Chapter 448: Small Mountain
"After following this road for several hundred kilometers, you will see a canyon surrounded by a barrier. It is narrow and very long. Upon entering the canyon, you will be in an entirely different world. Within this world, there will be two paths to choose from: the road of profound crystal and the path of lava. The road of profound crystal is chilling to the bone, and if you are not careful, your body will turn to ice. As for path of lava, it is scorching hot where one may find themselves easily turned to ash. Only after reaching the end of the canyon will you find the next transportation formation. Once you pass through it, you will have completed the second trial: the Paths of Fire and Ice. As the two from the Star Palace have said, everyone will have a day to search for spiritual medicines before they must enter the canyon. As for what everyone will find, it will depend on their own luck!" The Bone Sage finished indifferently.
Han Li opened and closed his mouth several times and was thinking about what to ask. But when he saw the Bone Sage's expression stir, he remained silent as three more flashes of white light appeared from the transportation formation behind them.
The arriving cultivators indifferently glanced at Han LI and the Bone Sage before excitedly flying off towards the distant mountains as streaks of light. They all appeared eager to begin hunting for treasure.
As he watched them fly further away, the Bone Sage frowned and hesitated a moment before saying, "Let us set off! If we wait for Zenith Yin to arrive, it will stir up quite a bit of trouble." Then without waiting for a response from Han Li, he transformed into a dark cloud and took to the skies.
Han Li's expression greatly changed. He wordlessly turned into an azure streak and chased after him.
Not long after Han Li and the Bone Sage took off, Zenith Yin, Wan Tianming and the other Nascent Soul cultivators each appeared from the transportation formation. With the Righteous Dao headed by Wan Tianming and the Devil Dao headed by Man Huzi, both sides stood in confrontation.
When Zenith Yin appeared, he hastily swept his gaze around and felt slightly disappointed that Han Li wasn't around. However, his expression didn't betray this in the slightest. He was even bantering with the Confucian-robed old man as normal.
As for the beautiful woman surnamed Wen, when she saw their confrontation, she coldly said, "I only wish to pick spiritual herbs. After I am done, I will be returning to the pavilion. You all may fight as you see fit, but do not involve me in your affairs." With that said, she turned into a ball of silver light and ripped through the air.
Wan Tianming took several glances at the Devil Dao cultivators and whispered a few words to his fellow Righteous Dao cultivators. Soon after, the three of them wordlessly took off into the skies as a tricolored light.
The remaining Devil Dao eccentrics couldn't help but watch with widened eyes. They were caught unprepared and were unsure whether to closely follow after them or mind their own business. But before they could respond, the Righteous Dao cultivators were already out of sight.
When Grandmaster Zenith Yin saw this, his eyes flashed with a strange gaze. After a cough, he said with a wide smile, "Brother Qing, Brother Man! I will be taking my leave to pick a few spiritual herbs for pill refinement. Let's meet up at the entrance of the canyon."
With that said, Grandmaster Zenith Yin flung out his sleeve and released a black mist. After the mist drew in Wu Chou, he disappeared with a gust of cold wind.
Man Huzi's expression grew stern. As for old man Qing, he frowned with contemplation.
"That Zenith Yin left rather quickly! It seems his movement technique is growing increasingly wondrous. Fellow Daoist Qing, if you are free, how about picking some Genesis Fruit with me? With our combined strength, we will have a higher certainty of dealing with the mountain demons guarding the spirit tree. When the time comes, I'll give you a share. Since your age is quite advanced, these fruits should extend your life by no small amount." Man Huzi spoke to the pondering Confucian-robed old man.
When Layman Qing Yi heard this, he was initially stunned. After his gaze flickered a few times, he replied with an embarrassed appearance, "Brother Man, my apologies! I also have some important matters to attend to and have no time to accompany you. I will see you again at the canyon entrance!" With that said, he apologetically cupped his hands and flew off. Man Huzi's complexion turned an unsightly green.
