At the summit, surrounded by towering, precipitous cliffs, the snow seemed to have stood for millennia. Several people stood there, their roots firmly planted. On this very peak, some cultivators had actually carved several sizable cave dwellings into the solid rock face. The largest, several hundred square meters, was used for temporary gatherings.
There were also some small cave dwellings, only a few dozen square meters in size, where two or three plant cultivators lived together. To ordinary people, there were far too many plant cultivators from the plant cultivation world who had ventured into the outside world, because they were so powerful. But to plant cultivators, it seemed lonely, because their numbers were too few. Cultivation knows no time, but the absence of other plant cultivators would absolutely drive them mad.
Furthermore, in this unfamiliar world, the relatively weak plant cultivators all need allies; otherwise, whether they can survive alone is a big question.
Because of the scarcity of resources in the outside world, the competition among the planters has not lessened; on the contrary, it has become even more intense.
Zhang Guodong, accompanied by the little devil Zhang Xiaohu, followed Liu Meigui, a cultivator from the Red Leaf Sect, and a cultivator from the White Jade Temple to Langyue Peak.
Along the way, Liu Meigui subtly inquired about what had just happened, showing great concern for the blood and gore scattered on the ground. But how could Zhang Guodong tell her the truth? He changed his story, saying that two low-level plant cultivators had tried to kill the brat to silence him, and he happened to be there and saved him.
For a medicinal herb that has been growing for decades?
The excuse seemed plausible. This dark-skinned, thin youth was merely an eleventh-level cultivator; no one would believe he had obtained a medicinal herb that was hundreds of years old.
Liu Meigui seemed to believe it. Originally, upon seeing Zhang Guodong, Liu Meigui had genuinely intended to confront him.
But upon seeing him, they were astonished to find that Zhang Guodong's cultivation had indeed improved by one level, reaching level nineteen! Only then did they believe that Zhang Guodong had been in seclusion.
It had only been two months since the last deal was made. He had already broken through another level. This dispelled Liu Meigui's resentment towards Zhang Guodong, and she temporarily believed that Zhang Guodong had no intention of breaking the contract. Furthermore, Liu Meigui began to feel somewhat wary of Zhang Guodong. Such rapid cultivation speed suggested that the power behind Zhang Guodong was probably not simple. Generally speaking, only with a large supply of crystals and pills could such rapid cultivation be achieved!
Therefore, with this in mind, Liu Meigui enthusiastically introduced the two plant cultivators from the other two minor sects who had come from the lower peak. The red-faced cultivator from the Red Leaf Sect was indifferent to Zhang Guodong; in truth, he looked down on Zhang Guodong, a cultivator who was not even level 20. Indeed, being below level 30 or above level 30 is a major hurdle in plant cultivation, and many people get stuck at level 30 for decades without being able to break through.
The other person was a pale-faced scholar, a disciple of the White Jade Temple. Although not as aloof as the disciples of the Red Leaf Sect, his eyes held not only curiosity but also a hint of arrogance and disdain.
But who is Zhang Guodong? Under the cover of his unique spiritual power, no one's little movements could escape his notice. As a result, Zhang Guodong's desire to befriend them cooled down. After exchanging some pretense with the two, he chatted with Liu Meigui, and the five of them sped towards Langyue Peak.
A few minutes later, the group arrived at their destination.
The air here is bitterly cold, and the oxygen is thin. Soaring thousands of meters vertically is an exhausting and thankless task for anyone here. It consumes a significant amount of life force, and without using Qi-boosting pills or crystals, one would need several days of quiet cultivation to replenish this loss.
But the scene at the summit was different from what Zhang Guodong had imagined. He had expected a blizzard and biting cold, but upon reaching the top, they felt a warm breeze. Thinking it was an illusion? Before them lay a scene of blooming peach blossoms. Although not large, several caves were hidden amidst the red and green natural beauty, immediately coming into view.
There was no one inside.
"Huh!" His spiritual power encountered considerable resistance here. However, he broke through after a slight resistance. Then Zhang Guodong saw the actual scene inside. It wasn't some secluded paradise, but rather several cold cave dwellings. Eight people were gathered together chatting, including Bai Yin, that effeminate man.
Zhang Guodong was surprised that his spiritual power could actually penetrate this place and see the real scene. Clearly, this paradise scene was not real. Fearing that the other party would discover him, he quickly withdrew his spiritual power. However, he saw that neither the people inside nor Liu Meigui and the others outside were acting strangely.
What's going on? But there doesn't seem to be time to think about it right now.
"Senior Sister Liu, where's Senior Brother Bai? Are there only four of you up here?" Zhang Guodong asked, feigning surprise.
"Of course not. Senior Brother Bai is inside, along with other cultivators. There are eleven of us living on this peak, all from the Plant Cultivation Realm. We've gathered here by fate, so we can look after each other!"
Liu Meigui smiled, her face radiant and charming, but her eyes held a cunning glint.
"Junior Brother Zhang, haven't you noticed anything strange?"
What did he mean by that? Zhang Guodong knew perfectly well what was going on, but he carefully scanned the green spring scene on the snow-capped peaks, pretending to be puzzled and surprised.
If it weren't for the reality before his eyes, Zhang Guodong would have found it hard to believe that what he was seeing was an illusion. A small paradise appeared on a cold mountain peak, yet it didn't increase the concentration of spiritual energy by even a fraction—this was clearly abnormal. Nor did he find any plants resembling jade vine. Obviously, none of this made sense.
