vstars Chapter 151: Entering the Black Wind Mountains
Chapter 151: Entering the Black Wind Mountains
Yang Jiuli's goal in entering Black Wind City was to obtain the "Yin Sha Xuan Ling Fruit" and refine the "Xuan Sha Zhuang Hun Pill".
He naturally wouldn't tolerate any mistakes.
At that moment, he called Xiaobing back.
Yang Jiuli sat upright on the jade chair in the cave, sipping spiritual tea, tapping the table with his right fingertips as he pondered a solution.
After a moment of contemplation, he had already made up his mind.
First: Take direct action and seize the 'Yin Sha Xuan Ling Fruit'.
It might alert the owner behind those two green-striped black centipedes.
Thus, a major battle is inevitable, and he will most likely expose his identity.
Second: When the master behind the green-patterned black centipede makes his move, launch a sneak attack and kill him in one fell swoop.
This could potentially destroy the 'Yin Sha Xuan Ling Fruit'.
hum!
Just then, the array in Yang Jiuli's courtyard trembled.
The sound was transmitted into the cave through the cave's sound transmission barrier and was heard by Yang Jiuli.
"Someone..." Yang Jiuli moved his hand, and the array plate of the No. 9 Earth-type courtyard appeared.
He released a wisp of his divine consciousness and let it sink into it.
"It's Master Li Dan!" Through the array plate, Yang Jiuli spotted Li Yourong outside the courtyard at a glance.
Today, Li Yourong was wearing a set of gleaming silver armor, which perfectly showcased her voluptuous and exquisite figure.
Her features were exquisite, yet her eyes held a sharp edge; clad in armor, she appeared heroic and spirited.
This is a second-tier spirit armor, but she is rarely seen wearing it.
"Wearing second-tier spirit armor... Could something big have happened?" Yang Jiuli's gaze sharpened, and he immediately got up and walked out of the cave.
He arrived at the courtyard gate.
With a flick of his hand, the array's restrictions were released, and he personally stepped out to greet him.
"Fellow Daoist Yang, I apologize for disturbing you!" Li Yourong blinked her beautiful eyes, cupped her hands towards Yang Jiuli, and smiled lightly.
"Fellow Daoist Li, please come in!" Yang Jiuli welcomed Li Yourong into the courtyard.
Li Yourong was welcomed into the living room of the separate courtyard.
The two sat side by side.
Yang Jiuli brewed tea for him.
"Fellow Daoist Li, with your attire like this, could it be that something has happened?" Yang Jiuli gently pushed the teacup onto the table in front of Li Yourong.
"Yesterday, some rogue cultivators robbed and plundered outside my Black Wind City..." Li Yourong said. "I'm afraid there will be some turmoil soon."
"I've come specifically to inform you, do not leave Blackwind City!" she said earnestly.
"A cultivator has come to cause trouble!" Upon hearing this, Yang Jiuli's gaze sharpened, and his thoughts turned to the two black centipedes that had appeared in the Blackwater Cave.
"Could there be some connection between the two?" Yang Jiuli wondered to himself.
As he pondered, he glanced at Li Yourong.
If a treacherous cultivator were to attack, Li Yourong wouldn't need to be so alarmed.
"There must be something else going on!" Yang Jiuli thought to himself.
"I wonder how strong that Tribulation Cultivator is?" Yang Jiuli poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and asked.
"Most of them are in the late stage of Qi Refining!" Li Yourong said.
"A mere clown in the late stage of Qi Refining. With the Li family's resources, what is there to fear?" Yang Jiuli laughed.
He glanced at Li Yourong furtively, trying to gauge her reaction and determine if there was anything else going on.
Li Yourong glanced at Yang Jiuli, her brows furrowing slightly, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
Immediately, she took a deep breath, her voice rising and falling slightly, and said, "One of the Black Wind mines operated by my Li family has also been attacked by bandits, resulting in considerable casualties. I will be going to provide support soon. If anything changes, I fear that Black Wind City will also be attacked."
"You'll have to take good care of yourself then."
This was originally a secret of the Li family and should not be revealed to outsiders.
However, Li Yourong did not want Yang Jiuli to be implicated, so after much deliberation, she still revealed it.
