Chapter 151: External Reinforcement
They stayed on the flying ship for several days.
The group on the flying ship finally arrived at their destination.
The venue of the competition was the Misty Mountain Range, the location of the Medicine Garden Mystic Realm.
Jiang Li stood on the deck of the flying ship and looked down. The mountainous terrain along the way did not change much, but he could see that the mountains below were gradually enveloped by a layer of white miasma. This was the origin of this mountain range’s name.
The Great Mountain Region was famous because of the countless dangerous peaks in the mountain range. This place was also shrouded in thick fog all year round.
It was not easy to find a hidden garden among these mountains.
“That Medicine Garden Mystic Realm is actually hidden in such a place. It’s really fortunate that those two rogue cultivators could find it.”
“It’s said that this mystic realm used to be the spiritual farm of some immortal sect. This place is even covered by a large-scale maze formation. This fog can’t be dispersed because it’s gathered by the array formation. If your cultivation level is not high enough, you won’t be able to discover the mystic realm even if you pass through this fog head-on.”
“To be able to pass through the illusion array by accident, those two people’s luck is really good.”
“Their luck is good, but their brains aren’t that good. They were discovered the first time they sold their gains. This opportunity has turned into bad luck for them.”
“That’s right. Now, many rogue cultivators believe that as the first to discover the mystic realm, they must have taken the most precious materials from the medicinal garden and hidden them. There are even rumors that those immortal herbs can allow people to easily break through to the immortal realm.”
“I heard about it too. Right now, there are quite a few cultivators targeting those two rogue cultivators. There are even a few Core Formation cultivators among them.”
“That’s terrible.”
The speed of the flying ship had already slowed down quite a bit. On the deck, a group of disciples who were well-informed were chatting about various things regarding this mystic realm.
Regarding this kind of major event that affected the cultivation world, as experienced disciples, they naturally carried extremely high enthusiasm.
The four flying ships of the sect gradually descended. Amidst the clamor of the disciples, they slowly drove into the miasma.
As they entered the dense fog of water vapor. Jiang Li’s hair was quickly dampened by the moisture, and the clothes on his body became wet and uncomfortable.
In the fog, the flying ship moved steadily along a special flight path. This was a maze path that many high-level cultivators had opened up after a lot of probing. It was said that this route could be sold for a high price in the outer black market.
Jiang Li flicked his hair and used his spiritual qi to isolate the water vapor in the outside world.
However, this situation did not last long. After a few minutes, the white area ahead suddenly opened up.
In the center of the circle of mountains, a vast and flat plain appeared. Jiang Li could already faintly smell the fragrance of herbs, and ahead was the Medicine Garden Mystic Realm.
Taking a deep breath, Jiang Li could not help but be surprised. The concentration of spiritual qi here was actually two to three times higher than in the outside world.
It seemed that other than the maze formation, there was also a large-scale spirit gathering formation set up here. Or maybe, there was an unexplored spirit stone mine buried under the ground of this region.
This kind of spiritual qi was so dense that even if a mortal lived here, they could extend their lifespan and live without any illnesses or pain. To Qi Refinement cultivators, it was an excellent cultivation holy land.
If this place was not publicized, with a little modification, it would be the foundation of a large sect.
Towards this, countless people had illusions. If only they were the first to discover this mystic realm, they could definitely use these resources to get stronger and dominate an area.
Even Jiang Li could not help but feel fascinated when he thought about the countless riches that could even change the entire cultivation world of the Great Mountain Region.
Even if he only sold the spirit springs to earn spirit stones, it would still take many years of hard work to match the gains!
Looking down, at the entrance to the mystic realm’s ground, a large number of neatly arranged buildings had already been built.
The Medicine Garden Mystic Realm was sealed off by the combined efforts of many sects in the Great Mountain. A large number of cultivators could not enter, but they were unwilling to leave. Therefore, they stopped at the entrance of the mystic realm and spontaneously formed a market that shared everything.
