34: Chapter 34 Strange Movements Among Ten Thousand Demons, Turmoil in Bones, and Turbulent Undercurrents

The success of the "moonlight heart-clearing powder" and basic Talismans opened a new chapter in Ye Qing's career as a Loose Cultivator.

He was no longer in a rush to venture deep into dangerous areas to hunt Yao Beasts; instead, he devoted more energy to Cultivating, Alchemy, Talisman-making, and the cultivation and management of the spiritual plants within his space.

Every seven or eight days, he would bring a few newly refined portions of "moonlight heart-clearing powder" and a small stack of basic Talismans, disguise himself, and enter Blackwater Market with a different appearance to sell them at "Baicao Pavilion" to Shopkeeper Qian.

Shopkeeper Qian was an old fox who never asked too many questions and offered fair prices. Because of its remarkable effect in calming the mind and nourishing the Divine Soul, the "moonlight heart-clearing powder" was quite popular among Loose Cultivators who frequently fought Yao Beasts and suffered from great mental exhaustion, often selling out as soon as it hit the shelves. Although basic Talismans were common, the ones Ye Qing drew were of stable quality and filled with abundant Spiritual Qi, so they also sold well.

Relying on this stable income, the number of Spirit Stones in Ye Qing's hands gradually increased. Not only was it enough to purchase what he needed for Cultivation, but he also had the spare capacity to acquire some rare items that interested him.

On this day, Ye Qing came to Baicao Pavilion again.

After selling the new batch of medicinal powder and Talismans, while settling the Spirit Stones, Shopkeeper Qian stroked his goatee and said in a low voice, seemingly casually: "Little Friend Ye, have you heard that things are not peaceful over at the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains recently?"

Ye Qing felt a slight stir in his heart, but his expression remained calm: "I have heard a little; it seems the Yao Race activities have become more frequent?"

"More than just frequent!" Shopkeeper Qian lowered his voice, his expression grave. "According to several Yao Beast hunting teams that just escaped from deep within 'Luoying Ravine', they saw traces of the Second-Rank Yao Beast 'Green-Winged Eagle' inside, and more than one! Moreover, the strife between Yao Beast tribes seems to have decreased, and there are signs of them appearing together."

A Second-Rank Yao Beast was equivalent to a Human Race Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage! The Green-Winged Eagle was even more of an aerial overlord, known for its speed and ferocity. The appearance of such beings on the periphery of the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains was definitely not ordinary.

"In addition," Shopkeeper Qian's voice dropped even lower, "Things happened over at the Rotten Bone Forest a while ago, right? The Ghost-Wail Vine was destroyed, and it is said that silver light flashed. In the past few days, several groups of strangers have come to the market, seemingly secretly inquiring about the details of that day, especially focusing on the 'silver light' and the potentially appearing 'moonlight-attribute' treasure. Little friend... if you know anything, it is best to be careful."

Ye Qing's eyes narrowed, and he cupped his hands: "Many thanks for the reminder, Shopkeeper Qian."

The matter of the Rotten Bone Forest had indeed attracted the attention of interested parties. The moonlight jade tree had a unique aura, and when he collected it that day, the silver light flashed; it was not strange that it was glimpsed by Cultivators in the distance. He just didn't expect the news to spread so quickly, to the point where people were already investigating even in a place like Blackwater Market.

It seemed that neither the moonlight jade tree nor the "moonlight heart-clearing powder" could be easily shown to others in the near future. He even needed to be more careful about concealing his tracks.

Leaving Baicao Pavilion, Ye Qing did not immediately leave the market. Instead, he wandered around the crowded areas of the market a few times and indeed detected several obscure Divine Senses with probing intent scanning back and forth in the crowd. The owners of these Divine Senses were not weak in cultivation; they were at least at the Late Stage of Qi Refining, and there might even be Foundation Establishment Stage experts hiding among them.

His heart was filled with awe. He pushed his Breath Concealment Technique to the limit, completely restraining his aura. Mixing into the crowd was like a drop of water into the sea, and he quickly shook off those faint, lingering prying eyes.

At a stall on the edge of the market selling miscellaneous books and maps, he paused for a moment and bought a newly released, simplified map marking the areas of recent Yao Beast activity, and also purchased a tattered handbook recording strange tales and anecdotes of the Southern Wilderness.

The stall owner was a chatterbox. While collecting the Spirit Stones, he rambled on: "The customer is new here, right? The Black Water Swamp has not been peaceful recently. Things are chaotic over at the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains. I heard that people from 'Sky Wolf Fort' and 'Profound Sword Sect' have all sent additional manpower there to guard against a large-scale impact from the Yao Race. We are still considered fortunate here, as we are close to the heartland of the Human Race, but one must still be careful of the Yao Beasts that roam over, and also... those fellows who take advantage of the chaos to fish in troubled waters."

