84: Mysterious Array Scripture! Mysterious Eye! Jiayuan City!

Chapter 84: profound mechanism array canon! Xuanji Pupil! Jiayuan City!

Just as the Fire Spirit Clone was preparing to step forward and harvest the Spirit Medicine.

Within the medicine garden, a blue light flickered, then shot straight toward the Fire Spirit Clone.

This pale blue cold flash was as fast as lightning, piercing directly toward the Fire Spirit Clone's forehead!

If it were an ordinary Cultivator, even one at the Foundation Establishment Stage, they would likely find it difficult to completely avoid such a sudden sneak attack from such a close distance.

But the Fire Spirit Clone was not a creature of flesh and blood, and it had been on guard all along.

The moment the cold flash burst from the earth, the Clone instinctively leaned sideways and backward!

“Swish!”

The pale blue cold flash grazed the Clone's temple, kicking up a trail of scarlet gold sparks.

The Fire Spirit Clone could even feel the astonishing chill and penetrative power contained within that cold flash!

It did not pursue the attacker but immediately retreated several steps to create distance. Simultaneously, scarlet gold flames surged around its body, forming a protective fire ring as it looked warily toward the center of the medicine garden.

Below the ice soul lotus, the Five-Colored Spirit Soil bulged slightly, and a strange little snake about a foot long, crystal-clear as if carved from ice and jade and possessing a single horn, slowly poked its head out.

The aura of this little snake was not strong, roughly at the peak of Level One, but its concealment ability was extremely high. Had it not taken the initiative to sneak attack, the Fire Spirit Clone would have failed to notice it entirely.

A pale blue eerie light flickered on its single horn; clearly, the cold flash from before had been emitted from there.

“An Ice Soul Snake?” the Fire Spirit Clone thought with slight surprise.

Lu Qiu had once seen a description of this beast in a secret technique Jade Slip left behind by a Spirit Beast Mountain Disciple.

The Ice Soul Snake was supposed to be an Ancient Exotic Species, extremely rare in the current cultivation world.

Lu Qiu surmised that this snake was likely a companion Spirit Beast that relied on the medicine garden's Spiritual Qi and the ice soul lotus's cold energy to survive.

Without this Ice Soul Snake, it would have been difficult for this ice soul lotus to grow to a thousand-year age.

It was very likely a descendant of a guardian Spirit Beast intentionally left by the cave master back then.

Its strength was not great, but its sneak attack methods were insidious and its concealment was excellent.

The Clone did not wish to get entangled with it, and even more so, it worried that a fight might affect the precious Spirit Medicine in the garden.

With a thought, it did not use any high-power Spells but instead performed hand Seals. Several strands of condensed Crimson Heaven Mana transformed into fire ropes, coiling toward the Ice Soul Snake as fast as lightning!

The Ice Soul Snake hissed, its body twisting flexibly as it spat out several ice spikes. At the same time, its horn lit up again, intending to release that penetrative cold flash.

However, the fire ropes were exceptionally agile. They avoided the ice spikes and, like a maggot on a bone, quickly wrapped around the Ice Soul Snake's body!

“Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...”

Extreme cold met intense heat, producing a piercing sound and rising white mist.

The Ice Soul Snake struggled violently, but the fire ropes tightened more and more, and the scorching fire spirit power continuously eroded its icy body.

In just a few breaths, the Ice Soul Snake's struggle weakened. The luster of its crystal-like scales dimmed, and it was eventually completely bound by the fire ropes, unable to move and with its breath fading.

The Clone did not kill it.

Although the snake had attacked, it was also part of this medicine garden's ecosystem, and its unique concealment ability might be of some use.

It temporarily used a Restriction to imprison the Ice Soul Snake in a corner, then began to carefully harvest the Spirit Medicine in the garden.

