Chapter 87

In the southern part of the only large city under the control of the Ji family, 'Wanjian City,' about a thousand miles away, there was originally a wilderness of mountains and forests, nothing special at all! However, at this moment, a huge vortex appeared in the sky above this wilderness! It was a colorful vortex, towering ten thousand feet high, affecting the surrounding heavens and earth.

This massive, colorful vortex was formed by the frenzied gathering of the elemental energies of heaven and earth. Due to the intense concentration of these energies, a hazy, seven-colored mist was produced under the pressure of the rotation. This massive vortex of elemental energies... also caused a greater surge of elemental energies, sending intense fluctuations in all directions!

The vortex of elemental energies was conical, with its tip pointing directly downward to the earth. It was clear that the source of this vortex of elemental energies was the ground beneath this wilderness of mountains and forests.

"Whoosh!"

In one area of the high sky, the elemental energies began to oscillate, and a man appeared out of nowhere. This man had long, disheveled hair, wore black, elaborate clothing, and had an exotic beast embroidered on his clothes. He wore a tall headdress, and his face was as fair as jade, exuding a natural air of superiority. His gaze fell on the source of the massive vortex of elemental energies.

"Oh?" The man in black, elaborate clothing nodded slightly. "Such an unusual phenomenon, there must be a Return to Void Earth Immortal achieving success! I wonder which faction this newly ascended Earth Immortal belongs to... This is Yanshan, and the major tribes, sects, and religious groups around Yanshan can be counted on one hand. The closest one is the Heavenly Saint Sect! Could it be that a Spirit Immortal of the Heavenly Saint Sect has broken through? But if it were a Spirit Immortal of the Heavenly Saint Sect, there should be protective figures around."

He pondered while standing silently in the high sky.

Once the unusual phenomenon appears, it means the other party has already succeeded, and any attempt to stop it would be too late.

Boom~~~

The originally massive vortex of elemental energies suddenly dissipated, causing a violent oscillation of the surrounding elemental energies, but it quickly calmed down. As the vortex of elemental energies dissipated... a man wearing a fiery red robe and carrying three large swords appeared out of nowhere. His temples were streaked with white hair, and his gaze swept the surroundings like lightning, quickly spotting the man in black, elaborate clothing standing in the distance.

"Congratulations on transcending to the Return to Void stage and achieving the status of an Earth Immortal!" the man in black, elaborate clothing said with a smile.

"May I ask who you are?" the man in the red robe, carrying three swords, asked, not daring to be disrespectful. He understood that the unusual phenomenon caused by his breakthrough only lasted a short while, and for someone to sense it and appear here in such a short time, their abilities were no ordinary feat.

The man in black, elaborate clothing smiled and said, "I am Beishan Luoxiao! May I ask who you are?"

The man in the red robe was startled upon hearing this.

Beishan?

Throughout the entire Anpan County, this surname represented the most prestigious force—the Anpan Marquis! The Anpan Marquis was the Beishan family! Since the founding of the Daxia Dynasty and the enfeoffment of feudal lords, the Beishan family had ruled this land, with roots far deeper than any other force in Anpan County. The only force that could rival it was the Yinglong Guard, representing the Daxia Dynasty!

The man in the red robe said with a delighted expression, "So you are Immortal Luoxiao, I see. In Anpan County, the only one who could instantly detect the unusual elemental energy fluctuations is probably the Beishan family! I didn't expect that it would be the famous Immortal Luoxiao himself who would come in person. Compared to Immortal Luoxiao, I am just a junior, and my name is probably unknown to you. However, I did have a title before, that of Fire Dragon Daoist. I wonder if Immortal Luoxiao has heard of it?"

The Immortal Luoxiao in front of him was a wandering immortal who had lived for tens of thousands of years. The longer a wandering immortal lived, the more formidable they became. Although he was confident in his ability to protect himself in front of Immortal Luoxiao, he understood that in terms of strength, he, a newly ascended Earth Immortal, would likely be at a disadvantage.

"Fire Dragon Daoist?" Beishan Luoxiao was taken aback. He really hadn't heard of him and immediately said, "I really haven't heard of you. I guess you weren't in Anpan County before."

"I went to the Eastern Sea when I was a Wuxiang True Person," the man in the red robe said. "I broke through to the Spirit stage and earned the title of Fire Dragon Daoist while wandering in the Eastern Sea. Since it was a remote and distant place, it's not surprising that Immortal Luoxiao hasn't heard of me. I returned to this land a hundred years ago, and perhaps because I was back on my homeland, I felt a sense of destiny, and I found a place to enter seclusion. After a hundred years of seclusion, I just broke through today."

