Giant-Headed Figures

The stone tablet, severely eroded by wind, stands among the lush ancient trees on the opposite bank of the river. Most of the tablet was dug out, as it was previously buried underground.

The four blurry inscriptions on the stele, "Thirty-three li," are not written in this world's language; they were deciphered by a Mind Master who lived to be over a hundred years old.

Li Weiyi wore a black Nightwalker's Robe over a black armored suit, Iron Cloth Battle Robe and Talisman Robe underneath, and Corpse Cloth Soft Armor underneath. With Four Layers of Defense, his original figure was completely concealed, making him appear rather bulky.

He then used Disguise Art to alter his facial muscles, slightly lowering his head as he walked past the gaze of the group of top young experts from the Southern Territory, afraid of being recognized by Yang Qingxi, Shi Shishi, and others who had seen him before.

The Silver Horned Deer carriage was parked by the river, with curtains hanging on both sides. Yang Qingxi sat inside and laughed, "Only sending five martial artists at the Five Seas Realm into the mountains, it seems the Zuoqiu Courtyard's goal this time is very clear: the Immortal Soil."

Zuoqiu Ting waved his fan. "We came in a hurry and didn't bring enough people."

"If Zuoqiu were to ask, the Sui Sect would certainly offer their full assistance. Why bother borrowing people from the Jiu Li Tribe?" Yang Qingxi said.

Zuoqiu Ting asked in a teasing tone, "Is it too late to borrow it from Miss Qingxi now?"

Yang Qingxi smiled charmingly, but did not answer.

The four-armed, Heartless Golden Ape showed no flattery or respect to Zuoqiu Ting, saying, "Immortal Soil is a good thing! Even the spiritual soil near Immortal Soil can increase the growth rate of medicinal herbs tenfold. But it's not easy to dig up. In recent days, hundreds of Demon Cultivators in the Spring Realm of Tianya Ridge have died, and they've only managed to dig up half a jin of Immortal Soil and a hundred jin of spiritual soil."

"I've heard that Immortal Soil is the main ingredient in the Longevity Pill. Zuoqiu, as the inheritor of Myriad Gate Families, should know some inside information, right?" Yang Qingxi asked.

Shi Shishi's ears perked up.

The Longevity Pill, the legendary number one treasure in the world, only ten of which appear every sixty years. Even just smelling it is enough to make those arrogant and powerful leaders beat their brains out.

Zuoqiu Ting looked at Yang Qingxi, understanding what she was thinking, and smiled, "With Yao Qian's unparalleled talent as a gentleman, he has a very good chance of entering the Longevity Realm even without the Longevity Pill."

After crossing the river, Li Weiyi and Shang Zhi walked at the very back of the group of five.

Shang Zhi, without the Green Python possessing the strength of the Five Seas Realm, was in a state of excitement, full of anticipation for the trip. "Brother Sima, you don't need to be so nervous. Even many martial artists at the Spring Realm have returned safely and with great gains. We are experts at the Five Seas Realm, we can't be inferior to them, can we?"

Li Weiyi observed the various forces' groups heading into the mountain. "Before today, there weren't many Five Seas Realm martial artists entering Thirty-three Li Mountain. Man-made disasters are often more dangerous."

Shang Zhi nodded. "We must indeed be wary of the people from the Four Great Sects."

"The one leading the Sui Sect is Xue Qi, who is exactly twenty years old this year. He is at the Second Realm the Five Seas Realm and is the most talented young person in the Xue Family. He is quite remarkable. He once fought dozens of rounds with an older generation expert at the third level of the Five Seas Realm. I witnessed that battle in Yaoguan City. Without using his transformed Battle Intent, that older generation expert would have had a hard time defeating him."

Li Weiyi couldn't help but take another look at the person who was capable of crossing borders to have a say in the matter.

Xue Qi rode a bull-like beast at the level of the Spring of Life, his body wrapped in the Departed Spirit Human Skin. He carried a white Yin Banner and had a magical battle sword hanging at his waist. He had the demeanor of a leader and led a large group of people to charge into the misty mountains and forests.

The Sui Sect is a local power and can quickly gather a large number of elite warriors at the Spring Realm.

Shang Zhi, as a Nine Springs Perfected Person Being, had high standards. "The leaders of Tianyi Gate and Coffin Sea Pavilion are only so-so in strength. However, Chen Song of the Three Chen Palace is said to be one of the three Nine Springs Perfected Person of the younger generation of the Chen Clan. After consuming the Crimson Haze Exotic Medicine, he broke through his second Qi Sea and entered the Second Realm of the Five Seas Realm."

