Seven days had passed since he left the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range.
After leaving the mountain range, Mo Yu did not choose to return to Lannister Town to rest, but instead headed straight west, towards the Jia Ma Empire.
Along the way, Mo Yu carefully concealed his tracks, because he knew that Mulan Valley must have mobilized the entire Empire's forces to search for him.
And it was indeed so. Compared to the Cloud Mist Sect, Mulan Valley's orders in the Mu Lan Empire were like imperial edicts. In just half a month, Mulan Valley's order to capture Mo Yu had spread throughout the entire Empire.
And the reward offered was extremely generous: those who provided information about Mo Yu would be rewarded with 100,000 gold coins, and a Xuan Rank Low Level Cultivation Technique or Dou Skill.
Regardless of life or death, those who captured Mo Yu would be rewarded with 500,000 gold coins, a Xuan Rank High Level Cultivation Technique or Dou Skill, and could recommend a clansman to join Mulan Valley as an Inner Sect Disciple of Mulan Valley!
The generosity of the reward was almost unprecedented. Upon hearing this news, almost all forces, big and small, within the Mu Lan Empire, were like sharks that smelled blood, frantically searching for Mo Yu's whereabouts.
After learning this news, Mo Yu couldn't help but frown, stroking his chin and muttering, "It seems I've become famous in the Mu Lan Empire. That Lion-headed Elder is really generous."
Shaking his head, although the young man was somewhat wary of Mulan Valley's large-scale operation, with Snake Uncle as a helper, as long as several Dou Emperors didn't appear at the same time, he was confident that he could retreat unscathed.
Continuing his journey, the closest city to Mo Yu at this time was Beast Desolate City, a large city located in the central part of the Mu Lan Empire, and also his destination for this trip.
As the premier large city in the central Mu Lan Empire, this city named Beast Desolate City could rank among the top among all large cities in the Mu Lan Empire.
And Mo Yu's purpose in going to Beast Desolate City was naturally to join the so-called Qi Alliance.
He still had a letter of introduction from Elder Bing. Although Mo Yu was not clear about the specific identity of this mysterious Elder, he was still somewhat interested in an organization where a Seventh Grade Blacksmith resided.
Not only Alchemists, but Artifact Refiners also needed to form groups. As for the Pill Tower, with Mo Yu's mediocre alchemy skills, he definitely couldn't join, but the young man was determined to join the Qi Alliance.
Especially now that he had awakened the Flash Void Piercing Sky Lightning, Mo Yu urgently needed some treasures containing spatial power, and in this regard, the Qi Alliance, with its many Artifact Refiners, might have some information.
Thinking of this, Mo Yu disregarded Mulan Valley's search and pursuit. After disguising himself, he set off for Beast Desolate City.
Beast Desolate City was some distance from the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range. In the past, Mo Yu would have arrived in about one or two days by directly using his Purple Cloud Wings to fly, but at the moment, it was somewhat inappropriate.
After all, flying with Purple Cloud Wings was too eye-catching, especially since Mulan Valley had already described his appearance and some characteristics in the wanted poster, among which the pair of purple wings was undoubtedly the most striking.
The Mu Lan Empire was so vast, and there were quite a few hidden powerhouses. Who knew how many Families and forces had their eyes on him, so Mo Yu naturally had to be more cautious at this time.
After traveling for several days, he arrived at the nearest small town near Beast Desolate City. After a brief rest, in order to easily blend into the city, Mo Yu spent some money to join a caravan.
Money makes the world go round, this is a timeless truth everywhere.
At this time, Mo Yu's appearance had greatly changed under his deliberate alteration. His originally handsome Face had become delicate, coupled with slightly silver-glowing eyes and cheap cloth clothes, even the Lion-headed Elder might not recognize him in person.
Therefore, Mo Yu paid a few dozen gold coins to bribe the caravan steward, who had no doubts about his identity and happily agreed for Mo Yu to accompany them.
As if out of consideration for Mo Yu's few dozen gold coins, the caravan steward even specially arranged a carriage for the young man.
After resting for half an hour, Mo Yu followed the caravan on the road to Beast Desolate City.
Although this small town was the closest place to Beast Desolate City, it still took the caravan more than half an afternoon to faintly see the huge outline of Beast Desolate City.
Standing on the carriage, Mo Yu looked at the huge city, which reflected a faint red glow under the setting sun's afterglow, and let out a slight sigh of relief.
