Chapter 52

As the sky was about to break into dawn, the scaly horse, which had been running all night, could no longer bear the strain. Its four hooves stumbled, and it collapsed on the ground, panting heavily.

Lin Xun dismounted with a steady flip, landing firmly on the ground. Looking at the scaly horse, drenched in sweat, he felt a wave of guilt. He had only thought of fleeing, but now he had exhausted the scaly horse, which was truly unfair.

"Brother Horse, I'm sorry."

Lin Xun took out some spiritual materials and gave them to the scaly horse. Seeing the horse chew happily, Lin Xun finally smiled.

The scaly horse was a fierce beast, but once tamed, it became extremely docile. In the future, it would be essential for traveling between the Qingyang Tribe and Fiyun Village.

Lin Xun also found a place to rest, took out some spirit-infused paste, and drank a large mouthful. Then he took out the purple jade belt he had stripped from Liu Yuku.

This was a precious storage spirit artifact. The belt was not only engraved with intricate and elegant spirit patterns but also inlaid with numerous small pearls and jade stones, making it extremely luxurious.

However, in Lin Xun's view, these decorative items were merely showy and impractical. If it were him, he would never make a storage spirit artifact so dazzling, as it would only attract the attention of thieves.

Casually opening the purple jade belt, the storage space inside immediately appeared. To Lin Xun's surprise, in the vast space, there was only a square bronze box about a foot in size, with nothing else.

Lin Xun felt a bit disappointed, but his gaze couldn't help but fall on the bronze box.

The box had a rustic and ancient appearance, with cloud patterns, landscapes, strange beasts, and sun and moon designs imprinted on its four corners. Around the box, there were mysterious spirit patterns, emitting a chilling and oppressive aura.

"This seems to be a spirit pattern array specifically used for sealing."

A hint of surprise flashed in Lin Xun's black eyes. Although he couldn't identify the specific names of the spirit patterns based on his knowledge, he could roughly tell that this was a sealing power!

Spirit pattern arrays could only be engraved by spirit pattern masters. Who would spend so much effort to engrave a sealing spirit pattern array on a bronze box?

The cost was too high!

However, this indicated that the bronze box must have been cast to seal some extremely precious treasure.

Thinking of this, Lin Xun's heart stirred. Liu Yuku clearly had a significant identity. Their group was pursued by a golden giant beast all night. Could it be that everything happened because of the thing sealed inside this bronze box?

What could be inside this bronze box?

Lin Xun continued to investigate. After a moment, he couldn't help but draw a sharp breath. At the opening of the bronze box, there was an extremely terrifying spirit pattern restriction!

A spirit pattern restriction was a spirit array used for sealing. Only those with the title of "Spirit Pattern Master" could set up such a restriction!

A Spirit Pattern Master was a highly revered and transcendent figure, even more so than a spirit pattern artisan.

The bronze box not only had a spirit pattern array specifically for sealing but also had a spirit pattern restriction at its opening. The value of this bronze box alone was an astonishing and immeasurable number!

What was sealed inside this bronze box?

Unfortunately, Lin Xun couldn't open it. With the spirit pattern restriction in place, even a Spirit Pattern Master would be helpless if they didn't know the true secrets of the restriction.

"Never mind, I can open it when I have the chance in the future."

After much deliberation, Lin Xun reluctantly gave up. His current mastery of spirit patterns was only slightly better than other spirit pattern apprentices, far from being a qualified spirit pattern artisan, let alone a Spirit Pattern Master.

To become a spirit pattern artisan, the standard was simple: independently engrave a complete spirit pattern array. However, engraving a spirit pattern array was not easy. Without the cultivation of the Spirit Gale Realm, it was difficult to achieve this.

The reason was the spiritual energy and soul power. The spiritual energy and soul perception of a True Martial Realm cultivator were insufficient to support the engraving of a spirit pattern array.

Of course, this was generally speaking. There were some special cases.

Lin Xun knew that Mr. Lu once mentioned in a drunken state that when he was at the Eighth Level of the True Martial Realm, he could skillfully engrave a complete spirit pattern array, becoming one of the youngest spirit pattern artisans at the time.

Since Mr. Lu could do it, Lin Xun believed that with effort, he could also achieve this.

Putting aside his chaotic thoughts, Lin Xun took out the bronze box.

To his surprise, the bronze box was incredibly heavy, weighing at least ten thousand pounds. As soon as he lifted it, it created a hole in the ground!

The heavier it was, the more Lin Xun was convinced that the box must contain something extraordinary.

Without hesitation, he moved the bronze box into his storage ring and let out a long sigh of relief.

