Eternal Life from the Golden Needle Technique

Chapter 367: Chapter 364: Treasure Map

’Oh well, Shi Miaoying and her group died by my hand.’

’That means the other lone Cultivators from out of town that they were targeting have been spared a grim fate.’

’I was actually doing a good deed. If the rewards are a little meager, so be it.’

Shen Changchuan sighed, coming up with a reason to make himself feel better.

’But then again, they were all using Demon Artifacts... Could it be that these people are connected to the Demon Cultivators of the Nanyue Kingdom?’

’Although the Nanyue Kingdom is directly south of the Tian Nan Domain, there aren’t any real obstacles to entering the Heisei Domain from Nanyue, aside from the long journey...’

Recalling the Sect’s upcoming campaign against the Nanyue Kingdom, Shen Changchuan couldn’t help but feel a stir in his heart.

No,

that can’t be it!

’Since these four could so quickly identify outsiders, they must have been in Fangxian City for a long time to be able to spot the subtle, alien air of newcomers at a glance.’

They couldn’t possibly be people from the Nanyue Kingdom’s Demon Dao.

They must have some channel,

some connection with the Demon Dao of the Nanyue Kingdom?

Shen Changchuan pondered.

At the same time, he sifted through the miscellaneous items from the four, trying to find some clues.

After he returned,

he would most likely have to head to the Nanyue Kingdom to participate in this war.

If he could learn some inside information from them in advance,

that would be a good thing.

However,

after searching for a long while,

Shen Changchuan still didn’t find what he was looking for.

’Maybe the few items they had that leaned toward being Demon Artifacts were just a coincidence?’

Shen Changchuan couldn’t be sure.

Perhaps only the four who were now in hell knew the answer.

But Shen Changchuan’s efforts were not entirely fruitless.

Among the many miscellaneous Jade Slips, Shen Changchuan found one in particular.

The Jade Slip was worn and old, its surface yellowed with age.

But its contents

were a map—

a map like a Treasure Map, with clear directions to a specific location!

’This thing... could it be a legendary Treasure Map?’

’If it is a Treasure Map, what does it lead to? And why was it with Shi Miaoying?’

Shen Changchuan carefully examined the map recorded in the Jade Slip, his brow furrowing.

The map was found in Shi Miaoying’s Storage Bag,

which was a bit interesting.

Because if the Treasure Map was important and all four of them knew about it, it should have been entrusted to the strongest among them—the bald man at the Soul Emergence Fourth Layer Realm.

Someone stronger would have been a safer keeper.

But that clearly wasn’t the case.

The only explanation

was that the Treasure Map belonged to Shi Miaoying herself,

a ’private collection’ of sorts, which was why she didn’t entrust it to the bald man for safekeeping...

Moreover,

’The destination on this map seems to be... within the borders of the Nanyue Kingdom?’

...

Perhaps the map held some hidden secret, but after a brief thought, Shen Changchuan didn’t dwell on it too much.

It wasn’t the most pressing issue he had to face right now.

What he needed to do now

was to increase his strength as much as possible to face the coming war against the Nanyue Kingdom.

Treasure Map or not,

he would wait until he actually set off for the Nanyue Kingdom and then see what the situation was.

Besides, it was still debatable whether it was a real Treasure Map.

It might just be an elaborate trap.

Anything was possible, after all.

Putting the matter aside,

Shen Changchuan, riding on Xiaofeng’s back toward the Sect, took out the Tier Two Basic Gu Skill knowledge he had purchased and began to study it.

He also tried to integrate it with the lore of various Tier One Gu Cultivation Techniques,

as well as ideas from his past life about large-scale, industrialized breeding,

outlining in his mind the sequence of steps to mass-produce and industrialize the refining of Tier One Low-Level Gu Insects.

Time passed as Shen Changchuan was lost in thought.

Soon, five days went by.

During the five-day journey,

Shen Changchuan didn’t encounter any major trouble on his way back.

Although on his way, while passing through certain parts of the Barbaric Wilderness, he was attacked by inconspicuous Low Tier Demon Beasts and encountered gales, downpours, and flashes of thunder and lightning... none of these were major problems.

Shen Changchuan returned safely to the Border Desolate Forest region.

Furthermore,

through his contemplation and study over the past few days,

and by referencing various bodies of knowledge on Refining and Raising Gu,

Shen Changchuan now had a rough plan and outline in mind for his upcoming Gu Refining project.

’There isn’t enough space or manpower within the Sect for me to conduct large-scale breeding.’

’So, it’s best to raise the Gu Insects in Dawan Village...’

’Coupled with Alchemy and selling Elixirs, I should probably stay stationed in Dawan Village for the next few months to save myself the trouble of running back and forth.’

’But, I should still head back to the Sect first...’

At this thought,

Shen Changchuan had Xiaofeng fly directly toward the Sect.

He no longer planned to stop at Dawan Village.

He would go straight back to the Sect to take care of the paperwork first.

If a Sect Disciple wishes to leave the Sect for an extended period, they need to report it to the Sect’s External Affairs Hall.

Otherwise, if you disappear for half a year or a year, who’s to say if you died in an accident or something else happened?

As a True Disciple, Shen Changchuan had it easier.

He enjoyed quite a few conveniences.

The management of Outer Disciples,

was much stricter!

However,

when Shen Changchuan stepped through the Sect’s Mountain Gate, he was stunned.

Because the Sect

was now far more desolate than before.

The main path of the Mountain Gate plaza, which had been bustling after recruiting a new batch of Outer Disciples, had now become somewhat bleak.

It was not much different from when Shen Changchuan and the first batch of two or three hundred people had joined.

Only half a month had passed,

yet to Shen Changchuan, the immense change felt as if a lifetime had gone by.

"Senior Sister, what happened to the Sect?"

Arriving at the External Affairs Hall,

he found that the person currently presiding over it was a female Soul Emergence Realm Cultivator named Wei Yuting.

She was one of the Direct Disciples under his master, Master Wandering Dragon, making her Shen Changchuan’s direct senior sister.

She was originally in charge of the Dharma Transmission Hall,

and back when Shen Changchuan encountered problems with his Cultivation,

he had even asked her for guidance.

But why was she here?

"You’ve seen it too?"

Wei Yuting glanced up at Shen Changchuan,

then paid him no further mind, continuing to busy herself with the work at hand, wrestling with various tasks.

But while she worked,

she explained to Shen Changchuan.

"There was a frontline conscription. A large number of Disciples were dispatched not long ago, so our Sect is left with just this many people."

"So now, I have to take on the additional role of managing the External Affairs Hall..."

From Wei Yuting’s explanation,

Shen Changchuan finally learned

that while he was away at the auction in Fangxian City,

Senior Brother Hong Yang and Wu Tianhao had already departed with a large group of Disciples, rushing to the front lines of the campaign against the Nanyue Kingdom.

And over there,

the other major powers of the Tian Nan Domain had also mobilized one after another.

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