Entering the Mountains

Mount Taihang Mountain Range lay in the far north of the Great Yu Cultivation World, along the border of Yan Country.

Mountain ranges rose and fell in endless layers.

It was said that even a Nascent Soul True Lord had once failed to explore the boundaries of Mount Taihang Mountain Range.

One had to know that the cultivation realms in this Cultivation World were Qi Training, Foundation Establishment, Purple Mansion, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Spirit Transformation!

Spirit Transformation cultivators could already ascend and enter the Spirit Realm. If even Nascent Soul True Lords could not survey Mount Taihang Mountain Range, one could imagine just how vast it was.

Of course, there were also rumors that Jade Dragon Peak in Mount Taihang Mountain Range had too many Demon Emperors, and that they were far too powerful.

Ye Jingcheng naturally had no way to verify any of it. He stood on the left side of the Wooden Boat, leaning against its hull as the wind howled past his ears, his sharp eyes fixed on the path ahead.

Though the fierce wind howled, it could not reach the four of them.

A faint Spirit Shield covered the Wooden Boat, blocking the fierce wind.

As the Spirit Boat passed hill after hill, mountains taller than the last came into view.

Lingyun Peak, which he had once thought the tallest, now appeared rather ordinary amid this mountain range.

The Jade Ring Rat leaned against Ye Jingcheng as well.

A horse could be run to death looking at a mountain; the saying could not have been more fitting here. After flying for an entire day and crossing who knew how many hills, the four of them finally reached the foot of the mountains. By then, the sky had already grown dark.

"Rest for the night. We'll enter the mountains tomorrow!" Ye Jingyu began searching carefully before a small hill.

Before long, he found a cave. It was clearly one the Ye Family often used. At the cave entrance, Ye Jingyu carefully inspected the branches on the ground. Only after confirming that nothing was amiss did he lead the other three inside.

"Don't disturb the branches on the ground. They're markers left by our uncles and elders!" Ye Jingyu said. The others nodded.

The cave was extremely dry, without the slightest dampness. Deeper inside, several Moonlight Stones that glowed naturally had been placed there.

The cave immediately became bright.

"Release all your Spirit Beasts!" Ye Jingyu instructed again. He then took out an Array Disk and Array Flags at the entrance, beginning to set them up with great secrecy.

"Fourth Brother is a Formation Master for the family too. He's very skilled!" Seeing Ye Jingcheng's curiosity, Ye Jingyong patted him on the shoulder and explained.

Ye Jingcheng nodded, then turned to look at Ye Jingyong's Flying Cloud Leopard and Azure Scale Snake. Sure enough, the two beasts were not much different from when they had been in the Demon Hunting Hall.

The Flying Cloud Leopard was better off. It had grown a full size larger—if it had initially been the size of a puppy, it was now the size of an ordinary house dog.

The Azure Scale Snake had merely grown darker in color. Noticing Ye Jingcheng looking at it, Ye Jingli could not help feeling somewhat ashamed. Ye Jingcheng still had to care for the Crimson Flame Fox, yet the Jade Ring Rat had still been raised better than his own beast.

One had to know that he was an Artifact Crafter. His ability to earn Spirit Stones was not much worse than Ye Jingcheng's.

Naturally, Ye Jingcheng had no idea what Ye Jingli was thinking. At that moment, he was comparing the growth progress of the Spirit Beasts.

His understanding of the Ancient Book within his body deepened by another measure.

Clearly, that spiritual radiance could spur Monster Beasts' growth and should complement Spirit Feeding Pills.

Having reached that conclusion, Ye Jingcheng would have to give the Jade Ring Rat less spiritual radiance in the future. After all, the Crimson Flame Fox's growth could still be explained by its talent, and the Ye Family did not have a second Crimson Flame Fox. But the Jade Ring Rat was different. Many members of the Ye Family had one, and if it grew too quickly, it would be hard to explain away.

Before long, Ye Jingyu finished setting up the formation and entered the cave.

The four of them then exchanged insights on Beast Taming.

Of course, most of the questions were directed at Ye Jingcheng. Not only had his Jade Ring Rat grown much plumper, but the faint spiritual radiance on its fur far surpassed that of the other Spirit Beasts.

Ye Jingcheng naturally used Spirit Feeding Pills and Spirit Fragrance as an excuse. His Ninth Grandfather, Ye Haitian, had mentioned this before, and it had some basis in fact.

