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Chapter 48 – Burning Heaven Mountain Range!

It was Long Chen’s first time entering the Desolate Beastlands from the Desolate Mountains. On his last trip here, he wasn’t sure from which direction he had entered because of Ling Xi’s frantic flying.

Back then, he had only been strong enough to defeat a Fourth Draconic Stage cultivator. Now his capabilities had skyrocketed and after the Dragon Soul Transformation, he could catch up to the Ninth Draconic Stage.

With his strength now, as long as he didn’t encounter any extraordinary beasts like the Moon Devouring Wolf, he would not be in danger.

The strongest demonic beasts in the Desolate Mountains were only at the Category 8 Yellow tier but it was different in the Desolate Beastlands. The beasts were stronger the more deeply one ventured into the area. There was also the possibility of stronger beasts wandering out of the area.

After all, the Moon Devouring Wolf definitely did not belong to the area of the forest Long Chen had been in.

Despite having strength on his side, Long Chen moved extremely cautiously.

The deeper parts of the Desolate Beastlands were shrouded in white, dense mist. There were grey-brown hills and strange withered trees as far as the eye could see. A creepy chill greeted every visitor and the scent of blood wafted through the air. The bones of unknown beasts were scattered around the place, some of them so ancient that they turned to dust at the slightest touch.

Ling Xi was afraid to enter the place again. She had been resting on Long Chen’s shoulder but when she saw such a creepy sight, she returned to her sword in a hurry. “Based on the map, the Dream Lingzhi Mushroom is located in the outer ring of the Desolate Beastlands. It’s not as deep as the part we were in the last time. It’s called the Burning Heaven Mountain Range and if we hurry, it’ll only take us half a day at most to arrive.”

Now that he’d confirmed his destination and direction and with Ling Xi’s powerful senses guiding him, they could avoid stronger beasts or attack weaker beasts. That was why their journey went smoothly.

Half a day passed slowly. “Although the Burning Heaven Mountain Range is considered the outer part of the Desolate Beastlands, it still takes up a huge area. I don’t know if there’s Dream Lingzhi Mushroom there so we must look carefully.”

“If we don’t find it, let’s go home. The Ascension Fruit ...” said Ling Xi worriedly.

“Hey, we haven’t even started looking and you’re saying we won’t find it. You’re so pessimistic.”

Although the skies were already dark in the Desolate Beastlands, there was still a contrast between night and day. It would be more dangerous to travel at night since it was harder to see.

Long Chen could see a black patch of hills far away. It was too bad that it was already late and they couldn’t continue traveling. “Whatever. It’s going to be hard to spot the Dream Lingzhi Mushrooms even if they’re there. We’ll search tomorrow when there’s light outside.”

Ling Xi had been using her senses to survey their surroundings, which depleted her soul’s energy. Therefore, she was also exhausted and heaved a sigh of relief when Long Chen said they could rest.

“There are many caves used by beasts as nesting spots in the Desolate Beastlands. I need to find one, and kill the beasts inside. It’ll be safer that way.”

Long Chen started searching for nests. Since it was a mountainous region, caves were easy to find. When he found one, he killed a few of the Category 5 and 6 Yellow-tier beasts inside, cleaned up, and started a fire to cook food.

At this point, Ling Xi was already sound asleep.

When he just started the fire, there was a rustling sound outside and Long Chen stood up immediately. Two muscular men felt their way into the cave. When they saw that the person inside was such a young teenager, they froze. One of the men, who was clad in animal skin, sneered maliciously and spoke with a hint of mockery, “You’re so young to be coming to the Desolate Beastlands. What a brave boy indeed.”

The other man was thin and scholarly. He regarded Long Chen for a while, then grinned at his partner. “I think he’s already at the Seventh Draconic Stage. If only he wasn’t so stupid, he would’ve become a prominent figure one day. It’s too bad ...”

Neither of them looked at Long Chen and acted as if he weren’t there. They walked casually into the cave and sat next to the fire that Long Chen started.

Long Chen eyed both of them closely, putting on a fearful expression on his face. These two men must’ve noticed Long Chen’s presence and entered to check if Long Chen was a threat to them. And when they saw that he was only at the Seventh Draconic Stage, they relaxed completely and decided to stay in the cave.

