Afternoon
In the afternoon, Qin Wang was hiding in a cave twenty miles from the Demon Ape Mountain in the Manyong Mountains. He looked expectantly at the towering Demon Ape Mountain in the distance. "I hope I can find the third iron fragment quickly!"
"Squeak! Squeak!"
"Chirp! Chirp!"
At this moment, the surroundings occasionally echoed with the cries of demon apes.
Qin Wang, along with three puppets, carefully hid inside the cave.
He had already placed a beast-attracting illusion incense and a berserk beast incense twenty miles southwest of Demon Ape Mountain, setting them up with a time-delay mechanism. Judging by the time, it should have already started.
Boom! Boom!Roar! Screech!Squeak! Squeak! Chirp! Chirp!
Soon, Qin Wang heard a series of thunderous noises from afar. The ground trembled, and the sky was filled with bird demons flying towards the southwest of Demon Ape Mountain.
He also saw, nearby, countless demon apes, each as tall as a person, with blood-red eyes, rushing madly towards the southwest.
"Now's my chance!"
Qin Wang waited for half an hour, seeing that the number of rushing demon apes gradually decreased. His heart filled with anticipation as he dashed towards Demon Ape Mountain.
"Find a mountain cliff with a crevice, and I'll find the demon ape's nest!"
Qin Wang confirmed the intelligence again, his eyes full of expectation. Using the Wind Technique, he moved like a shadow through the forest. With most of the demon beasts attracted to the incense, the mountain area became a beast-free zone.
Qin Wang didn't let Mu Hun II carry him with the sword but instead had him follow behind. Even though the beasts were drawn away, it was better to stay low-key. He swiftly searched through the forest, aiming to find the iron fragment and leave immediately.
Soon, Qin Wang reached the foot of Demon Ape Mountain.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, his eyes brightened. At the foot of the mountain, he saw a cliff a hundred feet long and five feet high!
Vines hung down from the top.
Qin Wang immediately moved forward with Mu Hun II, searching the cliff for a crevice.
"Found it!"
Soon, at the end of the hundred-foot cliff, Qin Wang found a crevice about five feet wide and over ten feet deep, resembling a cave, filled with tree branches, weeds, and some half-eaten wild fruits.
Qin Wang entered and used his sword to clear out the branches and weeds. In the farthest corner, he found a large iron fragment covered in dirt. He picked it up, brushed off the soil, and found it quite heavy. The material was identical to the iron fragment he had taken from Zhao Xuan's storage bag.
Qin Wang's heart skipped a beat. With a wave of his hand, he retrieved two similar iron fragments from his storage bag.
"That's it!"
Qin Wang carefully examined the fragments, his eyes filled with joy. He brought the three fragments together.
At that moment, the three iron fragments seemed to magnetize, forming a triangular connection. They emitted a red glow and quickly transformed into a giant shield, about ten feet tall, floating in front of Qin Wang.
In the center of the shield were the three iron fragments, radiating a continuous red glow, solidifying the shield further!
The solidified red shield had a handle inside and was rugged on the outside. It was engraved with a man wearing a tiger-skin skirt, holding a giant axe, with long hair flowing, roaring towards the sky. The shield exuded a primitive and wild aura.
"This..."
Qin Wang reached out and grabbed the handle of the shield. Instantly, a light shot out from the shield, entering his body!
As the light entered his body, an unnamed incantation appeared in Qin Wang's mind!
The next moment, the shield dissipated, and the three iron fragments fell to the ground.
"I got what I came for. I'll figure out the rest later!"
Qin Wang didn't immediately ponder the incantation. He memorized it, put away the three iron fragments, and, along with Mu Hun II, hurried towards Qingyun Immortal City.
He didn't return to the city but instead changed direction, heading towards the Wailing Land.
In recent days, many late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators from Qingyun Immortal City had rushed to the Wailing Land. With the long journey ahead, he had to make the most of his time.
One thousand five hundred miles from Qingyun Immortal City.
On a cliff, Qin Wang sat in a cave, guarded by puppets Mu Hun II, Zhao Hun I, and Shi Hun III.
"The three iron fragments combined to reveal the shield's true form!"
Qin Wang looked at the three iron fragments before him, lost in thought.
As he journeyed, he pondered the incantation from the fragments, discovering it was a method to activate the shield using his blood energy. By infusing the fragments with blood energy, the red shield would materialize, providing formidable defense!
Even a full-strength strike from Mu Hun II couldn't break it!
However, it required consuming blood energy to activate. Fortunately, Qin Wang had plenty of restorative items in his storage bag to replenish himself at any time.
"If I can gather all the fragments, the shield's defense will be even more formidable! It looks like I'll need to keep searching for the remaining fragments."
Qin Wang made up his mind.
In the dangerous path of cultivation, possessing this shield greatly increased his chances of survival.
"This shield, as the intelligence suggests, comes from the Nine Territories Barbarian Tribe. With its red hue, I'll call it the Red Barbarian Shield!"
Qin Wang stored away the three iron fragments, murmuring to himself.
Three months later.
At the foot of a continuous mountain range, on a cliff three feet high, hidden by vines, was a cave.
[Realm: Qi Refinement Level 10 (4562/10000)]
"I'm halfway to reaching Qi Refinement Level 11!"
"I'm out of pills..."
"With more than two months left until the Wailing Land opens, I should head to the Wailing Market first."
Qin Wang sat in the cave, looking at his progress panel, lost in thought.
For the past three months, he had been traveling and consuming pills for cultivation. He had used up all the purified pills in his storage bag, leaving him with just over 3,000 spirit stones and unprocessed demon beast materials.
He decided to take some time to visit the Wailing Market to exchange his remaining spirit stones and materials for more pills.
It wasn't that he didn't want to sell all the materials at once, but doing so might attract unwanted attention.
It's better to stay cautious.
Over the past three months, due to constant travel, he hadn't received much intelligence, but he did gain some causal information.
[Today's Intelligence!]
1) You are preparing to enter the Wailing Land and received information that the Wailing Land will open in 68 days.
2) You examined the furniture from Situ Yunfei's retreat and learned that Situ Yunfei's soul had possessed a Qi Refinement Level 10 cultivator, far surpassing his previous aptitude.
3) You are preparing to enter the Wailing Land and received information that the Wailing Land is a training ground for Qi Refinement cultivators in the Southern Region. Foundation Establishment cultivators cannot enter it. It gathers talents from the three great immortal dynasties of Dayan, Tianchu, and Daqi, as well as the five great immortal sects, clans, and families of the Southern Region. It's a place where talents compete and display their skills!
4) You activated the barbarian shield, 'Red Barbarian Shield,' and received information that among the cultivators coming to the Wailing Land for training, one will possess a fragment of the 'Red Barbarian Shield.'
5) You are wearing the mysterious fragment pouch sewn by your sister Qin Xuemei and received information that after strengthening her foundation in the Ten Thousand Flower Sacred Pool, Qin Xuemei will be sent by her master to the Wailing Land to train her mind.