278 - Elasia Saga

Chapter 278 - [Web Novel Title] Translation by xbanxia.com Fu Juan's understanding of the situation was admittedly limited. It really was hard to say whether there were any cultivators with celestial powers among the Shi Gui Men crowd. Without definite assurance, Fu Yan and Bai Yue Li certainly weren't going to act recklessly and alert their adversaries. So, they waited until noon the following day. Once Fu Yan had recovered from her fatigue, she began to devise a plan to infiltrate the Shi Gui Men group. She was particularly interested in their plans to enter the Dragon's Resting Ground. The members of Shi Gui Men were definitely well-acquainted with each other. Disguising herself and mingling with them would likely be quickly discovered. Hence, Fu Yan needed to explore alternative methods. Just then, a patrolling disciple from Shi Gui Men inadvertently entered Fu Yan's line of sight. The patrol member was only at the Intermediate Transformation stage of cultivation, and a thought quickly formed in her mind. She still had plenty of spiritual herbs left from her recent excursion to the bottom of the Youxin Lake. Fu Yan promptly extracted a mature Spider Scorpion Fruit and discreetly placed it in the underbrush beside a large tree. The fruit's aroma began to slowly diffuse into the surrounding area. As anticipated, upon discovering the Spider Scorpion Fruit, the patrol member couldn't resist running toward it with a beaming face. Initially, Fu Yan thought he might exercise a bit of caution, but he approached with no vigilance whatsoever, immediately reaching out to pocket the fruit. Fu Yan would not squander such a prime opportunity. Her formidable fifth-rank spiritual power surged forth, forcefully invading the patrol member’s consciousness. With her current strength, wiping out an ordinary person in the Intermediate Transformation stage was exceptionally easy. He didn’t even have a chance to call for help. In the span of a single breath, Fu Yan's consciousness had successfully occupied the body of the cultivator named Wu Zhuo. As for the real Wu Zhuo, he was instantly obliterated. Fu Yan felt no guilt about vanquishing someone innocent, as Shi Gui Men’s people were not worth sympathizing with. They achieved their current might through murder and corpse refinement—rightly detested by the continent’s populace. Anyone with a modicum of decency would steer clear of them. After securing control over Wu Zhuo's body, Fu Yan first scanned the surroundings with her peripheral vision. Once she confirmed that no one had noticed what transpired, she silently exhaled a breath of relief. Meanwhile, back in the mountain cave, Fu Yan opened her eyes. "How did it go?" Fu Juan immediately inquired upon noticing her awakening. Hearing his words, both Bai Yue Li and Little Medicine Tuan Zi turned to look as well. Fu Yan smiled at them, nodding to affirm, "It was successful." Fu Juan couldn’t hide his delight, and even Little Medicine Tuan Zi displayed unrestrained joy. Bai Yue Li, however, remained composed, simply lifting her eyes to fix her gaze on Fu Yan and reminding her, "Be careful." "I will," Fu Yan promptly replied. Reassuring Bai Yue Li and Fu Juan provided them some peace of mind. Fu Yan then focused her attention on Wu Zhuo, contemplating her next move. Wu Zhuo's patrol was not yet complete, and Fu Yan couldn’t freely roam elsewhere. For the time being, she had to pretend to continue patrolling the vicinity. It wasn't until dusk that a replacement arrived. Another disciple, also at the Intermediate Transformation stage, with a somewhat ferret-like appearance and even more pronounced corpse aura than Zhang Zhuo, approached for the changing of the guard. "I heard that our mission here is almost finished. We probably won’t be here for more than three days before we can return," the newcomer said with a smile, directing his words at Fu Yan. These ordinary disciples naturally didn’t have the opportunity to enter the Dragon's Resting Ground. In fact, they weren’t even aware of the situation over there. Fu Yan paused briefly before smiling in relief, saying to him, "Really? That’s great news!" She then feigned nonchalance, adding, "I wonder what sort of treasure is supposed to emerge here." Lacking knowledge of the Dragon's Resting Ground, they assumed a treasure would manifest, hence their orders to guard the area. He scoffed dismissively, "Who knows? Whatever it is, it won’t be ours anyway." He paused, then continued, "When we return, I've already set my sights on a very secluded village. I need to advance to the Great Ascension stage." This obviously implied they intended to continue their