Not to mention that the concentration of spiritual qi here was far higher than the outside world and could greatly accelerate cultivation.
As long as they waited for a period of time, when the Grand Competition ended, the development plan and distribution of the mystic realm would be set. A large amount of spiritual herbs and medicines would definitely flow out.
At that time, this place would naturally be the first-hand market for spiritual medicine transactions. As long as they did transactions, they would earn a huge amount.
Therefore, at the beginning, this place was only a small market. However, after this period of time, more and more rogue cultivators and forces gathered. The small market expanded and connected together, forming the scale of a city.
As long as the mystic realm here continued to exist, this cultivation city would definitely become more and more prosperous. In the future, it was not impossible for it to surpass Nightless City and other places and become a true holy land of cultivators.
At that time, Ma Donggui had even suggested to Jiang Li whether he should open the store here, but he had firmly rejected him. There was no one living within a 500-kilometer radius here, so how could he purchase souls here?
Although spirit stones and spiritual medicines were good, Jiang Li had a limited demand for them. The ghosts that others looked down on were more attractive to him.
The four flying ships of the Scripture Storage Valley were extremely conspicuous in the sky. Once they exited the fog, they were discovered by the cultivators below. Not long after, a few rays of light rose into the sky and flew in front of the flying ships.
“Greetings to the three elders. Disciple Chu Yunxuan has not welcomed you properly. I hope that the three elders will forgive me.”
The person in the lead dispersed the spiritual light on his body to reveal his figure and appearance. In the next moment, the cries of the female disciples on the flying ship rose and fell incessantly, and it caused a large amount of goosebumps to appear on Jiang Li’s hardened skin.
This Eldest Senior Brother’s charm really could not be hidden. Fortunately, he was not of the same age as him.
Otherwise, even if Jiang Li was ten times stronger than him, it would be very difficult for his muscles to compare to the other party’s ethereal grace in the hearts of female cultivators.
This senior brother was also very polite as usual. In fact, with his status, he did not need to say these words at all, but he still lowered his attitude very much.
The three elders smiled and went up to take over the matters. They were also very friendly towards this candidate for the Sect Master position. After all, if Daoist Wushe were to retire one day, everyone would have to address him as Sect Master.
There should not be much trouble in the mystic realm. Otherwise, the sect would have known long ago about a communication spirit stone. Therefore, the so-called handing over was just a routine matter.
After they finished speaking, they specially came to the fifteen participants of the competition to encourage and greet them as their Eldest Senior Brother.
The other disciples had entered the sect for a long time and had seen this person before. Only Jiang Li, who had always been out training, had never met him personally ever since he joined the inner sect. Later on, Chu Yunxuan came directly to the mystic realm to guard it, so they never had a chance to meet.
This was the first time that Jiang Li’s main body had met this Eldest Senior Brother of the sect who was praised by everyone.
“You’re Junior Brother Jiang Li, right? This is the first time we’ve met. I’ve known for a long time that Junior Brother has inherited Elder He’s iron fists. Now it would seem like what they said was true.”
“I’m Chu Yunxuan, just call me Senior Brother. I’ll have to rely on Junior Brother Jiang Li for this Martial Competition.”
Due to it being their first time meeting, Chu Yunxuan even came up to greet Jiang Li. However, this round of praises made Jiang Li not know how to respond.
“Senior Brother, you’re flattering me. I still have a lot to learn with my shallow cultivation level. Please take care of me in the future.”
Helpless, Jiang Li could only praise the other party back.
At this moment, a disciple shouted from behind, “Look, there’s another flying ship behind us!”
Everyone also turned to look.
In the thick fog, a vague outline became clearer. It was a flying ship breaking through the thick fog.
The other party had obviously noticed them as well. In order to prevent a collision, they slowed down. The distance between the two sides gradually closed, allowing Jiang Li to barely see the other party.
It was an even longer and sleek flying ship. From the looks of it, when it was designed and built, it did not seem to have much consideration for the transportation volume. What mattered was its performance and beauty.
