Spiritual Vein Traces, the Mantis Stalks the Cicada

Under everyone's gaze.

Lu He opened his eyes, his tone calm. "That's right. It is the Summon Mist as Soldiers Art."

"Gasp—It really is the Summon Mist as Soldiers Art?"

A stormy uproar instantly rose in Deng Huo's heart.

As the runner-up of the Tea Gathering Rankings back then,

he had also received a supplementary copy of the <Scarlet Horned-Dragon True-Origin Visualization Diagram>, so he was naturally familiar with the two accompanying spells recorded within.

Deng Huo had even tried cultivating the Summon Mist as Soldiers Art himself, only to give up soon afterward.

This spell was truly far too intricate.

In fact, during the battle against the fire-armored demon ants just now,

he had vaguely guessed as much, but had never dared confirm it.

The reason was simple.

In Brother Lu's hands, the Summon Mist as Soldiers Art was so powerful that it scarcely seemed like a low-grade spell at all.

The might it displayed was even more outrageous than when he wielded his flying sword artifact.

They were both at the first layer of Qi Consumption, yet the other party could bridge the gap between having an artifact and not having one with spells alone. Was that reasonable?

At this thought,

Just what realm has this man cultivated the Summon Mist as Soldiers Art to?

Deng Huo stared blankly at Lu He. He wanted to ask, but feared causing offense, so he let it go.

In the end,

"Brother Lu, impressive!" he sincerely praised.

"You flatter me, Brother Deng."

Lu He smiled.

At this moment,

Chen Zhengchu across from him suddenly spoke solemnly.

"Brother Lu, allow me to introduce myself again. I am Chen Zhengchu of Beast Pavilion. If I showed any discourtesy before, I hope you will not take offense."

"You are too polite, Brother Chen. I am Lu He of Azurehold Herb Garden."

Lu He likewise cupped his hands in return.

"A fine name! Snow-shadow standing among pines, a crane's intent soaring toward the azure heavens. For your father to name you He, Brother Lu, his hopes for you must have been exceedingly high."

Chen Zhengchu praised him, then asked probingingly,

"May I ask your father's name? The relationships among Everharvest City's great clans are tangled and intricate. Perhaps our two families were old friends hundreds of years ago."

"Brother Chen may have misunderstood. My father is merely an ordinary mortal."

Lu He's expression remained calm.

"Haha, since Brother Lu does not wish to speak of it, then I shall not ask."

Chen Zhengchu laughed heartily.

As one of the only two cultivators in the party who could easily deal with the fire-armored demon ant swarm, there was no way he would not pay attention to this Brother Lu who had appeared so abruptly.

Judging from the various methods Lu He had displayed in battle,

the man's strength should be evenly matched with his own.

"Mist arts that are nearly at the major accomplishment realm, a movement technique at the proficient realm, and a mid-grade Qi Consumption art with no low level of mastery... He is probably one of the top hundred and thirty on the Scorching Sun Golden Ranking. And he still claims to have an ordinary background? Who is he trying to fool?"

Chen Zhengchu glanced sidelong at Lu He opposite him and could not help curling his lip.

Meanwhile, nearby,

Zheng Jingren and Hu Changting exchanged a look, each seeing the shock written all over the other's face.

Unlike Chen Zhengchu,

the two of them truly knew Lu He's origins.

Zheng Jingren especially had practically watched Brother Lu with his own eyes, from his initial entry into the Body-Shedding stage, to first making a name for himself at the tea gathering, then steadily reaching the point where he could now stand toe-to-toe with Chen Zhengchu.

What kind of person was Chen Zhengchu?

Even if the elite talents of Everharvest City's ten great immortal cultivation powers all emerged, he could still firmly hold a place in the top hundred and thirty—a supreme genius.

For some reason,

a powerful sense of unreality suddenly arose in Zheng Jingren.

He subconsciously looked at Lu He's face, desperately trying to connect it with the immature youth who had registered to become a Spirit-Slaying Envoy that day.

Yet no matter what, he could not do it.

"It has clearly been less than two months. Why does it feel as though a lifetime has passed..."

Zheng Jingren wore a wistful expression.

Deep within the karst cave.

The five of them walked forward in silence.

Along the way, they encountered quite a few cultivators. Their clothes were torn, their auras weak, and their steps hurried; they had clearly gone through brutal battles.

