Chapter 596 - 410: Black Soil and Cage

In the dense Sea of Black Earth, a massive ancient beast swam freely. Under the influence of its Lifebound Talent, the extremely viscous black earth could only ripple like water.

Beneath the black earth, atop the ancient beast’s body, Fang Qingyuan was admiring the scenery from within a transparent Spirit Shield. He discovered that this subterranean world was not entirely devoid of life, much like how the deepest ocean trenches hosted their own unique organisms.

Strange lifeforms, like slender gray snakes, darted back and forth through the black earth, and peculiar plants emitted faint, fluorescent specks of light within the soil. Fang Qingyuan found it all quite fascinating.

He even wondered, ’Should I collect some of this and bring it into the Immortal Mansion to feed the Longevity Profound Cyan Vine? After all, I can sense faint traces of Demonic Qi deep within this black earth.’

"The Earth-Returning Beast says that the Land Realm ahead is what’s making it feel uncomfortable."

Inside the Spirit Shield, Qiqi squatted ahead, pointing in a certain direction with its small claw. Fang Qingyuan’s eyes narrowed as he stared intently.

Ahead, the black earth looked different. Elsewhere, it was constantly flowing, but here, it seemed to have solidified and dried up. For several dozen li around, the black earth exuded an ominous aura.

’This must be the result of contamination by death qi. The Wind Breath Returning Soil Beast’s senses were on the mark—the Ghost Cultivator from the outside world must be trapped here.’

Fang Qingyuan and Qiqi came to a decision, and riding the dazed and groggy Wind Breath Returning Soil Beast, they swam forward.

As they drew near, the Wind Breath Returning Soil Beast hesitated, unwilling to go on. Seeing this, Fang Qingyuan didn’t force the issue and jumped off its body with Qiqi.

"Please convey my thanks to it. I hope it still recognizes me the next time we meet."

At Fang Qingyuan’s instruction, Qiqi squatted before the Wind Breath Returning Soil Beast’s head and let out a series of beastly murmurs. After a long moment, the beast waved its forelimbs in farewell and, in a drunken daze, dived deep into the black earth.

The Wind Breath Returning Soil Beast had now firmly committed Fang Qingyuan to memory—the human who had provided it with so much delicious food. The next time Fang Qingyuan visited, he would likely receive a warm welcome from it.

Among the Ancient Beasts of the Wilderness, the Wind Breath Returning Soil Beast was relatively gentle and not very aggressive. Its territory was extremely stable, thanks to the unique properties of the black earth that worked in concert with its Lifebound Talent. As a result, the more powerful Ancient Beasts of the Wilderness nearby had no interest in snatching such a useless piece of land.

"Time to get to work. Qiqi, you search the left side. I’ll take Jinbao and go right. If you find anything, use this Magical Artifact to contact me, but don’t act rashly."

Fang Qingyuan took two Octagonal Small Hammers out of his Immortal Mansion. These were the Unity Hammers he had obtained early on. The hammers possessed a special ability called "Unity," which allowed two people, each holding one, to perceive each other’s thoughts to some degree.

By now, Fang Qingyuan had long since outgrown the power of these hammers, but their Unity function was perfect for maintaining long-distance contact with Qiqi.

In truth, Fang Qingyuan had other Secret Techniques that could achieve the same effect, but since Qiqi was not his Companion Beast, many of those methods were unsuitable. Using this Magical Artifact was therefore the most appropriate choice for them both.

Qiqi took the Octagonal Hammer in its small claw, nodded at Fang Qingyuan, and plunged headfirst into the black earth ahead.

After Qiqi left, Fang Qingyuan could faintly sense its location through the other hammer in his hand. With a thought, he channeled his Magical Power into it.

As the Magical Power flowed in, Qiqi’s position suddenly became clear. Fang Qingyuan could perceive it rapidly circling the patch of black earth.

"Jinbao, get to work."

At Fang Qingyuan’s command, Jinbao’s golden eyes began to emit a brilliant golden light, like two small searchlights sweeping over the black earth ahead.

This was Jinbao activating its Innate Divine Technique, [Golden Eye of Truth]. When using this Talent, Jinbao could see through any Illusion Array or Array weaker than itself. ’Since this black earth can trap a Ghost Cultivator,’ Fang Qingyuan thought, ’can’t it be considered a natural Array in a way?’

Although Jinbao’s power wasn’t enough to see through this natural Array completely, it would be excellent if its Dharma Eye could at least spot a few flaws.

Sure enough, Jinbao proved itself worthy of being the cub of a Divinity Transformation Ancient Beast. Under the power of its [Golden Eye of Truth], the once seamless black earth actually revealed several tiny cracks within its gaze.

’Are these spatial rifts? Or are they just cracks caused by the outermost layer of black earth not being solid enough?’

Fang Qingyuan fell into thought. These tiny cracks were not large enough for him and Jinbao to enter, so they would have to keep searching. At the very least, they needed to find a fissure large enough for his physical body to pass through.

"Let’s go. We’ll circle around and investigate. This is going to be tough on you, Jinbao."

Fang Qingyuan reached out and stroked Jinbao’s head, earning an excited roar from the beast. Able to put its abilities to use, Jinbao seemed even more excited than Fang Qingyuan.

And so, Jinbao sniffed the air, its eyes glowing golden as it crept forward on all fours, working with exceptional diligence. Meanwhile, Fang Qingyuan focused his attention on their surroundings, on guard against any sudden dangers that might emerge from the black earth.

Just like that, the man and the beast began their continuous search, circling the area of black earth that spanned several dozen li.