Scent-Chasing Insect

Under Fang Chen's watchful gaze, the person approached him with a smile and said, "Young brother, would you like to rent a Mystic Ice Dharma Robe?"

"Mystic Ice Dharma Robe?"

Fang Chen's eyes narrowed slightly. He had thought this person was sent by Zhang Tielin to kill him, but it turned out he was just trying to sell clothes.

"That's right, the Mystic Ice Dharma Robe. It's made from Ice Silkworm Silk and inscribed with Mystic Ice Array Runes. It feels cool and comfortable to wear, so you won't feel the heat even deep inside Spirit Flame Valley. The rental fee is only one Spirit Stone per day, with a deposit of three Spirit Stones. With the enhancement of the Mystic Ice Dharma Robe, working in Spirit Flame Valley will definitely be twice as effective with half the effort, and you'll feel invigorated!"

The person immediately began enthusiastically promoting the robe to Fang Chen.

"No, thank you!"

Fang Chen shook his head and turned to leave. One Spirit Stone a day was simply too expensive for him, and he didn't need the Mystic Ice Dharma Robe anyway.

Seeing that Fang Chen wasn't interested in the Mystic Ice Dharma Robe, the person didn't give up and continued, "Then, young brother, would you like to buy some Fire Spirit Sword Bamboo?"

"You can sell Fire Spirit Sword Bamboo too?"

Fang Chen was taken aback, a look of surprise on his face.

The person nodded and said, "Of course, as long as you have the money!"

Fang Chen tentatively asked, "What's the price?"

The person held up one finger and said, "Ten taels of silver per stalk!"

"Ten taels of silver per stalk?"

Fang Chen's eyes widened. He hadn't expected the cost of hiring someone to chop Fire Spirit Sword Bamboo to be so high.

The person smiled slightly and said, "Yes, it's already very cheap. If you need a large quantity, we can discuss the price further!"

"No, it's too expensive!"

Fang Chen quickly shook his head and left. He was burdened with debt and didn't have the spare money to hire someone to help him chop bamboo.

Seeing Fang Chen leave, a hint of helplessness crossed the person's face before he turned and walked away.

Not long after Fang Chen had left, a disheveled man bumped into him.

"Sorry, sorry!"

The man quickly apologized to Fang Chen before hurrying away.

Fang Chen frowned, ignored the man, and followed the route marked on the map, heading deeper into Spirit Flame Valley along a wide dirt road.

The man who had bumped into Fang Chen went to the residential area and entered a stone house. He said to the person inside, "It's done!"

The person sitting inside was Zhang Qining, whom Zhang Tielin had sent to deal with Fang Chen.

After speaking, the disheveled man took out a cloth bag from his embrace and said, "This bag contains a Scent-Chasing Insect. Once you release it, it will lead you to that person!"

He then handed the bag to Zhang Qining.

Zhang Qining smiled and took out a cloth bag from his own embrace, handing it over.

The disheveled man took the bag and opened it. Inside were Spirit Stones, ten of them.

He pocketed the money bag and turned to leave.

Zhang Qining picked up the bag containing the Scent-Chasing Insect and, after leaving, immediately headed towards the entrance of Spirit Flame Valley.

At this moment, Fang Chen, unaware that a scheme had been set in motion against him, was jogging towards the depths of Spirit Flame Valley.

Fire Spirit Sword Bamboo grew in the area between one hundred and two hundred li within Spirit Flame Valley, a region that was even hotter.

An hour later, Fang Chen finally arrived at the area where the Fire Spirit Sword Bamboo grew.

The temperature here was extremely high, like a giant furnace. Every breath felt like his lungs were catching fire.

The Fire Spirit Sword Bamboo was only three zhang tall and as thick as a bowl. Immature Fire Spirit Sword Bamboo had yellowish-green stalks, while mature ones were entirely red, like red-hot iron rods, with a thin green thread running through them, making them easy to identify.

Fang Chen glanced around, saw no one, and immediately summoned his Floating Immortal Sword, slashing it down at a mature stalk of Fire Spirit Sword Bamboo.

"Clang!"

The Floating Immortal Sword let out a crisp sound. The bamboo stalk's surface instantly erupted with red light, and a powerful surge of spiritual energy exploded outwards. A strong phản lực (recoil force) traveled from the sword hilt, making Fang Chen's wrist go numb.

"As expected of Spirit Bamboo, it even has a self-protection function!"

Fang Chen couldn't help but frown. Although he knew beforehand that the Fire Spirit Sword Bamboo would be difficult to chop, he hadn't expected it to be this difficult. Even with his sharp Floating Immortal Sword and a full-power swing without using True Qi, he couldn't break through the Fire Spirit Sword Bamboo's Body Protection Spiritual Light.

Spiritual energy creatures in this world all possessed similar protective measures.

To cut down the Fire Spirit Sword Bamboo, Fang Chen needed to find a way to break through its surrounding spiritual energy protective layer.

"Buzz buzz!"

The Floating Immortal Sword vibrated intensely, and a cool stream of air flowed from the hilt into Fang Chen's body. Under the effect of this airflow, the numbness in Fang Chen's wrist instantly disappeared. Although this airflow was much stronger than when he chopped the Exquisite Bamboo, it was still not as potent as the airflow he received when chopping the large stone on Dog Head Ridge.

Upon internal inspection, he saw wisps of green gas circulating within his meridians. After converging in his Dantian, a portion was absorbed by the True Qi vortex, while the rest, centered on the Dantian, flowed throughout his body along the meridians. Fang Chen felt the heat in his body dissipate, and he instantly felt refreshed.

Fang Chen hadn't expected to absorb spiritual energy from the Floating Immortal Sword even before it touched the Fire Spirit Sword Bamboo.

He stared at the Fire Spirit Sword Bamboo in front of him and muttered to himself, "It seems that to cut down this Fire Spirit Sword Bamboo, I'll have to deplete its Body Protection Spiritual Light first. I wonder if I can break through its spiritual energy protection by using my True Qi with full force?"

With that thought, Fang Chen immediately channeled True Qi into the Floating Immortal Sword.

"Buzz!"

The Floating Immortal Sword vibrated slightly, and cyan mystical runes immediately appeared on its blade, releasing a sharp Sword Intent.

He immediately swung the Floating Immortal Sword, slashing at the Fire Spirit Sword Bamboo again.

This time, the Floating Immortal Sword struck the Fire Spirit Sword Bamboo's Body Protection Spiritual Light, instantly shattering it before heavily impacting the bamboo itself.

"Clang!"

The Floating Immortal Sword was repelled by a powerful force, and Fang Chen's hand was once again overcome by intense numbness.

Where the Floating Immortal Sword had struck the Fire Spirit Sword Bamboo, a shallow sword mark appeared, from which trickled a bit of red sap.

"Buzz buzz..."

The Floating Immortal Sword vibrated violently, and a stronger current of energy flowed from the hilt into Fang Chen's palm. The numbness in his wrist vanished instantly, and as this energy surged through his entire body, Fang Chen felt refreshed and invigorated.

"Rustle rustle!"

The Fire Spirit Sword Bamboo before Fang Chen suddenly shook, its leaves detaching one by one from the branches before transforming into streaks of cold light that shot towards him.