Lantern Heart Grass

The medicinal ingredients required for this prescription could almost be gathered in full by pooling the stores of the Xiao Family, the Jia Lie Family, and the Wutan City branch of the Mier Auction House.

However, one herb was still missing. None of those three had it, and it could not be found anywhere in Wutan City.

Huan Huan told Chu Yang that it could be found in the Monster Mountain Range.

As it happened, Wutan City lay on the outskirts of the Monster Mountain Range.

Eager to refine the Advancement Pill that would allow him to advance, Chu Yang decided to enter the Monster Mountain Range himself to gather herbs.

The Monster Mountain Range was an exceedingly dangerous place. Unless one was exceptionally strong, no one dared enter it alone.

Most people either attached themselves to mercenary groups or formed their own teams.

Since Chu Yang currently had the Purple Crystal Lion Wing King as a companion, he had no intention of joining up with others like the people of the Wutan City region who wished to enter the Monster Mountain Range.

He summoned the Purple Crystal Lion Wing King, which had not yet had its fill of playing around in Wutan City.

It was somewhat displeased at first, but Chu Yang then tempted it with even more advanced pills.

The Purple Crystal Lion Wing King understood as well: if it wanted to visit more prosperous human cities in the future, greater strength would make it safer.

Besides, it had just taken Chu Yang's Transformation Pill. As the saying went, one's hand was softened by taking from others, and one's mouth was softened by eating from others!

Chu Yang had shown it kindness, so it could not very well refuse his request.

Thus, in the end, only the Purple Crystal Lion Wing King accompanied Chu Yang into the Monster Mountain Range.

Unexpectedly, the herb needed to refine the Advancement Pill, Lantern Heart Grass, could not be found in the section of the Monster Mountain Range near Wutan City.

Chu Yang had no choice but to venture deeper into the Monster Mountain Range, because he had to refine the Advancement Pill. He did not want to use the other pills on the Dou Qi Continent, refined by other alchemists, that could likewise help a nine-star Dou Practitioner advance to Dou Master. Those pills had side effects that harmed future cultivation, whereas the pills he refined using the Medicine Emperor's prescription had no such detrimental effects.

Before long, Chu Yang entered the mountains with the Purple Crystal Lion Wing King in human form.

He did not tell Xiao Zhan that he was heading deep into the Monster Mountain Range, unwilling to let them come along and complicate matters.

Chu Yang merely told Xiao Zhan and the others that he was going out with a friend and would return soon.

When Xiao Zhan saw the Purple Crystal Lion Wing King in human form, he sensed an extremely dangerous aura. Though he could not see through the Purple Crystal Lion Wing King's strength, he could clearly tell that the other party could easily crush him.

Xiao Zhan did not dare ask further. He thought that it was only natural for an awesome alchemist like Chu Yang to have a friend whose strength inspired such dread.

He had also heard of alchemist Gu He: when someone had once tried to make a move against Gu He, Gu He had dispatched his five Dou Wang friends and forcibly wiped out the other party's faction. It had been terrifying!

Before long, Chu Yang and the Purple Crystal Lion Wing King entered the Monster Mountain Range.

The Monster Mountain Range was the Purple Crystal Lion Wing King's home. Although it still yearned for the fun of human cities, now that it had "returned home," it was like a fish in water within the Monster Mountain Range.

Although it had yet to return to its original magical beast form, the magical beasts within the Monster Mountain Range could still smell its innate, uniquely magical beast aura from far away.

Given its terrifying current strength, every magical beast weaker than it either bowed from afar in submission or fled at the first sign of it, running far away and not daring let the Purple Crystal Lion Wing King and Chu Yang see them.

In truth, neither Chu Yang nor the Purple Crystal Lion Wing King cared about the magical beasts' reactions. One had come to gather Lantern Heart Grass, while the other had come to protect him while he gathered it.

For the time being, no magical beast stronger than the Purple Crystal Lion Wing King appeared. In fact, there could not possibly be a magical beast more formidable than the Purple Crystal Lion Wing King in the Monster Mountain Range near Wutan City. To encounter higher-level magical beasts, one had to venture into the depths of the Monster Mountain Range.

For a while, Chu Yang was unable to find any Lantern Heart Grass.

Even the ingredients for an ordinary pill like the Advancement Pill were this difficult to find. Chu Yang began to understand something.

But Wutan City was a small place, and the Mier Auction House here was merely a small branch. Once Chu Yang left Wutan City in the future, some large families might have rarer medicinal ingredients in their herb stores, and larger auctions than the ones here should also be able to offer them. He would not necessarily have to risk his life in the Monster Mountain Range whenever he needed herbs.

Chu Yang understood this after giving it some thought, and his heart soon calmed. Since he was already here, he would just search for Lantern Heart Grass!

Later, relying on its magical beast instincts, the Purple Crystal Lion Wing King took the initiative to lead Chu Yang in the search.

At last, they discovered a large patch of Lantern Heart Grass in a valley.

True to its name, this herb resembled a little cage, with its inner stalk looking like a lamp wick. It was rather cute.

Thinking that the Advancement Pill would not be useful only to himself, and that even the Xiao Family and Jia Lie Family would not have so many people needing Advancement Pills, Chu Yang considered selling them in bulk through Ya Fei's auctions. As long as the pills' quality was proven exceptional, would they not sell in great quantities?

At that thought, Chu Yang decided to harvest the Lantern Heart Grass in the valley on a large scale. Wutan City did not have this herb, after all! Fortunately, he had a Storage Ring capable of holding a great many herbs.

Naturally, the Purple Crystal Lion Wing King helped as well.

It originally wanted to order some nearby magical beasts to help, but Chu Yang stopped it—

First, Chu Yang feared that after he and the Purple Crystal Lion Wing King left, some magical beasts might mistake their harvesting for a sign that the Lantern Heart Grass was extremely valuable and secretly come to pick it, wasting it.

Second, there was not actually that much Lantern Heart Grass in the valley. He felt that he and the Purple Crystal Lion Wing King were enough for the harvesting work, so he did not even summon the Yellow Demonic Puppet from his Storage Ring to help.

The Yellow Demonic Puppet seemed to be one of Chu Yang's secret assistants. At present, Chu Yang appeared to be keeping even the Purple Crystal Lion Wing King in the dark about having such a puppet assistant.

Since Chu Yang would not let the Purple Crystal Lion Wing King call magical beasts over to help, making a powerful ruler of the Monster Mountain Range do manual labor like this left it somewhat uncomfortable. When had it ever needed to do such work in its own territory?

However, Chu Yang now seemed to be its big brother. It felt that it might have many more things to rely on this big brother for in the future, so it did not dare voice any protest.

Before long, man and beast had harvested all the mature Lantern Heart Grass in the valley that Chu Yang considered suitable for use in medicine.

If they wished to harvest the rest, they would have to wait for it to grow for a while longer.

Moreover, Chu Yang had other thoughts. He might study more advanced pills next, and would not keep refining the Advancement Pill forever. Perhaps the Lantern Heart Grass he had stored up now was already enough for him.