These two are merely at the Eighth Draconic Stage, neither is a match for me. But it’s obvious that they come to the Desolate Beastlands often and must be quite familiar with the place. It would be best if I could learn a bit more about the Dream Lingzhi Mushroom from them. These two aren’t Bai Shidong so violence might not make them comply. Since they’re underestimating me now, I think pretending to be a kiss-ass will work ...

Long Chen quickly put on an ingratiating expression and sashayed over to the two men, speaking with full reverence, “I’m Long Chen, nice to meet you two big brothers. I can tell that you’re both very powerful and I’m so in awe of you. My karma has led me to meet you two in the Desolate Beastlands, and I’m extremely honored. May I know your names?”

The two men had initially thought Long Chen was one of those arrogant young masters who looked down on others just because they had gained a small achievement. Yet, Long Chen was being as humble as a servant and they weren’t the kind to kill someone who treated them well. If Long Chen had been angry when they took over the cave, they would’ve killed him but they suddenly weren’t so sure of what to do when Long Chen welcomed them with smiles.

They looked at the admiration in Long Chen’s eyes and then at each other. The tall muscular man said flatly, “My name is Chen Xiongzhou and this is Feng Mingyang. We’re from Yuanling City.”

So they’re from Yuanling City! Long Chen had always revered Yuanling City. This meant he could also learn something about Yuanling City. “Ah, so you’re Brother Chen and Brother Feng! Looking at you two, I know you must’ve explored the Desolate Beastlands for a long time already. I’m sincerely in awe that you can stay so long in a place like this. I’ve always liked exploring all my life so, I challenged myself to come to the Desolate Beastlands. I didn’t know how dangerous it would be; if I hadn’t met you two, I don’t know how I would have survived tonight.”

Long Chen was expressive, and he lathered on a thick layer of sincerity with a dash of flattery. The two men immediately felt respected and their contemptuous expressions relaxed slightly.

“You know, I think you’re just looking for death coming to the Desolate Beastlands at your age and cultivation level.”

After Chen Xiongzhou finished, Feng Mingyang stroked his beard and scolded Long Chen like an old man, “You’re a smart one, kid. But smarts isn’t enough to survive in this world. If you hadn’t met us–a young kid like you sitting alone here, anyone else would’ve robbed and killed you!” Long Chen nodded hurriedly, openly cursing himself for being stupid, saying if he hadn’t met these two kind men, he would’ve died in this desolate place!

Long Chen was aware that these two were clearly there to kill him. If it weren’t for his quick acting, they would’ve attacked already.

Long Chen continued to shower them with compliments. After about an hour, the two men were completely at ease from the flattery. All they thought was that Long Chen was an obedient kid who knew how to respect his elders. “Right, Brother Long Chen, did you stop here because you want to enter the Burning Heaven Mountain Range?”

Long Chen nodded. “Yes.”

Feng Mingyang nodded and said, “I didn’t expect you to notice the abnormalities in Burning Heaven too. Brother Chen and I have also been observing them outside the Burning Heaven Mountain Range for a few days now. The temperature has risen so high; there’s something strange going on indeed. Neither of us dared to enter recklessly and you’re already here to investigate despite being at the Seventh Draconic Stage. You’re a bit too brave.”

Long Chen froze, then smiled bitterly after a long pause. “To be honest, I haven’t noticed anything strange since entering the Burning Heaven Mountain Range. I’m actually here looking for the Dream Lingzhi Mushroom. I wonder if you two know if there’s Dream Lingzhi Mushroom in the Burning Heaven Mountain Range?”

When the two men realized that Long Chen hadn’t known about the strange phenomenon and they had accidentally revealed more information to him, they grew slightly frustrated. But then they recalled that Long Chen was only at the Seventh Draconic Stage and even if there were any treasures in the Burning Heaven Mountain Range, Long Chen wouldn’t be able to get them. They relaxed with that thought.

These two men are clearly hunting for treasure in Burning Heaven Valley. When they saw a stranger like me, naturally they were cautious and wanted to kill me ...

Long Chen’s objective was obtaining the Dream Lingzhi Mushroom so to prevent further misunderstandings, he quickly told them his objective. When Feng Mingyang heard about the mushroom, he nodded, “The Burning Heaven Mountain Range indeed produces the Dream Lingzhi Mushroom and we’ve gone there to collect them before. We do know the approximate locations where you might find them ...”

