The crowns of countless towering trees blocked out nearly the entire sky. All manner of chilling plants and animals filled the space beneath them, and the ground was soft underfoot, covered in thick layers of fallen leaves and mud.
Chen Mu and A Huo did not travel on the ground. Instead, they leaped from trunk to trunk, moving through the closely connected trees.
Both had spent their lives in forests, and they were as agile as apes. They moved no slower than they would have by running.
"Hiss..." A sight in the distance made Chen Mu suck in a sharp breath.
Seven or eight human corpses lay scattered more than ten meters ahead. He could just make out five men and two women. Their bodies were covered in animal bite marks, and their abdomens had been ripped open, leaving only gaping holes. The blood and flesh were still bright in color; clearly, they had not been dead for long.
Even though Chen Mu had killed quite a few people, his face went pale at the bloody sight.
"I'll go take a look. Keep watch for me!"
A Huo was unmoved, as though he had seen such things countless times. He leaped past Chen Mu toward the corpses.
"All right!"
Chen Mu came to his senses, feeling somewhat ashamed. He had not expected his own nerves to be weaker than A Huo's.
A Huo examined every corpse, even using a branch to poke open their wounds and inspect them from every angle. Only after a long while did he leap back into the trees.
"These people weren't weak. On average, they were at least Fourth Stage martial artists."
The strength of a martial artist could be roughly judged from the condition of their flesh and bones. A Huo continued, "They probably died yesterday. Two of them were killed by sharp weapons piercing their hearts. The others also have wounds from sharp weapons of varying severity."
"They were killed by people?"
Chen Mu was startled. It seemed this place was even more dangerous than he had expected.
"Looks like we'll have to be twice as careful! Humans are far more frightening than demonic beasts!"
A Huo nodded, as though in deep agreement.
"Let's go! It's getting dark. It's time we found somewhere to spend the night."
The two continued onward. Most of Ghost Yin Mountain was covered in dense forest that never saw sunlight, and visibility was limited. Searching for Yin Baleful Intent Demonic Trees here was indeed troublesome.
Along the way, Chen Mu found more and more traces of humans, but there was nothing he could do. If he wanted to find Yin Baleful Intent Demonic Trees, he could not avoid these areas. What if the trees were here?
That night, Chen Mu and A Huo found a tree hollow, ate a little wild boar meat, and went to sleep.
At night, the deathly atmosphere grew heavier, and the tree hollow was bitterly cold and damp. Chen Mu had no choice but to set up some Five Elements Talisman Flags around them to raise the temperature inside. Otherwise, they would not have been able to sleep at all.
Lighting a fire was absolutely out of the question. The previous night, Chen Mu had tried to build a campfire, but within minutes, four or five demonic beasts had charged over, frightening the two into quickly putting out the flames and fleeing.
Deep within Ghost Yin Mountain, a large tent had been pitched on a stretch of open ground. More than ten people were stationed around it, keeping it under tight guard.
Several glowing, dark blue pearls had been placed around the inside of the tent, illuminating it with extraordinary brightness.
"According to our information, the Holy Soul Grass should be growing somewhere nearby. Search more thoroughly. If you find anyone else, kill them without exception! News of the Holy Soul Grass must not get out."
The man speaking from the central seat was Wu Longjin, the younger brother of the Wumeng Tribe's chief. He held an exalted position in the tribe.
"Yes, Lord Longjin! But today we found traces of Ice Spirit Sect members in the area. Should we also..."
Wu Longjin frowned and thought for a moment, then raised a hand. "Not yet! Ghost Yin Mountain abounds in heavenly treasures of the yin and cold variety, so it's no surprise that people from the Ice Spirit Sect would come here. That bunch of crazy women are difficult to deal with. Avoid them for now, and don't come into conflict with them unless necessary."
"Yes!"
The man who had reported to him turned and left.
"Longjin, my good nephew, thank you for all your effort. You've lost so many subordinates this time for the sake of the Holy Soul Grass.
"Rest assured, as long as you do your best to help me find the Holy Soul Grass, I'll give you what you want afterward, whether we succeed or not."
An old man beside Wu Longjin spoke.
He wore Daoist robes, and his hair was tied in a topknot. He appeared to be in his sixties or seventies, but he was vigorous, with a restrained spiritual radiance. Clearly, he had made considerable progress in cultivation.
"Haha, there's no need to say that, Master Landuo. The Wumeng Tribe has kept you as an Attendant all these years because we have complete faith in you.
"Rest assured, Master, I'm determined to obtain the Holy Soul Grass this time. If you can use it to break through and become an Earth Talisman Master, that will add another source of strength to the Wumeng Tribe."
Wu Longjin laughed heartily, full of lofty spirit.
On his sixth day in Ghost Yin Mountain, Chen Mu finally found his target: the Yin Baleful Intent Demonic Tree.
When a Yin Baleful Intent Demonic Tree was still, it looked almost exactly like an ordinary tree. If Chen Mu had not come prepared with a medicinal powder that the trees were especially fond of, he might not have been able to find them.
As soon as Chen Mu entered a grove full of Yin Baleful Intent Demonic Trees, the medicinal powder on him took effect. The trees could not wait to attack him with their vines.
"Be careful!"
A Huo reacted extremely quickly. The attacking vines had barely drawn near when his sword chopped them to pieces.
Chen Mu had come prepared. He immediately pulled a stack of Explosive Flame Talismans from his waist.
Chen Mu had developed the Explosive Flame Talisman from the basic "Blazing Flame Talisman" rune. It was far more destructive than the Blazing Flame Talisman, and its flames burned at a higher temperature.
Although Yin Baleful Intent Demonic Trees were trees, they could move slowly by controlling their roots. Before long, more and more gathered around them, surrounding Chen Mu and A Huo.
Chen Mu rapidly hurled the Explosive Flame Talismans with both hands, then formed a hand seal to ignite them.
"Explode!"
With Chen Mu's shout, the Explosive Flame Talismans exploded one after another. Roaring flames set the surrounding Yin Baleful Intent Demonic Trees ablaze, along with some ordinary trees.
Most tree-type demonic beasts feared fire, and Yin Baleful Intent Demonic Trees were naturally no exception. The burning trees let out harsh, grating shrieks like vengeful ghosts, making one's hair stand on end.
The Yin Baleful Intent Demonic Trees gathering behind them immediately fled. Chen Mu told A Huo not to pursue them and remained where he was, using Soul Power to strengthen the talismans' burning effect. The forest was very damp, and even Chen Mu's Explosive Flame Talismans did not burn very well.
In any case, he did not need much Soul-Hosting Wood. More than ten Yin Baleful Intent Demonic Trees were already burning around them, and enough Soul-Hosting Wood could be extracted from their hearts.
Several minutes later, the burning Yin Baleful Intent Demonic Trees were all dead. Only then did Chen Mu extinguish the runic flames and prepare to collect the Soul-Hosting Wood.
"Was it you two little fellows who destroyed my Ice Soul Grass?"
A voice brimming with cold came from above, giving Chen Mu a fright.
Chen Mu had just raised his head when he felt an icy longsword laid against his neck.
"Is this... the Qi Nourishing Realm?"
To move so quickly and subdue him in an instant, the newcomer had to be a Martial Master at the very least.