After resting for an hour, the scaly horse had recovered its strength. Lin Xun identified the direction and set off again.

The journey was uneventful. When passing by a volcano, Lin Xun stopped and threw the purple jade belt into the boiling lava.

Lin Xun wouldn't keep such an item, and he didn't even take the jewels embedded in the belt. This was to prevent any potential trouble.

Although the belt was precious, it was Liu Yuku's personal item. There might be some unique aura left on it. If the forces behind Liu Yuku discovered it, it would be a significant problem.

...

...

The Sunset Plain.

This plain was located in the Three Thousand Mountains, surrounded by mountains on three sides, and to the north, it led to Donglin City in the southwestern border of the Ziyao Empire.

A river flowed down the mountain range, like a jade belt, irrigating the fertile spirit fields in the plain.

The Qingyang Tribe was situated on this Sunset Plain.

Historically, the Qingyang Tribe was originally a mountain tribe. As the Ziyao Empire expanded its territory, the Qingyang Tribe gradually integrated into the empire's domain. By now, it was rare to see true descendants of the Qingyang Tribe.

Though called a tribe, it was now more like a bustling town, serving as a key hub between the Ziyao Empire, Donglin City, and the Three Thousand Mountains.

The Three Thousand Mountains were rich in resources such as the hides, bones, and spiritual herbs of fierce beasts, which would mostly converge in the Qingyang Tribe before being transported to Donglin City.

Similarly, due to its strategic location, many merchants from the empire and cultivators exploring the Three Thousand Mountains would choose the Qingyang Tribe as a base.

This is why the Qingyang Tribe had become so prosperous.

It was evening, and the sky was filled with fiery red clouds.

A scaly horse, covered in dust, arrived at the entrance of the Qingyang Tribe.

To defend against attacks from fierce beasts in the mountains, the Qingyang Tribe had built thick and tall walls around it. There were gates on the north and south walls for people to enter and exit.

As the scaly horse approached, the guards at the gate finally saw clearly that the rider was a gray-clothed teenager, about thirteen or fourteen years old, carrying a large animal skin bag.

"Three copper coins to enter the city."

A guard stepped forward and said.

"Sure."

Lin Xun dismounted, smiled, and took out three copper coins, handing them over.

The guard nodded and waved him through.

The Qingyang Tribe was a mix of all sorts of people, with no strict order. It was like a temporary resting place, with new faces appearing and old ones disappearing every day.

No one was willing to stay here for life. Compared to the prosperity of the Ziyao Empire, the Qingyang Tribe, located in the Three Thousand Mountains, was far behind, appearing too backward and dangerous, with constant threats from fierce beasts in the mountains.

Soon, Lin Xun led the scaly horse into the city gate and disappeared into the bustling streets.

"Go, inform the manager of the Wu Family Trading Company that the mount of Lian Rufeng from Fiyun Village has appeared. Report everything you saw."

As Lin Xun left, the guard who had collected the copper coins suddenly waved to a black-clothed man with a sharp face and a monkey-like appearance, giving him a low command.

"Sure thing."

The black-clothed man nodded and hurried away.

"The Wu Family Trading Company has been waiting for so many days, but only a young man has shown up. It seems they will have to get information about Wu Henshui from this young man."

The guard pondered for a moment, then shook his head. These matters were not his concern; he was only responsible for reporting information.

Lin Xun didn't know that he had been secretly watched as soon as he entered the city gate. He was now walking along a wide street, surrounded by a bustling crowd.

There were many people, and it was very lively.

Strong laborers in animal skins were carrying packages of goods, while vendors and peddlers were selling mountain specialties on both sides of the street, including spiritual herbs, animal hides, and minerals.

Occasionally, one could see merchants in fine silk robes riding animal-drawn carriages, rushing through the streets, and cultivators carrying weapons, hurrying through the crowd.

On both sides of the street were rows of stone houses, including taverns, apothecaries, weapon shops, inns, trading companies, and brothels—everything one could imagine.

Though the Qingyang Tribe was not large, it was bustling and lively, with a diverse mix of people, creating a vibrant scene.

This was the first time Lin Xun had entered a bustling area with a concentration of people. His emotions were complex, filled with excitement, curiosity, and admiration.

Growing up in a mine prison, and the first place he entered in the Ziyao Empire being the poor and remote Fiyun Village, even with his composure, he was still just a thirteen-year-old boy. Faced with such prosperity, he couldn't help but feel a bit dazed.

If just the Qingyang Tribe was so lively and prosperous, what would the cities of the Ziyao Empire be like?

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PS: I'm sorry, I promised to update at 4 PM every day, but I often fail to do so. From now on, I'll update the first chapter around 4 PM every day.