However, when Mo Yu arrived at the city gate and clearly saw the wanted posters posted on it, his expression slightly froze.
Among the more than a dozen dusty wanted posters, there was a familiar Face at the very top, which was precisely the young man's appearance.
Touching his current Face, disguise was not difficult for Mo Yu. Although the wanted poster had his appearance, only those with extremely strong Soul Power could discern some clues; ordinary people would simply think they were two different people.
These city gate guards obviously didn't have this ability. After the caravan steward paid the taxes, a few black-armored guards merely pulled open the carriage curtain and glanced at Mo Yu, then impatiently waved their hands.
Seeing the gesture of the city gate guards, the caravan steward smiled and nodded, then was smoothly let in.
Then, through the somewhat dark city wall passage, after a moment, the view suddenly opened up, and the boisterous human voices poured in overwhelmingly, making Mo Yu, who was accustomed to quiet, extremely uncomfortable.
After entering the city, Mo Yu's cooperation with the caravan steward amicably ended. Finally, under the latter's guidance, Mo Yu, who had nowhere to go, came to a well-known inn in the city and rested for a night.
"Mo Yu, what are you doing in this city?"
After entering the inn, Mo Yu, who had just sat down to rest and was about to drink some water, hadn't even made a move when a voice suddenly sounded, and then a faint white figure suddenly floated out, it was Snake Uncle.
"Nothing much, I just heard that there's a Qi Alliance stronghold in this city, and my Artifact Refining skill is pretty good. A Senior took a liking to me a few months ago and gave me a letter of introduction, so I wanted to go check out the Qi Alliance," Mo Yu raised his hand, poured a cup of tea, took a light sip, and explained with a smile.
"Qi Alliance? An Artifact Refiner organization?" Hearing the name Mo Yu uttered, Snake Uncle was startled, then mused, "I seem to have vaguely heard of this organization when I was traveling in Central Continent. At that time, it was still a very small force. So many years have passed, I wonder how it has developed."
"However, although Artifact Refiners' status is not as high as Alchemists, their foundation is quite substantial. Since the Northwest Continent also has their strongholds, if you can join them, it would be a good choice. At least in the Mu Lan Empire, I don't think anyone would dare to touch a Qi Alliance member."
"After all, compared to the huge forces in Central Continent, although the Northwest Continent is not small, it's just a frog in a well."
Hearing Snake Uncle's words, Mo Yu also raised an eyebrow. He had indeed overlooked this point before.
He had always been alone before, and even Lü Man's invitation was unhesitatingly rejected by Mo Yu. Therefore, in the young man's mind, he subconsciously thought that he had always been fighting alone.
But the Qi Alliance was different. Rather than calling it a force, it was more like an Alliance of many Artifact Refiners. Mo Yu joining it would mean he wouldn't be restrained, and he could also enjoy a certain degree of protection.
The fact that it had a Seventh Grade Blacksmith showed that the Qi Alliance's power was indeed not small. Once he successfully joined the Qi Alliance, even Mulan Valley would have to weigh the consequences of trying to kill Mo Yu.
Thinking of this, Mo Yu smiled at the corner of his mouth and said, "In that case, joining the Qi Alliance indeed has many benefits. Originally, I wanted to use the Qi Alliance's connections and intelligence to search for some treasures containing spatial power, but it seems that the trouble with Mulan Valley will also be resolved now."
"Treasures containing spatial power? You want to continue feeding your Profound Thunder, right? I remember that besides kong ling ice crystal, na spirit is also a good choice. You can start from that aspect."
"Na spirit?" Hearing this name, Mo Yu's heart stirred.
"Yes, na spirit. However, compared to kong ling ice crystal, it's somewhat rare. Speaking of which, it's also related to storage rings, but this kind of na spirit can only be found in the central part of the highest-grade na stone.
As for Advanced na stone, it is an essential Material for manufacturing Advanced storage rings, so its scarcity can be imagined, and the probability of na spirit existing in Advanced na stone is not very high, so the rarity of na spirit is also extremely high."
Upon hearing this, Mo Yu nodded with a solemn expression. He naturally knew how precious na spirit was. Even Elder Yao only possessed a little of this item.
In the original work, if it weren't for the remaining na spirit of Elder Yao, Xiao Yan probably wouldn't even have had the chance to subdue the strange flames.
Shaking his head, Mo Yu muttered, "No need to rush for na spirit. If I can't find it, I'll use na stone instead. Anyway, Flash Void Piercing Sky Lightning isn't picky."
