Translator: CinderTL
One month later, in the dead of night, deep beneath the earth, Song Wen's eyes snapped open. His cheeks twitched involuntarily as two long, wriggling worms burrowed into his nostrils, causing a slight discomfort.
Ignoring the worms, he parted his lips slightly and released the Shadow King Gu.
The Shadow King Gu emerged from the earth, spread its wings, and soared into the night sky.
Over two hours later, the Shadow King Gu returned, having scouted a radius of several thousand miles. It reported no signs of any cultivators.
Song Wen shook off the earth covering him and climbed out of the pit. He channeled his Spiritual Power to cleanse himself of dirt and insects, then rose into the air and vanished into the distance.
Despite the month that had passed, Song Wen remained vigilant.
He sped onward, leaving the Rotting Miasma Ridge behind.
He found the nearest major river and dove into its depths.
After traveling underwater for some distance, Song Wen ascended into the sky once more.
He repeated this pattern several times, deliberately avoiding cultivator cities along the way, until he had ventured tens of millions of miles deep into the Qianchang Wilderness. Only then did Song Wen finally relax completely.
Even if Chi Qi were still pursuing him, the vast distance between them made it impossible for him to catch up.
Song Wen slowed his escape, his mind racing with plans for the future.
First, he would have to postpone his vendetta against the Chi and Jiang Families for now.
For a gentleman's revenge—ten years... a hundred years... a thousand years is not too late.
He could return to settle scores once his cultivation had reached a sufficient level.
Second, and most crucial, was cultivation itself. This was his top priority.
Strength is the foundation of survival!
The potency of the Blood Demon Pills would suffice for his current cultivation needs, eliminating the immediate need to develop new blood-burning formulas to enhance his cultivation.
Song Wen estimated that with a steady supply of Blood Demon Pills, he could reach the peak of the Divine Transformation Stage within a few hundred years.
Divine Transformation Stage cultivators typically lived for around 2,500 years. At just over 370 years old, he had ample time to cultivate at his own pace.
Of course, this calculation didn't account for cultivation bottlenecks.
If he encountered an insurmountable bottleneck, he might remain trapped in the Early Stage of the Divine Transformation Stage for the rest of his life.
Before his Ascension, Song Wen had gathered a substantial supply of Spirit Herbs for crafting Blood Demon Pills, enough to last him a considerable time. Moreover, the necessary ingredients for these pills were not rare in the mystic realm and could be easily purchased in the Qianchang Wilderness. With over seventeen thousand high-grade spirit stones in his possession, Song Wen currently had no need to worry about resources.
The four essential elements of cultivation were wealth, companionship, method, and environment.
His most pressing concern was securing a suitable environment.
Long-term rental of Cultivation Caves was prohibitively expensive and vulnerable to prying eyes, making it an unsustainable solution.
Song Wen needed to find his own cultivation sanctuary—a place abundant in Spiritual Qi and, above all, secure.
Thirdly, he needed to consider leaving the Qianchang Wilderness.
Through his interactions with Scholar Kong Jin and Madam Wen, Song Wen had witnessed the oppressive tactics of the three great families against rogue cultivators and smaller factions.
In essence, any rogue cultivator at the Divine Transformation Stage, or any Divine Transformation cultivator unaffiliated with the three great families, was unsafe in the Qianchang Wilderness. They could be framed with fabricated charges at any moment and enslaved by the three great families.
Furthermore, leaving the Qianchang Wilderness would offer Song Wen several advantages.
First, he no longer needed to fear pursuit from Chi Qi and Jiang Lanruo.
Second, Jiang Lanruo had mentioned that cultivators from the Divine Blood Gate were active in Cloudveil City. These individuals might possess the remaining techniques of the Corpse King's Rebirth Art.
Currently, Song Wen only had the Cultivation Method for the Divine Transformation Stage.
Furthermore, the Yin-Sinking Water required to enhance the Blood Sea Seal could only be found in Cloudveil City.
Most importantly, the Qianchang Wilderness was a remote region with relatively sparse Spiritual Qi and correspondingly few spiritual objects. The three great families controlled nearly all the spiritual objects needed to break through the minor realms of the Divine Transformation Stage and advance to the Void Refinement Stage, which hindered Song Wen's cultivation progress.
To leave the Qianchang Wilderness, Song Wen couldn't use the Chi Family's Teleportation Array. If Chi Qi discovered his true identity, Song Wen would be walking into a trap.
Therefore, Song Wen had only one option: travel to the Dual Polarity Sect in Crimson Rainbow City and purchase a ticket on a Giant Flying Ship departing the Qianchang Wilderness.
