Chapter 107: Linked Mountains

Li Mu was quite pleased at the moment; the team he had built was finally starting to take shape.

Everyone had reached the Spirit Building stage, and with an abundance of treasures and pills, they could hold their own as a modest force even in a world like the Cloud Mountain Realm. After a year and a half, he was very satisfied with these results.

However, it still fell short of his expectations; this was merely the first step. Possessing a divine artifact like the Mythical Spirit Pagoda, he was actually quite fortunate, and the prospects he saw were excellent.

The Spirit Pagoda was currently lacking in pagoda-value, and with no way to replenish it, Li Mu could only focus on his cultivation. As for those who had just reached the Spirit Building stage, aside from stabilizing their spiritual power, they often went to spar with spirit beasts. Li Mu was not worried about them. He had already wiped out most of the third-rank spirit beasts in the area, and he left the few remaining ones for them to use as training. At the very least, there was the great ape accompanying Li Ying. The ape had now mastered the Art of Great Strength, and surprisingly, it did not suffer from the usual exhaustion of true energy, allowing it to perform constantly. Its strength was far superior to that of an ordinary second-rank spirit beast.

Over the past month, relying on endless beast cores and diligent practice, Li Mu finally advanced to the late stage of the Spirit Building realm. His energy pool and meridians had expanded once more. The speed of his progress was astonishing, yet it followed a logical path.

Now, it was time to investigate the matter of the Wolf Plains Ancestor and stir up some trouble. After giving his instructions, Li Mu set off alone.

He traveled northwest, heading toward the Lian Mountains. He would not allow Wood Dragon to cultivate in peace.

His flying shuttle streaked through the air at an altitude of several hundred meters. Along the way, he saw many declining tribes, most of which had fallen to their current state due to Wood Dragon’s exploitation. "Without those abandoned disciples, things should be a bit better now," Li Mu mused to himself.

Suddenly, a dark shape appeared in the high sky, plummeting toward the flying shuttle from above. Li Mu’s spiritual sense, which had been scanning the surroundings, immediately identified the dark form: it was an aerial spirit beast, a Dark-Hooked Eagle.

The Dark-Hooked Eagle, a third-rank spirit beast, had wings that cut like blades, vision that spanned over a hundred miles, and immense speed. It was a nightmare for many cultivators in the sky, especially with its signature technique, the "Dark Claw."

With a piercing cry, the wind churned. The sharp talons lunged directly at Li Mu’s face. Unflustered, Li Mu steered the shuttle to swerve sharply, dodging the lethal strike by a dozen meters. The Dark-Hooked Eagle banked and dived again, its wings flapping as its sharp claws unleashed several streaks of black light.

The Dark Claw was as fast as lightning and strong enough to shatter steel. If it struck, the shuttle would certainly be destroyed, and Li Mu would be sent plummeting from the sky.

Though the eagle was fast, Li Mu was faster. Even as the shuttle struggled to stabilize, he flicked a handful of sand into the air. The sand, glowing like golden thread, flew dozens of meters and accurately coiled around the Dark-Hooked Eagle’s neck. With a violent tug, he threw the Dark Claw off course; the two streaks of black light slammed into the ground below.

*Boom! Boom!*

Two deep craters were instantly blasted into the earth, sending plumes of smoke and dust into the air. The power of the Dark Claw, capable of creating such massive craters from hundreds of meters up, was evident. If he had been using a standard flying treasure upon his arrival, he and his companions would have had no power to retaliate and would surely have been slaughtered.

The Dark-Hooked Eagle, enraged by its miss, flapped its wings like dual blades, its momentum immense as it soared upward. Li Mu quickly deactivated the Sand Dust Array; otherwise, given the strength of this third-rank beast, it would have dragged the shuttle away.

However, he would not just watch. As he retracted the array, the Sand Dust Blade struck out, slicing a long arc of blade energy across the sky like a rainbow, slashing directly at the eagle. The Dark-Hooked Eagle, seeing the blade energy approaching, did not dodge but instead pulled its wings together to collide head-on with the attack.

The golden light dimmed. Several feathers fell, drifting through the air. The Dark-Hooked Eagle flapped its wings again, and the Sand Dust Array, finding no success, returned to Li Mu.

"A third-rank aerial spirit beast is indeed far more formidable than a standard one. Its speed and strength are unparalleled. Up here in the sky, I am no match for it." With a thought, Li Mu dove the shuttle toward the ground.

The descent took only an instant, but in that short time, the Dark-Hooked Eagle struck three more times, its offensive relentless. Fortunately, there was no real danger. Li Mu’s control over his true energy had reached a state of fluid ease; the shuttle moved like an extension of his own body, weaving and rising until it landed safely.

Seeing Li Mu reach the ground, the Dark-Hooked Eagle did not pursue. It flapped its wings and vanished into the sky in the blink of an eye.

Li Mu felt a bit stifled and annoyed, but he quickly chuckled, "You mangy bird, your offense and defense are decent, and your intelligence isn't bad either. When I have time, I'll capture and tame you."

He spoke with such ease, but third-rank spirit beasts were not so easily tamed. One would have to find a beast egg, bind its bloodline at birth, and set up restrictive arrays to raise it.

Putting that aside for now, Li Mu decided to continue toward the Lian Mountains on foot.

The Lian Mountains were vast, yet they appeared small from a distance. Standing on his shuttle, Li Mu could not help but gasp in amazement at the wonders of the world; he had never imagined such a place could exist.

Dozens of boundless peaks formed a nearly perfect ring. Floating within the clouds at the center of this ring was a small hill, less than ten miles across—a perfect depiction of "all dragons bowing to the pearl."

The small hill was the Lian Mountain itself, glistening like a brilliant bead. In a previous era, this would have been a legendary site of prosperity, but in the world of cultivation, it was undoubtedly a celestial blessed land. Even standing on the surrounding peaks, one could feel the waves of spiritual energy radiating from the Lian Mountain. It was clear that the purity of the spiritual energy in the veins beneath the mountain was likely far higher than any third-rank spirit-gathering array.

"Truly a blessed land. It’s hard to imagine how Wood Dragon found it. I want this place for myself."

Li Mu nodded slightly, a sense of longing rising within him. It was a natural feeling; everyone would want to possess such a place. If it were in a world like the Cloud Mountain Realm, it would have long since been occupied by a sect like the Jade Iron Sect.

The Lian Mountain range was geographically superb and rich in energy. If one were to use the Lian Mountain as a secret core and turn the surrounding peaks into an array, it would be both offensive and defensive, creating a nearly impenetrable fortress. However, the Wolf Plains Ancestor, Wood Dragon, clearly had no such vision. He only knew how to plunder cultivation resources from the surrounding areas to fuel his own practice. His disciples were treated as mere servants, lacking any comprehensive strategic vision.

Letting those thoughts drift away, Li Mu steered the shuttle toward the Lian Mountain.

As soon as he entered the clouds, the surroundings became turbulent. Strong winds whipped against him, causing a stinging pain, and the shuttle could barely remain stable, rocking violently. The previously calm clouds changed in an instant, roiling like a surging ocean, and the fierce winds gathered into a killing force directed at the shuttle.

Within the gale, a massive form lunged toward Li Mu.

Li Mu smiled slightly, his expression devoid of fear. "The Lesser Wind Restriction? You haven't changed a bit. Wood Dragon, are you so busy cultivating that you don't even have time to change your defensive arrays?"

He had already gathered much information about the situation at the Lian Mountains, and knowledge was victory. Having obtained the rune for the Lesser Wind Restriction from Mu Xiaolong, he felt no anxiety at all.

"Rise!"