Qin Feng wasn’t too worried if it was just the Master of Rotten Peach Mountain trying to cause trouble for him.
Fubo Cave had been under the Master of Rotten Peach Mountain’s command. Its sudden split and independence had practically cut off one of the Mountain Lord’s sources of income.
Poaching the core soldiers and commanders just to spite him was something Qin Feng didn’t really care about.
“You have two tasks right now. First, announce to all the strongholds and mountain cities under Fubo Cave that their leaders must come and pay homage. Second, post a notice to recruit new experts. My Fubo Cave is in a state of rebuilding, and now that we are independent from the Master of Rotten Peach Mountain, we answer only to Peach Blossom Stronghold. I, as the Cave Master, am offering double the compensation. Go and make the arrangements!”
“Double the compensation? Cave Master, are you serious?”
In the Unity Hall, not just the heads of the three divisions, but even Sheng Yue couldn’t help but have his eyes light up.
“A gentleman does not make jests. However, Fubo Cave values quality over quantity. These people must have clean backgrounds, and we will not accept anyone below the Condensing Vein Realm!”
Chief Clerk Sheng Yue, Civil Officer Zhang Xun, Military Book Li Wu, and Criminal Book Shen Qiancheng all left the Unity Hall with joyful expressions.
The group was delighted. This new Cave Master was generous beyond their imagination.
This put the group at ease.
The reason they had stayed behind was for this very salary, after all.
Cultivating with the help of Wish Power Pearls was several times better than arduous self-cultivation.
“Cave Master, our Fubo Cave is known as the Eight-Hundred-Li Green Barrier. It stretches from the southern foot of Cangmang Mountain in the east to the Sunset Mountain Range in the west. It’s a vast territory. Thanks to the diligent governance of past Cave Masters, this place was once prosperous. However, it’s not peaceful here. The Five Poison Stronghold across from us often sends people to attack. Every ‘Five Poisons Assault’ is a disaster!”
Atop a high tower, Fu An bowed and scraped, bobbing his head.
When he spoke of the Five Poison Stronghold, his face was full of fear and apprehension. 𝖋𝙧ⅇ
Fu An was the Star Soldier who had previously asked Qin Feng for a handout at the entrance.
“Fu An, what’s the origin of this Five Poison Stronghold? I’ve heard this place is called the Golden Crow Battlefield, and that it’s dominated by the Golden Crow Fire Clan, led by the Golden Crow Fire Emperor. Most of their subordinates are of the winged Feather Race. Could it be that the Five Poison Stronghold is also part of the Feather Race?”
“Not so, Cave Master. The Demon God Temple is actually split into two branches. One is the Demon God Descendants. Their ancestors were Demon Gods, so they possess Demon God’s Blood in their veins. They are born with extraordinary talent and do not have beastly forms. These are the current experts of the Upper Demon God Temple. The other branch is the Original Demon Clan. The Original Demon Clan consists of Fierce Beasts, Demon Beasts, or Divine Beasts with Innate True Spirit Bloodlines that gained an opportunity and succeeded in their Cultivation. The Five Poison Stronghold is occupied by five members of the Original Demon Clan: the Red-eyed Scorpion, the Iron-Backed Centipede, the Frost Spider, the Li Huo Serpent, and the Heaven-Swallowing Toad! These Five Great Demon Kings are native Demon Kings that arose in the Wolf Mountain Ancient Forest, which spans a ten-thousand-li radius. Every one of them is extremely formidable. The strongest among them, the Red-eyed Scorpion and the Heaven-Swallowing Toad, are both terrifying existences at the Great Power Level!”
Fu An’s eyes were filled with terror. “If we couldn’t rely on the advantages of the terrain and its Prohibitions, our Fubo Cave would be no match for them at all!”
“So these so-called ‘Five Poisons’ are just five venomous insects?” Qin Feng chuckled lightly.
Seeing how casually Qin Feng spoke, Fu An secretly shook his head. ‘This Cave Master must have never witnessed the might of the Five Demons,’ he thought. ‘When they appear, they’re like dark clouds that blot out the moon and hide the sun. Even the giants from Peach Blossom Stronghold would have to be wary of them.’
Qin Feng chuckled, taking in Fu An’s expression.
‘Five Poisons? Mere Great Powers? I could suppress them with a flick of my finger.’
