Legend had it that thousands of years ago, two high-level tribes had fought an exceptionally brutal war on Ghost Yin Mountain. Countless people had been killed or wounded, and corpses had covered the entire mountain, making it look like purgatory on earth.
From then on, many sinister plants had sprung up on the mountain, and it had become a gathering place for sinister creatures.
But as the saying went, when misfortune reached its limit, good fortune followed; when things reached an extreme, they turned into their opposites. Precisely because so many Yin souls had gathered here, the mountain produced an abundance of heavenly materials and earthly treasures with Yin and cold attributes, the most famous of which was Holy Soul Grass.
Holy Soul Grass was said to strengthen one's soul cultivation and heal soul injuries. It was one of the Wilderness's most exceptional spiritual treasures.
Chen Mu did not covet the Holy Soul Grass all that much. A spiritual treasure like it would have at least a fourth-tier demonic beast guarding it, and he knew he was not yet capable of dealing with one.
His purpose on this trip was clear: slay a Yin Baleful Intent Demonic Tree and obtain Soul-Hosting Wood.
Once he completed his automated rune printer, he would effectively have a batch of money-making machines. Even if he could not buy Holy Soul Grass then, he could buy other pills to strengthen his soul. There was no need to risk his life here.
On the morning of the third day after leaving Chen Village, he and A Huo arrived at the foot of Ghost Yin Mountain.
On this trip, Chen Mu had brought White Turtle along in addition to his mount, the Dragon-Horned Horse.
White Turtle usually paid no attention to the outside world because he had to concentrate on undoing the seal. But at critical moments, he was very reliable, so Chen Mu had brought him along just in case.
A Huo was also riding a horse-like demonic beast, following close behind Chen Mu.
Not all demonic beasts were carnivores. The Azure Wind Horse A Huo rode was a vegetarian first-tier demonic beast. It had a gentle temperament and excelled at speed, making it the main demonic beast Chen Village had been domesticating recently.
Beast-Taming Talismans were expensive. Even though Chen Mu now had a little savings, he could not possibly give one to everyone in Chen Village. Thus, apart from the demonic beast mounts of a few martial artists that used Beast-Taming Talismans, the others were actually domesticated.
Domesticated demonic beasts were certainly less loyal and harder to control than those bound by Beast-Taming Talismans, but there was no helping it.
After entering the area around Ghost Yin Mountain, Chen Mu's soul felt extremely uncomfortable. Dense Death Qi permeated the place, assailing his mind like a bone-chilling wind.
He felt that if he stayed here too long, both his mind and body would likely be affected, gradually growing weak.
Death Qi was another form of Qi outside the five elements. Although Five-Element Spiritual Qi was also present throughout the area, it was tainted by Death Qi. Absorbing too much of it would cause irreversible harm to the body.
"Neigh...!"
The Dragon-Horned Horse beneath Chen Mu let out an uneasy whinny, seemingly unwilling to enter the mountains.
A Huo's Azure Wind Horse was even worse off. Despite A Huo's attempts to soothe it, it kept pacing back and forth.
"Forget it. If you don't want to go in, wait for us out here!"
Chen Mu jumped off the Dragon-Horned Horse and patted its belly.
The Dragon-Horned Horse was highly intelligent and linked to Chen Mu by a Beast-Taming Talisman. It immediately understood what he meant, whinnied at the Azure Wind Horse behind it, and led it out of the Ghost Yin Mountain area.
"Vajra Dharma Body, Body-Protecting Golden Light!"
Chen Mu activated the martial techniques from the Acala Heart Sutra, and his skin turned a pale gold. The Death Qi assailing him retreated two or three meters away, as though it had encountered its nemesis.
He immediately felt much better. Glancing back at A Huo, he found that A Huo was completely unafraid of the Death Qi's assault as well. The Death Qi kept almost as far away from him as it did from Chen Mu.
Chen Mu's martial cultivation was a stage higher than A Huo's. Since the Death Qi retreated about the same distance from both of them, the cultivation technique A Huo practiced might be even better than Chen Mu's at countering it.
A Huo's origins were mysterious, and he seemed to have many secrets, but Chen Mu did not mind. After all, he had plenty of secrets of his own.
Over the three years they had spent together, they had forged a profoundly deep friendship. Though both kept secrets, that did not stop them from becoming brothers who shared life and death.
"A Huo, it's probably more dangerous deeper in. Stay a little closer to me."
"Okay!"
A Huo stepped closer to Chen Mu, keeping a wary eye on their surroundings.
The two headed deeper into Ghost Yin Mountain. Half an hour later, a strange ape-like creature blocked their path in the dense forest.
The creature looked as though its face had been coated in white paint. Its eyes were blood-red, and its appearance was ferocious. Holding some stones, it kept hurling them at Chen Mu and A Huo.
"It's a White-Faced Xiao!"
Judging by the force of the stones it threw, this White-Faced Xiao had not yet reached the third tier. It was only at the peak of the second tier.
Chen Mu's cultivation technique excelled at defense, and attacks from demonic beasts below the third tier posed no threat to him. Unwilling to waste time, he said quietly, "A Huo, I'll draw its attention. Circle behind him and kill him."
"Okay!"
Chen Mu had modified A Huo's outer garment to provide some concealment. Within moments, A Huo vanished into the dense forest.
Chen Mu used the stock of the Rune Gun in his hand to smash the incoming stones one by one, firing two shots back as he did so.
The terrain in the dense forest was complicated, and the White-Faced Xiao moved swiftly. Every one of Chen Mu's attacks missed.
As the enemies Chen Mu encountered grew stronger and stronger, the Rune Gun, which had once carried all before it, had become increasingly ineffective.
But Chen Mu had expected this. His aim was to keep the White-Faced Xiao from leaving that spot. The rest depended on A Huo.
A sword flashed, and the White-Faced Xiao let out a piercing shriek and fell from the tree.
Chen Mu seized the opportunity. A sharp blade sprang from the bottom of his Rune Gun, and he stabbed it straight through the White-Faced Xiao beneath the tree.
The White-Faced Xiao's heart essence blood and spine were both good spiritual materials. Chen Mu spent some time extracting all the more valuable materials before continuing onward with A Huo.
The demonic beasts lurking on Ghost Yin Mountain were far more dangerous than those on Black Rock Mountain, where Chen Village was located. Chen Mu was also unfamiliar with the place, so he did not explore very quickly.
On the second day, Chen Mu did not find a Yin Baleful Intent Demonic Tree, but he did discover some traces of human activity.