<b>Chapter 385: Collecting Tree Resin</b>


    Thousand Inds’ location was not strategically important to the Static Stream Country nor the Thousand Carp River. This was the estuary that connected the vast ocean with the great river.


    Although there were sea demons that inhabited the ocean, neither the sea tribes nor the sea demons were a threat to the country, the Thousand Carp River, or the Distant Cloud Region.


    In the past, Li Qiye had rmended for the Static Stream Progenitor to establish the capital at the Thousand Inds, but unfortunately, he abandoned this idea and erected his capital in a more fertilend, thus letting go of a great fortune for many generations.


    Standing on the hills that overlooked the ny-nine inds, one would find that some were big and some were small, and none of them appeared to be special from a quick nce.


    However, Li Qiye knew that there was a big secret hidden in this ce. The research that he did in the past had not been fruitful until he obtained the Ghost’s Origin Ancestral Key from the Eastern Hundred Cities. It was then that he understood the key’s mysteries, leading him to solve the secret of the Thousand Inds.


    This was also why he wanted to go to the Sacred Nether Realm, and why the Thousand Inds was one of his goals.


    He explored one ind after another before stopping on the one farthest to the south. This particr ind didn’t have many good pointspared to the others, but if one had to name a particrly unique characteristic, then it would be that this ind looked like a palm from a bird’s eye view.


    Li Qiye looked down from the highest point of the ind and murmured: “So it is indeed this ce. One of the things that remained incalcble for eras!”


    There was a withered tree at the highest point of this ind. To be more exact, this withered tree had already died. Its body was burnt to a crisp ck; it seemed to have incited the heavenly wrath and got struck by lightning till death. In the end, only a three-foot stump remained above the ground.


    This stump was also hollow, the hole reaching deep into the ground. It was pitch ck as one looked down into this tree hole.


    This stump that was killed by lightning seemed to be a ck hand reaching out from the ground, inviting unsuspecting visitors.


    “Thunk, thunk, thunk.” As Li Qiye tapped on the stump, it issued a clear metallic sound as if it was not made of wood, but divine iron.


    “So this really is it!” After carefully observing it andparing it to the Ghost’s Origin Ancestral Key in his hand, Li Qiye couldn’t help but mutter. He finally revealed a smile and said: “Let me see if the legend is real or not. Allow me to solve this eternal mystery!”


    Since his arrival, Li Qiye conveniently built a hut and began to live his life as a mortal. During his stay on the ind, he started to harvest the resin of the Ghost Locust Trees as if he had be a resin farmer.


    However, he did not limit himself to the Ghost Locust Trees on this ind, he wanted to harvest resin from all of the inds.


    Not only did he require arge amount of resin, he also needed to leave behind a unique mark on all of the trees on the inds.


    If it was something as simple as harvesting, then he could have just hired some mortals to do so to save himself the trouble. It was obvious that Li Qiye required more than just the resin alone.


    Ever since his stay at the inds, day after day passed by as he performed farming duties, cutting the tree bark, then harvesting the resin! He did so over and over again from sunrise all the way until sunset.


    Despite being so close to the sea, there were still hundreds of thousands of mortals that lived on the inds with cities that were no less grand than the ind ones.


    It could be said that the Thousand Inds was quite a bustling ce. The mortals here mainly fished for a living; there were not too many farmers because the resin of the Ghost Locust Tree essentially had no use.


    The mortal inhabitants found it quite strange to see Li Qiye going around the inds to harvest the resin from the trees. Nevertheless, the inds belonged to the Static Stream Country, and the highest authority of the inds was the Region Lord, Lu Baiqiu.


    Since Lu Baiqiu allowed for Li Qiye to harvest resin on the inds, other people didn’t bother to interfere with him.


    Later on, Lu Baiqiu also came to see Li Qiye. It had to be said that Lu Baiqiu was indeed a gooddy. As long as human cultivators who came to the inds didn’t cause any trouble, they would receive help from the inds’ authority.