With the continuous emergence of Crimson Haze Exotic Medicine in Immortal Burial Town over the past six months, the number of Nine Springs Perfected Person and Pure Immortal Body from various forces has increased significantly, resulting in a decline in their overall quality.

Chen Song had already established the ancestral lands before this. He was also wrapped in the Departed Spirit Human Skin, whose face was that of an Old Man with long, disheveled hair and sharp eyes.

Riding a sturdy horse at the forefront, Zuoqiu Baiming held a shrunken Green Yin Banner, now only a little over two meters long. Hearing the conversation between the two behind him, he said, "You are now working for the Zuoqiu Courtyard, so why are you afraid of the Four Great Sects? Don't you martial artists of the Jiu Li Tribe have any ambition? The Four Great Sects were once just your retainers and servants."

"Besides, Xue Qi is an Eighth Spring Pure Immortal Body, Chen Song is a mortal Ninth Spring Perfected Person. They don't have the guts to be my enemy."

Tian Che walked forward, gun in hand, and laughed, "Senior Brother Baiming possesses the Nine Springs Pure Immortal Body, capable of breaking through the Five Seas; they are not comparable to him."

"Just focus on serving the Zuoqiu Courtyard; leave your safety to us," Zuoqiu Lanlan said.

Shang Zhi smiled wryly and awkwardly, feeling that the martial arts practitioners of the Jiu Li Tribe, from top to bottom, had indeed lost some of their vigor over the years.

Li Weiyi's mindset was different from Shang Zhi's; he always felt that the people of Zuoqiu Courtyard were overly confident.

In a place like Thirty-three Li Mountain, who would care about your status? Who would fight you one-on-one?

In Zuoqiu Baiming, he saw the duality of these privileged children. A superior background can cultivate a confident, wise, and open-minded prodigy like Zuoqiu Ting. However, it can also produce overconfident martial artists who are arrogant and conceited.

As they spoke, the group of five entered the misty, ethereal landscape, stepping on thick fallen leaves as they ascended the mountain.

The other teams have all disappeared.

The forest was unusually quiet, with only the sound of five people's footsteps and breathing.

"We only have three days. We must get down the mountain before the clouds clear. We won't search for the Golden Spring and the Crimson Haze Exotic Medicine in this area below the mountain. We'll go directly to the mountain region nine miles above to excavate the Immortal Soil. We need to be quick. Everyone, keep up!"

Zuoqiu Baiming rode his horse at full speed.

All four were martial artists at the Five Seas Realm, and were able to keep up.

Li Weiyi took out a Light Flame Pill and swallowed it. Compared to the Immortal Soil, he was more interested in the Golden Spring and secretly used his Heavenly Eye to search for it along the way.

Upon ascending Mount Sili, they encountered the corpses of five martial arts cultivators at the Spring Realm.

Their deaths were gruesome; some had their hearts ripped out by unknown creatures, their chests riddled with bloody holes and their deathly pale bodies sending chills down one's spine. Another had half his body gone, his upper body appearing to have been devoured, with irregular bite marks on his waist.

Thirty-three Li Mountain itself is mysterious and unpredictable, and it is rumored to be the burial place of immortals. The scene before them sent chills down their spines and instilled a fear of the unknown.

"This doesn't seem like a man-made disaster!"

Zuoqiu Lanlan looked to be in her early twenties. Her beautiful Pure Immortal Body face, which exuded a mature charm, revealed unease, making her seem like a completely different person from her previous composure at the foot of the mountain.

Li Weiyi was very brave. He went over and observed for a while before groping the corpse.

The purse was empty.

But from the bosom of one of the corpses, three Crimson Haze Exotic Medicine and an iron bottle were found. Clearly, he was the leader of this Spring Realm team, and all the things he had collected were on his person.

Unscrew the metal bottle, and golden light emanates from it, releasing a delicate fragrance.

Li Weiyi was overjoyed, immediately covered it again, and stuffed it into his bosom.

Tian Che, Zuoqiu Lanlan, and Shang Zhi were all filled with regret. If they had known the harvest would be so great, they should have rushed ahead to loot the corpses.

Not to mention them, even Zuoqiu Baiming was tempted. "We're a team. After we go into the mountains, it's better to divide the rest of the harvest, except for the Immortal Soil, equally to avoid conflicts caused by unequal distribution."