As for anything more, he simply claimed not to know.

After all, he was still a novice at Beast Taming.

On the contrary, he learned quite a bit of novel Beast Taming knowledge from Ye Jingyong and Ye Jingyu.

Besides Beast Taming knowledge, Ye Jingcheng also asked Ye Jingyu for cultivation tips.

He was at Qi Training Stage 4, while Ye Jingyu was at Qi Training Stage 7, Ye Jingyong at Qi Training Stage 6, and Ye Jingli at Qi Training Stage 5. Thus, even Ye Jingli could guide him at this point.

Ye Jingcheng was extremely humble, and the three explained everything in great detail without holding anything back. Many points that had previously seemed obscure to him suddenly became clear.

Late at night, the four still took turns keeping watch. Ye Jingcheng was assigned the first shift, since he had only piloted the Wooden Boat for half of the day.

With four Spirit Beasts for company and the formation at the cave entrance, the task was not particularly demanding.

They had not yet ventured deep into the mountain range, so Monster Beasts were exceedingly difficult to encounter. As for ordinary wild animals, they could not enter the formation at all.

After standing watch for one shichen, Ye Jingli came to relieve Ye Jingcheng.

"Jingcheng, can I buy some Spirit Feeding Pills from you? At the family's pill prices." Ye Jingli finally asked. Clearly, he had taken Ye Jingcheng's earlier words about pills infused with Spirit Fragrance to heart.

"Sure." Ye Jingcheng nodded. Under the rules for selling spirit pills, he received one Contribution Point from the family per pill, which was one Spirit Stone.

But when the family sold them to Ye Family members, each pill cost one and a half Spirit Stones. He could still earn a little.

"Sixth Brother, I don't have many either. There are three left here—four Spirit Stones will do!" Ye Jingcheng took out a pill bottle.

Inside were precisely three Spirit Feeding Pills. When the bottle was opened, a fragrance indeed spread out.

Ye Jingli was immediately overjoyed.

"Jingcheng, I won't say any more thanks. I can now refine First-Order Grade-Low Dharma Artifacts. If you have the materials, I'll refine Dharma Artifacts for you free of charge!" Ye Jingli promised happily.

After completing the trade, Ye Jingcheng went deeper into the cave and began slowly cultivating his technique. The technique he cultivated was called the Li Fire Scripture, a Yellow Grade Mid-Tier technique. Within the Ye Family, it was considered a middling technique: its cultivation speed was not fast, and its spiritual energy was not especially condensed.

Its only advantage was that it gave one greater insight into controlling fire, making it more suitable for becoming an Alchemist or Artifact Crafter. Ye Jingli cultivated the same technique.

The spiritual energy of the Li Fire Scripture was exceedingly warm. As it flowed through the Meridians of his entire body, it even dispelled the chill of the mountain night!

After completing a Heavenly Cycle, Ye Jingcheng's body was already covered in sweat.

The night passed without incident, and the moonlight quietly faded away. The next day swiftly arrived! The four appeared at the cave entrance once more, but this time, they did not take out the Spirit Boat.

Flying through Mount Taihang Mountain Range was a major taboo.

After all, there were plenty of flying Monster Beasts in the mountains, and taking to the air made it far too easy to attract them.

Thus, the four of them cast Light Body Techniques and maintained their formation as they swept deeper into the mountain range.

The two Flying Cloud Leopards led the way, while the Jade Ring Rat perched on Ye Jingcheng's shoulder.

At this moment, the Jade Ring Rat's ability revealed itself. Whenever there was another sound, it would squeak frantically in alarm.

Upon hearing it, Ye Jingyu would change direction.

And so, after another half day, a remarkably secluded valley appeared before them!

The valley was hidden extremely well, tucked behind several great mountains.

It was also lush and tranquil.

After finding a suitable location, Ye Jingyu began setting up another formation at the valley entrance.

"There's a low-lying spring in the valley, as well as a small First-Order Grade-Low spirit vein. It's enough to attract quite a few First-Order Grade-Low Monster Beasts. This used to be the lair of the two Flying Cloud Leopards!" Ye Jingyu explained as he worked.

Once Ye Jingyu had finished setting up the formation, Ye Jingyong strode toward the valley entrance, only to be stopped by Ye Jingyu and Ye Jingcheng at the same time.

"Second Brother, let's scout it out again!"

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