Douluo: Wuhun Seven Killing Sword, Sword Opens the Gate of Heaven

Chapter 288: Asking for travel expenses is a signal, food from Haotian Sect?
Everyone rushed to the pit and comforted him, "Third Elder, don't blame yourself. No one expected that this guy would choose to cut off his arm to survive."

“But we have gained something from this trip.”

Ning Tianchen bent down and checked the ginseng legs.

Just now, he knew that his soul skills could not cause any damage to the ten thousand year old ninth grade ginseng king under the surface, so he simply used all his strength to cut off the ginseng leg.

Of course, with the ten thousand year old ninth grade ginseng king's defensive power, he had no chance to cut off the ginseng leg. Instead, the other party tore off the ginseng leg when he was trying to escape in a panic.

Next, we need to consider the allocation of the legs.

Ning Tianchen contributed the most, so he should get 40% of the share. The others also assisted him, and the remaining 60% was divided equally among the others.

Tian Guozhen said: "How about this, let's not cut this ginseng leg. We in the Snow Mountain Sect only want the ginseng beard, and the rest will be yours."

Ning Tianchen shook his head and refused: "How can this be possible? Without your spirit skill, I can't cut off this ginseng leg at all."

Tian Guozhen waved his hand, "I overheard you and Ning Rongrong say before that one of your friends lost both eyes. The ten thousand year old ninth grade ginseng king contains infinite vitality, which will be of great help to your friend. If it is cut open, the medicinal effect may not be able to heal her eyes."

Ning Tianchen was not surprised.

When entering the Arctic ice field, he and Ning Rongrong discussed this matter and did not avoid each other.

Tian Qihua said: "If it weren't for your interpretation of the 18th ancient ruins, we might not have known about the existence of the 29th ancient ruins. You can take this ginseng leg. It's important to cure your friend."

Ning Tianchen thought for a moment and said, "How about this, you have the first choice among the items in the No. 29 ancient ruins, and we will choose one or two items later, and the rest will be given to you."

Tian Guozhen and others smiled and said, "Okay, then let's do as you say."

The medicinal effect of the ginseng legs of the ten thousand year old ninth grade ginseng king is also very good. After taking them back and soaking them in wine, they have the effect of prolonging life.

After the distribution, Ning Tianchen put the bare ginseng leg into the soul guide.

Tian Guozhen put his arm around his shoulders and said with a smile, "My friend, I didn't expect you to have a domain. It seems that you didn't use your full strength during the sect's competition."

Ning Tianchen smiled and said, "You are the same, aren't you? A hundred thousand year old torso soul bone is the most valuable of all soul bones. If you use the soul skill you just used during the sparring, I'm afraid I won't be able to resist. Besides, your hundred thousand year soul bone also has another powerful soul skill, and this gap cannot be made up by domain alone."

The soul skills provided by a hundred thousand year soul ring and soul bone are far more powerful than any ten thousand year soul skills.

Otherwise, with the cultivation level of Emperor Zhenhun of Tian Kingdom, how could he possibly freeze the Ten Thousand Years Old Ninth Rank Ginseng King that had cultivated for more than 80,000 years!
Tian Guozhen was surprised and asked, "A hundred thousand year soul bone provides two soul skills. You also know this?"

No one in the history of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect has ever obtained a hundred thousand year spirit ring or spirit bone, but this does not matter, as they have ancient books that record this matter.

Ning Tianchen added: "Not only that, if you hunt a hundred thousand year soul beast, you will definitely find a hundred thousand year soul bone that is not on your body. This is also recorded in the ancient books of my sect."

Tian Guozhen nodded slightly, obviously knowing about this.

Tian Qihua added: "Guo Zhen is the sect's number one genius. This soul bone was obtained from the soul beast that the sect master hunted when he broke through to the Titled Douluo level. It's a pity that the sect master's soul bones were full at that time, and he couldn't absorb this 100,000-year soul bone."

"After Guo Zhen completed the sect's training, the sect master specially gave him this soul bone."

Being a secluded sect is not completely without benefits.

When the sect was in seclusion, it could preserve resources such as soul bones to a great extent. After all, disciples in the sect rarely went out, and even if they got soul bones, they would only stay in the sect.

