Hidden moth

Chapter 335 A Nameless Mountain Requires a Guide

Li Xiuyuan withdrew his spell, and Gu Chun also recalled the golden light, which transformed back into the apple-sized Bagua Purple Gold Furnace in his hand. He Kao was dumbfounded. He had heard that the Bagua Purple Gold Furnace had the wondrous use of a spatial artifact, and today he had truly broadened his horizons.

The three of them rode the clouds back to the basin in the center of the cave. Gu Chun sat upright on the ground, holding the Bagua Purple Gold Furnace in his hands and said, "I'll do my thing, you go do yours."

After he finished speaking, the old man closed his eyes, and the Bagua Purple Gold Furnace spun in the air in front of his chest, as if he was refining something.

Li Xiuyuan beckoned to He Kao and said, "Come with me."

He Kao: "What are we going to do?"

Li Xiuyuan: "First, find the best location to carve out a secluded cave... Give me the Rainfall Divine Sword."

He Kao pulled out a steel ruler and handed it to Elder Li. He followed him to the foot of the mountain on the west side of the basin, where a stream flowed through the area, running along the edge of the basin towards the white stone bridge at the entrance.

After crossing the river, one sees steep mountains and jagged rocks. No one has set foot here for thousands of years, so there are no ready-made roads.

Elder Li unleashed his steel ruler, which transformed into streaks of sword light, carving a path through the rocks and leading to a cliff. The steeper sections were even carved into steps, allowing two people to pass each other.

Elder Li did not receive the divine seal inheritance of the Rainfall Divine Sword; he merely used the sword as an ordinary magical artifact, yet he wielded it with unparalleled skill.

He was not only clearing a road, but also quarrying stones, cutting off the excess edges and only selecting suitable materials to cut into stone slabs two meters long, one meter wide, and about thirty centimeters thick, either piling them on the open ground by the roadside or carrying them far away to the foot of the mountain.

He Kao couldn't help but exclaim, "I never imagined your swordsmanship was so exquisite!"

Li Xiuyuan chuckled: "I've studied a wide variety of things."

He Kao: "Of course, you are also an expert in alchemy."

Li Xiuyuan said, "Don't just watch, go and fix the road." At the same time, he sent him a divine thought.

It turned out that the stone slabs he had carved were not for building the Ancestral Master's Hall, but for paving roads. In his mind, he gave He Kao a route map. This road curved and extended from the foot of the mountain, connecting to the main road in the center of the basin.

The so-called main road is the path from Baishi Bridge to the gate of the Ancestral Hall, which has not yet been built. As for this stone path, it should be part of the garden landscape envisioned by Lan Jiuwan.

When He Kao arrived at the foot of the mountain, he found that the stone slabs that had just flown to the foot of the mountain had been laid out along the stream for hundreds of meters, and a small section of the road had already been completed.

Elder Li's methods were truly remarkable. The stone slabs carved from the mountain flew down to the foot of the mountain and were laid out with such precision... He Kao quickly went back to fetch more stone slabs to continue laying them.

Such heavy stone slabs are difficult to move by manpower alone, especially since they have to cross a river to get there and back. He Kao used his magic to move the stone slabs that Elder Li had placed by the roadside to the foot of the mountain to pave the road.

This exhausted him. By the time he had paved the road to the planned location, there were no more stone slabs left in the mountains. When he looked back, he saw that a small bridge had appeared over the stream.

This is a very simple stone slab bridge, a little over ten feet long and two meters wide, spanning the stream and leading to the path up the mountain.

It was already midnight. He Kao walked along the stone path under the moonlight, crossed the small bridge, and then walked deeper and deeper into the mountains along the newly opened path, eventually reaching the stone steps between the cliffs.

At the end of the stone steps is a platform nestled in the cliff, several tens of meters above the ravine below, with a white stone wall behind it.

Li Xiuyuan was standing in front of the stone wall when he saw He Kao coming over. He handed the steel ruler back to him and said, "You've come at the right time. I should finish my work now. You often carry this steel ruler with you when you go out. If you carry it with you as Yin'e, it's tantamount to self-destruction."

He Kao quickly replied, "Please rest assured, Master Li, when I appear as Yin'e, I will have a different appearance and a different name."

When He Kao appeared in front of others as Yin E, he usually disguised himself as Feng Zilong, calling himself Huo Qing. Of course, he would not carry his usual bag or have a steel ruler stuck in it.

Li Xiuyuan: "If you don't carry the Rainfall Divine Sword with you, you won't be able to escape if you encounter a master. But now that you have the Four Seasons Flower Screen given to you by Grandmaster Guo, you can barely protect yourself."

Then he pointed to the white stone wall and said, "If your cultivation is sufficient, the Rainfall Divine Sword is quite handy for cutting stone, but you shouldn't take it out in front of the other disciples of the Hidden Moth Sect."

I have an axe here, also a magical artifact, called the Hill Cleaver. You can borrow it for a while. Are there other high-ranking sorcerers in the Hidden Moth Sect?

He Kao: "Yes, there are two other cultivators, Er Ji and Lan Jiuwan, both of whom are at the fourth level of cultivation."

Li Xiuyuan: "Then let them take it and use it. They can carve out the stone from this side of the wall and use the magic weapon to carve out all kinds of stones they need. They can also carve out a secluded cave here."

He Kao accepted Qiu Zhan's sword and said, "Thank you, Master Li!"

