Chapter 164: Three-Leaf Sacred Qi Grass
The black monster was walking across the ground, searching for the next Three-Leaf Sacred Qi Grass.
Suddenly, it stopped, letting out a mournful howl. Cracks appeared in the carapace on its body, and bright electric light burst forth from within.
"Boom!"
With a loud crash, the black monster's body shattered into pieces, turning into chunks of charred flesh that flew in all directions.
Electric light flickered over each piece of charred flesh, black smoke rising from them.
A powerful underground barbarian beast had died, utterly and completely.
"Whoosh!"
Zhang Ruochen flew out from the Time-Space Crystal and landed on the ground. He had barely taken a breath of air when a sharp pain shot through his abdomen, a roar echoed in his head, and he felt dizzy and lightheaded.
The toxicity of the miasma in the air was several times more concentrated than elsewhere. Even with the Poison-Blocking Pearl on him, he could not resist the miasma's poison.
"Space-Time Domain!"
Zhang Ruochen released his Space-Time Domain, controlling it within a ten-meter radius to block the miasma outside.
He put a Detoxification Pill into his mouth and mobilized his Jade Pure True Qi, circulating it through his body for three cycles, finally refining the miasma he had just inhaled.
Color returned to Zhang Ruochen's face. He let out a long breath and said, "Such a powerful poisonous miasma. If it were another Martial Warrior at the Mysterious Extreme Great Pole Position, one breath would definitely knock them unconscious, leaving them to die here."
Even a Martial Warrior at the Mysterious Extreme Great Perfection who barged in here would die without a special treasure to resist the miasma.
The black monster had been torn into charred, broken pieces by the power of the Thunder Pearl. Among the pile of remains, Zhang Ruochen caught a faint scent of meat.
Following the aroma, he searched for its source.
Zhang Ruochen stopped before the black monster's charcoal-like corpse, drew the Snow Dragon Sword, and split open the hard, black outer shell.
"Whoosh!"
A rich, meaty fragrance wafted out from the charred remains.
Through the crack Zhang Ruochen had made, white light shone out. A piece of spirit meat, white as jade, emitted a soft glow.
Zhang Ruochen dug out that piece of spirit meat. It was as large as a human head, weighing fifteen jin, crystalline and translucent, with a strong aroma. It was like fine jade inside a stone, without a single impurity.
"The spirit meat from a third-rank barbarian beast is indeed more spiritual than that from a second-rank beast. If I consume it, the effect will surely be better."
Zhang Ruochen took out a jade container, placed the piece of spirit meat inside, and sealed it for preservation.
Spirit meat also varied in quality. The spirit meat nurtured within a third-rank barbarian beast had a better taste, richer spiritual energy, and greater benefits for Martial Warriors.
On the market, one jin of spirit meat from a third-rank barbarian beast was worth ten times, or even dozens of times, more than that from a second-rank beast.
Using the Space-Time Domain to envelop his body, Zhang Ruochen began searching for Three-Leaf Sacred Qi Grass.
Soon, a hundred meters away, in a narrow crevice in the rock, he found a Three-Leaf Sacred Qi Grass emitting a white radiance.
He dug up that Three-Leaf Sacred Qi Grass and carefully placed it into a jade box he had prepared earlier.
Three-Leaf Sacred Qi Grass could only be found where Half-Saints or Saints had fallen.
The power of Half-Saints and Saints was extremely formidable. Even a thousand years after their fall, their Sacred Qi would not dissipate.
In places where Half-Saints and Saints had fallen, the Sacred Qi merged into the soil. Over time, through natural gestation, Three-Leaf Sacred Qi Grass could grow.
What made Three-Leaf Sacred Qi Grass more precious than other spiritual medicines was that it could be consumed directly to enhance a Martial Warrior's cultivation and strengthen their physical body.
Zhang Ruochen did not rush to consume it. Instead, he continued to dig up other Three-Leaf Sacred Qi Grass.
He had to gather all the Three-Leaf Sacred Qi Grass before other students arrived.
"This place is already deep within the Red Void Secret Mansion. They shouldn't be able to get here so quickly."
Centered around that underground mountain, quite a few Three-Leaf Sacred Qi Grass had grown. Just on the outskirts, Zhang Ruochen had collected eight plants, taking nearly an hour.
To gather more Three-Leaf Sacred Qi Grass, he would have to venture deeper into the mountain.
Zhang Ruochen looked up at the mountain. Multicolored miasma enveloped the entire peak, obscuring its full view. He could only make out a vague outline.
Vaguely, Zhang Ruochen sensed an extremely dangerous aura emanating from deep within the mountain, making him shiver involuntarily.
He took out the tattered beast-hide map, spread it on the ground, and studied it carefully.
The beast-hide map had fallen from Lang Xin. It was unclear how he had obtained it, but it was covered with scattered sketches of the Red Void Secret Mansion's terrain. The map was incomplete, with some areas not recorded on it.
After some research, Zhang Ruochen finally determined his location. He pointed a finger at a spot on the map and said, "I should be here now... Ghost Mist Mountain!"
The map had a note about Ghost Mist Mountain, with a line of small text below: "Ghost Mist Mountain, the place where Cloud Gold Half-Saint fell. The Half-Saint died in battle, his body falling to form a mountain. His blood energy turned into ghost mist, lingering for five hundred years without dispersing."
Zhang Ruochen was somewhat moved. He looked into the distance again, his heart trembling slightly. "No wonder a mountain appeared underground. It's the tomb of a Half-Saint."
