Chapter 133: Beast Tide Strikes

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“You will understand in time.”

Lan Chang'an gave no explanation and led him to the Little Pill Peak.

Ye Fei watched the serene and tranquil figure in white, suppressing the curiosity in his heart. He had a hunch that the reason why this rumored elderly Foundation Establishment cultivator chose himself should have some deep meaning.

Little Pill Peak was the highest main peak of Wuqi Mountain, majestic and beautiful, with clouds and mist swirling around the summit, creating a magnificent spectacle.

Ye Fei set aside his usual lazy demeanor and carefully observed every plant and tree on the mountain.

His eyebrows relaxed as he took a deep breath of the cool mountain air, a slight smile playing on his lips.

“Not a bad environment.”

The previous owner of Little Pill Peak was a second-rank superior-grade alchemist, and the preserved garden architecture and layout suited his needs.

Ye Fei immediately paid a deposit of spirit stones and signed a temporary lease. A formal lease would need to wait until Shi Manrong returned to sign it before witnesses from Jin Yun Valley.

At the mountaintop, the two chatted for a while. Lan Chang'an got a better understanding of Ye Fei's situation.

Ye Fei was several decades younger than Lan Chang'an and had an outstanding talent for pharmacology since childhood. His parents were late-stage Qi-Refining loose cultivators, giving him a decent background.

After avenging his parents, Ye Fei had wandered through various marketplaces and immortal cities for decades, primarily working in pharmacies and accepting commissions from merchant associations.

In recent years, he had saved up a small fortune and wanted to find a stable and independent cultivation site. Wuqi Mountain was a good choice, with a good location and an acceptable co-rental price, and offered opportunities to earn spirit stones.

As a herbalist, Ye Fei could also refine pills, only his attainments were not as specialized as those of alchemists of the same rank. However, he excelled in treating illnesses, healing injuries, and detoxifying poisons. His abilities were quite comprehensive.

“Fellow Daoist Ye, do you know the artifact refiner ‘Kong Mao’ who competed with you earlier?” Lan Chang'an thought of the black-bearded old man who had hidden his cultivation.

“Fellow Daoist Kong Mao? I only have a passing acquaintance with him and don't know much.”

“Fellow Daoist Kong originally hailed from a marketplace within the sphere of Liuyun Sect's influence in the northern part of Liang Kingdom. Over a decade ago, the marketplace where Fellow Daoist Kong was based was attacked by rogue cultivators and fell apart. having lost his home, he came to Huanglong Immortal City, where he has been a low-profile and unassuming character for years.”

“I see.”

Lan Chang'an nodded, not delving further.

Previously, he had basic information that Kong Mao came from the vicinity of Huanglong Immortal City. It turns out he originally came from a marketplace north of the Black Fog Mountain Range.

“Fellow Daoist Lan, I must return home to pack and purchase some resources.” Ye Fei stayed for half an hour before getting up to leave.ViiSiit novelbi/n(.)c/(o)m for latest novels

...

Lan Chang'an returned to Little Turtle Peak and fell into thought.

“Kong Mao’s background can be traced, and there are no obvious flaws. But this person appears to be in the early Foundation Establishment stage, while his real cultivation is in the late Foundation Establishment stage.”

The ultra-thin mask Kong Mao wore was a disguising treasure, it was likely that his identity had been replaced by someone else.

Previously, Lan Chang'an’s mind merged with the Nine Seal Stele’s second life, amplifying his divine sense to match that of a Core Formation Immortal, thus detecting the anomaly. At the time, he didn’t try to break the mask treasure, as it would alert the other party.

In any case, “Kong Mao” coming to Wuqi Mountain to compete for the peak master position definitely had ulterior motives. Although he didn’t become the peak master, he still managed to gather information.

For Lan Chang'an, as long as the other party didn’t successfully infiltrate, there was no real threat.

Little Turtle Peak had double protective mountain formations. Lan Chang'an, in the mid-stage Foundation Establishment, was a senior second-rank talisman master and had a mid second-rank spirit pet.

