Chapter 384: Mu Qingluan: My Powerful Senior Brother Is Also Extremely Cautious
Zi Yan's casual comment carried maximum sarcasm. Though some were annoyed, they couldn't deny that Xiao Yuan had indeed dealt with the ten puppets with ease. Given his overwhelming strength, no one could find a good excuse to argue.
Xiao Yuan didn't bother reprimanding Zi Yan for her words. Aside from the Burning Flame Valley members he was responsible for, the rest had nothing to do with him. He certainly wasn't going to lecture Zi Yan just to spare their feelings.
As for the Earth Demon Puppets... the whole thing was almost laughable.
Xiao Yuan had previously crafted Earth Demon Puppets himself and was extremely familiar with their weaknesses. Normally, they would need to be smashed to pieces to be stopped. But he didn't want to destroy them—he wanted control, like with the Sky Demon Puppets.
Inside every Earth Demon Puppet, there was usually a soul imprint from the creator. Erase that imprint and replace it with your own, and the puppet would obey. These imprints were normally well hidden, but having crafted them himself, Xiao Yuan knew where to look.
What surprised him was how easy it was to take control of these particular puppets. He didn't sense even the faintest soul imprint. Xiao Yuan couldn't help but smirk—it was likely the passage of endless years had erased the imprints, or perhaps the ancient Dou Saint who made them hadn't even bothered to implant one in the first place, considering them disposable.
Whatever the reason, the moment Xiao Yuan's soul force entered, the connection was formed instantly. There was zero resistance. In fact, anyone else could've done it too.
So when he stored the puppets away into his ring, he wore a slightly awkward expression. Glancing at the gray-robed elder who had been beaten bloody earlier, he couldn't help but wonder—if that old man knew how ridiculously simple the method was, would he cough up blood on the spot?
While Xiao Yuan mused silently, the crowd stood stunned. Those ten puppets, each equivalent to a peak Dou Sect, and collectively rivaling a two-star Dou Zun, had just fallen into Xiao Yuan's hands in the blink of an eye.
Many looked on with mixed emotions—envy, disbelief, even jealousy. Such a puppet alone would be enough to make most people go mad with greed.
This was especially true for Feng Qing'er, the Sky Underworld Sect, and other factions who had grudges with Xiao Yuan. The stronger his side became, the more pressure it put on them.
Xiao Yuan paid them no more attention. Even if they hated him, they wouldn't dare act here. Their real target was the heaven-tier Dou Technique within the ruins. No one would be foolish enough to provoke him before claiming that prize.
Creak...
Not long after Xiao Yuan stored the puppets, the massive stone gate emitted a groaning mechanical sound and began to slowly open, revealing a narrow crack.
As it opened, a desolate, ancient aura drifted outward, silencing many. For cultivators, relics of the ancient past held an almost sacred significance.
Xiao Yuan, however, didn't move. He casually floated back to where he had been standing earlier. His sudden retreat made many twitch. "Cunning bastard," someone cursed inwardly. Clearly, he had no intention of being the first to enter.
When the gate finally opened completely, a hush fell over the crowd. No one dared to be the first to step inside.
More people continued to arrive, clearly those who had figured out the fire path's secret. With the crowd growing, those who had come early began to get restless. Eventually, one person couldn't take it anymore and cautiously stepped into the passage.
Fortunately, no screams followed.
Seeing the first test pass safely, the rest finally relaxed.
"Let's go."
Xiao Yuan smiled faintly and stomped on the ground, vanishing in a blur of black light into the relic. Cai Lin and the others quickly followed.
"This sly fox!"
Many cursed internally at how fast Xiao Yuan moved once the coast was clear. Then they, too, launched themselves forward, flooding into the relic like a tide.
Xiao Yuan's group moved quickly, entering the massive hall almost instantly. As they slowed down and took in their surroundings, they were stunned by what they saw.
The interior was a colossal grand hall, dwarfing anyone inside. Countless deep corridors branched off in various directions, and groups were already scattering into them.
"Which way?"
Cai Lin asked.
"Let's look for medicinal ingredients first. The Dou Saint's remains are important to us—but for others, not so much. Plus... heh, those bones aren't something you can just touch. I'd rather let others test it out first."
Xiao Yuan replied with a sly grin.
Even Mu Qingluan couldn't help twitching at the corners of her mouth. Her terrifyingly powerful senior brother was also just a little too cautious.
"Zi Yan, can you sense anything?"
Xiao Yuan asked as he looked down the endless corridors. They had only just entered the main hall—there was no doubt the interior would be even more complex. Running around randomly would be a nightmare.
"I can smell some herbs… but it's faint."