For the three thousand-year spirit herbs in particular, the Clone's movements were extremely gentle. It wrapped the roots in mana, carefully digging them out along with a bit of the unique Five-Colored Spirit Soil, and quickly placed them into pre-prepared Cold Jade Boxes and Fire Jade Boxes, sealing them to ensure the medicinal power was not lost.

The other supplementary herbs, aged five or six hundred years, were also harvested together.

Having done all this, the Clone carefully inspected the medicine garden to confirm there were no other hidden dangers or missed Spirit Medicines. Only then did it take all its spoils—the imprisoned Ice Soul Snake, the two ancient treasures, the Storage Pouch, and the sealed Spirit Medicines—and quickly exit the Spirit Medicine garden, passing through the stone room and returning the way it came.

At the entrance of the Immortal Cave, Lu Qiu's original body had already sensed everything the Clone encountered. His vigilance did not fade until he saw the Clone emerge unharmed through the gap in the Restriction, carrying the pile of items. Only then did he truly breathe a sigh of relief.

He immediately took all the items.

First, he held the two ancient treasures—the Dark Bronze Mirror and the Pitch-Black Short Sword—and examined them for a moment. Feeling the same ancient and heavy sensation as the black pearl, he was filled with joy and properly stored them in the gray spatial bead.

He then checked the jade boxes containing the Spirit Medicines, confirming that the medicinal power was perfectly preserved, which made him even more satisfied.

Finally, his gaze fell on the drab-looking Storage Pouch and the imprisoned Ice Soul Snake.

The Clone handed over the Ice Soul Snake.

This snake's concealment ability was extremely strong, and it seemed exceptionally sensitive to ice-attribute environments and the scent of Spirit Medicine.

Lu Qiu pondered for a moment. He did not kill the Ice Soul Snake but instead temporarily placed it into a specialized spirit beast bag, saving it for future study or domestication.

Having done this, he did not leave immediately.

Instead, he had the Fire Spirit Clone stand guard nearby while he sat cross-legged and sank his Divine Sense into the Storage Pouch obtained from the remains of Venerable Xuanji.

The space inside the Storage Pouch was not large, and the items within were few and far between. Clearly, the cave master had consumed or moved most of his commonly used items before his death.

Only a few things lay quietly in a corner.

The most conspicuous were two Jade Slips of ancient color, emitting a faint spiritual light.

Lu Qiu first probed the first Jade Slip with his Divine Sense.

A massive amount of information flooded in, starting with four Ancient Restriction characters—the “profound mechanism array canon”!

This canon was not a simple manual for setting up Formations, but a summary of the lifelong Formation research of an ancient Cultivator named “Xuanji”!

It not only recorded dozens of Formations popular in the ancient era that were now mostly lost, but also contained a large amount of Venerable Xuanji's own understanding of the essence of Formations, his deduction insights, ideas for improving ancient Formations, and restoration conjectures for some lost ancient Formations!

Its content was so broad and profound, and its insights so unique and mysterious, that it was not at all inferior to the Heavenly Derivation Array Codex in Lu Qiu's Possession!

Many points that were vaguely described or difficult to understand in the Heavenly Derivation Array Codex often had clearer and more fundamental explanations in the profound mechanism array canon.

“This is a true Formation treasure!” Lu Qiu was shocked and overjoyed.

With this canon in hand, combined with Xin Ruyin's advanced insights, his Formation skills would surely advance by leaps and bounds, and he might even hope to establish his own school of thought in the future!

Suppressing his excitement, he sank his Divine Sense into the second Jade Slip.

This time, what flooded into his mind was a Divine Ability Secret Technique cultivation method named “Xuanji Pupil”!

This technique was not for offense or defense, but was an extremely rare auxiliary Divine Ability that specialized in cultivating the pupils!

When cultivated to a profound level, the Xuanji Pupil could see through falsehoods, break through illusions, analyze the pathways of Formations, and even perform “Soul-Capturing” on those with weaker Divine Souls to temporarily stun or control their minds!