Sky Wolf Fort and Profound Sword Sect were two medium-sized Sects near the Cangyun Mountain Range that were slightly stronger than the Qingyun Sect, and both had several Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators presiding over them. Even they had started nervous defensive deployments, which showed just how severe the situation was.

Ye Qing thanked the stall owner, took the map and the handbook, and walked quickly away from Blackwater Market.

On the way back to his temporary stone chamber, he was even more vigilant, taking a longer route and confirming multiple times that no one was following him.

Returning to the cliff cave, he sealed the entrance and activated the Restriction.

He first unfolded the new map.

The map was crudely drawn, but it used striking red circles to mark several areas where Yao Beast activity had been unusually frequent recently, among which "Luoying Ravine", "Black Wind Ravine" (near the direction of the Qingyun Sect), and "Poison Dragon Pool" were prominently listed. There were also small annotations on the side, mentioning that Second-Rank Yao Beasts were suspected to appear there, and suggesting that Cultivators below the Late Stage of Qi Refining should be cautious about entering.

"Unrest in the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains, Second-Rank Yao Beasts appearing on the periphery, the Yao Race seems to have signs of uniting... Is this a sign that a great war is about to begin?"

Ye Qing furrowed his brows slightly. Friction at the border between humans and Yao was constant, but the large-scale appearance of Second-Rank Yao Beasts on the periphery, displaying organization, was definitely not a small scuffle.

"The turmoil at the Rotten Bone Forest... I fear the moonlight jade tree has already been targeted by certain forces. Are they big shots local to the Black Water Swamp? Or outsiders? What is their purpose in searching for moonlight-attribute treasures? Alchemy? Artifact Refining? Or..."

He remembered the miraculous effect of the moonlight jade tree in nourishing the Divine Soul and purifying Spiritual Qi. Such a treasure had a huge attraction to any Cultivator, especially those stuck at a Bottleneck, or those Cultivating special Cultivation Techniques, who urgently needed to increase the strength of their Divine Soul.

"I must be more careful. Stop the sale of moonlight heart-clearing powder for the time being. After harvesting the moonlight flowers in the space, use them all myself or refine and store them. In daily Cultivation, I must also pay more attention to concealing the fluctuations of Spiritual Qi, especially the moonlight aura."

He set his countermeasure.

Next, he opened the handbook of Southern Wilderness strange tales.

The content of the handbook was messy, mostly hearsay. But in the middle section, it recorded an anecdote about an "ancient teleportation array", mentioning that near "Dragonfall Abyss" in the far east of the Cangyun Mountain Range, the ruins of the ancient Sect "Xingluo Sect" had once emerged, and it was suspected to contain a broken ancient teleportation array inside, but it had long been sealed off by major Sects, making it difficult for ordinary Cultivators to approach.

"Dragonfall Abyss... Xingluo Sect..." Ye Qing noted these two names down. This seemed to barely correspond with the information on the remnant map in his hand; the basin surrounded by mountains depicted in the remnant map, perhaps it was Dragonfall Abyss? Were those twisted runes the mark of the Xingluo Sect?

The clues were still blurry, but at least there was a general direction. Dragonfall Abyss was a forbidden land ten times more dangerous than the Black Water Swamp; one needed at least Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation to dare to consider approaching its edge.

"Another long-term goal has been added. Improve cultivation, collect information, and perhaps there will be an opportunity to explore it in the future."

He put away the handbook and sank his consciousness into the space.

The thirty-five zhang space was vibrant with life. Another batch of moonlight flowers had matured, with silver radiance dotting them. He harvested them carefully, stored them in a jade box, and no longer planned to sell them. The iron wire vine was already three feet tall, its vine body dark red, almost black, and as hard as iron. The night firefly grass and purple thread grass were growing very well, forming a dense, shade-loving Herb Garden. The various experimental seeds newly planted had also mostly sprouted, growing in different ways, providing him with rich observation samples.

The moonlight jade tree stood quietly, its three fruits containing inner radiance, and its aura was deeper.

"The ecology of the space is becoming more and more perfect, and the quality of the Spiritual Qi is continuously improving. Cultivating here, the efficiency is several times that of the outside world. More importantly, it is safe and concealed."

He exited the space, sat cross-legged, took a portion of "moonlight heart-clearing powder", and began his daily Divine Refining Technique practice.

Cool currents nourished his Divine Soul, and the aura of the moonlight jade tree faintly came through the space. Under the dual blessing, his Divine Sense steadily grew and condensed amidst the intense pain. His perception of the space's fluctuations also became increasingly clear and sharp.

The Spiritual Qi of the Sixth Level of Qi Refining surged in his Meridians. After repeated tempering by the space, it was pure and solid, steadily advancing towards the Middle Stage.

Developing steadily, like walking on thin ice.

Outside, the winds and clouds were surging, with hidden crises.

But in Ye Qing's heart, there was utter calmness.

As long as his strength continued to improve and the space continued to grow, he could calmly handle all storms.

The path of a Loose Cultivator is long and fraught with obstacles.

Only by putting stability first can one slowly plan for the future.