Chapter 61: Cloud-Covering Peak
Outside Spirit Creek Market, in the wild red-leaf forest.
A group of cultivators had already gathered here. Some conversed among themselves, while others sat with their eyes closed, resting.
Among them, one person wore an exquisite bronze face mask. The gathered people seemed to acknowledge him as their leader.
Song Yan’s group of three arrived.
Those who had their eyes closed also opened them one after another.
“Everyone’s here.”
One of them spoke, seemingly addressing the masked cultivator.
The masked cultivator raised his eyes to look at Song Yan and the others, and his gaze paused for a moment.
Then his eyes narrowed slightly.
Song Yesheng? Why is it him…
A coincidence?
Song Yan secretly appraised everyone present.
No one here seemed to be concealing their cultivation level. With a quick sweep of his divine sense, aside from this person at the eighth level of Qi Refining, the remaining people, including himself, consisted of five at the sixth level and three at the fifth level.
What surprised Song Yan was that the mysterious cultivator in the bronze mask was wearing the Dao robe of an inner disciple of the Eastern Abyss Sect.
Though he concealed his face, he did not conceal his identity.
“An inner sect senior brother?”
Song Yan pondered this person’s identity, and the other party was also observing him.
“I was wondering who your relatives were. Turns out they are junior brothers from my own sect.”
The masked cultivator smiled. “I am Che Ning.”
Song Yan had never heard this name.
Song Yan bowed. “Senior Brother Che.”
He did not need to ask Wu Huaguo to know that this name was almost certainly false.
He was already used to it.
Besides Che Ning, there were two other Eastern Abyss Sect disciples.
The two were similar in age, middle-aged, around thirty or forty years old.
At this age, they had not yet reached the seventh level of Qi Refining. Even if they broke through in the future and entered the inner sect, Foundation Establishment was essentially hopeless.
One of them Song Yan had some impression of.
His name was Wu Zheng, and he was a well-known good-natured man among the outer disciples.
Even a reclusive cultivator like Song Yan had once received his kindness.
Because of his age and seniority, disciples he knew who advanced to the inner sect would look after him.
Over time, the odd jobs he needed to do were usually the easy kind with a bit of authority.
He was a relatively kind person and used his “convenient position” to help many outer disciples he did not even know.
Without breaking sect rules, he provided convenience to many disciples.
He had quite a reputation among the outer disciples.
“Fellow Daoists, our destination this time is Cloud Veil Peak in Hujiang County.”
Che Ning pinched his fingertips, and a meditation cushion formed from wooden vines slowly expanded.
“If anyone has a flying artifact, you may go on your own. My Withered Wood Meditation Cushion can only hold five people.”
“Senior Brother Che, no need to worry.”
Wu Zheng smiled casually. “Old Wei and I have our own ways.”
The cultivator called Old Wei nodded, and the two departed on their own.
The remaining three seemed to be a small independent cultivator group and nodded after hearing this.
Only Song Yan was extremely amazed.
These were all Qi Refining Stage cultivators, yet it seemed he was the only one without a flying artifact?
Where did they get the spirit stones to buy such extraneous items?
“…”
Speechless in his heart, but his body enjoyed it.
He settled onto Senior Brother Che Ning’s Withered Wood Meditation Cushion without guilt. Following the hand seals in Che Ning’s hands, they turned into a streak of light and soared into the sky.
This meditation cushion offered a wide view, and compared to the spirit boat he had previously taken to Silent Valley, it felt more open and unobstructed.
Compared to Senior Sister Qin’s flying sword, it was also more leisurely and comfortable.
Che Ning’s voice had likely been altered as well, sounding deep and muffled, unlike his real voice.
But he seemed quite talkative. Song Yan, who had intended to close his eyes and rest, was also drawn into the idle conversation.
Che Ning asked casually, “Junior Brother Tong, when did you join the sect?”
Song Yan recalled for a moment. “About three years ago or so.”
“Oh…”
He did not know if it was his imagination, but he always felt that this senior brother named Che Ning gave him a familiar feeling.
His mannerisms…
His speech…
His aura… Every time he had this feeling before, nothing had come of it.