    Of course, Lu Baiqiu was also surprised to see Li Qiye collect so much resin: “What are you going to do after harvesting so much?”


    Keep in mind that the resin of these trees had always been useless, so despite there being a lot scattered across the inds, it was not very valuable.


    “I am mixing together a particr medicinal paste that requires arge amount of tree resin, so I n to take a lot now in order to avoid running back here in the future.” Li Qiye answered with a smile.


    His answer was quite reasonable, so Lu Baiqiu didn’t probe any further. She had already allowed for him to do so, so as long as he didn’t cause any trouble, he would remain under her protection.


    In the beginning, some people felt that a farmer like Li Qiye was indeed a bit different, but after a while, they got used to it and no one paid attention to such a farmer.


    Li Qiye spent his time on the ind by following a very strict schedule. During the day, he would harvest the resin, during the night, he would cultivate. Despite doing such an important job, he was not in a rush at all. He aimed to carve gigantic runic outlines on the inds; these markings were part of the rune arrays!


    But as all the residents on the inds got used to Li Qiye, someone began to notice him.


    An invited guest came to his hut; it was ady, a very beautifuldy. She wore a blue dress and had a transcendent aura. Her beauty could shame the moon and flowers and cause the birds to fall while the fishes would dive since they found themselves unworthy. Her figure was amorous and had a charming style. All of her gestures were filled with a transcendental air as if she did not belong in this mortal world.


    With a spirited pair of eyes, her body seemed to be filled with worldly essence. At the same time, her breath was as refreshing as a pure bamboo forest.


    After she came to the Thousand Inds, she immediately took note of Li Qiye and watched him for two to three days as if she wanted to find a clue.


    Two dayster, as Li Qiye was harvesting the resin, he lightly said to thisdy: “Little Girl, don’t stand behind me and watch all day long. My temper is not very good, so you better watch it, lest I throw you into the sea to feed the sharks.”


    It was quite strange to see someone younger than her speak as if he was an experienced old man. However, thedy did not be angry and slightly chuckled instead: “Uncle, I just wanted to warn you.”


    “Uncle?” Li Qiye gave her a look and said: “If you wish to get close to me, calling me uncle won’t do. If you call me Young Master or Young Noble, then I can consider taking you in.”


    Thedy in blue didn’t know whether tough or cry. This guy in front of her was a little too much. Who in the entire Distant Cloud would dare to boast about taking her in?


    “Uncle, watch out or you might bite your tongue!” Thedy in blue said with a wide smile. Her spirited smile was like the blooming of a hundred flowers or the singing of an oriole — warming the heart and delighting the eyes.


    She continued to say: “If you want to brag, then make sure you can back it up. Otherwise, it won’t do.”


    Li Qiye red at her and said: “What does a little girl like you know? Don’t interfere with my business, or I’ll really throw you into the sea no matter how great your origin may be.” Having said that, he started to ignore her and kept on harvesting the resin.


    Thedy in blue was astounded. She had met many arrogant people, but not one this outrageous.


    However, she did not give up and continued to follow Li Qiye as he harvested and said: “Uncle, I’m giving you a warning out of kindness!”


    “What warning?” Li Qiye said as he was collecting the resin.


    Thedy in blue also put on a demeanor simr to Li Qiye’s and nonchntly smiled: “Do you know the origin of the Thousand Inds?”


    “The Thousand Inds’ origin?” Upon hearing this, Li Qiye couldn’t help but smile, then he looked at her to say: “I actually want to hear about the origin of these inds.”


    Thedy in blue said: “Legends say that during a very ancient time, ny-nine fierce ghosts once caused chaos at the Sacred Nether World and turned it into a ghastly world. The high heavens was enraged by the actions of these ny-nine ghosts and unleashed their supreme wrath to kill the ny-nine ghosts. In the end, the bodies of these ghosts drifted down the Thousand Carp River and eventually reached the estuary before sinking into the ocean. In the end, their bodies turned into the inds that you see here.”