A few hours later...
A streak of azure light shot across the sky, as Lin Tianming stood atop the Qingfeng Sword, appearing in a small valley over two hundred miles west of Qingfeng Town.
This was the peripheral area of the Purple Cloud Mountain Range, a large expanse of hills teeming with lush vegetation and dense foliage, with small mountains hundreds of feet tall dotting the landscape.
Having carefully scouted the area within a hundred miles of Qingfeng Town and eliminated a large number of mortal beasts, he had ensured no worries lay in wait to disrupt his journey of training and experience.
Killing the Striped Crocodile, he obtained some materials for weapon forging, its hide could be combined with other materials to craft a set of defensive inner armor, whose defensive power would surely not be lacking.
The long tail, on the other hand, could be used to craft a whip-like attack spirit weapon, which was also worth a good number of spirit stones, not to be squandered.
As dusk approached, since demonic beasts were mostly nocturnal, it was unwise to enter the Purple Cloud Mountain Range at this time. It would be safer to set out after dawn the next day.
Lin Tianming landed on top of a small mountain, drew the Qingfeng Sword, and hacked more than ten times, chiseling out a cavern of several zhangs on a giant stone wall, creating a simple cave mansion to rest for the night so he could recover and then enter the Purple Cloud Mountain Range in good condition.
He weaved a few spells with his fingers, setting up some simple illusions to cover the entrance of the cave mansion, then stepped inside.
Seen from the outside, this place was covered by a forest. Dozens of trees of various sizes obscured the entire rock wall. Such defenses could easily deter low-order monster beasts, but against high-order monster beasts or cultivators, they would provide no hiding place.
Inside the secret chamber, Lin Tianming wore an expression of hesitation and indecision.
This journey was bound to be brief, after all, he had his duty to protect the town. Leaving without permission for too long, should anything happen, would be difficult to justify to his clan.
However, the uncertainties of training were beyond control, and no one could predict what might happen.
His cultivation was not high; although the Purple Cloud Mountain Range was just a small mountain range, unlikely to house high-order demonic beasts, there were definitely plenty of second-order demonic beasts, as proven by the Striped Crocodile he had just killed.
After pondering deeply for half an hour, Lin Tianming made a decision.
He would keep the duration of this trip to within three months and wouldn't blindly traverse the Purple Cloud Mountain Range.
The map he had obtained from killing the man in the red robe, likely created by the murdered man himself, marked the location of the cave mansion ruins he had mentioned.
"Since they managed to explore once without harm, it should not be too dangerous!" Lin Tianming thought to himself.
No sooner had he finished speaking than he spread out the map in front of him, studying it closely.
According to the routes on the map, there were several circled locations, likely the territories of certain demonic beast clans. He would confirm the route once again, and if it proved too perilous, he would abandon it, perhaps exploring it after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage. Merely scouting the path should carry little risk.
After considering his plan for an hour, he started cultivating to recuperate and restore his state.
The next day at dawn, the morning sunlight shone into the valley, as flocks of birds flew over the mountain tops.
Lin Tianming appeared outside the stone wall, dispelled the illusions, and chopped down a few large trees to cover up the cave where he had rested the night before.
Taking out the map, he carefully determined the direction and then began running swiftly. His speed matched that of a cheetah charging at full force, extremely agile as he headed further into the Purple Cloud Mountain Range.
The reason for not using sword flight was that flying in the territories of demonic beasts was extremely dangerous. Without any cover, being such an obvious target makes one easily detected, and even directly attacked, posing great danger.
After half a day, Lin Tianming arrived just outside an area known as the Stone Forest, where the trees were sparse and countless large rocks lay haphazardly together, creating an eerily silent and bizarre scene.
Lin Tianming carefully discerned his direction. At this point, he had already crossed the periphery of the Purple Cloud Mountain Range; along the way, he hadn't encountered many demonic beasts, only a few first-order inferior ones.
Lin Tianming had no desire to fight unnecessarily. He avoided conflict where he could, and if pursued relentlessly, he would kill quickly, retrieve the demon core and make a swift departure.
Utilizing his divine sense, he cautiously scanned the surrounding area for several miles. From this place, he should be entering the inner region of the Purple Cloud Mountain Range.
"Huh... Earth Spirit Ganoderma..."
He could see seven Earth Spirit Ganoderma growing within the crevices of the stone wall, each as large as a brick and dazzlingly colorful on the surface, a feast for the eyes.
Moreover, there were over thirty Earth Mysterious Mice, most of which were at the First Order Initial Phase, but three were Demonic Beasts at the First Order Middle Stage, with one nearly advancing to the First Order Late Stage.
