Sage of Humanity-Chapter 1779 - 1777: Searching
Lu Ye sought Chong Xu for information on this matter, not to better protect himself, as the Blood Eye formed by the marvel within was remarkable, yet it couldn't withstand the might of the seven-colored Divine Lotus; this had already been proven.
So even if Lu Ye did nothing, just waiting for a moment, the seven-colored Divine Lotus could dispel the Blood Eye eroding his Divine Sea, keeping him unharmed.
Lu Ye approached Chong Xu to understand his methods, merely wishing to make some preparations in advance; he was particularly interested in the spirit runes hidden within the Blood Eye.
If anyone else had asked, Chong Xu would surely have ignored them, but having received Lu Ye's favor, he couldn't withhold anything, and besides, his method couldn't be emulated by others.
He immediately began, "I do have some methods to sense in advance, but they are not accurate."
Lu Ye asked, "Fellow Daoist, could you teach me? Of course, I can offer some compensation."
Chong Xu waved his hand, "It's not that I am unwilling to teach, it's just that this method cannot be imitated by others. Please, Fellow Daoist, look at my right eye."
Lu Ye immediately looked over at his cue and saw some strange changes in Chong Xu's right eye. A normal person's eye is a white sclera wrapping around a black pupil, and Chong Xu's right eye was the same, but as his words fell, it suddenly turned all white, with no trace of black, appearing extremely eerie.
Chong Xu blinked, and the white right eye returned to normal, "To be honest, my right eye was born with something peculiar; even before entering the cultivation world, the things I saw were different from ordinary people. Upon entering the cultivation world, I relied on this to practice several Pupil Skills. Of course, sensing the Demon Eye's changes is not due to these Pupil Skills, but my right eye starts to ache whenever the Demon Eye is about to change. The closer it is to the time, the more it aches, so I can know in advance when the Demon Eye is about to blink."
Lu Ye suddenly understood, realizing that though the Dwarf Race had collected intelligence on this marvel for so many years without finding a means to discern when the Demon Eye blinks, he happened to meet someone like Chong Xu with such a method.
Turns out, it was due to the innate peculiarity of his right eye.
"Moreover, I cannot fully sense it. Out of ten occurrences, I can fail to notice about half of them, but whenever my right eye undergoes a change, the Demon Eye must be about to blink. When I first met Fellow Daoist, it was when I had such a sense."
Lu Ye finally understood.
Indeed, this is not something that can be taught, and he wasn't very disappointed. This method, if he could master it, would give him some advantage, but not mastering it would not have much impact.
Of course, if he really wanted the upper hand, he could choose to accompany Chong Xu. In this way, when he sensed anything, Lu Ye would be informed.
But two people who are practically strangers couldn't truly open up to each other because of a tiny connection.
"Let's do it this way, Fellow Daoist." Chong Xu thought for a moment and suggested, "Why don't we leave each other an audio talisman marking? This way, when I sense something, I can send you a message, and you can prepare in advance, Fellow Daoist."
"Sure!" Lu Ye immediately agreed, taking out an audio talisman.
In a moment, the two exchanged audio talisman markings, and Chong Xu reminded him, "This is ultimately within the marvel, so there's a distance limit on audio talisman communication, which differs from the outside world. If you are too far from me, I won't be able to reach you. I usually operate within this area, and I'll inform you if there are any changes."
"Thank you, Fellow Daoist." Lu Ye expressed his gratitude, appreciative of Chong Xu's meticulous approach. After thinking for a while, he asked, "Fellow Daoist, how long have you been here?"
Chong Xu stroked his beard and smiled, "It must have been thirty years. In my youth, I pursued the growth of power, taking a lot of elixir pills. Some pill poison turned out to be stubborn, and ordinary methods couldn't solve it, so I placed my hopes here. Additionally, during the Demon Eye's blinking, it can temper the Psyche Force, which aids in progressing to Sun Blaze to some extent."
Thirty years... Lu Ye marveled. He hadn't been cultivating for this long yet, but generally, as a cultivator's cultivation increases, the longer one tends to linger in a certain Cultivation Realm.
Thirty years seemed lengthy to him, but for Chong Xu... though not short, it was acceptable for reaching Sun Blaze.
And from his appearance, he might remain here for a longer time.
"Fellow Daoist Lu, youth is valuable, but don't overly pursue sudden cultivation realm leaps. A moment's impulsive rush might require a thousandfold compensation in old age," Chong Xu sincerely advised, evidently assuming Lu Ye had rapidly grown using a substantial amount of elixir pills due to his young appearance yet notable cultivation.
"I've been enlightened, thank you for the advice, Fellow Daoist." Lu Ye nodded.
Next, he sought more intelligence from Chong Xu, particularly asking whether he had encountered anything strange within the marvel.
Chong Xu did not hide anything, revealing whatever he knew.
