First Mountain-Chasing Expedition

Three days later.

As the enormous black flying vessel came to a stop before the boundless mountain range, large numbers of menial disciples slowly disembarked, their faces filled with dread for the future.

Some who had just entered the Demon Sect and been assigned to the Mountain-Chasing Lineage were so frightened that their legs trembled, and they even needed support to walk forward.

Bai Yu, meanwhile, curiously examined everything before him. The mountain range was shrouded in red mist, making it impossible to see what lay within.

Besides the Heavenly Demon Sect's menial disciples, quite a few flying vessels had docked nearby. However, the other sects had far fewer people, and their faces were filled with anticipation for the mountain-chasing expedition. Some elders dressed in different robes patiently explained everything they needed to watch out for after entering the mountains.

Bai Yu had begged Pang Tong for this chance to join the mountain-chasing expedition, even working for him free of charge for three days.

Pang Tong had originally hesitated. After all, the Demon Sect treated people differently from other sects. Menial disciples themselves were part of the expendable supplies—the more, the merrier.

But Bai Yu was different. With him around, Pang Tong's Cutting Room would be much easier to manage. Why would Pang Tong let someone like that go mountain-chasing?

Yet Bai Yu used the excuse that he was about to awaken his Spirit Root and wanted to broaden his horizons.

With Pang Tong's authority, he could have refused. But seeing Bai Yu's refusal to give up until he achieved his goal, he ultimately agreed. In return, after Bai Yu came back, he would complete the sect's Cutting tasks for the ordinary disciples of the Mountain-Chasing Enforcement Team.

For free!

Bai Yu had no objections to that.

That was why, with fewer than ten days remaining before his awakening, he had come here with these people.

Ashen Sorrow Mountain was jointly controlled by the Three Mountains and Four Sects, and it had already been scoured countless times.

Still, it was rich in basic materials, making it a place for the Three Mountains and Four Sects' menial disciples to train and gather resources.

When the blood mist of Ashen Sorrow Mountain temporarily vanished, some commoners with nowhere else to turn would also enter the mountains to search for resources.

Though the Three Mountains and Four Sects tacitly allowed such behavior, aside from ferocious beasts and miasma, those who entered Ashen Sorrow Mountain could very well be ambushed and killed by other people!

Because rules prohibited ordinary Qi Refining Stage disciples from entering, Ashen Sorrow Mountain was also known as the menial disciples' slaughterhouse.

"Tsk, so you're the person Fatty Pang mentioned?"

"Tell me, you're about to awaken. What are you doing here?"

"If I hadn't heard that you had a Black Centipede Gu protecting you before even reaching Qi Refining, I wouldn't have agreed to Fatty Pang's request. After all, you were the one who completed my Cutting tasks."

A young man in black armor sized Bai Yu up and down, then suddenly grinned, looking extraordinarily sinister.

Seeing Zhao Lan like this, many of the surrounding menial disciples were stunned.

What had they just seen? Since when did this murderous bastard know how to smile?

Among this large group of menial disciples, many had come here several times before. In their eyes, this Enforcement Team captain was a temperamental demon.

If a menial disciple displeased him, casually killing them was as commonplace as eating and drinking.

But today, they had seen Zhao Lan smile?

So this guy could actually smile!

Then just who was the person talking to him?

Judging by his clothes, wasn't he just like them?

For a moment, countless gazes converged on Bai Yu. Everyone was utterly puzzled. Could this person be some elder's descendant, specifically sent here to train?

"What are you looking at?!"

"Instead of wasting time staring, remember what you're supposed to do after entering the mountain!"

"I hope at least half of you make it back this time, and that the number of Tiger-Striped Green Snakes you catch meets the quota. Otherwise, every damn one of you will be punished!"

"And forget about getting the poison in your bodies cured!"

Noticing everyone's stares, Zhao Lan turned around. His icy voice rang through the area. Some disciples from other sects who had no idea what was happening secretly looked down on him.

"As expected of the Heavenly Demon Sect. They're this ruthless even to their own little demon spawn..."

