Immortal Path to Heaven c1-725

by Heaven's White Crane

  “I hope so.” Ou Yangming shrugged.

  He became alert again. Smithing pieces of White Silver Equipment using merged White-Silver-level spirit ores was more secretive than directly using power ores. Despite that, after taking out plenty of such spirit ores, it was inevitable for him to draw suspicion to himself.

  Ou Yangming turned to look at Lin Feifeng, then he asked with a joyful smile, “Brother Lin, where do you plan to go now that the Trading Meet is over?”

  Lin Feifeng answered right away, “I’m planning to return to my sect. Brother Ou, are you willing to travel with me?”

  “I couldn’t have asked for more, Brother Lin.” Ou Yangming chuckled.

  He had decided to enter the Humans’ boundary, then he would slowly inquire about the lower realm. Although the young fellow was not aware of the specific situation in the Spiritual Realm, since someone dared to do something about the lower realm, it must be someone superior. As such, it would not be a big issue to find some clues.

  Besides, after entering the Humans’ boundary, he would probably be able to sense the rough location of Multi-armed King Kong and the goshawk.

  Even if a secret art was adopted for concealment, it would be difficult to completely cut off the links of soul contracts.

  “Lil’ Friend Ou, since you’re extremely gifted, you don’t need to waste your time at all.” Bai Zhiyi suddenly pulled a long face and expressed after a pause, “I’m a successor from the Beast King Sect, and I have some insights in smithing art. If you’re willing to join our sect, I can guarantee you that all of the secret smithing techniques will be accessible to you, and you’ll be provided enough smithing resources so that you’ll become a Grandmaster as soon as possible.”

  Lin Feifeng was startled for a while, and his face reddened. When he thought about the Beast King Sect’s influence and inheritance, he instantly looked gloomy.

  This was because he knew very well that while his sect had their way of doing things, they were far from the magnificent Beast King Sect.

  The Beast King Sect was one of the Humans’ Nine Great Sects in Danzhou, and they had numerous secret techniques. They did not come first in terms of smithing art, but they could not be compared by Lin Feifeng’s sect.

  Since Ou Yangming was valued by Bai Zhiyi so much, what else could Lin Feifeng say?

  Who knew, Ou Yangming simply smiled and rejoined, “Senior Bai, thanks for your good intention, but I can’t join the Beast King Sect.”

  Bai Zhiyi was dumbfounded. “Why?”

  Behind him, his 3 juniors were slightly mad.

  The Beast King Sect was influential and well-known in Danzhou, such that a human cultivator would likely be surprised yet overjoyed if one was recruited by them. It was their first time meeting someone that rejected an offer so firmly.

  Ou Yangming smiled bitterly and explained, “Frankly speaking, I got separated with a few of my companions when I got here. Ah, no matter what, I must find them first.”

  Bai Zhiyi was relieved, and he said with a smile, “You’re trying to find your companions? That’s easy—leave it to me.” He raised his eyebrows and continued, “As long as they’re in the Humans’ boundary, I assure you that I’ll be able to find them.”

  Lin Feifeng was rather jealous as he watched from the side but deep down he was in admiration. This was the foundation of a supreme sect, which could easily boast about what they could do.

  Ou Yangming was moved. “Alright, I’m looking for 2 men. One of them is Wu Yuanwei while the other’s Hong Feiyu, and they’re both Extreme Grade cultivators.

  “I’ve remembered their names. Don’t worry, I’ll notify you once I receive any news.” Bai Zhiyi smiled proudly and waved his hand. “I’ve greeted the 10,000 Beasts Venerable One, so let’s leave the mountain now.”

  Lin Feifeng was hesitant to speak, but he finally sighed and gave up wanting to invite Ou Yangming.

  Bai Zhiyi suddenly told him, “Lin Feifeng, since you hit it off with Lil’ Friend Ou, how about you be our guest at the Beast King Sect for a few days too? I’ll write a letter to your master to let him know that I’m inviting you to learn in our sect for 3 years. I suppose he won’t object to the idea.”

  Lin Feifeng’s eyes lit up at once, and he bowed deeply at Bai Zhiyi. “Thank you, senior.”

  Ou Yangming nodded to himself. ‘This elder does everything so appropriately that nobody can reproach him.’

  He turned to glance at the mountain and thought, ‘There must be some connection between the Beast King Sect and the 10,000 Beasts Ridge, but it’s beyond my understanding for now.’

