Yuantian Pidao

Chapter 232 Bones Have Grown
Yanqiu is shrouded in mist and clouds, making it difficult to see its true form.

Since the Battle of Huangfeng Valley, this place has become the most famous place in Changfeng County. During this period, Yanqiu has been more lively than ever before, with people coming to visit, either to seek refuge or to make connections. Although most of them were turned away at the foot of the mountain, there was a group of people that Yanqiu could not afford to offend, such as the Qingmu family.

At this moment, Du Zhong, the steward of Yanqiu and in charge of external reception, personally brought a person to Yanqiu. She looked to be in her sixties, with gray hair, but her complexion was rosy and she was full of energy.

"Elder Yun, in that battle, the Flood Dragon King sacrificed his own bloodline to suppress the demon. He has been in seclusion for many days and is unable to come out to greet us. Please understand."

With a deep and resonant voice, Du Zhong appeared very respectful in front of Qing Muyun.

This is quite normal. Although he now represents Jiang Chen and has a high status in Changfeng County, and everyone has to give him some face, the Qingmu family is the undisputed leader of the four southern counties, and everyone has to be a grade lower when they see the Qingmu family.

Upon hearing Du Zhong's words, Qing Muyun's face remained full of gentle smiles, resembling a kind old man, showing no sign of anger.

"It's alright, it's just that I came too abruptly this time."

"The Flood Dragon King is currently in seclusion to recuperate from his injuries, so I naturally shouldn't disturb him. How about you take me for a stroll around this Flame Hill, young friend? With a being like the Flood Dragon King residing here for so long, the atmosphere here is something I've never seen before."

"Of course, I'm just looking at the scenery; I won't peek into any forbidden areas."

Speaking in a gentle, unhurried manner, Aoki Yun stated her request.

Upon hearing this, Du Zhong hesitated for a moment. Although he didn't know why Qing Muyun wanted to do this, he instinctively wanted to refuse. However, after meeting Qing Muyun's smiling face, he sighed helplessly and finally nodded.

Seeing this, Aoki Yun nodded in satisfaction.

In the time that followed, under Du Zhong's guidance, they walked barefoot, while Qing Muyun strolled around Yanqiu.

That evening, without seeing Jiang Chen, Qing Muyun did not choose to return, but instead stayed on Yanqiu.

Inside the room, the smile on her face vanished, and Qingmu Yun conjured a talisman, isolating the inside from the outside.

In the next instant, the spell was activated, and a spiritual seed fell to the ground, took root, sprouted, and eventually grew into a plant similar to a bellflower, with one bellflower after another hanging on it.

A gentle breeze rustled the wind chimes, and a dim, ethereal light spread out, connecting with another ethereal light in the distance.

"how?"

The wind chimes swayed, and a deep, authoritative voice rang out in Qingmu Yun's room.

Upon hearing these words, Aoki Yun immediately bowed to the wind chime flower with a very respectful expression.

“Ancestor, I have used the treasures you bestowed upon me to investigate Yanqiu, and I can confirm that the Frost Dragon is not here; its whereabouts remain a mystery.”

"Furthermore, the environment of Yanqiu has been affected by some kind of force and has become abnormal. That Frost Dragon may have really touched the threshold of the Dao Foundation."

As she recounted her findings, a hint of envy flashed in Qingmu Yun's eyes at the end.

A foundation for the Dao is extremely difficult to obtain. Even though she came from the Qingmu family and had decent talent, it was still almost impossible for her to establish a foundation for the Dao. After listening to Qingmu Yun's story, Qingmu Lei fell silent for a moment.

"It seems that this Frost Dragon is also cautious. Well then, in that case, you may deliver a gift on behalf of the Aoki family."

"Furthermore, after such a long period of turmoil and the deaths of so many people, the withered bone tree buried underground in Changfeng County has grown up. You should retrieve it."

Without showing any emotion, Aoki Lei gave his instructions.

The root of the trouble in Changfeng County was the Third Prince stirring up trouble. The Qingmu family was well aware of this, but they did not pay attention to it because the Blackwater Dock was making frequent moves, which kept them from spending too much energy on it.

Besides, the reason why the Qingmu family did not take action was because they discovered a second-tier spiritual tree, the Dry Bone Tree, underground in Changfeng County a hundred years ago. This spiritual tree has the effect of prolonging life and avoiding death, which is quite mysterious. However, it needs to absorb a large amount of death energy to grow.

It is precisely for this reason that the Aoki family spent a great deal of money to infiltrate Changfeng County and kept it in chaos, making it the most chaotic of the four southern counties.

Although the Third Prince's actions caused them considerable losses, they also saw the possibility of fully ripening the withered bone wood, so they chose to go with the flow.

Upon hearing Qingmu Lei's words, Qingmu Yun immediately bowed and agreed.

After completing all these contacts, Aoki Lei cut off all contact.

"It seems that this Frost Dragon is destined for greatness. If it can continue to be so cautious, it may have a real chance of breaking through to the Dao Foundation stage."

Looking at the completely withered bellflowers before her, Aoki Yun's aged face was filled with sighs.

Her main purpose in coming here was to ascertain the whereabouts of the Frost Dragon. Once the Frost Dragon was found, the Qingmu family would take action. At that time, the Frost Dragon would either be killed or subdued. There would be no other way. After all, as things stand, the Qingmu family did not want to see another Dao Foundation level dragon emerge in the four southern prefectures.

Unfortunately, the Frost Dragon was indeed cunning. After the battle at Yellow Wind Valley, it disappeared without a trace, giving no one a chance to pursue it.

As for Yanqiu, it seems to be a powerful force in Changfeng County, but according to her investigation, it is just a makeshift operation. Apart from the Frost Dragon, there are only a few big cats and small cats. The Frost Dragon doesn't even take it seriously. It's unrealistic to think that Yanqiu can be used as bait to lure out the Frost Dragon.

Meanwhile, in a distant land, Aoki Lei also turned his gaze to Yanqiu.

"With the Green Serpent in front and the Frost Dragon behind, it's truly bizarre that two potential true demon cultivators have emerged in these four southern prefectures in such a short period of time."

"If either of these two demons succeeds in establishing a Dao foundation, the situation in the four southern prefectures will immediately change, and the position of my Qingmu family will be impacted. If both demons succeed, we will be besieged from both inside and outside, and my Qingmu family will immediately fall into danger. Should we really seek help from outside? Or..."

As the thoughts collided, Aoki Lei frowned.

In the Southern Kingdom, there are only four prominent Daoist families: the Chen family, the royal family, which is based in the north; the Qingmu family, which is based in the south; the Qiao family, which is based in the east; and the Qu family, which is based in the west. The strongest of these is naturally the royal Chen family, which dominates the Southern Kingdom, while the weakest is the Qingmu family.

Although under normal circumstances, the Qiao family, the Qu family, and the Qingmu family would tacitly unite to counterbalance the Chen family, their relationship was actually quite delicate. Seeking help rashly might invite trouble upon themselves.

(End of this chapter)