He carefully dug out the root and discovered a passage beside the Ten Thousand Year Snow Lotus Root, very narrow, as if formed by water erosion.
Observing the terrain below the ice layer, it indeed appeared to be a waterway, perhaps the Snow Toad came here following this path.
Looking up at the top of the cliff, maybe there’s a pool or something similar up there; not sure if there are more Snow Toads, if so, caution is needed.
"Shen, why is there no movement?"
Hou Shangcai’s voice came up,
"The Snow Toad was chased away by me, I’m now digging the Snow Lotus."
Shen Wang replied, adding, "Rest assured, according to the agreement, the amount found will be divided with you all."
He had already secretly taken the Snow Toad’s corpse and the Ten Thousand Year Snow Lotus Root, intending not to secretly take any Snow Lotus further.
Mimicking Chen Xian’s method, he quickly picked the remaining Snow Lotuses.
In the end, there were a total of fifteen Thousand-year-old Snow Lotuses and eighty-six Centennial Snow Lotuses. The age difference could be discerned from the state of the Snow Lotuses themselves.
Below the cliff, Hou Shangcai exclaimed, "Is he really that capable, to scare away the Snow Toad that injured the eldest brother?"
"Must be due to the many fireballs thrown."
Li Yuanning looked at the cliff; earlier a gathering storm obscured vision, only flashes of fire could be seen exploding continuously without clarity on what exactly happened.
"That’s still impressive."
Ning Xia felt Shen Wang was quite outstanding.
"I think he just relied on throwing Talismans; I could’ve done it too."
Wang Chuanfu chuckled.
"I wonder if the Snow Lotuses were damaged, scaring away the Snow Toad only to ruin the Snow Lotuses as well."
Liao Lie frowned, concentrating his gaze.
The heat from the Fireball Talismans incited a large amount of mist, through which only a figure could be seen moving above.
"Don’t, if the Snow Lotuses are ruined, wouldn’t we suffer a big loss?"
Hou Shangcai said dejectedly.
"Don’t worry, let’s wait for him to come down."
Li Yuanning shook his head: "The issues we can think of, he’s not a child, why wouldn’t he consider them during action?"
"Second Brother is right, I guess he just scared off the Snow Toad, allowing for smooth picking of the Snow Lotuses."
The mist slowly dispersed, revealing Shen Wang carrying a large pile of Snow Lotuses.
The crowd’s eyes lit up, showing faces of surprise and delight.
Having picked so many Snow Lotuses implied that scaring away the Snow Toad had not resulted in harming the Snow Lotuses.
Shen Wang quickly descended the cliff, placing the Snow Lotuses on the ground: "All over a hundred years have been picked; now it’s time to divide them."
"Shen is impressive, actually scaring off the Snow Toad, and safely picking the Snow Lotuses."
Li Yuanning cupped his hands, along with others, believing in what Shen Wang said, not considering Shen Wang capable of killing the Snow Toad possessing Profound Ice Power.
"Lucky for me, the Snow Toad feared the fireball and was compelled to jump away."
Shen Wang nodded, not wanting to mention the Ten Thousand Year Snow Spirit Root and the Snow Toad’s corpse, simply claiming the Snow Toad fled.
Hou Shangcai smiled, "The steep cliffs, how did the Snow Toad run?"
"Its jumping ability is remarkable, easily leveraging forces to ascend the cliff and leave; I suspect there are even better things above."
Shen Wang casually fabricated an explanation.
"Perhaps there’s a pool above, the birthplace of the Snow Toads; alas, the closer we get the stronger the Arrays, for now, we can only wander the periphery."
Li Yuanning gazed at the cliff above with a trace of apprehension.
"Where is the Cave Mansion you explored last time?"
Shen Wang asked casually.
"The cave mansion is just left of that entrance; precise details need to be confirmed on approaching."
Li Yuanning indicated a general position, either genuinely unaware of the exact location or unwilling to disclose it early to prevent Shen Wang from running off.
"Let’s wait until Brother Chen recovers then."
Shen Wang placed the Snow Lotuses on the ground and sat cross-legged nearby for meditation.
Li Yuanning and the others carefully examined the Snow Lotuses, their eyes mostly focused on the main Thousand-year-old Snow Lotuses.
Li Yuanning asked Liao Lie.
The latter shook his head, though not speaking, implied that Shen Wang likely hadn’t deliberately hidden any Snow Lotuses; even if he had, it wouldn’t be much.
The afternoon passed, and as the sun set in the west, Chen Xian opened his eyes, brilliance flickering in his pupils, his complexion returning to normal, his aura becoming powerful again.
"Everyone, we can’t stay here overnight, better head to the Ancient Cultivator’s Cave Mansion we explored last time."
Shen Wang opened his eyes as well: "Let’s divide the Snow Lotuses first."
"It’s a great bother for you, Younger Brother Shen, I’m willing to give you my share as a token of gratitude."
Chen Xian spoke earnestly, acknowledging that whether it was his life or these Snow Lotuses, they were brought back by Shen Wang, warranting his acknowledgment.
"No need, half the Snow Lotuses are enough for me, taking more isn’t necessary; if you’d like to thank me, do it next time; if I need help, I won’t hesitate to ask."
Shen Wang waved his hand, feeling that half the Snow Lotuses were sufficient for a long time.
"Alright then, this favor I’ll remember always."
Chen Xian nodded seriously, glancing at the Snow Lotuses: "There’s actually one that’s three thousand years old, a Top Grade, that one should be yours, Younger Brother Shen."
"Then you can take an extra Thousand-year-old Snow Lotus."
Shen Wang ultimately took seven Thousand-year-old Snow Lotuses and half of the Centennial Snow Lotuses, filling his second spare Storage Pouch completely.
The group divided the Snow Lotuses, feeling satisfied, swiftly regrouping to proceed along the correct path.
Chen Xian didn’t ascend to verify again, seemingly trusting Shen Wang, actually feeling that such rewards were ample without provoking Shen Wang’s displeasure.
They retraced their path, leaving the cliff, navigating through some stepped paths to reach the mountainside, stopping before an ancient cave mansion.
The cave mansion was carved within the mountain, resembling several rooms and halls, with an external courtyard protected by Array.
Shen Wang recognized it at once as the Ancient Cultivator’s Cave Mansion, generally too spacious for ordinary disciples.
"Didn’t this faction construct buildings? Besides stone stairs, there’s no sign of any wooden structures."
Shen Wang was puzzled, feeling that even if wooden buildings decayed, there should’ve been traces.
Not seeing any potentially indicated there were none to begin with.
"We also found it odd; everything here is completely in harmony with nature; perhaps it’s just their way."
Li Yuanning clearly had studied this: "I heard ancient cultivators adhered closely to Daoist Natural Law, minimizing terrain alteration, usually building with minimal construction processing, likely ."
"Hmm, indeed, this cave mansion mostly consists of stone blocks..."
Shen Wang observed the simplistic cave mansion, noticing the Array Power upon it, admiring, "The Array seems naturally ingrained, without visible signs—truly remarkable."