This paradise
“Junior Brother Zhang is indeed meticulous. This Peach Blossom Spring doesn’t actually exist; it’s just a simple illusion array. Among the eleven of us, there’s a junior brother from the Red Leaf Sect who’s obsessed with arrays, so he simply set up a basic array. We can easily fool him. Hehe!” Liu Zhigui said lightly.
"An illusion array?"
"Among us cultivators, some are obsessed with alchemy, while others are obsessed with studying formations. However, each path takes a long time, so most people only specialize in one. This is just a basic illusion formation, which merely conceals the true nature of things and creates a void scene. It has no offensive or trapping effect."
As she spoke, Liu Meigui stepped into the illusion first, followed closely by the red-faced man and the scholar, who seemed quite casual. Zhang Guodong, pulling the anxious little devil along the way, also entered.
Sure enough, upon entering, the interior was completely different. Apart from the cold and monochromatic white mountain scenery, there wasn't a single green plant.
The conversation inside the cave could easily be heard.
It really didn't have the effect of trapping or attacking people, but Zhang Guodong just found it very interesting. He was also eager to meet that guy from the Red Leaf Sect who was obsessed with formations.
A dozen or so star-shaped stones are embedded in the cave ceiling, casting a soft yet incredibly bright light inside. The temperature here is considerably higher than outside.
After all, nobody likes a cold world. Except for those who cultivate special techniques.
"Everyone, my senior brother and I are waiting for our little brother Zhang Guodong to arrive. Let me introduce him to the Shi family!" As soon as Liu Meigui entered, she immediately attracted everyone's attention. Among these people, there were both men and women, but more men than women.
"These three are Senior Brother Lu Haoran, Junior Brother Wu Xing, and Junior Sister Hongyue from the Red Leaf Sect. They belong to the same sect as Senior Brother Chixiao!" Liu Meigui pointed to the three cultivators on her left—two men and one woman—whose attire was similar to the red-faced one, and said. Lu Haoran, true to his name, had a warm and kind face, seemingly exuding righteousness, with a faint smile on his face. Wu Xing, however, had a blank expression, seemingly indifferent to everything. He glanced at Zhang Guodong and then lowered his head as if deep in thought. Hongyue, this woman was somewhat alluring, with spring-like eyes, observing Zhang Guodong with great interest. When Zhang Guodong looked over, she would throw him a flirtatious wink. She was truly captivating.
Chi Xiao is the second senior brother, also known as the red-faced one. He ranks second among the four, with fiery red skin, which seems to be related to the Fiery Heart Sutra he cultivates. He is a rare practitioner of a special technique within the Red Leaf Sect.
"Greetings, senior brothers and sisters! I am a novice in cultivation, please take good care of me!" Zhang Guodong bowed slightly and said.
This etiquette is neither too formal nor too informal; it's simply about maintaining politeness.
"A person invited by Junior Sister Liu must be extraordinary. May I ask which sect Junior Brother Zhang belongs to?" Lu Haoran said kindly.
"Senior Brother, Junior Brother Zhang is a handsome young man, and he's probably not that old. He's managed to cultivate to this level, so he must come from a major sect. Senior Sister Liu, am I right?" Before Zhang Guodong could answer, Hongyue narrowed her big eyes into crescent moons and smiled charmingly.
They were unaware that Liu Meigui was also unaware of Zhang Guodong's background, and were somewhat embarrassed by the question, unsure how to answer. Fortunately, Zhang Guodong came to the rescue, humbly saying, "My master is a rogue cultivator who has not established a sect. Please forgive me for not mentioning his name!"
The more Zhang Guodong acts this way, the more curious people become.
However, Zhang Guodong quickly changed the subject, saying, "Senior Sister Liu, could you please introduce the other senior brothers and sisters?"
Liu Meigui realized what was happening and quickly introduced the remaining people. There weren't many people from Baiyu Temple. Besides the "scholar" Du Qingyuan, there was an old man who looked quite old, but his cultivation level was only at the peak of level twenty-nine, not yet breaking through to level thirty. This man was named Weng Yan.
There were three others, all appearing to be middle-aged, all rogue cultivators. One had a gloomy face and never smiled; his name was Li Dan. Another, a man with a fake smile and gleaming eyes, was named Guo Zichun. The third seemed honest, but when he grinned, his white teeth gave off the impression of a ruthless man who would devour people without spitting out the bones; his name was Shang Hu. The three greeted Zhang Guodong with feigned politeness, but their disdain and indifference were hidden in their eyes. Furthermore, upon seeing that Zhang Guodong only had a level nineteen cultivation, both murderous intent and greed appeared in their eyes, though they seemed to conceal them well, and few people noticed.
Zhang Guodong maintained a constant smile, but he had truly witnessed the power of a small group of plant cultivators. The principle of "survival of the fittest" was clearly evident here. His plant cultivation level was nineteen, and almost everyone looked down on him, barely bothering to acknowledge him. Even if they did greet him, it was probably out of consideration for Liu Meigui. Furthermore, he also sensed the blatant competition of the survival of the fittest.
If I were to reveal even the slightest crystal or a decent magical artifact, I might be killed at some point.
Murder and robbery are actually very common occurrences.
After getting acquainted, Liu Meigui said, "We now have twelve people, um, thirteen people, all of us are here. Let's rest for two days, and the day after tomorrow we'll head to the 'Southwest Imitation Market'!"
There were thirteen people, plus a little devil named Zhang Xiaohu, who was only level eleven and no one paid him any attention. After a brief introduction, Zhang Guodong followed Liu Meigui to a small cave to settle down. Although the cave had nothing, it was better than sleeping in the snow.
"Take good care of yourself. There might be a lot of people coming from the Southwest City, and we might face dangers along the way!" Liu Meigui said, then drifted away.
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