When he passes away, his soul bone will remain in the sect and be passed on to the next generation.

On the other hand, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, as the richest sect on the continent, has obtained a lot of soul bones in its history.

However, many elders who possessed soul bones did not die in the sect, resulting in the loss of a large number of soul bones.

"Let's go quickly, or a soul beast might follow the scent." Tian Chao reminded.

Ning Tianchen pointed to a large pit nearby and said, "There are so many ice caves underground. If you're lucky, you might find the ten-thousand-year-old ice marrow. Why don't you go down and take a look?"

Tian Chao and others refused repeatedly.

The underground ice cave is intricate and complicated. Unless someone falls into it accidentally, who would take the initiative to go down and explore it?
Besides, ice caves are not suitable for plants to survive. If you want to find rare treasures, the probability of finding them on the ice field is much higher than in an ice cave.

As for the ten thousand year old ice marrow, it is already quite rare, and most of it is in caves. The stock in ice caves is also scarce.

"These are the experiences summed up by several generations of Snow Mountain Sect. So, we continue to move forward. There is no need to hang ourselves here." Tian Chao explained.

……

After traveling for a while, the Hao Te team finally arrived at Soto City.

Returning to the city where Shrek Academy was once located, Oscar had a lot of thoughts in his mind.

When he was in Shrek Academy, due to the lack of training resources, his strength improved very slowly in those years.

Since arriving at the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, his life has completely changed. Not only has his strength improved by leaps and bounds, but he has also received special training from the sect.

He never thought that one day he would be able to achieve financial freedom without relying on selling sausages.

Chen Huayu patted his shoulder and said, "Xiao Ao, I heard from the boss that the original Shrek Academy is in Soto City. How about it, do you want to go back and take a look?"

Oscar thought about it and didn't agree.

Shrek Academy has moved to Tiandou City, and the academy here has probably been abandoned long ago.

Moreover, the original house of the academy was rented from the villagers. After Shrek Academy moved away from here, the house was probably taken back by the village.

Is there any point in going back to a village where everything has changed?

Not to mention, their team still has a mission to accomplish.

Without staying outside the city for too long, the team, led by Hao Te, quickly found the person they were meeting with.

This time, it was a hunchbacked old man. After confirming the identities of Hao Te and the others, the old man smiled and said, "As for the remaining travel expenses, you can ask them for them when you get in touch with the contact person."

Hao Te was busy checking the grain transport convoy and didn't pay attention to what the old man said.

Oscar and Chen Huayu, who were standing by, had strange expressions on their faces.

This was not the first time they had heard this, so why did the other party emphasize this matter?
When the old man turned his gaze, the two immediately pretended nothing had happened.

This time, there were nearly a thousand horse-drawn carriages transporting grain, and each carriage was pulled by three BMW horses.

When the carriages drove out of Soto City, the long convoy seemed to have no end in sight.

Roughly estimated, this amount of food is enough to feed 100,000 people for more than two months.

If the convoy was not heading towards Tiandou City in the north, they would even suspect that it was logistical supplies being transported to the battlefield.

In addition to several people from the Hao Te team, there were more than a hundred civilian laborers in the convoy.

Such a long team requires small teams to guard it, and they must arrange one person to guard at every distance.

Outside the city, while Hott and his party were waiting for the carriage to drive out of the city, they entered the convoy one by one in order.

Oscar came close to Hao Te and whispered, "Brother Hao Te, I think there might be something wrong with this escort."

Nearly a thousand carts of food were actually being transported by the Soul Hunting Team, which was a big problem in itself.

You know, so much food is enough to raise a private army of tens of thousands of people, and they can transport it. It is obvious that the person behind the scenes does not want to be involved.

"What did you find?" Hot asked.

Chen Huayu whispered, "The two contacts hinted to us that we need to ask the final contact for the remaining travel expenses. If I were the contact, I would definitely not mention the travel expenses. Only a fool would pay more if they can hire us at the lowest cost."

Oscar took over the conversation, "So, we suspect that 'asking the contact for travel expenses' may be some kind of hint. Since the whereabouts of the grain is in doubt, I think the person behind this must not want to leave anyone alive, causing the whereabouts of the grain to be leaked."

