"Someone will offer it to me?"
Zi Yan's forehead was filled with question marks.
"You'll see when we get there!"
Gu Fei didn't explain much. After storing the Core Soul Marrow, he led Zi Yan toward the massive mountain range in the distance.
The Core Soul Marrow, when used in combination with other herbs, would yield even better results. Gu Fei was still missing a few herbs needed to refine the Core Soul Marrow, and those herbs could conveniently be found in the treasure vault of the mountain range's ruling magical beast.
Before long, the outline of the vast mountain range appeared in their line of sight. This Ten Thousand Medicinal Mountain Range sprawled like a giant dragon, with thick fog lingering mid-air. This fog wasn't natural; it was condensed from dense energy. From deep within the mountain range, continuous and resonant roars of beasts echoed, filled with a violent aura.
With Gu Fei's speed, even if the magical beasts detected them, they wouldn't be able to catch up.
Thus, they moved steadily northward, eventually reaching the peak of the tallest and most majestic mountain within the Ten Thousand Medicinal Mountain Range.
"Who dares trespass on my territory? I, Xiong Zhan, will see who's so bold!"
As soon as they reached the summit, a furious voice suddenly echoed from the sky.
Immediately afterward, a burly figure stepped out of the distorted space, towering before Gu Fei and Zi Yan like an iron tower.
As this robust figure appeared, an overwhelming, steady, and heavy aura suddenly surged from within him.
This burly man was none other than Xiong Zhan, the ruler of the Myriad Medicine Mountain Range, an eighth-tier magical beast. His true form was a Dragon Bear.
Dragon Bears, these fierce magical beasts, are now rarely seen, as they are ancient and carry some dragon blood within them, making them extraordinarily powerful.
"Hey, big guy, what's with all the shouting?"
Seeing this burly man, Zi Yan's demeanor changed entirely. While she had been somewhat intimidated by high-level seventh-tier magical beasts before, she now seemed unfazed, even in the face of an eighth-tier magical beast.
As she spoke, a brilliant purple light flashed in her bright eyes.
That purple light, unlike before, resembled the shape of a dragon.
"This is... true dragon bloodline!"
Upon seeing that dragon-shaped purple light, Xiong Zhan's massive body involuntarily trembled.
A kind of pressure from deep within his bloodline made his blood almost boil.
"My lady, I apologize for my earlier rudeness!" The previously intimidating Xiong Zhan now wore a fawning expression, repeatedly trying to please.
At this moment, Zi Yan finally understood what Gu Fei had meant by his earlier words.
"Big guy, what good stuff do you have here? Bring it all out!"
Zi Yan asked directly.
At this moment, Zi Yan was full of spirit, enjoying one of her rare moments of glory.
"My lady, I'll go capture a couple of seventh-tier magical beasts to nourish you!"
Xiong Zhan nodded repeatedly.
"I don't eat meat, I want spiritual herbs!"
Zi Yan quickly stopped him.
"Spiritual herbs? Sure, I have plenty!"
Xiong Zhan smiled apologetically and led Gu Fei and Zi Yan to a large stone hall at the mountain's peak. At the entrance of the hall, two fierce-looking magical beasts lay crouched.
"Go play somewhere else."
Zi Yan walked ahead, casually waving her small hand. The two high-level magical beasts, which looked ferocious, let out low whimpers and quickly retreated with their tails between their legs.
They had sensed a kind of pressure from Zi Yan that stemmed from their bloodline, leaving them with no will to resist.
This display made Zi Yan even more smug. She finally had the chance to show off in front of Gu Fei.
She looked back at Gu Fei and blinked as if to say, "See? I'm pretty awesome, right? I scared them off with just a word!" Gu Fei played along, giving her a thumbs up.
Afterward, the two followed Xiong Zhan through the stone hall, traversing several corridors before reaching a spacious square within the main hall. As soon as Gu Fei stepped into the square, a strong, almost viscous scent of medicinal herbs assaulted him. The square was filled with piles of herbs. These herbs, rare and precious in the outside world, were scattered here like ordinary cabbages.
"Wow, there's so much!"
Seeing this, Zi Yan almost started drooling. She wanted to dive into the square and start munching on the herbs.
"Zi Yan, hold on. Let me find what I need first, then you can dig in!"
Gu Fei quickly held her back. It would be troublesome if this little glutton ate the herbs he needed.
"Alright!"
Zi Yan suppressed her urge. After all, she was counting on Gu Fei to help her refine pills later.
Besides, these herbs didn't taste that great when eaten raw.
"You don't mind if I take some herbs, do you?"
Gu Fei turned to Xiong Zhan, smiling as he asked.
"Not at all, feel free to take whatever you need!"
Having sensed Gu Fei's Dou Venerate cultivation earlier, and seeing how Zi Yan was completely under his control, Xiong Zhan treated Gu Fei with great respect.
"Thank you!"
Gu Fei smiled, then entered the square to search for the herbs he needed. His primary target was a herb called Heavenly Numb Jade Essence.
This herb was the key ingredient for refining the Core Soul Marrow.
Though the square was filled with many different herbs, Gu Fei's abilities allowed him to quickly locate a piece of Heavenly Numb Jade Essence.
"I've got what I need!"
Gu Fei waved to Zi Yan, signaling her to go ahead. As soon as he spoke, Zi Yan rushed to the square, grabbed a golden fruit, and began munching on it. The golden fruit was so hard that even ordinary swords couldn't cut it, yet Zi Yan's teeth easily bit through it.
"You enjoy that, I'll go take care of something!"
Gu Fei asked Xiong Zhan for a stone chamber and began the process of refining the Core Soul Marrow. Now that he had all the necessary materials, the refining process wasn't difficult, especially for Gu Fei, who had advanced to an eighth-tier alchemist.
In just one hour, three bottles of perfectly refined Core Soul Marrow lay before him.
Gu Fei's efficiency was undoubtedly higher than the original protagonist in the story, wasting almost none of the Core Soul Marrow.
"I wonder how much this will strengthen my soul power!"
Without hesitation, Gu Fei grabbed one of the jade bottles and poured it into his mouth.
As soon as the Marrow entered his body, Gu Fei's head buzzed, and the soul power at his brow suddenly expanded as if it had been catalyzed. The rapid expansion caused a slight pain in his brow. A powerful, terrifying energy quickly seeped into his soul. Simultaneously, Gu Fei's soul strength began to increase rapidly, as if he had consumed a powerful tonic!