He thought this time would be the same.
However, in a sudden flash of inspiration, he actually caught hold of that baseless intuition.
Why does he seem so much like…
Senior Brother Lin Qing?
But he dismissed the thought himself.
Because Senior Brother Lin Qing had not yet entered the inner sect, and this person was wearing a genuine inner disciple’s Dao robe.
It was probably just a slight resemblance.
On the meditation cushion, aside from Song Yan, Wu Zheng, Rong Xiaofeng, and Che Ning, there was also a scar-faced cultivator. That person remained silent and did not participate in their conversation.
Hujiang County was not very far from the Eastern Abyss Sect’s mountain gate. After a short while, they arrived at Cloud Veil Peak.
Mist locked the mountain, and clouds swirled in torrents.
Cloud Veil Peak in Hujiang County could be considered a somewhat famous spiritual mountain in the impoverished border region of the Chu Kingdom.
There were only a few small sects nearby, all with Qi Refining Stage cultivators under their banners.
When Song Yan had briefly studied formations before, he had heard that this place was rich in a type of spiritual fungus called Cloud-Barrier Mushroom.
It could mainly be ground into powder, used in the crafting of certain illusion formation beads and formation discs.
Everyone had arrived.
“Everyone, I’ll keep it brief.”
“This Foundation Establishment Stage independent cultivator senior has some connection to me. If circumstances hadn’t forced my hand, I naturally would have wanted to obtain the cave dwelling’s treasures alone.”
Song Yan and Rong Xiaofeng subtly shifted their gazes toward Wu Huaguo.
It was the truth.
“Let me say this first: inside this senior’s cave dwelling, there are only two ink treasures that I, Che, am determined to obtain.”
It was the truth.
“As for the remaining spiritual artifacts and hidden treasures, help yourselves.”
Still the truth.
The three of them pondered silently. Was this “Che Ning” really so generous?
Wu Zheng, ever since arriving at Cloud Veil Peak, had been looking around, as if he had noticed something.
After a moment of hesitation, he spoke up. “Did this senior choose this location because he knew his time was running out?”
“Cloud Veil Peak’s terrain possesses both the ‘Azure Dragon’ and ‘Black Tortoise’ formations. The Azure Dragon opens its palm, and the Black Tortoise lowers its head — both are extremely auspicious burial formations.”
“The two embracing each other can further protect the tomb from being invaded by yin winds.”
Che Ning nodded and said, “Indeed…”
“This senior’s name was Lin Qinglong. He primarily cultivated Dao techniques and spells. In his later years, knowing that a breakthrough was hopeless, he established his cave dwelling here.”
Everyone could not help but take a few more glances at Wu Zheng.
Song Yan recalled that in Stone Beam Town, there had also been a feng shui master. His grandfather’s burial matters had been consulted with him.
However, that was just a young Taoist from some run-down temple who had changed professions. Those words did not sound as professional as Wu Zheng’s.
The group followed Che Ning and walked all the way to the mountainside.
The mountain mist was extremely thick. Perhaps it was precisely because of this that the scenery of clouds cascading like waterfalls over the mountain had formed.
At a certain spot on the mountainside, there was a stone waterfall.
“This is the place…”
Che Ning stopped and took out a green jade pendant, holding it suspended in his palm.
He channeled spiritual energy, and the jade pendant flew toward the bottom of the waterfall pool.
Some sound seemed to come from within, but it was drowned out by the roar of the falling water.
“Hm?”
Song Yan suddenly sensed something and looked up. After the jade pendant flew into the bottom of the pool, the cascading waterfall seemed to gradually diminish.
“Whoosh…”
The flow of water gradually decreased until it disappeared entirely. But what was revealed before everyone was still a bare cliff face, with nothing there.
Hummm—
The jade pendant flew out from the bottom of the pool and returned to Che Ning’s hand.
Unlike before, the jade pendant now emanated wave-like spiritual light patterns in all directions.
“Everyone, please follow me.”
The group followed Che Ning, treading on water and walking toward the cliff face.
When they were less than a zhang from the stone wall, the scenery before them finally began to change.