murderous, corpse-refining practices. Fu Yan chuckled, echoing his words with apparent envy. He seemed in high spirits and waved goodbye to resume his patrol pleasantly. Watching him leave, a cold smirk flickered across Fu Yan’s eyes, vanishing as quickly as it appeared, and she swiftly regained her composure. Without lingering too much in this area, Fu Yan prepared to rest. Zhang Zhuo's memories were still somewhat accessible, allowing Fu Yan to easily return to the resting place of the Shi Gui Men people. She appeared to arrive relatively early, as only two figures sat by the campfire. They exchanged casual greetings but didn’t engage in chit-chat. This suited Fu Yan just fine, as she settled under a towering tree, hands around her sword, seemingly meditative, yet attentively observing her surroundings. The area was silent. Thanks to the protective array outside, they didn't fear sudden beast attacks, and the campfire burned brightly. Most like Wu Zhuo possessed only Intermediate or Late Transformation stage strength, clearly indicating this place wasn't the Dragon's Resting Ground. Fu Yan couldn't help but glance further afield. A distant glow finally caught her attention. She refocused, taking in the view: at the far end, where everyone rested, was an extremely steep mountainside. In the feeble moonlight, she could see unusual totems carved into its surface. Below, there was a large cave. In an instant, Fu Yan understood. The cave was remarkably deep, and if her guess was correct, the entrance to the Dragon's Resting Ground was likely hidden within. She needed a way to enter the cave. However, with so many people present, it wasn’t feasible for Fu Yan to vanish abruptly. Additionally, people with Great Ascension cultivation frequented the cave entrance, making a silent infiltration impossible. After a long consideration, Fu Yan abandoned the idea of personally entering. In the next moment, beneath Fu Yan's hidden sleeve, an inconspicuous stone dropped to the ground, blending into the darkness of the nearby underbrush. The stone was only about the size of half a fist, unremarkable to the eye. It was actually a puppet crafted by Shui Liu Qing specifically for Fu Yan—a tool that came in handy at this moment. Quickly, the puppet stone moved stealthily through the grass, making its way toward the cave. After roughly half an hour, Fu Yan successfully maneuvered the puppet stone close to the cave entrance without arousing any suspicion. Inside, the cave flickered with firelight. Just as the puppet stone was about to discreetly slip into a corner, a figure with Great Ascension level appeared. Fu Yan paused, halting all manipulation of the puppet stone. It now resembled an ordinary stone with no energy fluctuations. The figure didn't notice the puppet stone underfoot and moved past it. Once he confirmed the person hadn't turned around, Fu Yan prepared to resume progress. But at that instant, Fu Yan suddenly opened her eyes, swiftly focusing her attention. That Great Ascension individual was headed in their direction. Everyone by the campfire stood up immediately, and Fu Yan hurried to stand among them, bowing her head slightly. After Wei Lang approached, he gestured carelessly and commanded with cold authority, "You, follow me." Whether by coincidence or design, he selected only two people, Fu Yan among them, from those standing outside. After a brief startle, she quickly responded in unison with the other, "Yes." Soon, Fu Yan and the other person followed Wei Lang away from the site. Neither dared to question him, obediently trailing him because of this restraint. Fu Yan temporarily couldn't guide the puppet stone into the cave. It was manageable, though—Fu Yan was also curious about his intentions. Before long, Wei Lang led them outside the protective array. From above, a flying beast glided down, with someone riding it, who descended. In another moment, a figure awaited them outside. Fu Yan's peripheral view identified him as one of Shi Gui Men’s Eight Generals. However, what truly astounded Fu Yan was what lay on the ground—there were dragon horns… Two to be precise! Fu Yan was truly astonished that the Shi Gui Men had managed to acquire dragon horns. The worth of dragon horns far surpassed that of dragon blood, and in the current continent, they were essentially beyond price, rarely if ever seen on the market. "They've finally arrived!" Wei Lang greeted Ba Jiang with a smile as he approached. Ba Jiang, showing little expression, simply asked, "What’s the situation inside?" Wei Lang briefly glanced at Fu Yan and the other disciple beside him. With a slight nod, they understood and hurriedly lifted the