Down the Mountain

"Master, how long have we been here?" Poison Slayer asked. Lin Yu found it somewhat strange. Ever since following Poison Slayer, he had kept track of the days, so he knew the time clearly. He answered directly, "Reporting to Master, it has been ten months and three days."

Those three days had been spent traveling. In other words, he had spent a total of ten months cultivating the Poison Body martial skill.

"Ten months already! I never expected time to pass so quickly. I have already taught you all I can teach. Go back! Return to the Four Seas and Eight Wastes to cultivate! This is not a place where you should remain for long."

Lin Yu was completely stunned upon hearing this. He seemed not to have processed what was happening—Poison Slayer was actually sending him away.

Though he had spent most of those ten months cultivating, feelings had still formed between them. At this moment, Lin Yu did not know what to say. He knelt on the ground and called out, "Master, this disciple... this disciple does not want to leave."

Poison Slayer shook his head. With a wave of his hand, Lin Yu was lifted from the ground.

"A man has gold beneath his knees. Keep your knees. Since I have decided to make you leave, then leave. Nothing you say will change it." Lin Yu looked once more and saw determination in Poison Slayer's eyes. He knew that this time, no matter what he said, he could not stay.

One bow to repay his master's grace.

A second bow to Heaven and Earth.

A third bow to the one who had enlightened him.

The instant Lin Yu left the snow mountain, he realized he had been tricked—tricked by his own master. This endless road would not be easy to tread. Back then, Poison Slayer had grabbed him with one hand and flown for three days to bring him here. If he had to return on his own, who knew how long it would take?

He looked back and sighed to himself. Forget it. I'll take it as Master's final test for me! After leaving the snow mountain, he arrived at the vast grasslands for the first time. This place belonged to the Southern Desolation and was ruled by the Heavenly Emperor. The soldiers here were indeed capable.

When they saw Lin Yu approaching, they all smiled and called out, "Hey, kid, do you know where this is? Southern Desolation City. One Spirit Stone if you want to enter." Lin Yu frowned when he heard that. They even wanted a Spirit Stone? They were dreaming nicely enough.

"Sir, as you can see, I'm just a poor boy. I don't have any Spirit Stones on me."

Before this, Lin Yu had already hidden his storage ring. Otherwise, being so weak while carrying such a fine ring would inevitably invite disaster.

Even without wearing it now, there were still people looking to stir up trouble.

The city guard laughed when he heard that, as though they were delighted to hear such words. He looked Lin Yu over before saying, "None? None is good! If you have none, then let us search you. I want to see whether you truly have any on you." Lin Yu's gaze turned cold, and killing intent seeped from his entire body.

"Hm? You two, go see what is happening up ahead." A richly dressed man wearing a pearl-studded cap spoke to his two attendants. Upon hearing this, the two swiftly returned and recounted what had happened ahead.

The man's smile froze when he heard it. He walked over on foot. When he approached, three city guards even stepped forward to stop him.

"You only want Spirit Stones, don't you? How many do you need?"

The instant the guards heard the middle-aged man's words, they smiled again. It seemed they had truly hooked a big fish this time. It would not do if they did not fleece him properly.

"Not much. Fifteen Spirit Stones, and your group may leave," the city guard said with a beaming smile.

"And that young man?"

"Ten Spirit Stones." Hearing this, the middle-aged man took a deep breath and tossed them the Spirit Stones. The killing intent on Lin Yu's face did not diminish in the slightest.

Seeing the middle-aged man, Lin Yu cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for saving me. These ten Spirit Stones will surely be repaid at midnight." Upon hearing Lin Yu's words, those people laughed again. He was just a pauper—what could he possibly use to repay them?

As for those city guards, their days were likely numbered. In Lin Yu's eyes, they were nothing. The Five Poisons True Scripture he had learned might not be enough against cultivators, but it was more than sufficient to deal with these few people.

Poison assassinations were a process that accumulated day by day. By the time they realized they had been poisoned, it would also be the moment of their deaths.

At midnight, a young figure appeared in the room of the inn where the middle-aged man was staying. Because he attached great importance to Lin Yu, the man had not rested and had been waiting for his arrival. Now, he could be certain that he had not waited in vain.

"Senior, these ten Spirit Stones are here. My promise has been fulfilled. Rest easy." As soon as Lin Yu finished speaking, he turned and left. The man wanted to say something, but it was already too late.

"Your Majesty, just now..."

"It has nothing to do with you. Withdraw!" He was the current emperor of the Southern Desolation, the Heavenly Emperor. He had indeed wanted to stop Lin Yu just now, but Lin Yu had left far too quickly.

The next day, Lin Yu left the city. At noon, several of the city guards collapsed one after another, foam spilling from their mouths. No one could tell what poison had caused it.

"Do you think those four soldiers were done in by that young man from yesterday?" The Heavenly Emperor had now formed such a bold suspicion. Hearing this, the others all drew sharp breaths. He was only a child—how could he know how to use poison?

Though it was only a guess, the Heavenly Emperor's eyes held a few more traces of certainty. "Do not look at him as you would an ordinary child. You saw it last night as well. Even under your strict surveillance, he was still able to enter with ease." After saying this, the Heavenly Emperor turned and left.

Afterward, Lin Yu entered a great mountain. He always felt that something else might happen here, so he could only hide in the forest for a while. Besides, he could clearly sense that the spiritual energy within the great forest was far richer than that in the Southern Desolation. Otherwise, he would not have chosen to come here.

This was the largest mountain among the Eight Desolations. Even powerful figures from the cultivation world did not dare enter such a place. It was fraught with danger on every side, nothing as simple as it appeared.

Standing in such a place, Lin Yu truly did not know whether it was good or bad. But now it seemed that some things were finally about to happen.

As he sat cross-legged in the cave where he had settled, roars rang out one after another. What was that? It sounded as though two beasts were fighting. He stopped cultivating and went out to take a look at what was happening.

What he never expected was that a Red-Striped Tiger and a Fangtooth Boar, both First-Rank Magic Beasts, were fighting over territory. After one glance, he left. At his current realm, he was no match for either of these Magic Beasts. If he got caught in the wake of their battle, that would be bad.

P.S. There is a happy event in my family these next few days, so I should be getting up early to update. After the Qingming Festival, updates will gradually increase. Everyone, please add this to your favorites, put it on your reading list, and send a recommendation vote. Sansen offers his thanks here.