Outside the valley.
Zhu Fang felt a strange restlessness stirring in his heart. He stood up and paced back and forth, repeatedly glancing toward the valley, hoping the small figure would appear soon.
"Something seems off. That kid's been in there for so long. He should've come out by now..."
Zhu Fang muttered to himself, worry fueling his intense frustration.
He was determined to get the Purple Spirit Grass. He had spent so much time and money on it; if he failed to obtain it, he might as well die.
He had little time left to live anyway, and he was penniless.
"Damn it, I'll see what tricks that kid is playing!"
Zhu Fang spat on the ground. A ferocious glint flashed in his eyes, and he stamped his foot before entering the mist.
A faint, translucent suit of spirit armor appeared just in time, shielding him from the miasma.
But his spirit armor wasn't golden.
As he ventured deeper into the valley and the miasma grew denser, his armor began to shudder faintly. At first, the tremors were slight, but they grew stronger and stronger, like boiling water, until they were downright alarming.
Seeing this, Zhu Fang's mouth twitched, and unease stirred in his heart.
He was only at the first level of Qi Refining. The Spirit Armor Art he could cast was limited in power and couldn't fully resist the miasma's corrosion.
Sooner or later, he'd be hurt.
After finally reaching the bluestone, he found the Purple Spirit Grass had vanished. Zhu Fang couldn't help letting out a muffled groan, his expression turning terribly grim.
That little brat would rather die than hand the Purple Spirit Grass over to him!
The shuddering of his spirit armor grew louder, each tremor ringing in his ears. Without hesitation, Zhu Fang passed the bluestone and hurried deeper into the valley.
In his eyes, a boy with only peak Xiantian Realm cultivation couldn't maintain the Spirit Armor Art for long in the valley. He'd soon be corroded to death. Zhu Fang had to find the boy's bones as quickly as possible and reclaim the Purple Spirit Grass.
"Not good!"
Pain flared across his skin. Zhu Fang furrowed his brows and sprinted toward the depths of the valley.
Time was running out. His spirit armor couldn't hold much longer, and the miasma had begun seeping inside.
Guided by the bewitching female voice, Chen Changming raced through the mist. The pale golden spirit armor covering him shuddered violently, making repeated popping sounds. Though the commotion was alarming, it showed no sign of collapsing.
The miasma's power hadn't increased, either.
A short while later.
Chen Changming appeared in a valley where the mist was thin. The female voice suddenly vanished, and his consciousness abruptly returned.
"What is this..."
Though the boy had always been strong-willed, the sight before him made his legs tremble.
In the valley, a black giant snake, twenty or thirty zhang long, was coiled around a Red Great Bird of equally enormous size.
The bird was several zhang tall. If it spread its wings, it would probably be about as large as the black snake.
Its pair of hard, red claws were embedded in the snake's head, while the snake's blood-red eyes glared fiercely at the Red Great Bird.
What kind of monster was this?
It was terrifying!
The horrifying monster, something straight out of myths and legends, left Chen Changming drenched in sweat. He turned and tried to run.
"Don't be afraid. This snake is already dead."
The enchanting female voice returned. Chen Changming shook his head, then realized the voice had been appearing directly in his mind.
"Y-you are..."
Chen Changming stared fearfully at the Red Great Bird, his voice trembling as he asked.
The Red Great Bird was completely motionless, yet it could send its voice into his mind. What kind of divine ability was this?
"To kill this snake, I've already exhausted every last drop of my strength..."
The Red Great Bird sighed softly as it looked at the frail human child before it, its heart filled with unwillingness.
The Nine Profound Demon Snake had been incredibly hard to deal with, and its physical body was immensely powerful. It had nearly worn her down to death.
Now, there wasn't a trace of spiritual power left in her body. She had exhausted her blood essence using a secret art, and her entire body was unable to move. Only her severely wounded Primordial Spirit allowed her to communicate with the child before her.
Right now, she was like an oil lamp that had gone out. She only needed a little oil to replenish it, and then she could set the prairie ablaze with a single spark.
Chen Changming slowly backed away.
Could this thing be trying to lure him over so it could eat him?
As far as he knew, monsters from legends all ate people.
"Little brother, you have a Five Elements Mixed Spirit Root, one of the worst aptitudes in the world. Even if you embark on the path of cultivation someday, you'll never achieve much. Why not cultivate like my Demon Race and follow the path of body refinement?"
The Red Great Bird spoke slowly, its eyes clear and its tone calm.
Chen Changming was speechless.
The boy's expression grew even grimmer. This wasn't the first time someone had said something like this. Was his Five Elements Mixed Spirit Root really that bad?
The repeated blows hadn't driven the boy to despair. On the contrary, a fire had ignited in his heart.
He possessed a mysterious supernatural vision. So what if his aptitude was poor?
As long as he was given the chance to embark on the path of cultivation, he would work tirelessly, putting in ten or even a hundred times more effort than ordinary people. The boy believed that every effort in this world... would eventually be rewarded.
"Even though I can't move, killing a mere mortal at the Xiantian Realm is still child's play. It would be as easy as crushing an ant."
A faint sigh sounded.
Chen Changming froze, then stopped and took a deep breath. Looking at the Red Great Bird, he asked, "Senior, what do you want me to do?"
"I'm not that old."
A silvery laugh rang out in his mind.
"Big sister!"
Chen Changming gave a helpless, bitter smile.
The Red Great Bird didn't seem like the sort of monster that only ate people. After their brief exchange, she felt more like a big sister next door, and he found her rather approachable.
She was much better than that Silver-Robed Immortal Master.
"Could you give Big Sister the Purple Spirit Grass so I can heal?"
"Yes!"
Chen Changming raised the Purple Spirit Grass without hesitation and answered firmly.
The Purple Spirit Grass was a treasure to a great cultivator like Zhu Fang, who was at the Qi Refining Realm. But to him, it might be poison.
With his meager cultivation, if he ate it, he'd probably suffer severe injuries, if he survived at all.
If he could win this monster's trust, Chen Changming believed Zhu Fang wouldn't be able to threaten him anymore, either.
"Put the Purple Spirit Grass in Big Sister's mouth."
The Red Great Bird instructed him.
Chen Changming agreed and hurried over. He climbed onto the snake's back and placed the Purple Spirit Grass in the bird's beak.
After swallowing the Purple Spirit Grass, the Red Great Bird seemed to regain a little vitality, as if it had set something in motion. She blinked, suddenly opened her beak, and bit off a chunk of snake meat, swallowing it.
Just two or three breaths after the snake meat went down, the Red Great Bird's spirits visibly improved.
A force appeared out of nowhere and gently set Chen Changming down nearby.
Buzz...
The Red Great Bird's body trembled slightly as she broke free of the black snake's coils.
"Rest in peace, you old demon, Nine Heavens Demon Snake. Your body has done its part today. If I survive this ordeal, I'll be sure to erect a stele for you!"
The Red Great Bird sighed softly, her gaze turning cold. Then something terrifying happened. She opened her beak and swallowed the dozens-of-zhang-long giant snake whole.
Watching this brutal scene, Chen Changming felt as if he'd fallen into an ice cellar. His eyes went blank, and the cold left him unable to breathe.