CHAPTER 344: CHAPTER 344: CLOUD PRAIRIE AND MIST CLOUD

Hearing Xiao Bai say this, Jiang Yuan also felt a bit concerned.

Currently, the small courtyard has only reached Level Four, and the protective shield can only block low-level monsters. If the Blinding Technique gets broken by intermediate monsters, it won’t be able to withstand a strong attack. If we can kill one as they come, that’s fine, but otherwise, we’ll have to take everyone to hide in the Market or the Netherworld temporarily.

The sky gradually darkened, and all the members of the small courtyard looked up, waiting for the first descent of the summer wilderness.

[Dusk has arrived, the Wilderness descends]

At exactly six o’clock in the evening, the system notification popped up, and the sky above was filled with swirling clouds.

Thick clouds slowly descended from the sky, and Jiang Yuan squinted, unable to see any scenery!

"What’s going on?" Yun Mo, standing on the treetop and shading with his wings, said puzzledly, "Why can’t we see anything? Not a single tree or mountain? Could it be that we’ve encountered a vast sea?"

Hu Zhile sniffed the increasingly close scent and pointed to the northwest direction, saying, "The scent in that direction is completely overshadowed by the smell of many demon cultivators. The distance seems relatively far, maybe it’s an island where a certain demon cult clan gathers?"

"Ah? Will there be a sea every night from now on?" Wan Mingchuan felt a bit disappointed, "I can’t swim or fly, so I wouldn’t be able to go out at night."

As they spoke, the clouds descended, and the small courtyard’s protective shield glowed faintly.

Ever since Jiang Yuan repaired the Ancient Teleportation Array inside the cliff cave, the cliff area was included in the small courtyard’s range. As a result, after the Wilderness descent, the view remained unchanged, with the scenery backed by cliffs and surrounded by rivers.

"It’s a vast prairie!" Yun Mo, standing high and looking far, pointed in the northwest direction with his wings, saying, "Hu girl is absolutely right; there’s a city there! Sir, it seems we’re guarding a Demon City here..."

He swallowed unconfidently, shrank his neck, and said softly, "A city in the Wilderness must be guarded by a Great Demon, or rather the entire city and the surrounding hundreds of miles are the territory of the City Lord’s Great Demon!"

It’s not a sea after all. Jiang Yuan walked to the protective shield and looked out; indeed, it was a vast prairie dotted with colorful wildflowers. Many water sources were scattered, reflecting the starlit sky, adding a dreamy touch.

He felt slightly disappointed; without the sea, there would be no mermaids, and he couldn’t temporarily gather information on the clues of Star Moon Island and the Sea Moon Tomb mentioned by Li.

In the northwest direction where the sky meets the earth, there was a bustling city, and from the Divine Wood Peak, one could see its bright lights from afar.

After the system updated the map, it displayed the current location as the Cloud Prairie, and the city in the northwest as the Cloud City. Within the range currently displayed on the map, besides the vast prairie and that city, there was nothing else.

"Dang it, how are we supposed to cut trees or catch Feathered Insects now?" Jiang Yuan’s first reaction was to worry about the basic materials needed for the daily life of the small courtyard.

It should be noted that the wood from the wilderness and the insects dropped from tree cutting have become essential materials, especially the Feathered Insects, which are needed for making poultry feed, as well as fish food and basic fishing bait.

Now that there’s a vast prairie outside with not a single tree, are we supposed to use a Teleportation Scroll every night to search for a forest in the wilderness?

If that’s the case, no matter how much the Treasure Forging Workshop can recharge the Teleportation Scrolls, it won’t be able to withstand such frequent use.

Perhaps... Jiang Yuan turned to look at the grocery store, considering that reaching Cyan Fish Mountain from the Market might find a place to cut trees; or alternatively, use the Ancient Teleportation Array to see if there’s a suitable place for cutting trees and gathering materials.

For now, let’s organize a team to explore the surroundings, see if there’s any specialty we can snatch, and estimate the threat level of the city to the small courtyard.

For the next three months of summer, being neighbors with the Cloud City every night, one must at least know each other to feel secure.

