Chapter 392

For example, the storage bags are made using the Swallow Mountain Toads, which belong to the class of spiritual beasts. However, their ranks are mostly low and they multiply quickly.

They are even fed and kept by Spirit Sects and prestigious families.

This ensures a sufficient supply of storage bags.

In Zheng Country, in front of the Black Cloud Swamp, numerous prodigies from Spirit Sects and prestigious families have congregated, each occupying a strategic position, waiting to enter the Blue Sky Serpent Tomb.

Every martial artist who can come here is a prodigy under the age of thirty.

Aside from a handful of teenagers, the weakest among the rest are all in the early stage of the Little Heavenly Man.

Breaking through to the Martial Arts Heavenly Man’s Spiritual Gathering state before the age of thirty makes one a prodigy in the Ling Domain. Unless something unexpected occurs, such individuals are all Great Heavenly Man martial artists in the future.

However, not all prodigies can achieve the status of a Refining God Heavenly Man.

The Black Cloud Swamp is densely covered in tiny black poisonous grass. As the wind rustles across it, the grass sways like drifting black clouds. The entire swamp is shrouded in black mist, and one can barely make out a large mountain standing in the center of the swamp.

That’s the Black Rock Mountain, made up entirely of black rock containing intense poison.

It is rumored to have turned black from being permeated by toxic miasma over many years.

The Blue Sky Serpent Tomb lies within the Black Rock Mountain.

The toxic miasma of the Black Cloud Swamp is pervasive. Even for the Great Heavenly Man martial artist, staying for long periods of time is not feasible. The miasma corrodes the powers of martial artists so every second inside is a drain on their energy.

The miasma is starting to thin out. According to records, the poisonous miasma of the Black Cloud Swamp disappears and reappears over a cycle of ten days each year.

These ten days present an opportunity to enter the Blue Sky Serpent Tomb.

Ever since the discovery of the Blue Sky Serpent Tomb, many have speculated that the formation of the Black Cloud Swamp was due to the manipulation left by the Blue Sky Serpent.

According to records, the Blue Sky Serpent possesses immense strength and, inside its body, carries a venom sac. This powerful venom technique it has cultivated could even poison a Refining God Heavenly Man to death!

It is indeed terrifying!

Several figures drop from the sky, landing somewhere in Black Cloud Swamp. This spot is elevated ground, closer to the Black Cloud Swamp, and the poisonous miasma does not reach here.

It’s a strategically advantageous location.

“That’s the people from the Dai Family.”

Upon seeing the figures, some martial artists whispered amongst themselves.

“The Dai Family is going to rise to prominence. They might have the opportunity to become one of the top families in Yuzhou.”

Someone exclaimed with a sigh.

The Dai Family, among the second-tier noble families in Yuzhou, had a prodigy in this generation, Dai Yingying, who also had ties with the royal family of Zheng Country.

This meant that the Dai Family had a glimmer of hope to align with the Transcendent Spirit Sect.

The Zheng Royal Family, due to their duty to guard the Gate of Lingyu, directly followed orders from several Transcendent Spirit Sects. Even though their power in Yuzhou wasn’t the strongest, none dare to offend them.

Many second and third-tier noble houses and Spirit Sects wanted to marry into the Zheng Royal Family, but the royal family had high standards and wouldn’t easily form marital alliances with other forces.

Dai Yingying was born with a precious body that caused countless prodigies to envy her. The Zheng Royal Family also favored her, so the Dai Family successfully formed a marital alliance with them.

“Why hasn’t Yingying arrived yet?”

Dai Jun looked around and asked with a frown.

“Our young miss said she was going to the lower echelons of the Inner Domain to capture some people to scout the path.”

A servant next to him replied.

“The martial artists in the lower echelons have poor strength. What use is capturing them?”

Dai Jun shook his head.

“Has that guy who vowed to kill Yingying been found yet?”

“His trail has been found, and he is currently being hunted down. He won’t live much longer.”

Upon hearing this, Dai Jun nodded.

His gaze swept over the Black Cloud Swamp. Through the pervasive miasma, he could faintly see the high mountain.

In front of the Black Cloud Swamp, there was a huge rock at a location closest to the swamp, yet untouched by the miasma. This was one of the best positions along the border of the swamp.

None of the Spirit Sects and noble families present occupied this rock, as if conceding it belonged to a certain force.

In the Ling Domain, hierarchy is rigid. Whenever there’s a grand event, if it’s known that a top-tier Spirit Sect or noble family is participating, lower- ranking forces will tacitly leave the positions appropriate to the upper-ranked attendees vacant.

None would dare to occupy such spots just because they arrived early.

Otherwise, they would inevitably invite trouble. This has become an unwritten rule in the Ling Domain.

This is why this huge rock, despite its prime location and flat surface, was not occupied by any other force.

Having learned about the Blue Sky Serpent Tomb from Dai Yingying, Xu Yan immediately decided to participate in exploring it, as it was a treasure spot he couldn’t afford to miss.