Beishan Luoxiao nodded. "I see. May I ask where your homeland is, Fire Dragon Daoist?"

"I am originally from Anpan County," Fire Dragon Immortal said. "Unfortunately, my tribe has long been destroyed. Without hiding it from Immortal Luoxiao, one reason for my return is to find descendants of my tribe and rebuild it, and the other is to avenge my tribe."

"Ha ha ha..." Beishan Luoxiao laughed heartily. "So Fire Dragon Daoist is from Anpan County. Now our Anpan County has another immortal, which is truly a joy. Meeting you today is a matter of fate. As for your affairs, they are also the affairs of the Anpan Marquis's household. Let's not talk about it here. Come, let's go to Anpan City. My lord will surely welcome you with a feast."

"Then I will not refuse," Fire Dragon Immortal also smiled.

An immortal is someone worth cultivating a relationship with.

Fire Dragon Immortal was not in a hurry to pledge allegiance to anyone. He needed to see what kind of price the other party was willing to offer. He also understood that this vast land ultimately belonged to the Daxia Dynasty. To go far and see his tribe flourish, it was better to pledge allegiance to the Daxia Dynasty or a deeply rooted feudal lord.

"Let's go." Beishan Luoxiao extended his hand and grabbed Fire Dragon Immortal's hand.

Whoosh!

They vanished into thin air.

...

Wanjian City was the foundation of the Ji family. Ji Jiuhuo and Shadow Grandma both lived in Wanjian City, and the source of the elemental energy fluctuations was only a thousand miles away from Wanjian City. With their speed, it didn't take long for them to reach this wilderness of mountains and forests.

"It should be here," Ji Jiuhuo said, standing on a large gourd with Shadow Grandma and an old servant. "But no matter how I look at it, this wilderness of mountains and forests seems quite ordinary, nothing special."

"Can't see anything," Shadow Grandma and the old servant also observed.

"Brother," Shadow Grandma said in a hoarse voice, "I'll go down first to take a look. Awaking, you stay here."

"Master, I'll go," the old servant said in a low voice, leaping down into the wilderness of mountains and forests in a flash.

Shadow Grandma was anxious. "Awaking!"

"Wait a moment," Ji Jiuhuo looked at Shadow Grandma. "Your old servant is truly loyal to you."

The elemental energy fluctuations were so intense that it was clearly not a trivial matter. The first to investigate would be taking a significant risk. Ji Jiuhuo, as the clan leader and the pillar of the Ji family, could not afford to take any risks, so Shadow Grandma was about to go down, but the old servant went first.

"In this world, Awaking is the most loyal to me," Shadow Grandma said softly.

A moment later—

A figure shot up from below and landed on the gourd. It was the old servant, wearing animal skins and with disheveled hair. Ji Jiuhuo asked, "How is it?"

"There are a large number of essence stones below," the old servant said in a low voice.

"A large number of essence stones?" Ji Jiuhuo frowned. "How many?" Essence stones are crystals containing elemental energies. However, the amount of elemental energy a normal person can absorb during cultivation each day is limited, and once a certain level is reached, they cannot absorb more. Ordinary essence stones are generally used for setting up formations and creating puppets, but they are not very useful for cultivation.

Of course, there are some extraordinary treasures that can be consumed without burdening the body, equivalent to ten or even a hundred years of cultivation. Among essence stones, only high-grade essence stones have some special effects. The elemental energy in high-grade essence stones is very pure, and absorbing it puts less strain on the body. With high-grade essence stones, one day of cultivation is equivalent to ten days of normal cultivation. However, the consumption is also high! Using one or two high-grade essence stones occasionally is fine, but if used long-term, thousands of pounds or more would be needed to support a cultivator.

This was not something the Ji family could afford.

"Many, many," the old servant said solemnly. "It should be a vein of essence stones, and I have already found high-grade essence stones with a cursory inspection."

"What, a vein of essence stones? High-grade essence stones?" Ji Jiuhuo was stunned.

A vein of essence stones?

Generally, special environments can form veins of essence stones, and it is also possible to deliberately create a vein. The Fire Dragon Immortal, to break through, needed a sufficient supply of elemental energies. He naturally spared no effort to set up a large formation to gather the surrounding elemental energies, and over time, a vein of essence stones was formed.

"Vein of essence stones?" Shadow Grandma also showed a delighted expression. "Will our Ji family rise because of this?"

"Let's go and take a look," Ji Jiuhuo restrained his excitement, immediately putting away the gourd. The three of them quickly descended into the wilderness of mountains and forests and then entered the ground to begin their investigation.