Chapter 307 - 302: White Ape Breaks the Mountain

Chapter 307: Chapter 302: White Ape Breaks the Mountain

Silence fell on the second floor of the Peach Fragrance Inn, the only sound the chatter of diners from downstairs.

Shopkeeper Pang blinked.

He knew he had once again overheard something he shouldn’t have.

Bai Yuan waved a hand at him.

Taking the hint, Shopkeeper Pang retreated downstairs.

As an innkeeper, he knew all too well what he should and shouldn’t hear. Eavesdropping carelessly would only get him killed for no good reason.

"Daoist, what do you mean by that?"

Bai Yuan hadn’t expected the old Daoist to claim he had come into contact with a "demon seed" right off the bat. He was completely baffled.

The old Daoist said, "Lord Bai, your killing intent has been too strong recently, so much so that it masked the aura of the demon seed. I failed to recognize it at first. I am ashamed."

Bai Yuan’s brows furrowed deeply.

’Killing intent... Demonic Qi...’

’The only thing connecting these two points is Longevity Palace.’

’Could it be...?’

"Daoist, what exactly is this demon seed? I’ve never seen the demon seed you speak of."

The old Daoist pondered for a moment. "Lord Bai, have you recently been to a place with dense Demonic Qi?"

Bai Yuan nodded. "There was a demonic disturbance at Longevity Palace in Ling Province. I have just pacified it."

"Then that’s it."

A look of regret appeared on the old Daoist’s face.

"It seems the demon seed has already been born in Longevity Palace. It appears my calculations were wrong. One step behind, always behind. How bitter."

Bai Yuan said, "But Daoist, I’ve already dealt with all the disciples of Longevity Palace..."

Before he could finish, Bai Yuan’s expression suddenly sharpened.

’No!’

’There are still those few disciples who went to Lingzhou City to deliver the message.’

’Perhaps the demon seed is hidden among them.’

A jolt like a lightning bolt shot through Bai Yuan’s mind, and the scenes from Longevity Palace flooded back to him.

He had felt something was off when he encountered the Celestial Heart Sect that day.

Those Celestial Heart Sect followers had clearly come up from the base of the mountain, seemingly searching for something. Running into his group had been a pure coincidence.

Otherwise, if they had been prepared, they would have launched a sneak attack.

Unfortunately, Bai Yuan had originally hoped to get some clues from that Celestial Heart Sect expert, but the man used a strange technique to commit suicide, and the lead went cold.

’But if there was a demon seed on the mountain, then everything would make sense!’

’It’s highly likely that the Celestial Heart Sect followers, just like the old Daoist, were also searching for the demon seed. They just happened to run into my group. And the strange behavior of the Longevity Palace disciples must have been the demon seed’s doing.’

Bai Yuan immediately told the old Daoist his theory.

Upon hearing this, the old Daoist’s brow furrowed tightly as well.

"Once the demon seed is born, it becomes indistinguishable from an ordinary person. Finding it again will be incredibly difficult. We can only leave it to fate."

The old Daoist let out a long sigh.

Bai Yuan fell silent.

’This is getting tricky.’

After thinking it over and getting the old Daoist’s consent, he reported the matter to Yan Shao’an.

The matter of the demon seed had implications that were too profound. Only a major figure like the Grand Protector could effectively prevent it from erupting.

...

Just a few days after Bai Yuan sent the letter, Li Huan and Yan Lei arrived in Huanglong Prefecture.

"Brother Bai."

Li Huan strode into the room where Bai Yuan was working at the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office.

"My father the King and Grand Protector Yan have received your message. Unfortunately, the Longevity Palace disciple who delivered it died suddenly, and the others have vanished."

Bai Yuan sighed softly.

’In the end, we still couldn’t stop it.’

The old Daoist had said that once the demon seed escaped, finding it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Li Huan continued, "Men have been dispatched to search Lingzhou City. Lord Yan ordered Brother Yan and me to come to Huanglong Prefecture to assist you in the search, Brother Bai."

"Thank you both."

Bai Yuan cupped his fists to Li Huan and Yan Lei.

Yan Lei stood a little farther from Bai Yuan. Ever since the incident on Longevity Mountain, he felt a little intimidated whenever he saw him.

"Brother Bai, I heard you wish to exchange the Big Red Qilin Duan Yi for a Cultivation Technique. My grandfather can help you upgrade the Big Red Qilin Duan Yi by one rank, allowing you to exchange it for an even higher-level Cultivation Technique from the Inner Treasury."

"It all depends on your choice, Brother Bai."

Bai Yuan was a little surprised.

’Yan Shao’an’s reach is truly vast. Only he and that little eunuch knew about the Big Red Qilin Duan Yi. To think that Yan Shao’an, despite being thousands of miles from the Capital City, could know what was happening inside the Imperial Palace.’

Bai Yuan pondered for a moment. "In that case, my thanks to Lord Yan."

The Yan Family’s Cultivation Techniques were strong, but they couldn’t compare to what was in the Inner Treasury.

Without a doubt, the most powerful force in the world was still the Court.

The Cultivation Techniques in the Court’s Inner Treasury were vast and all-encompassing, containing everything one could imagine.

While the Yan Family’s collection was surely extensive, they specialized in a particular field; their collected Cultivation Techniques were primarily from the Confucian Family.

Unlike the Yan Family, the Inner Treasury was bound to have a wider variety of Cultivation Techniques, likely of a higher grade as well, which suited Bai Yuan’s needs.

Yan Lei said, "It is what Lord Bai deserves."

With that, he took a list from his robes.

"Lord Bai, this is a list of the Cultivation Techniques in the Court’s Inner Treasury."

Bai Yuan took the paper with the list of Cultivation Techniques from Yan Lei’s hand.

There weren’t many Cultivation Techniques on the list, only about twenty or so types.

Yan Lei explained, "The ones Lord Bai can choose from this time are all ’Heaven-rank, Number One’ Cultivation Techniques. We figured Lord Bai wouldn’t be interested in the others, so they were not included on this list."

This list was actually common knowledge among the upper echelons in the Capital City; it wasn’t a secret.

The Cultivation Techniques in the Inner Treasury were meant as rewards for ministers who had rendered meritorious service to the Court.

Li Huan chimed in at the right moment, "The Inner Treasury is divided into four tiers: Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow. Each tier is further divided into four ranks. With your previous Big Red Qilin Duan Yi, Brother Bai, you could have exchanged it for a ’Heaven-rank, Number Four’ Cultivation Technique."

Although Li Huan had always lived in Qingzhou, he was a member of the Royal Family, after all, so his knowledge of the Capital City was far greater than that of others from the Northern Territory.

Bai Yuan’s eyebrow shot up.

Thanks to Yan Shao’an, the grade of Cultivation Technique he could choose had jumped three ranks, all the way to ’Heaven-rank, Number One’.