Sect Master’s Immortal Journey

Chapter 532: Picking

Amidst the howling gale and swirling yellow sand, An Xiaoran led a group of cultivators through the treacherous Deadly Sea of Sand. Ever since becoming a Second Rank Alchemist, An Xiaoran had devoted a significant portion of her energy to refining various elixirs. This not only met the needs of her sect but also aligned with her personal interests.

Having mastered the alchemy techniques passed down by the Layered Mystery Sect, An Xiaoran had acquired numerous prescriptions. The last team to return from the Deadly Sea of Sand brought back some news. They discovered a large patch of Silver Moon Grass near the Black Wind Grave. They had intended to harvest it, but their plans were thwarted by the sudden appearance of a horde of sand monsters. Realizing that they couldn't venture into that dangerous area on their own, the surviving team members returned to the Demon Wind Gobi and sold the information.

Since about ten years ago, under the leadership of the Taiyi Sect, the entire Hanhai Alliance had launched a large-scale exploration of the Deadly Sea of Sand. More and more cultivators joined the exploration teams, and the scale of the expeditions continued to grow. Some of the unique resources within the Deadly Sea of Sand were already quite valuable, and the Taiyi Sect offered generous premiums for their acquisition. For the teams traveling to and from the Demon Wind Gobi, the Taiyi Sect provided various conveniences such as free supplies and maps.

News of teams striking it rich overnight spread quickly throughout the Endless Sea of Sand, and even reached the Jiuqu League, thanks to the deliberate promotion by the Taiyi Sect. Now, not only the cultivators of the Taiyi Sect and the Hanhai Alliance, but also the Foundation Building stage cultivators of the Northern Desert Qi Family and the Flying Swan Sect, were forming teams to explore the area. Many cultivators from Great Wind City, who were officially considered loose cultivators, were actually members of the major cultivation families in Great Wind City, as revealed by the intelligence from the Secret Hall.

Meng Zhang did not prevent external cultivators from entering the Deadly Sea of Sand. Firstly, the area was too vast with numerous bordering regions, making it impossible for him to stop everyone. Secondly, the Deadly Sea of Sand was extremely dangerous, and the more cannon fodder there was to explore, the better. In reality, among the many teams entering the Deadly Sea of Sand, only a few were able to reap any rewards. Not to mention the teams that suffered casualties, many of them returned empty-handed, having wasted talismans, elixirs, and other resources. If it weren't for the various subsidies provided by the Taiyi Sect, these teams would have long been unable to sustain themselves financially.

The phenomenon of trading various resource information had become very common. An Xiaoran needed some Silver Moon Grass to refine a certain elixir, but she had been unsuccessful in acquiring it through the channels of her sect. Fortunately, her younger brother, An Moran, was the Hall Master of the Secret Hall in charge of intelligence affairs for the Taiyi Sect. He was well-informed and resourceful. After exerting her sisterly authority over him, An Xiaoran managed to obtain the information through An Moran's efforts.

Originally, An Moran wanted An Xiaoran to hire a team to harvest the large patch of Silver Moon Grass. However, An Xiaoran was both distrustful of others and impatient. As a result, she organized a team within her sect and set out to harvest the Silver Moon Grass herself.

As a Taiyi Sect Alchemist, An Xiaoran was theoretically under the supervision of Pill Hall Hall Master Zhang Yingying. However, An Xiaoran didn't think highly of Zhang Yingying and refused to accept her authority. Although Meng Zhang strictly prohibited production cultivators from entering the Deadly Sea of Sand, An Xiaoran was different from the weak production cultivators within the sect. She cultivated the superior technique "Fusang Sutra" from the Layered Mystery Sect, which directly targeted the Primordial Spirit Grand Dao. With a mid-Foundation Building cultivation base, her combat strength was remarkable. Meng Zhang was unable to refuse her due to her persistence and, for the purpose of tempering his disciples, tacitly allowed her actions.

