Four hours ago, the Northern Bamboo Forest was completely silent.
Elder Zhong Hou of the earth spiritual root branch came to the bamboo forest alone.
The Azure Yang Sect wanted to provide Chen Mu with a better cultivation environment, but they could not find an excuse.
Thus, he could only resort to this.
Looking at the rows of courtyards in front of him, he made a hand seal.
The ground shook!
Right after, the ground beneath the courtyards began to crack. Soon after, the cracks grew larger and larger, eventually engulfing the courtyards.
After the 29 courtyards were completely destroyed, Zhong Hou waved his hand and all the cracks on the ground began to close up before finally closing up.
The entire area turned into an empty space, as if those courtyards had never appeared before.
Looking at the empty space, Zhong Hou smiled in satisfaction and turned to leave.
...
A moment later, he arrived at a rocky forest halfway up Immortal Seeking Peak.
The stone forest was overgrown with weeds, as though no one had been here for decades.
And in the depths of the stone forest, there was a cave near the cliff.
The entrance of the cave was two meters tall, and there were faint spiritual lights shooting out from within.
Zhong Hou walked to the entrance of the cave and shouted, "Senior Brother Li, is everything arranged already?"
"Soon!" A reply came from inside the cave.
Zhong Hou was in no hurry to rush him. Instead, he waited quietly.
Senior Brother Li was the Second Elder of the sect and was skilled in alchemy and array formations.
At that moment, a massive Spirit Gathering Array was set up in the cave abode.
The Spirit Gathering Array was easy to set up, but it was quite difficult to conceal it from others.
He did not want to disturb the other party.
After waiting silently for a moment, he suddenly felt as if something was poking his feet.
He subconsciously moved his foot away, and a purple ginseng the size of a carrot poked its head out.
Zhong Hou frowned when he saw the purple ginseng glistening in spiritual energy.
"Isn't Second Senior Brother's work a little too crude? It's already exposed." He muttered to himself and pressed the purple ginseng into the ground.
At this moment, Second Elder Li Daoyi finally walked out of the cave.
"Done, hehe…" Li Daoyi stroked his white beard and said with a 'you know what I mean' expression.
Zhong Hou chuckled and began to survey the cave and its surroundings.
At this moment, there was no longer any spiritual light coming out of the cave. There were still some weeds around the cave.
He looked as if he had cleaned it but had not cleaned it thoroughly.
Well, that was about it.
After all, Chen Mu was only a young man with a pure heart. He should not be able to see anything amiss.
Actually, other than providing him with a better cultivation environment, there was another reason why he had arranged for Chen Mu to stay here.
According to the plan, the First Elder would give Chen Mu 500 low-grade spirit stones.
The competition between the disciples of the Azure Yang Sect was quite intense.
For a new disciple without any background or strength to suddenly obtain so many spirit stones, it was very easy for him to be "bullied" by other Outer Sect disciples.
Having Chen Mu here alone would allow him to avoid some competition.
In addition, if he suddenly obtained 500 spirit stones, he might get overconfident.
It would be good if he calmed down from being unlucky now.
Therefore, he would have logical expectations.
"That's it."
Zhong Hou walked to the entrance of the cave and hung a sign there. On the sign was a line of large words.
"The temporary residence for Outer Sect disciples."
...
...
"This is the place where the Outer Sect disciples are temporarily placed."
After the Outer Sect deacon brought Chen Mu to the stone forest, he said with some embarrassment.
He had just received a message from the First Elder in the bamboo forest.
It was said that a huge battle had taken place in the bamboo forest. A large number of courtyards had been destroyed and could not accommodate any more disciples for the time being. Therefore, he had Chen Mu sent to the stone forest.
What kind of place was the stone forest?
He had not been here once despite being in the Azure Yang Sect for decades!
Now that he saw this stone forest, his horizons were broadened.
Was such a desolate place meant for humans?
So when he said this, he felt rather guilty.
Chen Mu looked at the desolate stone forest in front of him with an innocent smile.
"It's fine as long as I have a place to stay in the Azure Yang Sect. On the contrary, I find this place rather quiet."
When the Outer Sect deacon saw that the smile on Chen Mu's face did not seem fake, he could not help but sigh at the youth's simplicity and kindness.
"It's great that you think that way. Come with me."
Nodding his head slightly, he took the lead and entered the stone forest.
Chen Mu responded and followed closely behind.
Before long, the two of them bypassed a pile of rocks and arrived at the temporary residence for the Outer Sect disciples.
Looking at the dilapidated cave, Chen Mu could not help but think, "This shabby house can't bury my noble virtues."
Although he knew that this cave was definitely not simple, this appearance…
It was too shabby!
Did they really think he was a caveman?
Forget it, just treat it as a grotto-heaven.
"Cough, cough. Chen Mu, you can stay here for now. I think the sect might expand the Green Bamboo Forest in a few days. You can move there then." The Outer Sect deacon coughed lightly.
Chen Mu nodded slightly and looked resigned to his fate.
"If there's nothing else, then I'll be leaving. Your Outer Sect disciple robes and other resources should all be in this cave… uh, temporary residence."
"You can go in and take a look."
The Outer Sect deacon turned to leave.
Chen Mu hurriedly said, "Deacon, I really have something to trouble you with."
"Oh? What is it?" The Outer Sect deacon turned around and asked.
Chen Mu replied, "It's like this. My hometown is in Auspicious Cloud City's Little Bamboo County's Stone Village."
"There had never been a cultivator in the village."
"I am the first one."
"I heard that after entering the sect, one can obtain a signboard and hang it at the entrance of the village, indicating that a disciple has come from this village… That will intimidate the evil people among the mortals."
"I wonder if this is true?"
The Outer Sect deacon gave Chen Mu a deep look.
The major sects indeed had similar strategies in order for their disciples to cultivate in peace.
However, the Azure Yang Sect was a large sect in the Flying Bull Prefecture. Most of its disciples came from various cities.
As for those from a remote village…
In the past few years, there had not been a single one.
Who would have thought that this young man with an extraordinary bearing would actually come from a remote village?
It was no wonder he could accept it so calmly after being assigned here.
Disciples with humble backgrounds were indeed more resistant to pressure than those with extraordinary birthplaces.
After he came back to his senses, he said proudly, "Don't worry about this matter. I will settle it."
"Auspicious Cloud City's Little Bamboo County's Stone Village, right?"
"I'll get someone to deliver the sign later."
"With my Azure Yang Sect's protection, not to mention the wicked mortals, even cultivators would have to think twice before doing anything!"
Chen Mu thanked him respectfully. "Thank you, Senior!"
His gratitude came from the bottom of his heart.
When he first came to this world, his food and accommodation came from Stone Village.
This lasted for an entire year.
Now, he could finally return this favor.
Furthermore, he had promised his master to protect Stone Village.
With the Azure Yang Sect protecting Stone Village in the future, he had nothing to worry about.
From now on, he could cultivate in peace.
"It's a small matter! Alright! I'm leaving!"
The Outer Sect deacon waved his hand and left.
He had originally felt somewhat guilty. Now that Chen Mu had made a request, he felt much better.
After his figure disappeared into the distance, Chen Mu turned around and looked at the cave.
Then, he smiled faintly and stepped inside.
He wanted to see what the Azure Yang Sect had arranged for him.