Chapter 212: Chapter 210: Ancient Town
Six months later, a man and a panther stood at the edge of the forbidden land on Profound Island. Looking back the way they came, even the usually simple-minded Xiaohai was filled with emotion. It had been far from easy to make it out of there alive and unscathed!
Qin Li concealed his aura very well, but Xiaohai couldn’t. Such a powerful Spirit Beast walking into anyone’s territory would arouse immense suspicion and unease. Even those weaker than Xiaohai wouldn’t willingly let a stranger trespass on their land. A fight was often unavoidable.
If that were all, Qin Li and Xiaohai would have had nothing to fear. After more than a year of fighting together, their coordination was flawless. Whether in a frontal assault or a sneak attack, they were masters of their craft.
But the problem was, they weren’t the only ones with partners. The powerful Spirit Beasts in the forbidden land were intelligent. Normally, neighboring Spirit Beasts might not interact, but if an intruder appeared, they would quickly form an alliance!
Qin Li and Xiaohai had even encountered two Venerable Realm Spirit Beasts—a male and a female pair of giant white tigers. The two of them had nearly died under their attacks.
Those two giant white tigers not only possessed extremely high defense, but their attacks were also incredibly diverse. One could unleash lightning, while the other’s attacks carried intensely hot blue flames. Xiaohai’s attacks, on the other hand, were of the Ice Attribute. Over the past year, under Qin Li’s tutelage, it had learned many techniques like Ice Arrows and Ice Spikes, but its cultivation level was a whole stage lower than the tigers’.
In the end, unable to win, they could only choose to flee. The two giant white tigers pursued them for hundreds of miles, inflicting dozens of wounds on Xiaohai. If Qin Li hadn’t desperately protected it, the young Black Panther would have likely died in the jaws of those tigers, never getting its revenge or seeing a bustling human city.
Qin Li had many Healing Elixirs on him. He also fed Xiaohai an Essence Pill, causing its Spiritual Power to skyrocket and its Divine Sense to reach the Venerable Realm in one fell swoop.
After that, their situation improved. After all, when facing the aura of the Venerable Realm, neither of them would be at a disadvantage. They would fight if they could win, and run if they couldn’t.
And so, six months later, when the two of them walked out of the forest, their combat power had increased significantly. Inside Qin Li’s jam-packed ring, there were dozens more Spirit Beast Inner Cores!
The worst of the Spirit Beast Inner Cores were Celestial Level, while most of the rest were from the Celestial Shattering Realm. There were only a few from the Celestial Integration Realm. As for the Celestial Embracing Realm, there were none. It wasn’t that the two hadn’t killed Celestial Embracing Realm Spirit Beasts, but that their opponents had all chosen to self-destruct before dying!
With Qin Li and Xiaohai’s current strength, it was indeed no problem to kill a Celestial Embracing Realm beast by working together. However, preventing it from self-destructing by killing it instantly was practically impossible.
These Inner Cores became the things Xiaohai coveted most, and Qin Li naturally promised to let it have most of them to increase its strength.
Because with Qin Li’s current meridians, his accumulation of Spiritual Power was much faster than before. He didn’t even need the large number of Spirit Stones in his ring, let alone these Spirit Beast Inner Cores.
To Qin Li’s surprise, perhaps because there were too many good things inside his Storage Ring, the Spiritual Qi within was exceptionally rich. Most of the Spirit Flowers and Herbs he had gathered were planted inside, and then, the White Jade Lotus that Qin Li had already eaten... had actually grown a new bud!
Although he didn’t know when it would bloom, this was already a huge surprise for Qin Li!
If eating the red Vermilion Fruit had been an agony that made Qin Li wish for death, then the White Jade Lotus was a pleasure so intense it felt like ascending to the heavens!
Qin Li even suspected that when he broke through to the third layer of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, Only I am Venerable technique, the power of the White Jade Lotus had played a crucial role!
Otherwise, he might have died the moment the Dantian Qi Vortex exploded!
In any case, they had successfully escaped. In a year and a half, Xiaohai’s body had grown from three meters to four, its appearance far more mature than before. Its aura was majestic and imposing.
"Let’s go!" Qin Li determined their direction was east and set off with Xiaohai. Xiaohai had been trying to learn how to restrain its aura, but not with much success. Besides, a panther of its appearance was terrifying on sight, with its near-perfect physique, limbs brimming with explosive power, ferocious eyes, and savage, sharp fangs... Only in front of Qin Li would Xiaohai act like a spoiled cat, often rubbing its massive head against his legs.
And so, after another ten-odd days, the two finally arrived at an ancient town one morning.
The early morning mist had not yet dissipated, shrouding the town in a hazy veil. The town was quaint and ancient; its green bricks looked to be at least a thousand years old!
A small stream flowed past the front of the town. The water was clear, and fish swam playfully within it. Wisps of smoke from kitchen chimneys rose from some of the houses, mingling with the hazy mist as they drifted slowly into the sky.