In comparison, it seemed to be of a higher grade than the flying ship of the Scripture Storage Valley.
Although he had not seen the flag clearly, Jiang Li could already confirm the other party’s identity. It was the team from the Shu Mountain Five Elements Peak.
This was because the sword cultivator clone was currently above. He was leaning against the railing and looking at Jiang Li.
The Shu Mountain Five Elements Peak, the number one sect in the Great Mountain Region, naturally did not only have one flying ship. In fact, they could send out at least two flying ships from each main peak.
However, the population was limited. If each main peak sent out a flying ship, then the participating disciples would probably have to personally steer the ship. That would obviously be inappropriate.
In addition, the Shu Mountain Five Elements Peak was probably the least enthusiastic about the production share of this Medicine Garden Mystic Realm.
They only took in elites to begin with. While they were rich and imposing, they did not have many inner sect disciples.
A large number of troublesome matters were all handled by the subsidiary sects. The true disciples of the five peaks were basically all full-time sword cultivators who did not work in production. Only a few would dabble in some cultivation sub-occupations because of their hobbies.
When had they ever lacked ordinary spiritual medicine? Basically never. Only the few precious herbs in the mystic realm could arouse their interest.
The main purpose of participating in this Martial Competition was to display their might and ensure their status as the number one sect of the Great Mountain Region.
After the two flying ships approached, a few sword lights quickly rose from the opposite side and landed on the deck.
As mentioned before, due to the friendly and harmonious environment of the sect, the disciples of the Shu Mountain Five Elements Peak were generally more righteous and easy to get along with.
Coupled with the fact that there were not many fools in the cultivation world of the Great Mountain Region who would deliberately go against them, there were even more people who deliberately befriended them through various methods.
Therefore, during their journey down the mountain, the Shu Mountain disciples would easily make many friends. There were naturally many in the Scripture Storage Valley.
Jiang Li thought for a moment before having his sword cultivator clone fly over in sword light to express his thanks to Chu Yunxuan.
After some pleasantries, the few spaceships had enough of their presence in the air and landed at the temporary spaceport.
There were still three days before the Great Mountain Cultivator Competition. They had to stay at the sect encampment. The fifteen disciples had to seize every minute and second to improve themselves and increase their chances of winning.
Jiang Li also needed to complete the cultivation of the scripture inheritances as soon as possible and convert the three new scriptures he gained into proper combat strength.
…
How could anyone who had a desire towards greater heights miss such a grand event in the cultivation world? After the news was spread, waves of cultivators surged over from all directions and gathered within this Misty Mountain Range, causing this temporary city to instantly expand by several times.
Moreover, due to certain considerations, the final outcome of the discussion among many sects and factions was that rogue cultivators who met the criteria were allowed to participate in the competition.
However, even if they obtained the top hundred rankings, they would not win a share for any faction.
However, as compensation, other than obtaining the high-grade spiritual medicines produced in the medicine garden as a reward, they could also choose to join any sect other than the Shu Mountain Five Elements Peak.
Furthermore, even if they did not win, as long as they performed sufficiently well in the competition, many sects would still extend an invitation to them.
To the sect, this was a good opportunity to recruit new and outstanding disciples from the outside world.
To many rogue cultivators who were cultivating arduously, it was also a rare opportunity to “find a home”. Therefore, the rogue cultivators were also filled with enthusiasm for this competition.
In this bustling area, a group of black-robed people walked out through the fog illusion array. They did not even look up and directly entered the bustling market.
They kept a low profile and walked very quickly. They turned and twisted in the complicated streets. While preventing others from following them, their goal seemed to be clear.
The group of black-robed figures left the city and walked all the way to the edge of the gathering place. The leader observed his surroundings for a moment before he seemed to have noticed a secret signal, and he directly pushed open the door and walked into a courtyard.
This was an ordinary courtyard like the other buildings beside it, which had just been built. However, if a cultivator who was proficient in array formation runes were to carefully inspect it, they would discover that the array formation in this courtyard was quite high-grade.
