Five Immortal Mountains

Inside the main hall, the fragrance of tea curled through the air.

"You think there's a strong chance these wolf packs will take the initiative to attack Golden Sand Valley?"

Taking a sip of tea, Jiang Chen turned his gaze toward Skinny Monkey, whose arm was wrapped in bandages, and asked.

At those words, Skinny Monkey nodded.

"Third Boss, this wolf pack is enormous. I estimate there are at least a hundred wolves. On top of that, each one is exceptionally strong. This stretch of mountain forest simply cannot support them. To fill their bellies, they'll very likely turn their eyes toward humans. In their eyes, humans are also fairly good meat."

"I boldly speculate that even if we hadn't run into them this time, they would likely have followed the scent to Golden Sand Valley. The smell of humans here is simply too heavy."

With a solemn expression, Skinny Monkey laid out his thoughts one by one. This hunt had truly been perilous. Had he not possessed considerable hunting experience and been particularly sensitive to danger, noticing that something was wrong beforehand, he might not have returned at all.

This hunt had not been their hunt of the wolf pack, but the wolf pack's hunt of them. They had been the prey.

Hearing this, Jiang Chen fell into thought.

"Then these wolf packs most likely came from elsewhere and probably haven't been here long. Where do you think they might have come from?"

Setting down his teacup, Jiang Chen largely agreed with Skinny Monkey's conjecture.

Hearing Jiang Chen's words, Skinny Monkey hesitated slightly. Clear Source Commandery was three parts plains and seven parts mountains, filled mostly with barren mountains and treacherous waters. Humans largely lived along rivers, and no one knew what lurked within those deep mountains and dense forests.

"Third Boss, I suspect these wolf packs may have come from Five Immortal Mountains. Only a place like that could easily sustain so many ferocious wolves."

After pondering for a moment, Skinny Monkey gave an uncertain answer.

"Five Immortal Mountains?"

Murmuring softly, Jiang Chen cast his gaze outside.

He did not know much about Five Immortal Mountains. Everything he knew came from books. He only knew that it was the foremost mountain in Clear Source Commandery, majestic in terrain and filled with dangers—a place truly beyond the reach of human tracks.

"Take this bottle of Blood Spirit Pills. They'll not only help you recover from your injuries, but also aid your cultivation. For the next while, lead the others in keeping watch and guard against a wolf pack attack."

Taking a porcelain bottle from his robes, Jiang Chen handed it to Skinny Monkey.

He had prepared this long ago. The so-called Blood Spirit Pills were actually Blood-Coagulating Stones mixed with several medicinal herbs and given a certain degree of packaging.

The purification of blood qi had already been completed, but for safety's sake, Jiang Chen had conducted further tests to ensure there were no obvious aftereffects. Only now was it truly perfected.

Hearing this, Skinny Monkey accepted the Blood Spirit Pills, gratitude immediately appearing on his face.

"Please rest assured, Third Boss. I will definitely guard Golden Sand Valley well."

His words struck the ground like nails as Skinny Monkey made his stance clear.

After Skinny Monkey left, Jiang Chen gazed deep into the mountains and forests, a feeling of storm clouds gathering rising within him.

"Judging by Skinny Monkey's account and those of the other hunters, every ferocious wolf they encountered was extremely savage, capable of contending with lions and tigers. Such a wolf pack must have stronger ones among them, such as the wolf king. There's a high chance it is a demon beast; otherwise, it could never command such a pack."

His thoughts turned as Jiang Chen considered every possibility.

"A wolf pack attack is indeed dangerous, but it may not necessarily be a bad opportunity. My research into blood qi is basically complete, and what I need now is a great deal of blood qi. The essence of blood qi is tied to living creatures."

"Whether ordinary humans or wild beasts, the essence of their blood qi is not particularly high. Those fierce beasts in the mountains and forests, on the other hand, not only possess abundant blood qi, but it is also more condensed, making absorption more effective. These ferocious wolves can serve perfectly as resources. But before that, I need a more accurate assessment of the wolf pack's strength. I can't simply plunge headfirst into it."

"If I accidentally run into a powerful demon beast, that would truly be seeking my own death."

With an idea in mind, Jiang Chen immediately summoned Rat Prodigy.

At dusk, in corners difficult for outsiders to notice, one rat after another crawled out from Golden Sand Valley.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak..."

Standing atop a large rock and looking at the rat swarm gathered around him, Rat Prodigy seemed to be giving orders.

A moment later, his body grew larger, and he suddenly let out a piercing shriek.

Upon hearing that long cry, the rats seemed to receive an order. They turned into streams of dark currents that continually poured into the dense forest, ultimately vanishing completely into the night.

A short while later, after successfully driving the entire rat swarm into the forest, Rat Prodigy flicked his tail and headed into the woods as well.

His abilities were still limited. His control over the rat swarm was quite rudimentary, and once they became too far apart, the connection between them would be completely severed. Therefore, he had to make the trip himself. Moreover, according to the information from Skinny Monkey and the others, the wolf pack was fierce. Ordinary rats alone would likely be unable to gather any useful intelligence.

Yet after taking only a few steps, Rat Prodigy remembered something and hurriedly stopped.

Buzz. As the spell circulated, Rat Prodigy's body visibly shrank, only stopping when he was about the size of an ordinary rat. He even looked somewhat scrawny. This was an application of the Giantification Technique. Under Jiang Chen's guidance, Rat Prodigy had become increasingly adept at using his own spells.

He examined his body, hopped in place a few times, and, after confirming there were no problems, nodded with satisfaction.

Following Jiang Chen, he had heard Jiang Chen tell many stories. He understood that a tree that grew too tall would be devastated by the wind, and he understood even better that apparent weakness could sometimes be a very useful weapon.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak. I need to learn to read and write as soon as possible. Master says that cultured people need fear nothing wherever they go. I want to be a cultured rat too."

Shaking his head as he spoke, Rat Prodigy disappeared into the darkness.

On the southern slope, Jiang Chen silently watched it all.

"In terms of combat strength, even carefully raised rats cannot possibly be a match for those ferocious wolves. But they are more than sufficient for gathering information. I hope this attempt won't disappoint me."

"If the rat swarm performs well, perhaps I can increase their cultivation in the future and even find a way to induce more mutated rats."

His thoughts shifted, his eyes deep as an abyss.

The task he had given Rat Prodigy was simple: learn the wolf pack's numbers as thoroughly as possible, and find a ferocious wolf with particularly strong spirituality. Once such a wolf was found, Rat Prodigy could strike and hunt it, using it to determine the wolf pack's true strength.

As Rat Prodigy led his rat swarm into the mountain forest on a large scale, an unusual war began. In the darkness, rats and ferocious wolves started to clash—a contest between two clans.