277: Difficult to handle? Then don't bother!

Cultivation has no concept of time; years pass without notice, and in the blink of an eye, another five years have gone by.

The boundless, vast mountain range stretched across the world like a giant dragon coiled in slumber.

The white jade spirit boat hovered quietly above the clouds and mist, its hull shimmering with a gentle, warm luster, yet it appeared exceptionally lonely amidst the lush greenery of these mountains.

On the deck of the Spirit Boat, Lu Ming leaned lazily against the railing while a dark Puppet attendant beside him picked up a "Moonlight Dew Fruit" and brought it to his lips.

Lu Ming took a casual bite, the sweet dew blossoming between his lips and teeth, but as he gazed at the repetitive, layered peaks below, he couldn't help but let out a soft sigh.

"These mountains and rivers, why do they all look the same?"

Ever since he killed the Mountain-Shaking Demonic Ape back then, he had been following the route map from Mu Han's memory, steering the white jade spirit boat toward the Profound Spirit Domain.

The first three years went quite smoothly; although times had changed, the route was mostly the same, with no major differences.

However, the further he traveled into the depths of the mountain range, the more Lu Ming felt that something was amiss.

Too many landmarks did not match the scenes in Mu Han's memory, and even the orientation of some mountain ranges was completely different.

With no other choice, Lu Ming could only choose the most similar route to continue forward.

Then, as he walked and walked, he seemed to have... gotten lost!

Now he was a bit stumped. Being lost in this vast, boundless Cloud Mist Mountain Range, even with Lu Ming's firm Dao Heart, he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.

One must know that the vastness of this mountain range is such that even the Nascent Soul Old Ancestors of the Profound Spirit Domain would never set foot in it if not necessary.

Moreover, flying through the air here, while one can absorb Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, driving the Spirit Boat forward and maintaining one's Protective Aura consumes the Cultivator's own mana.

Fortunately, Lu Ming didn't have to worry about this problem, which is why he hadn't fallen into despair.

Afterward, he had tried several times to find a way out, circling around many times and even nearly stumbling into a few forbidden lands.

The most dangerous instance was nearly blundering into the lair of a Tier 4 Yao Beast monarch. It was fortunate that he had sent out a few Puppets to scout the path in advance, otherwise, he might have lost his life there.

However, after that, Lu Ming didn't dare to run around recklessly. Thus, he anchored a direction and braced himself to walk straight forward.

He would just use this chance to verify if the Cultivation World was round...

But this journey took another two years.

Fortunately, as he continued forward, the tier of the Yao Beast encountered along the way was clearly decreasing.

From the heart-palpitating aura of the Tier 4 Yao Beast monarch in the depths of the mountains to the current state where even Tier 2 demon beasts were rarely seen.

This sign indicated that the path was correct!

At this moment, he was heading toward the outer edges of the mountain range.

And what made Lu Ming even more excited was that three days ago, he had discovered traces of human activity in the mountains below.

Cultivated terraced fields, abandoned ancestral halls, dilapidated ancient temples...

This discovery made him very happy and excited; as long as there were people, things would be easy to handle!

Asking the locals for directions was better than running around like a headless fly like this.

Until half a month later, when his Divine Sense swept across a mountain peak, his eyebrows suddenly lifted.

Hidden within this mountain range was a small Spiritual Vein; although it was not of a High Grade, it was enough to support cultivation.

And above the Spiritual Vein, there was, surprisingly, a settlement of a small Qi Refining Family.

"The language and writing here are exactly the same as in the Southern Wilderness Region."

Through the feedback of his Divine Sense, he could clearly understand the conversations and chatter of the people below.

However, after a brief thought, Lu Ming felt it was reasonable.

After all, in all the Universes, everyone speaks Chinese...

Cough... In reality, the Formation of the Southern Wilderness Region was very likely caused by Cultivators from the Profound Spirit Domain or other large domains going to the barbaric lands to reclaim land, subsequently establishing their Dao lineage and spreading the techniques of cultivation.