Of course, the cultivation conditions were also extremely harsh: the Cultivator's cultivation must at least reach the Foundation Establishment Stage, and their Divine Sense must be tempered to a level far exceeding their peers to withstand the burden on the eyes and Divine Soul during cultivation.

“Seeing through falsehoods, breaking illusions, breaking Formations, Soul-Capturing...”

Lu Qiu carefully savored the description of this Divine Ability, his heart growing increasingly fervent.

This was practically tailor-made for him!

With the Great Evolution Art in hand, his Divine Sense strength already looked down upon his peers, giving him unique advantages for cultivating this technique.

Once mastered, he would have incomparable advantages in exploring dangerous places, cracking Restrictions, dealing with illusions, and even stunning opponents at critical moments in the future!

“The value of these two legacies... is likely even higher than those two ancient treasures and the thousand-year spirit herb!” Lu Qiu took a deep breath, suppressing his churning emotions.

He stored the two Jade Slips with great care.

He checked the other miscellaneous items in the Storage Pouch, but they were mostly junk that had lost their Spiritual Qi or blank Jade Slips, with nothing else special.

Despite this, the harvest from this trip to the Qiyun Mountain Range had already far exceeded his initial expectations!

But Lu Qiu was in no hurry to leave the Qiyun Mountain Range.

He first found a more hidden spot on the outskirts of the Immortal Cave, set up a simple Formation, and stayed there temporarily.

On one hand, he needed time to initially digest the vast information from the profound mechanism array canon and the Xuanji Pupil.

On the other hand, he also wanted to see if this ancient Cultivator's Immortal Cave would yield any other opportunities.

If there were still opportunities in this cave that he hadn't discovered, it would be a huge loss.

The next morning, he performed his routine intelligence check.

The three pieces of information were all white, pointing to some insignificant low-level Materials or Yao Beast dens on the outskirts of the mountain range.

“It seems the greatest Opportunity in this cave has already been taken by me, and there is nothing else worth noting in the nearby area for the short term.” Lu Qiu understood this and no longer lingered.

He carefully cleaned all traces of his temporary residence and confirmed that the gap in the Ancient Restriction had healed on its own. He had only opened a small gap, and ancient Formations like this could basically heal themselves by absorbing Spiritual Qi.

Consider it leaving a peaceful place for the remains of Senior Xuanji.

Only then did Lu Qiu mount his light and quietly descend the mountain.

Relying on the Soul Chasing Seal placed on Zhao Wen, Lu Qiu soon found Zhao Wen waiting in hiding near a secluded mountain stream on the outskirts of the range.

Seeing Lu Qiu return safely, Zhao Wen was visibly relieved and hurried forward to pay his respects: “Senior!”

Looking at the Loose Cultivator before him who had worked hard to scout for him and earned his merit, and thinking of the massive harvest this time, Lu Qiu was indeed quite happy.

With a flip of his palm, a pale green jade bottle appeared in his hand, which he tossed to Zhao Wen.

“The foundation establishment pill I promised you.”

Zhao Wen scrambled to catch the jade bottle and opened the stopper. A refreshing fragrance that made his entire body's mana stir immediately wafted out!

Inside the bottle, a pill the size of a longan, emerald green all over with three clear cloud patterns on its surface, lay quietly.

A foundation establishment pill!

A genuine foundation establishment pill!

Zhao Wen's entire body shook. Holding the jade bottle in both hands, he was so moved he almost burst into tears. He knelt on the ground with a thud, his voice choking: “Thank... thank you for the pill, Senior! Your great kindness is something Zhao Wen will never forget! I shall serve you unto death, even if it means being ground to dust!”

For a Loose Cultivator like him struggling at the bottom, a single foundation establishment pill was the ticket to a brand-new world and to breaking the shackles of fate!

It was a kindness as great as being reborn!

Lu Qiu calmly accepted this gesture and said indifferently: “This is what you earned. Rise. Go back to the Spirit Beast Mountain Market for now, Cultivate in peace, and attempt Foundation Establishment. If I have need of you, I will send word. Remember, act with caution and do not be boastful.”