"Xiao Bai, Zhile, you two come with me for a walk around the vicinity." He immediately named them and then advised, "The rest of you stay home and cultivate quietly; don’t cause any big commotion, as we still don’t know what the situation in the Demon City is."

Meanwhile, Jiang Yuan was still pondering that since the demon cultivator city is so prosperous, there must be auction houses or trading venues. Could he find an opportunity to wander over and purchase some raw materials?

Like Spirit Medicine, for instance, he felt very insecure with the current account balance and urgently needed to refine a batch of Elixir for sale.

"Sniff, sniff!" Hu Zhile stepped out of the protective shield, sniffed the slightly hot summer night breeze, and said joyfully, "Venerable Family, there are many spice scents here; they must be wild plants growing on the prairie!"

Very good, many unexplored Medicinal Incense in the Incense Chart might have found their place.

Unfortunately, there seems to be no abundant Spirit Medicine found so far, likely because of the proximity to the Demon City, where any Spirit Medicine resources would have been scavenged.

[Starlight Stone: A refining material from meteorites falling thousands of years ago]

[Broken Star Lake: Lakes distributed across the Cloud Prairie with dispersed water sources, forming underground lakes below. Hosts a large number of precious fish species, suitable for fishing and crab traps]

[Wilderness Grass: Plants commonly seen throughout the Cloud Prairie, grows rapidly and can be harvested to make fodder and flax fabric]

...

What’s most abundant on the prairie is Wilderness Grass, and Jiang Yuan scanned the area and didn’t feel any significant surprise. The Cloud Prairie was too monotonous compared to Crescent Lake, which had mountains, lakes, and snow mountains...

"Venerable Family, that cloud doesn’t seem quite right." Hu Zhile pointed behind him to remind him.

Bai Yunqi glanced at it, frowning slightly, "It seems this prairie isn’t low in terrain, allowing such a vast cloud to drift over."

"It’s indeed huge!" Jiang Yuan turned around and was stunned—a massive cloud as tall as the sky, like a heap of cotton, gracefully drifted past about a hundred feet away, then dissipated slowly with the wind.

[Mist Cloud: A specialty of the Cloud Prairie, these clouds may hide monsters, treasures, or even gateways to unknown regions. Opportunity and risk coexist, so explore cautiously.]

Seeing the system’s identification, his eyes lit up instantly!

The Mist Cloud can randomly open a blind box?

"There may be dangers hidden in these clouds, so it’s best not to approach them lightly." Jiang Yuan was eager to try, and happened to see a whirlwind sweeping over the grass, gradually gathering a Mist Cloud about forty to fifty feet away.

He instructed Xiao Bai and Hu Zhile to gather all the spices they could find nearby for cultivation, and he carried his Blade to follow, wanting to observe closely.

Bai Yunqi was bewildered, "Huh? Didn’t you say not to approach lightly, Venerable Family? Venerable Family!"

"I’m just going to get a closer look and won’t enter lightly, don’t follow me." Jiang Yuan waved his hand to indicate he wouldn’t act rashly.

Then, the two contracted pets watched helplessly as he carried his Blade and energetically entered the cloud.

"It might be more dangerous for us." Hu Zhile took a few steps forward, pulled a red-flowered plant from the grass, and said helplessly, "Logically, we’re the Family Guardian Immortals and should be ahead of the Venerable Family when things happen, but now, I feel like I’m nothing like a guardian..."

"Like what?"

"Like..." She hesitated, and said softly, "Senior Bai, don’t you think we’re more like pets benevolently kept by the Venerable Family?

Which Family Guardian Immortal receives incense every day but does nothing, simply gathering herbs, incense, and white stones, receiving Elixirs and even Cultivation Techniques, and then just self-cultivating every day?"

Hearing her say this, the proud Bai Yunqi narrowed his snake eyes; pet? This word was simply a great humiliation!

But it seems that the Venerable Family isn’t maintaining Family Immortals; otherwise, why aren’t we sent forward during danger? Family Immortals are meant to ward off calamity, leading from the front!