The dazzling array of magical artifacts, magical treasures, and magical robes made Shen Chongming’s heart skip a beat.

So wealthy!

This guy is so rich that one can’t help but harbor sinister thoughts.

Right now, he even wants to call his third uncle Shen Wen’an immediately, kill the three demons of Celestial Sandalwood Mountain before him, and annex these things.

But this thought was quickly suppressed by him.

He wasn’t very familiar with the strength of Celestial Sandalwood Mountain.

But in the second major session in Zhili Imperial City before, this Old Man Jin dared to insult Monk Hui Yuan of Jianan Temple in front of everyone.

This alone is enough to prove that the strength of Celestial Sandalwood Mountain should not be underestimated.

What’s more important is that these demon cultivators of Celestial Sandalwood Mountain are different from those of Great Witch Mountain; they seem very united, referring to each other as brothers and sisters.

Truly killing them for these things, Shen Chongming feared that the ancestor of Celestial Sandalwood Mountain would break the agreement and come directly from the Southern Border.

Forget it, forget it.

Suppressing the greed in his heart, Shen Chongming shook his head slightly and said, "Friend, these things of yours are indeed tempting."

"But our ancestor has instructed that the secrets involved in that mansion are too great; a single misstep could even trigger a bigger crisis."

"By then, not to mention Yangnao Land, I’m afraid even the Southern Border would fall into danger."

"It’s better not to think about it, friend."

In order to dispel the ideas in Luan Jie’s mind and also afraid that this guy would act rashly and rush in, Shen Chongming had no choice but to lie.

After all, the Golden Core Ancestor of Celestial Sandalwood Mountain had told them to lead the many demon cultivators under their rule to live well in Yangnao Land; this reason should make them wary enough.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, the three demons of Old Man Jin all looked serious.

In their understanding, the "ancestor" Shen Chongming spoke of was none other than the unseen Golden Core Old Monster of the Shen Family.

They had heard from their own ancestor that the Golden Core Old Monster of the Shen Family was extremely ruthless and strong.

A being that had devoured the golden nature of other Golden Core cultivators.

Since the Patriarch of the Shen Family said so, it proved that the ruins might indeed hide a big secret.

"Young man, you better give up this idea."

"We can find treasures elsewhere; don’t set your sights on those ruins."

After pondering for a while, Old Man Jin solemnly warned Luan Jie.

Luan Jie unwillingly nodded.

"Since this is the case, Master Shu will not disturb you further."

"I trouble Patriarch Shen to accompany us to fetch the Wood Moonlight Pine, and we shall return to Beidi County."

Shen Chongming nodded and personally led the three demons to the mountain, watching Hua Qing devour the strange Little Pine Tree, and then returned to Yunshui City, heading towards Black Water Pavilion.

...

Western Wilderness, Flame Lake City.

After a brief inspection of the city’s construction and the progress of He Zhongyi and Shen Xiuyun in the Li Palace Bing Fire Refining Form Technique, Shen Wen’an flew on his sword heading west from Flame Lake City.

He was entrusted by his father to investigate the situation west of Flame Lake City.

Along the way, Shen Wen’an took his time, not rushing.

Because his father Shen Yuan had previously instructed to understand the terrain of this area and record the geographical features.

He was not an Array Dao cultivator; he could not judge the earth veins hidden beneath by the feeling of the land.

He had to take the most straightforward approach, grounding himself to explore with the Vein-Seeking Skill bit by bit.

Though this method was slow, it allowed him to clearly perceive the actual condition of the earth veins.

Like a mendicant monk, Shen Wen’an journeyed west alone, leaving the desert surrounding Flame Lake City, the scene before him appearing more desolate.

Gale winds, intense heat, and the scorching sun baked the earth.

The rubble underfoot in the Gobi Desert had decayed internally due to countless years of weathering.

As Shen Wen’an stepped down, the once hard rock instantly turned into fine sand and dust, scattered by the fierce wind.

"The Five Elements of Water...water in the north..."

"The Five Elements and Five Directions here are still inverted."

"Moreover, while there’s abundant moisture in these earth veins, the surface is so barren that there’s not a single blade of wild grass, truly strange."

Amidst the endless wind and sand, Shen Wen’an, using his Vein-Seeking Skill, could sense the dense water attribute Qi deep beneath the earth. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Under normal circumstances, nurtured by such earth veins, this vast area should either be lakes and marshes or dense, flourishing forests or grasslands.

It absolutely shouldn’t look like this.

Continuing westward for several days, the surroundings had long become an endless desert.

Standing atop a towering dune, Shen Wen’an had to erect a Sword Element Shield around his body.

There was no choice; the gales in this desert contained extremely dense Gold Attribute spiritual power, which may have been influenced by the earth’s momentum or cunningly embedded through a man-made array.

Time and again, a cold gleam would suddenly appear, a wind blade speeding towards them.

Shen Wen’an attempted to face them, and these wind blades could easily kill a cultivator in the Early Stage of Fetal Breathing.

"The power of life..."

"Where has all the vitality here gone?"

After months of deep exploration, he finally realized the fundamental problem.

Not to mention the inversion of the Five Elements and Five Directions here; even so, such a confluence of the Five Elements should make this land brimming with vitality.

However, all the way here, as much as he exercised his divine sense, no vitality was discovered within thousands of miles.

The so-called vitality wasn’t referring to plants and creatures, but to the most basic "Power of Life" between heaven and earth.

This situation severely contradicted his understanding.