Chapter 382: 82: News of Li Mingwu
However, Holaw Three Rivers had started to become busy.
The site for Tribulation had already been chosen the last time they went out.
Next, Holaw Three Rivers needed to setup the Formation, and then prepare for the Tribulation.
In the meantime, he also had to set up a large Formation with various functions in Lin Jing’s new Alchemy Room.
It could be said that among them, he was the busiest.
Meanwhile, Lu Youjiu was undergoing his final meditation.
Only after this meditation would he be ready to attempt the Tribulation.
……
That day.
With nothing much to do, Lin Jing left the Alchemy Room and went down the mountain for a stroll.
He happened to see Yan Wanfei and Zhang Jian, who was with Yan Wanfei.
Upon seeing Lin Jing, Zhang Jian hurriedly approached him.
“Brother Lin, you seem quite free today,” he said.
Lin Jing responded with a slight smile,
“Brother Zhang…”
“I heard from Brother Yan that you’re about to advance to a Fourth Rank Array Master, which is truly a joyous occasion.”
However, Zhang Jian waved his hand and said,
“Not at all…”
“Brother Lin is too kind; you are formidable, with extraordinary combat abilities, and you’re also a Fourth Grade Pill Master.”
At that moment, Yan Wanfei suddenly interjected,
“Alright, you two, stop praising each other. I can barely stand it.”
“Zhang, weren’t you going to ask Brother Lin about something concerning Spirit Plants?”
“Stop rambling; just ask now.”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Jian, with a dark face, turned to Yan Wanfei and said,
“Yan Shuishui, can you not call me ‘Cheap Zhang’?”
However, Yan Wanfei shook his head like a rattle-drum and then spoke up,
“I can’t do that.”
“Who asked you to be so persistent and annoying back then?”
Zhang Jian quickly retorted,
“How was I supposed to know you were pretending to be ‘Yan Shuishui’? If I had known it was you in disguise, I would never have approached you.”
At this, he sighed heavily.
“Ah…”
“My Pupil Skill has really gone to the dogs.”
“To think it added such a huge blemish to my life out of thin air.”
Yan Wanfei did not mince words,
“You’re blathering…”
“Do you think I wanted to? It was all for the mission.”
“And what about your Pupil Skill? Did you really think it would be able to see through the innate Divine Skills of our Green Illusion Demon Ox clan?”
“You underestimated our clan too much.”
Zhang Jian, almost tearful, lamented,
“My innocence…”
“To think I hesitated for days over a big male ox, and to say this out loud…”
“Forget it, I can’t speak of it…”
Yan Wanfei looked disdainfully at Zhang Jian,
“If you want to blame someone, blame Dai Mao for his tastes.”
At this point, Yan Wanfei suddenly paused, then shifted the conversation,
“Speaking of Dai Mao, I just remembered…”
“Last time, I asked you to secretly investigate Dai Mao’s whereabouts for us, how did that go?”
Since the Heavenly Desire Demon Monarch had left with Dai Mao’s body,
Yan Wanfei had Zhang Jian help in tracking Dai Mao’s movements as well.
When Dai Mao was mentioned, Zhang Jian got serious:
“You wouldn’t believe it, but recently, a friend of mine reported seeing Dai Mao’s whereabouts.”
“Just two months ago, my friend discovered a small island in the west of Thousand Islands Domain that was annihilated, and everyone on the island had been drained of their essence and died.”
“My friend, who was merely passing by and witnessed this scene, sensed danger and decided to leave.”
“Unexpectedly, he was ambushed by someone with a sky-high Demonic Qi.”
“At first, he tried to resist but quickly realized he was no match.”
“Eventually, he had no choice but to detonate his Magical Treasure to find a chance to escape.”
“However, during the explosion of his Magical Treasure, by chance, he saw the face of his assailant—it was Dai Mao.”
“According to his recollection, Dai Mao seemed seriously injured at the time, which is probably why he didn’t pursue him.”
“Otherwise, my friend would have never escaped.”
“These are all things my friend told me himself.”
After hearing this, Yan Wanfei began to query,
“Dai Mao was injured?”
“How could he have been injured?”
Zhang Jian gave him a look,
“How should I know? It’s abnormal for Dai Mao to be injured. Maybe he was still recovering from the beating you guys gave him initially.”
The question of Yan Wanfei was also Lin Jing’s query.
Because they hadn’t told Zhang Jian that Dai Mao was actually the Heavenly Desire Demon Monarch.
So, what seemed perfectly normal to Zhang Jian, appeared abnormal instead.
What kind of person is the Heavenly Desire Demon Monarch, even if his recovery is slow, he should have mostly recovered by now.
How could he still suffer such severe injuries up to now?
Unless he met other Nascent Soul Cultivators and got seriously injured again in the fight.
Otherwise, there’s just no explanation.
Zhang Jian then said:
“If you want to deal with Dai Mao, I think it’s best to take advantage now, while he’s severely injured, otherwise once he recovers from his injuries, it will be troublesome.”
