Immortality Cultivation

Chapter 269: Black Dragon Mountain Range

Fang Hao moved through the shadows of the forest like a silent ghost.

He did not immediately head into the depths of the mountain range; instead, using the tree hollow as his center, he cautiously explored the area for several dozen miles outward.

On one hand, it was to familiarize himself with the surrounding environment and look for potential dangers and resources; on the other hand, he wanted to see if he could find any clues about the Black Dragon Mountain Range, or... traces of the Sun Family’s pursuit.

After advancing to the Late Golden Core Stage, especially after his Divine Soul was nourished by Chaos Qi, his Divine Sense exploration range increased significantly, and his perception of the surrounding environment became much sharper.

He avoided several areas exuding the aura of powerful Demon Beasts, and also detoured around some places that clearly showed signs of human activity but had a strange atmosphere and dense Evil Qi.

In a hidden mountain stream, he killed a third-rank Early Stage "Iron-Backed Yao Wolf" and took its Yao core, fur, and claws.

Although this Yao Wolf was fierce, it had almost no power to fight back against Fang Hao, whose strength had greatly increased and whose Physical Body was formidable, and its head was shattered by a heavy punch containing Chaos Spiritual Power.

This gave him a clearer understanding of his current strength—ordinary Early Stage Golden Core Demon Beasts were no longer a match for him in a single exchange.

He also discovered some low-grade Spiritual Plants, most of which he recognized; they were not very old, but better than nothing, so he picked them along the way.

However, he did not find any particularly precious Heaven And Earth Treasure; it seemed this outer region of the mountain range had already been repeatedly scavenged by countless adventurers.

However, in several rock crevices and at the roots of ancient trees, he did find some special Ore; the texture was hard, carrying a faint, strange aura of darkness and sharpness.

He recognized these as "Black Iron Ore" and "Sharp Metal Stone," common Materials for refining certain Yin-attribute or sharp Magical Artifacts and Puppet joints; the quality was average, but the quantity was decent.

He unceremoniously collected them; even mosquito legs are meat, and repairing "Old Jin" and the "silver light shuttle" required a large amount of Materials.

"It seems that the good things are all in the deeper parts of the mountain range, or in those dangerous Forbidden Lands and ruins," Fang Hao thought to himself.

But he was not in a hurry to go deeper; the immediate priority was to thoroughly understand this land and obtain sufficient intelligence.

One day, he arrived at a relatively open valley area.

This seemed to be a temporary, spontaneously formed gathering point for Cultivators, or rather, a crude supply, trading, and information exchange location before entering the depths of the Black Dragon Mountain Range.

In the valley, some crude wooden houses, stone houses, and even simple tents were scattered about.

Various Cultivators moved among them, most with fierce auras, vigilant eyes, and carrying more or less the scent of blood and Evil Qi.

There were lone travelers and small groups of three or five.

Their cultivation levels ranged from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core, and occasionally, one could even sense one or two obscure yet powerful auras, suggesting that Cultivators at the Late Golden Core Stage or even Perfection might be present.

Fang Hao restrained his aura, disguised himself as an ordinary Early Stage Golden Core Loose Cultivator, and blended into the crowd.

He first circled the perimeter, observing the Cultivators here and listening to their conversations.

"...Damn it, another team died over at Black Wind Cave. I heard not even their bones were left, just a pool of blood..."

"...Hey, a few days ago, someone found a nearly mature ’Yin Soul Grass’ near ’Dragon Fall Ravine’. Now several groups are eyeing it, and I heard people from the Black Fiend Society went there too..."

"...It hasn’t been peaceful in the mountains lately. Besides those Demon Beasts and natural dangerous places, it seems there are more unfamiliar faces, acting all sneaky..."

"...Have you heard? Over in the Mingling Empire, it seems a major power is offering a bounty to find someone. The bounty is shockingly high. It seems they are looking for a young Cultivator named... Ning something? It’s said he has a heavy treasure on him!"

"Shh! Keep your voice down! Do you have a death wish? You dare to gossip about the Sun Family’s business? How could we possibly get involved in the affairs of such a major power? Just honestly find your Spiritual Plants and hunt your Demon Beasts!"

"Hehe, just saying. But that bounty is really high. If one were to run into him..."

"Run into him? Keep dreaming! Anyone who can make the Sun Family offer such a high bounty can’t be a pushover. Don’t end up losing your life without even getting the treasure! I advise you, if you see an unfamiliar face, especially one who is young, has unknown strength, or is injured, stay far away! This Black Dragon Mountain Range eats people and doesn’t even spit out the bones!"