"This is where humans live?" Xiaohai’s yellow panther eyes darted back and forth, its fangs slightly bared as it spoke. "It doesn’t seem as good as the forest!"
"Haha, you haven’t seen the bustling places yet. This is probably just a town where ordinary people live," Qin Li said casually.
Suddenly, an extremely powerful aura rose from within the town. A figure shot toward Qin Li and Xiaohai like a bolt of lightning. Emerging from the mist was an old man in his seventies, dressed in a green robe. His face was kind, and he didn’t look particularly old, with few wrinkles. Yet, his eyes held a hint of vigilance as he looked at the man and the panther.
"May I ask where you have come from, friend, and what brings you here?" The old man didn’t look down on Qin Li for his youth. On the contrary, he asked politely with a cupped-fist salute. The aura emanating from the panther was simply too astonishing! Although it looked like it was trying very hard to restrain it, he had still sensed it.
"You’re too kind, senior. We’re just passing through by chance and wanted to ask you about something," Qin Li replied, also saluting politely with cupped hands.
"Oh." The old man visibly relaxed, his expression turning friendlier. He asked, "This area is wild and sparsely populated. What is it you wish to ask, young man?"
"I’d like to ask how far Fengsha City is from here and how to get there. And how far is the Four Seasons Valley, and how do I get there?"
The old man was slightly taken aback. These two names weren’t unfamiliar to him, but it was rare for anyone to mention them here. After a moment of thought, the old man said ponderously, "Fengsha City is about fifteen hundred li from here, to the northeast. As for the Four Seasons Valley... that’s over two thousand li to the southeast. The two places are not on the same path."
"Mm, I know. Well, thank you, senior. I have a ferocious Spirit Beast with me, so I won’t go in and disturb you. Farewell!" Qin Li said with a slight smile.
By now, the old man could also see that this heroic-looking youth was not a bad person, so he kindly warned, "Neither of those places is very peaceful right now. If you don’t have urgent business there, young man, it would be best not to go!"
"Hm? Senior, what happened in those two places?" Qin Li immediately grew anxious upon hearing this. A year and a half had passed in a flash; it was no wonder he was worried.
"Why don’t you come to my home for a chat, young man? Haha, there’s no need to rush. I can see you’re not a bad person, just travel-worn. Why not come to my home? I happen to have some fragrant muntjac deer meat that I hunted a few days ago. It’s quite a delicacy."
Hearing the old man’s invitation, Qin Li hesitated for a moment and glanced at Xiaohai beside him.
The old man smiled and shook his head. "It’s no matter. Most people here are simple, ordinary folk. Very few would recognize a Black Gold Divine Leopard, and they certainly wouldn’t be gossips."
’Black Gold Divine Leopard?’ Qin Li glanced at Xiaohai, who had a smug expression on its face. ’Isn’t it just a Black Panther?’ he thought. ’What’s so divine about it?’
The old man, however, didn’t know what Qin Li was thinking. Otherwise, he would have definitely argued the point with him. Because in the forbidden land not far from here, the family of Black Gold Divine Leopards was, according to legend, one of the most powerful factions! Their presence was a staple in many of the legends about Spirit Beasts on Profound Island!
Upon arriving at the old man’s home, Qin Li saw that no one else was there. The old man’s name was Xu Gui. According to him, he had retired here to cultivate. As for his realm, the old man didn’t say, and Qin Li didn’t ask. He didn’t even use his Innate Purple Qi to probe, as that would be extremely rude. In any case, the old man’s strength was likely no lower than the Celestial Embracing Realm.
The old man was indeed a skilled cook. He prepared a few small dishes that were perfect in color, aroma, and taste. Qin Li ate with high praise. The two men raised their cups and drank together while Xiaohai lay outside, cultivating. It still needed to refine the Celestial Level Inner Core it had just consumed.
"Young man, you seem to have some connection to those two places. Sigh, to be honest with you, I was in the city a while ago and happened to hear about two things. The first is that the Qin Family of Fengsha City is currently in a crisis. They seem to have developed a brand-new Elixir, one that can dramatically increase a person’s Spiritual Power. For example, if a ninth-stage Celestial Level Martial Artist takes it, their Spiritual Power can surge to the Celestial Shattering Realm!"
The old man sighed as he spoke, "That is truly a Top-Grade Elixir! Just think, if a Celestial Embracing Realm Martial Artist took it, even if they couldn’t gain the Spiritual Power of the Venerable Realm, it would still greatly increase their chances of a successful breakthrough! At the very least, the chances of a Heart Demon appearing would be much, much lower!"
"The Qin Family... actually developed such an Elixir?" Qin Li was shocked. ’The Qin Family’s foundation is truly profound!’ he thought with amazement.
"Indeed. The Qin Family is a clan passed down from the Ancient Era. Their Elixirs have always been famous!" the old man exclaimed.
"Then, how did word of this get out? Logically, news of a new medicine like this shouldn’t have spread so quickly!" Qin Li frowned. What he feared most was his parents getting caught up in this.
