Snow Dragon Ridge (Part 1)

Yan Chihuo had successfully inscribed twenty-three layers of restrictions onto his Soul-Breaking Sword. He had also fully mastered the art of inscribing restrictions onto stone; he could now carve seven layers into a single rock, yet such a stone could still only unleash a spell three times. It seemed this was the absolute limit for casting spells once a mundane object had been refined into a Talisman Artifact.

Following this period of cultivation, Yan Chihuo had sensed that his Spirit Jade Vajra Art had reached the perfection of the Body Tempering Middle Stage, and he was ready to push toward the Body Forging Late Stage.

However, a problem now lay before him: his supply of potent toxins was running low. Aside from the Demon Immortal Fruit, the toxins within his Five Poison Cloud Smoke Cover would likely be exhausted after one or two more absorptions. He dared not enter seclusion immediately; if his toxicity flared up while he was attempting to break through his bottleneck and he lacked a potent poison to neutralize it, would he not surely die?

He went to Ping Qi and informed him of the situation. Ping Qi pondered for a moment and said, "There are two ways to find potent toxins. The first is to seek out Yang Chenglin. That man keeps many poisonous beasts and naturally possesses a vast supply of toxins. However, he is currently in seclusion, and no one knows when he will emerge. Furthermore, he treasures these beasts dearly and will not let others take their poison easily. Therefore, you only have the second option: go to the Merit Pavilion and post a mission to collect some potent toxins."

Ping Qi continued, "However, posting a mission at the Merit Pavilion to find such toxins will take time. Secondly, these toxins are by no means common items; I fear gold and silver cannot purchase them, and Jade Crystals will be required. I suspect you do not have enough on hand. No matter, go ahead and post the mission; this master can still afford a few Jade Crystals."

Just as Yan Chihuo was about to refuse, Ping Qi waved his hand and said, "You are my disciple, and even I have no solution for the poison of the Demon Immortal Fruit; I can only do my best to help you. Even if you have had some fortuitous encounters and possess some Jade Crystals, the resources required for your future cultivation will far exceed those of others, or else your cultivation will not be able to suppress the toxins. Consider this a small token of my heart."

Yan Chihuo felt a surge of emotion. Having grown up in Tiger Roar Manor, he had only ever encountered cold-blooded, ruthless people. Although Qu Wuxing had been relatively close to him, they had both been assassins and maintained a certain distance. Only after becoming Ping Qi's disciple had he finally felt a warmth akin to family.

After leaving Ping Qi, he headed straight for the Merit Pavilion. Just as he was about to post his mission, he heard someone say, "This mission only offers fifty Jade Crystals? Do they not know that there is a mutated Red-Scaled Poison Python in Snow Dragon Ridge right now?"

Yan Chihuo's heart stirred, and he walked over. He discovered that the mission was to collect three stalks of Jade Ginseng in Snow Dragon Ridge. This Jade Ginseng was a specialty of the ridge and one of the primary ingredients for refining various spiritual pills.

At this moment, another person spoke, "A single stalk of Jade Ginseng is worth no more than eight Jade Crystals, and they aren't particularly hard to find. The reason they are offering fifty is precisely because of the mutated Red-Scaled Poison Python, combined with the urgent need for the ginseng."

The first person replied, "That mutated Red-Scaled Poison Python is no ordinary beast; it already possesses the cultivation of the Body Forging Late Stage. Ordinary cultivators cannot deal with it. Forget fifty Jade Crystals; even for a hundred, no one would be willing to take such a risk."

Hearing this, Yan Chihuo asked the two men, "Senior brothers, could you tell me more about this mutated Red-Scaled Poison Python?"

The man who had spoken first glanced at Yan Chihuo and said, "Junior brother, are you thinking of going to pick those three stalks of Jade Ginseng? While they aren't difficult to harvest and Snow Dragon Ridge isn't far from here, that Body Forging Late Stage Red-Scaled Poison Python is not to be trifled with. Its entire body is impervious to blades and spears, its poisonous mist is incredibly lethal, and its earth-attribute techniques are truly formidable."

The other man added, "I fear this junior brother does not yet understand the difference between these Demons and Monsters and human cultivators. We human cultivators generally rely on Talisman Artifacts to cast spells; even for a cultivator at the Body Forging Late Stage, the difference in strength with or without a Talisman Artifact is like heaven and earth. Demons and Monsters are different; they are born with an innate mastery of spells. It is extremely difficult for an ordinary cultivator of the same rank to be a match for them."

Yan Chihuo thanked them, but then turned and walked to the disciple in charge of the Merit Pavilion's affairs, asking, "I will take that mission to harvest the Jade Ginseng."

The disciple looked at Yan Chihuo and said, "Junior brother, I advise you not to take this mission. That Red-Scaled Poison Python is not someone to be provoked. Snow Dragon Ridge has always been teeming with snakes and insects, including many Demons and Monsters of the Body Tempering Stage, which is why no mortals ever come here. However, most of the monsters here are only at the Body Tempering Early Stage; even those at the Middle Stage are rare. This Body Forging Late Stage Red-Scaled Poison Python is extremely uncommon, and it is not just an ordinary snake that has gained sentience, but a mutated giant python. You can imagine its strength, yet your own cultivation is only at the Body Tempering Middle Stage."

Yan Chihuo smiled slightly and said, "It is no matter, I have my own methods."

Seeing that Yan Chihuo's resolve was firm, the disciple could only shake his head. He took out a jade brush and made a mark on a copper plaque; the Jade Ginseng collection mission immediately turned red, indicating it had been claimed.

The two men who had been discussing the mission were stunned when they saw this. One whispered, "Who took this mission? Could it have been that junior brother just now?"

Setting aside how these people discussed the matter, the reason Yan Chihuo had accepted the mission was precisely because of the Red-Scaled Poison Python. He was not so arrogant as to think he could slay the beast; rather, he wanted to collect the monster's venom by engaging it in battle. A Body Forging Late Stage monster was certainly not something he could kill at his current level, but he had mastered the Earth Shrinking Step and possessed the Poison Dissolving Art, so self-preservation should not be a problem.

Snow Dragon Ridge was over a thousand miles away, vast and boundless. When Yan Chihuo reached the foot of the mountain and looked out, he saw countless ancient trees blocking the sky, all at least several decades old, with thickets of weeds and thorns growing everywhere.

Looking at the waist-high weeds before him, Yan Chihuo could not help but grow vigilant, knowing that in such an environment, it would be difficult to detect snakes or insects hiding even a few yards away.

He pushed his vision and hearing to their limits. Sure enough, he discovered some snakes, insects, foxes, and hares within a radius of two hundred yards, but he did not find any Demons or Monsters.

Before coming to Snow Dragon Ridge, Yan Chihuo had already gained a rough understanding of where the Jade Ginseng might grow and what it looked like, but seeing the scene before him, he knew that finding it would be no easy task.

He set off at high speed, gradually venturing deeper into Snow Dragon Ridge. After about half an hour, although Yan Chihuo had discovered many wild beasts, he had yet to see any monsters. These beasts, while lacking magical power, had extremely keen instincts; whether they were wolves, insects, tigers, or leopards, they all fled the moment they saw him from afar.

Yan Chihuo mused that the beasts of Snow Dragon Ridge seemed much sharper than those elsewhere; if a monster were to be born from among them, its intelligence would likely be even higher.