Beast Taming Immortal Clan

Chapter 416 The Earth Dragon Turns Over [Please Subscribe]

Inside a cave at the bottom of Muli Lake.

A bright water-repelling bead was embedded in the top of the cave, forming a water-repelling barrier that pushed the lake water outward, creating a waterless space several meters in size.

Zhou Chun and Luo Qingni were sitting face to face in this waterless space.

This place was originally the lair of a second-tier water demon. Because of the arrival of the two, the water demon became food for the thunder dragon, and the lair was also occupied by them.

"The thunderstorm was too loud. There are also 'Multi-Winged Clan' mages hunting monsters in the lake around Muli Lake. It will definitely attract some people to come and investigate. We will probably have to hide for a while before we can leave."

Inside the cave, Zhou Chun looked at Luo Qingni and broke the silence first.

He had previously seen those "multi-winged" mages hunting aquatic monsters while searching for activities around Muli Lake.

However, relatively speaking, "Winged Clan" mages rarely venture into the deep areas of Muli Lake.

After all, although Muli Lake has a vast water area, there are very few islands where one can rest. If one goes too deep, some low-level and mid-level mages may not have enough stamina to get out.

In water combat, these winged "multi-winged" mages are even less suited to it than human cultivators.

However, the commotion caused by Lei Jiao Bai Bai earlier was really too great. Zhou Chun was worried that it would attract the high-level mages of the "Multi-Winged Clan" to come and investigate, so he quickly persuaded Luo Qingni to dive into the bottom of the lake together and temporarily settle down in this water demon cave.

Upon hearing Zhou Chun's words, Luo Qingni chimed in, "Fellow Daoist Zhang is right. It would indeed be safer for us to hide for now."

As soon as she said this, her eyes darted around, and she seemed to have let go of some of her worries. Suddenly, she looked at Zhou Chun and said, "I really didn't expect that Fellow Daoist Zhang's strength would be so great. Even Yan Qiyang died at your hands."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chun immediately shook his head and said, "Master Luo, you flatter me. If Yan Qiyang and you hadn't expended a great deal of your mana and trump cards in that secret realm, how could I, with my meager strength, possibly be their match!"

After saying this, seemingly afraid that Luo Qingni would continue to press him about the "Heavenly Divine Thunder," he immediately changed the subject, saying, "To be honest, I also have some doubts. What if a high-level mage from the 'Multi-Winged Clan' comes to investigate and discovers that secret realm?"

Luo Qingni could easily see through his thoughts, but she didn't take it to heart. After all, everyone has secrets, and she certainly didn't want outsiders to touch upon some of her own secrets.

So he replied, following Zhou Chun's words, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, you can rest assured about that. Even if a high-level mage came to investigate, or even a grand mage, they wouldn't be able to see anything!"

Hearing this answer, Zhou Chun's curiosity grew even stronger, and he couldn't help but ask, "Could you tell me about that secret realm? Of course, if Master Luo finds it difficult, just pretend I didn't ask."

He just couldn't resist giving it a try; he didn't have high expectations.

Unexpectedly, after hearing his words, Luo Qingni hesitated only slightly before quickly nodding and saying, "Anyway, I have already achieved my goal, so there's no harm in saying it."

Then he told Zhou Chun about that secret island.

It turns out that the secret island was a secret cave dwelling created by a Nascent Soul stage cultivator of the human race. Its existence dates back to before the establishment of Tianyuan Immortal City, which is a very long time ago.

More than a hundred years ago, when Luo Qingni was adventuring on the Dolan Grassland, she obtained some information about that secret island from a ruined cave, as well as three tokens for entering and exiting the secret island.

She first used the talisman to enter and search the place, but then she found that the real treasure troves inside were protected by powerful forbidden spells, puppets, and monsters, which she could not handle alone. So she had the idea of ​​finding teammates to explore together.

After some consideration, Yan Qiyang and another cultivator surnamed Mo were added to her shortlist and ultimately chosen as her teammates.

After forming a team, the three of them ventured into the secret island multiple times and acquired many valuable items.

However, when they explored the "Hundred Fruit Garden," the presence of the colorful dragonfish caused a major mishap.