That Cloud Gold Half-Saint had been an extremely powerful figure. Five hundred years ago, he had fallen in battle against a Four-Winged Earth Dragon. His corpse fell to the ground, directly transforming into a mountain. His blood energy had spread out, forming the perennial ghost mist miasma.
"Could some strange creature be born in the place where a Half-Saint fell?"
Zhang Ruochen put away the tattered beast-hide map and stared at the distant Ghost Mist Mountain, hesitating.
If Zhang Ruochen's cultivation had reached the Heavenly Extreme Realm, he would have unhesitatingly charged into Ghost Mist Mountain to search for the treasures left by the Half-Saint. But now, at the Mysterious Extreme Great Pole Position, barging into Ghost Mist Mountain was almost no different from seeking death.
Just then, two students from the Northern Academy rushed toward Ghost Mist Mountain.
Yue Linchong, ranked seventh in the Northern Academy, looked to be in his early twenties. He had thick, dark eyebrows and a sturdy, powerful build. Holding a beast-hide map in his hand, he said with great delight, "Han Mei, according to the map, ahead is Ghost Mist Mountain, where Cloud Gold Half-Saint fell. Many Three-Leaf Sacred Qi Grass grow on Ghost Mist Mountain. If we can take them all, it would be equivalent to years of hard cultivation."
Lu Han, ranked tenth in the Northern Academy, had fair skin and a standard oval face. Though not as beautiful as Huang Yanchen or Duanmu Xingling, she was still a striking beauty. Many talented students in the Northern Academy pursued her.
To win Lu Han's heart, Yue Linchong had told her the secret of Ghost Mist Mountain.
The two had come to Ghost Mist Mountain together, planning to pick Three-Leaf Sacred Qi Grass.
If they obtained the Three-Leaf Sacred Qi Grass, even if they entered the Martial Market Academy's Inner Palace, they could become experts there.
"I've already prepared the highest-grade Poison-Blocking Pearls. They are ten times more effective than ordinary ones. If you hold one in your mouth, it's enough to resist the miasma of Ghost Mist Mountain."
Lu Han took out two white Poison-Blocking Pearls, placed one between her rosy lips, and handed the other to Yue Linchong.
Yue Linchong took the Poison-Blocking Pearl and looked toward Ghost Mist Mountain. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed, and he said coldly, "Someone has arrived before us. They've already taken the Three-Leaf Sacred Qi Grass from the outskirts."
Lu Han saw Zhang Ruochen's back standing in the miasma in the distance. She drew a slender battle sword, her eyes sharpening, and shouted lightly, "Who are you? Hand over the Three-Leaf Sacred Qi Grass, and I might spare your life, considering we're both students of the Martial Market Academy."
Yue Linchong took the barbarian bone battle bow from his back, nocked a chariot-breaking arrow onto the string, drew the bow, and aimed the arrowhead at Zhang Ruochen, who was a hundred and fifty paces away.
Zhang Ruochen turned around, glanced at Yue Linchong and Lu Han, and said, "The Three-Leaf Sacred Qi Grass grows here. It wasn't planted by you, so why should I hand it over to you?"
Yue Linchong squinted slightly. "It's you? You're the top newcomer of the Fourth Academy, Zhang Ruochen?"
"You know me?" Zhang Ruochen searched his memory but found he did not recognize Yue Linchong.
Yue Linchong said, "Two months ago, I went to the Western Academy with the Northern Academy's newcomers and saw your fight on the challenge platform. With your strength back then, you should have been able to contend with Xuan List Martial Warriors. Hand over the Three-Leaf Sacred Qi Grass, and I'll let you leave."
"Why waste words with him? Even if he is Zhang Ruochen, so what? We're in the Red Void Secret Mansion now. If we kill him, the academy's elders won't know." Lu Han stared at the jade box in Zhang Ruochen's hand, a sharp killing intent flashing in her eyes.
Neither Yue Linchong nor Lu Han were Xuan List Martial Warriors. If they hadn't broken through to the Earth Extreme Realm, they would definitely not be Zhang Ruochen's match.
But when they entered the Red Void Secret Mansion, they had broken through to the Earth Extreme Realm.
With their current strength, they naturally wouldn't take Zhang Ruochen seriously.
Hearing Lu Han's words, a cold glint also appeared in Yue Linchong's eyes. He loosened his fingers, and the chariot-breaking arrow on the bowstring let out a piercing whistle. Like a fireball, it dragged a long tail and shot rapidly toward Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen frowned. He immediately executed the Wind-Riding Flying Dragon Shadow, shifting seven steps to the right to dodge the chariot-breaking arrow.
"Boom!"
The chariot-breaking arrow struck the ground behind Zhang Ruochen, blasting a large crater. The inscriptions on the arrowhead released a great amount of flame, setting the surrounding ground ablaze.
Just as Yue Linchong fired the arrow, Lu Han charged forward, her speed reaching sixty-six meters per second.
In just three seconds, she was in front of Zhang Ruochen. Dragging a cold sword aura, she thrust her sword toward his heart.
Zhang Ruochen sank his legs to stabilize his body, gripped his sword with both hands, and executed a move, "Heart Severing Flow."
"Clang!"
The Snow Dragon Sword, carrying an extreme chill, struck Lu Han's sword edge, deflecting her attack to the side.
Lu Han was slightly startled. She kicked off the ground, bent her slender legs slightly, leaped into the air, spun once, and thrust out seventeen sword lights, aiming for all of Zhang Ruochen's vital points.