"Black Wind Mine!" Upon hearing this, Yang Jiuli suddenly realized.
The mine was attacked.
Harassment outside the city.
This was likely intended to distract the Li family.
"Did the raiders who attacked the mine have Foundation Establishment stage?" Yang Jiuli paused slightly before asking.
"We don't know yet!" Li Yourong said, "but this time the other side is clearly well-prepared."
"They came prepared..." Yang Jiuli understood.
"That means he's most likely at the Foundation Establishment stage," he thought to himself.
"Are you accompanied by Foundation Establishment cultivators on your mission to provide assistance?" Yang Jiuli asked.
"I can't leave my family where I'm at the Foundation Establishment stage, and my clansmen in the immortal sects can't interfere in worldly affairs either. There's no one I can rely on," Li Yourong said.
She was also feeling lost and confused.
If there is no foundation.
This trip to the mine was likely fraught with peril, with a slim chance of survival.
Yang Jiuli also knew that the last battle at Yunmeng Lake had damaged the foundation of the Li family, and that the family was now weak and ineffective due to the decline of its talent pool.
Otherwise, why would the Li family have sent Li Yourong, an alchemist, to provide support?
"Without Foundation Establishment cultivators accompanying us, this journey will be fraught with peril, Fellow Daoist Li. Please reconsider," Yang Jiuli said solemnly.
"There are many members of the Li family in the mine, so I have no choice but to go!" Li Yourong said, feeling helpless.
Who is not afraid of death?
She was afraid too.
She is about to complete her foundation.
He is still a top-tier first-class alchemist.
Once one reaches the Foundation Establishment stage or becomes a second-tier alchemist, one will be considered a notable figure among the prominent families of Chu.
His future is very promising.
However, as a scion of a prominent family, he was ultimately bound by many constraints.
"In that case, let Jiuli accompany Master Li!" Yang Jiuli stood up, bowed to Li Yourong, and said.
"You're going?" Upon hearing this, Li Yourong was startled and looked at Yang Jiuli with a look of astonishment.
"The enemy's attack must have been planned for a long time and they have something to rely on. I don't want to see you perish in the mountains," Yang Jiuli said.
"I don't want to see you perish in the mountains." Yang Jiuli's words kept echoing in Li Yourong's mind.
Her mind went blank, and she just stared blankly at Yang Jiuli, remaining silent for a long time.
The air in the living room seemed to freeze.
It was so quiet you could hear the wind.
For some reason, Li Yourong felt her blood boiling, and her ears turned slightly red.
Her heart was pounding rapidly.
"What does he mean by this?" Li Yourong wondered to herself, her beautiful eyes blinking as she glanced at Yang Jiuli out of the corner of her eye.
She even had a shy, girl-next-door charm.
Like someone experiencing the first stirrings of love.
Seeing Li Yourong's posture, Yang Jiuli took a few more glances at her.
He felt that the woman in front of him was rather cute and different from ordinary people.
His eyes were clear and bright, and he still had a kind heart.
Seemingly sensing Yang Jiuli's gaze, Li Yourong's heart was thrown into turmoil, and she withdrew her jade hand that was holding the teacup and then put it back.
"What's going on?" Li Yourong murmured to herself.
After two breaths, she calmed her thoughts and looked at Yang Jiuli. She parted her lips slightly and said quite seriously, "If you go, you will also face a nine-out-of-ten chance of death." She stared at Yang Jiuli without blinking, as if trying to see through his thoughts.
I want to confirm something.
The woman's voice was gentle and melodious, like a clear mountain spring, making people feel relaxed and refreshed, as if bathed in a spring breeze.
"People in this world are greedy for life, and so am I..." Yang Jiuli said. "But you taught me alchemy, and you are like a teacher and a friend to me. How can I sit idly by and watch you take risks? Since the matter is already set in stone and cannot be changed, I will accompany you and may be able to help you in some way."
"That's better than regretting it later!" he said, his words filled with emotion, sincere and moving.
Li Yourong was also quite moved by what she heard.
But she felt that something was missing in her heart.
"Just like a teacher and a friend?" Li Yourong murmured to herself.
She pursed her lips, looked at Yang Jiuli, and her eyes held a hint of resentment.
The two locked eyes.
