Mysterious Canyon

The enormous Green Wolf scared off another of its kind. To prevent its prey from being snatched away, it accelerated and charged towards Lu Xiaotian.

"Ah!"

Lu Xiaotian unslung his carrying basket and screamed, throwing the woodcutting axe in his hand at the Green Wolf. While the Green Wolf dodged, he used all his strength to sprint away on the snowy ground. The Green Wolf merely dodged briefly before speeding up its pursuit, the distance between man and beast rapidly closing.

He fled to a small slope and lost his footing, tumbling down. The Green Wolf behind him growled and pounced.

Lu Xiaotian, terrified, could barely look at the horrifying scene.

"Roar!" A much more powerful roar nearly made Lu Xiaotian's head spin. Before his disbelieving eyes, a giant Black Bear, nearly ten feet tall, charged roaring. The frozen ground trembled under the weight of the creature, which weighed over two thousand pounds. The Black Bear displayed a nimbleness and speed that belied its size.

The previously ferocious Green Wolf wailed and was swatted away by the giant bear's claw without any ability to resist. The Green Wolf, weighing over a hundred pounds, let out a tragic cry and, as if weightless, slammed into the trunk of a tree over twenty feet away. The tree, thicker than an adult's waist, shook violently from the impact. The Green Wolf fell to the ground like a dead thing, and there was no further movement.

The other Green Wolf had already been scared off and had vanished.

Lu Xiaotian was so shocked that he even forgot the pain of his fall. He watched as the huge, furry bear face leaned towards him. The Black Bear's heavy, foul breath, reeking of rottenness, hit his face as it panted. He didn't even dare to move.

Just then, a clear, crisp flute melody rang out. The giant Black Bear let out a low growl, retracted its head, abandoned Lu Xiaotian, and trotted docilely in the direction of the flute music.

Immediately after, Lu Xiaotian saw an Old Man wearing a black robe, with only a pale, wrinkled face visible, suddenly appear in the snow. He flicked his wide sleeves, and a gust of wind swept towards Lu Xiaotian. Before Lu Xiaotian could react, he fell unconscious.

Without any apparent movement, the Black Robe Old Man covered several dozen feet in a few steps, arriving before Lu Xiaotian. He took out a colorless, transparent crystal disk and placed Lu Xiaotian's hand on it. The crystal disk immediately displayed five colors – red, blue, green, gold, and yellow – swirling around each other, constantly changing.

"It seems he should have a Spiritual Root, otherwise, this Spirit Testing Disk wouldn't activate. But it's so unstable, what kind of Spiritual Root is this? Ah well, Northern Liang Country is a mundane place, finding someone with a Spiritual Root is truly difficult. Since I have no one useful under me, I'll just have to make do for now."

The Black Robe Old Man's expression was uncertain. He had traveled the Cultivation World for so many years, and this was the first time he had encountered a situation where the Spirit Testing Disk couldn't determine a Spiritual Root. After a moment, the Black Robe Old Man muttered an obscure Incantation. The Black Bear growled and, holding Lu Xiaotian in its mouth, strode forward, following the Black Robe Old Man. The Black Robe Old Man merely lifted his steps, yet he always stayed ahead of the furiously running Black Bear, the mountains and forests receding behind them.

Several hours later, deep within Mang Mountain, hundreds of miles from the Thunder Blade Sect, a valley was shrouded in white mist, filled with the roars of Tigers and the calls of Apes.

At the valley entrance, three figures could be faintly seen.

"Those scoundrels from Lingxiao Palace are really chasing us relentlessly. We fled all the way to Northern Liang Country and only managed to shake them off. If these mad dogs keep biting at our heels, we'll truly have nowhere to hide."

A Bearded Man, who was bare-chested even in the dead of winter, revealing his bronze skin and solid muscles, with a bronze Axe hanging at his waist, said in a muffled voice.

"Lingxiao Palace is too powerful. It's all the Blood Dwarf's fault. If you weren't so clumsy, how could Lingxiao Palace have found any clues? We've lived like stray dogs for years. Now our Spirit Stones are almost gone. Are we going to end up like ordinary mortals, eating grains and vegetables?" The Green Skirt Young Woman, who had a long, thin scar on her face but a plump figure, said with a hint of complaint.

"How can you blame me? The cultivators of Lingxiao Palace are indeed formidable. If you hadn't harbored the desire to kill for treasure, would all this have happened?" The Blood Dwarf, a man dressed in red, only the size of an eight or nine-year-old child but over forty years old, with a faint blue beard on his chin, sneered upon hearing the Green Skirt Young Woman's words. "Besides, if Lingxiao Palace cultivators hadn't forced us, we wouldn't have stumbled upon such a mysterious valley in such a remote place. The spiritual energy here is so abundant, it must be a treasure trove."

"Whether it's a treasure trove or a death trap remains to be seen. This valley is quite peculiar. The white mist within the valley never dissipates, and it seems there are Restrictions inside that can isolate Spiritual Sense. For us cultivators to enter, we'd be no different from ordinary people. If we encounter Yao Beasts inside, our situation would be extremely perilous." The Bearded Man said with a grave expression.

The Green Skirt Young Woman said impatiently, "Our Spirit Stones and Pills are almost depleted. If we can't replenish our Spiritual Materials, what will we do next? No matter how dangerous it is, we have to go in and investigate. It might even be a treasure trove. Geng Laoguai is really something, he's been gone for days. If he doesn't return soon, I'll have to go in myself."

"If that's the case, you can go in and investigate yourselves." An old, sinister voice echoed, followed by the dull thud of a giant Black Bear's paws on the ground.

The Green Skirt Young Woman's expression changed, and then she let out a feigned, long laugh. "Look at what Fellow Daoist Geng is saying. I was just speaking in jest. This valley is quite strange. Fellow Daoist Geng's cultivation is the most profound among the four of us, and he's skilled in alchemy. Without Fellow Daoist Geng, we wouldn't have the ability to venture into this peculiar valley."

"Fellow Daoist Geng, you're back! You've truly made us wait."

Lu Xiaotian, in a daze, heard a hearty laugh. "Eh, why did you bring back a little brat?"

"You're so big, but your courage is so lacking. We fled all the way to Northern Liang Country, and Geng Laoguai's Pill Boy couldn't escape in time and was killed by Lingxiao Palace disciples. Naturally, we need to find a new Pill Boy." The Dwarf man chuckled sinisterly. "But Geng Laoguai has found a new Pill Boy now. Shall we choose a day to venture into the valley?"

"Exactly! The Blood Dwarf has hit the nail on the head. Fellow Daoist Geng, although this valley is somewhat dangerous, it might also be a treasure trove. What's even rarer is that there are no other cultivators around. This is a divinely bestowed treasure land."

The Blood Dwarf and the Bearded Man nodded in agreement. Their biggest enemies as Treasure Hunting Cultivators were usually not the Yao Beasts or traps in spirit lands, but other ill-intentioned Treasure Hunting Cultivators. Each of them alone had killed no less than ten other cultivators. Those among them who had survived for so long and wandered the lands were mostly ruthless and decisive individuals.