Chapter 415: Chapter 381: Found a Cat
Everyone knows of the existence of the Maze Valley, but few know where its entrance is, as everyone who enters the Maze Valley does so by accident.
Therefore, once someone leaves, it’s hard to find that entrance again.
Most people who enter the Maze Valley can come out alive, as long as they’re not too reckless or overly curious, there’s generally no danger to life.
But even so, the Maze Valley is a forbidden place in Longchuan Canyon, and when it was first discovered, many people wanted to explore it out of curiosity.
Gradually, fewer people were interested.
Why would anyone want to go to such a dangerous place with no benefits?
Gradually, the Maze Valley became just a place name, only occasionally someone would get lost and enter, but most would come out alive.
As for what the Maze Valley is.
Most would say it’s a labyrinth; once you walk in, you can’t find direction or an end to the path, you keep walking without seeing the end, until you collapse from exhaustion.
Then when you awaken, after a few steps, you’re out.
It’s understandable for one person to say this, but when many people describe it the same way, it’s unsettling. Though the reason is unknown, the Maze Valley is home to Celestial Essence Fruit trees, a secret that is astounding enough.
However, those who know this secret are the descendants of Mr. Wuhen, and they have always kept it.
"The entrance was revealed by a mythical creature to our ancestor; every time the ancestor entered, it was through this entrance." The three arrived at a valley, where the mist was so thick they couldn’t see the path beneath their feet and had to get off their horses.
"Be sure to follow my footsteps here. Although it’s not dangerous, if you take a wrong step, it’ll be hard to find your way back," Mu Yun advised.
"Let’s tie a rope around our waists; it’ll make it harder to get lost," Lin Miao suggested.
"Good idea."
Given that they came to explore the Maze Valley, they were well-prepared, with sufficient ropes. A climbing rope over ten meters long was used to tie the three together, spaced two to three meters apart.
As they entered the mist, their visibility was only three to five meters.
Lin Miao released his spiritual sense, observing with his heart rather than his eyes, memorizing the route Mu Yun took and noting some landmarks along the way.
Although Mu Yun’s daughter was in their hands, one couldn’t be too cautious.
Mu Yun was familiar with the path and moved quickly, as he had been here just over two months ago.
About half an hour later.
Lin Miao noticed the mist ahead gradually dispersing, revealing a pitch-black forest to the three of them.
"The forest ahead is called Black Needle Forest. Whatever you do, don’t touch the leaves. They’re incredibly sharp, and if they pierce your skin, they secrete a toxin that instantly paralyzes your nerves. If you lose consciousness here and no one rescues you, you’ll become the nourishment for these trees," Mu Yun warned. "It’s best to wear a hood."
Lin Miao and Baili Yuyao exchanged a glance: "Let’s listen to Mrs. Mu Yun."
After putting on their protective gear, Lin Miao and Baili Yuyao closely followed Mu Yun into the Black Needle Forest. Lin Miao was quite intrigued by these trees that could cause unconsciousness, after all, he had never seen such miraculous trees, at least not on Earth.
When the opportunity arises, he must collect some to take back for research.
For now, it’s best to follow Mu Yun and find those two Celestial Essence Fruit trees first.
The three carefully treaded on the leaf-covered ground. Though much of the needle leaves had rotted away, it didn’t mean they weren’t still toxic. Lin Miao discovered that when his foot sank into the ground, some particles and a scent came up.
All three were wearing protective masks.
In such a sunless place, miasma can be terrifying; some forms of it are colorless and odorless, catching people off guard.
This section of Black Needle Forest was roughly seven to eight hundred meters long. Once through it, a glimpse of green appeared in sight.
"Mr. Lin, Miss Yuyao, we’ve arrived. Just on the cliff ahead, there’s a crack leading in. That’s where the Celestial Essence Fruit trees truly grow, but a mythical creature guards there. Last time I came, I entered from another direction. I’ve never gone through the crack, so I don’t know if that creature still recognizes our Mu Family’s bloodline," Mu Yun said.
"Where is the Celestial Essence Fruit tree your ancestor moved?" Lin Miao asked.
Mu Yun pointed towards another spot in avoidance, saying: "There’s a cave that leads in there, but after the ancestor transplanted the Celestial Essence Fruit, he blocked it off inside, making it impossible to reach deeper through that cave. The only way in now is through the large crack. That crack is insurmountable for ordinary people but not for martial artists; it’s just that no one knows about it."
Indeed, this is a clever way to hide something.
When you see a cave and a crack on the cliff, most would naturally choose to enter through the cave. Who wouldn’t want to explore a cave?
Why force your way through a crack?
Moreover, inside the cave is what they desire. Even if they ponder whether there might be another Celestial Essence Fruit or other treasures?
People are inherently lazy; once they have obtained something, their motivation decreases naturally.