  However, Ou Yangming and the others did not know that when they left the 10,000 Beasts Ridge, deep inside the forest on the mountain, the 10,000 Beasts Venerable One had an unpredictable look in its eyes as if it was making an incredibly tough decision.

  Chapter 598 - Attacked Halfway

  Bai Zhiyi brought Ou Yangming along and bid farewell with everyone else, then they left the mountain in a hurry. The young fellow noticed that the elder avoided the main road on purpose when they hastened away. In particular, the elder ended his conversations quickly when he met the elders that walked out from the crystal wall.

  It was naturally suspicious, but Ou Yangming did not sense any ill intention Bai Zhiyi because he could guess why the elder had such abnormal behavior.

  Bai Zhiyi wanted Ou Yangming to join the so-called Beast King Sect, hence he did not want any mishaps to happen before his wish was fulfilled.

  Nonetheless, although Bai Zhiyi and Ou Yangming did not want any trouble, they would not be able to do anything if trouble came.

  After several days, they finally left the 10,000 Beasts Ridge.

  Right after leaving the ridge, Ou Yangming felt extremely uneasy.

  It was as though they were instantly being watched by a powerful yet vicious powerhouse after they left the range that was protected by the 10,000 Beasts Venerable One. The further they were from the 10,000 Beasts Ridge, the stronger it felt.

  Perhaps Bai Zhiyi noticed that Ou Yangming was slowly becoming anxious, he asked, “Lil’ Ou, are you feeling unwell?”

  It was worth noting that unless a cultivator was injured, one was immune to cough or flu. Therefore, the elder found it strange after seeing that Ou Yangming did not look right.

  Ou Yangming asked the elder in return after some thought, “Elder Bai, after leaving the 10,000 Beasts Ridge, do you feel like someone’s watching us?”

  “Watching us?” Bai Zhiyi was stunned for a brief moment, then he could not help but laugh. “Lil’ Ou, don’t worry, we’re cultivators from the Beast King Sect, so nobody in Danzhou will scheme anything against us.”

  He sounded incredibly confident, and he curled his lips into a proud smile.

  Ou Yangming smiled bitterly. He did not know the specific situation in Danzhou, but he figured that Bai Zhiyi must have a strong reliance to be able to say that.

  Unquestionably, the Beast King Sect was closely connected with the 10,000 Beasts Ridge, which was why someone like Bai Zhiyi would show up at the meet. Moreover, he was more natural and unrestrained as compared to the other masters beyond the crystal wall.

  If they were still on the 10,000 Beasts Ridge, Ou Yangming believed that nobody would harm them, but he was somehow worried after leaving the 10,000 Beasts Venerable One’s territory.

  After crossing another mountain, Bai Zhiyi flashed a smile and said, “Lil’ Ou, look, we’ll enter the Humans’ boundary after crossing that tall mountain ahead. Hehe, the Beast King Sect almost borders the 10,000 Beasts Ridge, so we’ll arrive soon.”

  When Bai Zhiyi thought about having the opportunity of roping in the young fellow with unparalleled talent in smithing art into his sect, he was overjoyed such that the wrinkles on his forehead could almost not be seen.

  Ou Yangming nodded and questioned, “Elder Bai, what exactly is the relationship between the Beast King Sect and the 10,000 Beasts Ridge?”

  “This…” Bai Zhiyi hesit
ated for a while before he answered, “It’s considered a partnership. Hehe, don’t be so impatient, I’ll definitely let you know one day.”

  The young fellow curled his lips and thought, ‘Looks like the 2 parties are very close indeed.’

  It was early in the morning at the moment. The more they advanced, the denser the fog in the ravine became.

  Lin Feifeng looked around him in confusion and commented, “This is odd—I don’t remember seeing so much fog when I came?”

  Bai Zhiyi was startled for a while, then he chuckled and responded, “There’s nothing strange about having a lot of fog on a mountain but…” He shook his head and remarked, “The fog is indeed denser today.”

  Fat Antelope and the Silver Ridge Giant Leopard followed behind Ou Yangming and Big Yellow. They had already put on their pieces of equipment after leaving the 10,000 Beasts Ridge. Even though the antelope had a full equipment set and looked majestic, in terms of a single piece of equipment’s quality, it was inferior to the spirit leopard.

