The Living Female Daoist Practitioner

"Danger is gone. All of the Gray Blood organization's warships have disintegrated."

After Qing Mu received this message, he let out a sigh of relief. Black Tiger, Old Mu, and Feng Zheng also relaxed their taut nerves. They had been reverse-locked by the Gray Blood organization, nearly turning from hunters into prey. Today had been extremely perilous.

Wang Xuan remained silent. This feeling was awful; his own safety was completely out of his control, being pushed along by others. This wasn't what he wanted.

From the old man's perspective, it was understandable. The fishing trip was successful, and the operation had been clean, swift, and impressive, leaving the Gray Blood organization severely weakened.

From Wang Xuan's perspective, if anything had gone slightly wrong today, their spaceship would have been reduced to scrap metal, and none of them would have survived.

"Have something on your mind?" Qing Mu, being a master of the Old Arts, had incredibly sharp senses and noticed Wang Xuan's low spirits.

Wang Xuan didn't hide it. "Although the fishing trip was successful today, we, as the bait, could have been swallowed by the big fish at any moment. Our lives ultimately depended on luck."

Black Tiger, Feng Zheng, and Old Mu didn't speak, but they all agreed with his assessment. However, having experienced many crises, they had grown somewhat accustomed to it.

"I will report this matter to higher-ups," Qing Mu said, temporarily moving past the issue.

Wang Xuan pondered silently. Although the exploration organizations were powerful and their operations always yielded significant gains, he strongly disliked being a pawn, having his destiny dictated by others. This sentiment sparked a desire to withdraw.

He wanted to explore the realm of Old Arts freely, not be a chess piece within certain organizations.

Deep within the grand canyon, clouds billowed as energy cannons continued to bombard.

This contingent of the Gray Blood organization was still unaware that their retreat had been cut off and their medium-sized warships completely destroyed. They continued to push forward.

But soon, they encountered trouble. The depths of the canyon's underground were filled with a large number of modern High-Energy Weapons, which launched a fierce counterattack against the invading Gray Blood forces.

Only then did they realize something was wrong. If this were an immortal's tomb, how could it be equipped with so many high-tech weapons? They even had more energy cannons than them.

Advanced Mechs, holding energy guns, continuously emerged, strafing them.

The Gray Blood organization members realized the situation was dire, quickly retreated, and immediately contacted their rear for support, only to find they couldn't reach them at all.

"Who are you people, and why have you set up an ambush here targeting us?" the Gray Blood organization members shouted.

The people deep within the grand canyon were enraged. "You attacked our underground research facility and you have the audacity to claim we're targeting you? How laughable!"

The forces on both sides were tearing the grand canyon apart. Some Mechs even charged to the very front lines, not only firing beams from their energy guns but also swinging alloy longswords.

This battle was incredibly fierce!

The Gray Blood organization had smaller spacecraft nearby, but seeing the forces mixed together in the canyon, they felt unable to help.

Ultimately, the Gray Blood organization forces collapsed and began a mass escape. Their spacecraft took to the sky first, but before they could get far, they were hit and exploded in succession.

Personnel from relevant departments watched from a distance, and the exploration organization had also been waiting for a long time. Seeing the Gray Blood organization forces fleeing in defeat, they naturally showed no mercy.

The people deep within the grand canyon's underground quieted down. They realized they had been targeted, and more than one force had entered the Greater Khingan Range.

They had a premonition that they likely couldn't contend with this force this time. They could roughly guess which party had arrived, and they could only blame themselves for secretly conducting research here for so many years without reporting it to the relevant departments of Old Earth.

However, they were unwilling to be captured so easily and hand over all their research results. They decided to showcase the extraordinary nature of this place to facilitate future negotiations.

While communicating with the other side, they transported something from the depths of the underground. It turned out to be a section of golden bamboo, still with leaves, exuding rich vitality. Most astonishingly, as they activated it with a certain instrument, a radiant glow erupted, unleashing powerful supernatural energy.

Instantly, nearby spacecraft were subjected to interference, as if struck by some kind of shockwave.

"The raw material for the golden bamboo slips?" Wang Xuan was moved. Standing before the spaceship's large screen, his eyes were immediately captivated. The leaves on this bamboo section were flowing with golden light, emitting shimmering rain. It was this that was interfering with the various precision instruments nearby.

Qing Mu exclaimed in surprise, "Supernatural energy is being released through that bamboo, and it's a one-way transmission, ensuring their own location is not impacted."

What exactly was in this underground area? That research institute from New Star was displaying such a supernatural plant without any concealment.

After so many years, the various organizations and Zaibatsu of New Star had discovered four sets of golden bamboo slips on Old Earth, but they had never obtained such a living, native bamboo. Could there be one underground in the Greater Khingan Range?

"Boom!"

Clearly, the high-level personnel of the exploration organization and the relevant departments had received reports. They quickly dealt with the remaining Gray Blood forces, then ceased fire and accepted the connection from the underground research facility, initiating negotiations.

"Qing Mu, you and Jin Chuan go with the personnel from the relevant departments to the canyon and see what's going on with the underground research facility?"

At this moment, the old man contacted Qing Mu again, instructing him to bring a few capable assistants deep underground.

Undoubtedly, the exploration organization had maintained close ties with the relevant departments; otherwise, they wouldn't have had such cooperation today.

Black Tiger, Feng Zheng, and Old Mu watched enviously, all eager to go to the grand canyon and see what this research institute from New Star had discovered and what research achievements it had made.

They knew there would be no danger if they went now. With spacecraft hovering outside and various High-Energy Weapons aimed at the canyon, the people underground would have to be insane to start a fight.