After some analysis, Hao Te asked, "You mean, the last contact person might not be the same person as the employer? Asking for travel expenses from the last contact person, is this some kind of secret signal for the other party to kill us?"

Chen Huayu and Oscar nodded at the same time.

They had been with Ning Tianchen for a long time and had heard similar secret codes from Ning Tianchen.

That is, the two parties agree on a secret code in advance. When they are unable to communicate with each other, as long as the code is said, the other party will know what to do.

Hao Te felt that their words were highly credible.

The contact persons in Soto City and Barak City reminded them to ask the next contact person for travel expenses.

It is obvious that they want to take advantage of human greed and send a certain signal to the next contact.

After thinking for a while, he said, "I will inform the others about this matter. When we meet the last contact person, we won't want this travel fee. Our lives are more important."

……

With the escort of the Hao Te team, the convoy did not encounter any accidents on the way to Tiandou City. According to the civilians in the convoy, their destination was not Tiandou City, but a hill more than 200 miles east of Tiandou City.

You know, there is no city within nearly 500 miles to the east of Tiandou City.

By choosing to receive the goods there and intending to kill people to silence them, the outside world would never know.

Hao Te immediately became alert and more cautious.

A few days later, the convoy drove into the foot of a mountain.

During the nearly two months of journey, the horses transporting grain consumed more than a hundred carts of food and fodder.

The convoy was lined up in a row, with Hao Te walking at the front of the team and handing over the goods to the contact person.

When he saw the burly man not far away, he walked up to him and asked, "Are you the contact person?"

The man said nothing more and took out an iron token from his arms, which was exactly the same as the token given to them by the first contact person.

After confirming his identity, Hao Te asked, "Where is the food stored?"

The man pointed at his feet and said, "Just stop here. Does the delivery person have anything else to tell you?"

Hao Te immediately became alert.

Doesn't it fit with Chen Huayu and Oscar's guess that the other party is offering money?

Moreover, he did not feel any soul power fluctuations from this man. However, the man's sturdy body and temperament clearly showed that he was not an ordinary person, but an extremely powerful soul master.

With this in mind, Hao Te cupped his hands and said, "We are only responsible for transporting food and fodder, nothing else."

The man asked again, "Didn't I ask you for travel expenses?"

Hao Te pretended to be confused and asked, "Travel expenses? What travel expenses?"

Seeing that he performed perfectly, the man waved his hand and said, "Stop the carriages here, and you can go."

Hao Te didn't dare to stay any longer. After arranging the convoy, he quickly left in the opposite direction.

When the man saw them disappear from his sight, he couldn't help but mutter, "Yuehua didn't ask them for travel expenses. I think this team is trustworthy."

……

In the middle of the grain transport convoy, Oscar and Chen Huayu walked together.

"Xiao Ao, there is a figure moving in the woods nearby. Have you noticed it?"

Oscar nodded, "Not just one person, but a group of people. When I was in the sect before, I looked at the map near Tiandou City. There are no villages or signs of human activities more than 200 miles east of the city. These people are likely sent by the contact person. The purpose may be to kill us."

Chen Huayu did not express his opinion, but pulled him aside and said, "I just found a person, and the martial spirit in his hand is the Clear Sky Hammer."

"Tang San?" Oscar thought instinctively.

Chen Huayu shook his head. "How could I not recognize Tang San? After the battle in the Spirit Master Competition, there is no way I could have mistaken the Clear Sky Hammer spirit. I can be sure that the spirit in that person's hand is the Clear Sky Hammer. These people are probably disciples of the Clear Sky Sect."

The Haotian Sect did not perish, but was forced into seclusion.

If Chen Huayu was not mistaken, then this batch of grain was transported by someone for the Haotian Sect.

It’s right if you think about it carefully.

The Haotian Sect is just secluded, and their disciples still need to eat, so it is reasonable for them to buy food from the outside world.

If the food is transported here, then the hidden base of the Haotian Sect is very likely to be nearby.

"Shh, keep your voice down, don't let anyone hear us. Wait for Brother Hao Te to come back, then we'll leave quickly." Chen Huayu reminded in a low voice.

The hidden location of Haotian Sect is kept secret from the outside world.

If they discover the headquarters of the Haotian Sect, it might cause trouble.

