Chapter 352

Chapter 352: Targeting the Great Virtue Kingdom

A faint green mist floated before them, and the surroundings felt damp and cold. When they looked up at the sun, it seemed veiled by a layer of gauze.

“Where have we been teleported to?” Yuan Xiao zhuo hugged her shoulders; she disliked this place, as it felt like it suppressed her Fire Phoenix’s Embrace Body.

Li Hui gazed into the distance and then looked down at the ancient stone array below. Based on the patterns, he concluded, “If I’m not mistaken, we haven’t teleported far. We are currently in the territory of Dazhe Kingdom.”

“Dazhe Kingdom?” The others expressed their complete ignorance of this kingdom.

Nian Ganchan suddenly exclaimed, “I know! I love reading various travel journals. Dazhe Kingdom is located to the north of Daliang Kingdom, close to a harsh and desolate land. However, it is much closer to the Great Xia than Daliang Kingdom, with only fifteen nations in between.”

“Where is the teleportation array?” Night Owl asked.

“We can only go to the royal city of Dazhe Kingdom to gather information. I’ll determine the direction,” Jing Tian Tong said, taking out a set of positioning artifacts. It was crucial to be well-prepared when traveling, as getting lost was a traveler’s worst nightmare.

“There’s a bustling town nearby with a population of fifty thousand.”

“There’s a large city three hundred miles away with even more people, boasting a population of five hundred thousand, with cultivators coming and going.”

Li Hui shook his head, “No, we won’t go there. Cheng Hong brought us here; there must be an arrangement. Let’s check again and head straight to the royal city.”

Jing Tian Tong nodded and after some time said, “The royal city is one hundred thousand miles away. At our speed, we would need to fly for three days and nights.”

“Alright, then. Up we go, three days and nights!” Li Hui was decisive in action, instructing Huang Shiqin to release the black eagle from the beast-controlling ring, and they set off at a rapid pace.

About half an hour later, a figure shot towards them furiously and shouted, “Damn it, they didn’t stop at the nearby city and have gone straight to the royal city!”

In the person’s hand, a delicate jade board issued a sound, “Have our people advance towards the royal city at full speed. No, don’t. You won’t catch up to their speed. I’ve heard this head of the Inner Sect of Haotu Sect comes from the Jade Symbol Sect and likes to use handfuls of spirit talismans to accelerate his mount. The black eagle is already very fast; being a step behind is a critical disadvantage. Find a way to inform the Grand Minister to gather his forces to block them and try to delay them.”

“Understood!” The figure hurriedly went into action, unaware that a ripple had formed beneath their feet.

Meanwhile, Li Hui, riding on the eagle’s back, addressed everyone, “The enemy cannot catch up to us. They have sent a message to the Grand Minister to gather forces to block and delay us.”

Everyone had grown accustomed to Li Hui’s unusual tactics. Wanting to make his presence known, Nian Ganchan quickly added, “The Grand Minister’s authority in Dazhe Kingdom is quite broad; it could refer to those managing water disasters or the high-ranking officials in the court, holding significant power in local towns.”

Huang Tongliang swore, “Goodness, who cares about the Grand Minister? When soldiers come, we fight; when the water rises, we barricade it. Let’s get on with it!”

Since forming a connection with the Dao Rhythm Residual Talisman, Li Hui seemed to sense a killing intent lurking in the depths of fate. After a brief contemplation, he said, “In two days and nights, we will change direction. We won’t head to the royal city; instead, we will go to the cultivator city of Dazhe Kingdom. I remember it was called Fuxu City in the travel journals.”

“Alright, I’ll set the coordinates!” Jing Tian Tong nodded. He had heard from Brother Yuan that the head of the sect excelled in seeking fortune and avoiding misfortune; he had initially doubted it but now believed wholeheartedly!

Despite the enemy attempting every possible method to set ambushes along the way, after four days, they encountered not a single shadow of Li Hui and his group. After sending a message, they learned that they had completely lost track of them.

Fuxu City was the most frequented place for cultivators in Dazhe Kingdom. Li Hui started happily drawing talismans! This time, he wasn’t alone; Huo Qiniang had ten others assisting him, quickly capturing market shares and collecting fragments of treasures. This operation had become quite refined.

