Rat in Yellow Wind Ridge, rising from plundering entries

Chapter 18 Fortune and Misfortune Intertwined, Gaining the Divine Wood Spirit Root, and the Transformation of Yellow Wind Ridge!

Yellow Wind King followed his instincts to the entrance of a cave. As he stepped inside, the scenery abruptly changed, and the roar of a fierce beast echoed.

A black bear stood upright, towering three to four zhang tall, swinging its massive palms the size of millstones towards him. Yellow Wind King remained motionless, his gaze penetrating the illusion—it was merely an illusionary restriction.

During his three years at Fangcun Mountain, he had obtained three more opportunities to upgrade his traits.

[Master of Refining (Red)] upgraded to [Grandmaster of Refining (Purple)]! [Grandmaster of Refining (Red)]: Your success rate in refining magical artifacts increases by 100%. The probability of refining a spiritual artifact increases by 30%, and the probability of refining a spiritual treasure increases by 0.1%. You can independently develop various instruments.

…

[Master of Formations (Red)] upgraded to [Grandmaster of Formations (Purple)]! [Grandmaster of Formations]: You have deep knowledge of all types of restrictions and formations. Your efficiency in comprehending and breaking restrictions and formations increases by 70%. You have a certain chance to gain insights and create entirely new formations and restrictions during cultivation.

…

[Master of Spearmanship (Red)] upgraded to [Grandmaster of Spearmanship (Purple)]! [Grandmaster of Spearmanship]: Your spear techniques double in power. Any spear technique is instantly understood upon witnessing it, and you can master and even create new spear techniques.

A grandmaster was already the pinnacle of human capabilities. Many formations and restrictions were as good as nonexistent before Yellow Wind King’s eyes.

“A mere illusion formation, nothing but a petty trick!”

With his eyes, he clearly saw through the restriction’s pattern. Lifting his spear, he pierced a key node—the formation’s core. The illusion vanished, and so did the cave. In its place was a woodland clearing where a small tree had taken root in a crater.

It stood only a foot tall, yet its roots were thick and gnarled like an ancient bonsai. Its main trunk sprawled like a dragon, with only three leaves.

Each leaf was spaced three inches apart—the first was moon-white, the second was golden-red, and the third was fiery crimson. Its roots clutched a fist-sized meteorite that radiated multicolored light—it was none other than a Five-Colored Stone.

The surrounding area was dense with spiritual energy. Clearly, this was a spirit tree. It might have once been an ordinary seed, but by sheer fortune, it was struck by the Five-Colored Stone.

Bathed in its spiritual essence, the seed mutated, transforming into a spirit tree that constructed an illusionary barrier to protect itself.

“What’s its purpose?”

Yellow Wind King was curious, yet he found no trait information on the small tree. He pondered for a moment and said, “Since I was able to find you, it means we are destined. If we are destined, then I won’t be polite.”

The small tree seemed to possess sentience—its leaves dimmed, trembling in fear.

Yellow Wind King paid it no mind. He dug up the roots and wrapped them in a pouch, thinking it would make an excellent bonsai decoration.

Worried that the tree might not adapt to the soil at Yellow Wind Ridge, he also scooped up a bag of the crater’s most fertile soil. Having gathered his finds, he traveled dozens of miles before forming a hand seal, riding the clouds, and soaring over the Flowing Sands River.

“Hmm?”

Before long, Yellow Wind King stopped mid-air, gazing ahead. A mass of ominous and deathly energy churned in the sky, forming a sinister dark cloud. Beneath the dark cloud was a walled city. Squinting, he read the inscription on the gate–Flowing Sands Nation!

Outside the city, the river had dried up, fish and shrimp lay dead, the land cracked under the scorching heat, and eerie white bones littered the ground, where vultures circled in search of carrion.

Inside the city, Plague and miasma swirled, with ghosts and demonic entities wandering freely. There were no longer any living inhabitants—the city had completely fallen into ruin.

“Sigh, a calamity!”

Yellow Wind King sighed.

