below. By the dim moonlight, he could see a small village with a dozen or so mud-brick houses scattered around, and the faint light of a few oil lamps flickering in the night.

The weeds on the ridges of the fields were neatly trimmed, and the adjacent fields were well-managed, with several crops growing well. He walked quietly along the ridges towards the village. When he reached the first mud-brick house at the village entrance, Li Mofan stopped and gently knocked on the door. "Is anyone home?" His voice was soft, and footsteps quickly came from inside. Then, the door creaked open, and a middle-aged man in a coarse cloth jacket peeked out, his eyes showing a hint of doubt, yet also a simple honesty: "Young master, what brings you here so late at night?"

Li Mofan nodded slightly, his expression gentle: "Uncle, this is the Jianhe region." Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man quickly replied with a smile: "Young master is joking, this is already the heart of Jianhe."

Li Mofan's eyes flickered slightly, and he said, "Uncle, do you know that I am a Taoist priest from the Shahe region in the west? Before passing through this place, I heard that the area near the Jianhe River was suffering from a severe drought and had no harvest. Today, I see that the crops in the village are growing well, which is quite different from the rumors."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man immediately showed reverence, leaned forward slightly, and said respectfully, "So you are a celestial master who has come from afar! Celestial master, you may not know this, but my Jianhe region has always enjoyed favorable weather and abundant harvests thanks to the protection and rule of the Dragon King, and has never suffered from severe drought. Only the area near the Dragon Palace often has parched lands, which must be due to the rumors being spread to the wrong place, causing the celestial master to misunderstand."

Upon hearing this, Li Mofan, combining it with what had happened before, made a deduction in his mind. He then cupped his hands in thanks and said, "I see. Thank you for clarifying things, Uncle. I was mistaken in what I heard, and I apologize for my rudeness."

He turned and retreated to the edge of the field. His spiritual energy circulated quietly within him, and a faint golden light emanated from the soles of his feet. His figure slowly rose into the air.

Judging from Chen Hou's previous attitude, there shouldn't be any danger. He should go and have a good talk with this lord.

At a mountaintop brimming with spiritual energy along the way, Li Mofan landed, sat cross-legged to recover his spiritual power, and waited until the sky in the distance began to lighten with the first hint of dawn. He then checked his panel, specifically the section on spiritual energy.

[Spiritual Power: 752/1320]

Having recovered considerably, he got up again.

No longer deliberately slowing down, he fully unleashed his spiritual power, and the golden light beneath his feet grew increasingly intense.

He had memorized the route before setting off.

Before long, they arrived at the palace they had visited. The palace was magnificent, but its gates were tightly shut. A soldier stepped forward to announce their arrival, and the gates slowly opened. A servant in a brocade robe strode out, his face beaming with smiles: "Your Excellency from the Upper Realm has finally returned! His Majesty has been waiting in the main hall for some time. Please, Your Excellency, enter."

Li Mofan stepped into the palace, his mind already subtly activating his Dao Foundation power to probe the surroundings. In the center of the main hall, on a high seat, Marquis Chen sat with a gentle smile. Upon seeing Li Mofan enter, he immediately rose to greet him: "My lord, you have had a long journey. Have you managed to slay the demon from Black Wind Valley?"

Li Mofan remained calm and replied composedly, "I did not see any. I kept watch in Black Wind Valley all night and did not see a single trace of any demon."

Chen Hou paused slightly, then pondered, "In that case, that demon has probably already fled to other places and is secretly harming the people there."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Mofan's heart stirred slightly. He caught a glimpse of emotion from Chen Hou, an emotion devoid of any ordinary fluctuations, as still as a rock. A sense of vigilance immediately rose within him. The words that were already on the tip of his tongue, which were about to be used to angrily accuse Chen Hou of colluding with demons, were quickly changed. "Although I did not encounter any demons, I did find a rare treasure in the valley. I wonder if it is the Dragon Palace token that Your Majesty lost."

After saying that, he raised his hand, took out the emerald green crystal core, and gently placed it on the table.

Chen Hou's expression was quite interesting after seeing the crystal core. Li Mofan also sensed his emotional fluctuations and was ready to abandon the mission at any moment. In his Dao Foundation perception, the person in front of him was turbulent and vast as the sea, and he was absolutely certain that this person was the Dragon King of the Thousand Mile River!

After a moment, Chen Hou concealed the strange look in his eyes, his expression returned to normal, and he calmly smiled as he spoke: "It is indeed this item. Your Excellency's efforts in investigating and protecting the people of this region from disaster are truly immeasurable."