Elder Han: "..."
His luck had been terrible lately. Today had been especially unlucky. Had he offended the Grand Duke of Jupiter?
He could not see through Jiang Ming's cultivation, but he had witnessed Jiang Ming's strength. That only made Jiang Ming seem even more mysterious in his eyes.
Elder Han reluctantly took a scroll of beast-hide book from his Sea of Bitterness. The thin book appeared to have only seven or eight pages in total, roughly the size of a standard sixteen-page book.
"Hand it over. I'm only taking a look; I'm not stealing your crappy book. What are you afraid of? We're friends."
Jiang Ming reached out and snatched it away, shooting Elder Han a disdainful glance as he spoke irritably.
"Friends? Friends my ass! When did I become friends with this monk? How come I didn't know?"
Elder Han wore a completely baffled expression, questioning his very existence.
"Enough. Go pick your Nine-Leaf Phoenix Divine Herb. Are you waiting for other demon beasts and strange creatures to show up and fight you for it?
Look at you, already so old, yet your state of mind is atrocious. You lose focus at the drop of a hat. More importantly, you're not generous enough. You're far too petty.
Want me to protect you? This humble monk pinches a flower and smiles, then calculates with my fingers—I have a feeling it won't be easy for you to successfully pick that spirit herb."
Jiang Ming casually flipped through the beast-hide book in his hand, taking the opportunity to mock Elder Han a few times before kindly making the offer.
Twenty years ago, Elder Han had nearly died obtaining this book from some ruins. Three of his friends had even lost their lives because of it.
Calling me stingy? If you're not stingy, take out your treasures and let me have a look.
Elder Han grumbled silently to himself, but he did not dare voice his complaints. As for Jiang Ming's latter words, he did not believe them at all. Compared to the dangers here, he felt Jiang Ming was far more dangerous.
He had harvested herbs here many times. The most dangerous creatures, the Four-Winged Centipedes and their descendants, the Two-Winged Centipedes, had all been killed by those Rogue Cultivators earlier.
Then he had seized the chance to strike, killing the remaining Rogue Cultivators and leaving behind three injured ones, just as he was about to reap their lives.
Then this bald donkey before him had ruined everything.
Everything had been going smoothly, but all of a sudden, it had turned into a mess.
"Go on, then. I'll sit here and read. Don't worry, I won't run off with your crappy book. Compared to your book, I value you more.
As the saying goes, Buddha saves those with affinity. From the moment you and I met, it was destined that I would guide you to the Western Heaven. Someone with spiritual roots like you would be wasting them if you never visited Mount Sumeru."
Jiang Ming sat down where he was, placed the beast-hide book on his knees, and spoke with a solemn, treasure-like appearance.
Elder Han: "..."
Why did those words sound so strange to him? Yet he could not remember what was strange about them.
Before he could ponder it carefully, seeing Jiang Ming sit there and read actually made Elder Han breathe a sigh of relief.
If the beast-hide book was lost, then so be it. He would treat it as spending money to avert disaster, like throwing scraps to a dog.
But the Nine-Leaf Phoenix Divine Herb determined whether he could extend his life.
With this herb, he would only be two ingredients short of refining a Longevity Elixir.
Back then, he had obtained two beast-hide books. The other recorded several ancient pill formulas, including one for refining a longevity medicine.
The only pity was that the Nine-Leaf Phoenix Divine Herb alone was still somewhat insufficient for that pill formula.
The medicinal effects of this herb were, in truth, nowhere near as impressive as its name suggested. It could not compare at all to the Sacred Medicine atop the Sacred Mountain in the Desolate Forbidden Land.
Unfortunately, the Desolate Forbidden Land was inaccessible. Since ancient times, Emperor Lords of the Central Province Dynasty and sect masters of great teachings had all wanted to pluck its fruit to extend their lives, yet none who entered had ever returned.
Forget it. There was no point thinking about such impractical things.