Unfortunately, this place was somewhat barren, with only a limited variety of products. After two days of acquiring a detailed map, they quickly prepared to leave!

The enemy, arriving at Fuxu City, found nothing once again. This time, they brought along practitioners skilled in Innate Techniques and stood at the inn where Li Hui’s group was staying, calculating. Little did they know, as they calculated endlessly, “Pfft!” One of them spat out blood and died.

To directly calculate Li Hui’s position? That was courting death! By calculating those around him, there was a possibility of eavesdropping, but Cheng Hong had too lofty a view of his arrangements.

Li Hui was still in Dazhe Kingdom and not far from Fuxu City. He discovered a unique benefit of Dazhe Kingdom: there were many ancient teleportation arrays.

Many of the teleportation arrays had fallen into disrepair, but that didn’t mean they were unusable.

“What are we going underground for?”

“Brothers, do you have treasures? Can your skills still work in Dazhe Kingdom?”

Li Hui shook his head, “Not that it wouldn’t work, but there is another teleportation array underground that can take us to the Great Virtue Kingdom. I want to go seek opportunities, and if you’re interested, you can come along.”

Huang Tongliang, bursting with curiosity, licked his lips and asked, “You kid, speak clearly. What exactly is this opportunity?”

“Miao Jade veins!” Li Hui smiled lightly. With this announcement, it would be strange if they didn’t follow him!

“Head, I’m your horse before the carriage! Please take me for the Miao Jade veins!” Yan Jinglun patted his chest, promising to tackle any Demons and Specters they might encounter along the way.

“Years have passed; I don’t know if that place has been exposed, but a senior left notes specifically detailing some arrangements. The Great Virtue Kingdom is founded on Confucianism and Daoism, and they aren’t particularly enthusiastic about the Miao Jade veins, a fertile ground for us cultivators,” Li Hui said confidently. He was sure of this; the travel notes left by Chen Mengde might seem like ramblings to others, but this old senior was one of the rare high-level demon cultivators of the Jade Symbol Sect!

He was so indifferent that he couldn’t even be bothered to lead the sect and instead traveled to other continents, making him an exemplary figure perfectly suited for the pursuit of the Way; his insights into talisman methods surpassed imagination.

In the travel notes, this senior left behind opportunities, and even the members of the Jade Symbol Sect found it challenging to go to the Great Virtue Kingdom. They needed to reach the royal city of the Great Xia and pass assessments to proceed there.

The Great Virtue Kingdom was no ordinary place; twenty percent of officials in the Great Xia court came from it. They were deeply concerned about their hometown and their students, believing that before leaving home, scholars should remain oblivious to outside affairs and immerse themselves fully in studying the sacred texts to cultivate the purest Confucian heart.

The elders in the court believed that once the children of the family reached adulthood, they should then engage with the worldly pleasures, and after experiencing the mundane world, they could further refine their Confucian hearts and deepen their understanding of worldly matters. Thus, the Great Virtue Kingdom had remained in a semi-closed state.

Suddenly discovering a teleportation array in Dazhe Kingdom leading to the Great Virtue Kingdom, Li Hui’s thoughts began to whirl. He desperately needed Miao Jade; if he could reach mid-Gather Spirit or even the Condense Essence Stage, it would be immensely beneficial. Currently, many methods were limited by his cultivation and couldn’t be fully realized.

“Let’s go, brothers! To the Great Virtue Kingdom!”

On a certain peak in Dazhe Kingdom, a beam of light suddenly descended.

Cheng Hong stepped out, wearing a black robe, flanked by eighteen cold-breathed cultivators. At the foot of the teleportation array knelt two rows of men and women with tattooed characters on their foreheads.

“Continue to search everywhere for the whereabouts of their group. Are the Ghost Fox Sect’s trained ones a bunch of useless waste? The five ghost grandmothers are bringing the Black Mountain Old Demon and will arrive shortly, so manage it properly.” Hearing this, the tattooed individuals trembled and hurriedly accepted the command.