Most were worthless intel, or information Lu Ye had already learned from the Dwarf Race, but there was one matter that piqued Lu Ye's interest.
Over ten years ago, during a Demon Eye blink, two cultivators fiercely contested near Chong Xu, fighting relentlessly.
Typically, he wouldn't interfere in such situations, and during these times, he would stay within his own Formation area to defend against the Blood Eye's erosion.
Generally, if dueling cultivators couldn't determine a victor, they would regain their sanity once the Blood Eye invaded and cease fighting.
But that occasion was strangely peculiar.
Within Chong Xu's perception, the intense confrontation of those hands suddenly vanished without a trace at a certain moment. He initially thought those two cultivators had perished together, but when he cautiously went to investigate afterward, he found not a single corpse in the area, only traces of a fierce battle remained.
Lu Ye was aware that Chong Xu's goal in investigation was not genuine, but a pretense for scavenging, so he did not point it out and simply asked, "Did the location where those two fought exceed Fellow Daoist's perception range?"
Chong Xu shook his head and said, "Impossible, although that position was not close to where I was, it still did not exceed the range of my Mental Consciousness. Their disappearance was very strange, happening in just an instant; however, it must be said, within this marvel indeed many cultivators have disappeared inexplicably."
This was something Lu Ye knew, because it was recorded in the Dwarf Race's intelligence.
The Dwarf Race suspected that those missing cultivators certainly include those who died in combat, but surely some accidentally contacted the core of Mount Fangcun!
Mount Fangcun is extremely mysterious; outwardly it appears small, but within it is an entire world. Even if it is divided into three, this mystery does not change.
Therefore, the lost core of Mount Fangcun must retain this feature; in other words, it is indeed a core, but inside, it absolutely contains another world!
If someone accidentally touches this core, they might fall into that world.
Over countless years, the Dwarf Race has sent Foreign Clan Moon Jade here; definitely, some have fallen into it and could not escape.
Chong Xu perceived those two cultivators who mysteriously disappeared ten years ago likely met this fate, otherwise Chong Xu would have detected something.
Upon hearing this, Lu Ye's interest was piqued, and he hurriedly sought details about the exact location of the cultivators' disappearance from Chong Xu.
Chong Xu spoke in response, "That location is quite distant from here; words alone are unclear, let me take you there."
He could tell Lu Ye was not inquiring casually, there must be a reason. He suspected Lu Ye might have elders missing here and wanted to investigate specifically. Receiving the favor, leading Lu Ye was not problematic.
"Thank you, Fellow Daoist." Lu Ye expressed heartfelt gratitude. If not mistaken, Mount Fangcun's core should be at that location.
The two promptly set off flying in that direction.
Within this marvel, a substantial number of meteorites filled the area, making it unwise to pilot a starboat forward; traversing with the body alone would be faster.
Along the way, Lu Ye chatted offhandedly with Chong Xu, hoping to gather more information; unfortunately, there were no substantial gains.
On the other hand, Chong Xu occasionally collected shaped spirit jade and spirit crystal from certain meteorites or patches of peculiar dust.
He has been here for over thirty years; undoubtedly, the spirit jade and spirit crystal he brought early on were already depleted, but fortunately, the interior of the marvel did not lack these materials. Consistent collecting satisfied his usual needs without issue.
After several days of travel, Chong Xu halted his advance, looked around for a moment, then opened his mouth to speak, "This should be the approximate area, but Fellow Daoist should understand, the environment within a marvel is not constant, so I can only make a rough estimate, not precisely."
Lu Ye nodded in understanding, "So, Fellow Daoist estimates, what could be the margin of error?"
"It may span as far as three thousand miles in radius," replied Chong Xu.
Three thousand miles... This is not merely a planar span but a complete spatial area encompassing three thousand miles; the scope is vast.
Even with Lu Ye's current strength, trying to comb through this three thousand miles would not be easy.
"Thank you, Fellow Daoist."
Chong Xu nodded, "Should trouble arise, send word to the elderly, I will also inform you if my perception picks up anything."
Chong Xu soon departed, without suggesting he would stay to help. Unaware of Lu Ye's intentions, making unsolicited offers might breach taboos; leaving immediately is wise.
Once Chong Xu left, Lu Ye stabilized his mind, then flicked his fingers, causing five drops of treasure blood to emerge and transform into his likeness.
Lu Ye then activated the power of his Talent Tree, fashioning a Talent Tree Avatar.
One true form and six avatars gathered.
"Get to work, get to work!" Lu Ye commanded, and the six avatars dispersed in all directions for thorough searching.
Lu Ye did not overlook each meteorite, considering the possibility that it might be the core of Mount Fangcun; rash contact could lead to downfall, so he remotely activated his Mana for direct attacks, ordinary meteorites could not withstand his methods and were immediately shattered into dust.
If any meteorite was not reduced to dust, it was undoubtedly suspicious and might be what Lu Ye was looking for.