Why didn't you say anything before you found the treasure?

Li Weiyi frowned, but did not object. He took out the three Crimson Haze Exotic Medicine and handed them to Zuoqiu Lanlan: "Golden Spring, I have a great use for them, so I don't need these three herbs!"

Zuoqiu Baiming's eyes, Departed Spirit Human Skin, revealed a satisfied smile.

This is the allure of power and absolute strength; any word he utters is a decree that everyone must obey.

But Li Weiyi's next words made the smile in his eyes vanish instantly.

"Senior Brother Baiming truly lives up to his reputation as a prodigy of the sect; he is truly admirable. If I were the team leader, and if I possessed your level of cultivation, I certainly wouldn't distribute the spoils equally; I would take at least half," Li Weiyi said.

Shang Zhi nodded in deep agreement. "I might have to take the lion's share! Sometimes, you have to admit that character truly exists."

Zuoqiu Baiming felt a pang of distress, inwardly cursing his miscalculation. It was too late to change his mind now, so he said, "Lan Lan, collect all the exotic herbs first, and we'll distribute them after we descend the mountain."

Who is it?

Tian Che raised his magical spear and roared into the mist.

Following his gaze, everyone's expression changed, and they quickly circulated their internal magical power.

Reposition and tighten defenses.

Twenty feet away in the fog stood a strange black shadow. It looked human, but its head was enormous, a third the length of its body. Its exact appearance was unclear, but one could see the long hair on its head and feel that it was watching.

Zuoqiu Baiming snorted and used his magical energy to condense a throwing knife in his palm, then threw it out with a "whoosh".

The giant human silhouette vanished.

"What kind of monster is it? Could it have killed these martial artists at the Spring Realm?" Zuoqiu Lanlan looked around nervously, her mind racing.

Zuoqiu Baiming said, "With the Yin Banner and the Heavenly Flame Saber in hand, I can deal with anything, whether it's a living being or a spirit. However... we should leave this hellish place as soon as possible."

Continue uphill.

There was no road, and the slope became increasingly steep as the five people traversed through thorns and jungle.

Li Weiyi and Shang Zhi led the way.

Zuoqiu Baiming had already abandoned his horse and was carrying the high-level magic weapon, the Heavenly Flame Saber, bringing up the rear. The Zuoqiu Courtyard had entrusted him with all their top-tier weapons and Battle Treasure, arming him to the extreme.

The journey went relatively smoothly, and the Giant-Headed Figures did not reappear. In less than three hours, they climbed to the foot of a waterfall located in Jiuli Mountain.

Zuoqiu Baiming ordered everyone to stop and looked around, "Once we reach Jiuli Mountain, we'll have a chance to dig up the Immortal Soil. Everyone, scatter and search. Don't go too far. When you hear my whistle, immediately return the way you came."

"What exactly does the Immortal Soil look like?" Shang Zhi asked.

Zuoqiu Baiming said, "Go into the forest and look for the drifting patterns of the celestial clouds and mist. Follow the patterns, and you will have a chance to find the Immortal Soil. It's hard to describe exactly what the Immortal Soil looks like, but once you see it, you will naturally know that it is Immortal Soil, and it will definitely not be spiritual soil or mineral mud."

"Also... give me all the Immortal Soil you find first, and I'll keep track of the amount."

Zuoqiu Baiming rushed into the forest first, eager to dig up more Immortal Soil and prove himself to Zuoqiu Ting.

Tian Che and Zuoqiu Lanlan walked in another direction.

Shang Zhi said, "Brother Sima, how about we team up?"

Li Weiyi shook his head and sat down on a huge rock. "Don't you guys feel tired at all? I'll rest for a while. It's three days, no rush."

"Haha, alright then. If I happen to find Immortal Soil later, don't be jealous. One Immortal Soil is worth three hundred thousand taels of silver. You only encounter such a great opportunity a few times in your lifetime."

Shang Zhi shouldered his sword and left, disappearing into the fog.

Li Weiyi always held a deep sense of awe for Thirty-Three Miles.

Zuoqiu Baiming definitely knew something. First, he said, "We'll divide the special medicine after we go down the mountain," and then he said, "Give him all the immortal Immortal Soil we find first." His words seemed to imply that the few of you might not be able to get down the mountain alive.

Li Weiyi stayed behind alone, not to rest, but because he had his eye on the hundred-meter-high light golden cliff where the waterfall was located. Moreover, there were light golden stones everywhere at the foot of the cliff.