pdf-ebookys Chapter 16 A Rest Stop Along the Way
Chapter 16 A Rest Stop Along the Way
In the azure sky, a huge, somewhat ferocious-looking bird flew swiftly by, and the mountains and forests below receded rapidly as if time were being reflected in the sky.
On the broad back of the bird-beast, a figure in black sat quietly cross-legged, eyes slightly closed, a faint red light shield surrounding him, completely resisting the gale-force winds brought by the rapid flight.
After an unknown amount of time, the man in black opened his eyes and muttered to himself, "Cultivation techniques still have limitations. If I could have an Earth-rank technique, my cultivation speed could double."
The man in black was Qi Lie, who was heading towards the Haiming Empire, and the restriction he mentioned was the high-level Xuan-rank cultivation technique he was practicing.
For him, who is currently only at the Dou Wang level, the advanced Xuan-rank cultivation technique is barely enough. As his strength increases, he probably won't even need to reach the Dou Zong level before the technique's influence on him will increase significantly.
However, Earth-rank cultivation techniques are not easy to obtain; even with money, one may not be able to buy them, let alone since he had no money.
As for snatching, Qi Lie didn't have that psychological burden. He just hadn't encountered a suitable opportunity, and his strength was also a bit lacking. He would be more secure if he reached at least the Dou Huang level.
"It's time to put the cultivation technique on the agenda. If all else fails, I'll go back to the Black Corner Region to look for an opportunity. If that doesn't work, I'll go to the Central Plains!" Qi Lie thought to himself.
First, go to the Haiming Empire to find Naling. After finding him, go to the Tagor Desert to find the Strange Fire. Then refine the Strange Fire. If he is lucky enough to succeed in refining it and survives, he can go find the Earth-rank cultivation technique. Once he gets the Earth-rank cultivation technique, his path to becoming a Dou Zun will be smooth sailing!
Refining a strange fire is a matter of life and death, and although Xiao Yan succeeded by sheer luck each time, Qi Lie did not believe that he was also blessed by fate and could succeed in refining a strange fire with 100% success. However, he never hesitated on this matter.
Without a powerful backer, without a background, and without advanced cultivation techniques and fighting skills, how can he improve his strength and compete with others without refining a different kind of fire?
Moreover, he didn't have a teacher like Yao Chen to impart his experience, and the danger of refining the strange fire was even greater. However, if he didn't even have the courage to risk his life, what would he use to compete for the throne of the Emperor?
If the refining fails, all that remains is death!
Qi Lie remained calm, various thoughts flashing through his mind before finally settling into silence.
The flying magical beast moved forward steadily, and in the distance, a golden horizon could be faintly seen. That was the Tagor Desert, which lay between the Gama Empire and two other countries. Qi Lie flicked his finger, and a map flew out of his storage ring and hovered in front of him.
"Beyond the Tagor Desert lies the Luoyan Empire, and then the Crimson Fire Empire, more than ten thousand miles away..."
Qi Lie stared at the map for a while, then casually put it away. He controlled his flying magical beast to move forward in the outer area of the Tagor Desert to avoid attracting the attention of the snake people and causing a conflict.
Time slipped by slowly during the tedious journey. Qi Lie took the opportunity to cultivate, his flying magical beasts flying intermittently until more than a month after leaving the capital of Gama...
……
Within the Crimson Fire Empire, in the eastern region, lies a mountain range even more expansive and majestic than the Beast Mountain Range of the Gama Empire, known as the Thousand Blade Mountain Range.
Above the mountain range, Qi Lie rode his flying magical beast, soaring over the Thousand Blade Mountains and speeding eastward.
"There are quite a few powerful auras hidden in this mountain range; there are probably seventh-tier magical beasts guarding it, and perhaps more than one..."
A solemn expression appeared on Qi Lie's face. With a thought, he released his soul power and suppressed his aura to the extreme to avoid being attacked by a high-level magical beast.
Looking down from high above, the entire mountain range is laid out before you.
Just as Qi Lie was cautiously observing, the flying magical beast began to slow down. However, it was not due to any unexpected situation, but because the flying magical beast had been flying for six or seven days and was exhausted, so it needed to rest and replenish its energy.
Qi Lie estimated in his mind that it would take about four or five more days to enter the Haiming Empire, and then decided to let the flying magical beast rest for a while.
Qi Lie released his soul power to cautiously explore the mountains below. A few minutes later, he controlled the flying magical beast to stop at a mountaintop that looked relatively safe.
After taking out a few medicinal herbs from his storage ring and feeding them to the flying magical beast, Qi Lie let it rest on its own before surveying his surroundings, preparing to cultivate there for a while.
He glanced around and fixed his gaze on the basin in front of him, which was more like a volcanic crater than a basin.
He had seen from the air that the terrain here resembled a volcano with lush vegetation, and after landing, he discovered that the energy here was extremely concentrated, which must have been formed after many years of dormancy following a volcanic eruption.
"This place has abundant energy and excellent terrain, yet no high-level magical beasts inhabit it..."
This might not be a problem in other places, but in this mountain range teeming with magical beasts, something is clearly not right.
Qi Lie narrowed his eyes and scanned the surroundings again, but still could not sense the presence of any high-level magical beasts.
Qi Lie released his soul power, enveloping himself and concealing his aura. He spread his wings and quickly flew into the sky, looking down at the sky below.
As he carefully scanned the mountains and forests, Qi Lie confirmed his previous guess: this was indeed a dormant volcanic crater. However, apart from that, he did not find any other abnormalities.
"Perhaps I'm overthinking it. Maybe no high-level magical beasts have discovered this place yet and taken it over."
Qi Lie felt he was being too cautious. No matter how large the Thousand Blade Mountains were, they couldn't possibly be teeming with high-level magical beasts. He flashed down from the sky, retracted his battle qi wings, and stopped thinking about it.
Qi Lie decided not to cultivate anymore. This place, rich in energy and not yet occupied, might contain high-grade medicinal herbs, so he decided to go and find them.
After feeding the flying magical beast some more resources and leaving a trace of its soul imprint, Qi Lie flashed and disappeared into the dense forest in the basin.
Qi Lie darted and leaped swiftly through the dense forest, his eyes constantly scanning the surroundings. Within just a few minutes, he found two precious medicinal herbs whose value was comparable to a fifth-tier magic core.
This discovery fueled Qi Lie's motivation, and he continued to explore deeper into the basin. Before long, he reached the very center, and then he suddenly stopped.
A dozen meters in front of Qi Lie was a deep cave more than two meters wide. The cave entrance spewed out black and white energy, but just as the black and white energy was about to gush out of the cave, it mysteriously receded back. A moment later, it surged out again, and then receded again, repeating this cycle, as if the earth was breathing.
Qi Lie frowned. He had never heard of such a strange thing before. Could it be that the volcano had become sentient?
Qi Lie hesitated for only a few seconds before deciding to investigate. He refused to believe that a seventh-tier or even higher-level magical beast could fit inside such a small cave entrance!
He moved forward slowly, his fighting spirit ready to be mobilized at any moment. In the palm of his right hand, a faint energy palm print appeared and disappeared, poised to be unleashed. His wings spread out behind him, ready to escape at any time.