58: Chapter 58 Hidden Storms Lurk, Departure Imminent, Mushroom's Mutation

The earth vein spirit mushroom had taken root at the edge of the Floating Landmass.

Nourished by the Chaos star Qi, the stone patterns on its thick cap became increasingly clear, emitting a richer Earth-element Spiritual Qi and the pulse of the earth.

Ye Qing observed it daily and discovered that this spirit mushroom could not only stabilize the earth Qi, but its mycelium also seemed to resonate subtly with the Chaos energy in the space soil, slowly improving the "Earth-element" Foundation of the area at the edge of the Floating Landmass.

"It seems it is not just a material for forming arrays; if cultivated properly, it could become a natural medium for optimizing the Five Elements balance within the space."

He noted this discovery and continued his daily cultivation and research.

His Foundation Establishment Mid Stage cultivation grew deeper, and the framework of the Hunxu Yandao Scripture slowly matured through countless deductions.

The optimization of the Lesser Heavenly Cycle Five Elements Earth Vein Array also gained new inspiration due to the spirit mushroom.

The atmosphere within Liuyun City, however, grew tenser by the day.

The City Guard Army doubled their patrol frequency, and inspections for entering and leaving the city became increasingly strict.

Rumors spread throughout the streets.

"Have you heard? Sky Wolf Fort suffered a defeat the day before yesterday; an outpost was uprooted by the Yao Race, and two Foundation Establishment Seniors died!"

"That's not all! It is said that the Yao Race army has advanced to the 'Black Wind Mountain Range' line, only a thousand miles away from our Liuyun City!"

"The City Lord's Mansion has already ordered all Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the city to register, ready to be incorporated into the city defense sequence at any time. Those at the Late Stage of Qi Refining and above must also participate in patrols and material transportation."

"The Contribution Hall has released a large number of emergency missions with frighteningly generous rewards, but they are all life-risking jobs: scouting enemy intelligence, sniping Yao Race squads, escorting important supplies…"

"The prices of Medicinal Pills, Talismans, and Magical Artifacts are skyrocketing, especially those for healing and recovery; it's hard to buy them even with Spirit Stones."

"Places like Wanbao Tower and Tiangong Workshop are lit up day and night, and their Formation light curtains have never been extinguished; who knows what big moves they are making."

Ye Qing walked down the street, his ears filled with various rumors of indistinguishable truth, his brows slightly furrowed.

The situation was deteriorating faster than he had anticipated.

He arrived at the Contribution Hall, where the missions on the giant jade wall were scrolling at a dizzying speed.

Hunting second-rank Yao Race scouts, destroying temporary Yao Race strongholds, escorting Alchemists to the front line, collecting specific Yao Beast Materials... The rewards were often thousands of Spirit Stones or high contribution points, but the danger was also extremely high.

He did not accept any missions, only observing silently.

The mission issuers were mostly forces like the City Lord's Mansion, Sky Wolf Fort, and the Profound Sword Sect, and the target areas had extended from the border to hundreds of miles outside Liuyun City.

The frequency and scale of Yao Race activities were clearly rising sharply.

"This place is no longer suitable for a long stay."

Ye Qing had made a decision in his heart.

He had always been prudent and would not stand under a dangerous wall. Although Liuyun City was prosperous and safe, once it became a front-line fortress, it would inevitably bear the brunt. When the Golden Core battle arrives, Foundation Establishment Cultivators would be like ants; with his level of cultivation, surviving in such a level of conflict would be considered lucky.

Moreover, he had many secrets—the space, the Void Dao Seed, his self-created Cultivation Technique; if any of these were leaked, it would bring about a calamity. Under high-pressure control and frequent conscription, the risk of exposure increased significantly.

It was time to leave.

However, before leaving, some preparations were needed.

He returned to Baicao Hall and found Shopkeeper Zhou Ming.

"Shopkeeper Zhou, Ye might be going on a long journey soon, and the return date is uncertain. I'm afraid the contract with your shop will need to be suspended."

Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Zhou Ming's smile faltered slightly, then turned into understanding and regret: "Given the situation, I understand. Take care, Fellow Daoist. If you return to Liuyun in the future, be sure to look for me. This is the settlement for this month's Medicinal Pills, as well as a small token of my sincerity. I wish you a safe journey."

He readily settled the Spirit Stones, paid an extra amount, and handed over a Storage Pouch, which contained some local spirit tea and snacks from Liuyun City, as well as the latest map marked with safe routes and dangerous areas in the surroundings.

"Many thanks." Ye Qing accepted it and bowed in farewell.

After leaving Baicao Hall, he visited a few familiar shops, selling some of the accumulated Medicinal Pills, Talismans, and Materials in his hands in exchange for a large number of Spirit Stones and high-tier resources that were easy to carry.

At the same time, he purchased several sets of simple Magical Artifacts that could change appearance and aura, a few high-quality defensive inner armors, and a large batch of blank Jade Slips, Talisman paper, spirit ink, and other consumables.