Yang Jiuli's gaze was clear, and he did not look away, but looked directly at Li Yourong.
Li Yourong looked at Yang Jiuli.
The atmosphere in the living room suddenly became somewhat strange.
Soon, the resentment in Li Yourong's eyes disappeared.
With a radiant smile, she stood up, looked at Yang Jiuli, and asked, "Are you really going with me?"
"He's already willing to risk his life for me, so why should I care about his intentions?" Li Yourong thought to herself.
She was overjoyed.
She secretly kept this joy to herself.
In this world, how many people would be willing to risk their lives for others?
"Of course!" Yang Jiuli replied.
"But I've heard that you're not good at magical combat!" Li Yourong smiled sweetly.
"Over the years, I have studied the art of talismans and have drawn quite a few 'miasma talismans' that can save my life," Yang Jiuli said with a smile.
"In that case, I will trouble Master Yang to protect me!" Li Yourong bowed to Yang Jiuli and smiled brightly.
"Of course!" Yang Jiuli returned the greeting.
"Now that we've entered Black Wind Mountain, this is a perfect opportunity to find out the strength of those people!" Yang Jiuli thought to himself.
"If I have the chance, I will harvest the 'Yin Sha Xuan Ling Fruit'."
Traveling with Li Yourong was the perfect excuse for Yang Jiuli to head to the Black Wind Mountains.
"Alright, get ready, we'll set off in half an hour!" Li Yourong said.
"No need for preparation!" Yang Jiuli summoned Xiao Bing with his palm, and Xiao Bing transformed into a streak of light and flew from the cave, landing on his shoulder.
The little creature shrank to about a foot in length, its body emanating a chilling aura, crystal clear and quite adorable.
Seeing this, Li Yourong smiled slightly and reached out to pat the little guy's head.
Xiao Bing remained still, only squinting her eyes and looking at Li Yourong with an adorable expression.
"What a charming little fellow!" Li Yourong smiled sweetly.
Afterwards, she and Yang Jiuli set off.
Blackwind City, the western gate leading to the Blackwind Mountains.
The members of the Li clan have already lined up.
There are seven people in total.
Among them, there are five people at the seventh level of Qi Refining and two people at the eighth level of Qi Refining.
Including Yang Jiuli and Li Yourong, there are nine cultivators at the late stage of Qi Refining.
"Only two Qi Refining Level 8 cultivators; it seems the situation at the Black Wind Mine is extremely dire," Yang Jiuli thought to himself as he observed the seven people.
A cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Refining would be utterly powerless against a cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refining, and going to their aid would likely result in certain death.
But Li still sent someone over!
The situation is clearly difficult.
Similarly, if the Li clan of the Blackwind Mine is wiped out, Blackwind City will also be affected.
Therefore, although Li Yourong was worried, she still agreed to go with Yang Jiuli.
She also longed to experience a carefree and exhilarating journey with her soulmate.
"Master Yang..." When Yang Jiuli arrived, the Li family's late-stage Qi Refining cultivators were all filled with surprise.
"Let's go!" Li Yourong didn't say much. With a flick of her hand, she summoned a warship belonging to the Li family.
The warship is a second-tier spiritual artifact.
Crafted from black gold wood.
A black eagle is carved on the bow of the ship.
This is a second-tier spiritual artifact that the Li family seized after defeating Yan Wuchang.
As soon as she finished speaking, Li Yourong and Yang Jiuli jumped onto the warship together.
The other seven Li family members, who were at the late stage of Qi Refining, followed and flew into the warship.
The warship started up, stirred by a mysterious wind and evil energy, and flew into the sky, passing through the protective light shield of the city wall and heading towards the mountains outside the city.
To the west of the Chu Kingdom lies the vast Million Mountain Range.
Blackwind Mountain Range is just one of them, considered a peripheral area.
The mine controlled by the Li family is located 80 miles behind the Black Wind Thirty-Six Caves, and only 120 miles from Black Wind City.
This distance is not far for a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Even so, Elder Li Jun dared not leave Black Wind City easily, fearing that he would fall into a trap and have the city taken away.
Furthermore, if they were to leave the Black Wind City formation, even Elder Li Jun, with his mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation, would be at risk of being ambushed and killed.
He didn't dare to take the risk.