Though this plan was risky, Song Wen possessed numerous life-saving measures. As long as he avoided encountering seventh-tier demonic beasts, his survival was assured.
Crimson Rainbow City, located in the southwestern region of the Qianchang Wilderness, nominally belonged to the Ye Family, but the Ye Family paid little attention to it. The Dual Polarity Sect effectively controlled the city and its surrounding areas.
As a subordinate force of the Ye Family, the Dual Polarity Sect was required to pay substantial annual tributes of spirit stones and treasures to the Ye Family.
Crimson Rainbow City was a typical cultivator city, lacking high walls and freely accessible to cultivators.
The Dual Polarity Sect was not located within Crimson Rainbow City itself but in the mountains over a hundred miles south of the city.
Wearing an iron mask and adjusting his aura to the peak nascent soul stage, Song Wen entered a majestic stone pavilion in the heart of Crimson Rainbow City.
This pavilion, named the Crimson Rainbow Pavilion, served as the Dual Polarity Sect's branch in the city, responsible for maintaining order and managing the sale and rental of shops and Cultivation Caves.
Many cultivators entered and exited the Crimson Rainbow Pavilion, and Song Wen's arrival in the main hall went unnoticed.
He scanned the hall, his gaze settling on a counter at the far end, behind which stood two charming Qi Refining Stage attendants.
"Senior, may I assist you?" one of the attendants asked sweetly as Song Wen approached.
"I wish to travel to the Qicang Domain," Song Wen replied. "I heard the Dual Polarity Sect has a Giant Flying Ship that can cross the Rotting Miasma Ridge. Is this true?"
The Qicang Domain was the region located on the opposite side of the Rotting Miasma Ridge.
The maid's expression immediately became even more respectful.
Anyone seeking to cross the Rotting Miasma Ridge would need to be at least a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator.
"Senior, please follow me. I'll take you to see the steward," the maid said.
"Thank you," Song Wen replied calmly.
Guided by the maid, Song Wen passed through a corridor to the left of the main hall and arrived at the entrance of an alchemy chamber.
"Steward Wang, a distinguished guest is here to inquire about the Giant Flying Ship that crosses the Rotting Miasma Ridge," the maid announced softly to the stone door.
The stone door slowly rose, revealing an elderly man in the Early Stage of the Nascent Soul Stage standing behind it.
He glanced at Song Wen, his face lighting up with a warm smile.
"Fellow Daoist, please come in."
Song Wen entered the alchemy chamber and surveyed the surroundings.
The chamber was about half an acre in size, furnished only with a few wooden chairs and a long stone table.
The elderly man invited Song Wen to sit and asked, "You look unfamiliar. Are you not a cultivator from Crimson Rainbow City? Where did you cultivate before?"
"I'm a rogue cultivator," Song Wen replied. "This is my first time in Crimson Rainbow City."
"I see," the elderly man said. "May I ask your name?"
"Gou Jun," Song Wen replied. "And your esteemed name, Fellow Daoist?"
"Wang Yi," the elder replied.
After exchanging pleasantries, the elder cut to the chase.
"Fellow Daoist Gou Jun, you wish to travel to the Qicang Domain?"
"I've been stuck at the peak Nascent Soul stage for years," Song Wen replied, his face tinged with melancholy, as if forced into this decision. "I hope to find an opportunity for advancement in the Qicang Domain."
Wang Yi nodded. "Fellow Daoist, your unwavering devotion to the Dao is admirable. However, I must clarify one point: the Dual Polarity Sect only provides the Giant Flying Ship. We will not send any personnel to accompany you. Once you board, everything that happens on the ship is beyond our responsibility. Each passenger is responsible for their own life and death."
"Thank you for the reminder, Fellow Daoist," Song Wen replied. "I was already aware of this. Could you please tell me more about the ship's capabilities?"
"The ship is called the Qicang Flying Ark," Wang Yi explained. "It's inscribed with the sixth-tier defensive formation, the Profound Kunming Harmony Formation. If operated by three Divine Transformation Stage cultivators, it can withstand attacks from Early Stage Void Refinement cultivators."
"Furthermore, the Qicang Flying Ark is inscribed with several Sky-Soaring Formations. With just one Divine Transformation Stage cultivator activating them, the ship can briefly achieve speeds comparable to those of a Void Refinement Stage cultivator."
"However, both the Profound Kunming Harmony Formation and the burst of speed require vast quantities of spirit stones. These spirit stones must be provided by the passengers themselves."
(End of the Chapter)
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