Zhao Lan's words made every menial disciple's expression change drastically. They all lowered their heads, not daring to speak.

"Heh, those are the rules of our Mountain-Chasing Lineage. Don't be afraid."

"You're Fatty Pang's man, so I won't place the restriction on you before you enter the mountain."

Hearing this, Bai Yu replied respectfully.

"Thank you for your care, Senior Brother."

Cultivation was cruel by nature, let alone here in the Demon Sect. To Bai Yu, these menial disciples were merely passersby before his eyes, so naturally he would not speak up for them.

"This storage pouch is exclusive to the Mountain-Chasing Lineage. It must be handed in after you come out."

"But since you're here to train, you won't need one. This short blade is for self-defense. Once you're inside, I advise you not to trust anyone, including them."

Zhao Lan reminded him with considerable interest.

He also explained many things to Bai Yu. This training lasted only three days. After three days, the thick mist would surge forth again. Anyone who failed to get out would never get out.

The storage pouch contained some necessary supplies and a map.

Though it was not large, a single pouch could hold at least a hundred Tiger-Striped Green Snakes.

After taking the items, Bai Yu silently waited. When the sun reached its highest point, the blood mist before him dispersed at a visible speed, revealing dark green trees streaked with black.

"What the fuck are you still looking at? Get your asses in there!"

Zhao Lan's voice rang out. Several hundred menial disciples moved at once, charging toward the mountain range.

Looking at the mass of people before him, Bai Yu let out a heavy breath and strode forward, entering the mountain range with the crowd.

The moment he entered Ashen Sorrow Mountain, Bai Yu felt a chilling aura. The mountain's year-round miasma and the stench of rotting trees made him deeply uncomfortable.

As the crowd entered, they seemed to have already set their targets. They formed groups of two and three, quickly vanishing into the shadowy forest.

Seeing this, Bai Yu was in no hurry. He merely walked forward in silence.

Only after there was no one left around him did he find a large rock and sit down. After confirming his location on the map, he immediately circulated his magical power and activated the Earth-Entering Eye.

He had not come here to catch Tiger-Striped Green Snakes. Those things no longer had any use for him.

He planned to try his luck in Ashen Sorrow Mountain using the Earth-Entering Eye together with the Delusion-Breaking Golden Eyes.

Though this place had been sifted through countless times, what if?

As long as he found something useful, this trip would not be a loss!

With the Earth-Entering Eye's enhancement, the scene before Bai Yu soon began to change. Within the dense forest, auras of every color spread out in tangled confusion, and he could not even tell where they emerged from.

Bai Yu was not discouraged. The Earth-Entering Eye was only a basic spell; being able to see "qi" at all was already quite good.

Forming a hand seal, he summoned a strand of golden light into his eyes. With the Delusion-Breaking Golden Eyes' enhancement, Bai Yu could easily distinguish the directions from which the different auras among those colors emerged.

Those auras were actually the same, merely intertwined with other auras, which made them difficult to distinguish.

Seeing this, Bai Yu was brimming with excitement. He could not wait to test it out.

Very quickly, Bai Yu locked onto a stream of gray aura.

This stream was clearly emerging from nearby, and there was a great deal of it. That proved the thing it represented was close at hand.

Bai Yu jumped down from the boulder and kept walking in the direction of the gray stream.

As the stream became increasingly dense, Bai Yu soon found its source.

Beneath a dead tree whose age could not be determined lay a large number of decaying fallen leaves. Great amounts of gray aura rose from among them.

Bai Yu cautiously approached. After confirming the location, he first released Black Charcoal to stand guard, then drew his short blade and rummaged through the dead leaves. Soon, five blue mushrooms appeared before him.

The mushrooms were a deep orchid blue all over and roughly the size of potatoes. They looked like shrunken infant heads, dotted with black spots, making them exceptionally bizarre.

"Are these Human-Faced Mushrooms that can only be used at the Qi Refining level?"

Bai Yu stared at the mushrooms in surprise.