Before he could react, someone next to him started to get angry first. "You guys are arguing here, as if I were dead. When did I ever say I would sell this thing to you?"
The person who spoke was the stall owner wearing a bamboo hat. He did not give any face to Gu Mingcheng and Gao Tuo at all, and it was obvious that he was also a person of great background.
Shi Feng was stunned. "Didn't you just offer a price?" the man in the bamboo hat said. "That was just a moment ago, but things are different now. Humph, don't think I'm raising the price just because I saw you guys fighting over it. To be honest, this is just an ordinary crocodile spine. There's nothing special about it. I don't care why you're fighting over it, but it's originally worth three thousand spirit stones. You're all arguing here, making others think I have some treasure. Humph, I might get ambushed on the way back."
Shi Feng said, "Then according to what you said, how should we deal with it?" The man in the bamboo hat said, "I won't exchange this thing for spirit stones. If anyone of you has a spirit medicine that can promote the seventh level of Qi Refining, take out a bottle and I will exchange it immediately." Gao Tuo himself was also at the seventh level of Qi Refining. If there was a spirit medicine that could improve his cultivation, how could he be willing to exchange it? He said coldly, "I don't have that." Shi Feng also shook his head.
After hearing this, the onlookers shook their heads and dispersed. Spiritual medicines that improve cultivation are usually treasures, and this one is even more precious. Drinking a bottle of it may greatly improve the ranking in the sect competition. Why would they be willing to exchange it for a mere refining material?
The man in the bamboo hat sighed and said, "If you don't have it, then if anyone has an Ironback Rhinoceros crystal, I'll exchange it for that as well."
"Iron-backed Rhino? Are you talking nonsense?" Gao Tuo said.
The man wearing a bamboo hat sneered, "Except for these two things, I won't exchange anything else. Don't mention the spirit stones anymore." After that, he turned his face away and ignored whatever Ren Shifeng said.
Although Gao Tuo was furious, he didn't dare to rob things openly in Changgu Market even if he had the guts. After hesitating for a while, he had to disperse.
On the way back to the sect, Shi Feng and Gu Mingcheng were walking together. Shi Feng asked, "Brother Gu, what kind of demon beast is this Iron-backed Rhinoceros?" Gu Mingcheng replied, "The Iron-backed Rhinoceros isn't a very powerful demon beast. Its demon crystals are also a common material for refining elixirs."
Shi Feng asked, "Then why was Senior Brother Gao so surprised just now? Could it be that this creature is extremely rare?" Gu Mingcheng said, "Iron-backed rhinoceros are not hard to find. They can be found around Diecui Peak, but they are extremely difficult to catch."
When Shi Feng heard that there was one nearby, he couldn't help but said happily, "Oh, I wonder what the difficulty is?" Gu Mingcheng asked curiously, "Junior Brother Shi, you have no power, do you also want to hunt monsters? Oh, right, do you want to ask your senior brother for help, but this is difficult." Shi Feng really wanted to ask his senior brother for help.
Gu Mingcheng shook his head repeatedly and said, "Under normal circumstances, there would be no need for Senior Brother Changqing to take action. I can invite a few friends to help Junior Brother Shi catch an Ironback Rhinoceros. However, at this juncture, it is not very convenient."
Shi Feng asked, "Is it because the competition is coming up and everyone is too busy to spare the time?
Gu Mingcheng said, "It's not entirely because of the competition. Junior Brother Shi, do you know where the Iron-backed Rhinoceros roams? It's called Wulong Valley, and it belongs to our Diecui Peak area. Few people go there because of the heavy miasma. I don't know what this miasma is, but it can corrode the magic power of cultivators like us. It's really powerful. And at this time of year, the miasma is at its thickest. Even Foundation Establishment cultivators don't want to go there, let alone Qi Refining disciples like us."
Shi Feng listened, thinking, and said nothing more. With the competition approaching, everyone was trying to improve their magical powers. He felt embarrassed to ask someone to erode their magical powers, or even lower their cultivation, just for a piece of material. Such a self-serving request was something Shi Feng didn't dare to ask, whether he was facing Gu Mingcheng or his senior brother Changqing.
After returning to the Sword Casting Valley, Shi Feng kept thinking over and over. It would be inappropriate to ask his senior brothers to go, and forget about asking his master. Could he ask Master Ganchu for help? No, it would not be appropriate. How could a master like Master Ganchu take action for such a trivial matter?
