The tension brought by the Demon Tribe's Sky Patrol Scouts had hung over the Houtu Tribe like a dark cloud for days. The number of patrol warriors had doubled, and the tribe's defenses had been reinforced. The air was thick with the oppressive feeling of a storm about to break. Lin Xuan could clearly sense the restrained fury and vigilance in the Wu warriors. Even their usual sparring had grown quieter, taking on the gravity of real combat.
In this atmosphere, Lin Xuan knew he couldn't afford to delay strengthening himself. Relying on the tribe's protection was only a temporary solution. Only by becoming powerful himself could he secure a foothold in the turmoil that might soon come. He turned his attention to the increasingly clear "Primordial Great Map" in his mind.
Besides the marked danger zones and known resource points, the map showed several faint, unconfirmed markers along its fringes. One in particular caught Lin Xuan's attention. It lay in a deep valley about a hundred li southwest of the Houtu Tribe. Its marker was unusual: [Moon Shadow Valley: Suspected to contain a spirit plant imbued with Taiyin Star Power. Its aura is elusive, and faint spatial fluctuations are present. Risk: Medium-high (natural illusion array and moonlight erosion).]
"A spirit plant imbued with Taiyin Star Power?" Lin Xuan's heart stirred. Taiyin Star Power was supremely yin and cold, but it was also a top-tier power for tempering the Spirit Soul and harmonizing yin and yang. It might have a unique supporting effect on a body-tempering method as supremely firm and yang as the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique. Besides, the phrase "faint spatial fluctuations" made him think of the Chaos Bead.
[System, analyze the detailed information on 'Moon Shadow Valley'.] Lin Xuan silently prompted.
[Command received. Spending a small amount of energy to conduct a deep scan... Scan complete.] The system responded quickly. [Moon Shadow Valley: A place where Taiyin Star Power accidentally descended in ancient times, forming a special field. At the valley's center grows a 'Moon Laurel Spirit Branch', a branch formed from a sliver of the origin of the Innate Moon Laurel Tree, containing pure Pure Yin Essence. A natural 'Taiyin Illusion Array' surrounds it, capable of confusing the mind and distorting perception. The Moon Laurel Spirit Branch is nearing maturity. Its spatial fluctuations are caused by its instinctive absorption of Taiyin Star Power.]
[Warning: The illusion array can severely interfere with the spiritual sense of anyone below Golden Immortal. Moonlight erosion can freeze and injure the Spirit Soul. It is recommended that the host reach Refining Spirit to Void (Second Revolution of the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique) before attempting this. Forcing entry at your current level carries a 78% risk.]
Refining Spirit to Void? That was still a long way off. But the words "nearing maturity" made Lin Xuan itch to act. Opportunities waited for no one. Once it fully matured, it might attract even more powerful beings, or undergo a change of its own.
"I can't charge in head-on, but perhaps I can outsmart it..." Lin Xuan stared at the map, his mind racing. He carefully enlarged the area around Moon Shadow Valley, studying the terrain, the approximate reach of the illusion array (the map marked it vaguely based on energy flows), and the system's estimated location of the Moon Laurel Spirit Branch.
He discovered that the illusion array didn't cover the entire valley. Its energy flow was relatively weak in one spot on the southeastern side of the valley floor. The area was also close to the cliff wall, with complex terrain that offered good cover. The moonlight erosion wasn't evenly distributed, either. At noon each day, when the sun's true fire was strongest, Taiyin Star Power was naturally suppressed and its erosive effect was at its weakest.
A plan gradually took shape in his mind.
He found Houyi and Kuafu and told them frankly that he needed to go out and gain experience, searching for spirit items that could help his cultivation. He promised to stay within the safe areas around the tribe and not venture deep into dangerous territory. The Houtu Tribe now considered him a brother. Though they were somewhat worried, they didn't stop him. They simply urged him repeatedly to be careful and gave him a Wu bone flute for emergencies.
After making his preparations, Lin Xuan quietly left the tribe. He circulated the Breath Concealment Technique with all his might, moving like a phantom. Following the map's directions, he avoided several demon beast lairs and dangerous areas as he made his way toward Moon Shadow Valley.
Even with the map to guide him, the hundred-li journey through a dangerous place like Buzhou Mountain took up most of the day. By the time he neared Moon Shadow Valley, it was noon the following day.
From a distance, the entrance to Moon Shadow Valley was shrouded in a faint, hazy moonlight that rippled like water. Even in broad daylight, it gave the place a cold and desolate air. The scenery inside the valley was warped and indistinct, and an unsettling force seemed to emanate from within.
Lin Xuan didn't rush in. Following his plan, he circled around to the southeastern side of the valley and found the weak point in the illusion array marked on the map. It was a steep slope strewn with jagged rocks and sparse vegetation. He took a deep breath and brought himself into peak condition, then silently activated the Chaos Bead (fragment) in his sea of consciousness.
Hum!
The Chaos Bead emitted a faint gray ripple that enveloped him. This wasn't a powerful spatial teleportation. Rather, it used the sliver of spatial origin within the Chaos Bead to, to some extent, "neutralize" or "adapt to" the abnormal spatial fluctuations and energy interference around him.
The effect was immediate! The dizziness and loss of direction he'd felt eased considerably. The scenery before him was still somewhat distorted, but he could make out the general path.
