Chapter 257 - 180: Hurrying, Rescuing, Acting

Chapter 257: Chapter 180: Hurrying, Rescuing, Acting

After leaving the valley, the chill in the air intensified severalfold. The biting wind was like a knife. Only then did Zhao Zuo truly feel the arrival of winter, and this year was much colder than previous ones.

On the road, Zhao Zuo often encountered Medicine Gatherers heading toward the Yunlan Mountain Range. To conserve their Mana, most wore heavy cotton clothes, draped themselves in wind-breaking cloaks, and carried woven bamboo baskets on their backs.

The air was also very dry. Zhao Zuo used a Light Body Talisman to enhance his speed, occasionally taking out a spiritual map to confirm his position. The traces of humans grew scarce, replaced by the footprints of Demon Beasts and their dried droppings.

’A paradise for Demon Beasts.’ Zhao Zuo quickly took out some Beast-Repelling Powder and covered his entire body with it. Only then did he feel safe enough to continue on his way.

As night fell, since Zhao Zuo hadn’t mastered the Earth Movement Technique, he had to use his Black Flame Saber to carve out a hollow in a dead tree trunk. He activated a Spirit Jade Barrier to stand guard over his surroundings, then sat inside the trunk and began to practice the Thick Earth Spirit Patterns.

The night passed without incident. The Spirit Jade Barrier was broken several times, but the Demon Beasts were only passing by, and no battle occurred.

In the morning, Zhao Zuo chewed on a meat patty, reconfirmed his direction, and set out again. When he got thirsty, he would drink some cool water.

By evening, Zhao Zuo had covered eighty percent of the journey. In the afternoon, he had encountered a One-Tier, Intermediate-rank Demon Beast that was delirious with hunger. The resulting entanglement had delayed him for over ten minutes.

At this point, the two points of light on the map were very close, with only about a two-hour journey left.

Zhao Zuo thought for a moment before finding a tree hollow and slipping inside. ’My relationship with Liu Heng isn’t as close as it is with Shen Yunjiao. There’s no need for me to walk into danger and risk my own life for him.’

「The next day.」

Zhao Zuo set out with the morning sun. At noon, the two points of light finally overlapped. Before him now were two peaks, each about a hundred meters high. The mountains were dotted with protruding boulders and the green vines that clung to them.

"I’ve arrived at the base of the two mountains," Zhao Zuo said, taking out his Communication Jade.

"The mountain on the right. Climb up about a hundred paces. There’s a large boulder surrounded by an Illusion Array," Liu Heng replied almost instantly, his voice filled with elation and a thirst for life.

Zhao Zuo grunted in acknowledgment and rushed up the mountain, using the vines for support. At the same time, he took the Silver Breath Mask and Spirit Silk Gloves from his Storage Bag and put them on. He then placed several Fire Series Talismans where he could easily reach them.

After walking for thirty seconds, Zhao Zuo saw the boulder and walked toward it without hesitation.

In three steps, he covered a distance of more than twenty meters. The Space around him twisted in an instant, revealing a deep, dark passage leading into the mountain. Zhao Zuo took out a Spirit Lamp and infused it with Mana, causing it to illuminate the surroundings for several meters.

"I’ve reached the entrance of the cave," Zhao Zuo said into the Communication Jade.

"Further inside is the Spirit Medicine Garden, then the study, and beyond that is the inner circle. Be careful of that Demonized Plant," Liu Heng replied almost instantly.

"Alright."

Zhao Zuo walked a few dozen more steps, and the environment suddenly opened up. The Spirit Medicine Garden was actually sunlit. ’Apparently, there’s some kind of advanced Illusion Array or mechanism at the top of the peak,’ he thought. ’Of course, it’s also possible that certain Techniques were used to alter the environment’s layout.’

The Spirit Medicine Garden was divided into roughly four areas, with a total size of about a hundred square meters. Not a single Spiritual Medicine could be seen; it had clearly been swept clean by Liu Heng and the others. The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi here was a bit denser than outside, but it couldn’t compare to a One-Tier Spirit Vein.

Zhao Zuo guessed that a Second Tier Spirit Vein might have been hidden here many years ago. Over time, however, the Spirit Vein had been gradually drained by the Array in the Cave Mansion, which eventually revealed the mansion’s location.

He casually took out a few Talismans and stuck them to his body, gripping the Black Flame Saber in his right hand. After a recent upgrade, the damage to the saber’s Spirit Patterns and blade had been perfectly restored.

He looked at the passage ahead, stopped... and froze for a moment.

