Master of Strange Dao

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Mu Zhiqiu's face grew darker, his eyelids twitching. That single piece was worth an entire month's salary for him.

However, this time, Chu Ye was the first to throw out a piece of Spirit Jade, completely emerald with natural rune-like patterns inside. The Kun You swallowed it and seemed extremely delighted, swimming around Chu Ye, moving up, down, left, and right, as if trying to express something. A moment later, it transformed into a streak of light, shot into the sky, and disappeared.

The smile on Chu Ye's face faded, and he looked towards the east.

"Zhiqiu, let's go, be more generous next time you see Kun You.

These little things actually have quite a bit of spiritual wisdom, they just choose to ignore you. Don't be fooled by how it sped through the Gang Wind Layer; it knows far more than you imagine.

It just told me that someone from Dali is coming this way, and there's a strong person who can spot it not too far from here. It advised us to steer clear."

"Is there really such a thing?" Mu Zhiqiu was taken aback. He's only aware that Kun You is greedy and wouldn't cooperate without good offerings. Normally, Kun You wouldn't even bother with him, and essential communications never directly reached him...

The Flying Boat remained hidden, not heading directly southeast towards Daqian, but instead first flying further west before heading south to avoid any potential encounters with Dali experts.

...

At the border between the eastern Wilderness and Dali, a squad riding Fiery Flame Dragon Horses charged into the Wilderness.

Those Fiery Flame Warhorses, with fiery hooves, hovered half a foot above the ground, moving with incredible speed. These were Dali's unique warhorses, rumored to have a trace of Dragon Clan blood, with excellent stamina and speed in all aspects.

The squad moved like a flame, galloping quickly. Suddenly, a shout came from within the group, and the squad's rapid charge slowed, the flames spreading out.

Among them, a burly man also riding a Fiery Flame Warhorse and clad in armor spoke in a deep voice.

"No need to go full speed, there's no need. Daqian's Kun You is on the move, we won't encounter our target anymore."

The brawny man sighed with regret.

If given the chance, they certainly wouldn't mind killing a Dao Cultivator from the Langya Institute, and if the opponent happened to be a Dean, all the better.

Killing one would be a great profit, and they'd steadfastly deny it later with ironclad evidence. If it really didn't work out, they'd blame Dazhen; after all, if Dazhen had a chance, they'd probably do the same. They likely want that even more.

After committing misdeeds, blame Dali, and watch Dali and Daqian go to war while Dazhen benefits from the side.

Even if Daqian sought retaliation in the end, let them continue fighting. Over the past century, there have been less than twenty years without conflict between Dali and Daqian, and only in the last two years has there been some peace.

Daqian had just lost a Dean. Now, if another were to die, Daqian would definitely be quiet for a while.

In any case, if there was a chance to weaken Daqian, they certainly wouldn't pass it up.

...

In the southeastern Wilderness, a man with more tattoos than skin on his face and a wounded Divine Soul, rode a Black Mountain Sheep larger than a warhorse, stepping into the Wilderness.

He had already found out who had died earlier. Hei Wu and Hei Ba, one person and one sheep, died suddenly, both leaving him without a trace of who was responsible.

Hei Wu fell into a trap, outsmarted, while when Hei Ba died, he didn't dare act recklessly. It was Hei Ba's blood-related Black Mountain Sheep that, through blood sensing, discerned who had died.

With these clues combined, even without Secret Techniques, it's obvious who had fallen, and they knew where they were before dying.

"Can you determine the general location?"

"Uncertain, only that they died in the Wilderness, annihilated completely, but its inner core remains, and occasionally a trace of sensing is possible." The Black Mountain Sheep beneath the Tattooed Face shook its head, a fierce glint in its eyes.

As they conversed, the Black Mountain Sheep paused, its tone turning grave.

"The sensing is gone; it might have been forcibly refined. Really fast, I think we should be cautious. The opponent is probably quite strong, possibly a Fifth or Sixth Tier expert, though it's unclear which path they tread."

The Tattooed Face nodded after a silent moment.

"Alright, deal with other matters first, investigate later."

...

As the Wilderness grew more turbulent, the village still appeared peaceful.

At the village entrance, Yang opened his mouth and expelled the inner core of a Black Mountain Sheep, tossing it into the locust forest.

As expected, the shifting leaves layer absorbed the inner core, and the vast power within was swiftly decomposed, spreading throughout the locust forest, being slowly consumed.

In just one incense stick's time, the locust forest returned to peace.

"Yang, don't you want that inner core? In your current state, isn't it just what you need?"

"No, others' power, after all, belongs to others. I just studied it, understood what needed to be understood. The power within that inner core not only holds no value for our current situation but also poses a risk of exposure."

There was a hint of worry in Yang's expression.

"Plus, you went out of the village yesterday and saw the worsening weather; it means it's not really safe here anymore."

"The weather?"

Yu Ziqing hadn't noticed any drop in temperature in the village, but outside, the environment had grown increasingly dire. Before arriving at the village, it felt like minus twenty degrees, and now, it had dropped at least another ten degrees, with constant strong winds and heavy snow.

"Not the weather, the people."

Yang drew a few simple lines on the ground.

"These areas represent the Wilderness, along with Dazhen, Dali, and Daqian surrounding it. Initially, I thought they might just send some people to have a look, not paying too much attention to it.

After all, for the adults, the disasters faced by those below are not a big concern, at most they discuss relief efforts. And now that the affected people who have fled are from the Wilderness, they probably care even less.

But now, An Yue from the Jinyi Wei has arrived. I don't believe he will leave after completing the transaction to report back.

With a core member of the Seventh Floor dead in the Wilderness, the Langya Institute will surely send someone as well. And judging by the situation outside, this isn't a normal winter anymore, it will definitely draw Langya Institute's attention, perhaps attracting big figures.

If that's the case, Dali and Dazhen will also send true experts."

Yang left his words unfinished, but Yu Ziqing understood.

By then, it wouldn't just be three sides; other forces caught in between, already carrying grudges, could easily cause trouble, making it hard not to erupt into conflict. Once it did, the Jinlan Mine, currently the only inhabited part of the Wilderness with valuable resources, would likely be implicated.

They, as mortals, would truly become those mortals who suffer when "gods fight."

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