Mountain and sea lantern

Chapter 575 Shock
Wu Jinliang was also startled. After carefully stopping, he asked, "Impossible. We were extremely careful on the way, and we even let Xiao Sheng go ahead and wait for us along the route for half a day. We didn't find anyone following us. Where did this ambush come from?"

Shi Chun also found it strange. His Demon Bathing Technique had been tested and should have been able to cut off the tracking of the Demon Eye, so why could it still keep up?
He scanned his surroundings again to confirm, and the figures in the four directions in front, behind, left, and right of his right eye were definitely there, and they were right in the middle. Could this be a coincidence?
The only puzzling thing is that the eight figures in the four directions are all gray and seem to be demon cultivators.

He couldn't confirm whether they were demonic or not, and from a distance, he couldn't see the source of each person's power.

"We're surrounded by eight demon cultivators in all four directions—front, back, left, and right—and we're trapped in the middle." He briefly reported the situation to Wu Jinliang.

After a moment's thought, Wu Jinliang asked with a grave expression, "What should we do?"

Shi Chun thought for a moment and said, "They probably don't have the strength to take us down yet, otherwise they would have already made their move. Waiting any longer might cause things to change. Let's go!"

With a swift and decisive "Let's go," he made a risky decision after only a moment's consideration.

They also retrieved a magical artifact from their hands.

Wu Jinliang gritted his teeth, retrieved the three-in-one magic weapon, and quickly used his earth-遁术 (earth-遁术 is a type of magic technique) to open a passage on the mountainside.

The two darted out of the passage and immediately rode their wind scales into the sky.

To their surprise, they passed through unimpeded, without any pursuers in sight, and the people at the four supposed ambush points seemed to remain completely still.

"What's going on? Didn't they notice we escaped?" Wu Jinliang asked, puzzled.

Shi Chun retorted sarcastically, "Are all eight of them blind?"

After saying that, he muttered to himself, "Could it really be a coincidence?"

He couldn't think of any other reason besides this explanation.

The two were still uneasy and wandered around the road again. Wu Jinliang then told Xiao Sheng to put aside other matters and lie in ambush along the route they were going to take, and help observe them after they passed by.

After circling around for a while to make sure no one was following them, they finally felt relieved and went about their business.

What they didn't know was that the eight people who had been lying in ambush in the four directions had no mission to track them; their main purpose was to observe.

No matter where Shi Chun and his companion flew, the other eight people didn't need to follow them. When they received instructions to investigate a general location, they would simply slip past and report the situation and conditions on the spot.

So no one cared how Shi Chun and his companion flew or ran. Wherever the two landed and stopped, the other eight people would usually rush to that area to investigate.

Unaware of this, Shi Chun and his companion were actually cooperating with Xiao Sheng's actions. After Xiao Sheng went to the rendezvous point to pick up the goods, they also lurked and observed along Xiao Sheng's route. Only after confirming that no one was following Xiao Sheng did they dare to meet him.

Finally, they successfully obtained three jars of the ointment-like "Death-Repelling Incense".

After obtaining the items and verifying their contents, Shi Chun and his companion rushed to a rocky mountain. They lifted a rock on the mountain, threw all the remaining cores of the Soul-Reversing Trees into the cave, and then rolled them back into the rock to block the cave entrance.

Afterwards, Wu Jinliang sent a message to Bai Qiru, asking her to tell Grandma Qi that another batch of goods had been placed in the same old place, and that Grandma Qi should finish the work as soon as possible.

The news quickly reached the ears of Grandma Qi, who was in prison.

After listening to Yin Fei's whispered report from outside the cage, Granny Qi, who was inside the cage, murmured in a daze, "There's more?"

I was a little stunned.

She was already surprised by the hundreds of Soul-Reversing Tree materials at once, but then another batch came. She couldn't help but wonder how much stock the Golden War had cut back back then.
Also, Gao and his work is so sloppy. It was already surprising that they dared to use the same material a second time, but now they dare to use it a third time. Aren't they afraid that she will send people to stake out the place? Aren't they afraid that she will keep an eye on them again?
The first time I gave her the materials to test, I only gave her the second batch of materials after confirming that she could successfully refine the product. Only after the second batch was successfully refined did I dare to give her the third batch. I originally thought she was very cautious, but now it seems that she may be shrewd despite her rough exterior.

