73: Three Thousand Spirit Valleys, the Qiao Clan!

Noon.

In the clear blue sky, where idle clouds drifted, several large raptors, tens of feet in size, flew by. Each raptor clutched mountain prey in its talons, their beaks and claws dripping with fresh blood.

Below, the mighty river flowed ceaselessly between towering peaks. On the steep cliffs along both banks, colossal apes roared incessantly at the raptors flying overhead.

At this moment, a black streak of light broke through the river's surface. Within the light was a slightly thin young man wearing a half-mask of black rattan.

Shi Chuan flew into the sky, his body enveloped in Evil Qi. Under the pressure of a Qi Refining Cultivator, the apes on the cliffs on both banks fled in panic, scrambling into mountain caves or the dense, dragon-like forests.

“Finally, I can see the sun.”

Shi Chuan looked at the two suns, one large and one small, in the sky. He had never seen a speck of sunlight while inside the Yellow Springs Demon Sect.

Then, with a slight thought, Shi Chuan took out a map jade slip from his Storage Pouch. At the same time, he formed hand seals and cast a spell to determine his direction.

The Spiritual Qi was thin all around; this place was already far from the Yellow Springs Demon Sect's territory.

According to the map on the jade slip, he was already at the edge of the Three Sects' territory. This river, named Red Carp River, served as the boundary of the Yellow Springs Demon Sect.

“Next, I'll go retrieve the resource point set up by Jiang Yuheng.”

Shi Chuan already had a target.

The stronghold Jiang Yuheng had established in the market back then was set up in haste, and the resources left behind were not many.

It was far from comparable to the external resource points Jiang Yuheng had meticulously planned.

That resource point contained a second-tier Magical Artifact, second-tier Spirit Talismans, and over ten thousand Spirit Stones of various attributes. Most importantly, it also had a Foundation Establishment spiritual item.

Although Shi Chuan had a Foundation Establishment Pill, he wouldn't mind having an extra Foundation Establishment spiritual item.

Having one more Foundation Establishment spiritual item would increase his chances of Foundation Establishment in the future.

“The Qiao Family, a Cultivation Family in Bei Yuan Mountain.”

Shi Chuan confirmed his destination.

Jiang Yuheng's resource point was guarded by the Qiao Family. The Qiao Family was a small Cultivation Family funded by Jiang Yuheng. The Family occupied a High Grade first-tier Spiritual Vein, capable of supporting over ten Qi Refining Cultivators.

Back then, Jiang Yuheng had provided this small Family with a High Grade first-tier Formation and had also placed a Bloodline Restriction on the Cultivators within the Qiao Family.

Even the descendants of the Qiao Family would inherit the Restriction through their Bloodline.

Shi Chuan naturally learned about the Restriction method and detailed information about the Formation from Jiang Yuheng.

Retrieving the spiritual items from this resource point was as easy as picking things out of a bag for Shi Chuan.

With these resources left by Jiang Yuheng, plus the Foundation Establishment Pill in his Storage Pouch, once he completed Body Tempering with the Demonic Fiend Vine and obtained a Fiend Spirit Body,

after his bone structure improved, combined with the Foundation Establishment Pill and the Blood蛟 power within the blood serpent pearl, he would be able to advance to the Foundation Establishment Stage without fail.

The location of Bei Yuan Mountain did not belong to the sphere of influence of any Golden Core power in the Azure Cloud Mountain Range. It was a valley of scattered Spiritual Veins surrounded by many small and medium-sized Families. The valley was named Three Thousand Spirit Valley.

There were only two Foundation Establishment Family powers in the valley; the surrounding areas were all small and medium-sized Qi Refining Families. It was a buffer zone between the Jiao Demon Three Sects and the Blazing Heaven Valley.

...

Shi Chuan found a Medium Grade first-tier Azure Feather Flying Boat from his Storage Pouch. The Flying Boat was entirely azure, with feather-like patterns carved on its hull. It was one of the spoils of war from the Human-faced Snake Demon's Storage Pouch.

Now, it could be used for travel.

An extra disguise was also good.

Among the many Cultivator Families in Three Thousand Spirit Valley, roughly half cultivated the Demonic Path and half cultivated the Righteous Path.

It could be said that a delicate balance had been achieved, which was also the result of intervention by the Jiao Demon Sect and Sky Abyss Sword Sect.

