A gentle, low, and vast mountain slope was where Keg Vines clung to Arbor trees, weaving through the forest as they climbed upwards.
The Dominating Throne hovered high above, overlooking a mountain range that resembled a tadpole—large-headed and thin-tailed—a very short range indeed.
In the distance, layers of mountains stacked upon one another, all lush and verdant.
Dragon Cypress controlled the Dominating Throne to fly low, using the mountain where the Keg Vines were discovered as the center for his search.
After nearly half a day, he finally found a second Keg Vine.
This one was larger, its flat woody vines nearly one meter wide near the base.
It was rooted beside a stream on the middle to lower slopes, climbing upward, cresting the mountain peak, and sprawling down the other side.
An ancient vine, it had grown for an unknown number of centuries.
Dragon Cypress spent two days searching the vicinity and successively discovered a third and then a fourth Keg Vine.
In nature, Keg Vines were quite scarce.
It wasn’t advisable to waste too much more time searching.
Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid gathered some Seeds. They spent most of their time finding suitable places to dig holes and sow them.
Common Keg Vines took five years to mature and flower, with a fruiting period of three years. If they returned in eight years, they could harvest the first batch of Seeds.
They kept three Seed Pods to bring back to Xianglan Mountain to try planting.
Once the survey was complete, they turned north.
After a day’s travel, as the setting sun cast long shadows at Twilight, Dragon Cypress suddenly perked up his Tentacles.
"Ink Orchid, do you feel that?" he asked.
Ink Orchid was standing at the edge of the Throne, her head bowed as she focused on inspecting the jungle below, hoping to find another rare plant species like the Keg Vine.
Hearing his call, she looked up. Using her Mental Power Sensing, she immediately detected it.
"An Origin Force Fluctuation! Dragon Cypress, over there!"
Ink Orchid lifted her leg and pointed northwest.
Dragon Cypress was already desperately pushing the Dominating Throne toward the source of the Origin Force Fluctuation.
With each of Dragon Cypress’s Evolutions, the Dominating Throne’s flight speed increased slightly.
But it was still too slow.
Ink Orchid couldn’t bear it any longer. She leaped up and flew ahead to scout.
"Ink Orchid! Be careful..." Dragon Cypress called out, helplessly shaking his Tentacles.
She’s always so impatient and restless.
The distance wasn’t great. After a short while, Ink Orchid turned and flew back.
"Dragon Cypress, it’s over there! I saw it, no mistake! It’s in a mountain hollow, nestled among the peaks."
"Among the peaks? A hollow? How large is the area?"
"I’m not sure... I was worried you’d be concerned, so I only got close enough to confirm and then rushed right back. Dragon Cypress, don’t rush. You fly slowly; I’ll go again!"
Ink Orchid circled and landed back on the Throne.
Dragon Cypress asked, "What’s the Origin Force Concentration like?"
Ink Orchid said uncertainly, "Pretty good, I guess..."
Dragon Cypress continued, "And the climate? What plant species are there?"
Ink Orchid replied, "The temperature is quite nice, very warm..."
So, she just flew over and back, only confirming the discovery of a place rich in Origin Force, and clarifying nothing else.
Ink Orchid rested for a while, recovered her depleted Origin Force, and then took off once more.
Dragon Cypress, too, felt a burning impatience and pushed the Dominating Throne harder.
Below them lay high mountains, deep forests, treacherous peaks, and sheer cliffs.
The Origin Force Fluctuation grew gradually more distinct.
As they continued forward, a faint presence of Origin Force permeated the natural environment.
Ink Orchid flew back in a panic, shouting in alarm while still at a distance.
"An Insect Clan Warrior!"
Dragon Cypress was shocked. "Ink Orchid, are you hurt?" he cried, leaping to his feet in anxiety.
Ink Orchid plummeted straight toward the Throne. Her head hit the backrest of the seat, which absorbed the inertia of her forward momentum.
Before Dragon Cypress could ask, she blurted out, "A High-Level Warrior! I’m uncertain of its Age Period. It’s a Beetle, but I couldn’t identify which specific Insect Clan it belongs to."
Dragon Cypress was speechless. ...
Then he asked, "A Coleopteran Beetle?"