In Zhao Zuo’s mind, the Qilin Seal began to vibrate faintly, as if warning him of the danger ahead. This was why he had stopped. He took the Soul-Shaking Bell from his Storage Bag, hung it at his waist, and slowly infused it with Mana, readying it for activation at a moment’s notice.

Then, he continued forward. The study floor was littered with tattered book pages, and a few scattered bamboo slips lay in a corner, their surfaces covered in mildew.

Due to the long passage of time, the air was filled with the unpleasant smell of rotting wood.

A skeleton draped in rags sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion in the study. Zhao Zuo guessed this wasn’t the master of the Cave Mansion, but rather a servant bound by a Master-Servant Contract. The moment the master perished, the servant would have lost his life as well.

’Perhaps Liu Heng had a lot to think about when he saw this corpse?’

The thought crossed Zhao Zuo’s mind as he left the study and moved toward the inner circle. He was extremely cautious with every step and movement, occasionally using Talismans and Magical Artifacts to check if the path was safe. The passage grew narrower, until only one person could pass at a time.

He had a feeling he was approaching the inner circle of the Cave Mansion—the living quarters of that Foundation Establishment Powerhouse. The most direct evidence was that the patterns on the walls and floor had become more exquisite and seemed to faintly gather Spiritual Power.

"I’m almost at the Inner Mansion. I’m going to test it out, but I’m ready to retreat at any moment."

Zhao Zuo said into his Communication Jade, then strode into the Inner Mansion. It was another Spirit Medicine Garden, only the Spiritual Power here was much denser, reaching the level of a One-Tier Spirit Vein.

In the distance, blood-colored, thorny vines enveloped an entire wall. Zhao Zuo guessed that Liu Heng and his companion were trapped in the Space on the other side of that wall, unable to leave.

The soil at his feet suddenly churned, and a blood-colored vine shot out. Its surface was covered with crimson barbs, looking utterly ferocious and terrifying. For some reason, the vine reminded Zhao Zuo of the bizarre, one-eyed, blood-colored giant egg he had seen in a dark cave.

It gave off the same ominous aura.

The blood-colored vine snaked toward Zhao Zuo’s ankle like a viper. He immediately stepped back, causing its initial attack to miss. Simultaneously, he flicked his wrist and stabbed downward, piercing straight through the vine. A light purple liquid flowed from the wound before quickly evaporating into the air.

Black Flame erupted, burning its way up the vine. The tendril twisted and struggled within the flames as if in extreme pain, but it burned very slowly. The next second, the ground roiled as dozens of wrist-thick, blood-colored vines burst from the soil!

They moved as if weaving a hunter’s web while also shooting out like incomparably sharp spears. In an instant, countless attacks rushed toward Zhao Zuo, with the ten thickest vines leading the charge.

Zhao Zuo felt a surge of pressure. He planted his feet firmly, his body erupting in a Golden Light. He swung his Black Flame Saber with all his might, carving a flaming arc of energy through the air. The next second, countless vines were severed, only to regrow within two seconds and rejoin the fight.

’This regenerative ability... it’s really something else.’

Zhao Zuo suddenly threw out several black jars. They shattered on impact, spilling greenish-brown oil across the ground, which was then ignited by the black flames. The entire Spirit Medicine Garden seemed to transform into a fiery Purgatory. The blood-colored vines twisted and struggled as the fire engulfed them.

He kept throwing out more jars of oil, feeding the inferno.

He occasionally threw out Wind Attribute Talismans to enhance the flames’ power. Zhao Zuo took a few steps back, his expression turning solemn as he gazed at the sea of fire before him. Upon realizing they couldn’t stop the flames, the blood-colored vines simply retreated underground. ’In other words,’ he thought, ’setting a fire... was useless.’

The fire gradually subsided to a level that was no longer lethal to a Cultivator, but the Demonized Plant did not extend its tentacles to attack again. This was the perfect time for an escape.

"I’ll provide cover from out here. Find a way to break through!" Zhao Zuo said.

"Okay!"

The white jade stone gate at the far end of his vision suddenly slid open. Two figures shrouded in Golden Light rushed out at incredible speed, their feet pounding on the charred earth and stamping out the few lingering flames.

The three quickly regrouped. Liu Heng was about to speak his thanks but was silenced by a look from Zhao Zuo.

"You two, go first."

Zhao Zuo glanced at the ground nearby. The blood-colored vines were emerging again; clearly, the plant didn’t want to let its two "nutrients" escape. But in the next moment, more jars of oil were smashed down, and the flames roared back to life.

He had no need to fight this Demonized Plant to the death. All he had to do was rendezvous with Liu Heng and leave.