Chapter 289: Chapter 9: Mutation

Cost: Two thousand good deeds.

Clue: At the border of Longzhou in Qi Country and Liangzhou, where vitality thrives abundently, where peony flowers bloom in profusion, where the number of men significantly exceeds that of women, which can resonate with Pure Yang Inner Qi.

A total of five clues.

The first of these was the clue Zhou Heng got from Li Yuanxing.

This was effectively a way to limit the target area to a certain extent and provide some characteristics to facilitate the search.

With these clues, as long as the method is proper, finding the land of Pure Yang would not be difficult.

Of course, Zhou Heng had also considered just making a wish directly for the exact location of the Pure Yang land, but the consumption of good deeds was indeed a bit “spectacular”. He opted to choose the clues as they were more economical.

He was now somewhat short on good deeds and had to be very careful with his spending.

In the recent months, he had been preparing for the Chaoyang Wine Meeting and had been staying in one place without encountering any ghosts or evil beings.

The Zhou Tian Boundary Officer had not assigned him any tasks, and the share of good deeds he got from the Starlight Bridge was not as much as expected.

——After all, there were too few people in the organization, and in non-emergency situations, many people used the Starlight Bridge for transport. With only one-thousandth of the share, he barely gained any good deeds,

In the end, his good deeds had not increased much, there was only consumption.

Therefore, he no longer had the “deep pockets” he once had. After making this wish, he calculated that he only had a little over four thousand good deeds left.

“In that case, before I reach Secret Six Rank, I should go kill some ghosts and evil beings to accumulate more good deeds,” Zhou Heng thought to himself. “Otherwise, once I reach Secret Six Rank, it will be difficult to acquire good deeds.”

Before the time comes to open the “good deeds trade” and “task issuance” permissions, which were highly profitable, the main way he could gain good deeds was still by killing ghosts and evil beings.

According to the rules of the Zhou Tian Star Chart, after breaking through to Secret Six Rank, killing Lower Third Rank ghosts and evil beings would yield very few good deeds, and those at the same level were extremely difficult to kill. This was one reason why many Middle Third Rank and even Celestial Men experienced a “good deeds famine.”

“No, that way, if good deeds trade is opened in the future, wouldn’t it cause some problems?”

Zhou Heng suddenly thought of something, “Since it is much easier for Lower Third Rank to obtain good deeds than for Middle Third Rank, if good deeds can be freely traded, couldn’t Middle Third Rank have Lower Third Rank ‘fight in their stead’?

“Masters of Middle Third Rank can use various means to assist Lower Third Rank martial artists in exterminating ghosts and evil beings, and then obtain good deeds from them. This would undoubtedly be much easier than killing ghosts of equal realm themselves.

“Besides that, they could also get a large number of good deeds from Lower Third Rank martial artists with things that are no longer of importance to those of Middle Third Rank. It’s a sure profit if there ever was one.

“But such a situation is inherently unequal. Lower Third Rank martial artists are undoubtedly at a disadvantage when facing Middle Third Rank, and their actual status is unequal as well. If Middle Third Rank can adopt methods of assistance, they can naturally also adopt methods of exploitation.

“Although this situation may not be unprecedented, currently, the trade of good deeds is controlled by Azure Dragon and Tianyi, two Tao Lords. Good deeds trades must be conducted at a general assembly. Generally speaking, they are not excessively exploited.

“However, if the door to free trading of good deeds were to be opened, allowing unlimited private circulation of good deeds, it might be a recipe for disaster. The freedom of laissez-faire often leads to exploitation of the weak by the strong…”

These issues were not minor. Zhou Heng had not considered them carefully before. Now that he thought about it more, he realized that if the free trade of good deeds was opened, it would likely cause a series of chain reactions, and could even disrupt the entire Zhou Tian Boundary Officer organization.

Task issuance would work the same way.

“It’s fortunate that I didn’t rush to open these two permissions on a whim,” Zhou Heng pondered. “I will need to wait until I can gain more control or have the capability to restrict the use of these permissions before activating them.

“Next, I will find the land of Pure Yang and, before breaking through to Secret Six Rank, kill some more ghosts and evil beings. Ah yes, and also the newly spawned demon entities to accumulate some good deeds.”

…

Zhou Heng had initially planned to search for the land based on these clues by himself, but he soon realized that he simply could not locate it with his own power. Even though the characteristics were very clear, finding the place was still extremely difficult.

After all, this was not Earth, which had already entered the era of information technology. Even official maps were not entirely accurate; under such conditions, it was exceedingly difficult to precisely locate a specific place.

Not to mention, Zhou Heng was unable to ascertain even the general location.

The boundary between Longzhou and Liangzhou stretched over eight thousand miles, and within this immense expanse, there were mountains, forests, towns – a variety of environments, including many places where peonies thrived.