  Nevertheless, Fat Antelope knew it was not the time to smith pieces of equipment. Furthermore, Ou Yangming had promised it that he would change its equipment set after he returned to the Humans’ boundary, thus it did not complain at all throughout the journey.

  On the other hand, the Silver Ridge Giant Leopard was cautious. It cast flattering looks at Big Yellow, let alone Ou Yangming.

  After hearing Bai Zhiyi, the giant leopard twitched its nose and stated, “This is weird—I don’t remember the fog on the mountains nearby to be this dense…”

  Ou Yangming was suddenly moved as he immediately recalled his experience when he hurried back to Changlong City with the goshawk in the lower realm. Back then, they were trapped in some mist but fortunately, the mist was not targeted at them, or they could not have escaped unscathed.

  “Woof…”

  Big Yellow stopped abruptly and had a fierce look in its eyes. It seemed unusually nervous when it looked around.

  Bai Zhiyi and the others turned to look at it as they were shocked. At this point, anyone could tell that something was off about the big yellow dog.

  “Lil’ Ou, what’s going on?” Bai Zhiyi asked in a deep voice. He turned to look at the thick fog as though he wanted to perceive the situation.

  Ou Yangming took a deep breath and answered, “Elder Bai, a spirit beast is lying in ambush ahead!”

  Bai Zhiyi raised another question, “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure,” Ou Yangming answered without any hesitation.

  The elder pondered for some time and nodded. He did not believe that any being would be so bold as to lie in ambush in this place, but he was not pedantic. Since Ou Yangming behaved like that, Bai Zhiyi was more or less alert.

  As he gently waved his hand, his 3 juniors went forward right away and surrounded him in a triangular formation.

  Bai Zhiyi scoffed and noted, “I’d like to see who exactly dares to defy the 10,000 Beasts Venerable One’s decree and attack us halfway.”

  They were invited by the 10,000 Beasts Venerable One to participate in the Trading Meet this time. During this period, none of the spirit beasts on the 10,000 Beasts Ridge could attack human blacksmiths and alchemists, or they would be severely punished by the Venerable One.

  This was also what was promised by the 10,000 Beasts Venerable One to the human masters. Without the assurance, who would have gone deep into the 10,000 Beasts Ridge to smith pieces of equipment or refine pills for the powerhouses from the Beasts?

  Needless to say, the human masters did not busy themselves for nothing; they benefited a lot during every Trading Meet.

  Due to the profits and guaranteed safety, the Trading Meet flourished year after year.

  If it was not because Ou Yangming guaranteed solemnly and something was indeed fishy about the fog, Bai Zhiyi would not have believed it.

  The 4 of them stood still and retrieved a bell each at the same time. Following that, with Bai Zhiyi as the center, the 4 bells began to shake and gave off queer sounds.

  Lin Feifeng quietly approached Ou Yangming and whispered, “Brother Ou, why would a spirit beast rob us? Have the Walking Beasts really gone mad…”

  Fat Antelope and the Silver Ridge Giant Leopard glared at him and said internally, ‘You’re the one that has gone mad.’

  Ou Yangming sighed and replied to him, “Brother Lin, it might not be from the Walking Beasts.”

  “Oh, if it isn’t the Walking Beasts, what is it?” Lin Feifeng widened his eyes in disbelief. “This is the Walking Beasts’ territory!”

  “You’ll find out if you wait and see.” Ou Yangming shook his head with a bitter smile.

  He opened his interspatial bag and retrieved a set of magic tools. It was a brand new equipment set, which he had smithed during the last few days in the crystal wall as he had nothing to do. The pieces of equipment were all Good Grade magic tools, but what made them formidable were the various skills attached to them.

  Big Yellow opened its enormous mouth and spat out its equipment set to put it on.

  Seeing how careful Ou Yangming and Big Yellow were, Lin Feifeng panicked too. He retrieved his pieces of equipment without any hesitation and put them on as well.

  After all, Lin Feifeng was a blacksmith that could smith magic tools, so he was not perfunctory about preparing pieces of equipment for himself.

  At this moment, Bai Zhiyi and his 3 juniors kept shaking their bells. It was surprising because the frequencies of the sounds from their bells slowly became close and eventually merged perfectly.

  The 4 of them were shaking their respective bells but if one did not look at them, based on the single sound that could be heard, it would sound like only a person was shaking a bell.