dragon horns from the ground, following closely behind Ba Jiang. With Wei Lang leading the way, they quickly resumed their walk back into the tunnel. Holding one of the dragon horns, Fu Yan’s attention was inevitably drawn to it. These appeared to be a pair of mature dragon horns, each about half her size. Yet for a cultivator, carrying them wasn’t overly strenuous. As she gazed at the horns, it became clear to Fu Yan that these were not freshly obtained but had been stored for quite some time. Even so, a tremendous aura of majesty still clung to the dragon horns. Cultivators below the Integration stage would likely hesitate to touch them, fearing they might impact their mental state. But why had the Shi Gui Men acquired dragon horns? In the cave, Fu Yan's eyes opened once more, attracting immediate attention from Bai Yue Li and Fu Juan. "They’ve got a bunch of mature dragon horns," Fu Yan stated without concealment, looking directly at the pair. Both Bai Yue Li and Fu Juan were taken aback. "Dragon horns?" "Yes." Fu Yan nodded, still somewhat baffled, and casually asked Fu Juan, "Do you think wearing dragon horns will enable them to enter the Dragon’s Resting Ground?" The idea did seem overly simplistic. Fu Yan doubted the barrier of the Dragon's Resting Ground would fail to detect a human presence, and wearing dragon horns would be nothing but a futile deception. As expected, Fu Juan firmly shook his head at Fu Yan's suggestion. "It’s not that simple." White Yue Li seemed to have a thought and turned to Fu Yan, saying, "There was someone from Shi Gui Men in Shuanghua Palace, wasn’t there?" Fu Yan's eyes lit up instantly. How could she have forgotten Ji Xian? Yet her excitement was short-lived. Ji Xian was not even among the Eight Generals. How would he have knowledge of Shi Gui Men's secrets? Nevertheless, thinking of him, Fu Yan quickly used a voice-transmission mirror to contact Lu Xiao Wen at Shuanghua Palace, asking him for information, though she didn’t gain any crucial revelations. Meanwhile, Fu Yan, now controlling Wu Zhuo's body, had arrived at the cave entrance with Wei Lang, each bearing a dragon horn. Originally, Fu Yan planned to use the puppet stone to infiltrate, but seeing the situation now, there was no need. She continued straight into the cave, hugging the dragon horn. As she passed the entrance, she didn’t retrieve the puppet stone. She wasn’t sure how long she would stay inside, so it might come in handy later. True to Fu Yan’s guesses, the cave was deep with seemingly endless corridors. Torches placed every few meters illuminated the way. The crackling of the flames echoed sharply within the cave. After rounding several corners, the path ahead finally began to widen, and before Fu Yan even reached it, she sensed the presence of five or six Great Ascension stage experts. Including the returnee bringing the horns, there were now two of the Eight Generals in the cave. As they delved deeper, Fu Yan noticed the passage becoming unstable, with bits of earth occasionally dropping from above, and the walls were notably fresh and damp. Clearly, Shi Gui Men had newly excavated this section of the cave, with the entrance to the Dragon's Resting Ground likely nestled at the mountain’s core. Otherwise, it would have been discovered by any who ventured in before. If others had found it, the Dragon's Resting Ground would have been uncovered long ago. Venturing further for half a stick of incense, Fu Yan reached the mountain’s heart. It opened up into an enormous, dome-like cavern with strange engravings on the stone wall ahead. "Finally back!" Someone turned to Wei Lang’s group with a smile, casually remarking as they did, drawing the attention of the figures in the cave to Fu Yan and the other disciple with dragon horns. A figure approached quickly, eyeing the dragon horn Fu Yan held. "Haha, indeed they are mature dragon horns. Fantastic!" Others nearby, intrigued, also came over, one even taking the horn from Fu Yan’s arms and examining it closely. Taking advantage of the distraction, Fu Yan raised her gaze, scrutinizing the cave. At first glance, nothing seemed particularly unusual in the vast space. Fu Yan noticed a figure sitting in a corner beside a stone platform of moderate size. Resting atop the platform appeared to be... an egg? The next instant, Fu Yan’s pupils dilated slightly as she perceived a trace of life within the egg. It was a living egg! A shocking realization struck her. Despite her disbelief, Fu Yan felt certain of what she observed—a dragon egg! Somehow, Shi Gui Men had acquired a dragon egg! With this, everything began to make sense. Possessing the dragon egg allowed them