The rogue cultivator surnamed Mo died in the battle with the Five-Colored Dragon Fish. Yan Qiyang and Luo Qingni were also seriously injured and had to abandon the Five Elements Spirit Fruit to escape from the secret cave.

What happened next was simple. The two knew the power of the Five-Colored Dragon Fish, and were unwilling to give up the Five Elements Spirit Fruit, a rare spiritual object that could help them form their core. So they spent many years collecting treasures that could deal with the Five-Colored Dragon Fish, and successfully obtained the Five Elements Spirit Fruit during their trip to the secret island.

The two became enemies because Yan Qiyang wanted to keep the treasure for himself, and after successfully seizing the treasure, they fought another big battle.

In the end, Luo Qingni proved to be more skillful, successfully taking down Yan Qiyang through Zhou Chun, a hidden agent she had planted long ago.

In fact, Luo Qingni's words here were somewhat vague. For example, she definitely knew who the Nascent Soul stage rogue cultivator who left behind the secret island was, and even knew what treasures were inside. She might not have even intended to let Yan Qiyang leave alive.

But Zhou Chun certainly wouldn't expose these things.

If it were him, he certainly wouldn't go into too much detail either, and he might not even be willing to tell outsiders.

He estimated that if Bai Bai's previous "Heavenly Divine Thunder" hadn't been so incredibly powerful and frightened the other party, Luo Qingni might not have been willing to talk about what was happening now.

After hearing Luo Qingni's words, Zhou Chun felt a great sense of regret.

Unfortunately, Yan Qiyang's storage bag was blasted apart by that "Heavenly Divine Thunder," and everything inside was destroyed.

Otherwise, that talisman that allows entry and exit from the secret island would be his now.

But he could only think about this in his heart. On the surface, however, he looked at Luo Qingni without showing any emotion and asked, "I have another question. If I, Zhang, had not arrived here in time as Master Luo had arranged, what would Master Luo have done? And why did Master Luo trust that I, whom you have only met a few times, would follow your instructions to come and help you?"

Upon hearing his question, Luo Qingni immediately replied, "If Fellow Daoist Zhang hadn't come, then I would have had no choice but to fulfill my promise and hand over a [Five Elements Spirit Fruit] to that old thief Yan. After all, given my condition at the time, and being in a foreign land like the Dolan Grassland, it was impossible for me to truly fight him to the death!"

"As for why I believe Fellow Daoist Zhang will follow the arrangements, I'm not entirely sure that Fellow Daoist Zhang will definitely come. I'm just doing this as a precaution. After all, I'm not familiar with Fellow Daoist Lu Chong and the others, and I don't know if they are colluding with Yan Qiyang. The only person I can trust is Fellow Daoist Zhang."

At this point, he glanced meaningfully at Zhou Chun and said, "Now it seems I was right about Fellow Daoist Zhang, and even greatly underestimated him!"

Zhou Chun was speechless after hearing her answer.

So the truth is actually that simple?

Were his previous guesses simply a case of him thinking too badly of people, or just being overly sentimental?

But I'm still glad I chose to trust Luo Qingni and came here.

Otherwise, we would have missed a tremendous opportunity to form the Golden Core!

Thinking of the Five Elements Spiritual Fruit he had snatched from Yan Qiyang's grasp, Zhou Chun's heart stirred again. He couldn't help but look at Luo Qingni once more and ask, "Since Yan Qiyang came to explore the secret realm with you, Master Luo, and now that he's dead here, aren't you afraid of being held accountable by his sect when you return?"

"Yan Qiyang once swore an oath to his inner demons, promising not to reveal the existence of the secret island to anyone in any form. Given the opportunity to obtain the Five Elements Spirit Fruit, he would never dare to break his oath. Therefore, Huangshi Sect must not know about the existence of the secret island."

"As for the fact that he came to the Dolan Grassland with me on an adventure but perished, it would indeed be troublesome if Huangshizong found out about this. However, he did not die at my hands. I can make a vow from my inner demons to prove that I am not lying. I think Huangshizong will not be able to do anything to me at that time."