After much deliberation, she still instructed Yin Fei outside the cage: "Notify the restaurant to get the ingredients from the usual place and cook them as soon as possible."

"Yes," Yin Fei replied and left.

As soon as night fell, the stars eagerly began to twinkle.

Eight figures searching near a rocky hill suddenly ducked down as if pricked by needles, taking cover in the nearest available shelter.

Soon, the wind scales that had streaked through the air subsided, and two figures landed on the mountaintop; they were two male demon cultivators.

After looking around, the two men easily found the large rock blocking the cave entrance. After pushing the rock aside, one of them jumped into the cave, while the other stood guard outside to keep watch.

Before long, the person inside the cave jumped out, holding a Qiankun bag in his hand. He waved it at the lookout outside and said, "This time there are more than a dozen more than last time."

The lookout quickly pushed the large rock back into the cave entrance to block it, and the two of them then rode their wind scales into the air and flew away.

After the others had gone some distance, the eight people who had been lying in ambush gradually revealed themselves and ran to the hidden cave entrance. They pushed aside the stones and went inside to investigate, only to find it empty.

Before long, Alan, having received the detailed report, personally led two cloaked figures and swiftly flew over.

Alan also entered the cave to personally investigate the scene. The leader of the group of eight accompanied him and presented a few small, irregular pieces of black wood scraps as evidence. "Auntie, these were found at the scene. Judging from the way they came out with their Qiankun bags, it seems they came here to retrieve something. I wonder if it's related to this thing. It looks like some kind of special wood."

The cave interior was simple and could be seen at a glance. Alan picked up a piece of wood, broke it, and then smelled it. He noticed a familiar scent and immediately remembered where he had smelled it before.

She immediately gathered all the scraps, slipped out of the cave, and asked the two cloaked figures, "How was it?"

The two cloaked figures nodded without speaking.

Alan understood and immediately said in a deep voice, "Report to me as soon as you find them, don't alert them." "Yes." The two cloaked figures accepted the order and then flashed away into the air.

The others present were then directed by Alan to the target's next stop.

Not long after these people left, a void rift appeared, and the woman in red reappeared out of thin air.

Alan presented the black wood scraps with both hands, saying, "Your Majesty, these were found at the scene. If I remember correctly, the fragrance of these things is exactly the same as the fragrance on the sacred mountain."

The woman in red picked up a piece, smelled it, and nodded slightly. "It does look very similar. Could this be..."

She was a little unsure.

Alan voiced her suspicion, "Does Your Highness suspect it's the Resurrection Tree?"

The woman in red placed the piece of wood from her fingers back into her palm. "Take it and have the pharmacist confirm what it is."

"Yes." Alan accepted the order and took his leave.

The surroundings were quiet. The woman in red looked up at the starry sky, her skirt fluttering in the night breeze. She slowly closed her eyes and focused her mind.

When he opened his eyes again, he found a relatively flat spot, threw out a futon, sat down cross-legged, and casually took out a glass of wine and gulped it down.

Perhaps it was the enchanting night breeze and starlight that stirred her emotions, but she took out a bamboo flute again. With fine wine by her side, facing the vast天地 (heaven and earth) alone, she began to play a mournful tune. It was beautiful, a plaintive and melodious lament, light and airy yet tinged with a faint sadness…

When the wind rises, sand and dust rise, and Shi Chun sweeps away the dust that hits him in the desolate landscape.

The desolation of this place is related to him; it was the very spot where he was besieged by the demonic forces last time. After a great battle, the lush greenery turned into a wasteland, with tenacious wild grasses already sprouting.

Before long, a figure flew down, it was Wu Jinliang, carrying a large bag on his shoulder.

Shi Chun frowned and questioned, "Why did it take so long?"

Wu Jinliang chuckled, "Long? It's good enough that we were able to find them at all." He opened his bag and poured out five hyenas. "This area was wiped out by your fighting. Any living creatures that weren't dead were scared away. I ran a long way and went around in circles to find these. Don't kick them, they're not dead, they're all alive, I just stunned them."