Hearing Mo Yu's slightly teasing words, Snake Uncle's lips also curved into a wicked arc, and he chuckled softly.
"Since you've already made up your mind, then I look forward to your performance tomorrow. I hope your Artifact Refining skill is as powerful as your talent."
With that, Snake Uncle's Soul body flickered and entered Mo Yu's beast ring.
Seeing Snake Uncle disappear, Mo Yu quietly sat on the chair for a moment, then drained the tea in his cup and walked towards the bedroom behind him. The fatigue of traveling for so many days slowly led him into dreamland...
The next day, as the first ray of dawn's afterglow just touched the earth, Mo Yu left the inn early, and while doing so, he also inquired about the location of the Qi Alliance.
However, to Mo Yu's surprise, the Qi Alliance in the Northwest Continent was not called the Qi Alliance, but rather stationed in various places under the name of the Alchemist Association.
Mo Yu chuckled and shook his head at this. Even if these Artifact Refiners inwardly disliked the Alchemists they looked down upon, they still learned from the Alchemists in everything. Was this the so-called'saying one thing but doing another'?
No longer thinking about these things, Mo Yu slowly turned down several rather long streets, following the route the innkeeper had told him.
After turning for a good while, he slowly stopped and looked up at the magnificent building that appeared before him.
This building had a rather unique shape; its overall appearance roughly resembled an Artifact Refiner's furnace.
Around the building, there were also windows resembling the fire vents of a furnace, and on the high roof, a large furnace lid lay prostrate, covering the room below.
Mo Yu was already used to this imitation of Alchemists' operations.
His gaze swept over the pale yellow golden plaque outside the building, where five faintly blurred ancient characters glimmered with a faint light.
"Alchemist Association!"
Mo Yu softly muttered the words, then tilted his head and looked around, noticing that most people passing by this unique building would cast a respectful glance at the plaque.
Clearly, in the Mu Lan Empire, the status of Artifact Refiners had become like that of Alchemists, gaining public recognition and respect, just like the status of Poison Masters in the Izumo Empire.
After a casual observation, Mo Yu then strode towards the Alchemist Association amidst the surprised gazes of the surrounding passersby.
As he approached the entrance, a fully armed burly man who had been watching him for a long time reached out and stopped him, saying in a deep voice, "Young man, this is the Alchemist Association. No idlers allowed. If you want to enter, do you have a letter of introduction from your mentor?"
Hearing this, Mo Yu unhurriedly took out a parchment envelope from his beast ring and handed it to the guard, saying, "I do have a letter of introduction. Although it's not from my teacher, I presume the qualifications are sufficient."
A Seventh Grade Blacksmith, even if not a major figure in the Qi Alliance, would surely have extremely high seniority and prestige. Therefore, Mo Yu was not worried about being turned away when he presented the letter of introduction.
Taking the parchment-sealed letter of introduction from Mo Yu's hand, the burly guard looked at Mo Yu with a mix of doubt and belief, but when he noticed the shining furnace mark on the envelope, his expression changed, and his voice became more respectful.
"Little brother, please wait a moment. I'll take this letter to our president to see. If it's verified, you can enter shortly."
Mo Yu nodded in response, then watched as the burly man strode inside with the envelope.
Passersby walking nearby, seeing Mo Yu take out the letter of introduction and noticing the respectful attitude of the burly guard, couldn't help but look at Mo Yu with a hint of awe.
A Disciple of an Artifact Refiner was also an Artifact Refiner. Such a social stratum was something they could only dream of reaching.
Mo Yu had seen such gazes many times, and his expression remained unchanged as he waited. His eyes slowly closed, waiting quietly.
As time slowly passed, after about a quarter of an hour, just as a slight hint of impatience began to rise in Mo Yu's heart, a charming and alluring voice suddenly came from inside the door.
"Oh my, when did Master take on a Disciple? Why didn't he inform me? Let me see what my Junior Brother looks like!"
Hearing this voice, Mo Yu was startled. Just as he felt something was off, a graceful blue figure slowly walked out from within the door.
The woman was about thirty years old, with a beautiful and attractive Face and a very voluptuous figure, with all the right curves. She wore a blue tight-fitting palace dress over her full, mature body, which made her appear very noble.
Coming before Mo Yu, the blue-dressed woman's alluring gaze swept over Mo Yu. Her red lips slightly parted, and she said with a charming smile, "You're the Junior Brother Master just took in?"