The two men pretended to remain calm, and when Hao Te returned from the front, the team quickly left this place of trouble.

……

On the Arctic ice field.

After many days of traveling, Ning Tianchen and his companions had reached the farthest distance recorded in the Snow Mountain Sect.

According to the comparison of the route map brought out from the No. 18 ancient ruins, after tens of thousands of years of changes, two snow-capped mountains nearby have disappeared, and the remaining snow-capped mountain has become taller than before.

Tian Qihua originally had no intention of bringing everyone here, but since they had not encountered any soul beasts along the way, he became bolder.

"This is the recorded limit of distance. Many places don't match the route map. Let's go back."

"No, keep going." Tian Guozhen said, "After tens of thousands of years of vicissitudes, many mountains have indeed disappeared, but not all of them have disappeared. There are still traces of some mountains that can be traced."

Tian Qihua said helplessly: "Guo Zhen, it is too dangerous to go on. You are only Soul Kings and Soul Emperors, wait until you break through Soul Douluo before exploring. After returning, I will explain in detail to the Sect Master and ensure that no one else in the sect will rob the No. 29 ancient ruins, how do you think?"

Tian Guozhen shook his head and continued, "We can walk slowly on the road ahead and record the route map as we go. If we don't find the No. 29 ruins, we can return according to the topographic map."

Tian Qihua smiled bitterly.

Drawing a topographic map is not that easy. Not only does it require recording the roads you have traveled, but you also need to observe the prominent terrain nearby.

It would take at least two years to reach the 29th ancient ruins by drawing a map as we walked.

The dried meat they brought with them can only last for one year at most, and currently only about 60% is left.

After eating the meat, they couldn't find any other food on this vast ice field.

"Third Elder, let's move forward a little further." Tian Chao sighed.

They couldn't stop Tian Guozhen from making his decision.

They can go back, but Tian Guozhen will definitely go on.

Ning Tianchen suggested: "How about this, the Third Elder and I take turns flying in the air. The higher the altitude, the farther the sight is, and it can save a lot of time when drawing the topographic map."

They had been traveling on the Arctic ice field for four months. Winter was almost over, and there would be no strong storms on the ice field in the spring.

Flying in the air is much safer, and you can also detect nearby soul beasts in advance.

"Okay, but my bottom line is that I can only be gone for half a year at most. If we don't come back to the sect for too long, the sect master will get worried and may even send people out to look for us, which will be a huge waste of the sect's resources."

"Moreover, we have to replenish food at any time during the journey, otherwise we will starve to death here when the next winter comes."

With the approval of the third elder, everyone was able to continue their in-depth exploration.

However, the Third Elder did not let Ning Tianchen scout the surrounding terrain from the air, but instead let him draw the topographic map.

It's not that I'm worried that Ning Tianchen will get this topographic map, but the air is not safe. If I focus my main energy on drawing the topographic map, how can I find the potential dangers around me?

With Tian Qihua's strength as a Titled Douluo, he can avoid most attacks from soul beasts in mid-air.

As time went by, everyone followed the topographic map brought from the ancient ruins. One of the lakes recorded in the map had not disappeared after tens of thousands of years.

When we arrived at the lake, we were surprised to find that the lake was not frozen, but instead was emitting billowing heat waves.

Putting your hand into the lake, you can clearly feel that the water here is hot.

"I didn't expect there were hot springs here." Everyone felt curious.

Hot springs usually appear near volcanoes with more active geological activities, and there may have been a volcano under their feet countless years ago. However, under the long-term accumulation of ice and snow, the volcano was gradually buried underground.

Going to hot springs in such a cold place is not a wise choice.

The temperature difference between cold and hot makes it easy to contract diseases, and if they are attacked by soul beasts, they will not be able to respond immediately.

"Let's take a rest here. We are moving very fast and we are very lucky. According to the distance on the topographic map, we will be able to find the No. 29 ancient ruins in about five or six days."

Sitting beside the steaming lake, Ning Tianchen sat cross-legged and cultivated his soul power.

After such a long time, his strength barely broke through two levels and reached level 64.

As for Tian Guozhen and others, the environment here is conducive to their cultivation. Therefore, their speed of improvement is much faster than Ning Tianchen.

(End of this chapter)