This ritual implement looks like a wood-chopping axe from the countryside, the standard prop used by the Axe Gang in movies. He Kao used it when he was a child; it has a wooden handle about a foot long and a palm-sized iron axe head. But upon closer inspection, the difference becomes apparent. This axe is exquisitely crafted, with a slightly curved handle and beautiful snakeskin patterns. The dark axe head is faintly shrouded in a cold light in the moonlight.

Li Xiuyuan added, "This axe isn't a gift to you, it's just a loan. You'll have to return it to me later. And you can only use it here; don't take it out, and don't let outsiders know about it."

He Kao: "Where did this magic treasure come from? Is there a problem with its origin?"

Li Xiuyuan: "This is a magic weapon of the Subtle Sect. The ancient masters made it specifically for opening mountains, chiseling rocks, and felling trees for materials. It can also be used occasionally for magical battles. I got it from Zou Tianjin, and I will have to return it to him in the future."

He Kao: "How long can I use it?"

Li Xiuyuan: "There's no rush to pay it back. Use it for as long as you want, just don't let anyone know about it or lose it... It's about time, let's go check on Elder Gu's condition."

The two returned to the stone niche in the basin. Elder Gu had already gotten up. Several small mountains of timber were piled up on the open ground next to them, all arranged according to their thickness.

Elder Gu pointed to the piles of timber and said, "These have all been processed and their material properties have been improved. They can now be used directly for construction."

The main purpose of the Bagua Purple Gold Furnace is alchemy, which also includes processing various materials. So, processing wood is naturally quite simple, since it's not for refining any miraculous elixirs.

But Elder Gu managed to process so much timber in such a short time, which is nothing short of miraculous!
The two elders didn't say anything else, but He Kao suddenly understood their other meaning. They were not only there to help, but also to demonstrate their superior skills so that He Kao would know what to expect.

Both of them are advanced cultivators who have broken through to the sixth level of cultivation for many years. In particular, Gu Chun's cultivation has long been at the sixth level of perfection. He Kao can weigh for himself how big the gap is between him and these two elders.
Li Xiuyuan had once said that with the Rainfall Divine Sword in hand, He Kao should be able to escape even if he encountered a powerful opponent and was unable to defeat them. Now he understood that he could only escape; he also needed to be quick to react!
Perhaps they were afraid he would become arrogant and not know his place when carrying out missions in the future, so the two elders used this method to give him a warning, which can be considered as teaching him a lesson.

As dawn approached, He Kao escorted the two elders back to Longlin Slope in Fengwei Township. Before taking his leave, Li Xiuyuan sent him another divine thought: the mission had finally arrived...

Elder Li also gave He Kao two USB drives, one of which contained the complete set of blueprints for the Ancestral Hall. He Kao could take it back and organize people to refer to the blueprints for construction and make modifications as needed.

He Kao didn't say anything, he just nodded silently.

He received too much information that day. He had just listened to Elder Zong's lecture all afternoon and hadn't had time to properly digest it when the two elders gave him another lecture in the evening.

Zongzheng lectured without using any magic or techniques, but explained to him what it meant to break through illusions before breaking through barriers. Gu Chun and Li Xiuyuan then displayed great supernatural powers that he had never seen before.

He's still a little confused about it...

A few days later, when He Kao opened the Floating Color Cave again and led the disciples of the Hidden Moth Sect in, everyone was stunned.

The sect leader has amazing abilities. In less than a week, he has prepared so much timber and even opened a road leading to the quarry.

Everyone asked He Kao how he did it. He Kao just smiled and didn't say anything. Yin'e is Yin'e, and Yin'e is indeed worthy of being called Yin'e. Putting aside everything else, at least the mystery is off the charts.

Erji changed his plans and did not stay in Piaocai Cave for the next week. He went outside to study, revise and finalize the construction drawings. Chang Anju and Lan Jiuwan stayed here to cultivate and do other chores.

For example, Lan Jiuwan can now use the Qiu Zhan to cut rocks from the mountainside and quarry stone.

He Kao will open the gates at the same time next week. At that time, these people will decide who stays and who goes out to handle matters. If they have time on weekdays, He Kao will also come here to participate in some sect voluntary labor in his spare time.

After leaving Piaocai Cave, He Kao did not return to Qiyuan, but went directly to the North Mi Continent.

He Kao had been here before. It is located at the southern end of the west coast of the United States. There is a town nearby where a famous university in the state is located. There are also many other educational institutions in the town, which is somewhat like the university towns that some places in China have built in the suburbs.

He didn't appear directly in the town, but instead came to a field. In his memory, this place used to be a lush forest with many wild animals, but now it was dark and desolate.

This area was clearly hit by a large volcano not long ago; many trees were burned bare, leaving only charred stumps and oddly shaped branches.

Several more heavy rains must have followed, leaving the mountains in a state of chaos, with traces of small mudslides in many places. It has also rained in the last few days, making the low-lying areas muddy.

In higher-altitude areas, the rainwater has been dried by the scorching sun, and when a gust of wind blows, the resulting dust is blackish-gray and extremely choking.

Amidst the ashes and charred wood, many new weeds and saplings have sprouted, some already growing to be more than half a person's height.

Due to the time difference, it was noon, and the scorching sun of late June was almost directly shining down. The mountain was stuffy and hot, giving people the feeling of being roasted in a charcoal oven.

**
(End of this chapter)