The Earth Spirit Ganoderma was a First Order Superior Grade Spiritual Medicine, and one of the main ingredients for refining Xisui Pills. Lin Tianming had already gathered Golden Flower Grass, Fire Element Grass, and Shuiyun Grass. If he could acquire this Earth Spirit Ganoderma, he would only be short of the Mystical Vine Flower to refine the Xisui Pill.
The Earth Mysterious Mouse was an earth-attribute Demonic Beast, with thick skin and sharp teeth, and it moved incredibly fast. It was fond of eating earth-attribute Spirit Material and earth-attribute ores; this clump of Earth Spirit Ganoderma was likely their food that they were guarding.
Lin Tianming thought calmly. There were many of them, and although most were First Order Inferior Demonic Beasts that posed no harm to him, if he were to be surrounded by a few Superior Beasts, he might have a difficult time escaping.
If he left, there would be no risk in bypassing this place.
But looking at those seven Earth Spirit Ganoderma, he truly could not bear to give them up.
If it were any other Spiritual Medicine, he might have considered the risk too high and given up directly, but this was one of the five main ingredients for refining Xisui Pills, a rare find that's not easily encountered again if missed.
He had quite a few First Order Superior Talismans, so at worst, he would expend one or two of them. As long as he wasn't surrounded, he could fight or run if defeat seemed imminent.
No more hesitation—he acted!
Lin Tianming transformed into a streak of light, covering several meters in a blink, and charged directly toward the clump of Earth Spirit Ganoderma.
The three Middle Stage First Order Earth Mysterious Mice were the first to react. Opening their mouths wide as buckets, they lunged at Lin Tianming's head with a bite.
Lin Tianming summoned the Qingfeng Sword and swung it with all his might, sending a sweeping Sword Qi towards the numerous mouse horde.
With several crackling sounds...
A few Initial Phase First Order Earth Mysterious Mice couldn't dodge in time and were sent flying, painfully slamming into a stone wall beside them, and no longer able to stand up, they could only howl in agony.
Lin Tianming drew a breath of cold air, pushed the Qingfeng Sword to its limit, and chopped at the Inferior Earth Mysterious Mice, only to see that they didn't die, a testament to the formidable defense of these earth-attributed Demonic Beasts.
After slashing with three more swords, all the Earth Mysterious Mice began to leap and dodge to the left and right.
Seizing the moment while they dodged the Sword Qi, he sprinted full force toward the Spiritual Medicines.
Three breaths later, Lin Tianming successfully reached the top of the stone wall, quickly scooped up an Earth Spirit Ganoderma with the Qingfeng Sword, and stored it in his storage bag.
The three Middle Stage First Order Earth Mysterious Mice were thoroughly enraged and simultaneously spewed a few chunks of jade stones from their bellies. The stones smashed toward Lin Tianming with astonishing speed. Being hit by even one could end in severe injury or death.
Just as the stones were about to hit Lin Tianming, he had already collected five Earth Spirit Ganoderma, with two left behind, he could only give up on them. He took out a First Order Superior Defense Talisman and transformed it into a shield in front of him.
With a loud explosion, shockwaves rippled.
Using the sound and shockwaves from the explosion, Lin Tianming swiftly fled on his sword, speedier than before.
Behind him, a group of Earth Mysterious Mice chased, but after a full circuit, they stopped pursuing. It seemed like he had left their territory, so they reluctantly retreated.
After half an hour, Lin Tianming landed on top of a massive pine tree. Affected by the explosion's impact, his body was struck by a searing pain, but fortunately, he had retreated in time, and his injuries were not serious.
He was also lucky to have acted decisively, avoiding a head-on conflict. The Qingfeng Sword, when struck against the First Order Inferior Earth Mysterious Mice, only inflicted severe wounds, disabling their ability to fight.
Otherwise, with the defensive power of the Middle Stage Earth Mysterious Mice, it would have been impossible for him to deal with them.
This collection of Spiritual Medicine cost him a First Order Superior Defensive Talisman. The value of the talisman was almost equivalent to an Earth Spirit Ganoderma, but he succeeded in obtaining five century-old Earth Spirit Ganoderma.
All things considered, he still made a considerable gain, and it wasn't in vain that he risked harvesting the medicine.
With a smile on his face, Lin Tianming took out the several Earth Spirit Ganoderma and carefully stored each in a specially made Jade Box to prevent the loss of their medicinal properties, waiting to collect the Mystical Vine Flower to attempt refining the Xisui Pill.
After storing the Earth Spirit Ganoderma in his storage bag, he sat atop the tree and began to meditate and regulate his breath, waiting to recover his full condition.