Hearing terms like "Sun Family," "bounty," and "Fang Hao," Fang Hao’s heart tightened slightly, but his face remained calm.

As expected, the Sun Family’s reach had already extended here.

He became secretly vigilant, restrained his aura even deeper, and at the same time listened carefully for more information.

Besides the snippets about the Sun Family’s bounty, he also heard many discussions about the inner regions of the Black Dragon Mountain Range.

"The Poison Flood Dragon in Poison Dragon Pool seems to have laid eggs again recently; the ’Poison-Avoiding Flower’ by the pool will definitely go up in price again..."

"’Ghost Cry Ridge’ area has been having particularly heavy Yin Qi lately. I heard ghosts are appearing, but the ’Yin Soul Stone’ inside is also a good thing..."

"If you want to get rich, you have to go to the ’Valley of Buried Soldiers’. If you’re lucky and pick up a broken ancient treasure, you’ll be rich! But that place is evil; if ten go in, it’s good if three come out..."

"’Black Dragon Abyss’? That is a Forbidden Land among Forbidden Lands! It is said that an ancient Black Dragon really fell inside, the Evil Qi is sky-high, and even a Nascent Soul Ancestor wouldn’t dare say they could retreat unscathed after entering! Unless one has a death wish, who would touch that place?"

Information about various place names, dangerous lands, Demon Beasts, and Heaven And Earth Treasure flooded into Fang Hao’s ears.

This Black Dragon Mountain Range was indeed vast and dangerous, divided into many different regions, each with its own dangers and its own opportunities.

He noticed that in the center of the valley, there was a crude platform built with huge stones, where seven or eight Cultivators with strong auras, at least at the Middle Golden Core Stage or higher, were standing or sitting.

They seemed to be a small group, whispering to each other, and other Cultivators around them subconsciously kept a certain distance, their eyes filled with awe and wariness.

Fang Hao’s heart stirred; he pretended to be nonchalant and approached, wanting to hear what they were saying.

Relying on his powerful Divine Soul perception, he faintly caught some fragments.

"...The Black Fiend Society’s move this time is not small. Even ’Blood Butcher’ has come out in person; it seems they are determined to get that ’Yin Soul Grass’."

"That madman Blood Butcher... Perfected Golden Core, kills without blinking, can’t afford to provoke him. Let’s just go to the outskirts of the ’Valley of Buried Soldiers’ to try our luck. I heard the Evil Qi fluctuations there have been a bit abnormal recently; something might be about to emerge..."

"That’s fine. By the way, it seems many more people have been entering and leaving the mountain range recently. Besides those looking for the bounty, there seem to be a few groups of unknown identity but strong strength also wandering in the mountains, seemingly looking for something..."

"Who knows? In this damn place, which day do people not die? Just mind your own business. Old rules, gather at the valley entrance in three days."

Fang Hao silently noted keywords like "Black Fiend Society," "Blood Butcher," "Valley of Buried Soldiers," and "Yin Soul Grass."

The waters of this Black Dragon Mountain Range were even deeper than he had imagined. Besides natural dangers and Demon Beasts, various vicious Cultivator forces were entrenched here.

On the edge of the valley, in a relatively quiet corner, he saw an old Cultivator with gray hair and only Late Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation, setting up a small stall to sell some simple maps he had drawn of the outer regions of the Black Dragon Mountain Range, as well as some common low-grade Spiritual Plants and Demon Beast Materials.

This old Cultivator looked weathered, but his eyes were still clear, unlike those desperate criminals full of Evil Qi.

Fang Hao walked over, squatted down, and flipped through those crudely made maps.

The maps were very rudimentary, only marking some general mountain terrain trends, known dangerous areas (such as the approximate locations of Poison Dragon Pool, Ghost Cry Ridge, etc.), and a few fixed temporary gathering points, but for Fang Hao, who had just arrived, they were still somewhat useful.

"Fellow Daoist, how much for this map?" Fang Hao picked up a relatively more detailed one and asked in a hoarse voice.

The old Cultivator glanced at him and saw an unfamiliar young Golden Core (Fang Hao’s disguise), whose aura was not weak but not strong, and whose eyes were vigilant but not vicious, so he held up three fingers: "Three Low-Grade Spirit Stones, or equivalent Demon Beast Materials or Spiritual Plants."