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Chapter 43: Fire Seal
Although Meng Zhang had already decided to explore the mine, he wouldn't act recklessly and needed to carefully consider his plan beforehand. According to Fang Yong's information, the most significant danger inside the mine was an abundance of malevolent ghosts. During the Trial Ground, Meng Zhang, relying solely on his Soul, had slain numerous ghosts, including Yin soldiers. In the mortal world, with his physical body, he would have even more means to deal with ghosts. Notably, his cultivated Lesser Yang True Qi, being Very Yang and Very Hard, was particularly effective against various types of ghosts. Meng Zhang believed that the ghosts wandering in the mortal world were mostly lost souls or wandering spirits, and if there were yin soldiers, they would be rare. After all, the separation between yin and yang was governed by the laws of heaven and earth, and it was unlikely that a random mine would house several Ghost Kings. To be prepared was to be prepared for success. Before taking action, Meng Zhang needed to make some preparations. However, for him, going to explore the mine was neither mandatory nor urgent. Meng Zhang waited for half a month in the sect until another batch of herbs matured before riding his wind-chasing horse and leaving Taiyi Sect. As he rode the horse, Meng Zhang seemed to be napping but was actually secretly observing the surroundings. The wide plain extended endlessly, and besides the boundless yellow sand, there were no people to be found. Regarding the underground, with the wind-chasing horse's speed on the ground, perhaps only Foundation Building stage cultivators could catch up, which surpassed Refining Qi stage cultivators' earth-traveling speed. However, the sky was a different matter. With a casual sweep of his Deception Breaking Eye, Meng Zhang noticed something in the distant high sky. If it were a Cultivator with slightly weaker eyesight, they wouldn't be able to spot it. It was said that within the Zhao Family, they had a First Rank demon beast called the "Crimson Feather Eagle." While not very powerful in combat, as a flying demon beast, it had an extremely fast flying speed and remarkable vision, able to see a small bird on the ground from a thousand zhang above. The Zhao Family had a special beast-taming method to control the Crimson Feather Eagle easily. It was an excellent messenger and scout, adept at spying and investigating enemies.
Discovering the aerial observer, Meng Zhang temporarily had no way to deal with it. With his current abilities, it was difficult to harm such a high target. However, he was not in a rush. Since the Zhao Family dispatched the Crimson Feather Eagle to monitor him, it meant that his judgment about the Zhao Family was correct. Thinking about beast-taming methods, Meng Zhang had obtained quite a few inheritances during the Trial Ground, but besides his mount, the wind-chasing horse, he hadn't found a suitable demon beast. If he had the chance, he should try to raise some young demon beasts to cultivate them. After half a day, Meng Zhang arrived at Singing Sand City and smoothly entered the city. The black dot in the sky behind him had stopped its advancement and remained hovering in the high sky. Singing Sand City was occupied by several Foundation Building stage cultivators long-term. If an outsider demon beast like the Crimson Feather Eagle approached Singing Sand City, it would easily alert them. Foundation Building stage cultivators were much stronger than Refining Qi stage cultivators and had various means to deal with flying demon beasts like the Crimson Feather Eagle. Moreover, as a subordinate force of Twin Success Valley, Zhao Family wouldn't dare to cause trouble in Twin Success Valley's controlled Singing Sand City.
Once inside Singing Sand City, Meng Zhang confirmed that he had shaken off the Crimson Feather Eagle's surveillance. Originally, according to his plan, he should directly go shopping, but he realized that the Zhao Family had been entrenched here for many years, and their foundation was much stronger than Taiyi Sect. There might be informants in Singing Sand City, and if he went shopping directly, Zhao Family would probably find out about his purchases. Considering this, Meng Zhang first found an inn to stay and secretly contacted Shi Weiming. After trading the herbs he brought with him to Shi Weiming, he gave him a shopping list, asking for help with the purchases. This small favor was easy for Shi Weiming, who had collaborated with Meng Zhang several times before. Shi Weiming called a few subordinates and had them go to several shops in Singing Sand City to buy the items on the list.
Meng Zhang didn't wait here and went directly back to the inn. In the evening, he engaged in his usual pastime every time he visited Singing Sand City—strolling through the ghost market and browsing the stalls. After going around the ghost market, Meng Zhang had gained nothing. It seemed that there hadn't been many new items since he had been away for a while. Meng Zhang started to consider that when he had free time, he should visit other markets to see if there were any new interesting items. After finishing the stroll through the ghost market, according to the pre-arranged agreement, Meng Zhang secretly met with Shi Weiming. Shi Weiming didn't disappoint him; he not only bought all the items Meng Zhang needed but also surprised him with extra items. There were ten Earth Escape Spell talismans, some talismans for dispelling evil spirits, and a Fire Seal. The Fire Seal was a First Rank superior magic tool, entirely made of warm jade in a fiery red hue. When infused with True Qi, the Fire Seal could release flame-type spells, and the power of the flame varied depending on the type of True Qi infused. Meng Zhang was extremely satisfied with this magic tool, surpassing his expectations. During his several visits to Singing Sand City, he had never come across a magic tool so well-suited for him. Originally, he had only asked Shi Weiming to buy any random fire attribute magic tool, but Shi Weiming brought him this excellent piece. Even if it was more expensive, it was worth it. After accepting the items and handing over the spirit stones to Shi Weiming, the two bid farewell amidst Meng Zhang's repeated thanks.
Coincidentally, on his way back to the inn, Meng Zhang encountered someone he knew, a caravan leader named Lao Bulu with whom he had had dealings before. After their initial meeting, they had run into each other twice in Singing Sand City. This wasn't strange since the main task of Lao Bulu's caravan was to travel to the white hidden earth mine, transporting supplies and bringing back white hidden earth. He would occasionally stop in Singing Sand City, a place he had to pass through. After the two met, Lao Bulu told Meng Zhang that the sand monsters encountered by their caravan during the last trip came from a newly emerged sand monster nest nearby. Twin Success Valley sent out a large group to find the nest, and it took several Foundation Building stage cultivators to completely destroy it. After the nest was destroyed, the sand monsters roaming around were quickly cleared out by Twin Success Valley. The nearby commercial routes also became safe again.
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