For now, he needed to obtain the Nine-Leaf Phoenix Divine Herb as quickly as possible, then prepare to collect the other two herbs.
In fact, he had already found the whereabouts of one of them. It was in the hands of one of his friends, though he would likely have to pay some price to trade for it.
Elder Han looked at Jiang Ming again. The monk was truly sitting on the ground, studying that book on Dao Patterns.
His gaze flickered slightly as he sighed inwardly. He was not confident he could kill this man in a sneak attack, and he might die miserably instead. Since he could not beat him, he could only take things one step at a time.
A dim green light flickered as twelve Greenwood Swords circled Elder Han's body. He cautiously headed deeper into Fallen Phoenix Ridge. From afar, he had already spotted the Nine-Leaf Phoenix Divine Herb, and his heart grew several degrees hotter.
Of course, he was an old hand. Cunning and treachery were second nature to him; even his eyelashes were hollow, making him a true old ginger. He understood clearly that the more he wanted the Nine-Leaf Phoenix Divine Herb, the more careful he needed to be next.
Meanwhile, Jiang Ming was genuinely reading through the beast-hide book. The old bastard was, after all, an established Life Spring Realm cultivator. The good things on him outnumbered even those his master possessed. His master was too honest—or perhaps too rigid. How could he compare to the rich collection amassed by the sinister and vicious Elder Han?
Dao Patterns, in a sense, were the insights ancient cultivators had gained from themselves, heaven and earth, nature, and all things in the world. They had transformed those insights into something that could be learned and inscribed them, passing them down generation after generation as a form of inheritance.
The replication of Dao Patterns could not only help cultivators understand and comprehend various Dao laws. More importantly, Dao Patterns involved stealing from heaven and changing the day, borrowing the power of heaven and earth to unleash might far surpassing a cultivator's own strength.
That was right. Jiang Ming was talking about the Formation Patterns Path.
This was a foundational text on Formation Patterns left behind by an ancient cultivator. It was perfect for Jiang Ming to study, allowing him to integrate the basic Dao Patterns he already knew with this world's Dao Patterns.
It even contained some of Elder Han's annotations. "Heh, this old guy isn't very good at learning himself, yet he scribbled all this nonsense. This part is obviously wrong."
Jiang Ming had entered Smoke Glow Grotto-Heaven at thirteen. He had spent one year reaching Foundation Establishment and cultivated for seven years. In this small place, his talent made him a genius, but across the entire Eastern Wasteland, he was nothing special.
Not to mention anything else, among Yan Kingdom's six Cave-Heaven Paradises—
There was a girl named Weiwei at Spirit Ruins Grotto-Heaven. She was a true heaven-defying genius.
However, Jiang Ming possessed the knowledge of his previous life. He had some understanding of Formation Patterns, talismans, and artifact forging.
After all, he had once been Shushan's number one genius senior disciple, a sword immortal who had only descended the mountain after reaching the Mahayana Stage.
Naturally, Jiang Ming also kept an eye on Elder Han. Near the Nine-Leaf Phoenix Divine Herb was a golden centipede, though it seemed to have been injured. Its entire body was charred black.
In other words, Elder Han would be in danger, though not in too much danger. If Jiang Ming remembered correctly, this old fellow had successfully picked the Nine-Leaf Phoenix Divine Herb in the original plot. When he had been preparing to refine Ye Fan into a pill, he had even kindly shown Ye Fan his collection.
"Chi!"
Sure enough, the Two-Winged Golden Centipede was only the size of a palm. It had been hiding in a crack in the rocks, sleeping as it healed. The Nine-Leaf Phoenix Divine Herb had yet to mature, and it was the key to its transformation into a Four-Winged Golden Centipede.
Do not be fooled by its mere two wings. It possessed the strength of the Life Spring Realm. The two Four-Winged Black Centipedes that had once been in Fallen Phoenix Ridge were both its underlings.
