Lured by Profit
The content of this text is far more damaging than its title.
Song Wen was able to read only a few sentences in them and understand their complete meaning.
"Nurtured at the foot of high mountains."
"They prefer to drink water from deep underground springs."
"Nourish it with the blood and flesh of living people."
"Unlimited proliferation and expansion."
"Refining immortal blood allows one to break through to the next level of cultivation."
Song Wen guessed that the last two characters should be 'bottleneck'.
The full meaning of this sentence should be that by refining 'immortal blood,' one can break through a certain cultivation bottleneck.
But what exactly is 'Immortal Blood'?
Is it some kind of spirit medicine?
Or is it some kind of Demon Beast?
Or something else?
What level of understanding is the bottleneck that helps people break through?
Furthermore, what is the most important part of this text: the method for refining 'Immortal Blood'?
Song Wen had too many questions in his mind.
However, the text is so severely missing that this information is no longer available.
Having finally entered the stone house, Song Wen was quite disappointed to find no treasures, only this severely incomplete text.
He arrived at the Teleportation Array in the center of the stone house and began to study Teleportation Array.
The Teleportation Array was intact, without a single claw mark.
Clearly, the White Tiger was quite intelligent; it knew very well that it could not destroy the Teleportation Array, otherwise it would be trapped and die in the stone house.
This is a miniature Teleportation Array, which should only be able to perform short-distance teleportation.
This is why activating the Teleportation Array is very costly.
Song Wen estimated that anyone with a cultivation level of Golden Core or higher could activate the formation by injecting Law Power.
With his Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivation, it would be difficult for him to activate the Teleportation Array.
However, there are eighty-one grooves around the Teleportation Array, which are obviously used to place Spirit Stone.
Song Wen raised his hand and threw out eighty-one Mid-Grade Spirit Stone, which landed in the grooves.
Instantly, the Teleportation Array emitted a blue light.
A moment later, Song Wen disappeared into the stone chamber.
When they reappeared, they were amidst the clouds above the mountaintop.
He felt a pang of regret; he hadn't gained any benefits and had even wasted eighty-one Mid-Grade Spirit Stone.
However, it was already a stroke of luck that they were able to leave the stone chamber safely.
Song Wen flew to the mountaintop, where the other three Sacred Beetle Gu were already waiting.
After putting away the Sacred Beetle Gu, Song Wen headed down the mountain.
The stone hall where the exit of the secret realm is located.
Inside the half-closed palace door, the White Tiger was still fast asleep.
Song Wen appeared below the cliff outside the stone hall.
At this time, Rong Jingyun and the others had already left, and their whereabouts were unknown.
Song Wen did not recall the Sacred Beetle Gu was monitoring the White Tiger.
Instead, he gazed at the cliff top, lost in thought.
He was considering whether to try to leave the secret realm alone or to join forces with others to leave together.
After a moment's thought, he darted down the mountainside to search for traces of Rong Jingyun and the others.
Leaving the secret realm with everyone else is the safest option.
At least, after alerting the White Tiger, he could use his escape technique to shake off the crowd and take the opportunity to flee.
Song Wen found Rong Jingyun and the others on a gentle slope halfway up the mountain.
Rong Jingyun's eyes lit up when she saw Song Wen appear.
"Elder Wu, didn't you go down the mountain? Why are you coming down from the top?"
Song Wen simply smiled and nodded, without uttering a word in response.
Mu Yunxin, standing to the side, spoke with a hint of sarcasm.
"He probably saw the White Tiger guarding the stone hall and became greedy, wanting the treasures in the White Tiger's lair, so he went to the mountaintop to find the White Tiger's lair."
As soon as Mu Yunxin finished speaking, Rong Jingyun, Xue Gu, and Jie Ku all suddenly understood Song Wen's previous actions, as if they had been enlightened.
Xue Gu said, "Fairy Mu, why didn't you say so sooner? The treasures in the White Tiger's lair must be extremely rare, and they've probably already fallen into his hands."
After speaking, he looked Song Wen up and down with a scrutinizing gaze.
Mu Yunxin, "He's probably wasted his time; the White Tiger's lair isn't even on the mountaintop."
"Fairy Mu, how did you know? Have you been to the mountaintop too?" Xue Gu asked.
Mu Yunxin himself, "Although I've never been there, when the secret realm opened last time, a senior from the Blissful Union Sect took advantage of the White Tiger coming down the mountain to hunt for food and went to the top of the mountain. There was nothing there except snow, not even a cave."
Then, she looked at Song Wen and asked.
"Fellow Daoist Wu, am I right?"
Song Wen nodded readily in agreement, "What Fairy Mu said is true. I indeed did not find the White Tiger's lair on the mountaintop."
Xue Gu looked puzzled. "Every time the White Tiger leaves, it disappears into the clouds at the mountaintop. Every time it appears, it flies out from the clouds at the mountaintop. If its lair isn't at the mountaintop, where could it be?"
"Fairy Mu, could it be that the White Tiger's lair is located on the mountaintop, but your sect's seniors simply failed to discover it?"
Mu Yunxin stared intently at Song Wen.
"That's a question for Fellow Daoist Wu. As far as I know, he's the second person to have reached the summit. He's the most qualified to say whether the White Tiger's lair is on the summit."
Xue Gu's gaze toward Song Wen turned hostile.
"He's not stupid. Even if he finds the White Tiger's lair and obtains the treasure, he's unlikely to admit it."
The atmosphere around them instantly became somewhat heavy.
Originally, the five of them shared only one goal: to find a way out of the secret realm, so they were able to cooperate.
At present, Xue Gu suspected that Song Wen had obtained a valuable treasure, and thus began to spy on it.
Not only Xue Gu, Jie Ku also stared intently at Song Wen, trying to discern something from Song Wen face.
Song Wen looked at Mu Yunxin and thought to himself.
Sure enough, if you don't kill the snake, you can keep hitting it with the stick.
With just a few words, Mu Yunxin made Xue Gu and Jie Ku ill intentions towards her.
She was retaliating for Song Wen's previous attempt to kill her.
Song Wen said, "Gentlemen, the White Tiger is fast asleep in the stone hall. You can go up to the top of the mountain and see for yourselves whether there is a nest there or not."
Xue Gu and Jie Ku exchanged a glance, both somewhat tempted.
"What if you've already obtained the treasures inside the lair? Wouldn't we have made a wasted trip and risked the White Tiger returning at any moment?" Xue Gu.
Song Wen said, "Fellow Daoist, you are not afraid of wolves in front and tigers behind, unlike other sword cultivators who think, 'Who else but me?'"
Xue Gu, "You don't need to provoke me. You simply believe that I wouldn't dare to lay a hand on you here."
He turned to Jie Ku and said, "Master, how about we go together to explore the mountaintop?"
Jie Ku said, "That is exactly what I mean."
Xue Gu then asked Mu Yunxin, "Fairy Mu, what about you?"
Mu Yunxin, "My injuries haven't fully healed yet, so I won't go."
Xue Gu nodded.
"It's fine if you stay, but you must be wary of the two from the Beast Taming Sect. Although the White Tiger is there to deter you, they might still take advantage of my absence to launch a sneak attack on you."
While Xue Gu outwardly expressed concern for Mu Yunxin, what he was actually thinking was...
If they find the White Tiger's lair on the mountaintop, then only Jie Ku will be able to share the treasure with him.
It's good that Mu Yunxin isn't leaving!
That way, there will be one less person to share the treasure.