Lin Jing and Yan Wanfei glanced at each other and then said:
“Wait a moment…”
“We need to prepare for a while, in case of any deceit.”
“You know, Dai Mao is a Demon Cultivator, always full of tricks.”
After hearing this, Zhang Jian nodded:
“Hmm, Brother Lin is right…”
……
Then, Lin Jing asked Zhang Jian again:
“Right, Brother Yan mentioned earlier that you wanted to ask me about Spirit Plants, what did you want to know?”
At this mention, Zhang Jian immediately brightened up and hurriedly said:
“When I came here before, I saw that the Spirit Plants in the Spirit Field on this island are growing so well, how did you do it?”
“Honestly, I have a Spirit Field on Xian Yu Island too, but the growth of the Spirit Plants there is somewhat…hard to describe.”
Lin Jing then said with a smile:
“Of course, Spirit Plants need careful maintenance to grow well, you’re always running around every few days, and if you don’t have time to take care of the Spirit Plants in your own Spirit Field, how can they grow well?”
However, Zhang Jian shook his head and then said:
“That’s not it, Brother Lin…”
“If I’m not wrong, there should be someone on this island who is proficient in cultivating Spirit Plants, right?”
Although Zhang Jian had visited Li Yan Island many times, Yue Qiniang was almost always either cultivating or taking care of the Spirit Plants.
She hardly ever stayed long in Li Yan City.
So naturally, Zhang Jian didn’t know Yue Qiniang.
Zhang Jian continued:
“Previously, I visited one of the three major islands, Yue Tian Island, and there, there was a cultivator proficient in Spirit Plants cultivation, who also spent his days wandering about in search of rare Spirit Plants.”
“But the Spirit Plants in his field were growing even better than yours here.”
Hearing about Yue Tian Island, Lin Jing suddenly remembered something.
So he asked Zhang Jian:
“You’ve been to Yue Tian Island?”
Zhang Jian nodded and said:
“Yes, Yue Tian Island is an open island, just like Bihai City, accessible to everyone.”
“How strong is Yue Tian Island?” Lin Jing then asked.
“You came to develop in the Thousand Islands Domain without understanding the local forces beforehand?” Zhang Jian wondered.
Yan Wanfei then said:
“Actually, we haven’t…”
“We ended up on this Li Yan Island by accident, so please tell us…”
Seeing that Lin Jing and Yan Wanfei really didn’t understand the power distribution of the Thousand Islands Domain,
Zhang Jian started explaining:
“The Thousand Islands Domain contains three major islands, each of them almost equivalent to a small piece of land.”
“The strength of these three islands is also the most formidable, each island has a Divine Transformation Cultivator stationed on it, and the Yue Tian Island I just mentioned is one of these three major islands.”
“You just said that Yue Tian Island is an open island, does that mean anyone is allowed on the island?” Yan Wanfei asked at this point.
Zhang Jian nodded and said:
“Right…”
“The Domain has many islands, and some people, after taking possession, do not welcome others and directly close off the island, restricting others from entering.”
“While other islands are different, some cultivators, after taking over an island, do not isolate it but instead invite other cultivators to live together, collaborating to protect the island.”
“That’s what constitutes an open island.”
“Originally, Yue Tian Island was also a private island, but after it was taken over by the former Island Master Li Mingwu, he turned Yue Tian Island into an open island.”
“Li Mingwu?”
Lin Jing suddenly thought of Lingyin True Monarch’s last words.
He then asked Zhang Jian:
“This Li Mingwu you mentioned, is he also a Divine Transformation Stage Cultivator?”
Zhang Jian nodded and said:
“Of course…”
“As the Island Master of Yue Tian Island, one must possess the power of the Divine Transformation Stage to hold authority.”
“Moreover, it is said that Li Mingwu is very kind-hearted, often helping the cultivators on the island, and every time there is a crisis on the island, he is always the first to rush to the front, earning much praise from many people.”
“It’s just unfortunate that, hundreds of years ago, Li Mingwu disappeared, and by now, he has probably long passed away.”
“Dead?” Lin Jing looked surprised.
“Most likely…” Zhang Jian nodded.
“You see, he was already famous 2000 years ago, and passing so much time now without advancing beyond the Spirit Transformation, he couldn’t sustain his lifespan.”
“It was said that for this reason, he spent his last time searching for a breakthrough opportunity.”
“Up till now, hundreds of years have passed, and still, there has been no news of him, so there’s only one outcome.”
“Furthermore, even with the cultivation of the Divine Transformation Stage, not breaking through to Above the Spirit Transformation, 2,000 years are too much for his lifespan.”
“I see…” Lin Jing nodded.
Indeed, Lingyin True Monarch was a figure from 2000 years ago, and Li Mingwu being from the same era, even if he had ascended to the Divine Transformation Stage, his lifespan would still be just over 2000 years.
Not breaking through to the next rank would only lead to the depletion of his lifespan.
In this case, his death seems quite normal.