Shi Feng thought to himself: It's actually a Jiao crocodile! This monster is very rare in the outside world. Shi Feng almost lost his life in Wulong Valley for a 200-year-old Jiao crocodile spine. Seeing that these two Jiao crocodiles looked to be 400 to 500 years old, he couldn't help but feel moved.
At this moment, the white fox suddenly said coldly in his mind, "This cave is full of rare monsters and spiritual herbs. If you kill your way through like this, not only will you lose your life, you won't even have enough time."
Shi Feng was startled. "Master Hu, you're finally willing to help your disciple." The white fox said, "You've already come in. What else can I do but help you? However, my spirit is weak, so I can't leave my body to fight for you. Hurry and head northwest. I will cast a spell to conceal your presence, so ordinary monsters won't be able to detect you."
Shi Feng was overjoyed. He had been worried about being attacked by monsters and had even prepared some pills to cover up their smell. Now that he had the white fox to help him, he could rest assured and continue on his journey. He ignored the two playful crocodiles and took out two magic talismans from his belt and stuck them on his legs. He also took out an invisibility talisman and stuck it on his vest. He identified the direction and headed straight to the north.
The Speed Talisman allows one to move at lightning speed, while the Invisibility Talisman makes one invisible, making them invisible to the naked eye. Of course, if one uses spiritual sense to scan, even this low-level Invisibility Talisman is still visible. However, Shi Feng mainly uses it to protect against demonic beasts. Demonic beasts have weak spiritual senses and cannot detect Shi Feng with their spiritual senses. Demonic beasts have keen hearing and smell, but with the white fox covering them up, it doesn't matter.
While the Speed and Invisibility Talismans were quite effective, they were limited in duration: a Speed Talisman would only last two hours, and an Invisibility Talisman would only last for an hour and a half. The average Qi Refining disciple had only a few thousand Spirit Stones, most of which they spent on spiritual tools and elixirs. While they did have some Speed and Invisibility Talismans, they were only used for emergency escapes.
Shi Feng was wealthy, and he sold all his materials, spending all his money on a large number of talismans and elixirs. He didn't feel bad at all, and after using one up, he would trade it for another. The white fox tutted, "Money really does come in handy."
In this way, the effect was indeed very good. Although the roads were all mountainous and he had to constantly avoid monsters, Shi Feng had walked eighty or ninety miles overnight.
………………
However, since the seal was opened, things may not be going as planned for others.
A disciple of Leijiabao felt dizzy after stepping into the seal. His feet felt empty, and he heard a loud splash. He was unexpectedly teleported directly above a lake. He was caught off guard and fell directly into the water. Still in shock, he hurriedly took out a flying talisman from his storage bag and stuck it on his chest.
Just as he was about to activate the talisman and fly back to the shore, he suddenly saw a straight line of water coming towards him not far to the left. He had no idea what was under the water and was so frightened that he hesitated and took out the jade talisman and was about to crush it.
However, he hesitated, but it was too late. With a scream, he was dragged into the water, and a large pool of blood immediately appeared on the surface of the lake.
In a silent valley, a blurry figure appeared. It was a big man with pockmarks on his face, wearing the clothes of Wanshou Villa. As soon as he showed his body, he pasted a levitation talisman on his body and summoned a giant cauldron to cover himself.
This man was clearly experienced, likely a veteran disciple who had previously entered and exited the cave. Seeing no movement around him, the pockmarked man slowly landed on the ground. With a wave of his hand, the giant cauldron suddenly split in two, transforming into a suit of armor that covered his upper body.
The pockmarked man looked around and suddenly saw a strange plant eight feet tall and shaped like a horseshoe growing in the low bushes not far to his left. It had three red fruits as big as fists on it, and it exuded a refreshing fragrance.
The man was stunned at first, then his face lit up with joy. It was actually a Red Vermilion Fruit! And it was fully ripe. Oh my god! It seems my chance has finally arrived. With this Vermilion Fruit, I'm almost certain to reach the Foundation Establishment stage. If I give the remaining two to the sect, I'll definitely get a hundred thousand crystals. Haha.
He was ecstatic, but not in a hurry. He first released his spiritual sense to make sure there were no monsters or other people around. He then took out an invisibility talisman from his body and hid himself completely. Still feeling uneasy, he released two monster apes from his storage bag and asked them to stay nearby.
