Fang Bai emerged from the dug-out cave and sealed it tightly. After disguising it with grass and shrubs, he quietly left "Myriad Medicines Mountain".
This time, entering the Hidden Sect World, not only had Fang Bai resolved the threats from "Ghost Doctor Valley" and "Yunnv Sect", but he also gained many treasures, reaping bountiful rewards.
Setting aside the large amount of gold and jewels, just the mid-grade Spiritual Medicines and Essence Stones that filled his Space Ring satisfied Fang Bai greatly.
Moreover, the Essence Stone Elixirs on both Myriad Medicines Mountain and Blazing Flame Mountain were considered possessions in Fang Bai’s bag, which he could come to mine and harvest whenever he wanted in the future.
Besides, Fang Bai had acquired a "Jade Soul Hook Rod" from Wei He, the Supreme Elder of Ghost Doctor Valley, and planned to give this wood-attribute Spiritual Artifact to Su Linglong, who had an Innate Wood Spirit Root.
He believed that Su Linglong’s strength would greatly increase upon receiving this Spiritual Artifact.
The greatest achievement of Fang Bai’s journey was a new breakthrough in his Cultivation Level, advancing from the Xingyuan Realm into the Absorbing Essence Realm, essentially ascending from an Earth Level Martial Artist to a Heaven Level Martial Artist.
This was a leap across a major realm, significantly enhancing his strength.
Fang Bai retraced his original path back to the entrance of the Hidden Sect World in the Kunlun Mountains. He passed through the illusion-inducing "Shattered Stone Array" and glanced back, only to see the entrance to the Hidden Sect had disappeared.
"The Hidden Sect World is indeed secret. It’s almost impossible for ordinary people to enter unless they can break the ’Shattered Stone Array’!"
Fang Bai thought to himself.
Entering and exiting the Hidden Sect World, Fang Bai clearly felt the changes around him.
Inside the Hidden Sect World, the air was fresh and Essence Energy abundant, while in the secular world, the air was murky and Essence Energy sparse.
No wonder Martial Artists from the Secular Ancient Martial World were far behind those from the Hidden Sect World in terms of strength, even at the same age.
After leaving the Kunlun Mountains, Fang Bai did not immediately return to Yanjing but continued his journey of experience.
In the western borderlands of Huaxia, there lay a small village. Over a mountain ridge and across a stream, one would find the restless neighboring country.
The remote and impoverished village had only a little over a hundred families. In the past two years, the occasional crossing of armed bandits disturbed the villagers, causing widespread panic. Those capable had relocated to inland towns, leaving behind those who couldn’t bear to leave their birthplaces or had nowhere else to go.
Fairly speaking, the surrounding mountains, water, and grasslands made for a very picturesque environment. On clear days, one could see the village children herding sheep on the grassy slopes outside the village, creating a peaceful and heartwarming scene.
That evening, Fang Bai’s figure appeared in the village.
After leaving the Kunlun Mountains, he had traveled on foot, passing through many cities and villages, witnessing a variety of customs and cultures. Although he hadn’t come across any Cultivation Resources that piqued his interest, his mindset was honed, and his realm, post-advancement, had fully stabilized.
Fang Bai’s journey of experience had no particular destination; he went wherever the road took him, and unknowingly, he had arrived at this small village.
Fang Bai stood at the village entrance, looking at the stone stele that bore the name of the village, curiously wondering where the "stone bow" implied by the name "Shigong Village" could be in this area.
He didn’t ponder it too much and casually walked into the village, soon encountering an old man leaning on a crutch.
The elderly man looked to be over seventy and seemed to have trouble walking. Despite using a cane for Read the latest chapters on NovelHub - completely free!
His face was etched with anxiety as his gaze frequently drifted towards the outskirts of the village as if looking for someone.
"Young man, have you seen my Alian?"
Spotting Fang Bai walking by, the old man asked with a tremulous voice.
"Elder, I don’t know your Alian,"
Fang Bai stopped in his tracks and replied with a smile.
The old man looked around and, seeing no other villagers nearby, grabbed Fang Bai’s hand, pleading, "Young man, please help me look for Alian... She’s my granddaughter, tending sheep on the hillside outside the village... I’ve had a constant twitch in my eyelid, a bad premonition... When Alian’s parents died two years ago, I had the same feeling... Please... help me find my granddaughter and have her hurry back to the village!"
The old man clutched Fang Bai’s hand with a stance that said, "If you don’t agree to help me find my granddaughter, I won’t let you leave."
If Fang Bai wanted to leave, the frail old man couldn’t stop him, but Fang Bai couldn’t bear to refuse the old man’s plea and nodded with a smile, "Okay, I’ll go look for her right away... Elder, your granddaughter is Alian, right? How old is she this year? What is she wearing, and what does she look like? Where does she graze the sheep?"
To find someone, one must first understand the basic information about the person being sought, which was why Fang Bai asked these questions.
The old man said, "Yes, her name is Alian... Alian’s parents died early, she’s a poor child... Alian is wearing grey coarse cloth clothes with patches on the elbows... Our Alian is a very beautiful girl... She should be grazing sheep around Shigong Mountain, where the water and grass are the best..."
"Where is Shigong Mountain?"
Fang Bai asked, wondering if "Shigong Village" was named after "Shigong Mountain."
The elderly man pointed ahead and said, "When you go out of the village entrance, take the path westward. Less than a mile down, there’s a crossroad, and beside the road on a mountain, there is a huge bow-shaped stone standing on the peak... Our ’Shigong Village’ is named after that bow-shaped stone!"
"Understood. Elder, find a place to sit down and rest, I’ll bring your granddaughter back soon!"
Fang Bai said and turned around to stride swiftly towards Shigong Mountain to the west of the village, under the elderly man’s anxious and hopeful gaze.
Once outside the village where there were no people, Fang Bai executed his movement technique and in the blink of an eye, arrived at the crossroads a mile away.
Looking around, Fang Bai indeed spotted a mountain to the east of the crossroad. Although it wasn’t tall, it was incredibly steep, and at the very top, whether shaped by human hands or naturally formed, there was a bow-shaped stone.
The stone bow appeared fully drawn, and if an arrow were placed upon its string, the arrowhead would be pointing towards the sky, creating a strikingly lifelike image.
It was just a pity that there was no arrow on the bow, which felt somewhat disappointing.
"This stone bow is rather peculiar...!"
As Fang Bai approached the mountain where the stone bow was located, he actually sensed faint waves of Essence Energy emanating from the stone bow, which made him stir slightly.
The Essence Energy vibrations released by the stone bow were so faint they were nearly imperceptible. Another martial artist might not have detected them at all.
Just as Fang Bai was preparing to scale the mountain to take a closer look at the stone bow, a gunshot suddenly rang out followed by a young girl’s cry of alarm.