Returning to his Immortal Cave, he began to organize.

All important items were stored in his internal space.

On the Floating Landmass, rare spirit plants like the moonlight star seed, jade marrow ganoderma, soul soothing flower, and earth vein spirit mushroom were growing vigorously and naturally could not be abandoned.

On the black soil, he harvested the ordinary spirit plants that could be harvested, saved seeds for those that could, and left the rest to grow.

The refined Medicinal Pills, Talismans, and Formation Plates were stored in categories.

Spirit Stones, Materials, and Jade Slips were all organized properly.

What was left in the Immortal Cave were just some unimportant furniture and decorations, as well as unused ordinary cultivation supplies.

He finally checked the Formation base and deduction manuscripts of the "Lesser Heavenly Cycle Five Elements Earth Vein Array" one last time to ensure that no content that could expose his true strength or the secrets of his Legacy was left behind.

Then, he sat cross-legged and sank his consciousness into the space.

It was time to try the new use of that earth vein spirit mushroom.

He carefully removed the best-growing earth vein spirit mushroom from the edge of the Floating Landmass.

The spirit mushroom felt heavy in his hand, its Earth-element Spiritual Qi so rich it was almost inseparable, and Chaos starlight faintly flowed between the mycelia.

Ye Qing placed it in front of him, formed hand seals with both hands, and his thick Foundation Establishment Mid Stage magic power slowly surged out, wrapping around the spirit mushroom.

At the same time, the "Void Dao Seed" deep in his Divine Soul fluctuated slightly, and a trace of insight regarding "stability," "bearing," and "earth vein connection" merged into his magic power.

Using his magic power as a carving knife and his Divine Sense as a guide, he began to "refine" the earth vein spirit mushroom.

It was not ordinary Alchemy or Artifact Refining, but a unique method of "imprinting" his understanding of Formations, earth veins, and space, as well as a hint of Void stability, into the natural vein structure inside the spirit mushroom.

The spirit mushroom trembled slightly, and the stone patterns on its surface lit up with earth-yellow brilliance, slowly merging with Ye Qing's magic power, Divine Sense, and Dao rhymes.

This process was slow and precise, allowing for no mistakes.

Ye Qing was fully focused, with fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead.

A full day and night passed.

When the last trace of Dao rhyme was successfully integrated, the spirit mushroom's brilliance became restrained, and its volume shrank a circle, but it appeared as a warm, jade-like material throughout, with clear internal veins, faintly forming a miniature, three-dimensional, and incomparably stable Formation core.

"It's done!"

Ye Qing let out a long breath, his face showing joy.

This earth vein spirit mushroom, which he had "refined" with a unique technique, had undergone a transformation, becoming a natural "array core" that could grow on its own!

Burying it into an earth vein node would not only greatly enhance the stability of the Formation and increase the depth of connection with the earth vein, but it would also slowly optimize and strengthen the Formation structure itself over time as it was nourished by earth Qi, and even absorb the surrounding Earth-element essence to feed back into the Formation.

"Let's call you 'earth vein array core mushroom'. With this item, the power and growth potential of the 'Lesser Heavenly Cycle Five Elements Earth Vein Array' I set up in the future will far exceed the past."

He carefully put away this precious array core mushroom.

Everything was ready.

Ye Qing changed into the most inconspicuous gray cloth Daoist robe, made slight adjustments with an appearance-changing Magical Artifact, and restrained his aura to the Foundation Establishment Early Stage.

He took one last look at the Immortal Cave where he had lived for quite some time, waved his hand to remove the early warning Restrictions, leaving only the self-contained "Lesser Five Elements Prohibition Formation" to maintain operation.

The paid rent still had remaining months, and the Immortal Cave Formation would maintain itself until he left.

Silently, Ye Qing pushed open the courtyard door and stepped into the night.

Without alarming anyone, he disappeared into the intricate streets of Liuyun City like a drop of water merging into a stream.

He did not head towards the city gate, where the inspections were strictest.

Instead, he came to a relatively secluded corner of the inner city, where the city wall was slightly lower and the patrol intervals were slightly longer.

After waiting quietly for a moment, he seized the gap when two teams of patrolling armored soldiers intersected.

"Void Step" was activated.

His figure streaked across dozens of zhang like a ghost, quietly climbed over the city wall, and landed in the darkness outside the city.

Looking back, the majestic outline of Liuyun City was dimly lit in the night, and the Formation light curtain flowed endlessly.

"Farewell, Liuyun."

Whispering a word, Ye Qing no longer lingered, activated "Wind Spirit Wings," and his figure turned into a faint, imperceptible green rainbow, speeding away towards the southeast.

That was the direction away from the front line, leading to a wider world.

Inside his body, the two-hundred-zhang Immortal Cave, Chaos airflow slowly circulated, and the moonlight star seed silver brilliance dotted, as if it were also quietly shining for the new journey.

The Loose Cultivator journey of Foundation Establishment Cultivator Ye Qing truly began here.