NABC 554. Summit of Fog Mountain
554. Summit of Fog Mountain
The timing of the mist mountain event is actually fixed, a fact that both Xiao Yan's and Ling Zhuo's sides are now well aware of. Therefore, Cao Ying arrived precisely on time, and the five of them waited together for only half a day before the final mist mountain finally appeared completely before their eyes.
The sky above the Pill Realm suddenly ripped apart, as if an ancient behemoth had opened its single, scarlet eye. Grayish-white clouds were torn into shredded fragments by an invisible force, and deafening roars echoed from the spatial rifts, like the breath of a colossal god awakened from an ancient slumber. The entire misty mountain, enveloped in viscous, liquid-like grayish-white fog, crashed down.
The rugged mountain ridge resembles the spine of a coiled dragon, with each fold flowing with condensed gray mist. Such a massive commotion is impossible to ignore once it appears in sight.
Seeing the imposing presence of the last misty mountain, the group couldn't help but exclaim, "No wonder it's the highlight of the Pill Gathering!"
"It's huge."
"Alright, while they haven't quite reacted yet, let's finish this quickly and take the herbs off them as soon as possible, lest things get complicated."
The group then ventured into the mountain together. Xiao Yan stayed close to Yao Qingyu, his soul power completely protecting her. It was safest for Yao Qingyu to stay with the team, as Ling Zhuo might suddenly appear in this last misty mountain.
On the way, Wei Jiangyuan suddenly smiled at Cao Ying and said, "Miss Cao Ying, what if there are still Nine-Jointed Green Bamboo Hearts inside this Misty Mountain? Then your plan will fall through. What will you do then?"
"To be precise, Ling Zhuo's plan failed, and I'm glad you were able to find Ying'er yourselves," Cao Ying corrected. "As for me, in the end, I can only leave it to you. I believe that once you find the Nine-Section Green Bamboo Heart, you won't make things difficult for a weak woman like me, will you?"
"Hehehe." Wei Jiangyuan suddenly made a threatening gesture as if he were slashing across Ling Zhuo's neck: "If we can break Ling Zhuo's arm before the Pill Gathering begins, it's a sure thing."
"Ying'er can tell that Young Master Wei is a man who cherishes women and trusts them."
Wei Jiangyuan glanced at Yao Qingyu, who was clearly displeased with his performance and immediately refused, saying, "Then you're quite inaccurate in judging people."
Cao Ying remained silent, only covering her mouth and chuckling softly a few times. They could all understand the teasing tone, and Wei Jiangyuan would not actually harm Cao Ying, who had helped him before.
As they hurried on their way, they made their way into the mountains at a fast pace. However, Xiao Yan noticed that this largest mist mountain was different from the previous mist mountains, as there were no herbs scattered along the way.
They climbed the mountain without gaining anything, but instead attracted a large number of magical beasts. However, to minimize conflict, these beasts had already revealed their soul power, and being placed in this last misty mountain meant they were no ordinary beings. They were quite cooperative, not actively disturbing Xiao Yan and his group.
Wei Jiangyuan also commented, "It seems this is the arrangement for the last misty mountain. The best things are all at the summit, and only the strongest person has the opportunity to obtain them."
With the acceleration of his soul power, Lei Jingxiao increased his speed again, proudly declaring, "And we are the strongest force in this Pill Gathering! Charge!"
Seeing Lei Jingxiao's appearance, the others smiled subconsciously and followed closely behind Lei Jingxiao, who was running ahead.
The five of them ascended rapidly. Although their fighting spirit was completely suppressed, their physical strength remained, and they could still utilize their soul power. Their speed was also extremely fast, and the summit was soon in sight.
Xiao Yan cautiously called for them to stop, and Lei Jingxiao asked in confusion, "Big brother, what's wrong?"
Xiao Yan looked around somewhat uncertainly: "I feel something's wrong, it's too quiet."
"Our journey seems a little too smooth." Wei Jiangyuan narrowed his eyes, his soul perception spreading out: "We haven't encountered a single obstacle on the way up the mountain, and there hasn't been a single disturbance..."
Lei Jingxiao replied, "Could it be that I'm too strong? After all, those magical beasts should be able to sense a Spirit Realm soul."
Cao Ying had already discerned what Xiao Yan and Wei Jiangyuan were worried about: "But there's not a sound of fighting at all. Could it be that the others who have been climbing the mountain have the same strength as us? Monsters have a very strong sense of territory."
"Then shall we not go up?"
Xiao Yan shook his head: "Of course we still have to go, but we need someone to scout ahead."
Xiao Yan then exchanged a glance with Wei Jiangyuan, who shrugged and said, "Go ahead. I'm better suited for retreating than you. If anything happens, I can take Qingyu away first, but you must give me a signal in advance."
Xiao Yan nodded, and then led Lei Jingxiao and Cao Ying to continue upwards.
As he drew closer, Xiao Yan's soul perception told him that an extremely powerful magical beast existed on the mountaintop. Within the Misty Mountains, magical beasts were unrestrained, making them far more difficult to deal with than those outside.
So he also reminded the two of them, "We'll act according to the situation. If that guy attacks us first, we'll try to kill him together. Miss Cao Ying, are you alright?"
Cao Ying blinked and said modestly, "I will try my best not to hold Mr. Xiao Yan back."
With their final decision made, the three of them rushed to the summit without stopping, where they found a vast area cultivating herbs. Beneath the translucent, milky-white rock layers flowed azure spiritual liquid, and over a hundred rare herbs of various shapes were scattered like stars. The outermost Crimson Flame Fruits had naturally formed phoenix feather patterns on their fiery red surface; the Nine-Heart Ice Lotuses in the middle section had petals covered in millennia-old frost crystals; and the core area's Nine-Section Green Bamboo was sculpted entirely like jade.
Xiao Yan was overjoyed to see this. There were actually two nine-sectioned green bamboos in this final misty mountain, and judging by their appearance, they were likely over a thousand years old. The very core section in the center of the nine sections emitted a golden light—that was the heart of the nine-sectioned green bamboo!
The entire medicinal field was enveloped by a rune array composed of sixty-four ancient bronze inscriptions. These runes were not static, but rather moved along specific trajectories like living things. Each intersection triggered visible ripples in the soul, already demonstrating its protective power even before it was activated.
A typical misty mountain is protected by only ten runes, but here there are more than sixty. It truly deserves to be called a highlight of the Pill Realm.
Seeing this, Lei Jingxiao's eyes lit up with joy, and he rushed straight towards the herb garden.
Just after Lei Jingxiao rushed out, the aura of the demonic beast that Xiao Yan had vaguely sensed suddenly appeared, and a terrifying dragon's might spread out along with the aura.
"There's a dragon here?"