213: Chapter 213 Mountains and Seas

After arranging all matters, Ye Jing's gaze swept across Lingyun Valley one last time.

Then, his figure transformed into a gentle breeze, leaving the boundaries of Lingyun Valley in an instant.

After leaving the range of the Qinling Mountains, Ye Jing immediately summoned the Crow: "Lead me to the Xuanyou Sect's stronghold!"

During his secluded cultivation, he hadn't forgotten to order the Crow and Spirit Sparrow to scout the surrounding movements, allowing him to learn whether those Sects had already found clues regarding the Minghai Realm.

Over the past year, the Xuanyou Sect had shown no movement, but because they seemed to still lack Sacrificial Vessels, they caused slaughters in the towns of several surrounding small countries. Through the tracking of some Sect Cultivators, it seemed that the Xuanyou Sect's whereabouts were gradually being pinpointed.

That place was located amidst steep mountains near the East Sea.

Such a remote place was already outside the Canggu Realm, so it was no wonder those Sect Cultivators had found no trace for so long.

After learning these clues, Ye Jing immediately bought maps of the East Sea from several nearby markets and sped southward.

This East Sea was extremely far, requiring him to cross several countries and plains over a distance of more than ten thousand miles. Even while riding the speed-enhanced Hei Feng, it took Ye Jing a full ten days of travel to arrive.

The surrounding rocks were jagged and the vegetation was deep. Ye Jing arrived at this place following the map and the Spirit Sparrow's guidance, immediately feeling a sense of dampness in the air.

Riding the Golden Erosion Insect in mid-air, he saw a continuous stretch of mountains with no end in sight; dark clouds hung overhead, and below was a sea of dark green.

Being close to the East Sea and blocked by so many mountains, even when his Divine Sense expanded, it was completely unable to fully probe this mountain sea.

But the Golden Erosion Insect beneath Ye Jing soon let out a hiss, seemingly having discovered something.

With a thought, Ye Jing had the Golden Erosion Insect take him to the place it had found.

Soon, Ye Jing saw many Cultivators camping at the northern entrance of the mountains, with several even flying in mid-air on guard.

Ye Jing thought to himself: "It seems these Sects already know the entrance to the Minghai Realm is here and are all searching for it."

He immediately landed the Golden Erosion Insect in the jungle to avoid being discovered.

Most of the Disciples in the forest were at the Qi Refinement Stage, patrolling the perimeter.

Ye Jing immediately released his Divine Sense to eavesdrop.

These Disciples were grumbling about the terrible weather here.

“Senior Brother Li, how much longer do we have to guard this place? It's so foul here; is there really an entrance to the Minghai Realm?”

“Who knows? These are Revered Master's orders. Besides, there are many Yao Beasts in this valley, so those Foundation Establishment Senior Brothers don't want to alert the enemy.”

“Senior Brother Li, I've looked into it. Only Foundation Establishment Cultivators can enter the Minghai Realm; there's no place for us at all.”

Hearing this, Senior Brother Li also lowered his voice, glanced around, and then snorted coldly: “Do you think the Sect Master and the others really expect us to find the entrance? We're just here to be eyes and cannon fodder!”

“If the Minghai Realm really opens, do you think any benefits will reach us?”

The other Disciple sighed: “But this ghostly place, even the Spiritual Qi is murky. Staying here too long makes my whole body feel uncomfortable; it always feels eerie.”

“I heard it's not just us; the Qingyun Sect, Lingxiao Sect, and several other Sects have all sent people.”

“It's just that the Xuanyou Sect is hiding too deeply; we haven't even caught a glimpse of them yet.”

Senior Brother Li's voice dropped even lower. “I also heard the Elder say privately that the Sacrificial Vessels the Xuanyou Sect was missing are likely about to be fully gathered.”

“Sacrificial Vessels?”

“Don't ask what you shouldn't ask!” Senior Brother Li barked. “In short, behave yourself and don't wander into the depths of the dense forest. A few days ago, two Disciples disappeared without reason, and not even their bones were found. The Sect only said they were killed by Yao Beasts... but who believes that?”