Since it was a buffer zone, no single power could be allowed to dominate.

Three Thousand Spirit Valley was indeed a suitable place to raise one's cultivation to Level 10 Qi Refining.

However, this place was absolutely not suitable for Foundation Establishment.

Three Thousand Spirit Valley only had two second-tier Spiritual Veins, both controlled by the two Foundation Establishment Families. Furthermore, this was a buffer zone, and attempting Foundation Establishment here would draw too much attention.

Shi Chuan already had a backup location in mind for Foundation Establishment.

Shi Chuan lightly landed on the Flying Boat, cast a few hand seals, and the Flying Boat beneath him shot out like an azure arrow, soaring straight into the clouds.

In just over ten breaths, it had become a black dot, disappearing beyond the distant, layered mountains.

A moment later.

The giant apes hidden in the mountain caves and within the mountains cautiously emerged.

...

At nightfall.

The Mortal Martial Artists toiling on the terraced fields of Bei Yuan Mountain, after a day of hard work cutting grass, each carried their low-grade sickle Magical Artifacts and headed towards a cluster of flat-roofed houses halfway up the mountain.

The Qiao Clan on Bei Yuan Mountain was considered a mid-to-upper-tier Family power in Three Thousand Spirit Valley. The Family had two Late Stage Qi Refining Old Ancestors.

Each Old Ancestor was quite young, just over a hundred years old.

There were five Mid-Stage Qi Refining Cultivators, and twelve other Early Stage Qi Refining Family Disciples.

Especially the High Grade Formation of the Bei Yuan Mountain Clan, which had successfully repelled several attacks from hostile Families, earning it a small reputation throughout Three Thousand Spirit Valley. This deterred many Rogue Cultivators from targeting the Qiao Clan of Bei Yuan Mountain.

In the misty mountain forests above the halfway point of Bei Yuan Mountain, there were numerous bamboo buildings and houses, as well as several courtyards built into the mountainside, and Immortal Caves carved into the mountains.

The houses, courtyards, and Immortal Caves were all faintly visible in the mist. Four silver-winged spirit sparrows, raised by the Family, flew up and down in the mountain forests of Bei Yuan Mountain, occasionally emitting clear chirps that echoed through the mountains, giving it an air of an Immortal's abode.

Currently, in the main deliberation hall of the Qiao Clan on Bei Yuan Mountain.

Two Late Stage Qi Refining elders sat in the upper seats, while the other ten-plus Cultivators, including Mid-Stage Qi Refining and Early Stage Qi Refining, sat on either side.

Among the Early Stage Qi Refining Cultivators were white-haired old men, as well as boys of only ten-plus years whose childishness had not yet faded from their faces.

However, all the Cultivators in the Family were now bowing their heads, their eyes filled with unwillingness, and the atmosphere in the hall was extremely heavy.

“How hateful!”

“Those Rogue Cultivators, the Zhou Bapi brothers, are going too far. After killing Lingyu and Xiaotong, they are now targeting the Spirit Medicine planted by our Qiao Clan and the spirit sparrows we raise. They even demand five hundred Spirit Stones as protection money from us.”

One of the two Late Stage Qi Refining Cultivators in the upper seats, a long-faced elder named Qiao Yueshan, with a youthful complexion and a crane-like beard, dressed in a dark green robe, slammed his fist on the table and said fiercely.

“Grandpa Clan Chief, we have the Family Formation to protect us, why should we fear those Rogue Cultivators surnamed Zhou?”

A twelve or thirteen-year-old boy below, an Early Stage Qi Refining Cultivator with a sturdy build, quickly stood up and spoke with great defiance.

“Huzi, sit down. You've been working in the Family's Spirit Fields and don't know what's happening outside.”

“Those Zhou Bapi brothers are notorious Rogue Cultivators who have emerged in Three Thousand Spirit Valley in the past two months. They are three unfamiliar Demonic Cultivators from outside, each with Level 10 Qi Refining cultivation.”

“The most crucial thing is that the Rogue Cultivator Zhou Bapi is also a Qi Refining Cultivator proficient in Formations. He possesses a High Grade first-tier Magical Artifact, the Tiger Fiend Blade, which is quite powerful. Five or six Late Stage Qi Refining Cultivators have already died by that blade.”

“Now, many small Cultivator Families in Three Thousand Spirit Valley have fled to the market for refuge.”

...