Supernatural Insight Eyes-Chapter 966 - 0 Tracing! (Fourth update)

The Mu Clan is secretly searching for crystal stone veins, constantly sending experts into the Barbaric Wilderness Forest.

The Ji Clan, with Ji Changtian as its leader, has also turned their attention to the Barbaric Wilderness Forest. Ji Lingchen was entrusted with an important task, hoping he could secure those valuable items.

Three days passed quietly and without notice. Lacking much progress in comprehending the Rule Power of ice, Ye Qiu temporarily halted his cultivation practice on this front and instead focused entirely on mastering the third and fourth levels of the Flood Dragon Devil Fist.

Regarding the third strike, Ye Qiu hadn’t yet fully mastered it—it didn’t come as easily to him as the first two strikes.

Nevertheless, as Ye Qiu continued practicing relentlessly, he grew increasingly familiar with its intricacies, estimating that within a month, he would definitely achieve full mastery.

As for the fourth strike, Ye Qiu has only performed it mentally in his mind. He worried that if he unleashed it, the ensuing darkened state would amplify his killing intent, risking his loss of self-control.

He is determined not to use the fourth strike unless absolutely necessary. Its backlash from darkening is too severe; he fears he might no longer remain Ye Qiu.

Meanwhile, the martial advancement of his five maidservants, Jin’er, Mu’er, Shui’er, and the others, progressed rapidly. They now faintly reached the peak of Force Power—only one step away from breaking through to the True Qi realm.

Even Ye Qiu himself found their martial talent surprising. They were unbelievably strong because these five hadn’t been practicing martial arts for long, but they had swiftly reached the later stages of Force Power, just shy of its peak. Their cultivation speed was downright astonishing.

Ye Qiu carefully examined each of their martial progress and confirmed that they were all about the same level. In the late stages of Force Power, they were merely one step away from entering the True Qi realm.

Regarding their rapid cultivation speed, Ye Qiu attributed it to their outstanding martial talent, their tireless day-and-night efforts these past days, and the fact that this ancient land provided an Innate environment suitable for martial training. These combined factors explained their remarkable growth.

Seeing the five women dedicated to training, the four guards responsible for watching over Ye Qiu’s courtyard—Shi Da, Shi Er, Shi San, and Shi Si—also became inspired and hoped Ye Qiu would teach them some martial techniques.

However, when it came to transferring martial skills to these four guards, Ye Qiu refrained and instead delegated the task to Jin Shanshun.

For a time, Jin Shanshun became both the courtyard’s steward and the guards’ martial instructor, keeping him exceptionally busy.

Of course, the martial techniques Jin Shanshun taught were all quite basic—the kind of cultivation techniques that fringe ancient clans would freely use. As for the martial secrets Ye Qiu had entrusted him with, Jin Shanshun didn’t share even one of them.

Regarding the courtyard’s division of labor: Shi Da and Shi Er, being tall and burly, were best suited to guard the premises. Jin Shanshun primarily relied on them for ensuring courtyard security.

On the other hand, Shi San and Shi Si were short in stature but clever by nature. They were assigned to gather intelligence for Ye Qiu and report back timely.

Soon, Ye Qiu found himself puzzled by the information that Shi San and Shi Si brought back.

"Are you sure there’s no mistake?" Ye Qiu asked again to confirm.

"Young Master, there’s no mistake. Because they bought off many members of my race, I won’t misrecognize them," Shi San said.

"What is the Ji Clan planning? Why do they need so many slaves?" Ye Qiu wondered aloud.

This leading clan of the ancient land would never engage in meaningless actions. So, what exactly was their purpose in purchasing such a large number of slaves?

"Shanshun, immediately investigate whether the Ji Clan has any agricultural or idle tasks requiring so many people," Ye Qiu ordered.

Jin Shanshun had already been monitoring the movements of the three major ancient clans per Ye Qiu’s instructions. He hadn’t noticed anything unusual, though. What stood out was that the Ji Clan—despite already having sufficient servants—had suddenly purchased 40 to 50 slaves within the last two days. This was overly peculiar.

"Young Master, the Ji Clan has no agricultural tasks or other jobs of that nature requiring large numbers of people," Jin Shanshun explained.

"Who from the Ji Clan purchases these slaves every time?" Ye Qiu asked.

"It’s Ji Lingchen’s younger brother, Ji Chuan."

Ji Chuan?

Ye Qiu furrowed his brow; this was even more strange. The Ji Clan’s steward wasn’t handling these transactions; instead, Ji Lingchen’s younger brother was responsible. This clearly indicated that the need for slaves was closely tied to Ji Lingchen.

