Chapter 62: The Location of the Stronghold
Chapter 62: The Location of the Stronghold
Translator: yikaii Editor: yikaii
Ten minutes later, Qin Yuanhao and the tall, thin man left the brothel, devoid of the excitement they had shown upon entering.
Lu Yang scratched his temple, surprised at how quickly they had left. At the entrance, the madam handed Qin Yuanhao and the tall, thin man each a slip of paper, which they looked at before immediately destroying.
"Brother Qin, the helmsman has summoned me for a matter; I need to visit a branch. I'll leave first."
"Alright, the helmsman has also assigned me a task. Let's part here, and don't forget to spread the word about my visit to the brothel."
"No problem."
The two parted ways in front of the brothel, and Lu Yang, intrigued, decided to follow the tall, thin man.
The tall, thin man and Qin Yuanhao, being of comparable cultivation levels, did not notice Lu Yang below them.
As they moved on, the passersby and houses became sparse, and they eventually reached a deserted mountain range, with no one in sight.
The tall, thin man, seemingly familiar with the area, walked leisurely up the mountain path. The winding path led him to a stop in front of a stone wall after about fifteen minutes.
This area, located at the border between Yanjiang County and another jurisdiction, theoretically belongs to Yanjiang County. However, due to historical reasons, both sides have claims over it.
Since both sides had claims, neither really governed the area.
After all, there was nothing of value here, no need for a dispute.
He tapped on the wall in a pattern, three long and one short taps, while muttering, "Immortal of eternity, death and rebirth, clear the clouds to see the sun, forever existing in this world." The wall then became as fluid as water.
The tall, thin man stepped into the wall and disappeared.
"This is a cave heaven?" Lu Yang's eyes widened in surprise.
Cave heavens are spaces created by cultivators proficient in spatial magic, the higher the cultivation, the more complete the space created.
Generally, cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage can create their own spaces.
Some cultivators use cave heavens as living spaces for solitude, while others use them as burial sites.
Considering the vast number of Nascent Soul stage cultivators throughout history, not to mention those at even higher realms like Soul Transformation, Unity, and Tribulation Transcendence, many cave heavens are left behind after a cultivator's death. Most did not disclose the location and method to open their cave heavens, leaving people to rely on luck to find these relics.
No one knows how many cave heavens remain undiscovered today.
The senior sister said that with the arrival of a great era, more and more cave heavens are being discovered, providing many with the opportunity to rise swiftly.
The cave heaven before him likely belonged to a predecessor and was discovered and utilized by the demonic cult.
Lu Yang decided not to rashly follow; instead, he quietly waited in the soil for the tall, thin man to emerge.
Feeling uneasy about this approach, given this was the Yanjiang Rudder of the demonic cult, filled with unknown numbers of experts, simply hiding in the soil wasn't secure enough.
With this thought, Lu Yang moved to a spot where he could just see the entrance to the stronghold, minimized his size with a technique, and used the concealment method provided by Barbarian Bone to hide.
About an hour later, a masked man emerged from the stone wall, followed by the tall, thin man.
It seemed the masked man held a higher status than the tall, thin man.
"Hm?" The masked man sensed something amiss, expanding his divine consciousness to scan the surroundings, not sparing even the ground.
"Come out. I've found you. Don't think you're well-hidden. Show yourself now, and you might be spared from death," the masked man said indifferently.
"Not coming out yet? Don't think that as the helmsman, I'm soft-hearted. I'll count to three, and if you don't show yourself, don't blame me for not giving you a chance!"
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
"Die!"
The helmsman concentrated a force in his palm, striking in a direction, producing a thunderous noise.
"What's wrong, Helmsman?" asked the tall, thin man respectfully.
The helmsman shook his head: "I felt like someone was watching me. I bluffed but got no reaction; perhaps it was just my imagination."
Lu Yang broke out in a cold sweat. He had just considered emerging from the ground to confront the helmsman directly, thinking it might secure him a slim chance of survival.
Fortunately, his willpower was strong, and he suppressed this impulse, believing in the Barbarian tribe's concealment technique to keep him hidden.
Lu Yang felt the helmsman's divine consciousness sweep over him, but the helmsman likely mistook him for a stone and didn't pay further attention.
If the helmsman had truly discovered him, he wouldn't have counted down but would have attacked directly.
"Thank goodness for the Barbarian tribe's sophisticated concealment technique. As long as I don't move, I won't be discovered," Lu Yang thought to himself. "This helmsman must be at the Golden Core stage."
"How are the preparations for the selection in ten days?"
"Everything is ready, just waiting for fellow practitioners to come here in ten days to participate in the selection and join us."
"That's excellent. I hope this time we can recruit more demonic talents. That way, the headquarters will pay more attention to Yanjiang Rudder."
The two talked as they walked, soon disappearing from Lu Yang's sight. Lu Yang remained motionless, fearing revealing his position.
"Golden Core stage is indeed formidable."
Lu Yang waited another half-hour, worried the helmsman, suspicious by nature, might suddenly return.
After half an hour, the helmsman did not reappear.
"He's gone."
Lu Yang left underground.
This trip was quite fruitful, not only learning the location of Yanjiang Rudder but also confirming the selection site was here.
...
"So tell me, 'Ghost of Sorrow,' what's with your hair? I heard you pluck one out for every person you kill?" Constable Wei asked, lounging comfortably as the thieves sat opposite him, trembling with fear.
"No, that's not it. Being a leader is tough, the team is hard to manage, my subordinates cause trouble everywhere, and the stress made my hair fall out."
"And you, 'Desperate Second Brother,' I heard you fought a late-stage Foundation Building cultivator, blinding his eyes while he blinded one of yours?"
"My eye is fine. Wearing an eyepatch just looks more imposing. When you're out in the jianghu, you need something to talk about."
"And you, 'Grass on the Wind,' I heard you went to steal from the palace. You're looking at a life sentence at best, execution at worst."
The third brother protested, "It's a misunderstanding, sir. I was just in debt and got my leg broken by creditors to cancel the debt."
Constable Wei yawned, expecting to hear about significant crimes, but was this all?
"Constable brother, I confess, I confess, I've stolen from sixteen homes..."
Constable Wei waved him off, "We'll get to that. First, tell me, what brought all of you to Yanjiang County all at once?"
"This..." The thief leader hesitated, weighing the pros and cons of speaking.
Constable Wei pointed to the torture room behind him: "See those torture instruments? If you don't talk, we'll use them to help you."
The instruments, stained with dark blood, looked particularly sinister, prompting the thieves to compete in confessing their stories.
"I'll say..."
The thieves barely started when they abruptly stopped.
If someone were to check behind them, they'd find tiny needles embedded in their necks, needles coated with potent poison!
"There's an assassin!"
Constable Wei, as the most experienced constable, immediately reacted, rushing outside to search for the assassin's shadow.
But there was no one outside.
Inside the interrogation room, the shadows seemed to flow with life, chuckling softly before vanishing.
(End of the chapter)