"Humph! Do you truly believe that this island lord requires your assistance to acquire some Genesis Fruit? I'll make a show of dealing with you two once we arrive in the inner halls!" Man Huzi muttered before launching himself into the sky with a stomp. Then with several flashes of yellow light, he disappeared.
By now, Han Li had been following the Bone Sage's black cloud for four hours, and the land beneath them was no longer the leveled prairie. It had been replaced with an expansive winding mountain range. The varied mountains made for a spectacular sight as he rushed past them.
Enveloped in an aura of azure sword light, Han Li spontaneously said, "The place you spoke of is truly far! I suspect if we fly for much longer, we'll reach the world's end!"
A scoff came from the black cloud ahead of him. The Bone Sage bluntly said, "Do you believe that an item such as the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng can be found in some convenient location? If it weren't so difficult to acquire, we wouldn't have had the chance. Youngster, if you wish to acquire great benefits, you should learn to be patient!"
When Han Li heard him speak in a lecturing tone, his eyes coldly shined but he remained silent. After all, this old eccentric possessed an immense amount of experience and was qualified to speak with such a tone. Although he was a bit unhappy, he wasn't about to waste his breath on useless words.
However, flying for such a long time without even catching sight of the destination caused Han Li to feel uneasy. He couldn't help but grow more wary of the old devil, worrying that he may fall victim to his schemes when he least expected.
Their alliance was completely unreliable! Han Li didn't believe that in the past, the Bone Sage had flown such a long way for no reason at all.
Had he wanted to find spiritual herbs, he would've sought for them in a few of the mountains abundant with spiritual Qi that they had already passed by. Even at such a high altitude, Han Li was still able to clearly feel their dense spiritual Qi fluctuations. The spiritual herbs that those mountains nurtured were certain to be extremely rare.
Han Li was very skeptical as to why the Bone Sage had ignored them in a previous journey to Heavenvoid Hall.
Uncertain of whether the Bone Sage seen through Han Li's suspicions or whether he had felt uneasy from the silence, the Bone Sage spoke with a hesitant tone, "I have been to this world two times already. I had fortunately discovered the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng the first time I came here. At the time, it was only because I was chasing after a Flying Shrieker for such a long distance that I even stumbled across the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng. After all, these Immortal items aren't said to appear here. According to my assumptions, the Spirit Ginseng was coincidentally formed from heaven and earth after many years of nourishment from the dense spiritual Qi in this half-sealed world. It was something that had formed outside the expectations of the ancient cultivators. Hehe! And now it will prove to be convenient for you!" The Bone Sage's last words revealed a rare trace of envy and regret.
"So it's like that!" Although Han Li somewhat doubted this and was still keeping his wits about him, he felt somewhat more at ease.
The two continued to fly for quite some time before the black cloud came to a sudden stop.
The Bone Sage looked down with a flickering gaze. He unhurriedly said, "We've arrived. However, you shouldn't become careless. The Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng is extremely sensitive. If it feels that anything is amiss, it will drill into the mountains and disappear. You must take a moment of careful consideration before acting. Else, we will return empty handed."
"Is Senior sure this is the place? These is a spiritual object here?" When Han Li swept his gaze at the area below, his expression turned odd.
There was a small unremarkable mountain lying below the two. Not only was it completely barren, but it was pathetically sparse with spiritual Qi. It largely contrasted with the large mountains surrounding it.
Han Li found it hard to believe that this small desolate mountain was where the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng dwelled.
The Bone Sage's black cloud slowly scattered to reveal his body. He spoke to Han Li with a mysterious smile, "Hehe, youngster. You're easily surprised! I was also quite astonished when I didn't catch sight of the Ninecurl Spirit Ginseng, but this mountain is truly the place where it resides."
Since the Bone Sage had said this, Han Li kept silent and bluntly watched below for any movements.
The Bone Sage was no longer paying attention to Han Li and was gazing down below. His eyes suddenly glowed with a blood light, startling Han Li.