King Yellow Wind followed his instincts to a cave entrance. Upon stepping inside, the scenery shifted dramatically, accompanied by the ferocious roars of a beast.
A towering black bear, standing three to 12 meters tall, swung its millstone-sized paws toward him.
King Yellow Wind remained still, his sharp gaze piercing through the illusion. It was nothing more than an illusionary array.
During his three years at Square Inch Mountain, he had gained three more opportunities to upgrade his traits:
[Master of Crafting (Red)] upgraded to [Grandmaster of Crafting (Purple)]!
[Grandmaster of Crafting (Purple): Your success rate in crafting magical artifacts is 100%. The likelihood of crafting spiritual artifacts is 30%, and the chance of crafting spirit treasures is 0.1%. You can also design your own creations.]
[Master of Formations (Red)] upgraded to [Grandmaster of Formations (Purple)]!
[Grandmaster of Formations (Purple): You are thoroughly versed in all types of formations and restrictions. Your efficiency in understanding and breaking them is increased by 70%. You have a chance to create entirely new formations and restrictions during your practice.]
[Master of Spear Techniques (Red)] upgraded to [Grandmaster of Spear Techniques (Purple)]!
[Grandmaster of Spear Techniques (Purple): The power of your spear techniques increases by 100%. You can instantly understand any spear technique you see, master it, and even create your own.]
Reaching the rank of Grandmaster was the pinnacle of mortal abilities. Most formations and restrictions were now nothing more than child's play to King Yellow Wind.
"Such a petty illusionary formation—what a cheap trick!"
In his eyes, the lines of the formation were as clear as day. With a single thrust of his spear, he struck the formation's core node, shattering its array center.
The illusion dissolved, along with the cave itself. What remained was a lush forest clearing, where a small tree grew within a crater.
The tree stood just one chi tall, but its thick, gnarled roots resembled an aged bonsai. Its main trunk stretched like a crouching dragon, bearing only three leaves.
Each leaf was spaced exactly three cun and three fen apart. The first leaf gleamed moon-white, the second shone gold, and the third burned crimson.
The tree's roots clung tightly to a human head-sized meteorite that shimmered with iridescent light—a Five-Colored Stone.
The surrounding air brimmed with spiritual energy.
Clearly, this was a spirit tree, possibly born from an ordinary seed that had been struck by the Five-Colored Stone. Bathed in the stone's energy, it had mutated into a spiritual plant, even creating an illusionary barrier to protect itself.
"What's its use?"
King Yellow Wind was curious, but he noticed no discernible traits in the tree.
After a moment's thought, he smiled and said, "Since I found you, it means we're fated. And if we're fated, I won't stand on ceremony."
Sensing his intent, the tree's leaves dimmed as if trembling in fear.
Ignoring its reaction, King Yellow Wind dug up the tree along with its roots. "If nothing else, you'll make an excellent potted plant."
To ensure the tree wouldn't suffer in Yellow Wind Ridge's soil, he also filled a sack with the crater's fertile earth.
With his spoils secured, he traveled another several dozen li before chanting a mantra and flying over the Flowing Sands River.
A Disturbing Sight.
Before long, King Yellow Wind halted mid-air, staring ahead. A cloud of malice and death hung ominously over a city, forming a dark vortex in the sky.
Looking closer, he saw the city gates bore the inscription: "Flowing Sands Kingdom."
Outside the city, the rivers had dried up. Fish and shrimp lay dead on cracked earth, their white skeletons strewn about as vultures scavenged for scraps.
Inside, plague and miasma blanketed the streets, with ghosts and demonic spirits roaming freely. There was not a single living soul—only a desolate, cursed city.
"What a calamity," King Yellow Wind sighed.
Before leaving years ago, he had sent prophetic dreams to warn the people. He could only hope a few had escaped in time. If so, perhaps it would count as merit to his name.
"If I'd known merit could offset tribulations, I would have saved more before leaving."
Circumnavigating the cursed clouds, King Yellow Wind turned his gaze toward Yellow Wind Ridge. Its main mountain range stretched north to south, spanning 800 li.
Its peaks rose high into the heavens, while its valleys connected to the underworld. The terrain was treacherous, with landmarks like Soul-Gripping Cliffs and Dragon's Refuge Cavern.
Thousands of rivers crisscrossed the range, feeding into the Flowing Sands River. Hundreds of lakes and ponds dotted the landscape like pearls.
Surveying the scenery, King Yellow Wind's eyes settled on a particularly auspicious spot.
There stood a modest mountain, neither too tall nor too short, surrounded by eight smaller peaks forming a natural Eight Trigrams formation. A river meandered at its base, pooling into a tranquil lake.
At dawn, mists rose from the lake and wove among the mountains. Amid the ethereal haze, the emerald peaks stood vibrant and serene—a truly picturesque view.
"This would be the perfect place to build a palace or pavilion," King Yellow Wind thought.
Even immortals care about their accommodations. Now that his cultivation had reached a higher level, he too desired better living conditions.
"Who would live in a dingy underground burrow if they could have a grand estate?"
King Yellow Wind's mind raced with plans. He descended from his cloud and returned to his burrow.
A Grim Homecoming.
Arriving at his Mouse Hole, King Yellow Wind was greeted by a desolate sight. Trees had withered, cobwebs choked the surroundings, and ghostly birds cried mournfully.
Not just here—nearby mountains shared the same sickly, half-dead appearance.
"Since the dragon vein's death, this place has been tainted by calamity energy and miasma. It's no longer suitable for cultivation."
The stone slab sealing the cave entrance was gone, replaced by a gaping hole—a clear sign of intrusion.
King Yellow Wind frowned. Yellow Wind Ridge had housed thousands of lesser demons. Surely more than a few had tried to seize his lair.
As he pondered, rustling noises echoed from within the cave. A putrid black mist seeped from the opening, accompanied by a swarm of fist-sized black scorpions.
Thousands of them scuttled forward, raising their stingers menacingly. Behind them emerged a massive scorpion demon, its body the size of a basin and its claws raised high.
"Who are you? Leave now, and don't disturb our king's rest!"
[Species: Demon · Scorpion]
[Realm: Refining Essence · Tempering Body]
[Traits: Scorpion Venom (Blue), Hardened Shell (White), Ferocity (White)]
"Your king?" King Yellow Wind scoffed.
With a single sweep of his spear, radiant energy erupted, obliterating the entire swarm and smashing the scorpion demon into pieces.
He absorbed its Hardened Shell (White) trait but dismissed it as unworthy of merging.
"Who dares kill my lieutenant?!"
A thunderous roar followed as another demon charged out—a hulking scorpion with a humanoid torso and eight legs, wielding two massive iron hammers.
[Species: Demon · Scorpion]
[Realm: Refining Qi · Shaping Form]
[Traits: Scorpion Venom (Red), Brutal Strength (Blue), Iron Shell (Blue), Basic Hammer Skills (White), Small Fortune (White)]
Seeing the carnage, the scorpion bellowed in rage and swung its hammers at King Yellow Wind.
"You court death!"
King Yellow Wind countered with his iron spear.
Clang!
The clash of metal sent the scorpion demon flying dozens of meters before it crashed to the ground—miraculously still alive.
[You have defeated a scorpion demon. Randomly plundering its trait: Small Fortune (White). Would you like to merge?]
[Small Fortune (White): You possess minor luck. While it won't bring you great wealth, it offers small chances to escape peril.]
"Hm? Is that why it survived?"
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