However, Qin Feng now had the idea of subjugating the Five Poisons for his own use. ‘Five Great Powers who cultivated from Alien Species should have some standing in the Wilderness.’
He was just about to use these five venomous creatures to investigate the whereabouts of the ruin from his vision. ℴ𝗆
Qin Feng asked casually, “So, how many people are living under Fubo Cave’s jurisdiction?”
Qin Feng was actually quite concerned about this matter.
“Cave Master, you have three major mountain cities, with a combined population of a million people from the Southern Border. In the mountains behind Fubo Cave, there are over a hundred large strongholds. The two largest are Copper Drum Stronghold and Qingping Stronghold, which together have a population of over a hundred thousand. These are all barbarians of the Southern Border!”
Qin Feng’s eyes gleamed. ‘The Wish Power Pearls generated by the prayers of a million people are a considerable fortune.’
He had personally experienced the benefits that Wish Power Pearls brought to a Grotto Heaven.
Back in the Earth Secret Realm, numerous Inner Sect Disciples had nearly beaten each other’s brains out over two chests of Low Grade Willpower Pearls. A population of a million could condense ten Top-grade Willpower Beads in a single day.
In a year, he could refine at least three thousand-some Top-grade Willpower Beads.
One Top-grade Willpower Bead could be exchanged for one hundred Low Grade Willpower Pearls, and a single Low Grade Willpower Pearl could sustain a Grotto Heaven for half a month.
This showed just how precious they were.
If an ordinary Martial Arts Giant possessed a single Top-grade Willpower Bead, they would not have to painstakingly supply their Grotto Heaven with Primordial Qi for nearly two years.
Although Qin Feng possessed a Medium-sized Cave Heaven which could already sustain itself without his support, more Wish Power Pearls would only accelerate the Grotto Heaven’s evolution.
Qin Feng estimated that if he could obtain one hundred thousand Wish Power Pearls, his nascent Grotto Heaven’s promotion to a Large Cave Heaven would be just around the corner.
「At the northern foot of Cangmang Mountain.」
Two figures stood on a Cloud Cliff, gazing out at the magnificent mountain range before them, feeling its vast, wild aura.
One figure bowed to the other and spoke.
“General, Qin Feng has arrived at Fubo Cave. Should we make our move?”
“Yes, it’s time to act,” Cold Light Divine General said, a cold sneer flashing in his eyes. “But you must be careful. Although that Evil Dragon has been locked in the Hidden Dragon Pool, the pool itself is one of supreme yin, formed from the convergence of the world’s most extreme yin and toxic energies. An ancient seal left by a powerhouse from the Ancient Era conceals this, so outsiders can’t tell. However, that Evil Dragon is a Yin Dragon born from a Yin Vein; it will surely have sensed it. Although it has been sealed for all these years, I speculate its power has not diminished but has actually grown!”
If he hadn’t happened to obtain a long-lost scripture years ago and read this account within it, probably no one would have ever imagined that something so terrifying lay beneath Fubo Cave.
A Yin Dragon!
It was a type of Innate True Dragon born from the convergence of the earth’s Yin Veins. It was far more powerful than any of those Dragon Offspring.
“But, if that’s the case, didn’t the expert who sealed the Evil Dragon back then realize this? This method wouldn’t just fail to seal the Evil Dragon; it would actually nurture its power,” the middle-aged man in black said, perplexed.
Since that Great Power was capable of sealing the Evil Dragon, he couldn’t have missed this point.
“It’s simple. You don’t know this, but the one who sealed the Evil Dragon was actually a powerful member of the Dragon Race. That Dragon Race expert didn’t seal the Yin Dragon because it was committing evil, but because he feared its wild nature was untamable and that it would die prematurely!” Cold Light Divine General sneered.
“So, when you use the Secret Technique to open the seal, you must be extremely careful. You have to leave the Hidden Dragon Pool within ten breaths, or your life will be in peril. That Evil Dragon has been sealed for several thousand years, and it’s brimming with malevolent energy—enough to destroy heaven and earth! Once it awakens, it will spare no living creature in its rampage!”
The middle-aged man in black nodded, and with a flash, his figure transformed into a streak of light and disappeared from Cangmang Mountain.
Seeing this, Cold Light Divine General let out a cold laugh. “Qin Feng, heheh… Master of Fubo Cave. Once your Fubo Cave is gone, let’s see what kind of Cave Master you’ll be!”