Shi Feng thought about it and suddenly had an idea: Why should I ask others? Can't I go by myself? I have no power to begin with, and I'm not afraid of the miasma corroding my cultivation. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sit up excitedly.
After leaving the Weapon Refining Valley, he first went to the Alchemy Hall to look for a senior brother named Qiu. This man was an inner school disciple and had asked Shi Feng to repair his magic weapon before, so he got to know him.
After spending the entire afternoon with Senior Brother Qiu, Shi Feng learned from his conversation that the miasma of Wulong Valley would indeed corrode a cultivator's true Qi, but its toxicity was not intense. If an ordinary person inhaled it, they could be saved with some cooling detoxification pills. These detoxification pills weren't very expensive, so Senior Brother Qiu gave Shi Feng a bottle.
After returning to the Sword Forging Valley, Shi Feng sat in his room, pondering in his heart and thinking carefully. He thought that since he was strong and had the Iron Dragon Bow to help him, he might as well take the risk and give it a try.
The plan was decided, and Shi Feng began to prepare. He first went to the Deacon's Hall to buy a map. Wulong Valley was in the east, not far from Diecui Peak. From the Deacon's Hall, one could teleport to the foot of Diecui Peak. Then, he would go southwest through a forest and walk along a mountain road for five or six miles to reach Wulong Valley. The total distance was less than twenty miles.
Shi Feng put the map away, took out the Iron Dragon Bow, checked it carefully, and then took out the arrows from under the bed. He had made nearly a hundred long arrows in total, and now he put them all in a leather bag.
After thinking about it, he felt that it was inappropriate, so he gritted his teeth and went to the Deacon's Hall to exchange a thousand low-grade spirit stones for ten medium-grade gold spirit stones. These medium-grade spirit stones were placed on the mouth of the Iron Dragon Bow, and its power immediately increased.
Afterwards, Shi Feng went to the Sutra Library to find a book about monsters and read the introduction of the Iron-backed Rhinoceros in detail. The skin of this Iron-backed Rhinoceros was as hard as iron and it was extremely strong. It could break a tree trunk as thick as an adult's waist with one head-on charge. Its only weakness was the throat under its neck, where the skin was relatively soft.
Ironback rhinos spend their days sleeping in a pool in Wulong Valley, only coming ashore at night when the miasma thickens, breathing in the air and howling at the moon. Therefore, hunting them can only be done at night.
Shi Feng looked through some sect introductions again and saw that there were no particularly powerful monsters in the area from Diecui Peak to Wulong Valley. Of course, there were common tigers, wolves and poisonous snakes.
Shi Feng went to the market and bought a bottle of night vision potion. This potion, when applied on the eyelids, can give people the ability to see at night. Of course, this is time-limited. Once the effect of the potion wears off, the effect will disappear.
After buying the elixirs, Shi Feng went back to prepare some items, such as a compass, ropes, and hooks. He also borrowed a black iron dagger from Gu Mingsi. He also prepared a black robe and a black scarf. After some thought, he went to the weapon refinery and found a bowl of century-old camphor juice. He soaked his clothes and shoes in it. The camphor juice had a pungent smell that made insects and beasts avoid it.
It took Shi Feng two full days to prepare these things, and it was not until the afternoon of the third day that he was basically done.
Before leaving, he remembered something else, so he wrote a letter, sealed it in Xiaopang, and asked him to give it to Luo San the next morning. He predicted that if everything went well, he would be back before dawn. If something unexpected happened, he would explain the whole story in the letter and ask Luo San to find Master Gan Chu to come to Wulong Valley to save his life.
Everything was ready. At dusk, Shi Feng quietly set off with his longbow on his back.
Everything went smoothly before. Shi Feng was an inner disciple with a nameplate in hand. He came to the foot of Diecui Peak through the teleportation array.
After leaving Diecui Peak, he wrapped his head and face with a black scarf. He had planned to travel at dusk. With his speed, he expected to arrive at Wulong Valley just after dark, which would be a good time for him to hide.
However, despite all the calculations, something still went wrong. The description of the surrounding terrain in the classics was too simple, only mentioning a forest at the foot of the mountain. But when I got closer, I realized that it was not a forest at all, but towering trees more than ten feet high, blocking the entire sky. Even in the daytime, the forest was pitch black, not to mention it was dusk now, and I couldn't see my hand in front of me.
