Chapter 1037: Begins

While Meng Zhang continued his arduous journey, Ouyang Jian and his group were almost reaching their destination.

Meng Zhang, on his own, had no understanding of the dangers within the Weeping Ghost Mountains; at most, he had heard some hearsay.

Ouyang Jian and Mo Qing True Monarch clearly had accurate intelligence support, providing them with a general understanding of what they would encounter along the way.

As a late-stage Primordial Spirit cultivator and a sword cultivator with a focus on combat, coupled with the unpredictable Demonic Cultivation, the Ghosts and ghostly beasts they encountered along the way were mostly easily defeated or driven away.

When Zhang Xingda lost his physical body and only his Primordial Spirit remained, he had a cultivation base at the mid-stage of Primordial Spirit.

After his cultivation base plummeted, he successfully transformed into a Ghost Deity upon arriving in Yin Capital. Through years of practice and accumulation, his strength gradually recovered to the mid-stage of Primordial Spirit.

Especially in a place like the Netherworld, which was the natural habitat of Ghost Deities, it allowed him to fully unleash his power.

He didn't make many moves, but each time he did, they were impactful and effective.

In terms of time, their group had a lead of about five or six days over Meng Zhang.

The two groups tracking them were close enough to benefit from their actions and didn't encounter significant trouble.

Regarding natural dangers such as the ubiquitous weeping sounds in the Weeping Ghost Mountains, they were well-prepared and knew to avoid them.

The two tracking groups were cunning individuals who promptly noticed when something was amiss from the actions of the group they were following, allowing them to evade danger.

As a result, these two tracking groups experienced the easiest and least strenuous journey.

Additionally, it's worth mentioning that before embarking on this expedition, Ouyang Jian and his group had indeed made sufficient preparations. They had all sorts of items to counteract the harsh environment of the Weeping Ghost Mountains.

Mo Qing True Monarch's Demonic Cultivation was already effective against Ghosts. Coupled with talismans and disposable magic tools to deal with Ghosts, they didn't have to exert much effort to clear a safe path.

Ouyang Jian and Mo Qing True Monarch had many spirit beast bags attached to them, containing low-level spirit beasts forcibly controlled for temporary reconnaissance.

When facing natural dangers like the weeping sounds, they could let these sacrificial spirit beasts go first to explore.

The performance of Ouyang Jian's group throughout their journey earned praise from Zhang Xingda, who commended them for being thoroughly prepared. Yin Capital had never had such a smooth exploration of the Weeping Ghost Mountains before.

After spending more than ten days, they finally reached their destination successfully.

This was a highly concealed valley nestled between towering mountain ranges.

Upon arrival, Zhang Xingda looked around, somewhat puzzled, and asked Ouyang Jian. This place seemed unremarkable; was it really suitable for Ouyang Huajin to transform into a Ghost Deity here?

Patiently, Ouyang Jian explained the situation to him.

Many years ago, a Cultivator ventured into the Weeping Ghost Mountains. In an attempt to evade pursuit by Ghosts, they inadvertently stumbled upon this location.

This Cultivator happened to be an excellent Geomancer who quickly recognized the unique location's auspicious Feng Shui, making it a suitable place for transforming into a Ghost Deity.

This Cultivator returned to the mortal world after that encounter.

Being acquainted with Ouyang Jian and having frequent interactions, this Cultivator, not too long ago, sought help from Ouyang Jian when Ouyang Huajin's body reconstruction failed. He provided Ouyang Jian not only with a secret method for transforming into a Ghost Deity but also revealed the existence of this place.

Hence, Ouyang Jian and his group embarked on this journey.

Zhang Xingda controlled earth energy and possessed the special ability of a Ghost Deity. He wasn't a Geomancer himself and wasn't familiar with geography, so he couldn't recognize the location's special attributes.

However, since Ouyang Jian mentioned that it was information provided by a good friend, Zhang Xingda refrained from saying much to avoid appearing distrustful of Ouyang Jian's friends.While Ouyang Jian was conversing with Zhang Xingda, Mo Qing True Monarch had already begun to move around under the pretense of surveying the earth's veins.

Mo Qing True Monarch had a mysterious background and a wealth of knowledge, and he possessed considerable abilities.

According to him, he also had some understanding of Geomancy. For the current situation, he made use of this knowledge to improvise as needed.

Mo Qing True Monarch circled around the valley and found a concealed spot, where he began to set up an altar.

In a short while, the altar was successfully arranged.

He began a ritual to connect with the mortal world.

After a while, a faint humanoid figure appeared above the altar.

This humanoid figure was named Lu Gangfeng and was an extremely rare Diviner.

Lu Gangfeng had originally served the Dali Dynasty as a Diviner. However, many years ago, Mo Qing True Monarch had found leverage over him, leading to Lu Gangfeng falling under Mo Qing True Monarch's control step by step.

The heritage of Demonic Cultivation came from beyond the realm, and its actions were despised by the heavens and the earth. Almost no Diviners appeared within Demonic Cultivation.

After Mo Qing True Monarch gained control over Lu Gangfeng, he regarded him as an important asset. Generally, he wouldn't easily use him unless it was a significant matter.

Lu Gangfeng had a Cultivation Base at the early stage of Primordial Spirit, and by normal standards, he should have had a lifespan of one to two thousand years.

However, multiple applications of his divine arts, deciphering heavenly secrets, led to him suffering backlashes from the heavens.

He had accumulated numerous hidden injuries and significantly reduced his lifespan.

As a Diviner, he naturally knew that cooperating with Demonic Cultivation would harm him and might even lead to him falling out of favor with the heavens.

However, as he got deeper into the situation, he found it increasingly difficult to break free from Mo Qing True Monarch's control.

With no other option, he had to deepen his cooperation with Mo Qing True Monarch and seek an alternative path for himself.

Lu Gangfeng had received a systematic inheritance as a Diviner. His skills in deciphering heavenly secrets had already reached the level of a Grand Diviner, allowing him to divine individuals or objects at the Primordial Spirit level.

If he was willing to pay a significant price, he could even divine higher-level entities.

This time, Ouyang Jian and his group had him employ his divine arts to provide guidance and protection during their operation.

If there were any issues during their mission, he could preemptively divine the outcome.

After contacting Mo Qing True Monarch, Lu Gangfeng immediately began to inquire whether their mission had encountered any problems.

Lu Gangfeng's face was filled with bitterness. Throughout the operation, he had performed various divinations, but at a great cost.

He informed Mo Qing True Monarch that their mission would encounter some obstacles, but overall, the chances of success were high.

Lu Gangfeng didn't provide overly specific answers, not because he intended to deceive but because that was the result of his divinations.

The results of divination were just one among countless possibilities.

The future was filled with variables, and even the most adept Diviner couldn't fully grasp them all.

The higher the Diviner's Cultivation Base, the greater the cost they had to pay. However, the results of their divinations would be more accurate and closer to the most likely future events.

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