Zhou Heng had to traverse mountains and valleys, cover the eight-thousand-mile distance on his own in search of the Pure Yang place, without the aid of navigation or positioning. If he went there, he wouldn’t even be certain of his own location.

It was too difficult.

Unless one could fly, the intricate and complex terrain within these eight thousand miles would greatly hinder the search for the Pure Yang site, and it was possible that one could stray outside the boundary line without even realizing it.

After much thought, Zhou Heng decided to meet with Cheng Jianjian.

To explore together.

Cheng Jianjian was known as the “Treasure Fairy.”

The gourd she carried concealed countless treasures, naturally including objects that could carry people through the air.

She had used them before in the world of the Cave Sky.

Being able to fly in the sky and survey the terrain from above would greatly reduce the difficulty of the search.

However, after returning to Taihua Mount, Zhou Heng realized that Cheng Jianjian had also descended the mountain shortly after he left, and where she went specifically was unknown.

Luckily, while passing through the Zixia Peak, he met You Ziheng and obtained three White Crane feathers from him, which could be used as flying treasures with a one-month expiration.

Thus, after making these preparations, Zhou Heng used the stellar bridge of the Purple Tenuity Palace and headed to Longzhou.

…

Longzhou was located to the northwest of Da Qi, and further ahead lay Liangzhou, the gateway to the West Wasteland, also known as “Xi Liang.”

Liangzhou was vast, roughly equivalent to two and a half Pingzhous. However, it was fraught with demons and evil entities, and the natural resources were very scarce; beyond its core regions, it could be described as desolate everywhere.

The entire state had only one county, three prefectures, and twenty-seven towns, not even twenty percent of Pingzhou’s size.

Longzhou was slightly better but still fell short compared to the counties and prefectures of the Central Plains. It had an area about twenty percent larger than Pingzhou but only one county and seven prefectures.

Therefore, after arriving in Longzhou, Zhou Heng lacked any interest in sightseeing and directly went to the Prefectural City of Longzhou to find the business shop of Pure Yang Palace. After gathering some information and confirming four approximate areas, he turned the White Crane feathers into clouds of light and took to the skies.

This showcased the advantage of being part of a Great Sect. The properties of the Pure Yang Palace were scattered throughout Da Qi, which also meant that their eyes and ears were spread far and wide, making it much easier to seek anything.

Three of the five clues leading to the Pure Yang site could be obtained through inquiries.

They were, “A place where vitality is abundant,” “Where peony flowers bloom profusely,” and “Where the number of men significantly exceeds that of women.”

Even with some suspected areas confirmed, Zhou Heng would find them difficult to search. But now, with the ability to fly, this trouble was resolved.

Next, he only needed to verify these four regions based on the response of the Power of Pure Yang, and he should be able to locate the Pure Yang place quite soon.

Li Yuanxing likely could never have dreamed that Zhou Heng, whom he hoped to exploit, would be close to finding the Pure Yang place within two days of getting a lead.

However, the process of searching wasn’t as easy as Zhou Heng had originally anticipated.

Because the skies of Longzhou were different from those of the Central Plains.

As he flew, he could distinctly feel as if something extremely dangerous was looming above him, and above three thousand Zhang, there were fierce winds with tremendous power. If he flew too high, he could potentially be blown off the sky by these gales.

It seems that this must be due to the protective formation of the ninety-nine provinces, designed to separate the three kingdoms of the Central Plains from the West Wasteland, likely growing more powerful as it nears the West Wasteland.

Besides, as Zhou Heng flew in the air, he could sense that from the west, there would occasionally drift over a few currents of intense yin and evil qi, the kind that could instantly erode the spirit of ordinary Ninth Grade and Eighth Rank Martial Artists.

However, after these currents of yin and evil qi drifted over, they would be blown to an altitude of over three thousand zhang, then disappear without a trace, not affecting the creatures on the ground below.

“It seems the situation isn’t very optimistic, the Central Plains are still alright, but this northwestern area is becoming more troublesome,” Zhou Heng frowned slightly as he looked in the direction of Xi Liang.

The fact that the yin and evil qi could drift to Longzhou suggested the current situation in Xi Liang was foreseeable; it was probably starting from Xi Liang that demon entities began to emerge in the world.

“Hmm, it’s likely not absent at the Lianglong border either,” Zhou Heng’s gaze shifted downward, looking toward a town not far below, then he pressed down the cloud light and descended.

This was one of the four possible locations he had identified earlier, belonging to a small town in Yuxiang County within Liangzhou’s Liu Ping Prefecture.

Named Yuxiang Town, it was famous for its blooming peonies, and even the name of the entire county was derived from this town.

Apart from peonies, various medicinal herbs are produced here in abundance, enough to be described as teeming with life.

As for the gender ratio of the town, that was something he couldn’t determine.

Zhou Heng could only investigate on the ground himself.