Ink Orchid confirmed, "Yes. It has a slender body, a dark cyan Carapace with a metallic sheen, vertical stripes, and short but fierce-looking flat Mandible Teeth. It’s over a meter long; I’m certain it’s a High-Level Warrior."
Over a meter?! No wonder Ink Orchid was so frightened.
With a thought from Dragon Cypress, the Dominating Throne hovered high in the air.
Dragon Cypress mused, "Is it not adept at flying? Or perhaps it simply can’t fly at all?"
"It seems like it can’t fly... but that’s not important!"
As Ink Orchid’s fear gradually subsided, she exclaimed in admiration, "Its Life Seeds are concentrated in a patch of forest! I saw them all—so many, mostly Arbors! And in the center, there’s a Divine-Given Seed!"
Dragon Cypress exclaimed, "A Divine-Given Seed?!"
He then asked, "What kind of tree is it?"
Ink Orchid replied with envy, "A Ghost Fan Tree."
A Ghost Fan Tree? !!! It took me a moment to recall it. It’s a very rare small Arbor with fan-shaped leaves. As a Life Seed, the fruit it produces provides ’Mental Power Enhancement’, though its yield is very low. The flight speed of the Dominating Throne seems to be closely related to one’s spiritual power. This is exactly what I need!
Ink Orchid explained, "I was surveying the terrain and saw the Ghost Fan Tree from a distance. I approached to see if it had any fruit, and that Beetle suddenly burst out from the woods and charged at me like crazy..."
"Oh—" Dragon Cypress drawled.
"So, you inadvertently invaded its Territory first?"
His mind racing, Dragon Cypress continued, "That could mean... perhaps... it’s not incapable of communication?"
Ink Orchid emphasized forcefully, "It’s very aggressive!"
Dragon Cypress flicked his Tentacles. "Ink Orchid, consider it from another angle. If it were you, and a strange Insect entered your Territory and approached your Divine-Given Fruit-Scented Orchid Seed, what would be your first reaction? You’d definitely assume it was theft or an enemy attack, right?"
Ink Orchid tilted her head back, thinking.
Dragon Cypress asked, "Ink Orchid, did you only find one Beetle Warrior?"
"Yes," Ink Orchid replied.
Dragon Cypress pressed, "You said there were many Arbor Life Seeds? What species specifically, and how many are there?"
Ink Orchid admitted, "My attention was completely captivated by the Divine-Given Seed; I didn’t notice the other Common Life Seed types. As for the number..."
She tilted her head, recalling, then said, "About twenty, I think."
Nine Life Seeds each for Primary-Level and Mid-Level Warriors would account for eighteen. So, it must be a High-Level Warrior of the second or third Age Period. Just that one Insect? Are there others nearby? Can they fly?
Dragon Cypress hesitated, feeling conflicted.
If it’s a solitary, flightless Beetle Warrior, we could approach and try to communicate. But if there’s another Insect Clan Warrior capable of flight, that could be dangerous.
Seeing Dragon Cypress remain silent, Ink Orchid reminded him, "Dragon Cypress, we can’t defeat a High-Level Warrior..."
"Definitely not..." Dragon Cypress agreed.
Ink Orchid seemed to understand Dragon Cypress’s thoughts. "If we want to trade with it," she said, "we’ll need to pay a corresponding price."
Dragon Cypress stated, "We possess the Dominating Throne, can freely traverse the Origin Force Vacuum Land, and have dealings with the Flame Spider Caravan. We hold an absolutely dominant position. If we can establish a stable trading relationship, we will be the ones to profit."
He continued, "In the long run, friendly relations and peaceful trade are ideal. I just fear it might not be willing to be amicable."
"The crucial point," Dragon Cypress added, "is that we’re not sure how many Insect Clan Warriors there are..."
Dragon Cypress waved a Tentacle. "Let’s leave first. We’ll find a place to hide for three days. After three days, in the dead of night, we’ll sneak over and conduct Scouting from high altitude to see if there are any other Territories planted with Origin Force Plants. If there are, it means there are other Insect Clan Warriors, and we’ll need to be extremely cautious. If not, and it’s just that one flightless Beetle, we can approach with confidence."
"Good plan! Dragon Cypress, you’re so clever!" Ink Orchid exclaimed.