When Kaka and the others arrived at Yunhe Temple, they only saw the ruins of the original Yunhe Temple, and Qin Wumeng sitting idly on a large rock outside the temple.
"Wow, what, what happened here?" The newcomers looked shocked, deeply suspecting that Yunhe Temple had been bombed.
"Where's your captain?" Feng Yuanzheng stepped forward, asking with a serious expression.
"The captain said he went to find Shangguan Wuji first and told me to wait here for you to leave a message," Qin Wumeng said listlessly, appearing quite helpless about being abandoned by her captain.
"Where did Yunhe Temple's abbot go?" Shangguan Nianci, who had followed the others, rushed over, looking at the half-broken Yunhe Temple plaque not far away, both shocked and angry.
"The old abbot left. The young monks in the temple were killed by Xue Ji, sent by Yagyu Killing God. The old abbot, consumed by rage, became a demon. After being defeated by the captain, he left a message about your father and then departed."
Qin Wumeng stood up and looked at Shangguan Nianci: "Do you know Changyun Cave? The old abbot said your father is there."
"Changyun Cave? Changyun Cave!" Shangguan Nianci murmured, then suddenly exclaimed, "My mother once told me! When the Changyun Cave is flooded, clouds and mist will rise to the sky!"
"Changyun Cave is on the cliff of Yunxia Mountain, where the Changyun River, Qingyun River, and Lingyun River converge. Whenever the water level there rises and submerges Changyun Cave, a spectacular sight of vast clouds and mist will appear in the sky."
"Ah, it sounds like 'water floods the Great Buddha's knees, fire burns Lingyun Cave,'" Gu Xianghai whispered. "I wonder if there's a Fire Qilin in that Changyun Cave."
"If there is, I'll put you in there to fight it one-on-one," Feng Jianye said with a chuckle, patting Gu Xianghai's shoulder. "Kid, I have high hopes for you."
Gu Xianghai shivered, gave a wry smile, and dared not speak again.
"It seems we have a target for our next move," Feng Yuanzheng looked into the distance and suddenly said, "Miss Qin, when you see your captain, I hope you can tell him that since it's a collaboration, he should have a collaborative attitude."
Clearly, Feng Yuanzheng was very displeased by Zhou Ming's unannounced departure and solo action.
"I will convey that to the captain, but our captain also said that speed is paramount in war. Since the enemy could send people here a step ahead of us, they can certainly go to the next place a step ahead of us. If we don't take a surprise move and get ahead, we will only be passive everywhere, always trailing behind the enemy and eating dust."
Qin Wumeng spoke calmly, neither humble nor arrogant.
Feng Yuanzheng suddenly turned around, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he looked at Qin Wumeng coldly.
Qin Wumeng did not flinch, meeting his gaze with a look of complete composure.
"Alright, he makes a good point," Feng Yuanzheng's intimidating Aura slowly subsided, and he turned away indifferently.
"However, next time I hope he tells me personally, and not through you."
"Kaka, prepare to go to Lingyun Cave!"
"Isn't it Changyun Cave?" Zhou Xinyue whispered.
"Shh!" Zhou Peng made a shushing gesture to her. "Whatever the boss says, goes. Children shouldn't talk nonsense."
"Hmm?" Feng Yuanzheng glanced over.
"Ah ha ha ha, the child is ignorant and spoke out of turn. Boss, please don't mind. I'll teach her right away, I'll teach her right away."
Zhou Peng bowed and scraped, trying to smooth things over with a fawning expression.
"No need, it was a slip of the tongue," Feng Yuanzheng said lightly. "I'm not your boss either; you don't need to be afraid of me."
"Kaka, have you planned the route?"
"Done!" Kaka interjected at the right moment. "Changyun Cave is about seven hundred kilometers from here. With so many of us, it seems only the airship among our prepared transportation methods is suitable. The wind direction and speed are both appropriate. If I modify the power System, we can get there in five hours."
"Then hurry and prepare. Don't let our friends wait too long," Feng Yuanzheng said softly... The Changyun River surged, flowing from west to east into the sea, holding a status in this world equivalent to the Yangtze River on Earth.
Like the previous worlds Zhou Ming had experienced, this world was also an alternate dimension, different from Earth yet intricately similar.
The dynasty currently unifying the Central Plains was called Great Qi, established nearly two hundred years ago. By the time of the current emperor, Zhao Bangyan, the national fortune had significantly declined, showing clear signs of decay.
The emperor was incompetent, employing favored officials, while corruption was rampant among officials. Exorbitant taxes and levies left the common people struggling to survive, and several local disasters had led to numerous signs of rebellion across various regions.
With the Central Plains in decline, neighboring countries naturally stirred, such as Dongying across the sea.
Twenty years ago, Yagyu Killing God, entered the Central Plains to challenge the entire Martial Forest of the Central Plains. His true purpose was naturally not as simple as merely testing his martial arts.
Behind Yagyu Killing God, was the Dongying Shogun, Yagyu Ichinyo, who had almost unified all of Dongying but did not claim emperorship, instead propping up a Puppet emperor and wielding real power from behind the scenes.
He instructed Yagyu Killing God, to challenge the Central Plains Martial Forest precisely to suppress the morale of the entire Central Plains Martial Forest and prepare for his future invasion of the Central Plains.
All of this was known by Zhou Ming after he Soul Devoured the Soul of the Dongying woman named Xue Ji.
That woman was shot in the chest by Qin Wumeng but miraculously survived, only to immediately encounter the battle between the old monk and the Northern 鎮拳王, getting buried in the ruins and almost dying.