"Let’s go over there." Baili Yuyao estimated the distance; both the cave entrance and the crevice were quite far from the ground, at least over a hundred meters, with the crevice being even higher.
"Be careful, as we proceed, we must pass through the territory of a beast. It’s a black panther, very fast. Last time we came, we followed Mr. Liang from Heaven-Dominating Tower; otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to get through."
"Did those who entered the mystic valley before encounter this black panther too?"
"No, we take this specific path or enter the core area of the mystic valley, and that’s when we might encounter it. As long as we don’t enter the core area, we won’t run into it," Mu Yun explained.
"Panthers usually move at night, and during the day, as long as we don’t disturb it, it generally won’t appear," Lin Miao added.
"Mr. Lin is correct. Although the black panther is a beast, it follows the survival habits of leopard species. It likes to hunt at night and generally sleeps in its lair during the day. As long as we don’t provoke it and stay away from its nest without alerting it, there’s no issue." Mu Yun nodded in agreement with Lin Miao.
"We still need to prepare a bit." Lin Miao surveyed the surroundings. If the panther is a beast, its sense of smell might be more sensitive than a regular panther, and beasts are very territorial. Any unfamiliar scent entering might be easily detected.
So, we need to mask our scent.
The simplest way is to use materials found locally within its living area that have local scents. No matter how smart a beast is, it is still an animal; moreover, during the day while it’s sleeping, it can easily be tricked.
Lin Miao cut some grass and wove it into clothing, draping it over himself, allowing the scent of the grass to cover his own scent.
It’s a simple disguise but very effective.
Lin Miao and the others easily passed through the black panther’s territory, reaching the mountain wall.
There’s no clear path up, but the previous adventurers left climbing nails embedded in the rock, and those from Heaven-Dominating Tower intended to return, so they didn’t remove them when leaving.
This greatly helped Lin Miao and the others, as the path from the ground to the cave entrance didn’t require much effort.
The three of them stepped on the climbing nails and easily reached the cave entrance.
As they were about to rest for a bit, suddenly a black shadow darted out from the cave, startling Mu Yun, causing her to slip and tumble out of the cave.
"Watch out!" Baili Yuyao, who was closest to Mu Yun, was also unsteady due to the sudden change, as the ground was uneven.
The three of them had ropes tied around their waists, and suddenly there was a jolt. Lin Miao, with quick reflexes, kicked into action, using his hand to push Baili Yuyao into safety, then swiftly scooped up the shadow, and with his other hand, caught Mu Yun’s falling frame and leveraged his footing.
Both of them were instantly lifted up into the cave.
"Is everyone alright?"
Mu Yun was still recovering from the shock; her cultivation was the weakest, having just entered the Bone Forging Realm, falling from such a height would surely have been fatal.
If not for Lin Miao, she would be in grave danger this time and nearly implicated Baili Yuyao.
Of course, Baili Yuyao was also shaken; being a girl, she had a slight fear of heights, and was slow to react just now. With her current cultivation, if she had reacted in time, she wouldn’t have been hurt.
But it was fortunate they had Lin Miao covering for them; if he hadn’t been, something would certainly have gone wrong today.
"We’re fine."
The two women noticed Lin Miao was holding a little thing, pitch-black, with twinkling eyes, baring its teeth in a faux threatening manner.
"Is that a black cat?"
"It shouldn’t be. It’s a black panther," Mu Yun, showing some insight, immediately recognized that this "cat" differed from a real cat.
Cats are very docile, even when caught; they wouldn’t have such an expression. Leopards belong to the feline family, and young panthers bear a resemblance to kittens; to the unfamiliar, they’re easily mistaken.
"Black panther?" Lin Miao loosened his grip slightly, and the little creature immediately tried to escape, but it couldn’t evade Lin Miao’s grasp. Just as it attempted to run, it was caught by the back of the neck, dangling helplessly, baring its teeth in mock aggression, "Little one, are you the cub of that beastly black panther?"
Mu Yun shook her head; she only knew there was a beastly black panther but didn’t know whether it was male or female.
If it’s male, there’d be no way it could bear cubs, but if it’s a female panther, giving birth is especially challenging for beasts, and this little black panther might be her only offspring.
Now that they’ve captured the cub, won’t this mother panther go berserk?
The question is, how did this little thing climb such a hundred-meter sheer cliff? Could the mother panther be inside the cave?
"Yuyao, did we bring any food?" asked Lin Miao.
"Yes, we did," Baili Yuyao replied, handing over a piece of beef jerky.
Whether or not the little creature has been weaned, Lin Miao had no intention of making an enemy of it; he held the beef jerky in one hand and the cub in the other, bringing it to its mouth.
The little creature smelled the aroma of the beef, squirming even more vigorously, clearly famished.
Lin Miao set it down and placed the beef jerky before its mouth.
The little creature growled softly, remaining vigilant of Lin Miao and the others. Only after seeing no malice from them did it approach and begin devouring the beef jerky.
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