Chapter 4283 — Finding the Star Ink Milk
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
And at Chang Daoping's level in particular, personal strength was important, but so too was the strength of one's subordinates. Without a few trusted, capable men running about and risking their lives for him, both his status and his influence would suffer enormously.
Thus, while Chang Daoping did not want the group to memorize the route, he genuinely did intend to share some of the Star Ink Milk with them, so that they might improve their strength as quickly as possible. The Star Ink Milk could be harvested once every year or so anyway; he himself had no worry of running short.
Distributing the surplus Star Ink Milk to the group would not only help them grow stronger but also win their hearts—two birds with one stone.
But "the group" absolutely did not include Wei Zhao and Huang Xiaotao. Those two were merely laborers he had dragged in on the spot to break the formation; now they had no use value at all. How could something as precious as the Star Ink Milk be casually given to such unrelated outsiders?
To keep his own people from falling behind, Chang Daoping did not increase the pace further, yet murderous intent was already surging in his heart. Good water should not flow into outsiders' fields—the Star Ink Milk could not be given to outsiders. Since speed would not shake them off, only one option remained.
Wei Zhao knew nothing of the shift in Chang Daoping's mind, and continued following closely behind the group with Huang Xiaotao, seemingly utterly unaware.
They spoke not a word the whole way. Half an hour later, after leading them around countless turns, Chang Daoping finally stopped before an altar that was concealed in position and archaic in design.
Could this be the destination? Everyone was gasping for breath; after rushing so hard for so long, each of them was thoroughly exhausted. Those of slightly lesser strength had true qi reserves in their bodies that were nearly running dry.
Wei Zhao and Huang Xiaotao, by contrast, looked somewhat short of breath but were in fact still full of vigor, their true qi abundant—far beyond comparison with the rest.
Could it be that he had been overthinking, and there really was no danger here? Wei Zhao studied the altar before him, his heart wavering between doubt and alarm. From the moment they had entered and he noticed the anomaly in the ruins, he had been quietly keeping watch all along.
Yet Chang Daoping had led them crashing straight through, traversing this dead city for half an hour, and they had encountered not a single living thing; the jade pendant had given no warning either. There truly had been no sign of danger the whole way.
And this dilapidated altar before them was nothing remarkable either. Many of its steps were already crumbling, but for the group to climb it was still a simple matter.
With Chang Daoping in the lead, the group scrambled eagerly up onto the altar. They met no obstruction along the way, nor any extra formation guarding it, and given how remote and out-of-the-way this location was, it gave everyone the impression that this altar was hardly an important place in the Aoduo Cultivation City.
The scene before them was more like an ordinary roadside shrine; it was nothing at all like the mysterious treasure hoard they had imagined.
On second thought, though, it made perfect sense. To human cultivators, the Star Ink Milk was a priceless, rare treasure, but to the spirit beast clan it had little use at all—that it should be held in little regard was only natural.
"Star Ink Milk!" Chang Daoping, at the head of the group, suddenly cried out in a low voice, unable to conceal the excitement in his tone.
Everyone hurriedly looked in the direction of the sound. The first thing that met their eyes, at the center of the altar, was a spirit beast statue several people tall... R1152