Shi Feng pondered for a moment before gritting his teeth and taking out the Night Walk Water. He applied it to his eyelids. A cool sensation washed over him, and the scenery before him suddenly became vaguely visible. Shi Feng's black clothes and black scarf had been soaked in camphor juice. With all his preparations complete, he stepped into the dark forest.
There was silence all around. Shi Feng used his hearing. He had been practicing the nameless body-refining technique until now. His steps were light and his hearing was much better than that of an ordinary person.
Shi Feng walked very slowly along the path under his feet, concentrating his attention, looking and listening, but all he saw were huge trees, and all he heard was the chirping of insects.
After walking for a meal, Shi Feng gradually calmed down. He was a seasoned hunter, and walking on mountain roads at night was commonplace, so he wasn't too panicked. But he was also very cautious. If he heard any movement in the nearby bushes, he would immediately crouch down and slowly take a detour.
After walking for another half an hour, Shi Feng estimated his pace and felt that he should be almost out of the dense forest. He breathed a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, he felt an inexplicable sense of danger in his heart. He turned back in shock, but there was nothing in the dark woods.
Shi Feng stood in silence for a moment. Although he saw nothing, he felt as if something was staring at him from the darkness. A layer of cold sweat broke out on his palms and back. He slowly took off his iron dragon bow, nocked the long arrow, and walked forward step by step, looking back every two steps.
After walking for more than a hundred steps, a glimmer of light appeared ahead, indicating that he had reached the edge of the dense forest. Shi Feng did not rush out, but continued to slow down his pace, taking gentle steps and breathing slowly, until he reached the last big tree at the edge of the dense forest. Suddenly, Shi Feng was startled and quickly hid behind the tree.
Beyond the dense forest, the mountain path was also deserted. Today was the eighth day of the first lunar month, and the crescent moon cast a shimmering green light on the path. Silence reigned for a full cup of tea. Then, from a patch of bushes beside the path, a wolf's head slowly emerged. This wolf was quite unusual, possessing four eyes.
Shi Feng had read numerous ancient texts and recognized this creature as the Four-Eyed Demon Wolf. It was ferocious, cunning, and adept at hiding. The demon wolf, upon hearing his footsteps, lay motionless, waiting for its prey. But Shi Feng was more patient than he was. After waiting for a long time, with no sign of anyone emerging from the woods, he finally poked his head out.
Shi Feng calmed his mind and slowly drew his bow, aiming at the demon wolf.
The demon wolf emerged from the bushes step by step, sniffing around. Under the moonlight, its body slowly turned silver-white. This demon wolf actually had the ability to change color according to the environment.
Shi Feng pulled his bow to full length, aiming it at the demon wolf's belly. Just as he was about to strike, he felt a slight gust of wind behind him. This was all thanks to his natural ability to multitask, as his consciousness was divided into two. Although his mind was focused on the demon wolf outside, he could still sense the movement behind him.
Shi Feng rolled hastily on the ground, the arrow in his hand having already disappeared. He looked back to see another four-eyed demon wolf lunging towards him. Its first strike missed, but it followed with another. At the same moment, the four-eyed demon wolf outside also leaped up and rushed in. It turned out that its previous actions outside were a decoy, attracting Shi Feng's attention so that the demon wolf in the woods could attack.
The two demon wolves were right in front of him, and it was too late to use the iron dragon bow. Shi Feng threw the iron bow at one of the demon wolves and took out a black iron dagger. However, the other demon wolf had already pounced on him and bit him, so Shi Feng could only roll over to avoid it.
Suddenly, his feet felt empty and he rolled out of the dense forest onto the mountain path outside. Two demonic wolves followed him closely. Shi Feng knew no magic and no martial arts, so he could only wave his dagger to fight back randomly, crying out in his heart, "My life is over."
He tried desperately to dodge, but the demon wolves had already bullied him close to him and he could not resist at all. After a while, the two demon wolves knocked Shi Feng to the ground, and their sharp claws and teeth tore Shi Feng's clothes to shreds. His body was covered with countless scars. Shi Feng was in great pain, roared wildly, and punched back. With a bang, one of the demon wolves flew a dozen feet away, howled, and then lay motionless.
Shi Feng was stunned. The other demon wolf immediately dodged several feet away, clearly startled as well. Shi Feng stared at his palms, only to see them turn a dark gold. Meanwhile, the wounds on his body healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"This, this, could this be the effect of the nameless body-refining technique?"