The moment Fang Han stepped into the Misty Forest, his vision suddenly narrowed.
The fog was so thick it was almost tangible, like a thick layer of Gray-White cotton filling every gap between heaven and earth.
As far as he could see, it was only twenty or thirty feet; beyond that, only a blurry outline remained, and he couldn't make out what it was at all.
The tree branches twisted and deformed in the mist, their dark canopies resembling menacing monsters, their outlines blurred against the gray-white background, making it difficult to discern details.
The ground was covered with a thick layer of decaying leaves, which felt soft and yielded almost no sound when stepped on.
"Buzz--"
Fang Han's mind stirred slightly, and he activated the Nether Guide with all his might.
The cool sensation flowed through my nasal cavity and meridians, and an invisible, intangible sense of perception spread outwards like a spider web.
Within a ten-mile radius, all living things were clearly perceived by him.
Fog can obscure vision, but it cannot block the spread of scent.
This is one of the reasons why he dared to enter the Misty Forest alone in search of Mid-Grade Heavenly Treasure.
With the perception ability of the Nether Guide, he essentially possessed eyes far exceeding those of ordinary people within this mist.
Fang Han continued walking, his pace neither hurried nor slow.
The decaying leaves underfoot were soft and thick, and each step made almost no sound.
Not long after, he suddenly paused slightly.
In my perception, there was a peculiar plant about a hundred feet ahead.
It exuded a rather strong medicinal aroma, quite different from the ordinary plants and trees around it.
He quickened his pace, walked past several crooked ancient trees, and stopped beside a rock covered with vines.
A small herb, about a foot tall, was quietly growing in a crevice in the rock.
The leaves are narrow and long with serrated edges, dark green in color, and have a subtle oily sheen on the surface.
This is a century-old medicinal herb.
Although it cannot be called a rare and precious treasure, given the age and condition of this old medicinal herb, it would be worth at least tens of thousands of taels of silver outside.
Fang Han squatted down and dug the old herb out of the rock crevice, roots and all, and put it into his Storage Ring.
It was not packaged in a wooden or jade box; this level of medicinal material is not worth using a wooden or jade box that can preserve its medicinal efficacy.
Continuing on, he found a second old medicinal plant in less than half an hour.
This is a robust Solomon's seal plant with thick roots and stems, also nearly a hundred years old, and weighing at least several kilograms when dug up.
The third old medicinal herb was found among a pile of rocks beside a stream; it was a bright red Ganoderma lucidum.
The cap is round and full, with a faint sheen at the edges.
Although they were just ordinary medicinal herbs rather than rare and precious ones, the fact that three century-old herbs were discovered in just half an hour was enough to demonstrate the richness of this forest.
This is the advantage of the Central Thirty-Six Prefectures: the Heaven and Earth Origin Energy is abundant, and even the age and quality of ordinary medicinal herbs are much higher than in ordinary prefectures.
Fang Han did not linger and continued walking through the Misty Forest.
"This aura?"
After walking for several more miles, Fang Han suddenly stopped.
According to the perception of < Nether Guide >, a rather strong aura appeared several miles to the southeast.
The scent seemed somewhat familiar to him, and after a moment's thought, he recognized it.
"It's Zhen Feixuan!"
She was Zhen Feixuan, one of the ten beauties of the Imperial Capital, who had fought him at the Martial Arts Tournament and whose cultivation had reached the Mid First Grade.
Although he knew that Zhen Feixuan had also entered the Misty Forest, the Misty Forest was vast, and the chances of them meeting each other should not have been high. He did not expect that they would actually meet.
Judging from the speed and direction of his aura, Zhen Feixuan was coming from the other side, directly opposite his path, making it highly likely that they would meet.
There's no need for us to meet!
Fang Han chose to back down.
He slowed his pace, slightly adjusted his direction, and headed away from that aura, while activating Shadowveil to further conceal his aura.
Although he had met Zhen Feixuan a few times, they were not close. Now that he was wearing Human Skin Mask and hiding his identity, there was really no need for him to meet Zhen Feixuan.
It's better to avoid trouble.
Several days passed quietly in the search.
Fang Han's harvest was quite good. Although he did not find any rare and precious spiritual treasures, he had collected over a hundred century-old medicinal herbs, which were quite valuable.
While these old medicines cannot compare to rare and precious herbs, their quantity is considerable, and when Recharge to the System Panel, they will become a substantial fortune.
He is currently 1 million gold short of 10 million gold, which is exactly the time when he needs wealth.
One afternoon, the sunlight struggled to pierce through the thick fog, casting a few pale rays onto the ground.
Fang Han was walking through a dense forest of ancient trees when he suddenly stopped.
Several miles ahead, the sounds of fighting could be heard.
The fluctuations of colliding auras, the sounds of weapons clashing, and the booming of exploding energy faintly penetrated the layers of mist and reached his ears.
"There's fighting going on ahead!"
Fang Han frowned and stopped. He had originally planned to take a long detour and put this troublesome matter behind him.
He was never one to meddle in other people's business. Fighting and vying for power among Misty Forest, and he had encountered it several times before, always keeping his distance.
"It's the same group we encountered before entering the Misty Forest!"
Just as Fang Han was about to turn around, < Nether Guide > sensed that one of the auras belonged to Wang Tie and Wang Tie companions, who had warned him to show goodwill before entering the Misty Forest.