"Keep a constant watch on the movements of the Ji Clan, especially Ji Lingchen. Notify me immediately if there’s any activity," Ye Qiu ordered.

Ye Qiu sensed that the Ji Clan might be planning something, necessitating close surveillance. On the other hand, both the Shi Clan and Mu Clan remained eerily quiet, offering no clues or leads.

While Ye Qiu tasked Jin Shanshun with keeping tabs on the Ji Clan, a message arrived from Cloud Master, reporting that the herbs for the holy-grade pill had been gathered.

Ye Qiu went to inspect the herbs. When examining them one-by-one, he realized each herb had a history spanning over a thousand years. This left him deeply shaken, as every single plant boasted at least that level of antiquity.

What surprised Ye Qiu was that the Five-Goat Elder hadn’t made an appearance. According to Cloud Master, the elder had suffered severe injuries. This heightened Ye Qiu’s curiosity—just how terrifying was the Barbaric Wilderness Forest for even someone as powerful as the Five-Goat Elder to return gravely injured?

Returning to his residence, Ye Qiu couldn’t help but speculate—had Old Mo too ventured into the Barbaric Wilderness Forest during these past days of absence?

Ye Qiu had previously discussed the Barbaric Wilderness Forest with Jin Shanshun. In Jin Shanshun’s view, this forbidden area was synonymous with death. Countless experts had tried to reach the forest’s deepest parts, yet no one had returned alive throughout the years.

"Young Master, you’re worrying too much. Old Mo wouldn’t enter that place lightly. And with his skills, he wouldn’t necessarily be in danger." Jin Shanshun comforted him.

"Has there ever been an instance where ancient clans dispatched large groups into the Barbaric Wilderness Forest?" Ye Qiu asked.

Jin Shanshun shook his head. "The terrifying legends of the Barbaric Wilderness Forest have been circulating for ages. Everyone fears provoking the powerful beings inside, bringing calamity to the ancient land."

Jin Shanshun’s words echoed that of Cloud Master. In summary, very few dared step into that forbidden ground.

Setting aside thoughts of the Barbaric Wilderness Forest, three more days passed. Shi San and Shi Si returned with fresh information about the Ji Clan.

They reported that early this morning, all the slaves acquired by the Ji Clan had vanished, seemingly evaporating overnight, leaving no trace.

Shi San and Shi Si felt deeply upset as some of their kin had been among those slaves. They suspected the Ji Clan had killed them, with not even bodies left behind.

However, Ye Qiu disagreed with this assumption. The idea that the Ji Clan spent a fortune solely to buy slaves for slaughter seemed unreasonable. The silent disappearance of such slaves only heightened his sense of intrigue.

That night, Ye Qiu ventured close to the Ji Clan under the cover of darkness.

"Young Master, are we entering the Ji Clan?" Jin Shanshun asked.

Ye Qiu shook his head. Unless it was absolutely unavoidable, he didn’t wish to step into the Ji Clan’s lair. Otherwise, if discovered, no one would know even if he were killed.

This visit was purely an attempt to investigate what happened to the missing slaves.

Ye Qiu and Jin Shanshun discovered faint clues behind the Ji Clan’s premises. After scrutinizing the area for a while, Ye Qiu revealed a smile.

He had found it.

"Young Master, have you identified something?" Jin Shanshun asked. He hadn’t noticed any signs and didn’t understand why Ye Qiu was crouched on the ground fiddling with dirt.

Ye Qiu replied, "I know where the slaves have been taken. Look here—doesn’t the ground have numerous wheel tracks?"

Jin Shanshun nodded. The ground indeed bore many wheel marks, with varying depths.

Ye Qiu continued, "These tracks tell us where the slaves were transported. The Ji Clan likely purchased around fifty slaves, all male. Assuming each slave weighs about sixty kilograms, for fifty individuals, the total weight would be three thousand kilograms. Given the vehicles of the ancient land, each one can bear a maximum load of one thousand kilograms. Hence, transporting the slaves efficiently required three carts to move simultaneously, with each carrying at least one thousand kilograms of weight."

"So, Young Master, you’re saying we should identify the tracks belonging to the carts transporting the slaves?" Jin Shanshun immediately picked up on the crucial point.

"Exactly."

The duo followed the tracks for more than a hundred kilometers until they arrived at the foot of a towering mountain.

"What lies ahead?" Ye Qiu asked, sensing the dense mist ahead, which suggested lurking dangers rather than safety.

Scanning the area with caution, Jin Shanshun found no movements and breathed slightly easier before responding, "Young Master, that belongs to the territory of the Barbaric Wilderness Forest."

Hmm?

Ye Qiu’s gaze sharpened as he studied the area ahead with great seriousness.