An Xiaoran was not reckless. Knowing the dangers within the Deadly Sea of Sand, she made thorough preparations in advance. She had a good relationship with Delicate Water Spirit General and had received much guidance from her. Meng Zhang had kept the news of Delicate Water Spirit General's restoration to the Gold Core stage hidden well, and only the three Guardian Spirit Generals were aware of it within the sect.

Originally, An Xiaoran wanted to find Delicate Water Spirit General and invite her to join the expedition. However, Delicate Water Spirit General had already left the Taiyi Sect and ventured deep into the Demon Wind Gobi. Failing to locate Delicate Water Spirit General, An Xiaoran turned to Shocking Thunder Spirit General instead. Without much hesitation, Shocking Thunder Spirit General agreed to join her team.

Subsequently, An Xiaoran invited the Qian brothers, Qian Kaiyu, to join the team. The Qian brothers were experienced loose cultivators who had roamed the Cultivation World for many years and possessed abundant knowledge.Many teams that disappeared silently in the Deadly Sea of Sand were likely victims of the schemes of Ghost Cultivators and Demonic Cultivators. In recent years, more and more cultivator teams have entered the Deadly Sea of Sand. Occasionally, some teams have encountered Ghost Cultivators and Demonic Cultivators, resulting in tragic casualties.

An Xiaoran insisted on having Shocking ThunderSpirit General accompany her to prevent any unexpected encounters with Ghost Cultivators or Demonic Cultivators. "We're almost there," she said as the team traveled a long and arduous journey, their morale somewhat low. An Xiaoran encouraged everyone.

The journey hasn't been smooth. They have encountered sand monsters several times along the way and have experienced several life-and-death battles, leaving everyone exhausted.

Up ahead is the Black Wind Grave, where Ghost Cultivators often gather. In the Deadly Sea of Sand, it is rare to find cultivators at the Gold Core stage. Even among the Ghost Cultivators, the highest cultivation base is only at the False Core stage. However, Ghost Cultivators are treacherous and not easy opponents to deal with.

Cultivators who enter the Deadly Sea of Sand know that the Black Wind Grave is the stronghold of Ghost Cultivators and deliberately avoid it. They rarely approach unless absolutely necessary.

The team that discovered the Silver Moon Grass happened to take the wrong path and ended up in that location. They were initially planning to directly harvest the Silver Moon Grass but lost the courage to do so when they encountered sand monsters and discovered the presence of Ghost Cultivators. Instead, they decided to sell the information for profit. It was through An Moran's well-informed connections that they obtained this information.

The closer they got to the Black Wind Grave, the more cautious everyone became. Each person mustered their spirits and observed their surroundings.

Perhaps all the bad luck they had encountered along the way had been exhausted, as An Xiaoran and her team began to have a stroke of good luck. They safely reached their destination without any unexpected incidents.

An Xiaoran could hardly believe her good fortune. With the protection of her teammates, she quickly harvested the mature parts of the Silver Moon Grass.

The Silver Moon Grass is a spirit herb that has strict requirements for its growth environment. As a qualified alchemist, An Xiaoran did not exploit the resources but only harvested the mature medicinal plants, leaving the immature ones untouched. She only made a note of this information for future reference.

After harvesting the herbs, An Xiaoran relaxed and said with a smile, "My little brother may not have any other skills, but he's good at gathering information. It's quite unexpected that he could provide such accurate information."

The terrain in the Deadly Sea of Sand often changes, making it difficult to navigate. Besides accurate intelligence, An Xiaoran's luck was truly remarkable for them to successfully find this place.

Before An Xiaoran finished speaking, her expression suddenly changed, and she turned her head abruptly to the left. Shocking ThunderSpirit General had already anticipated her reaction and looked in that direction.

The others, only now realizing something was amiss, followed their gaze. Their faces initially showed confusion, then extreme shock.