Zhou Heng descended the cloud light ten li outside the town, summoned his date-red horse, and rode forward. In no time, he arrived at the outskirts of Yuxiang Town, but the scenes he witnessed along the way made him somewhat puzzled.

The road leading to Yuxiang Town was very quiet, with not only no pedestrians coming and going but also no signs someone had traveled the road recently. It appeared that no one had passed by for at least a month.

Under normal circumstances, this is nearly impossible.

Although a town can be self-sufficient and might not need to venture out for a short time, it’s absolutely abnormal for the essential route in and out of the town to be completely unused for over a month.

“Could it be that something has happened to this town?” Zhou Heng did not rashly enter the town but carefully spread his divine sense on the outskirts to perceive the situation within the town.

But he hadn’t expected that just as his divine sense had gotten a general grasp of the situation inside the town, an invisible and powerful force suddenly emerged and latched onto this strand of his divine soul.

Immediately after, Zhou Heng felt the space around him begin to twist, quickly forming a void vortex, and he was directly pulled in.

During this process, he sensed a familiar aura, one that he had felt from that half a finger bone that had broken the seal at Huangtong Mansion City.

Full of evil, brutality, madness… This was Demonic Qi!

“What’s going on?!”

Zhou Heng’s eyes widened in shock.

At the same time, he tried to release the Power of Cave Sky to envelop himself, to avoid being sucked away by the vortex’s force.

But this force was extremely bizarre.

Even the Power of Cave Sky couldn’t prevent the suction, and Zhou Heng could only watch helplessly as he was sucked into the vortex.

“Damn it! What’s going on?!”

…

Black mists hung heavily, obscuring the sky and sun.

Zhou Heng found himself, after being sucked into the void vortex, in a place where all around was shrouded by black mist, dimly lit.

He could barely see ten zhang in front of him; beyond was a blur.

His divine sense perception was blocked, unable to extend outside his body, let alone sense and explore the external situation.

Everything here was unknown to Zhou Heng, with hidden dangers lurking.

Therefore, without any hesitation, he chose to use “Open Gate” once, planning to leave this place.

A light gate enveloped in starlight was opened, and Zhou Heng located Taihua Mount as he stepped in.

When he emerged from the star gate, the heavy mists that seemed to envelop everything instantly vanished, and on looking up, he saw the towering mountain ahead, with palace halls and pavilions flickering through the clouds and mist.

Zhou Heng let out a long breath, prepared to go up the mountain, but then saw the sea of clouds over Taihua Mount suddenly parted by a beam of golden light. From afar, he saw that the Jade Void Peak Golden Top was being shattered by a giant claw that reached out from somewhere!

The beam of golden light didn’t travel far before it vanished, and then a figure fell from the sky, crashing before Zhou Heng—it was Cheng Jianjian, who had already died.

“This…” Zhou Heng’s expression instantly stiffened, then became terrified as he stumbled backward, “No, no, this can’t be possible!”

Roar!

At this moment, an angry roar sounded.

A red giant claw pressed down on Taihua Mount, crushing the entire Jade Void Peak instantly.

Another red giant claw then extended from the void, pinning down both the Zixia Peak and Jade Qiong Peak, and with rumbling sounds, crushed them.

It seemed that a gigantic beast was reaching out from the void, with only two claws out so far, yet it was on the verge of completely destroying the Pure Yang Palace, all witnessed by Zhou Heng who had just returned.

“No, no, why is this happening?!”

Zhou Heng retreated in terror, and then he felt himself bump into someone. Turning his head, he saw a face full of scholarly aura—it was Yan Shouyi.

“Junior brother, don’t worry,” Yan Shouyi patted Zhou Heng’s shoulder and smiled, “Pure Yang Palace has me.”

“Senior brother!” Zhou Heng exclaimed excitedly, gripping Yan Shouyi’s hand with his right.

As if he had grasped a lifeline.

At the same time, he formed a seal with his left hand, his eyes shining with golden light.

The Immortal Print Method!

Sky-Earth Striking Method!!

“Heart Demon techniques, truly extraordinary,” Zhou Heng smirked.

In fact, he had known who was attacking him the moment his divine sense was caught by that bizarre force.

The rest was just acting to confuse the opponent.

And incidentally, he could gain some more proficiency.

“Heart Demon ‘Disaster’ is currently casting the evil technique ‘Spirit-Bewildering Heart Demon Feasting Technique’ [Secret Six Rank] on you. Your divine soul is strong, and you are knowledgeable in spirit-related martial arts, gaining some understanding, proficiency +0.001.”

…

“Congratulations! You have seen through the Heart Demon ‘Disaster’ performing the evil technique ‘Spirit-Bewildering Heart Demon Feasting Technique’ [Secret Six Rank] on you, deepening your understanding of it, proficiency +0.5.”