After everything was ready, he walked slowly to the red vermilion fruit. He did not grab the fruit directly with his hands, but flicked his finger and a sharp hook shot out, trying to hook the fruit stem and pull it over.
Unexpectedly, at that moment, not far from the Red Vermilion Fruit, a seemingly ordinary morning glory suddenly drooped. Its petals spread out, like a rainbow sucking in water, sucking the now invisible man into them. Beneath the petals stretched a three-foot-thick stem, which held several feet of water. The man, caught off guard, fell into the seemingly clear water, but as soon as he fell in, he let out a scream and his entire body quickly dissolved, eventually vanishing without a trace, including his clothes, crystals, magical tools, and storage bag.
The accumulated water was still crystal clear, and the morning glories were still blooming in the wind. Only two demon apes were left standing there in a daze not far away.
...................
With the help of the white fox, Shi Feng did not encounter any danger for the time being. He himself practiced the art of the gods and had a very strong mental strength. When he released his spiritual sense, he could roughly feel any movement within a mile radius.
Although the Thousand Lakes Cave Heaven is hundreds of miles in radius, eighty to ninety percent of it is crisscrossed by lakes. No one would dare to walk on the surface of the lake, for who knows what kind of monsters are in the water. Qi-refining disciples cannot fly with flying tools, so walking on the water is like committing suicide.
Shi Feng was even worse than the Qi Refining disciples, and he didn't even dare to go boating on the water. He could only travel through the wild forests in the mountains. There were shrubs, weeds and strange rocks everywhere, and there was no road at all. Shi Feng could only identify the general direction and move forward with difficulty.
Along the way, whenever he sensed a powerful demon beast, he would immediately take a detour. He also encountered a few fights between disciples from the five sects, but he also avoided them and did not participate. Occasionally, when he came across spiritual herbs and flowers, Shi Feng would collect some.
A few days later, he was less than twenty miles from the valley where the Rain of Heaven grass lay, but before him lay a lake. Shi Feng sighed and could only follow the lake around to the north.
On this day, Shi Feng was traveling in the mountains when he heard someone shouting in front of him and flashes of spiritual energy. It turned out that there was a fight. Shi Feng wanted to avoid it, but it was a dead end. On the right was the big lake and on the left was a cliff.
Shi Feng had no choice but to put on an invisibility talisman, hid behind a rock, and peeked out to look.
In the valley ahead, there was a man who was obviously a disciple of the Myriad Beasts Villa. At this moment, he was driving away a dozen demon wolves, four or five demon tigers, and two pythons several meters long that were besieging a man in Taoist attire. Shi Feng saw that the Taoist priest was using a long black sword as a magic weapon, so he guessed that he was a disciple of the Xuqing Temple.
The young Taoist priest had reached the ninth level of Qi Refining, and his long sword turned into black air in front of him. The monsters and beasts could not get close to him at all. The disciple from Wanshou Villa had only reached the eighth level of Qi Refining, but he had the help of monsters and hid aside, not doing anything himself.
Not far from the two men, a low flower bush held seven or eight purple flowers, each the size of a wine glass. From a distance, they looked like seven or eight butterflies alighting on them. Shi Feng was startled. They were butterfly-patterned ice flowers. No wonder they fought so desperately. The butterfly-patterned ice flower is so rare in the outside world that some believe it is extinct. This flower, shaped like a butterfly's wing, grows in places rich in moisture. A gentle touch of gold instantly transforms it into a ball of water. It's an excellent ingredient for refining Ice Jade Powder, a spiritual elixir for advancing cultivation. It's effective for cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage, and even Golden Core cultivators treasure it. It's no wonder these two men were so desperate to give it up.
You know, in the world of cultivation, strength is everything. Generally, disciples at the eighth level of Qi Refining will not take the initiative to challenge disciples at the ninth level of Qi Refining. But when this precious treasure is in front of them, the disciples of Wanshou Villa completely ignored it.
During the fierce fight, a demon wolf failed to dodge and was minced into meat paste by a black sword energy. The young Taoist sneered, "What, fellow Taoist, you still won't give up?" The disciple of Wanshou Villa chuckled and released another huge demon bear from the spirit beast bag to join the battle. The young Taoist said, "Do you want to exhaust my magic power? Wishful thinking." The black sword energy flashed, two points stronger than before. A demon tiger was stabbed in the abdomen, roared wildly, and fell over.