After all, without the inheritance of a Dao lineage, how could the two places have such similar cultivation systems?

He had seen sporadic written records of this point while traveling in the Southern Wilderness Region, though most of it was just speculation.

"I'll know once I go and take a look..."

...

Purple Cloud Mountain.

Above a tiny Spiritual Vein, houses were built in a circular shape. Among the green tiles and white walls, the luster of a simple Formation flowed, surrounding a lake of Spiritual Qi.

The lake water was pale purple, and Spiritual Qi like gauze and mist drifted over the lake surface all year round.

And this was the stronghold of the cultivation Family, the Song Family!

"Old Ancestor, the hunting party has returned this time with a total of one hundred and thirty adult Purple Cloud Snakes."

At this moment, a Middle Stage Qi Refining middle-aged Cultivator stood respectfully behind an old man, reporting with excitement that could not be concealed in his tone: "According to market prices, each adult Purple Cloud Snake can be exchanged for ninety-three Low-Grade Spirit Stones!"

On the bluestone by the lake, the old man who was fishing felt his bamboo rod tremble slightly at these words, and ripples spread across the lake surface.

He slowly turned his head, his wrinkles smoothing out as he revealed a satisfied smile: "Very good. To have such a harvest after being out for several months, it was finally worth the hard work."

"Ninety-three Low-Grade Spirit Stones..." The old man repeated softly, a complex light flashing in his eyes, "That's almost equivalent to one Mid-Grade Spirit Stone. If we have such a harvest every year, my Song Family might truly have a chance to prosper!"

"It is all thanks to the Wisdom Eye of the Old Ancestor!" The middle-aged Cultivator flattered him at the right time, then a look of worry appeared on his face.

"But Old Ancestor, we are, after all, newcomers. The Liu Family, the Xiao Family, and the Situ Family have many complaints about our Song Family."

"After all, this is equivalent to us eating from their bowls!"

Subsequently, he said in a deep voice: "On the return journey this time, the hunting party was attacked three times. Fortunately, we had the High Grade Magical Artifact 'Green Wood Shield' bestowed by the Old Ancestor to protect us, so we were able to retreat unscathed."

"But this cannot go on forever. After all, if those three families join forces..."

He did not finish his sentence; he believed that as the pillar of the Song Family, the Old Ancestor must understand.

Sure enough, after hearing this, the old man's brows locked tightly, and his wrinkles almost bunched together.

What the middle-aged Cultivator could understand, how could he not know?

The Song Family originally lived in a small marketplace thousands of miles away, but due to pressure from enemies, they had no choice but to relocate the entire clan, and later accidentally found this ownerless Spiritual Vein, so they took root here.

But the resources around Purple Cloud Mountain were limited, and the arrival of the Song Family naturally touched the interests of the other three families.

Over the past few years, open strife and veiled struggles had never ceased.

"Sigh..."

A moment later, the old man let out a long sigh.

This was an irreconcilable conflict unless they relocated the entire clan again.

But although the Cultivation World is vast, where could they go? After all, there are interest disputes everywhere they go!

Moreover, asking them to give up this spiritual land was absolutely impossible!

"It's a bit difficult to handle..."

The old man sighed again, his eyes staring blankly at the lake in a daze.

"Difficult to handle? Then there's no need to handle it."

Just at this moment, a voice as gentle as jade suddenly came from the side.

"What no need to... Uh!"

Interrupted in his thoughts, the old man instinctively wanted to scold, but then stopped abruptly.

Because he realized that this was not the voice of the middle-aged Cultivator!

He turned his head abruptly to look, his pupils shrinking suddenly.

He did not know when, but beside him at a distance of three feet, there was an extra young Daoist.

The man was wearing a plain white Daoist robe and was sitting with him, fishing. He held a green jade fishing rod in his hand, and the fishing line was submerged in the Purple Cloud Lake.

"Holy crap!"