The two Disciples grew more frightened as they spoke and didn't dare say more, only gripping their swords tightly and continuing their patrol in the forest.

Ye Jing's eyes narrowed; it seemed these Sects had not yet found the Xuanyou Sect's trail.

He ordered the Golden Erosion Insect and Poisonous Variant Bee: "Search with all your might for any trace of the Xuanyou Sect people in these mountains! Then lead me there."

The Demon Insects were numerous, and most people from the Xuanyou Sect practiced bloodthirsty methods. To the naturally sensitive Demon Insects, their traces were as glaring as a bright lamp in the dark night.

The two insect queens immediately called forth their palm-sized offspring, which swarmed into the depths of the dense forest in overwhelming numbers.

Ye Jing found a safe spot to sit cross-legged and wait. He restrained all his Spiritual Qi and only released his Divine Sense, focusing solely on the information sent back by the Demon Insects.

After all, there were Golden Core Cultivators among those camping Sects; he couldn't alert the enemy and disturb them.

Within a day, the Golden Erosion Insect ahead suddenly became restless, transmitting back an extremely dangerous warning.

Ye Jing immediately stood up, leaped forward, and hid behind the canopy of a towering ancient tree, pushing aside the dense foliage as he rushed forward.

After traveling for a long time until the sky turned from dark to light, Ye Jing finally saw a part of the mountain forest shrouded in blood-colored miasma deep within the woods.

In the forest stood several Cultivators wearing black robes and ghost-patterned masks, their bodies surrounded by soaring Evil Qi—they were clearly the long-lost Disciples of the Xuanyou Sect!

Each of them had a heavy aura, possessing at least the Foundation Establishment stage cultivation. Their eyes were as sinister as vultures as they scanned their surroundings.

Behind them was a towering stone cave.

From within the cave came waves of hair-raising roars, mixed with the strange sounds of flesh and blood being refined, and an incredibly thick scent of blood.

Even from a distance, it made Ye Jing frown deeply.

“They really are hiding here.”

Ye Jing's heart turned cold. Judging by the positions of the Xuanyou Sect Disciples and the Blood-Evil Aura permeating the valley, this was certainly their secret base for refining Sacrificial Vessels and preparing to open the Minghai Realm.

He called upon the smaller Poisonous Variant Bees to investigate.

As soon as the small bees flew there, they felt a barrier; just getting slightly close caused them to be burned to charcoal.

Seeing this, Ye Jing quickly restrained his Spiritual Qi and hid.

At this moment, Xuan Ming, who was giving orders to his subordinates outside, suddenly felt that the Formation they had set up seemed to have been triggered, and he immediately became alert.

But there was nothing in the dense forest, only a few flying bees and insects.

He narrowed his eyes and immediately used his spiritual power to probe.

But there was no reaction, which made him very uneasy. One must know that when this protective Formation appeared, most surrounding Yao Beasts would flee and not dare to approach.

Now that a few Demon Insects had actually appeared, he had to be on guard.

“Xuan Ming, what's wrong?” Kumu asked, stepping forward while leaning on a staff.

“Just now, there was an imperceptible ripple in the mountain-protecting array,” Xuan Ming said coldly. “It was just a hint of an aura, more like some blind insects... but we can't be careless.”

Seeing this, Kumu ordered the surrounding subordinates: “The Sacrificial Vessel, the Realm Key, has reached its final stage, and the Heart Soul Pill is about to reach Major Achievement. Not a single mistake can be made. Pass down the order: everyone on full alert. Any intruders, whether human, beast, or Demon Insect, are to be killed on sight, and their souls extracted and cast into the Blood Pool!”

“Yes!”

The Disciples responded in unison, their Evil Qi growing even stronger. They all brought out their respective Demonic Weapons, guarding the stone cave so tightly that not even water could trickle through.

Deep within the tree canopy, Ye Jing held his breath. Beside him, Hei Feng's single horn emitted light waves that concealed their presence.

That single probe just now had already allowed him to understand how strict the opponent's security was.