Even with just his visible means, he wasn’t afraid of a late Foundation Establishment cultivator and even had a chance of winning.

Precautions were still necessary.

Lan Chang'an planned to raise the strength of Little Turtle Peak and his cave’s formations, which would increase the consumption of spirit stones accordingly.

He also instructed Guan Qiaozhi not to leave Wuqi Mountain unless necessary and to have the loose cultivators who are dependent on the main peak handle any matters.

...

A month later.

Shi Manrong returned to Wuqi Mountain to help the officially settled Ye Fei set up protective mountain formations.

Lan Chang'an noticed an increase in cultivators coming to buy talismans. Even first-rank puppets became bestsellers. Ye Fei’s Little Pill Peak, newly established, also saw good business.

“Qiaozhi, starting tomorrow, raise the prices of all talismans and puppets by twenty to thirty percent.” Lan Chang'an handed a jade slip to Guan Qiaozhi.

In this special period, increasing supply wouldn’t attract attention. The signs of the beast tide had appeared several years ago. It was not uncommon for far-sighted craftsmen to stock up on "war supplies" in advance. Lan Chang'an's price increase was relatively reasonable.

Although he didn’t fight on the front lines, he provided war supplies from the rear, which was also considered a contribution to the human civilization.

...

Two more months passed.

News from the front lines indicated that the beast tide’s scale was unprecedented, with a marketplace and two Foundation Establishment cultivation families being overrun by the tide.

The market prices for talismans, pills, magical weapons, and other items continued to rise.

Lan Chang'an’s stock of first-rank mid and low-grade talismans was rapidly depleting. Fortunately, he had ample stock. He had previously purchased a lot of talisman materials in Huanglong Immortal City. However, at this rate, the talisman materials wouldn’t last long.

Lan Chang'an wasn’t worried.

He believed that it wouldn't be long before a large amount of materials would circulate from the frontline. Moreover, Wuqi Mountain’s location made it convenient to procure materials from frontline bases like Huanglong Immortal City.

One day, Outside the cave mansion, Guan Qiaozhi screamed in alarm, looking frightened.

In the sky above Wuqi Mountain, demonic winds swept.

Shadows of several demonic birds circled in the clouds, eyeing the spiritual vein below.

The leading black demonic bird, with a wingspan of five or six zhang, was an early second-rank demonic bird, while the other three were late first-rank.

“Do not panic. These are just normal strays. Demonic birds can more easily bypass the front lines and enter the Liang Kingdom.”

Lan Chang'an restrained his magical aura, instructing the Earth Burrowing Rat to stay hidden.

Three months into the beast tide, only now did they start seeing demonic beasts in these rear spiritual vein areas.

...

With demonic birds attacking, the nearby Little Pill Peak and Xiao Pan Peak activated their defensive formations.

Lan Chang'an intended to collect some talisman materials and didn’t fully activate his formation. The killing and defense formations on Little Turtle Peak were only partially activated.

Suddenly, the demonic wind intensified, and a sharp screech approached from afar.

The leading second-rank black demonic bird’s sharp gaze fixated on the Profound Water Turtle by the lotus pond.

Four demonic birds swooped toward Little Turtle Peak.

The Profound Water Turtle trembled, looking pitifully at Lan Chang'an at the cave entrance, who ordered it to stay put.

Splash!

The Profound Water Turtle sank into the water, leaving only its massive shell exposed.

The leading second-rank black bird swooped down on the mountaintop, its body abruptly halting with a wary look.

Whoosh!

Massive waves of water condensed around the mountaintop, while an illusory blue moon floated in the sky.

Centered on the illusory blue moon, a dark blue water curtain enveloped the mountaintop and the cave, isolating it from the outside.

This was the “Illusory Moon Water Killing Formation,” a second-rank mid-grade illusionary killing formation set up by Shi Manrong on Little Turtle Peak.

Swoosh~

Within the formation, a blue ripple tinged with black light, like a twisted net, swept over the demonic birds.

The three late first-rank demonic birds froze in midair, their bloody corpses plummeting down.

(End of chapter)