"Furthermore, after I return to Tianyuan Immortal City, I will go into seclusion to form my core. Once I emerge successfully, who would bother me, a Golden Core cultivator, for the sake of a dead late-stage Purple Mansion cultivator like Yan Qiyang!"

While answering Zhou Chun's questions, Luo Qingni looked at Zhou Chun with a half-smile and said, "I have answered all of Fellow Daoist Zhang's questions. Now, Fellow Daoist Zhang, would you like to satisfy my curiosity and answer a few of my questions?"

"Oh, what would you like to ask, Master Luo?"

Zhou Chun felt a chill run down his spine and immediately became highly vigilant, but he did not refuse outright.

Given the current situation, it's unlikely that he and Luo Qingni will ever fight again. In fact, their relationship might even deepen due to their previous collaboration.

Therefore, Zhou Chun would naturally be more than willing to further cultivate a good relationship with Luo Qingni, the alchemy master who is about to successfully form her core.

But that doesn't mean he's willing to reveal certain secrets about himself.

Luo Qingni seemed to sense Zhou Chun's wariness and immediately smiled slightly, saying, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, there's no need to be nervous. I'm just asking you a few ordinary questions. If you don't want to answer, you don't have to."

"Then please ask, Master Luo."

After a moment's hesitation, Zhou Chun nodded in agreement.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, what is your real name? What does your true appearance look like? Where do you come from? And why did you accept this escort mission? Do you have any extra Thousand-Year Dragon Transformation Grass?"

Luo Qingni stared intently at Zhou Chun, and asked a series of questions in a rapid-fire manner.

She didn't think these were particularly personal issues, and if Zhou Chun wasn't even willing to tell her these things, it was clear that he wasn't genuinely willing to build a relationship with her.

But little did they know that for Zhou Chun, these questions were even more difficult to answer than some matters involving personal privacy.

After a moment's hesitation, Zhou Chun bowed respectfully to Luo Qingni and said, "Master Luo, it's not that I'm unreasonable, but it's simply that I cannot reveal my real name and appearance to outsiders, otherwise it might bring me death!"

"As for why I accepted the escort mission, it was purely coincidental. I traveled a long way to the Great Zhou Kingdom to seek the help of a master alchemist to refine the 'Dragon Transformation Pill,' and also to see if I could obtain some pills to improve my magical power. In addition, I was curious about the Dolan Grassland and wanted to see the scenery of this foreign land!"

At this point, Zhou Chun noticed that Luo Qingni's expression had turned displeased. He gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, "I do indeed have another Thousand-Year Dragon Transformation Grass. If Master Luo wants it, I'm not unwilling to trade!"

Currently, it seems that the only person in the Zhou family who might need the Thousand-Year Dragon Transformation Grass is Zhou Daoquan. His Blood Flame Dragon Python has a good foundation, and after being cultivated to the second-tier high-grade, it does have a chance to transform into a Blood Flame Flood Dragon.

The other people's demonic beasts, even though quite a few of them are second-tier dragon-blooded demonic beasts, actually do not have the potential to transform into dragons at all, and it is impossible for them to successfully transform into dragons at the third tier.

Therefore, it's not unreasonable to set aside a thousand-year-old dragon-transforming grass to exchange for treasures.

This is the greatest sincerity Zhou Chun can offer at the moment.

After all, he and Luo Qingni weren't really that familiar with each other, so it was impossible for him to reveal his true background to her right now.

That's like gambling your life on the other person's character.

Fortunately, after hearing that he could exchange it for the Thousand-Year Dragon Transformation Grass, Luo Qingni's complexion improved slightly.

However, he still said, "Fellow Daoist Zhang is being far too cautious. I've even told you about this secret island, and you know I possess the Five Elements Spiritual Fruit, and that Yan Qiyang died because of my scheme. You should know that I would never betray you!"

"Master Luo, please forgive me. It's just that the person I offended has quite a powerful background, and I dare not easily let him know. If I am no longer afraid of that person in the future, I will definitely apologize to you in person!"

Zhou Chun repeatedly bowed and apologized, a bitter smile on his face.