If it were anyone else, it wouldn't matter, but these people are worth saving.
"Whoosh!"
Fang Han changed direction, lightly touched the ground with his toes, and silently flew towards the direction from which the fighting sounds came.
He deliberately controlled his speed to avoid being exposed prematurely, but even so, the distance of several miles was covered in just a short time.
As they drew closer, the sounds of fighting became increasingly clear.
The crisp sound of clashing weapons mingled with the muffled thuds of exploding energy, occasionally punctuated by muffled groans and heavy breathing.
Fang Han stopped behind an ancient tree that required several people to encircle, his gaze peering through the gaps in the branches and leaves at the relatively open Forest Clearing ahead.
A body lay on the ground; it was the tall, thin man from Wang Tie's gang.
A gruesome knife wound ran down his neck, and blood was pooling on the ground; he was clearly dead.
Wang Tie and the short, stout man stood back to back, both covered in blood and breathing heavily.
Wang Tie's left arm hung limply at his sides, and a deep, bone-revealing wound on his shoulder was still oozing blood.
His right hand gripped the hilt of the thick-backed machete tightly; the blade was chipped in several places and stained with dark red blood.
The short, stout man wasn't much better off; a long, diagonal knife wound on his chest tore open his robe, revealing the rolled-up flesh beneath.
Sweat mixed with blood trickled into his eyes, but he didn't dare raise his hand to wipe it away, only staring intently ahead.
Surrounding the two of them were eight figures.
The leader was a burly man with a scar running diagonally from his left eyebrow to his right cheek, making his already rugged face appear even more ferocious.
He carried a heavy Ghost Head Blade in his hand, the blade still stained with bits of flesh and blood. His aura was deep and composed, indicating that he had likely reached the Third Grade Late Stage.
The other seven were also at the Third Grade rank of cultivation, although most of them should be at the Third Grade Early Stage. However, the eight of them joined forces to surround and trap Wang Tie and the short, fat man firmly in the center, which was a certain death situation.
The scarred man grinned, revealing a mouthful of blood-stained teeth, his voice rough and harsh, like two stones rubbing together.
"Hand over the good stuff you've been gathering these past few days, and I'll leave you with a decent corpse."
Wang Tie gritted his teeth and remained silent, only tightening his grip on the knife.
The short, stout man remained silent, but the short knife in his hand was still pointed at the scarred face.
Fang Han took in everything and understood the situation.
The group of eight who attacked Wang Tie and his companions were likely martial artists who specialized in raiding and plundering in the forest.
The scarred man grew impatient and pointed his knife at the enemy:
"Go! Kill them! Take the loot!"
All eight people moved at the same time.
"Clang--"
Amidst the flashing blades, Wang Tie roared and charged forward, his thick-backed cleaver slamming into a single-edged sword that was slashing towards him.
A deafening roar erupted, sparks flew, and the Star-Pattern Sect was forced back.
"Drink--"
The short, stout man also let out a low shout, raised his short knife, parried a long sword that was thrust towards his waist and abdomen, and took the opportunity to counterattack, nearly slit the man's throat.
However, both of them had already suffered serious injuries, which slowed their movements considerably, and they sustained several new wounds in a short period of time.
Just as the scarred man raised his Ghost Head Blade, preparing to personally end the lives of Wang Tie and the other man, a Dark Green Sword Qi silently pierced through the Gray-White mist and stretched across the sky.
The Sword Qi was several meters long, with black cracks appearing in the air at its edges, moving at a speed that was almost impossible to detect with the naked eye.
The scarred man felt a chill on his neck and looked down, his gaze involuntarily tilting downwards.
Then everything spun around him, and all he could see was his headless body slowly collapsing, gushing blood.
His head tumbled through the air several times before crashing onto decaying leaves several feet away, his wide-open eyes still filled with bewilderment and horror.
The seven martial artists who were attacking Wang Tie and his companion froze simultaneously.
They didn't even see where the Sword Qi came from; they only saw a dark green arc of light flash by, and the scarred man's corpse crashed to the ground.
The seven people's expressions changed drastically. Some of them instinctively turned around to run away, but Fang Han did not give them a chance to escape.
He emerged from behind the tree, his gray robes fluttering in the wind, and without stopping, he closed in on the seven men in the blink of an eye.
"Puff--"
The first sword strike was delivered; the Dark Green sword light was as fast as thunder, striking a Third Grade martial artist who was trying to escape squarely in the chest.
The man didn't even have time to raise his hand to block before he was sliced in two and died before he even hit the ground.
"Click--"
The second sword swept out horizontally, its Sword Qi flashing like a crescent moon across the waists and abdomens of the three men.
The weapons in the hands of the three men broke at the same time, and their bodies were severed cleanly at the waist, with blood and internal organs splattered all over the ground.
Before the third sword strike even landed, the remaining three warriors had completely lost the will to resist. Some turned and ran wildly into the forest, while others threw down their weapons, raised their hands, and knelt down to beg for mercy.
"Puff, puff, puff--"
Fang Han did not give them a chance to speak.
The sword flashed three times, and three figures fell to the ground one after another, rolling into the pile of decaying leaves like sacks of potatoes. They twitched a few times and then fell silent.
From the Fang Han made his move until all eight were killed, only a few breaths had passed.