The Insect Race had once been called Gu Insects and placed greater importance on bloodline suppression. The two Four-Winged Centipedes here, dozens of Two-Winged Centipedes, and countless Gray Centipedes were all its underlings.
The approaching Elder Han naturally woke the Two-Winged Golden Centipede. Like a streak of golden light, it lunged for the back of his head.
But in the next instant, it was seized by a hand flowing with golden divine light.
"See, Old Han? I didn't lie to you. If I hadn't been here, you would've been in trouble just now."
That was right. Jiang Ming had acted. Using Buddhland in the Palm, he had directly captured this Two-Winged Golden Centipede that was nearly at the level of a Divine Bridge cultivator.
Venomous insects were good materials for medicine and medicinal catalysts. Not to mention that Jiang Ming had spotted a trace of Geng Metal Essence within this Two-Winged Golden Centipede.
This was precisely what Jiang Ming needed. He could use it to refine his Life-Bound Sword and help it transform into a Spirit Artifact sooner.
A flash of radiance passed through Jiang Ming's hand, and he extracted that strand of Geng Metal Essence.
"I didn't need you to act. A mere Two-Winged Centipede was something I could handle myself."
Cold sweat soaked Elder Han's back once more. How had this guy gotten so close to him? He had been far too fast. If Jiang Ming had attacked him from behind, wouldn't that mean he could not have dodged? Would he already be dead by now?
"You old man truly don't appreciate kindness. Amitabha Buddha. Though you possess spiritual roots, falsehood has clouded your eyes.
You must understand: Bodhi is not a tree, nor is the bright mirror a stand. Originally, there is not a single thing—where could dust arise?
I advise you to let go of your obsessions soon. Lay down the butcher's blade and become a Buddha on the spot. I will guide you to the world of Western Heaven."
Jiang Ming looked at the old man and uttered a Buddhist invocation. A golden Buddhist light wheel appeared behind his head, his appearance solemn and dignified. He looked even more like a Buddhist disciple than the disciples of Mount Sumeru.
"You make it sound so nice, yet you still stole my medicinal catalyst. Why don't you let go instead?"
Elder Han looked at the half-dead Two-Winged Golden Centipede in Jiang Ming's hand. Though he lacked the ability to see the trace of Geng Metal Essence inside it, his eyesight and experience told him it was something valuable.
"Take it. This Golden Centipede does indeed complement the medicinal effects of the Nine-Leaf Phoenix Divine Herb. The two can support one another. You should be planning to refine a demon beast pill, right? Then this Golden Centipede is the perfect medicinal catalyst. It can neutralize some of the overbearing fire-poison energy within the Nine-Leaf Phoenix Divine Herb."
Jiang Ming casually tossed the Golden Centipede to Elder Han. He had already taken what he wanted, and the rest did not interest him.
The Nine-Leaf Phoenix Divine Herb was decent enough and could help him break through, but with that strand of Geng Metal Essence, he could more or less break through anyway.
Besides, one cast a long line to catch a big fish. Once this old man was killed by Ye Fan, the dog system would surely give feedback to Jiang Ming, his close friend.
Elder Han was one of his test subjects.
If it worked, Jiang Ming would have many friends in the future.
Would you believe he would run into a Life Forbidden Zone to make friends?
Elder Han was startled badly. The Golden Centipede was still alive! He fumbled in a panic and even summoned the Azure Wood Ruler for defense.
Clang!
The Golden Centipede collided with the Azure Wood Ruler, scattering sparks everywhere. It landed on the ground completely unscathed and began wriggling away.
Elder Han spent quite some effort before finally killing the centipede. He placed it in a jade box and solemnly put it away.
Even as a Life Spring cultivator, his Sea of Bitterness could not store many things.
Sea of Bitterness cultivators could casually use their Sea of Bitterness to store objects only if they possessed tyrannical physiques such as the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body or Heavenly Tyrant Body. Their Sea of Bitterness Life Wheel's life essence was vast, and their Sea of Bitterness was as sturdy as divine iron. Only then did they possess such ability.