Long Chen was ecstatic. Acting like a kiss-ass worked! He said hurriedly, “Is it possible for you two to bring me to the place?”

The two men looked at each other. They knew about the strange phenomenon in the Burning Heaven Mountain Range but Long Chen was a surprise. They had planned to kill Long Chen to prevent any unexpected events but when they saw that Long Chen was so young, they guessed he had a powerful family, and they didn’t dare act recklessly. After discovering that Long Chen hadn’t known about the strange phenomenon and feeling comforted by his flattery, they said, “Sure. We want to investigate tomorrow; I don’t think it’ll be a problem to bring you. But the Burning Heaven Mountain Range is a dangerous place. Once you find the Dream Lingzhi Mushroom, you must leave quickly or you’ll be risking your life here!”

Long Chen heard the implied threat but pretended not to. He thanked them gratefully, “Thank you so much! If I find the Dream Lingzhi Mushroom, I will definitely return the favor greatly.”

Long Chen knew what these two were thinking. He was a sly fellow himself after mixing around in the streets all his life. “Since you’re from Yuanling City, could you tell me about the Lingwu family?”

Feng Mingyang saw that there was still a long time until daylight and he had nothing to do so he replied, “Do you also want to enter the Lingwu family? With your age and capabilities, you’ll have a chance in a few years’ time when you enter the Ninth Draconic Stage.”

“Do you both want to enter the Lingwu family too?”

Chen Xiongzhou nodded but sighed. “You must pass an examination if you want to enter the Lingwu family. One of the requirements is that you must be thirty years old or under, yet you must possess the cultivation of at least the Ninth Draconic Stage. Both of us are turning thirty so this will be our last chance. If we still can’t reach the Ninth Draconic Stage, we won’t be eligible anymore.”

Long Chen was shocked. In Baiyang Town, you were considered the ultimate master if you were at the Ninth Draconic Stage. But this was the bare minimum to enter the Lingwu family, in addition to their age limit of thirty. The gap between his town and Yuanling City was huge.

When Chen Xiongzhou saw Long Chen’s shocked expression, he said, “I’m guessing you haven’t been to Yuanling City, have you? You won’t be able to imagine how big Yuanling City is. It’s practically a small country on its own with a radius of 250 kilometers. It’s around 500 kilometers from the east end to the west end of the city. There are two smaller cities in Yuanling City which each cover a fifth of Yuanling City. One of them is the Lingwu family’s base, Lingwu City!

“There are about 20,000 recognized members of the Lingwu family and all of them are above the Ninth Draconic Stage. The family is divided into the inner and outer family. When people like us pass the examination, we can only enter the outer family while the true masters of the Lingwu family are all inner family members who are part of the blood lineage extending a thousand years back. In fact, that inner family is the true Lingwu family and people like us are just mercenaries. But even being a mercenary is a proud status to have.”

The two men were filled with admiration when they talked about the Lingwu family.

Long Chen was also deeply in awe. Twenty thousand people ... All of them above the Ninth Draconic Stage? I can’t believe the Lingwu family is this huge. Yuanling City is just a county city in Cangyang Kingdom but it’s already gigantic. Then how big is the Ten Thousand Nations Territory that Father and Ling Xi speak of and the Dragon Continent?

Long Chen felt helpless when he thought about the vastness of the world.

He suddenly thought about Xiaolang, who was also in the Lingwu family. I wonder if he’s part of the inner or outer family ... Based on his talents, he should be an inner family member.

Then Chen Xiongzhou spoke in a low voice, “My family will get the Lingwu family’s protection only if I become part of their outer family. This isn’t the kind of protection a mayor provides but true protection. They’ll send masters to clean up every possible enemy I have! If I perform well, the sky’s the limit!”

Long Chen committed his words to memory.

The helplessness within him disappeared. When he thought about the dragon pendant and the mysterious Inherited Blood Essence, he was filled with confidence. If that blood essence truly belongs to the Ancient Bloodsoul Dragon, what’s there for me to be afraid of? That’s literally one of the Ten Ancient Dragon Ancestors ...”