Shi Feng had no interest in this strange flower. Seeing the two fighting like this, he wondered when the winner would be decided. He was debating whether to retreat and seek another path. Suddenly, the white fox said, "Boy, don't go away. You must get this butterfly-patterned ice flower at all costs." Shi Feng exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be a spiritual flower that can improve one's innate constitution?" The white fox replied, "That's not the case. But you know, the most valuable part of this butterfly-patterned ice flower isn't the flower itself, but its rhizome."
Shi Feng knew very little about exotic flowers and herbs, or alchemy and medicine, and shook his head in confusion. The white fox said, "The rhizome of this flower is useless if it's under five hundred years old, but it's highly toxic if it's over five hundred years old, so it's often used to make poisons. In fact, the toxicity of this rhizome is very effective in enhancing spiritual awareness, but of course, only a very small amount can be taken at a time. This butterfly-patterned grass has already had seven or eight flowers, meaning it's seven or eight hundred years old. Its rhizome is definitely a rare treasure. You humans know very little about this, and only our Sky Fox tribe's texts have recorded it."
Shi Feng's heart suddenly warmed. He was a little dissatisfied when Baihu first taught him the magic of the underworld, but after practicing for a few months, he found that having a strong mental power really has many benefits. Take this time for example, the young Taoist priest and the disciples of Wanshou Villa were much more advanced than him in terms of cultivation, but their mental power was not as good as Shi Feng. Shi Feng could detect and monitor them from a distance, but they could not detect Shi Feng.
Shi Feng secretly took out his bow and arrow, stared at the two of them, and wondered how to start.
The young Taoist priest clearly didn't want to engage in a fight. His jet-black sword suddenly conjured a shroud of light, and he soared with the sword, lunging at the Myriad Beast Villa disciple. Shi Feng exclaimed, "Sword control? Isn't this a magical power reserved for Foundation Establishment cultivators?" If that's the case, he'd better run.
The white fox sneered, "This isn't true sword control. If he knew how, he would have already killed the opponent with his flying sword. Why would he bother fighting with the opponent's spirit beast? This is using the magic power infused into the sword to fly. His sword is a top-grade spirit weapon, otherwise he wouldn't be able to perform such a move."
The Wanshou Villa disciple was clearly horrified, not daring to fight anymore, and took flight. The young Taoist priest's sword blazed like a rainbow, piercing several monsters standing in front of him, causing them to explode and die.
The disciples of Wanshou Villa ran wildly and summoned monsters from their spirit beast bags to resist, but the young Taoist had already decided to kill them. He concentrated all his magic power and for a while, only the monsters screamed and blood splattered. The monster snakes, giant toads, bats, and even scorpions as big as millstones could not withstand the young Taoist's sword.
Shi Feng thought to himself, no wonder the sword cultivator's reputation is so high; he truly is domineering. He quietly aimed his bow and arrow at the young Taoist priest. This Wanshou Villa disciple was clearly outmatched. If the young Taoist priest prevailed, he would definitely not obtain the spiritual herb. He took aim silently, pumping his arms with strength as he prepared to release the arrow.
Suddenly realizing something, he put down his bow and arrow again, thinking, "This is not right?! How could this happen?"
The disciple of Wanshou Villa kept begging for mercy, but the young Taoist priest had a gloomy face and was not willing to listen. At this time, the disciple of Wanshou Villa touched the spirit beast bag again, and it was empty.
Without the monster blocking it, the black sword suddenly sped up. The disciple of Wanshou Villa subconsciously stretched out his hand to block it, and then he heard a scream. His left arm was cut off and flew into the air, with blood splattering.
The disciple from the Myriad Beasts Villa fell to the ground and shouted, "Fellow Daoist, please show mercy. I have no strength to fight back. This spiritual herb is yours." The young Taoist said coldly, "Of course I want the spiritual herb, but I also want your life." With a flick of his hand, the long sword turned into a black gas. The disciple from the Longevity Villa rolled with all his strength, and the sword energy hit the air.
The young Taoist sneered, "Death is imminent, and yet... yet..." He hadn't finished his words when his expression suddenly changed. The flying sword landed with a clang. The young Taoist clutched his throat, his mouth making a hoarse sound, but no breath escaped. His face quickly turned black, and he fell to the ground, his whole body convulsing. A moment later, he kicked back, and before he could even utter a word, he was dead.