"How about... we leave?"

Hu Changting stopped walking and spoke cautiously.

The only trump card he had for preserving his life had already been used when they encountered the fire-armored demon ants. Seeing the wounded state of every cultivator along the way now, he could not help beating a retreat.

"Since we have already come this far, we should continue."

Chen Zhengchu spoke indifferently, his voice carrying an undeniable firmness.

Then, as though he had suddenly realized something, he hurriedly turned to Lu He. "Brother Lu, what do you think?"

"Let's continue. Besides, listen—"

Lu He pointed ahead.

Seeing that the two strongest people in the party had reached an agreement, Deng Huo, who had likewise begun entertaining thoughts of retreat, could only helplessly set them aside.

He looked in the direction Lu He pointed.

A faint glimmer of light could vaguely be seen ahead, accompanied by intermittent sounds of noisy arguments.

The group exchanged glances, slowed their pace, and gradually approached.

Before long,

a massive cave entrance quietly appeared in their view. It stood several zhang high and more than ten zhang wide, wreathed in faint spiritual light.

Even from several hundred zhang away, they could sense the dense fluctuations of spiritual energy coming from within the cave.

On the open ground before the entrance, nearly a hundred figures had gathered in a bustling mass. They were all Rogue Cultivators, divided into three clearly distinct groups.

They glared at one another, swords drawn and bows bent.

Deng Huo withdrew his gaze and took out a jade booklet, pressing it to his forehead.

Soon, he opened his eyes, and an irrepressible gleam of excitement flashed deep within his pupils.

"A newly formed cave!" Deng Huo said in a lowered voice.

As soon as he spoke,

three burning gazes lit up beside him.

Even Hu Changting, who had wanted to leave moments earlier, could not help licking his lips as his heart pounded wildly.

Due to the erosion and compression from nearby White-Scale Lake,

the inexplicable appearance of such newly formed caves was not uncommon in the earth-vein karst caves.

Every time one appeared, it was a feast of heavenly treasures and earthly rarities.

Setting everything else aside, the Blood-Marrow Flowers their party had come seeking this time were far more plentiful in such newly formed caves than elsewhere.

Standing behind the other four, Lu He shifted his attention from the cave not far ahead to the Golden Book at the edge of his vision.

At this moment, the feeling the Golden Book gave him was exactly like when he had encountered a spiritual energy node in the Medicine Garden before.

Only stronger.

"Spiritual energy nodes—and more than one?"

A barely perceptible gleam flashed through Lu He's eyes.

Deep in his dantian, as if sensing his intent, the Myriad-Dharma Marvelous-Insight Treasure Wheel began to hum and tremble without cease. It bloomed with streams of five-colored radiance as it wildly swallowed and expelled profound Profound Nether Heavy-Origin Dharma Power.

Nearby,

Chen Zhengchu turned around. His gaze swept past Deng Huo and the other two before landing directly on Lu He. His eyes seemed to be issuing an invitation, yet also asking,

"Shall we fight for it?"

Clearly, he also understood that there were numerous Rogue Cultivators gathered before the cave. If they wished to contend for this cave, Lu He, whose strength stood on the same level as his, would need to join him.

Lu He gave a slight nod.

"Good!" An excited smile flashed across Chen Zhengchu's face.

But at that moment,

"Senior Brothers, look over there..."

Deng Huo pointed across from them and suddenly spoke up in warning.

Hearing this, neither of them noticed Deng Huo's quiet change in address. They merely looked in the direction he indicated.

On the other side of the cave entrance, there were unexpectedly two broad passageways as well.

A group stood silently within each passageway.

Just like Lu He's group, they watched the many Rogue Cultivators at the cave entrance intently, as though waiting for something.

Judging by their appearances and attire, they were undoubtedly seeds from Prodigy Island as well.

And while Lu He's group was observing them, the other side discovered their party at the same time.

"We discovered this cave first. Do you people know what first come, first served means?"

"Fellow Daoist, that is not quite right. Have you not heard that treasures belong to the virtuous?"

"Why waste so many words? Let's fight. Whoever wins gets the cave!"

"You..."

"..."

At the cave entrance, the many Rogue Cultivators remained locked in confrontation, the atmosphere grim to the extreme.

Above them,

sharp gazes from three directions intertwined, crashing together in a shower of sparks.