They obtained a considerable amount of the "Death-Repelling Incense" to complete the experiment they envisioned. Fearing that their communication with Chu Jingtang and the others in the underworld might be inaccurate, they not only found the original location where they conducted the experiment but also ensured that the animals used in the experiment were the same species. This was the result of what they had learned from reading the book.

Shi Chun withdrew his foot from the coyote, scanned the surroundings again with his right eye's special ability, and after confirming that no one was around, cast a spell to smooth out the footprints left in the area. He then touched the ground with his toes and said, "Let's do it here."

Wu Jinliang immediately used his earth-遁术 (earth-遁术 is a technique used in Chinese martial arts) to escape underground, taking both himself and the earth wolf with him.

After reaching a considerable depth underground, he used his magic to create a sufficiently spacious underground space.

Shi Chun also threw out the corpse of a coyote from the Qiankun Bracelet. It was the same one as last time. The corpse had not decomposed in the storage bracelet, and it had been less than a month. He wondered if it was still useful. He nodded to Wu Jinliang in acknowledgment.

Having done this before, Wu Jinliang cooperated smoothly, taking out a small jar, drawing out a smear of black ointment, and lighting it directly into flames. Soon, the fragrance returned.

Shi Chun immediately cast a spell to trap the rising smoke and direct it towards the coyote's corpse.

The effect was much slower than last time, perhaps because the corpse had been dead for too long, but the same effect still appeared. Golden threads sprouted and drilled into the void in countless strands. Under the restraint of Shi Chunyu's demonic art, the black passage in the void reappeared.

That eerie, sinister aura seeped out from the black hole once again.

Even though it wasn't the first time he'd witnessed it, Wu Jinliang, who had stopped burning the incense, still couldn't help but click his tongue twice. Facing Shi Chun's warning gaze, he grinned and raised his hands in surrender, "Don't worry, I definitely won't run around this time. I'll stay here and keep watch. If anything happens, I can burn incense here to help."

After hearing this, Shi Chun dove into the black hole and landed, once again arriving in that eerie and dark world.

After looking around, he immediately took out the mother-child talisman that he used to contact Chu Jingtang and the others. With one hand, he used magic to bind the golden threads, and with the other hand, he took out the mother-child talisman and urgently sent a message to Chu Jingtang: I don't know if our current location is still the same as last time. How far away are you from the last location? How long will it take to get there?

Then you just have to wait patiently.

I don't know what Chu Jingtang is doing now. After waiting for a while, he replied: "Boss, I have left that area. To make it easier to contact you, Lao Changtai is still guarding Langdangchuan City. If he sees the message in time, he should be able to get there in about a quarter of an hour. I will contact him now."

Just as Shi Chun was reading the message, the melodious flute music that had been playing on Stone Mountain stopped. The woman in red took another sip of wine from the jar and then closed her eyes, which were reflecting the starlight, once again.

After a moment of concentration, she suddenly stood up as if bitten by a snake, her eyes wide with indescribable shock, and she uttered a shrill cry, "The Underworld?"

Upon seeing the message, Shi Chun knew that the time for the Golden Thread Soul Binding was limited and there wasn't enough time, so he immediately replied: Tell him that I will come back in half an hour.

This was also to give Lao Changtai ample preparation time, so as not to rush things and make mistakes, since it was a last-minute appointment.

Chu Jingtang replied immediately: Okay, I'll pass on the message to him right away.

Shi Chun didn't know if the forces of the underworld would continue to pursue the souls. He didn't want to easily encounter them again, fearing that they would discover the black hole passage. Therefore, without waiting for the golden thread to be pulled back, he flew back and flashed back through the void passage.

Back in the burrow, he untied the golden threads, wanting to see if the coyote carcass on the ground could come back to life.

Once the golden threads were freed from their restraints, they immediately caused the void passage to disintegrate and disappear.

The woman in red, her face filled with shock, took a deep breath to control her emotions and remain calm. To confirm whether she had sensed something wrong, she closed her eyes again and focused her attention.

(End of this chapter)