Following the path, Xiao Yu reached the edge of the fog. Night was approaching, and his spiritual sense detected several people who had arrived before him nearby. Each was alone in a separate spot, waiting quietly.
Following their example, Xiao Yu found an unoccupied spot, leaped into a large tree, and sat there to wait in silence.
On the morning of his third day in the Forbidden Grounds, Xiao Yu estimated the time and jumped down from the tree. Then he picked a direction and slowly made his way forward.
Although this ring-shaped mountain range covered a vast area, there were few routes that allowed safe passage through it.
Over the years, at the cost of countless disciples' blood, the predecessors of the various sects had finally discovered several safe routes into the ring-shaped mountains.
Interestingly, these routes were distributed among all four directions-east, south, west, and north-with the same number in each.
Xiao Yu had entered through the southern bronze gate, so naturally, he sought a path that allowed safe passage in and out of the southern Forbidden Grounds.
Checking against the information recorded in his jade slip, Xiao Yu soon reached the place it described!
Before him lay a vast bank of fog that blotted out the sky and sun. Visibility within it was less than ten feet, and it also obstructed spiritual sense.
With such limited sight and perception, anyone walking through the fog could easily stumble into danger, whether by falling into a ring of Demon Beasts or encountering other hazards such as restrictions.
Xiao Yu sighed in realization. No wonder all the disciples obediently waited for the fog to disperse. Forcing a way through an environment like this really was no different from courting death.
There ought to have been quite a few treasures capable of dispersing such fog, but almost none could be activated by Qi Refining Stage disciples. Thus, for a long time after this Secret Realm was discovered, everyone could only stare helplessly at the dense fog, powerless to do anything.
That lasted until many years ago, when the Covering Moon Sect developed a treasure called the "Moon-Yang Treasure Pearl." Not only could it disperse the dense fog, but most importantly, Qi Refining Stage disciples could activate it.
When it was first developed, the Covering Moon Sect used this treasure to reap a tremendous haul in the Forbidden Grounds. All manner of precious medicinal herbs of great age brought the sect a staggering windfall.
But no wall under heaven could keep the wind from slipping through. Someone leaked the news that the Covering Moon Sect possessed such a treasure, and the other six sects immediately came knocking, demanding a share of it.
Strong as the Covering Moon Sect was, it could not stand against six sects alone. With no other choice, it agreed that the seven sects would take turns holding the "Moon-Yang Treasure Pearl." From then on, a different sect was responsible for dispersing the dense fog each time they entered the Forbidden Grounds.
On this expedition into the Forbidden Grounds, a disciple of the Blade Transforming Dock held the Moon-Yang Treasure Pearl. That disciple had yet to begin casting the spell to disperse the fog, so the dense fog showed no sign of stirring.
I wonder whether that person has arrived yet. Every moment of delay leaves the rest of us less time to search for medicinal herbs. Could that disciple be doing it on purpose? Xiao Yu wondered to himself.
While Xiao Yu's thoughts wandered, he suddenly sensed an astonishing surge of spiritual power from the eastern side of the Forbidden Grounds. Immediately afterward, a pillar of white light shot skyward, piercing the clouds! It appeared above the boundless sea of fog and condensed into an enormous ball of light.
Xiao Yu watched the distant spectacle with some awe. The disciple from the Blade Transforming Dock had activated the Moon-Yang Treasure Pearl!
Once the ball of light appeared, the white pillar continuously poured energy into it. The ball grew larger and more dazzling until it resembled a white sun, too brilliant to look at directly!
A moment later, the pillar suddenly vanished, leaving only the enormous ball of light floating high in the sky.
But this lasted only briefly. In the blink of an eye, the ball began twisting out of shape, its surface alternately sinking inward and bulging outward, as though an invisible giant hand were kneading it.
Suddenly, an earthshaking bang rang out.
The enormous ball burst apart high in the sky, scattering into countless fist-sized balls of white light. They spread outward, then drifted down over the vast bank of fog below, like a rain of light of breathtaking splendor! As soon as these white balls fell into the fog, they drew the nearby mist inside and dissolved it like dragons sucking up water. With every portion of fog they dissolved, however, the balls grew considerably dimmer.
As more balls of light met the fog, the entire mist-shrouded region became a spectacle as tremendous as mountains collapsing and seas surging. All the fog churned and boiled without cease!
So this is the power of a magical treasure! One day, I'll possess means like these too! Xiao Yu thought to himself.
At last, after its struggle with the balls of light, the dense fog gradually began to thin. The outlines of the lofty, precipitous ring-shaped mountains slowly emerged before Xiao Yu and the others.
The enormous mountain before him rose ten thousand feet, towering into the clouds with its summit hidden from view. At a glance, jagged rocks covered its slopes, and towering trees of every kind densely blanketed the entire mountain.
Only the ridge facing Xiao Yu was somewhat gentler, looking far less steep than the slopes in the other directions. This was the route up the mountain that those who came before had discovered.
From within the mountain, the low growls of Demon Beasts faintly rose and fell. Their savage, mournful cries sent chills down the spine!
Before Xiao Yu could observe any further, someone who could no longer contain their impatience shot out of a thicket with a whoosh, like an arrow. They darted into the mountain ahead and vanished in an instant.
With someone taking the lead, almost everyone hiding nearby sprang out of concealment and hurried toward the mountain, as though afraid that arriving a step too late would leave them no medicinal herbs to gather.
After observing for a while, Xiao Yu put his belongings in order, chose a direction no one had yet taken, and walked in without haste.
Xiao Yu was in no hurry to compete with those ahead of him. His aim was to gather the still-immature main ingredients used to refine Foundation Establishment Pills first. Once he brought these immature ingredients back, he could turn them into mature ones before long.
Besides, practically none of the disciples entering the Forbidden Grounds would gather these immature medicinal herbs, so there was no need for him to compete with them.
He had already obtained five or six medicinal herbs in the outer region. After gathering the immature ones, he would head to the places where mature herbs grew.
When the time came, whether he had to kill Demon Beasts or people, he had to obtain enough medicinal herbs to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill.
Having made up his mind, Xiao Yu headed toward a location recorded as a place where jade marrow fungus grew.
Two hours later, Xiao Yu arrived at the foot of a cliff. It stood over a thousand feet high, with most of its surface bare and devoid of even a blade of grass. The rock face was exceptionally smooth, and a few strange trees with shaggy growth stood near the top.
Xiao Yu looked up at those strange trees. According to his information, jade marrow fungus grew right there, but it should currently be only a hundred years old, not yet mature enough for medicinal use.
After observing for a while and confirming that no one else was nearby, Xiao Yu took out his sword-shaped flying artifact. He sent it circling before him, enlarging it to three feet wide and ten feet long, and left it hovering three feet above the ground.
Xiao Yu lightly jumped onto the flying sword. Then he poured his magical power into it, and the sword slowly rose close against the cliff face.
Although flying within the Forbidden Grounds was extremely dangerous, Xiao Yu was only using the flying sword to ascend the cliff rather than flying about freely, so he was not particularly worried.
Still, he had to remain vigilant. What if someone or some Demon Beast launched a sneak attack? Thus, he kept a firm hold on the Radiant Mother-and-Son Swords and the Spirit Turtle Shield, ready for any unexpected turn.
A moment later, Xiao Yu reached the spot where the strange trees grew.
There turned out to be a small ledge here, a hundred feet wide and ten feet deep. It lay almost parallel to the ground, which explained why he could not see it from below. He wondered how the first disciple to come here had discovered it.
At that moment, however, Xiao Yu's gaze was already riveted to a corner on one side of the ledge.
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