Luo Qingni didn't dwell on the matter and quickly changed the subject, saying, "It's wonderful that Fellow Daoist Zhang is willing to exchange for the Thousand-Year Dragon Transformation Grass. I can exchange it with you using pills that enhance your magical power, such as the 'Enhancing Vitality Pill,' and I guarantee you won't suffer any loss."

Hearing her words, Zhou Chun neither agreed nor refused, but looked at her curiously and asked, "May I ask, Master Luo, what do you need the Thousand-Year Dragon Transformation Grass for? Could it be that you also raise a dragon-born demon beast with the potential to transform into a dragon?"

"No, it's just that I know a Golden Core cultivator who has been trying to find a 'Dragon Transformation Pill' for his beloved snake demon pet. He also happens to have something that would be very useful to me. I'd like to refine another 'Dragon Transformation Pill' and exchange it with him for that item."

Luo Qingni shook her head slightly and said in a deep voice her intentions.

Is that so?

Zhou Chun nodded thoughtfully, then said, "Since that's the case, I'm naturally happy to do Master Luo this small favor."

"Thank you very much, Fellow Daoist Zhang."

Luo Qingni's face lit up with joy, and she finally uttered words of thanks.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chun replied, half-jokingly and half-seriously, "I dare not accept Master Luo's thanks. I only hope that Master Luo will have the time to refine pills for me a few more times in the future!"

"This is easily resolved. Once I successfully form my core, Fellow Daoist Zhang, as long as you provide the materials, I can refine pills for you three times for free. After that, I'll also give you priority in refining pills for you!"

Luo Qingni smiled gently and readily agreed.

She knew that Zhou Chun was just like those other cultivators who tried to curry favor with her; they all coveted her alchemy skills and wanted her help with alchemy.

She was not angry at all; on the contrary, she was very happy.

Because she is not afraid of others coveting this, but she is afraid of others coveting other things of hers.

For her, it didn't matter who she helped refine pills for; it would all help her hone and improve her pill-refining skills.

Next, Zhou Chun took out another Thousand-Year Dragon Transformation Grass on the spot, while Luo Qingni took out two "Energy Enhancement Pills" and five "Jade Crystal Pills" as an exchange.

It's hard to say who lost out in this exchange, since the Thousand-Year Dragon Transformation Grass is indeed worth 100,000 spirit coins if it meets someone who needs it.

The pills that Luo Qingni took out were exactly what Zhou Chun needed.

Especially those five "Jade Crystal Pills," which are pills that even late-stage Purple Mansion cultivators can use to improve their magical power, each worth 15,000 spirit coins.

In the time that followed, Zhou Chun seized the opportunity to ask Luo Qingni about the materials for the "Dragon Spirit Pill" and "Energy Enhancement Pill," hoping to gather enough materials for one or two batches of pills.

If possible, he would certainly like to directly exchange those pills that could improve his magical power with Luo Qingni.

However, when Luo Qingni exchanged pills with him, she said that she had given him all the pills of that kind that she had.

After all, Luo Qingni was already a late-stage Purple Mansion cultivator and had no need for such pills. Even if she did refine such pills, she would usually exchange them for other treasures.

Even for a master alchemist like her, gathering all the materials needed to make a batch of pills is no easy task.

In fact, the reason why a rogue alchemy master like her can so easily help other cultivators refine pills is not only because she wants to hone her alchemy skills and earn spirit coins, but also because she wants to build a network of connections.

Once this network of connections is established and managed well, these alchemy masters can look for any materials they need when refining pills.

However, using one's network of connections to find a miracle cure means expending one's own favors.

Luo Qingni and Zhou Chun's relationship hadn't reached that point yet, so it was impossible for her to do this just to refine pills for him.

Zhou Chun had to find the materials himself, and she helped with the refining.

To Zhou Chun's disappointment, Luo Qingni did not know how to refine the "Dragon Spirit Pill." This pill seemed to be a unique elixir of the master Ge Yun, and only he knew how to refine it in Tianyuan Immortal City.

The good news is that one of the main ingredients of the "Zengyuan Pill" is a third-tier demon core. After Luo Qingni saw his snake lizard inner core, she said it met the requirements perfectly. However, he still needed to find three other thousand-year-old spiritual herbs and many auxiliary materials.