Before leaving, he had sent a prophetic dream, unsure if it had saved anyone. If it had, then at least he had earned some merit.

“If I had known that merit could offset tribulations, I would have saved some people before leaving.”

Yellow Wind King avoided the dark cloud and looked down at Yellow Wind Ridge. Its central mountain range stretched north to south for eight hundred miles.

The highest peaks reached the sky, while the lowest extended to the underworld. The terrain was treacherous, with cliffs like Soul-Snatching Precipice and caves like Dragon-Hiding Cavern. Over ten thousand streams flowed into the Flowing Sands River, while hundreds of lakes adorned the landscape like scattered pearls.

Yellow Wind King surveyed the mountains and waters, spotting a prime location. The mountain was neither too tall nor too short, surrounded by eight peaks forming a natural Eight Trigrams Nine Palaces configuration. At its base, rivers wound together to form a large lake. It was dawn.

Mist rose from the water, drifting along the mountains, painting the scene in hues of jade and sapphire, enshrouding the peaks in a veil of emerald haze.

“Building a palace and pavilions here would surely make it an immortal’s paradise.”

Yellow Wind King thought to himself. Even immortals required proper living conditions, and now that he had reached a certain level in cultivation, his standards had naturally risen. If one could live in a grand estate, who would settle for a damp underground burrow?

Yellow Wind King began planning in his mind. He descended from the clouds, landing directly outside Rat Hole Cave. Outside the cave, Yellow Wind King surveyed the scene—trees had withered, cobwebs covered the area, and owls screeched mournfully, painting a picture of utter desolation.

It wasn’t just this area—the surrounding mountains also appeared sickly, half-dead.

“The dragon vein is dead, affecting this area as well. The spiritual energy here is mixed with ominous and miasmic energy, making it unsuitable for cultivation.”

The massive stone that once sealed the cave entrance was gone, and a huge opening had been torn into the cave. Clearly, someone had broken in. The small demons of Yellow Wind Ridge numbered in the thousands, possibly tens of thousands. Many had tried to seize this cave, not just the Red Serpent.

As he was contemplating, rustling sounds came from inside the cave, followed by a wave of foul, black miasma gushing from the opening. Yellow Wind King stepped back and saw a swarm of black scorpions, each the size of a fist, raising their venomous tails as they surged out.

Over a thousand scorpions covered the ground in a dense swarm. Behind them, a massive purple-black Scorpion Demon, the size of a large basin, emerged.

Raising its pincers, it spoke, “Who are you? Leave at once! Do not disturb my lord’s rest!”

[Species: Demon – Scorpion]. [Realm: Refining Essence – Tempering Body]. [Traits: Scorpion Venom (Blue), Hard Shell (White), Ferocious (White)].

“Your lord?”

Yellow Wind King sneered, sweeping his spear in a mighty arc. Divine light erupted, wiping out the thousand-strong scorpion horde and slaying the Scorpion Demon.

A notification appeared.

[Trait Extracted: Hard Shell (White)].

Yellow Wind King ignored it.

“Who dares to kill my subordinate?”

A bellow rang out as another scorpion demon emerged, this one with a humanoid form, wielding a pair of iron hammers.

[Species: Demon – Scorpion]. [Realm: Transforming Qi – Humanoid Form]. [Traits: Scorpion Venom (Red), Brute Strength (Blue), Iron Shell (Blue), Basic Hammer Technique (White), Minor Fortune (White)].

Seeing the slain scorpions, it shrieked in rage and charged at Yellow Wind King.

“Seeking death!”

Yellow Wind King swept his iron spear.

Clang!

The metallic clang resonated as the scorpion demon was sent flying dozens of meters, crashing to the ground—yet miraculously, it survived.

[You defeated the Scorpion Demon and randomly extracted the trait: Minor Fortune (White). Would you like to integrate it?]. [Minor Fortune (White): You have a small stroke of luck. You won’t get rich, but you have a slight chance to turn danger into safety.].

Hmm?

The scorpion demon survived—was it due to the trait’s effect?