Exploring the Mountains

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Chapter 13: Exploring the Mountains

After finally making it through to the end of morning classes, Chen Beiwu hurried home.

He locked the cultivation room door, took a jade bottle from his backpack, opened it, and sprinkled the windflower powder inside over his clothes to remove most of his scent.

Apparently still feeling that was not safe enough, he took out another bottle of liquid brewed from earthface mushrooms and rubbed it all over himself, giving his skin a barely perceptible scent of rotting wood to avoid attracting demonic beasts.

Once that was done, Chen Beiwu put on his full set of protective gear-the pauper's version-then strung three ancient copper coins together to make a simple Three Emperor Coins Exotic Artifact and hung it around his neck.

As the most widespread and easiest-to-make Qi Refining magical artifact in the Immortal Alliance, the Three Emperor Coins could grant their bearer immunity to certain low-level illusions. They would also chime a warning upon encountering sinister ghosts.

The stronger a ghost's yin energy, the more urgently the coins would ring.

If they encountered a powerful ghost, the Three Emperor Coins would shatter of their own accord, unable to withstand the corruption of its yin energy. This would briefly deter the ghost and give their bearer a chance to escape.

Chen Beiwu moved around until he had adjusted to his equipment, then went to a corner of the cultivation room and picked up three translucent needles and an emerald-green bone blade-a discarded magical artifact he had found.

To greatly increase these exotic artifacts' killing power, he used the first-tier low-grade exotic technique, Poison-Chiming Technique, to infuse them with Jade-Scale Snake venom.

"Not bad. One slash should be enough for any spirit monster with less than thirty years of cultivation."

After confirming that his weapons were sound, Chen Beiwu opened the parcel he had just received, took out several Thorn-Smoke Pills, and carefully stowed them away.

If he was unlucky enough to encounter a lesser demon with higher cultivation, he could throw out the Thorn-Smoke Pills to release pungent smoke and conceal his tracks, then use the Ten Directions Chaos Gate to escape.

Before crossing over, Chen Beiwu took a deep breath and checked his equipment and talismans once more. After making sure everything was in order, he began drawing on the power of the Ten Directions Chaos Gate.

"Humm!"

Golden light flashed, and the figure inside the cultivation room vanished completely.

Perhaps he had adapted to spatial transportation, for Chen Beiwu did not lose consciousness this time.

Looking around, he discovered that a deep gouge roughly ten feet long had appeared in the grassy clearing, giving off waves of scorched odor.

Thank goodness I didn't run into it. Chen Beiwu breathed a sigh of relief.

The reason he had not immediately attempted a second crossing last night was precisely his fear of being unlucky enough to run into that lesser demon capable of emitting a soul-shaking spiritual sound.

After standing still to get his bearings, Chen Beiwu headed toward the outskirts of the mountains, where the spiritual energy was thinner, and soon disappeared into the lush forest.

Pushing aside an enormous fern in front of him, he suddenly spotted a trail of footprints in the damp soil, each as large as a washbasin.

The mud remaining around the edges of the footprints reflected a faint green gleam in the sunlight.

Chen Beiwu crouched down. Judging by the footprints' shape, depth, and spacing, their owner was a wood-aspected deer mutant beast.

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This mutant beast was over forty feet long and had slightly more cultivation than Iron Egg, though probably no more than twenty years.

Forget it. I'll avoid this demonic beast. He changed direction without hesitation.

Most wood-aspected demonic beasts were gentle, but there were also ill-tempered varieties, such as Green-Neck Deer, Black-Spotted Deer, and Ironback Deer.

Besides, enormous mutant beasts were generally on apex predators' menus. Chen Beiwu had no desire to get caught in the crossfire.

"Roar!"

Just then, deafening roars rang out from deep within the mountains.

Columns of raging demonic energy shot skyward like beacon smoke, tearing through the heavens and churning the spiritual energy for dozens of miles around into a ferocious vortex that radiated a terrifying pressure.

Beasts fighting for supremacy. Are they battling over territory or some treasure born of heaven and earth?

Chen Beiwu clutched the protective talisman he carried, climbed to higher ground, and gazed into the depths of the mountains. He had not the slightest intention of going over to join the excitement.

Only by acting within one's means could one cultivate toward immortality.

;psme&;psme&

Even watching from afar, Chen Beiwu felt the chaotic demonic energy filling heaven and earth sear his temples like burning needles, making them throb painfully.

If he went any closer, the demonic energy might severely injure him.

With that thought, Chen Beiwu left the area as quickly as possible without a moment's hesitation and continued searching for a safe base.

The forest was full of ancient trees with dense foliage. Every short stretch, he had to cut through branches to clear a path forward.

Relying on his late Qi Refining perception, Chen Beiwu repeatedly skirted the habitats of demonic beasts with powerful auras. Unfortunately, he did not encounter another first-tier rare beast like the Jade-Scale Snake.

After walking for about two hours, Chen Beiwu finally discovered a natural cave in an excellent location.

The cave backed onto a cliff, and vines concealed its entrance. With a Breath-Concealing Formation added, it would make a fine cultivation spot. Its only drawback was that it already had an owner.

Chen Beiwu stared intently at the thick mesh of vines covering the entrance.

Near the ground was a cluster of darker yellow vines that had almost withered away-the traces left by a demonic beast's urine.

"So what if it has an owner? This place and I are bound by fate."

sme&

p; Glancing at the droppings in the bushes, Chen Beiwu walked straight forward, no longer concealing his presence, baiting the occupant into attacking.

The next instant, two points of red light suddenly lit up deep inside the cave.

"Roar!" The vines tore apart, and a mutant beast much shorter than an ordinary ape burst out. Muscles bulged all over its body, and its ink-black arms became countless afterimages, unleashing a string of sonic booms through the air.

As expected, a first-tier mutant beast-a Bullet Ape with less than ten years of cultivation. Chen Beiwu lightly tapped the ground with his toes, letting his body drift backward with the wind and easily dodging the Bullet Ape's ambush.

The first-tier exotic technique, Wind Manipulation, allowed cultivators to harness the wind and greatly reduce their body weight, enabling them to leap into the air and glide. Naturally, it could also greatly increase their movement speed.

"Swish!"

Taking advantage of the moment when the Bullet Ape's strike was spent, Chen Beiwu slashed upward with the bone blade in his right hand.

A cold gleam backed by tremendous weight instantly tore through his opponent's throat, and he used the momentum to pull away.

"Drip, drip!" Scarlet blood sprayed out as the Bullet Ape went limp and crashed heavily to the ground, kicking up a little dust.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths passed...

Chen Beiwu kept a safe distance throughout, quietly waiting for the Bullet Ape to die.

One of the fiercer varieties of ape mutant beasts, the Bullet Ape could throw a full eighty punches in a single second.

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Not only were its attacks faster than ordinary talisman bullets, but the instantaneous heat generated by its arms rubbing against the air could even unleash sonic booms.

Yet its attacks were both its making and its undoing.

Although the Bullet Ape struck quickly, its windup was rather stiff, making its intent easy to read.

Thus, this mutant beast preferred to ambush its enemies, and Chen Beiwu had conveniently given it an opening.

"Roar!";psme&;psme&

Seeing that its enemy still refused to approach, the Bullet Ape, which had been lying on the ground playing dead, pushed hard with both feet and attempted one desperate final attack.

Chen Beiwu gave it no chance to trade its life for his and continued to widen the distance.

Only after the Bullet Ape collapsed again from blood loss, still unwilling to accept its fate, did he approach to collect the useful beast materials and cover the bloodstains nearby.

Excellent. Two spirit stones in the bag!

(End of chapter)