Zhou Chun compared the materials list provided by Luo Qingni and found that two of the thousand-year-old spiritual herbs in the Zhou family's collection could be used as substitutes. He only needed to find another thousand-year-old spiritual herb and some auxiliary materials.

In addition to the "Zengyuan Pill", Luo Qingni also provided a list of the main materials and some of the more difficult-to-find auxiliary materials for the "Huangjing Pill" and two other pills that can improve the magical power of cultivators in the Zifu stage. After he collects them all, he can also hand them over to Luo Qingni to refine them.

With these gains, Zhou Chun was completely satisfied with his trip to the Dolan Grassland.

He no longer planned to wander around the Dolan Grassland. He intended to return to his family in the Great Zhou Kingdom to cultivate for a few years, store the Five Elements Spirit Fruit back in the family, and collect relevant materials.

Then, after Luo Qingni successfully forms her core, she will continue to travel around the Great Zhou Kingdom to collect materials and ask her to refine pills.

The plan was all good, but Zhou Chun and Luo Qingni had only been in the cave at the bottom of the lake for seven days when suddenly, as if an earthquake had struck, the ground shook violently and almost caused the cave they were in to collapse.

"What happened? Did an earth dragon just turn over?"

The violent tremors finally stopped after about a hundred breaths. Luo Qingni raised a blue protective shield and looked at Zhou Chun with a surprised expression, asking a question.

The so-called "earth dragon turning over" is the explanation that cultivators use to describe earthquakes.

In the world of cultivation, earthquakes occur because the earth's energy veins become disordered and unstable.

This statement is not wrong, because if a cultivator uses great supernatural powers to interfere with the earth's veins, they can indeed create local earthquakes.

After listening to Luo Qingni's words, Zhou Chun briefly released his divine sense to sense the situation and said with a solemn expression, "I'm afraid this isn't a normal earth dragon turning over!"

"What is the meaning of Fellow Daoist Zhang's words?"

Luo Qingni looked at Zhou Chun with a puzzled expression, her surprise and doubt deepening.

"A normal earthquake wouldn't just cause a single tremor; it would be a continuous tremor, and there shouldn't be any unexpected signs beforehand!"

Zhou Chun, of course, wouldn't explain earthquake phenomena like aftershocks, P-waves, and S-waves at this time; he simply answered in words that Luo Qingni could understand.

After saying that, he added in a deep voice, "Let's wait and see if there will be any further tremors!"

However, they waited another hour, but no second tremor occurred.

This made Zhou Chun even more certain of his hypothesis.

Luo Qingni couldn't help but ask, "If what Fellow Daoist Zhang said is true, could it be that a battle between powerful cultivators has disturbed the earth's veins?"

Without waiting for Zhou Chun's response, he shook his head and said, "But that's not right. Powerful cultivators usually fight in the sky. When they disturb the earth's veins, it usually happens during attacks on the mountain's protective formation. It can't be that the mountain gate of a large tribe of the 'Multi-Winged Clan' is being attacked!"

"We'll find out what's going on once we go out and see!"

As Zhou Chun spoke, he first released several "Black Armor Golden Feathers" to fly onto the water to check, so as to avoid encountering "Multi-Winged Clan" mages after going out.

After a while, finding no problems, he and Luo Qingni came to the water's surface and, concealing their magical aura, flew into the sky to investigate.

Once they reached high altitude, the two quickly noticed the unusual phenomenon.

But in the far distance, a vast expanse of colorful clouds suddenly appeared in the sky.

"That's...could it be a cloud of auspicious spiritual energy formed by the convergence of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth?"

Zhou Chun stared at the colorful clouds with a face full of surprise and doubt, and couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"It's probably just as you said, Fellow Daoist Zhang. Judging from this momentum, it's either the emergence of some sealed ancient relic, or the opening of some naturally formed treasure land, where spiritual energy leaked out and created this auspicious sign!"

Luo Qingni said with a solemn expression.

After she finished speaking, she looked at Zhou Chun.

Just then, Zhou Chun's gaze also fell upon her.

The two looked at each other and saw the worry in each other's eyes.