She used a secret art to consume her lifespan and stimulate vitality, barely digging a way out of the ruins, only to be caught red-handed by Zhou Ming, who had long since discovered her and was waiting for her. He didn't even have the interest to interrogate her, directly Soul Devouring her to finish the matter.
The martial artists of this world generally had weak Soul Power but strong will, belonging to the type Zhou Ming disliked the most.
Devouring a Xue Ji's Soul, the loss from clearing the after-effects was much greater than the gain itself. If not for the intelligence, Zhou Ming would not have been willing to do such a thankless task.
Fortunately, the information obtained from Xue Ji did not disappoint Zhou Ming.
Xue Ji being dispatched by Yagyu Killing God, to carry out a mission naturally meant she had ample confidence. Her understanding of the Central Plains was even greater than many Central Plains people.
Soul Devouring a Xue Ji meant Zhou Ming directly gained a considerable understanding of both the Central Plains and Dongying in this world. He even knew Yagyu Killing God's movements clearly.
However, Zhou Ming did not directly go to find Yagyu Killing God. If he could find helpers to enhance his side's combat power, why would he foolishly go and fight the opponent to the death?
A surging sound of water came from ahead, and the mist, carrying waves of coolness, hit Zhou Ming's face, invigorating him.
Ahead, a great river surged, its waves crashing against the banks, which were lined with towering, lush mountains.
Yunxia Mountain, reached.
"Water floods Changyun Cave, clouds and mist rise to the sky. Heh heh, interesting. From Xue Ji's memory, Changyun Cave is not simple at all!"
"Originally, I thought it was just an ordinary high-Martial world. Now it seems this world might be a homologous but different plane of the Fengyun world?"
Following the route in Xue Ji's memory, the Flying Flower Gu quickly descended towards Yunxia Mountain. Soon, at the foot of the mountain, on a cliff about five meters above the Changyun River, a stone cave about five meters high was discovered.
The stone cave was surrounded by various plants, either weeds, shrubs, or vines, a lush green. From a distance, the entire cave entrance was hidden in a verdant expanse, inconspicuous.
If not for Xue Ji's extremely deep impression of this place, Zhou Ming would have had to spend some time looking for it.
The Flying Flower landed at the cave entrance. Zhou Ming's feet touched the ground, he put away the Flying Flower Gu, and reached out with an empty grasp.
There was wind in the cave, carrying wisps of coolness. The sound of the wind was faint, like a roaring beast, like chirping insects, like mournful weeping, sometimes present, sometimes not, making it hard to hear clearly.
Looking into the cave, he saw only pitch blackness in the depths, without a trace of light. It was so dark one couldn't see their hand in front of their face; an ordinary person entering such a cave would become blind.
Zhou Ming had the Ghost Eye Gu, so darkness could not obstruct his vision. However, thinking of the things in Xue Ji's memory, Zhou Ming did not directly rush into the cave.
He extended his hand and activated several Gu in his body. A faint green light appeared on his hand, and countless sesame-sized grass seeds emerged from the light cluster.
This was the Grass Seed Gu, whose function was to 催生 ordinary grass seeds. When scattered, they would grow into a patch of grass.
The Grass Seed Gu was at least a One-turn Gu. The ones in Zhou Ming's hand were Two-turn. There were no higher turns because it wasn't a powerful Gu, and no Gu Master was willing to waste time developing higher-turn Gu formulas.
Zhou Ming activated a One-turn Clear Wind Gu with his other hand. A gentle breeze blew, carrying the weightless grass seeds into the cave.
Then Zhou Ming used a Two-turn Grass Growth Gu from his Aperture. An invisible force spread out, and centered on Zhou Ming, the grass seeds that had just landed began to grow rapidly.
Soon, patches of grass formed in the cave.
Zhou Ming smiled slightly and walked into the cave. The grass under his feet continuously grew, connecting into a single expanse, covering the ground, and spreading towards the stone walls and the distance.
Zhou Ming then activated the Fluorescent Fungus Gu. Tiny fluorescent fungi began to grow on the grass, like small fireflies, their faint glow illuminating the path ahead.
Zhou Ming then activated the Mimosa Gu. Patches of mimosa grew. This mimosa was very sensitive to its surroundings; if danger approached, its leaves would close and vibrate slightly.
Zhou Ming continued his actions, consecutively activating various low-tier Gu. All sorts of different functional plants grew, relying on the grass, spreading and covering the depths of the cave. Exotic flowers and plants, glowing green, adorned the path ahead like a fairytale wonderland, beautiful beyond compare.
Zhou Ming did this not to contribute to environmental greening. Although he used low-tier Gu, the True Qi consumed added up to a considerable amount.
He did this for a newly developed Killing Move.
Deep Root Gu, Every Plant a Soldier Gu, and Wood Charm Gu, the Killing Move: City - Spring Grass and Trees Grow Deep!
With the Wood Charm Gu as the core, the Deep Root Gu drew in Earth Qi, connecting this patch of grass and trees he personally cultivated. The Every Plant a Soldier Gu brought this small world under his control.
Within this world of grass and trees, every rustle of wind and blade of grass could not escape his perception!
Furthermore, as long as Zhou Ming willed it, everything, every plant, within the reach of his thought, could transform into an attack, overwhelming and pervasive!
As the grass grew, the range controlled by Zhou Ming extended further and further.
Fifty meters, one hundred meters, two hundred meters... Inside the cave, countless poisonous creatures, snakes, insects, rats, ants, and billions of living beings, unknowingly, had their lives and deaths fall under Zhou Ming's whim!