  Ou Yangming found it odd and wondered, ‘What ability is that? Sure enough, powerhouses in the Spiritual Realm are unordinary.’

  Despite that, before he could gasp in admiration, the bells stopped making sounds. Bai Zhiyi and his 3 juniors quivered, by which the 3 blacksmiths simply rolled their eyes and collapsed. While the elder did not pass out, he was not in a much better situation.

  His body swayed, and it seemed like he no longer had the power to stand still.

  Ou Yangming’s face changed. He darted toward the elder to support him, then he slowly helped him sit on the ground.

  While holding Bai Zhiyi, Ou Yangming inadvertently glanced warily in a certain direction behind him.

  Bai Zhiyi opened its mouth and spat out a blood clot, then he uttered, “The Insects—the dense fog is from the Insects!” He gritted his teeth and said, “Damn Insects, how dare they sneak an attack on me? If the 10,000 Beasts Venerable One finds out, it’ll definitely crush it into pieces!”

  Ou Yangming forced a smile and rejoined, “Elder Bai, the problem is that the 10,000 Beasts Venerable One isn’t aware of this.”

  The elder was lost for words, but he added after a moment of hesitation, “Once Sir Venerable One knows I’m injured or didn’t return on time, it’ll surely inspect this matter. This fella won’t be able to escape for sure.”

  “Hiss, hiss, hiss…” A weird voice was heard coming from the fog ahead. “So what if Sir Venerable One finds out? Will you still be alive then?”

  Bai Zhiyi raised his eyebrows and questioned fiercely, “Which powerhouse from the Insects has come? Why are you hiding so shamelessly?”

  “Hmph, I didn’t come as the Beast King Sect’s enemy. Take your juniors with you and leave.” A faint voice was heard.

  The elder was dumbfounded, and he suddenly looked at Ou Yangming.

  Ou Yangming shrugged and said, “Elder Bai, please leave first.”

  Bai Zhiyi looked seriously at the young fellow and said with a smile, “Lil’ Ou, I told you that I’m going to bring you to the Beast King Sect, so I can’t give up halfway no matter what.” He later exerted force through his legs to get up, then he shook his bell quickly with a red face.

  The voice in the fog was heard again. “Hmph, trying t
o subdue me with a petty trick? Get… Lost!”

  Chapter 599 - Hunted Down By An Insect

  The voice was so loud that it sounded like Heavenly Thunderbolts, and it completely masked the sounds of the bell in Bai Zhiyi’s hand.

  Bai Zhiyi lost his complexion as he turned pale. His body swayed again, and he finally fell hard to the ground.

  The Beast King Sect naturally had inherited secret techniques. In particular, the ones that targeted the Beasts had many unique effects. Nonetheless, Bai Zhiyi’s opponent was too powerful this time, and it was far from something that could be resisted by a blacksmith like him.

  Ou Yangming looked up and looked closely ahead. Amidst the fog, a black figure was vaguely seen.

  He moved his lips, causing a subtle voice to be heard by Bai Zhiyi. “Elder Bai, I’m sorry.”

  Before his voice died away, he flashed and charged at the black fog.

  Bai Zhiyi forced himself to extend his arm to stop the young fellow, but he was struck by immense pain as soon as he reached out; he was powerless. The elder’s face twitched as he hated the spirit beast, which blocked their path, to its core. He decided that as soon as he returned to his sect, he would use everything in his power to kill the attacker regardless of its background.

  “Hey?” The faint voice was heard once more. “You’re courting death!”

  The fog ahead seemed to be controlled by someone as it suddenly gushed toward Ou Yangming.

  As though it possessed life’s power, the dense fog somehow turned into ropes to constrain Ou Yangming, who was charging forward.

  “No…” Bai Zhiyi widened his eyes and roared.

  Who knew, something odd happened next.

  Ou Yangming’s body exploded without warning while he was being restrained. He turned into a black figure and vanished from everyone’s sight.

  Bai Zhiyi was dumbfounded as he did not know what exactly was happening.

  “Hehe, young human fella, I saw through your trick already! Where do you think you’re going!” The ghostly voice was heard coming from behind everyone.

  Bai Zhiyi turned to look abruptly and instantly noticed a familiar figure. He blinked and thought, ‘Who else is that if it isn’t Ou Yangming?’