Chapter 40: Red Ice Mulberry, Inside the Valley

*Pfft.*

A puff of foul-smelling smoke drifted from the small hole in the lid of the alchemy cauldron. Zheng Shiqi knew that the success rate for an alchemist refining unfamiliar pills was not high, but his face darkened significantly. Standing guard beside Zhang Guang, who had been stung by the Green Bamboo Bees until his face resembled a pig's head, his heart was in his throat.

Lu Xiaotian remained expressionless. He casually cast a Water Ball spell to wash away the impurities within the cauldron. The Blood Serum Pill was a second-grade detoxification spiritual pill. It was a pill that only a mid-level alchemist could refine, and he had never attempted it before.

However, his success rate in refining Qi Gathering Pills had already approached fifty percent; in terms of raw ability, he was long since a mid-level alchemist. Generally, pills that could advance one's cultivation or increase cultivation speed were more difficult to refine than other types. The difficulty of the Blood Serum Pill was not particularly high, and the refining time was short, taking only about half an hour.

After the first batch failed, Lu Xiaotian felt more confident. Following a familiar routine, he cleaned the small cauldron and raised the fire to begin the second batch.

Half an hour passed in a flash, and a burst of refreshing fragrance rose from the cauldron, making one's blood feel steady and calm.

"Open the cauldron! Inspect the pills!"

Two blood-red, crystal-clear pills emerged. One was noticeably fuller and possessed two additional medicinal patterns.

"A mid-grade Blood Serum Pill!" Fan Qing, who was standing closer, was the first to cry out in shock, staring at Lu Xiaotian with a face full of astonishment. "Young friend Lu, your attainments in alchemy are truly astounding."

Not just Fan Qing, but everyone else looked shocked as well. The first batch had been dross; to be able to refine a mid-grade pill on the very second attempt was not something an ordinary alchemist could achieve.

"I told you before, Brother Lu is a very powerful alchemist, but none of you believed me," Luo Qing said happily, looking as if she were the one who had refined the pills herself.

"Mere luck," Lu Xiaotian said with a calm smile, handing the mid-grade Blood Serum Pill to Zheng Shiqi.

Zheng Shiqi was overjoyed. He had thought it would be impressive enough if Lu Xiaotian could refine any pill at all, but he hadn't expected a mid-grade Blood Serum Pill. After expressing his thanks, Zheng Shiqi quickly mixed some water and stuffed the pill into Zhang Guang's mouth.

"Now that Fellow Daoist Zhang has taken the pill, we have already wasted quite a bit of time. We must make haste. Otherwise, if darkness falls before we reach the rogue cultivator gathering point, we will be in trouble. We shall take turns carrying Fellow Daoist Zhang on the road," Fan Qing said, seeing that Zhang Guang had swallowed the medicine.

Driven by the need to make time, the group's pace increased significantly. Lu Xiaotian finally understood why people said that in the Moon-Watching Mountains, the threat from other cultivators was even greater than that from demonic beasts. Having barely escaped the attack of the Green Bamboo Bees, they encountered several man-made traps. However, according to Fan Qing, who had entered the Moon-Watching Mountains several times, and Luo Yuan, this particular path was not heavily traveled, so the number of traps encountered was relatively low compared to other areas.

For instance, there were several spirit stones and storage bags scattered next to a fallen corpse. There were also several spirit herbs that were clearly visible but located in treacherous terrain easy for ambushes, which no one had harvested. Upon closer inspection, Lu Xiaotian could faintly see some un-dried bloodstains and traces of combat that hadn't been cleaned up in the grass. Clearly, someone had been ambushed here before them, and someone had already lost their life.

Having learned their lesson from the Green Bamboo Bees, no one in the team rushed forward recklessly; instead, they continued their journey, refusing to risk themselves for scattered spiritual items.

"Red Ice Mulberry!" While passing through a mountain hollow, Lu Xiaotian spotted a tiny spiritual tree growing between several large rocks. It was no more than a foot tall, with crimson leaves shaped like human palms that emitted a faint spiritual aura.

"What is it? Is young friend Lu interested in the Red Ice Mulberry? These trees need to grow for over a hundred years to have any value. We rogue cultivators in the Qi Refinement stage only have a lifespan of about a hundred years; we simply cannot afford to wait. Furthermore, they are extremely difficult to transplant successfully, otherwise, they would have been taken long ago."

Fan Qing, positioned in the middle of the group, couldn't help but laugh when he saw Lu Xiaotian stop.

"Perhaps success is possible. If I fail to reach the Foundation Establishment stage, it would be a good thing to leave for my descendants."

Lu Xiaotian carefully dug the Red Ice Mulberry from the ground to avoid damaging its roots. Taking advantage of the others' lack of attention, he slipped it into his barrier.

Typically, a Red Ice Mulberry only became valuable after a century. Once an Ice Silkworm consumed its leaves, it would spin ice silk that was incredibly tough, which could be woven into soft armor. Its defensive capabilities were rare among spiritual tools; ordinary spiritual tools could not cut through it, and it could even resist certain spell damages—especially against fire-attribute spells, where its effect was even more significant.

It was not inferior even to some low-grade magical tools. To other cultivators, the Red Ice Mulberry was somewhat useless; an ordinary Qi Refinement cultivator only lived about a hundred years and couldn't wait that long. If they managed to survive until the tree was old enough, they would likely have already reached the Foundation Establishment stage.

At the Foundation Establishment stage, the defensive power of mid-tier spells was not inferior to Ice Silk Silkworm Armor. Therefore, the members of the team looked down on such a young Red Ice Mulberry. Only the cultivation clans of Moon-Watching City or families with orderly lineages within cultivation sects might possess such spiritual items. After all, only after several generations of inheritance could a descendant in the Qi Refinement stage finally use it.