If all went well, he could quickly accumulate enough reosurces to break through to the Divine Intent state.

The Ling Domain really is wealthy!”

After checking Dai Yingying’s storage bag, Xu Yan couldn’t help but sigh.

The lowest grade spiritual medicine inside was six-class, with several four- class ones.

As for the bottles and jars filled with medicine made from spiritual medicine, they seemed like a prodigious waste in Xu Yan’s eyes, even though the spiritual medicines used were of a high grade.

However, their effects were far inferior to the elixir pills he carried with him.

It seemed like the Ling Domain also had something similar to Spirit Tickets, but they weren’t issued by a single establishment, but by several. Xu Yan found three different kinds of Spirit Tickets in Dai Yingying’s storage bag.

There weren’t many Spirit Tickets; they were vastly outnumbered by the Spirit Crystals.

“The Spirit Crystals from Ling Domain are significantly better than those from the Inner Domain. The amount of Spiritual Energy they contain is much higher.”

Xu Yan clicked his tongue repeatedly in admiration.

Just one of these Spirit Crystals was equivalent to the Spiritual Energy contained in five or six of the Inner Domain’s Spirit Crystals.

“Carrying tens of thousands of Spirit Crystals on her person, she truly was a little rich girl. Too bad that she chose a path leading straight to her death. If she had been as generous as Miss Du, she might not have died.”

Xu Yan shook his head.

“Up ahead is the Black Cloud Swamp.”

From afar, he could see a large black expanse ahead, which must be the Black Cloud Swamp – the location of the Green Sky Flood Dragon’s tomb that Dai Yingying had spoken of.

“These poisonous miasmas are quite formidable.”

Upon arriving at the Black Cloud Swamp, Xu Yan couldn’t help but click his tongue. Even with his current strength, spending a day and night inside would deplete more than half of his True Yuan energy.

No wonder martial artists from the Ling Domain were all waiting for the miasma to dissipate before entering the Green Sky Flood Dragon’s tomb.

Xu Yan looked around. With the exception of a few young men and women, everyone else was nearly thirty years old and the weakest among them were at the initial stage of Minor Heavenly Man.

The strongest among them was a young man wearing a blue robe, in the late stage of the Minor Heavenly Man realm.

He was alone, occupying a prime spot.

Upon seeing the unoccupied giant rock, Xu Yan immediately settled on it.

This was the spot he wanted.

As for the rules, Xu Yan wasn’t aware of any.

His understanding of the Ling Domain was limited, Dai Yingying had provided some introduction, but it was too brief.

Moreover, she wouldn’t have shared everything with him.

As soon as Xu Yan arrived, it caught the attention of the on-site martial artists. Seeing that he had occupied the giant rock, they were all taken aback.

“Is he an extraordinary talent from a top Spirit Sect or a noble family?”

“Looking at his attire, I don’t recall seeing such a noble family or Spirit Sect in Yuzhou.”

“Could he be a lone cultivator?”

“Nonsense, would a lone cultivator dare to occupy that spot?”

The assembled martial artists couldn’t help but voice their doubts.

The noble families and Spirit Sects in the world of the Spiritual Realm Martial Arts each have their own clothing symbols, making it easy to identify where they come from.

To the various forces in Yuzhou, the clothing symbols of each other are well- known.

However, Xu Yan, despite his decent attire, wore no symbols of any Spirit Sect or noble family suggesting that he was a lone cultivator.

At such a grand event, no promising talent from any force would fail to wear the garments of their own sect.

There had been incidents of lone cultivators pretending to be members of noble houses or Spirit Sects, but those lone cultivators had been reduced to ashes. There were very few in Yuzhou who dared to impost as a member of a noble family or Spirit Sect.

“Perhaps he is from a force outside of Yuzhou?”

Some martial artists voiced their suspicions.

“It doesn’t seem like it, he doesn’t have any symbols of a noble family or Spirit Sect on him; he really does look like a lone cultivator.”

“Is there a possibility that he just didn’t wear his own family’s clothing?”

“Such a grand event, with many gathered households. Who wouldn’t wear their family’s clothing? First, it can intimidate smaller forces. Second, even if they were to die, others would know who they belonged to, allowing the strong ones from their forces to take revenge…”

The other martial artists agreed upon hearing this.

So, was this guy really a lone cultivator?

Since when did Zheng Country produce such a brazen loner?

For a moment, all the promising talents from the major forces showed their schadenfreude.

The piece of boulder was assumed to be the Shen Family’s spot, one of Yuzhou’s top families.

A lone cultivator daring to occupy the spot of a top-tier family? They must be tired of living.

Moreover, this youngster’s strength seems to be only at the Great Grandmaster stage?

With such cultivation, daring to participate in the exploration of the Green Sky Flood Dragon’s tomb was equivalent to seeking death, wasn’t it?