My Portable Spirit Farm: Rise of the Humble Servant

Chapter 204: Heading to the Treasure Site

Chen Ping traveled with immense speed. After just an Incense Stick’s Time of Sword Riding, he arrived at the rendezvous point.

The location was a hundred li outside the north gate of the Tianling Sect, beneath a solitary peak shaped like a reclining ox.

From a distance, he could already spot several figures waiting.

Han Feiyu and his sister, Han Jingying, stood at the forefront.

Behind them stood three other people.

Chen Ping recognized one of them immediately: Liu Mubai, the host of the exchange meeting he had attended.

The other two were unfamiliar faces dressed in Cloud Water Sect attire. Both were cultivators at the first layer of Foundation Establishment, and their eyes betrayed a mix of nervousness and excitement.

Seeing these two uniformed disciples, a chill ran through Chen Ping’s heart.

Han Feiyu… what a ruthless man.

“Brother Chen, you’re here!”

Seeing Chen Ping descend in a streak of sword light, Han Feiyu immediately plastered an enthusiastic smile on his face and stepped forward to greet him.

“Brother Han, Miss Han.”

Chen Ping cupped his hands in return, his gaze sweeping over Liu Mubai and the two strangers.

Han Feiyu hurriedly made introductions.

“Brother Chen, this is Fellow Daoist Liu Mubai. You met him at the exchange meeting. These two are collateral descendants of my Han family, Han Meng and Han Lin. They are accompanying us on this trip so we can all look out for one another.”

Collateral descendants?

Chen Ping sneered inwardly.

What bullshit collateral descendants? They’re probably troublemakers within the Sect who oppose you, Han Feiyu. You likely brought them here just to eliminate them.

An inexplicable coldness settled in Chen Ping’s gut.

Direct-line disciples of major clans really would do anything to consolidate their positions.

These were two Foundation Establishment cultivators! Such individuals were valuable assets capable of bringing enormous benefits to any Sect. They weren’t just random stray dogs picked up from the street.

Yet Han Feiyu was ready to discard them without a second thought. His decisiveness was terrifying.

Perhaps only someone this ruthless can sit firmly in the position of Family Patriarch.

While Chen Ping was sizing up the two sacrificial pawns, Han Feiyu lowered his voice, sending a faint transmission directly to Chen Ping’s ear.

“Brother Chen, this Liu Mubai is trouble. He somehow caught wind of our plans and threatened to spread the news about the master’s legacy site if we didn’t include him. To avoid complications, I had to agree for now.”

His tone was tinged with helplessness.

“I didn’t mention this beforehand… I hope Brother Chen won’t blame me.”

Chen Ping looked at Liu Mubai.

The man still held his fine iron folding fan, wearing a warm, composed smile as he cupped his hands toward Chen Ping.

“Fellow Daoist Chen, we meet again. It is truly a fortunate event to explore this Fated Chance together.”

He acted perfectly at ease, as if he were truly an invited guest.

Chen Ping found it darkly amusing. He’s about to die, yet he has no idea…

On the surface, however, Chen Ping remained expressionless, offering only a faint nod.

“Fellow Daoist Liu, being able to work with you is my good fortune. I hope you will offer much guidance on our treasure-seeking journey!”

Chen Ping remained as polite as ever.

There was no harm in being polite to a dead man.

For cannon fodder like this, one more didn’t matter, and one less made no difference.

However, the fact that Han Feiyu had brought so many expendable pawns raised Chen Ping’s vigilance.

This kid has bad intentions brewing in his gut. I’ll have to watch my step.

Chen Ping glanced again at the two Han family collateral descendants. They were chatting and laughing, blissfully unaware that their own family considered them discarded pieces.

He truly couldn’t understand how such fools had managed to cultivate to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Do family-based Sects coddle their descendants even more than traditional Sects?

While Chen Ping pondered, a streak of light sped over from the direction of the Tianling Sect, landing before the group.

It was Mo Xiuyuan, arriving fashionably late.

He had changed into a brand-new set of Tianling Sect Core Disciple robes. His expression was arrogant, with a trace of smug satisfaction etched between his brows.

His gaze swept over the group, pausing only briefly on Chen Ping and the Han siblings as a form of greeting. He completely ignored Liu Mubai, Han Meng, and Han Lin.

“Everyone’s here? Then let’s depart.”

Mo Xiuyuan’s tone was impatient, assuming command as if he were the natural leader of the expedition.

A flicker of coldness, hard to detect, flashed in Han Feiyu’s eyes, but his smile remained fixed.

“Alright. Senior Brother Mo, please.”

He produced a medium-sized spirit boat. Although it wasn’t as impressive as Li Lingfeng’s, it was large enough to accommodate everyone comfortably.

The group boarded the vessel. Under Han Feiyu’s control, it transformed into a streak of light, speeding toward the northern border of the Anli Kingdom.

The spirit boat flew for roughly 7 days.

For the first few days, the landscape below consisted of rolling mountain ranges and lush, verdant forests. But the further north they flew, the more drastic the terrain became.

Dense primeval forests were gradually replaced by sparse shrubs and barren, rocky ground.

Even more unsettling was the atmosphere. The Heaven and Earth Qi permeating the air grew increasingly thin, as if it were being forcibly drawn away and devoured by an invisible force.

By the final leg of the journey, the Qi was so scarce it was almost indistinguishable from mortal lands. For cultivators accustomed to Qi-rich environments, it caused waves of physical discomfort.

“Why is the Qi here so thin?” Liu Mubai asked with a frown, having stopped fanning himself.

Han Jingying took the opportunity to explain.

“You may not know, but this is the effect of the Restriction left behind by the great expert who passed away here. The location of his cave dwelling acts like a giant Qi funnel, slowly drawing in Heaven and Earth Qi from hundreds of li around to maintain the core Restriction. The closer we get to the center, the thinner the ambient Qi becomes. There may even be zones of total Qi vacuum. This is one reason why the core area remains well-preserved despite the passage of time.”

Hearing this, the group nodded in understanding, their anticipation for the legacy site growing.

Only Chen Ping remained silent, sensing the abnormally thin Qi environment with heightened vigilance.

This method of forcibly plundering Heaven and Earth Qi felt inherently sinister.

After flying for another half-day, the terrain below became a desolate range of jagged black rocks and sparse vegetation.

Han Feiyu guided the spirit boat into a slow descent, landing in a relatively flat mountain hollow.

“The terrain ahead is complex, and the Qi flow is chaotic, making it difficult for the spirit boat to navigate. We will have to proceed by Sword Riding or on foot,” Han Feiyu announced as he stowed the vessel. He pointed toward a winding canyon that cut deep into the mountains.

The group complied, summoning their Dharma Artifacts to follow the Han siblings.

The canyon was deep and tortuous, flanked by steep black cliffs devoid of life. The entire place exuded an aura of deathly stillness.

After advancing for roughly an hour, the path ahead suddenly opened up.

A massive basin revealed itself, surrounded by steep, jagged peaks.

In the center of the basin, the vague outlines of dilapidated structures were visible, enveloped by a massive, nearly transparent protective shield that distorted the light around it.

On the surface of the shield, faint electric arcs occasionally flashed, emitting fluctuations that made their hearts palpitate.

“This is the place.”