The requirements for the Red Ice Mulberry were extremely strict, but in Lu Xiaotian's eyes, it was easy. As long as it was transplanted into his barrier and provided with enough spirit stones as fertilizer, he could accelerate its growth.

"Brother Lu is truly far-sighted," Zheng Shiqi remarked with emotion.

The team traveled several hundred miles before a river about fourteen or fifteen zhang wide blocked their path. As the group appeared at the riverbank, ripples spread across the clear surface of the water.

Lu Xiaotian fixed his gaze on the water and saw several large green crocodiles lurking beneath. An adult Green Crocodile was over two zhang long; although they were only second-grade demonic beasts, their physical strength far exceeded that of cultivators of the same rank. Even a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator could not match them. If one were unfortunate enough to fall into the water, there was an eighty to ninety percent chance of being devoured by the crocodiles.

The Green Crocodiles seemed to have smelled the scent of living beings. Before long, more than a dozen crocodiles of varying sizes gathered in the area.

"He Tuozi, you led us through a shortcut only to find such a dangerous place! How do you suggest we cross now?" Wang Ping swung his iron rod and looked at He Tuozi with annoyance, looking as if he might start a fight if He Tuozi didn't provide a reasonable explanation.

"Exactly. If any of the nine of us fall in, we won't even be enough to fill these crocodiles' teeth," Luo Qing said, taking a fearful step back to stand between Luo Yuan and Lu Xiaotian to find a sense of security.

"These beasts certainly have good noses. Calm yourselves, fellow daoists. Since I, Tuozi, led everyone through this shortcut, I naturally have a way to solve this," He Tuozi chuckled. He took a yellow paper packet from his storage bag and opened it, revealing a package of black powder. The powder emitted a strange, faintly fishy scent.

"Demon Repelling Powder!" While the others did not recognize the origin of the black powder, Fan Qing cried out in shock.

"I obtained this by chance; it's not of great use, but it can be used to disperse low-grade demonic beasts. It is naturally worlds apart from true Demon Repelling Powder, but it is sufficient to deal with these second-grade Green Crocodiles."

He Tuozi took a bit of the black powder from the packet and threw it into the water. The powder dissolved instantly upon contact, causing several fist-sized bubbles to rise. A violent, heart-pounding aura radiated from the water. The dozen or so Green Crocodiles immediately scattered in panic, like startled birds.

"The aura will only last for the duration of a stick of incense. Move now!"

He Tuozi carefully put away the yellow paper packet, grabbed a green vine from the riverside bushes, and threw it toward a large tree on the opposite bank, wrapping it around the trunk. After applying a Body Lightening technique to himself, he gave the vine a hard pull, used the water to push off a few times, and successfully leaped to the other side.

Ordinary Qi Refinement cultivators lacked the ability to fly; even with a Wind-Guiding technique, a single leap could cover at most five or six zhang. Only upon reaching the Foundation Establishment stage could one possess the divine abilities to ride clouds and mist or manipulate flying swords. However, without the threat of the crocodiles and with points to push off from, the fifteen or sixteen-zhang wide river could not stop the team.

Lu Xiaotian followed suit, using a green vine to push off the water once or twice before reaching the opposite bank.

The efficacy of the mid-grade Blood Serum Pill was good. After traveling for another hour, Zhang Guang, who had fainted from the bee stings, gradually regained consciousness. He began to vomit uncontrollably, expelling large amounts of filth that emitted a foul stench—the toxins that had accumulated in his body. Although it was a painful process, his sallow, dark complexion improved significantly after vomiting the impurities.

After traveling another hundred miles, perhaps because they were deeper into the Moon-Watching Mountains, the surrounding spiritual energy was noticeably denser than when they had first left the city. By this time, the sky had begun to darken, and the howls of various strange demonic beasts in the valleys grew increasingly dense.

Lu Xiaotian and the team arrived at a valley flanked by towering cliffs. The entrances to the valley were extremely narrow, while the central area was wide enough to accommodate thousands of people, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. In such advantageous terrain, if a swarm of demonic beasts were to attack, the rogue cultivators could react quickly and form formations to resist.

Numerous small teams of cultivators were scattered throughout the valley, each occupying a small territory. Torches lit all around illuminated the valley brightly.

"Cockscomb Blood Stone! Selling Cockscomb Blood Stone! Only five low-grade spirit stones, or equivalent pills—healing medicines are fine!"

"Seeking Black Jade Bone-Mending Ointment! I am willing to pay three low-grade spirit stones! High price sought for Black Jade Bone-Mending Ointment!"

"Second-grade demonic beast, Black-Horned Rhino core!"

The rogue cultivators in the valley included some who had been in the mountains for several days and had made significant gains. The sounds of people seeking medicine due to exhausted supplies, selling spirit herbs, and trading demon cores were incessant. Lu Xiaotian listened with interest.

"We have traveled a long time; everyone has worked hard. Rest for the night and gather your strength. There may be a fierce battle tomorrow," Fan Qing instructed.

The cultivators in the valley were roughly divided into three factions. One faction consisted of the celestial soldiers sent from Moon-Watching City; should the valley be attacked by demonic beasts, the rogue cultivators would lack unity and centralized command, making these soldiers the backbone of the defense.

The second faction consisted of adventure teams from the cultivation families of Moon-Watching City. These people were equipped with high-quality spiritual tools; whether it was the spiritual blades and swords in their hands or the armor on their bodies, their gear was clearly superior.

The final faction was the rogue cultivator teams like Lu Xiaotian's. They were numerous but each had their own agendas. The rogue cultivators were scattered, but overall, the three factions maintained a clear distinction, each occupying a large area.