Chapter 50: The Valley Waterfall

“Lost him?” Xiong Hu exclaimed, stunned.

“Not just us,” the subordinate replied. “I’ve noticed that several others who had their eyes on him also lost him. It’s as if he vanished into thin air after leaving town—no one knows where he went.”

Xiong Hu paused, then shook his head. “It must be some kind of escape technique. And to think he’s not just some random wanderer—since he knows how to escape at the Foundation Establishment stage, he must be from a major clan. We’ve wasted our time here.”

His heart couldn’t help but feel empty, watching the juicy prospect slip away before his very eyes.

By now, Qin Shu had already vanished hundreds of kilometers beyond Honglian Town.

Now that he had caught their attention, of course leaving as soon as possible would be best.

Fishing? No need; too much trouble.

Besides, anyone interested enough to track him down probably isn’t worth dealing with anyway—why waste all that effort?

Having grasped the basic layout of the Juan Mountains, reaching the edge of Nine Yong City’s territory was now his top priority.

Don’t be fooled by distance alone—this place still fell within Nine Yong City’s jurisdiction, and the Wang Clan might hear word and come chasing at any moment.

Qin Shu had no desire to tangle with the Wangs.

Arriving at the foot of the Juan Mountains, he gazed up at the towering peaks before him, each one a majestic sentinel. No paths marred the mountains’ rugged face; they stood primeval, untouched by the hand of man.

Zhou Shuren once said that in this world, there are no roads; yet roads are everywhere.

Qin Shu leaped into the air, stepping into the Cu Yue Mountain Range with his Hurricane Step technique. He moved between the towering trees and jagged rocks, occasionally observing his surroundings.

His direction was always towards the north.

To cross the Cu Yue Mountain Range, venturing into the inner regions was inevitable.

The sky above the mountains was a restricted zone; otherwise, Qin Shu wouldn’t have needed to traverse the mountains directly. He could have simply flown over them.

It was only seven thousand kilometers, not too great a distance for him.

Since flying wasn’t an option, he didn’t dwell on it. Exploring the mountains would be an experience in itself.

As he hurried along, he diverted part of his attention to planting the seeds he had purchased from the market into his Microscopic Heavenly Cave.

The twenty-nine fifth-rank spirit seeds didn’t require much explanation. They were all common types of fifth-rank spirit medicine, with some usable for refining Pill of Infant Transformation.

The key lay in the three sixth-rank spirit seeds.

Two of them were woody plants: the Peach Tree Seed and the Iceheart Pear Tree Seed.

One was the main ingredient for the Age-Prolonging Pill—a sixth-rank medicinal pill that could extend one’s lifespan by a hundred years.

The other was the primary material for the Pill of Spirit Transformation—a medicinal pill that could be consumed by those in the Primordial Spirit realm. It was also useful for breaking through from the fifth to the sixth rank.

One had to wonder: how could a handful of seeds, carrying such profound potential, exist within the depths of this market amidst the clamor of ordinary goods?

The fruits could be eaten directly, but that would be quite a waste.

As for the xenogenic seed, Qin Shu couldn’t figure it out.

However, after planting it, he found that it absorbed the most spiritual energy. Qin Shu thought there might be a pleasant surprise in store.

He leaped through the mountains, then abruptly stopped, resolutely changed direction, and after circling around, continued forward.

Just as he had veered off course, a cold gleam flashed—a third-rank scarlet cloud fire fox had been bisected at the waist.

An otherworldly beast resembling a blade appeared, its abdomen split open as it swallowed the scarlet cloud fire fox whole.

The blade-headed glutton had no legs, its body divided into two parts: one was a blade-like head, yet not a head in truth.

The real head was in the abdomen; it could fly but not run.

It had sensed a highly delicious thing here before, but for some reason, it missed it.

Now it could no longer sense anything. After circling in place, it left in another direction, growing increasingly distant from Qin Shu.

The sky gradually darkened.

The mountain range would be even more dangerous at night.

Qin Shu decided to find a place to stay for the night.

He took out the Profound Origin Banner and commanded, “Go!”

Qin Shu, wielding the Profound Origin Banner, sought out a water source - the ideal location for setting up an array.

Ahead, a gust of wind whispered through the air.

A flash of cyan light streaked across the sky, followed by the thud of something heavy hitting the ground.

A wind wolf lay motionless on the earth, a perfect hole piercing its forehead.

Qin Shu tucked it away, then continued his journey with the Profound Origin Banner.

