Emotionally speaking, he preferred to believe his third uncle was dead.
Realistically speaking, the old bastard had most likely run away, deliberately keeping him in the dark, wanting him to take the blame for this failure.
The second guess was more in line with reality, wasn't it?
Because of this, Yuan Qu's nerves were stretched taut, to a point where they could snap at any moment.
Just then, a subordinate at the third level of Qi Refining hurried over, his expression somewhat strange.
"City Lord Yuan, the Envoy has ordered the operation to begin."
"What?"
Yuan Qu nearly jumped, grabbing the subordinate's lapel, his eyes bloodshot.
"Is he insane? It's broad daylight! Large-scale abductions will definitely be discovered by the higher-ups!"
"No, it's not that..." the subordinate said anxiously.
"The Envoy and a few disciples from the Lingsong Sect seem to want to conduct a city-wide search for a mysterious person. This person captured the Envoy's disciple last night, a cultivator named Wang Wu."
Yuan Qu calmed down a little at this.
"Wang Wu? I know him. He's missing?"
"Yes."
"That little bastard! Causing trouble for me at a time like this."
After cursing a few times, Yuan Qu gradually cooled down, feeling something was off. The image of his third uncle's impeccably clean bamboo hut resurfaced in his mind.
"Wait, where is the Envoy sent by the Lingsong Sect?"
The subordinate wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
"The Envoy said he's going outside the city to search, leaving the city to us."
"Bullshit! He ran... he must have run away!"
In this world, the smarter people are, the more they trust their own judgment. But there's also a type of stubborn person who believes they are与众不同 (unique), starting sentences with "Am I the only one who thinks..." trying to show off their superiority and uniqueness, unaware that they look like clowns in others' eyes. They can't see others' merits or their own flaws. While being stubborn, they forever live in their own world.
Yuan Qu fell somewhere between this type of person and a smart person. His mind wasn't particularly sharp, but he firmly believed the truth he had deduced. He was convinced the old City Lord and the Envoy had run away, so they had run away! He couldn't see the不合理之处 (illogical aspects) of this deduction. For example, why did the old City Lord let him inherit Stone Lake City? Why retire nearby? He couldn't see the mission the Envoy carried, stubbornly fixated on the "truth" he had guessed.
"It must be a Heavenly Void Sword Sect Roamer... We need to run... It'll be too late if we don't, we'll die... Yes... Time to run!"
Yuan Qu muttered to himself in a voice barely audible.
After a long while, he finally looked up.
"Pass the order. Everyone is to execute the abduction mission immediately. Bring all the captured people to the entrance of Tunnel Four and wait for the Envoy's instructions."
"Yes."
The subordinate received the order without further questions and immediately went to carry it out.
Once the subordinate was far away, Yuan Qu, who seemed calm and composed, staggered away like a panicked dog. Judging by the direction, he was probably going to pack his valuables. Clearly not brave, yet insisting on doing such things—it was hard to understand.
......
......
In an unknown mountain forest, Wang Yu, carrying the unconscious Wang Wu over his shoulder, used the Thousand-Mile Divine Movement art, heading straight towards the direction of Black Mountain Pass. He wasn't familiar with the terrain of the Taihu Spiritual Domain, but he knew the direction to Black Mountain Pass. Using it as a landmark, to the north was the Withered Leaf Swamp, and to the south were the **Black Mountain Demon Lands**.
Both these areas had Core Formation level demon beasts ruling over territories, and not just one.
According to his plan, he wouldn't be able to return to the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect in the short term. He was prepared to achieve Foundation Establishment within the Taihu Spiritual Domain. The resources were ready, Wang Wu was captured, he only needed to wait for the secret art to reach perfection. Once he successfully broke through, he would directly traverse one of these two dangerous places. After returning to the sect, he would plan his next steps.
What he needed to do now was set up a sufficiently hidden temporary cave dwelling and quietly wait for the day of success.
Compared to the harsh environment of the swamp, the Black Mountain Demon Lands were a primitive landscape composed of mountain ranges, rich with spiritual energy, possessing multiple third-tier spiritual veins, with many derived second and first-tier veins as well. For his cultivation, except during realm breakthroughs, he had almost no requirements for the environment. As long as he found a suitable location on the periphery, he could live in seclusion.
Furthermore, the six members of the slave-catching team who had headed north on a secret mission had disappeared and not returned. Heading south was also a deliberate move to avoid them. In case they met, it would be hard to explain. No matter how you looked at it, his choice was quite reasonable.
Traveling like this, he encountered no surprises. It took him a little over half a month to barely reach his destination. Wang Wu woke up a few times along the way, but each time Wang Yu knocked him out with a heavy slap. By now, his entire face was swollen, and his neck hung limply, possessing a certain美感 (aesthetic) of a dislocated spine.
The appearance of the Black Mountain Demon Lands was different from the Profound Bone Mountain or Spider Mountain he had seen before. The land was fertile, spiritual energy abundant, the air filled with the fresh scent of nature. Ancient trees hundreds of meters tall were everywhere, vegetation was lush, life was vigorous. The grasses and plants on the ground reached over ten feet high; a person dropping into them would seem to vanish.
Only cultivators came to such places, either to hunt demon beasts or to search for spiritual herbs and rare treasures. Because these two areas were临近 (adjacent to) Black Mountain Pass, normal Taihu Spiritual Domain cultivators usually stayed in **[Black Hero City]** near the pass, using it as a base for activities in the surrounding area.
Wang Yu had no identity here, so it was unwise to approach recklessly. After all, he didn't even know the common knowledge of the cultivation world here. It was better to keep his distance.
"This is the place."
After entering the Black Mountain Demon Lands, Wang Yu stopped flying on the Blue Butterfly Sword and instead traveled through the forest on foot. As he ventured deeper, he occasionally encountered second-tier demon beasts. He would then use the invisibility art derived from the Hidden Dragon Treasure Bone to detour around the edges.
He only stopped when he reached the border between the outermost mountains and the inner periphery, at the point of transition. Given his personality, preparing for rainy days was the norm.
The maps he had collected over time back in the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect proved somewhat useful. Although he didn't have a map of the Taihu Spiritual Domain, the Black Mountain Demon Lands also bordered the Scarlet Kite Demon Domain. Both were exploration sites for cultivators from both paths, equivalent to commonly explored areas for both sides. Rough or incomplete maps did exist.
After仔细辨认 (carefully identifying) the area, Wang Yu walked a few *li* to the right. A cliff face that looked as if cleaved by an axe and chiseled came into view, with an exaggerated fissure in the center that was extremely eye-catching. This was the result of natural evolution.
Seeing the Split Cliff, Wang Yu finally felt somewhat settled. He entered from the bottom, advancing along the narrow path, turned three corners, walked several dozen more steps, and then it suddenly opened up.
A whole new world inside!
This was a refuge discovered three hundred years ago by a demonic sect disciple. Back then, the demonic sects invaded the Taihu Spiritual Domain. After plundering, while returning with their spoils, they were ambushed by righteous path cultivators. Outnumbered, they scattered and fled into the Black Mountain Demon Lands to survive. That's how they discovered this place.
Wang Yu had found this information in the biographies of cultivators in the **[Discourse Hall]**. The biography's author was a Foundation Establishment cultivator who had already passed away. Therefore, this place was relatively safe.
**(End of Chapter)**