In the distant sky, dark black clouds rapidly moved towards them. In front of the clouds, a white whirlwind swiftly moved as if evading the pursuit of the clouds.

An Xiaoran's face turned serious, and she hesitantly asked Shocking ThunderSpirit General, "Demonic Cultivation?"

Shocking ThunderSpirit General didn't speak but nodded in confirmation. Though Demonic Cultivation was still far away, his body had already started to emit flickering electric lights, and his eyes seemed as if they were about to spew fire.

As An Xiaoran, a direct disciple of Meng Zhang, she had learned many secrets from him, including some history of the Taiyi Sect and the origins of Shocking ThunderSpirit General. The Taiyi Sect, rebuilt in the Grand Crossing Mountain Range, was destroyed during the demonic calamity. Shocking ThunderSpirit General himself had his physical body destroyed and his soul severely injured during the battle against demons, forcing him into a long slumber. If it weren't for Meng Zhang's revival of the sect, Shocking ThunderSpirit General might never have had the chance to awaken.

Seeing Demonic Cultivation appear before them, Shocking ThunderSpirit General's eyes turned bloodshot. As a senior who had lived for many years, he could hardly contain his anger. An Xiaoran had thought that perhaps there were misunderstandings about Shocking ThunderSpirit General among the others. Unexpectedly, he erupted at this moment.

The white whirlwind rapidly flew towards them, closely pursued by the black clouds. They were about to reach the group.

An Xiaoran had intended to lead the team to take cover first. Fighting against Demonic Cultivation held no benefits for her.

"I'll leave the Ghost Cultivator in front to you. I'll deal with the Demonic Cultivation behind," Shocking ThunderSpirit General said, taking the initiative to fly into the sky to meet them.

An Xiaoran smiled wryly. She had heard that Shocking ThunderSpirit General had a hot temper and a penchant for battle. Throughout the journey, he had been obediently playing the role of a team member, never taking the lead in any decision-making. An Xiaoran had even wondered if there were misunderstandings about Shocking ThunderSpirit General. Unexpectedly, he erupted at this moment.

As a junior disciple in the sect, An Xiaoran couldn't disregard the senior's presence and focus solely on avoiding the battle. She called out to the five cultivators behind her and led them to attack the white whirlwind.

An Xiaoran didn't fully understand the origin of the white whirlwind, but since Shocking ThunderSpirit General had identified it as a Ghost Cultivator, there was likely some truth to it. As a righteous cultivator, it was only natural to take action when encountering a Ghost Cultivator.

An Xiaoran, with her Fire-Wood attribute, had been practicing the "Burning Wood Technique" since she was young. Later, she switched to the "Fusang Sutra" of the Layered Mystery Sect. The Fire-Wood attribute cultivation technique not only aided her in refining pills but also had the advantage of countering Ghost Cultivators in battles.

An Xiaoran flew to the front of the white whirlwind and with a single move, a large green tree rose up in front of her. Flames fell from the tree, flying towards the white whirlwind.

The Qian Family brothers and the other three Foundation Building cultivators also attacked the white whirlwind simultaneously.

The white whirlwind quickly dissipated, revealing a snow-white skull.

The Ghost Cultivator, who had been chased by Demonic Cultivation for quite some time, was already severely injured. After being attacked by An Xiaoran and her team, he immediately lost all his strength, barely clinging to half his life.

"I surrender, I surrender. Please, don't attack anymore," the white skull pleaded incessantly.

An Xiaoran had never encountered a Ghost Cultivator before and was unaware of their nature. However, it was quite unexpected for a Ghost Cultivator, known for their cruelty and ruthlessness in the Cultivation World, to be so weak and cowardly. With the opponent surrendering, An Xiaoran thought it would be a good opportunity to capture a prisoner and gather more information about the Deadly Sea of Sand.

She took out a crimson net and placed the skull inside, affixing a talisman to prevent the captive from escaping.

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