Jiujiang Earth Vein

"This is a true treasure. If I could take it away, I could day and night comprehend the supreme Sword Intent of Grand Sage Red Pine."

Inside the ancient tomb beneath Mount Ba Ling, Yan Kuan stared at the stone wall before him, which continuously emitted a shocking Sword Intent, a trace of reluctance in his eyes.

He had tried several times earlier to approach the Sword Sharpening Stone, but failed each time due to insufficient cultivation. Having the treasure mountain right before his eyes yet being unable to claim it left him somewhat frustrated, though he wasn't overly stubborn about it.

"Since I can't get my hands on this Sword Sharpening Stone, I'll leave it here for now. I've been out this long—it's time to head back and report that I'm safe."

Yan Kuan gave up trying to approach the Sword Sharpening Stone, then with a thought, he dashed swiftly back the way he came.

Cultivation inside the underground ancient tomb made time's passage imperceptible. Having trained here so long without sending word home, his father and mother were probably worried to death.

"Young master."

When Yan Kuan appeared outside, the group of bodyguards who had followed him all showed expressions of surprise. Judging by the various traces of biological waste they'd left around the hillside, Yan Kuan had been gone for quite a while.

"I've been away half a month, and you've already notified... I see."

From their words, he learned he'd been missing for over half a month, and during that time, some events had forced them to inform his parents.

Mainly, Yan Kuan had sent no word for so long. While waiting anxiously at Mount Ba Ling, they'd also spotted a group of grave robbers from afar, neither side making direct contact. But this incident made the bodyguards uneasy, so the next day they went to town and called Old Yan and Ms. Xiao.

"Dad and Mom have both come to Baling Town? That works out. I plan to make Mount Ba Ling a long-term base, and I'll need their help arranging some loose ends!"

After thinking it over, Yan Kuan didn't blame the bodyguards. They were just doing their duty, and having his parents come here would actually benefit his future plans.

Jiujiang, anciently called Jiangzhou, was known as "the mouth of three rivers, the thoroughfare of seven provinces, the brow of the world," earning it the title of Jiangxi's northern gateway—a strategically vital location.

After leaving Mount Ba Ling, Yan Kuan thought for a long time before heading to Jiangxi. He didn't go straight to Mount Lu to search for the underground palace but stopped in Jiujiang instead.

At a certain mountain villa outside Jiujiang, not far from Mount Lu, the scenery was beautiful—mountains and waters intertwined, the environment pleasant and serene.

Yan Kuan stood at a distance, quietly observing, a strange glint in his eyes. He had been working hard on the feng shui arts passed down from the Eight Trigrams Sect, and could now discern much more about the geomantic terrain of mountains and veins.

Though this was the End of Dharma era, the area before him was absolutely a spiritual cultivation site. Faint dragon qi rose here, drawing a strand of essence from the Violet Dragon Vein in distant Mount Lu. In this age of Dharma's end, such a thing was crucial—it could aid cultivation.

More importantly, the layout of this villa district held hidden mysteries. On the surface, the owners were independent, with different surnames. Yet everyone living here belonged to one clan—a hidden ancient cultivation clan, the arrangement of the grounds highly deliberate.

"So this is demonic qi!"

Yan Kuan observed the various chaotic auras from afar. Many beings inhabited the villa district, most in human form, but upon closer inspection, he could sense that some belonged to the same clan, their qi unlike that of ordinary humans.

According to the information Yan Kuan had gathered, the ancient clan rooted in Jiujiang was a branch of the legendary Great Xia Dragon-Sparrow, calling themselves the King of Jiujiang.

Of course, such claims were just talk. In this End of Dharma era, the official authorities were the strongest—all demons and monsters had to step aside.

Yan Kuan tilted his head, sizing up the villa district. The scenery was beautiful, nestled against mountains and water, with breathable heavenly and earthly essence flowing through.

After a moment's thought, he took a step and leaped, choosing not to enter the villa district or contact the Dragon Finch Clan of Jiujiang.

Though most of the Jiujiang Dragon Finch Clan were indistinguishable from humans, bearing only faint demon blood, they styled themselves the King of Jiujiang and acted quite arrogantly.

During his days observing Jiujiang's terrain, Yan Kuan had witnessed the behavior of this clan's members—they were not easy to deal with. His current strength was too low to provoke these established sects and ancient clans; it was best to avoid contact for now.

"Such pure essence, but it's all being drawn into the underground palace of that villa district."

At a certain mountain foot outside Jiujiang, near Mount Lu but some distance from the villa district, Yan Kuan stood at a special geomantic node. With his Fiery Golden Eyes active, he could see more—a considerable amount of violet essence was being channeled along the terrain deep beneath the villa district ahead.

Yan Kuan was tempted to siphon some pure essence to aid his cultivation, but after a moment's thought, he abandoned the enticing idea. He couldn't afford to provoke the Dragon Finch Clan right now. Though he possessed the Trigram Treasure Box, a Great Power Supreme Treasure, they also had sect master-level secret treasures.

Moreover, the Jiujiang Dragon Finch branch had no shortage of experts, with elders at the Four Extremities Realm seated there. On the Big Dipper, this might be a minor force, but on Blue Star in this End of Dharma era, it was a top-tier power—no wonder they dared call themselves the King of Jiujiang.

"King of Jiujiang? I'll take a trip to Mount Lu first, then visit other famous mountains. I should be able to find some scattered cultivators!"

Yan Kuan followed the vein's flow, heading into the depths of Mount Lu in the opposite direction from the villa district.

This time, Yan Kuan came to Jiujiang for two reasons. One was to locate the exact site of the Mount Lu underground palace for future treasure hunting. The other was to find some fellow cultivators to exchange ideas with.

The path of cultivation cannot bypass wealth, companions, methods, and land. Though Yan Kuan currently lacked none of wealth, methods, or land, he had rarely interacted with outside cultivators. His understanding of Blue Star's cultivation world came only from written knowledge—and that was not a good thing.

Though Blue Star's cultivation world had declined, a broken ship still has three pounds of nails. In this End of Dharma era, cultivation was already difficult. Shutting oneself in and refusing to communicate with the outside world would only make things harder.

Of course, Yan Kuan had his own schemes. While he intended to make contact with the cultivation world, he wanted nothing to do with ancient clans like the Jiujiang Dragon Finch that had inherited traditions.

Such ancient clans had deep foundations—who knew what backgrounds and strength they truly possessed? If things went sour, Yan Kuan couldn't handle them now. Scattered cultivators were easier to deal with; most had less strength and resources than he did, making them easy to manage.

As for places like Mount Lu, which still contained dragon qi veins and could draw essence for cultivation, there were bound to be some scattered cultivators unwilling to give them up. This was another reason Yan Kuan came here—if he searched carefully, he should achieve his goal.