to locate the Dragon's Resting Ground and enter with such confidence. Abruptly, all these insights raced through Fu Yan's mind. Simultaneously, the figure by the dragon egg suddenly opened his eyes, his piercing gaze fixed on Fu Yan, immediately making her freeze. Danger! Those words blared in Fu Yan’s head as she felt the blood in her veins momentarily reverse, the aura of death enveloping her entirely. It was a celestial-level cultivator! In an instant, Fu Yan’s awareness snapped back. She hadn’t expected Shi Gui Men to really have a celestial master present; and she had been inspecting the dragon egg right under his nose. Predictably, her guise was compromised. With no time to waste, Fu Yan didn’t even glance at the celestial master, swiftly darting toward the cave exit. Swoosh— "Intruder!" "Stop!" Echoing shouts sounded through the cave as Fu Yan fled, yet she did not look back, channeling all of Wu Zhuo's vital essence within his qi sea. Boom! As she fled, Fu Yan’s casual sweep caused a collapse in the passage behind her, hindering those pursuing. With the cave exit in sight, Fu Yan barely had a moment to breathe when a figure appeared directly in front of her. It was the celestial master. With a simple step forward, his celestial pressure bore down on Fu Yan, leaving her utterly immobilized. Such was the terrifying power of a celestial master. And Fu Yan was using Wu Zhuo's Intermediate Transformation stage body—hardly a match for such force with just a strand of her consciousness. She stared at him, forcing herself to remain calm. Even if caught, she would lose merely a vestige of consciousness. Recalling it would risk revealing her and Bai Yue Li’s location. "Who are you, to dare possess a Shi Gui Men disciple?" the two Eight Generals soon joined, addressing Fu Yan icily. Fu Yan, without any disguise, was clearly possessed. Buzz— Suddenly, intense tremors shook the ground beneath them, something fast approaching. "Not... not good!" A Shi Gui Men disciple frantically entered from outside, panic-stricken, barely able to articulate, "There... there's a beast tide approaching!" "What did you say?" one of the Eight Generals repeated incredulously, their expressions altering at once. Upon confirmation, their faces paled, instinctively looking at the celestial master and swallowing nervously, "My... my lord, a beast tide is coming. What do we... do?" Hearing this, Fu Yan was also alarmed. The notion of a beast tide alone sent shivers down her spine. Here, near the primal forest, countless beasts comparable to Great Ascension stage existed. Encountering one or two was troubling enough; now they faced a massive beast tide. Even a celestial master would hesitate to confront such a tide. But Fu Yan had no time for further thought. The celestial master pointed a finger, and the shadow of Fu Yan’s consciousness within Wu Zhuo’s mind was swiftly obliterated. "Ugh!" In the mountain cave, Fu Yan abruptly spat out a mouthful of blood. Bai Yue Li, sensing something was amiss from the very start, had been keeping a close eye on Fu Yan. Without hesitation, she rushed forward to support her. Before Bai Yue Li could even speak, Fu Yan, having regained her senses, urgently called out, "Senior Sister, quick... quickly seal the cave entrance!" No sooner had she spoken, the ground beneath them trembled again. Without questioning, Bai Yue Li shielded Fu Yan while raising her hand to collapse the entrance, effectively sealing the cave. Only then did Fu Yan breathe a sigh of relief. "What happened?" Fu Juan hurried over, concerned. Fu Yan raised a hand to wipe the blood from her lips and reassured Bai Yue Li, "Don’t worry, Senior Sister, I’m fine." Pausing, she continued, "There’s a beast tide outside." The timing of the beast tide was indeed fortuitous for Fu Yan; otherwise, the celestial master wouldn’t have so readily obliterated her consciousness. The opponent likely had numerous ways to control her. This resolution saved Fu Yan much trouble. Since she had anticipated the potential loss of this strand of consciousness, Fu Yan hadn’t invested too much energy into it. Its destruction held little consequence for her. Bai Yue Li, after examining Fu Yan’s condition to ensure no severe backlash occurred, exhaled slightly in relief. "There's a celestial cultivator among them?" "Yes, there is one." Fu Yan wasn’t surprised that Bai Yue Li inferred this from her exposure. However, the beast tide’s occurrence was undeniably peculiar. Typically, there are certain signs or anomalies preceding a beast tide. Yet prior to this, there were no such warnings at all. It seemed as if... Someone had deliberately instigated this beast tide.