“Yes! Master!”

In his excitement, Zhao Wen directly changed how he addressed Lu Qiu, appearing even more submissive: “Junior... no, this subordinate understands! I will not fail Master's trust!”

Lu Qiu nodded and said no more. His body blurred as he transformed into a streak of green light, speeding off toward the northeast.

Zhao Wen remained kneeling until Lu Qiu's light disappeared into the horizon. Only then did he carefully store the jade bottle and bow deeply once more toward the direction Lu Qiu had left, his eyes filled with longing and determination for the future.

---

Lanzhou Province, Jiayuan City.

Although this city was not the provincial capital, it was considered a prosperous major city in Lanzhou Province due to its convenient water and land transportation, developed commerce, and dense population.

In the afternoon, on the second floor of a rather bustling restaurant in the city.

A young man wearing an ordinary green cloth robe sat alone by the window, pouring and drinking for himself.

It was Lu Qiu, who had rushed here and restrained his aura.

He appeared leisurely, but in reality, his ears were carefully catching the idle chatter of the surrounding diners.

“...Who would have thought that the Mo Estate, which was once at its peak, would collapse so quickly! I heard that once it was confirmed Old Man Mo was dead, the various branches fought for power, and their rivals took the Opportunity to strike. Such a massive business vanished into thin air in just a few short years.”

“Now, the entire Lanzhou Province is ruled by the ‘Five-Colored Gate’! Most of the Mo Estate's original territory and businesses have fallen to the Five-Colored Gate.”

“Shh, keep it down... The Five-Colored Gate is powerful now. I heard they have ‘Immortals’ backing them, so don't talk nonsense...”

Mo Estate? Five-Colored Gate?

Lu Qiu's heart stirred slightly.

He had some impression of these names; they were all somewhat related to Han Li, being a part of his Karma in the secular world of Lanzhou Province before he entered Yellow Maple Valley.

However, his purpose for this trip was not to concern himself with the shifts of these mundane powers.

He slowly set down his wine cup and cast his gaze out the window toward the other side of the street.

There, the large estate that originally hung the “Mo Estate” plaque had now been replaced with the gold-lettered sign of the “Li Estate.” The gates were still grand, but the people had changed.

“Mo Estate... Han Li...” Lu Qiu shook his head.

This was Han Li's Karma; he had no interest in, nor any need to interfere with it.

He had come to Jiayuan City for another important matter.

“Waiter, the bill,” Lu Qiu called out.

“Sir, that will be three mace of silver in total,” the waiter ran over diligently.

Lu Qiu tossed out a small piece of broken silver: “I want to ask you something. Do you know where the headquarters of the ‘Four Equalities Gang’ is?”

The waiter took the silver, his smile widening: “The Four Equalities Gang? I know it! It's on ‘Siping Street’ in the west of the city. The largest house there is it! But sir, that Four Equalities Gang is not to be trifled with. If you're going there for business, you must be extra careful.”

“Thanks.” Lu Qiu asked no more, stood up, went downstairs, and merged into the crowd on the street.

His target was precisely this Four Equalities Gang.

According to the scattered information in his mind regarding the original story, Lu Qiu vaguely remembered.

The Yu Ling Sect demonic Cultivator's Primordial Spirit that had performed Possession on “the monster” seemed to have hidden near a small Gang called the “Four Equalities Gang” in Jiayuan City to secretly recover during the initial period.

Now that several months had passed since the battle in Jingzhou Prefecture, if that demonic Cultivator was indeed the same person, he should have completed the Possession by now and be hiding in some corner licking his wounds, plotting his recovery.

“The Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis... and the treasures that demonic Cultivator might be carrying...”

A flash of sharp light crossed Lu Qiu's eyes as he walked unhurriedly toward the west of the city.

The final goal of his Lanzhou Province trip was right before him.

If this trip succeeded, his foundation would increase by another measure.