Before long, the thunderous roar of falling water reached his ears - the sound of a waterfall crashing from a great height.

“There’s a waterfall ahead. From the sound of it, it’s a substantial one too,” Qin Shu surmised. Sensing no impending danger from the direction of the waterfall, he deemed it safe to approach.

In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a gentle breeze and soared several kilometers away. The scene that unfolded before him was nothing short of awe-inspiring.

In the distance, a vast valley came into view. A majestic waterfall, hundreds of meters high, plummeted from the towering mountain peak, its force creating a dense mist that filled the air.

At a glance, the waterfall spanned over a kilometer in width, pulsing with vibrant spiritual energy.

At the foot of the waterfall lay a deep lake, its waters as dark as ink. The lake’s edge was unbroken, with no visible outlet; the water must have flowed underground to an unknown destination.

The cliffs on either side of the waterfall were adorned with trees that seemed to emerge directly from the rock. These arboreal sentinels extended their branches outward, bearing golden fruits that glistened in the sunlight.

The spray from the water’s surface loosened some overripe fruits, causing them to plummet rapidly.

In the next instant, a massive fish, larger than a human, leaped up and rushed towards the falling fruit.

“Boom!”

The water exploded as an enormous, dark green primate leapt out, opening its mouth wide to suck both the massive fish and the spiritual fruit into its jaws. It then twisted twice in mid-air before diving back into the water without disturbing a single droplet.

This was a colossal ‘water monkey,’ a creature so large that, as it plunged from the sky, it caught a glimpse of Qin Shu out of the corner of its eye.

Its dark green body provided perfect camouflage underwater as it charged swiftly towards Qin Shu.

Simultaneously, streams of water shaped like dragons flew through the air, hurtling directly at Qin Shu.

“Let’s play with water!” Qin Shu waved the Profound Origin Banner, causing the airborne water dragons to reverse course. They plunged into the lake bottom, now with even greater force, and entangled the water monkey instantly. The swirling waters lifted the creature up and out of the lake.

“Roar!”

A third-rank monster beast, the Celestial Dragon, stood eight meters tall. It was adept at both water manipulation and close-quarters combat.

Unfortunately for it, today, in its own aquatic domain, it had encountered Qin Shu.

Qin utensils were secretly more proficient in water control than Demon/files, not to mention he held the Profound Origin Banner, a formidable weapon.

The Celestial Dragon let out a powerful roar, its monstrous energy surging as it struggled to break free from the bonds that enveloped it, radiating a savage aura.

Monsters came in two types: spirit creatures, with higher intelligence and potent innate abilities, most of which could be tamed as pet monsters; and beasts, with formidable physical strength but weaker innate abilities and lower intelligence, much like ordinary animals, yet filled with a destructive urge.

The Celestial Dragon before him was clearly a beast, of the untameable kind.

With a wave of the Profound Origin Banner, the water dragon constricting the Celestial Dragon tightened like a giant python.

Cracking sounds emanated from the creature’s bones.

The Celestial Dragon’s roars grew increasingly desperate. In the next instant, its body was twisted into a knot.

Red blood diffused through the water dragon. Soon, the creature lay still, its struggles at an end.

A flash of light by Qin utensils’ side released little Yan.

“Dinner’s served, little Yan,” Qin Shu declared.

Xiao Yan looked up and spotted the Celestial Dragon mid-flight. “Master, is that it?”

Qin Shu replied, “Yes, let’s see if it suits your taste. A third-rank monster at its peak—quite a delicacy.”

Xiao Yan, indifferent to flavor, opened its mouth and sucked both the ape and the surrounding water into its mouth.

“Ugh!”

It let out a burp. “I’m full, Master. I think I’m about to break through.”

Previously, it had been on the cusp of a breakthrough, and consuming this same-rank monster had provided the final push it needed.

The Cu Yue Mountain Range was blessed with abundant spiritual energy. Even the outer regions were comparable to Yanghe Villa in this regard.

Moreover, the unique geography here, with valleys forming a lake akin to a spiritual energy funnel, made the spiritual energy several times more concentrated than in other places.

There was no better place for Xiao Yan to break through.

Qin Shu said, “Wait for me to set up the array, then you can proceed with your breakthrough without any worries.”

The five directional flags rose together, enveloping the entire valley and creating a self-contained realm spanning five kilometers.

“Condense the spiritual energy!”

In an instant, spiritual energy from the depths of the earth was drawn towards them by the Five Elements Formation.