Chapter 1042 1042 Ancient Stela

At this point, Shun Long's soul sense was extremely strong, so strong it was actually terrifying. Shun Long didn't know exactly how powerful it was, but he was sure he could rival most newly advanced Sovereigns without too much trouble, and even contend with some rank 2 ones.

So the moment his soul sense spread out, the numerous groups of Dao Kings and Dao Emperors at the foot of the mountain quickly appeared in his mind, followed by the images of every magic beast within a thousand-mile radius, regardless of whether they were in hiding or in plain sight.

Even those beasts that were hidden underground couldn't escape his senses as the soul sense of a Sovereign washed over them like a tidal wave.

For better or worse though, Shun Long only swept by them for a single moment, so neither those groups of Dao Kings, nor those magic beasts who were all between the rank 5 and rank 6 seemed to have noticed anything.

It was only the handful of Dao Emperors that seemed to frown momentarily, as if they'd sensed something, but Shun Long eventually ignored them too and instead focused on the herbs scattered around him.

When he had told the guard in Amber Dawn he would be looking for medicinal herbs, he wasn't lying. He had indeed come to this place to complete his breakthrough, but still, a place as huge and densely populated as the Scaled Mountains should have thousands of herbs just in its outer area alone. It would be a shame to let them go.

And yet, as his soul sense spread out, Shun Long noticed that there were only a dozen or so medicinal herbs around him, and even those were just rank 4 or rank 5 herbs. Most of them were hidden in extremely obscure spots too, which explained why they hadn't been picked by anyone yet.

''Right. This part of the Scaled Mountains is closest to Amber Dawn. With so many groups passing through every day, it would be a miracle if there was anything left here. Most likely, the entire outer ring has been swept clean already.''

As this thought appeared in his mind, Shun Long shook his head and moved deeper into the mountains, no longer bothering to look for anything valuable in the outer ring.

Right now, he was a late-stage Dao King and one that was very close to the peak, too. Once he reached the peak of the Dao King realm and started to prepare for his breakthrough to a Dao Emperor, most rank 6 herbs wouldn't cut it. It would only be rank 7 herbs and above that could make a difference.

But Shun Long knew what those herbs needed in order to grow. It wasn't just rich spiritual qi. They also needed favorable environmental conditions and enough time to mature. Some of those herbs even grew exclusively in places rich with yang qi and required direct sunlight every day, while others needed pure yin qi and thrived in dark places or areas with intense negative emotions. They wouldn't just lie around in a place with average spiritual qi like the outer ring of the Scaled Mountains.

In the blink of an eye, Shun Long's azure-robed figure turned into a blur as he flew deeper into the mountains.

...

Half an hour later, he was still in the outer ring when he stopped in front of an ordinary-looking cave near the first peak. The first mountain seemed to have hundreds of these naturally formed caves, most of them extending for dozens of meters, while the deeper ones even reached the hundred-meter mark.

''This one will do.''

Shun Long randomly picked one of the shallower caves and didn't even bother setting up a protective formation as he made his way inside. He simply lifted one of the large boulders lying around and used it to seal the cave's entrance, before he sat down and closed his eyes, entering the foggy space once more.

That was precisely why he hadn't set up any protective formations. After all, there was no better protection than the 'Stone of Time' itself.

It had been a while since Shun Long entered the foggy space to cultivate.

He had spent those 10 years in the 'City of Immortals' absorbing its immortal qi, so it was pointless to enter the 'Stone of Time' to cultivate.

But this time, as he looked around, he couldn't help but notice a few changes.

The space definitely looked emptier without Little Silver prancing around, but that wasn't what attracted Shun Long's attention. Neither was it Little Black's figure that was clearly bigger after his breakthrough, nor was it the Heaven Swallowing vine lying there idly, looking like it was starving for some spirit stones.

No, what Shun Long focused his gaze on was the small golden stele at the farthest edges of the foggy space.

The ancient stele had originally been dim and quiet... so quiet that Shun Long had almost forgotten about it.

There was still that faint white light it was emitting, but it was so weak that Shun Long ignored it most of the time. He had tried to probe the mysterious slab numerous times too, but every time the golden stele remained completely quiet.

Even when Little Black attacked it a few times, the stela refused to budge. Neither the mysterious palace engraved on its surface nor the 2 guards who were guarding it seemed to show any changes either.

...But now? Shun Long could sense the shift in the air the moment he returned to the foggy space. The white light around the stele had turned much denser and brighter than before and had completely enveloped the mysterious stone.

It was a striking difference that startled even Little Black, whose azure eyes narrowed dangerously as he stared at the golden stone now.

And yet, Shun Long could tell that the biggest change wasn't this. It was that small, humming sound the stele made as it lightly trembled.

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