"It really works!" Lin Xuan was delighted. Without delay, while the yang energy at noon was at its strongest and the moonlight erosion at its weakest, he slipped into the valley like an agile ape.
The temperature inside was clearly lower than outside, and the light was dim, as if the valley were cut off from the rest of the primordial world. Jagged rocks of bizarre shapes jutted from the ground, which was coated in a thin layer of frost. Protected by the Chaos Bead and guided by the map, Lin Xuan cautiously threaded his way through gaps in the illusion array, avoiding the areas where the energy was most chaotic.
Several times, he nearly stumbled into an illusion. He saw all kinds of phantoms, from treasures strewn across the ground to dangers lurking on every side. Each time, he held fast to his composure and relied on the map's real-time tracking of his own marker to correct his position and force his way free.
At last, after nearly an hour, he reached the center of the valley. There lay a relatively open hollow. At its center grew a small tree about three feet tall, crystalline and white as jade. Its sparse branches and leaves had an ancient, simple form, and each leaf seemed to be condensed from moonlight, glowing with a cool, gentle radiance. It was none other than the "Moon Laurel Spirit Branch"! The space around it rippled faintly as it slowly absorbed the Taiyin Star Power descending from the unseen heavens.
Not far from the spirit branch, at the edge of the hollow, three silvery-white demon beasts resembling a cross between leopards and wolves lay crouched. They weren't large, and their auras were around the middle stage of Refining Essence into Qi. Yet pure Taiyin energy flowed around them. Clearly, they were cultivating here by drawing on the energy released by the Moon Laurel Spirit Branch.
[Moon Shadow Wolf, a demon beast of the Taiyin element. It has keen senses and excels at coordinated attacks.] The Insight Technique returned this information.
Lin Xuan's pupils contracted. As expected, there were guardians! He couldn't win a straight fight. He had to outsmart them.
He carefully studied the terrain and surroundings. The Moon Laurel Spirit Branch grew in the middle of the hollow, with nowhere to hide. Plucking it directly would inevitably alert the Moon Shadow Wolves. His gaze fell on the faint spatial fluctuations around the branch, then shifted to the Chaos Bead in his sea of consciousness.
A bold idea came to him.
He quietly retreated some distance and found a boulder to use as cover. Then he focused all his attention and poured his strength into activating the Chaos Bead! This time, he wasn't merely concealing his aura. He was trying to stir up a trace of its spatial power!
His goal wasn't to seize the branch from afar. That would take too much energy and create obvious fluctuations. Instead, he aimed to briefly create a tiny spatial distortion in a very small area directly above the Moon Laurel Spirit Branch!
The process was incredibly difficult and took a heavy toll on his mind. Cold sweat beaded on Lin Xuan's forehead as the Chaos Bead shook violently in his sea of consciousness. At last, just as he was about to lose his grip—
The air directly above the Moon Laurel Spirit Branch warped ever so slightly, like a faint ripple across a lake. This tiny disturbance in space happened to disrupt, for just an instant, the branch's connection to the earth's spiritual veins beneath it and the surrounding Taiyin array!
Now!
Lin Xuan shot out from behind the boulder like an arrow loosed from a bow! He pushed the speed of the First Revolution of the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique to its limit. At the same time, he used deft force to scatter a prepared handful of special stone powder—mixed with potent numbing herbs and aura-disrupting powder—toward the three Moon Shadow Wolves, who had been startled by the sudden spatial ripple and had just lifted their heads!
The powder billowed out, temporarily disrupting the Moon Shadow Wolves' senses and movements.
In the next instant, Lin Xuan was at the Moon Laurel Spirit Branch! He didn't try to pluck it with his hand. Instead, he brought his fingers together like a blade, infused them with the power of the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique, and swiftly cut through the base of the branch, which had been weakened ever so slightly by the spatial disturbance!
"Swish!"
With a soft sound, the Moon Laurel Spirit Branch snapped cleanly. Lin Xuan snatched it up and instantly stored it in the Chaos Bead's space! The whole process took less than a second!
"Awooo!"
The three Moon Shadow Wolves finally reacted. They let out furious howls, moonlight gleaming savagely in their eyes as they lunged at Lin Xuan!
But Lin Xuan didn't linger after securing his prize. He turned and sprinted toward the valley's exit! He pushed the Breath Concealment Technique and his movement skills to their limits, using the route he'd memorized on the way in and the map's directions to race out without looking back!
Howls echoed behind him as the Moon Shadow Wolves gave chase. But Lin Xuan had the advantage of a head start and knew the route. He soon left them far behind. The moment he slipped through the weak point in the illusion array and saw daylight again, he finally let out a long breath. His back was already soaked with cold sweat.
He didn't stop. He continued fleeing toward the Houtu Tribe until he had completely lost his pursuers, then found a secluded cave to hide in.
He took out the Moon Laurel Spirit Branch and felt the pure, cool Pure Yin Essence within it. A satisfied smile spread across his face. It had been risky, but the rewards were tremendous! Whether for supporting his cultivation or for crafting magic treasures in the future, the Moon Laurel Spirit Branch was a rare treasure.
[Beep! Successfully acquired innate spirit item "Moon Laurel Spirit Branch." Opportunity value +100. The host used intelligence and available resources to mitigate risk. Evaluation: Excellent. Reward: Stealth Talisman (Intermediate) x1, which can briefly shield you from spiritual sense detection by anyone below Refining Spirit to Void.]
This "quiet fortune" operation had ended perfectly.
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