Zi Yan sniffed and wrinkled her nose.
"Lead the way."
Xiao Yuan nodded, pleased.
"Mhm."
Zi Yan pointed toward one of the left-side corridors and shot off. The group quickly followed.
The passage was massive. As they flew through, they passed other treasure-seekers—but luckily, no one foolishly tried to challenge them.
Along the sides of the corridors were occasional pavilions. Sometimes large groups of cultivators swarmed these like bandits, tearing them apart in hopes of finding treasure. Occasionally, someone got lucky and unearthed a battle technique or cultivation method—though most were only earth-tier. Even so, the crowd always reacted with heat and envy.
Xiao Yuan's group entered several such pavilions while following the medicinal scent, but found nothing of real value. The true treasures, it seemed, were elsewhere.
Realizing this, they focused solely on following Zi Yan.
After nearly fifteen minutes of flying, Zi Yan finally slowed.
Ahead of them stood an ancient stone door, covered in moss. Its eerie green hue gave off the feeling of time itself.
"The medicinal scent is strongest here. This must be a storage chamber. Hopefully the herbs haven't rotted after all these years."
Zi Yan pointed to the door.
"They shouldn't have. A Dou Saint would have ways to preserve them."
Xiao Yuan stepped forward, carefully inspected the area, found no traps, and pushed the door open.
Rumble!
With a heavy grinding sound, the moss-covered door slowly creaked open. A dense wave of ancient medicinal fragrance surged out, immediately invigorating everyone.
Xiao Yuan's eyes lit up. He pushed harder, forcing the door fully open.
Blinding light burst from within, forcing them to squint. They took a few cautious steps back, Dou Qi surging in case of any surprises.
As the light faded, their eyes widened.
Beyond the door was not a room—but a forest. A sprawling ancient forest made entirely of rare medicinal herbs.
"Damn... compared to this, my Ten Thousand Herb Mountain is trash."
Xiong Zhan stared, completely dumbfounded by the vast sea of priceless herbs.
"Whew…"
Xiao Yuan was also stunned. It took him a while to recover. He quickly ushered the group inside and sealed the door behind them—adding a Dou Qi barrier that could withstand a full-strength blow from a four-star Dou Zun.
It wouldn't stop everyone, but it'd block the riffraff.
To many factions, this treasure trove was an irresistible temptation.
"Wow! Now this is paradise!"
Zi Yan's eyes sparkled. She wiped her mouth, then dove into a cluster of spiritual ganoderma, stuffing her face. Though unrefined, the immense energy inside made up for the lack of flavor—at least for her.
The others didn't find her behavior strange, though they shook their heads with wry smiles. Xiao Yuan, meanwhile, waved his hand and strode deeper into the forest.
But—
A moment later, a soul clone emerged from his body, wielding a large storage ring and madly sweeping up herbs.
Mine. All mine.
"Come on, I'll let you eat all you want later."
They followed him deeper. Cai Lin even had to drag Zi Yan away from her feast.
The ancient forest was vast, cloaked in sweet aroma and light mist. Occasionally, small beasts darted through the underbrush. The atmosphere was serene—almost like a celestial realm.
"This forest has evolved over countless years. It's become its own little world. There are some strong magical beasts here—stay alert."
Xiao Yuan warned as they landed atop a tree. He could sense many powerful auras.
"Mhm. Some of them are ancient species—very strong. If they latch onto us, we'll have trouble."
Venerable Tianhuo added gravely.
"Tch, so what if they're ancient? Relax. No one's touching us while I'm here."
Zi Yan huffed, tapped her toe, and zipped into the forest like a purple flash.
"Let's stick close to her. It's safer."
Xiao Yuan smiled and led the way.
Even at their speed, it took them over ten minutes of flying—and they still hadn't reached the forest's end. This place, built by a Dou Saint, was massive.
Along the way, they felt many fierce auras. Giant, terrifying beasts sometimes leapt across their path—but perhaps because of Zi Yan's dragon bloodline, they didn't dare get close.
Swish!
Suddenly, Xiao Yuan paused and turned sharply north, brows furrowed.
"What is it?" Cai Lin asked.
"More people just entered. Quite a few of them."
"Another entrance, perhaps?" she guessed.
"Seems so. We weren't the only ones with access. We'd better move faster."
"I found it!"
Zi Yan suddenly called out with joy.
"What is it?"
Xiao Yuan asked quickly.
"Hehe, it smells amazing! Definitely a rare treasure. I'm better at sniffing these out than you!"
She wrinkled her nose proudly, chin held high, then bolted toward the source.
Xiao Yuan and the others immediately gave chase.
(END CHAPTER)
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