To be able to silently construct such a level array formation in such a short time, the master behind this was definitely not an ordinary person.
The people in the inner room of the courtyard sensed the arrival of the guests through the fluctuation of the array formation. The door immediately opened and a slightly stout figure walked out. He directly bowed to the black-robed figures.
“Greetings, envoys. I am honored.”
“Before the start of the competition, in order to cover up our tracks, I can only let the esteemed envoys temporarily stay here. This humble servant is extremely sorry.”
The stout cultivator’s attitude was extremely respectful as he let the black-robed figures into the house.
The few of them entered the room. After the array formation was activated in layers, they took off their hoods.
Under the black robe was a middle-aged woman and four young cultivators.
The hood and black robe seemed to have the ability to conceal one’s aura, and the effects were quite impressive.
When they wore the hood, they looked no different from a mortal. As soon as the hood was removed, several overbearing and fierce auras surged forth, especially the one in the lead. Her cultivation level was unfathomable, causing the fat man’s body to tremble a few times.
However, these black-robed figures were not wanted demonic cultivators. Instead, they were unfamiliar faces. In the Great Mountain Region, be it the rogue cultivators or sect cultivators, they had never heard of these people.
“Where’s your Pavilion Master?”
The middle-aged female cultivator leading the group asked in an overbearing tone.
The other young cultivators also sized up everything in the room, as if they felt some disdain towards everything.
“The Pavilion Master still has important matters to attend to. He will definitely rush over by midnight to receive the envoys. Please endure for a moment. It is my fault for receiving you poorly.”
The stout cultivator did not straighten his back as he repeatedly apologized to them.
Then, he explained the general rules of this Martial Competition and the powerful opponents they might encounter in the competition.
However, the five people on the other side all had disdain on their faces. They did not pay attention to the competition at all, as if it was very easy for them.
After a long time, the stout cultivator realized that the five people were looking down on him. He finished his work and left respectfully.
After walking out of the house, he could not help but sigh, “I hope these people from the headquarters are really that strong…”
The stout cultivator turned around, revealing a similarly plump and broad face.
If Jiang Li was here, he would realize that he knew this suspicious fatty.
This was the deacon of the Immortal Ascension Pavilion, Fu Zhong!
One had to know that the Immortal Ascension Pavilion known by all the cultivators in the cultivation world of this Great Mountain should be called the “Great Mountain Branch of the Immortal Ascension Pavilion”.
This was not a secret. Fu Zhong had introduced it to Jiang Li and the others when they first entered the Immortal Ascension Pavilion.
However, to most people, the Immortal Ascension Pavilion’s Great Mountain Branch was equivalent to the Immortal Ascension Pavilion. To them, there was no difference, so they subconsciously ignored it.
However, since it was a branch, it meant that there was a headquarters.
Under normal circumstances, due to the need to travel a long distance, not many branches would interact with one another. It was basically autonomous. As long as the Pavilion Master returned every few years to report his work, everything would be fine. It would not affect the other sects in the Great Mountain Region.
However, now that the Medicine Garden Mystic Realm had appeared, it had been decided that this kind of competition would be used to distribute the ownership.
The Immortal Ascension Pavilion that did not have any outstanding combat strength would not give up on this benefit.
Therefore, they asked the headquarters for help.
In fact, it was not only the Immortal Ascension Pavilion that was seeking external help. Many sects, whether big or small, had such actions. In the face of huge benefits, all kinds of secret transactions emerged endlessly.
However, if they invited external help from outside the Great Mountain Region, it was hard to say whether this action was in line with the rules.
After all, no one had thought of this at that time, so there was no special restriction on foreign aid. They only requested that the faction participating had to be a native faction of the Great Mountain.
However, the group of elites from the Immortal Ascension Pavilion knew very well that even if this was not against the rules now, if news of external help was exposed too early and caused the other sects to be dissatisfied, they might change a clause the next day and directly stop them.
Therefore, in order to ensure that the external helpers could participate smoothly, they had to maintain a low profile for the time being.