Then Luo Qingni spoke first, saying, "It seems Fellow Daoist Zhang and I have the same idea. We can no longer stay here; we should leave quickly!"

"Yes, in either case, this area will soon become a place of trouble, and it's not something we can get involved in!"

Zhou Chun sighed softly, a hint of regret in his voice.

In fact, both he and Luo Qingni knew that whether it was the emergence of ancient relics or the opening of a treasure land, it was a great opportunity and fortune for cultivators.

Unfortunately, this place is in the Dolan Grassland, which is the territory of the alien "Multi-Winged Tribe".

If even they can see this strange phenomenon, it's impossible for the "Multi-Winged Clan" mages not to see it.

However, if any of the great masters who were equivalent to Golden Core cultivators passed by, these Purple Mansion cultivators would not be able to escape.

Therefore, this is not something they can get involved in at all.

Moreover, both of them have already reaped considerable rewards, possessing the Five Elements Spirit Fruit, a supreme treasure for Core Formation, so there is absolutely no need for them to take any more risks.

Having reached this agreement, the two immediately set off together to return to the Great Zhou Kingdom.

However, the fact that Zhou Chun and his companion were able to control their greed and not risk joining the fun despite their considerable gains does not mean that other cultivators on the Dolan Grassland share the same idea.

Just as the earthquake occurred, colorful clouds appeared, and a group of cultivators were already at the scene.

Or perhaps, the colorful clouds were created by these cultivators.

A bald, red-clad man glanced at the colorful clouds overhead with a grim expression, then roared angrily at the group beside him, "Damn bastards, what's going on? Didn't you say the formation could conceal the strange phenomenon? Why is it like this now?!"

Faced with the wrath of such a Golden Core cultivator, the Purple Mansion cultivators were trembling with fear and dared not utter a sound.

The array master being stared at by the bald, red-clad giant muttered to himself, his face ashen, "This shouldn't be happening. My 'Seven Star Spirit Locking Array,' set up by seven Purple Mansion stage cultivators, shouldn't be unable to contain the leaking torrent of spiritual energy. Where exactly did things go wrong...?"

Seeing his expression, the bald, red-clad man became even more enraged, wishing he could slap him to death on the spot.

Fortunately, at this moment, another Golden Core cultivator present spoke up.

"Brother Yuan, please calm down. Now is not the time to hold these juniors accountable. Now that this strange phenomenon has appeared, we can no longer hide it from anyone. Before those 'Multi-Winged Clan' archmages arrive, let's quickly go in and loot the place!"

The person who spoke was a kind-looking old man in blue robes. He had white hair and was leaning on a purple copper cane, looking just like an old sage.

But the bald, red-clad man seemed very wary of the old man. Upon hearing this, he first glared fiercely at the array mage, then forced a smile at the old man in blue and said, "Elder Chen, you are right. Please go ahead, Elder Chen."

"Hehehe, since Brother Yuan is so hospitable, I shall accept it without hesitation."

The old man in green chuckled and immediately leaped into a yellowish-brown vortex gushing with spiritual energy.

Seeing this, the bald, red-clad giant glared fiercely at the Purple Mansion stage cultivators again, then ordered in a deep voice, "You all form an array here and guard this place until we come out!"

After saying that, he jumped into the earthen-yellow vortex.

Only eight cultivators at the Purple Mansion stage remained, looking at each other with expressions of dejection.

"What should we do? What if a few 'Multi-Winged Clan' archmages really come? Are we really going to risk our lives for those two old monsters?"

A cultivator from the Purple Mansion realm said in a low voice, his face full of worry.

Upon hearing this, a black-clad Taoist priest with a goatee rolled his eyes and said, "What else can we do but fight? Do you have a way to remove the 'Heart-Burning Curse' that Old Monster Yuan planted on us?"

This Taoist in black was none other than the mid-stage Purple Mansion cultivator who had recruited Zhou Chun in Tianyuan Immortal City that day!

Upon hearing the black-clad Taoist utter the words "Heart-Burning Curse," the several Purple Mansion stage cultivators present couldn't help but shudder, and no one spoke again.

(End of this chapter)