What happened?
Zhao Shiyong frowned slightly as he looked in the direction where Lady Yun had disappeared.
Chen Shuangbai gradually realized that something was amiss.
"Go and take a look."
He took the lead, using his Wind Control Technique to leap back and forth between the stone pillars of varying heights. Before long, he arrived at this spot, where there seemed to be a sound ahead.
It was unclear what kind of escape technique Zhao Shiyong used to create fire beneath his feet, but it was far faster than Chen Shuangbai's Wind Control Technique, allowing him to land at the location of the sound a step ahead.
Then came the sound of a huge object crashing. When Chen Shuangbai broke through the dust and landed, she saw Zhao Shiyong standing on a flat area in the stone forest, with two Water Salamander lying beside him.
One end is half of its body, as if it had been blasted off by a tremendous force; it was clearly the work of Zhao Shiyong.
On the other side, a large gash appeared on the right half of the body, with internal organs spilling out, giving the impression of being on the verge of death.
"Gone?" Zhao Shiyong muttered to himself.
Chen Shuangbai naturally knew he was referring to Lady Yun. He immediately used his Spirit-Appraising Pupil to observe the traces of strange power around him and discovered a faint trace of cyan Spirit Power, but it was extremely scattered and dissipated as soon as it passed through this area.
Zhao Shiyong's expression was rather grim. He said, "Could it be that they were kidnapped by some kind of demon?"
Although he didn't expect Lady Yun and Yu Laoliu to contribute much to this treasure hunt, it was still better to keep them by his side.
Before they could find Yu Laoliu, Lady Yun had mysteriously disappeared again. Naturally, they felt a little irritated, but more than that, they felt uneasy.
Zhao Shiyong seemed to possess some kind of treasure that could protect his soul, making it difficult for Chen Shuangbai to perceive his emotions. It was probably bestowed upon him by his Foundation Establishment master.
However, he seemed to be only passively protected by that treasure. Whenever his emotions fluctuated greatly, some of it would leak out and be sensed by Chen Shuangbai.
Just now, Chen Shuangbai sensed that this person seemed somewhat uneasy.
But he could understand it.
After all, for such a grown man to suddenly disappear from the vicinity, as if he had been abducted by something, even he felt a slight sense of dread.
Chen Shuangbai released his spiritual sense, which far exceeded that of an ordinary Seventh Layer of Qi Refining cultivator, but he did not find any trace of living beings. He scanned the area again, but still found nothing.
"This underground space is hidden deep underground, isolated from the surface, and with so many Water Salamander... who can guarantee what kind of powerful monsters might be raised here."
Chen Shuangbai looked at Zhao Shiyong, a hint of seriousness in her eyes, and said, "We'd better act quickly."
Zhao Shiyong thought this made a lot of sense, so he stopped worrying about Lady Yun's disappearance and turned around to go to the pond with Chen Shuangbai, where he released the blue demon butterfly again.
Then the blue butterfly fluttered its pair of dark blue wings, dancing gracefully on the pond, and finally settled on a certain spot on the surface, hovering motionless.
Chen Shuangbai and Zhao Shiyong moved closer.
Zhao Shiyong released his Law Power and forcefully pulled downwards. The pool water gradually parted, and a bluish-gray stone about half the size of a person was pulled up.
Zhao Shiyong moved it to the shore.
After the two went ashore, they walked around the bluish-gray stone for half a circle. They could both tell what it was, but Chen Shuangbai noticed with her Spirit-Appraising Pupil that a faint bluish light seemed to be emanating from the cracks in the bluish-gray stone.
" Azure Crystal Stone... no, that's not right..."
" Azure Light Jade... that's not right either."
"Could it be a Azure Jade Embryo...? No, that's not right... those are spiritual materials that only Foundation Establishment cultivators can use..."
As Zhao Shiyong was still recalling the knowledge he had learned within the sect, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Chen Shuangbai had already stepped forward, taken the Law Sword hanging at his waist, and thrust it in.
"Fellow Daoist Chen..."
Just as Zhao Shiyong was about to speak, he saw Chen Shuangbai find an angle, thrust his Law Sword in, and pry it open from the middle.
In an instant, wisps of white mist emerged from it, and a crack appeared in the stone, revealing layers of stone material inside. Within these layers were three bright white beads that emitted a faint fluorescence.
Zhao Shiyong's eyes widened, and upon closer inspection, he realized that what he saw was not a large, bluish-gray rock at all, but clearly a green-shelled river clam.
However, the clam seemed to have been dead for a long time, and its shell had been petrified. Only the pearls that had been gestating inside its body were locked up, and by a stroke fortuitous opportunity luck, their spiritual energy was locked away, with only a small amount escaping outside.
Having recognized the true nature of the large, bluish-gray rock, Zhao Shiyong felt a mixture of joy and surprise.
He was curious about how Chen Shuangbai had seen through the true nature of the object. He looked up and saw that Chen Shuangbai was also looking over. Her originally dark eyes now had a jade-colored halo, and her pupils slightly contracted, gleaming with jade light. He immediately understood.
"I never imagined... that Fellow Daoist Chen would actually cultivate a relatively difficult eye technique?"
Zhao Shiyong was deeply moved.
Chen Shuangbai said gently, "When you go out to cultivate, it's always good to have more skills."
Chen Shuangbai simply demonstrated that she knew pupil techniques in order to dispel any suspicions in the other party's mind.
Zhao Shiyong has a master who is at the Foundation Establishment and can predict the future. Who knows what other tricks he might have up his sleeve? If he harbors malicious intentions and plots against me from behind, things could get really bad.
Chen Shuangbai did consider burying him here, but many people in Wind Howling County knew that the two had communicated. Even if his [ Dao Fruit ] might prevent the Foundation Establishment from divination about him, Chen Shuangbai still understood the principle of presumption of guilt.
The greatest fear of humanity is the unknown.
By appropriately revealing one's true abilities, one can gain Zhao Shiyong's trust.
"There are three pearls inside this dead clam... Judging by its color, it must have been aged for at least twenty or thirty years. No wonder those Water Salamander are lingering here; they must be absorbing the essence that seeps out from the crevices to cultivate themselves."
Zhao Shiyong's keen observation as a disciple of a major sect kicked in again. Looking at the three faintly glowing pearls, his eyes darted around, and he said, "Three of them... Fellow Daoist, you just fought seven Water Salamander Water Salamander -handedly, and even single-handedly defeated the strongest one. You were also the one who discovered the secret of these things, so how about you get two and I get one?"
Zhao Shiyong spoke modestly, originally expecting Chen Shuangbai to decline, but instead a fair hand took out two pieces.
His expression faltered slightly as he met Chen Shuangbai's smiling face.
The handsome young man placed the two pearls into his Storage Bag right in front of him, and said with a smile, "Then thank you for your generosity, fellow Daoist."
Zhao Shiyong's lips twitched slightly, and he suddenly felt an urge to slap himself.