"Little Wang, Black Tiger, the two of you come with me." Qing Mu was the first to disembark from the spaceship. He then selected six more people from other teams to follow him forward.

Feng Zheng and Old Mu felt a bit disappointed, but they understood. Although there shouldn't be any danger, it was still necessary to select people with better combat skills for the mission.

Jin Chuan also arrived with eight people, waiting at the entrance of the grand canyon.

Seven people from the relevant departments arrived. The leader, around forty years old, was responsible for liaison and preliminary negotiations. He wore black-rimmed glasses.

Upon seeing the man's profile, Wang Xuan's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Ever since he had overheard the old man speaking with Qing Mu not long ago, he had been filled with suspicion. Was it really his old colleague?

Now, seeing this middle-aged man wearing the same style of black-rimmed glasses as his colleague from the office, he almost became suspicious again.

Fortunately, he was certain. Even if this person were wearing a Realistic Human Skin Mask, he was definitely not that old colleague. As a master of the Old Arts, he possessed a powerful intuitive sense.

Beside the man with black-rimmed glasses were two military personnel, both masters in the field of Old Arts.

The remaining four were professionals in the field of life science research. They were primarily accompanying these four to observe and confirm something.

The great canyon was utterly destroyed. A small spaceship appeared, taking them deep into the canyon's end, until it vanished into a massive cave.

Afterward, they exited the spaceship and saw the underground facilities. They were very well-constructed, with all sorts of amenities built to modern standards.

The lights were bright, the underground area vast, and it was filled with a modern atmosphere, like entering the interior of a skyscraper.

Below ground, there was a large living area and even more advanced laboratory sections.

The group took an elevator down for over a hundred meters before it stopped. Then, they left the modern-feeling underground area and walked towards a section of caves.

"This is where we made our most astonishing discovery. Since we've decided to share it with Old Earth, we won't hide anything now..."

People from New Star accompanied them, providing explanations along the way.

Their organization wasn't small; it had a great reputation in New Star. It was a life research institute called "Origin."

While it sounded like just a scientific research institution, it actually spanned various fields and had a large industrial presence. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to support building such a massive experimental site on Old Earth.

At the very least, they weren't afraid of mercenary organizations like Gray Blood because Origin Life Research Institute itself possessed sufficient guarding forces.

"How did you find this place?" the middle-aged man wearing black-rimmed glasses asked on the way.

This was the Greater Khingan Range, dense with primeval forests. It wasn't a famous mountain or river, nor did it have any myths or legends associated with it. Without any leads, digging hundreds of meters into the ground here would mean they were either crazy or foolish.

A female researcher from New Star explained, "We deciphered a scroll of Pre-Qin bamboo slips, and from it, we learned about this place. After exploring for many years, we finally found it."

"What did the bamboo slips record that made you pursue this all the way?" the man with black-rimmed glasses asked.

Wang Xuan was not far from him and was equally interested in these questions.

"The bamboo slips mentioned a female Daoist practitioner who seemed quite renowned in that era, aspiring to join the ranks of the Immortal Lords. Although the bamboo slips describing her were damaged and the text incomplete, they mentioned this location, so we followed the clues here."

People from New Star had previously unearthed several damaged Pre-Qin Daoist practitioner corpses on Old Earth. From their bones and hair, they had extracted anomalous substances with astonishing scientific value. Since there was a female Daoist practitioner here who might have achieved immortality, they were naturally extremely eager.

It should be known that the top experts among Daoist practitioners could be considered legendary figures, possessing all sorts of incredible abilities. Their relics were very difficult to find.

Once any information about them surfaced, even in an era where New Arts were rising, it would still attract extraordinary attention from major organizations.

Moreover, the Immortal Lords were elusive. Many people believed that the top Pre-Qin Daoist practitioners might have been the legendary Immortals!

"Did you find that female Daoist practitioner?" the middle-aged man with black-rimmed glasses asked.

"We did," the female researcher from New Star, who had been accompanying him into the cave, answered the question affirmatively. She instructed someone to open the stone chamber ahead.

With a rumbling sound, the stone door opened, and an inexplicable aura immediately flowed out.

In fact, even before entering, Wang Xuan believed the female researcher's words.

He had a very familiar feeling, as if he were standing in an "Inner Scenery Realm." He detected some mysterious factors; that substance was actually drifting down slowly here!

Then, everyone was stunned.

Ahead, a golden bamboo stalk, about a meter in diameter, had been split open and fashioned into a small boat. Lying within was a young woman, lifelike, as if she had only fallen asleep a short while ago.

This woman conformed to modern aesthetic standards. Her delicate skin was snow-white and crystalline, her hair black and lustrous, and her appearance flawless, exceptionally beautiful.

"There's still life force on her!" Qing Mu said with a grave expression, speaking first, sounding somewhat nervous.

Although the woman's eyes were closed and she was motionless, the faint aura she exuded made Qing Mu's heart palpitate. It was like a herbivore encountering the king of beasts, a strong sense of unease, an urge to flee.

Wang Xuan was also staring at the woman in the golden bamboo boat. He indeed felt a powerful life force.

The young woman's body had not decayed. The clothes she wore had a strong Pre-Qin era style. After so many years, they had remained intact, just like her body.

"That's right, her body seems to be alive!" the female researcher from New Star nodded solemnly.

Thanks to the Silver Alliance Leader: Sān Shēng Yuán Zòng Liè Zhě, thank you for your silver support.

Also thanks to: Miss Jia Ran, Owl with Weak Thrust, for becoming Alliance Leaders, thank you for your support.