His gaze passed through the courtyard walls, swept over the cliffs, and dropped from the mountain onto Spirit Terrace County near its foot.
Goose-feather snow blanketed heaven and earth. As far as the eye could see, everything was a vast expanse of white. Yet Lu Qing also saw several places where formations rippled, shutting out the snow and bitter winter.
They were the formations of several Foundation Establishment lineages. Lu Qing was not surprised that they possessed the power to bring warm spring.
He did not continue probing deeper within, instead shifting his attention beyond the city walls.
The Spirit Terrace River had long since regained its usual bustle. The river did not freeze, nor was there white mist to obstruct one's sight. Countless vessels—storied ships, small boats, fishing boats, and all manner of others—crossed its waters.
All at once, layers of snow-white ripples slowly appeared on the river's surface, spreading from afar toward the near distance. They were waves stirred up by ships.
Farther away, at the place where river and sky merged into one, several enormous ships radiating a grim, murderous air were sailing here from the distance.
Lu Qing narrowed his eyes slightly. He saw several banners flying above those great ships, fluttering in the river wind with the three savage characters: "Cloud Soaring Sect."
Others did not know the hidden details, but Lu Qing, having experienced it himself, clearly understood the Cause and Effect behind this river.
That was why, after emerging from seclusion this time, he wished to learn what had happened over the past half month.
Thus, not only did his gaze turn in that direction, the sounds drifting over from there also entered his ears.
The past half month had not been peaceful.
Yet by strange coincidence, on the very first day after he emerged from seclusion, he seemed to catch the scent of an approaching storm.
The moment he noticed those great ships, thoughts continuously flashed through his mind.
After learning where he had been stationed, Lu Qing had already committed Spirit Prefecture's major local powers to memory.
Cloud Soaring Sect happened to be one of Spirit Prefecture's cultivation sects, with its territory in New Peace Prefecture.
Why would such a sect come to Spirit Terrace County, this tiny county town?
Moreover, Lu Qing's eyesight was excellent. He merely swept his gaze over them without further investigation, for he sensed several particularly extraordinary auras concealed within those ships.
Was such a group, with a clear objective, heading straight for Spirit Terrace County?
Or did they also know about the thing in the Spirit Terrace River?
As these thoughts flickered through his mind, his gaze had already swiftly withdrawn.
He was not worried. After he had made his choice, the Divination had vanished, proving that this matter would not involve him.
Besides, he was somewhat curious as well. As for that eerie thing, he had merely guessed that it might be connected to that unknown old Dragon King.
Could the people from Cloud Soaring Sect know as well?
Though those thoughts crossed his mind, his gaze did not look over, nor did his Divine Consciousness probe outward. Still, perhaps because the power of his Divine Soul had increased, the range of sounds reaching his ears was broader than before.
The hazy sounds reaching his ears did not produce an Ominous Hexagram in his mind, indicating there would be no danger. Lu Qing took a sip of tea and listened to the sounds carried by wind and water.
After skillfully filtering out some irrelevant clamor,
human voices began to emerge as well.
A number of figures clad in black Inkcloud Robes appeared on the deck of the Cloud Soaring Sect ships. One leaned against the railing, his green eyeballs rolling ceaselessly as image after image flickered within them.
The others remained silent, waiting for news.
The green-eyed cultivator suddenly stiffened. "Can't find it..."
He clutched his eyeballs, disbelief written across his face.
"Impossible!"
"This is where the Divination that Monk spoke of indicated it would be. How could it not be found?"
"That's right, Seventh. Could your eyeballs be broken?"
The other Inkcloud Robe cultivators refused to believe it.
A fat cultivator appeared. Despite his enormous bulk, his movements were nimble as he quickly ran up from below the storied ship. Upon seeing the cultivators, his huge body dropped to the ground with a thud, making the deck tremble slightly. His voice shook as he said, "My lords!"
"Speak!" Second glanced at the fat cultivator beside him, recognizing him as a minor informant cultivated by one of his subordinates.
"Our people have searched this place countless times, but we never found that thing!"
"An eerie incident occurred here half a month ago..."
A cultivator with a beard growing only on one side of his face—Third—cut him off impatiently. "We told you to find something, not to tell us about eerie incidents!"
"It's a treasure! A treasure! Do you understand?! Don't report those jumbled scraps of nonsense to us!"
The fat cultivator felt wronged inside. Didn't you say to find every strange thing in this area and report it to you?
Now that I've said it, you blame me instead.
"That's enough, Third." A figure seated in a wheelchair emerged from among them.
He was no longer young, with a weathered face and half his hair turned white. He sat in the wheelchair, yet no one dared look at his legs.
He was the leader of this group of Inkcloud Robe cultivators.
Every one of them was at the Purple Mansion Realm, while their leader's cultivation aura was even more unfathomable.
They were the Cloud Soaring Sect's Seven True Disciples.
The seven had set out with several great ships, and it was no secret. Many knew they were sworn brothers who often enjoyed leaving the sect to roam the world and uphold justice.
"Seventh, have you found it?"
After stopping the others, he looked again at the green-eyed cultivator, Seventh.
At that moment, Seventh continuously formed hand seals, muttering under his breath. His eerie green eyeballs rolled endlessly within their sockets as countless scenes of Spirit Terrace County appeared one by one within them.
The others stared at Seventh as well—or, more accurately, at the scenes reflected in his eyeballs.
"Found..." Seventh had only spoken one word when his entire body suddenly convulsed. His body bent into the shape of a shrimp, and he spat out a mouthful of heart's blood. His already withered, skeletal frame became as thin as a sheet of paper in a mere instant.
His eyeballs bulged, countless blood vessels protruded across his forehead, and his expression became savage and terrifying. "It's not there...!"
Before he could finish the sentence, he suddenly went rigid.
"Seventh!"
"Seventh Brother!"
The other cultivators' expressions changed drastically as they all moved to save him.
Their leader formed hand seals with both hands, using invisible Spiritual Power to halt Seventh's calculation.
Unfortunately, he failed.
In the brief span of a single breath, a skin sack embedded with a pair of green eyeballs collapsed onto the ground.
From the corner of his eye, the fat cultivator, who had quietly crawled toward a corner while still kneeling, happened to see that scene. Terror surged through his heart.
Amitabha Buddha. He desperately formed Buddhist hand seals in his heart, sweat covering his forehead as he feared this group of villains would silence him forever.
"Brother, how did you die just like that?!" With the deed done and the fruit set, someone wept bitterly.
"Seventh Brother." Someone looked at that human skin sack with a complicated expression.
"Seventh Brother, go well." Someone wore a heavy expression as he lifted the skin sack.
"Seventh is dead. He saw something he should not have seen."
Their leader's voice was calm.
A trace of wandering chill flashed through his eyes. "Seventh used his death to calculate for us. Since it isn't here, there is no need to waste effort in this place."
"Big Brother, that ox-nosed Taoist deceived us! I'll make him repay this blood debt with blood!"
Third's bloodshot eyes blazed with ferocity!
"That ox-nosed Taoist is definitely no good either. Don't think we don't know he wants a hand in this too! Perhaps he has already gone to where the treasure is!" Fifth was brimming with viciousness.
Within Green Bamboo Courtyard.
Lu Qing set down his teacup. Only after those auras had gradually moved far away did a strange look surface in his eyes.
He finally understood. The thing those people were searching for was absolutely connected to that piece of Blood Bone.
Before you continue