Mortal: Reborn in Yellow Maple Valley, Awakening the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts

On the ground, the gaunt old man's head was separated from his body, and warm blood gushed out.

Chu Zifei's gaze swept over the corpse, a fleeting hint of pity in his eyes.

With a cultivation level at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, he would already be a core combatant in an ordinary sect, yet he perished without a trace, his death shrouded in mystery, without even his opponent seeing him clearly.

He looked up, his gaze falling on Han Li not far away. His voice was hoarse as he spoke in a deep voice:

"You, too, have come for the Golden Essence?"

Han Li gently shook his head, his expression calm: "It's not for that. I came here specifically to repay the life-saving grace you showed me in the forbidden area."

Chu Zifei felt a slight tremor in his heart upon hearing this.

He thought he had concealed his presence perfectly, but he didn't expect that his secret would be seen through so quickly.

He remained expressionless, feigning ignorance: "I don't understand what you're saying, fellow Daoist."

Seeing this, Han Li instead raised his hand and removed his bamboo hat, his eyes clear, and said calmly:

"Now that things have come to this, why pretend anymore? I don't know whether I should call you Ling Dong or Senior Brother Chu?"

Seeing his frankness, Chu Zifei gave a helpless bitter smile, dispelled his concealment, and asked in confusion, "When did you recognize me?"

The next moment, Han Li laughed loudly, a sly glint in his eyes: "It really is Senior Brother Chu! I only had my doubts, but I didn't expect that my test would actually trick you into revealing your true colors."

He recounted the whole story to himself: "When I passed by this place, I vaguely sensed the spiritual energy fluctuations of cultivators fighting ahead. I took a peek from afar and found that the figure was very familiar, and I also caught a glimpse of this old man lurking in the shadows."

"I sensed his sinister intentions, so I concealed my presence and sneaked over. I never expected that I would actually be of help."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Zifei cupped his hands to Han Li and said, "Thank you very much, Junior Brother Han, for helping me out of this predicament."

"Senior Brother is too kind." Han Li waved his hand slightly and replied calmly, "If it weren't for Senior Brother's rescue in the forbidden area, I would have already perished in the jaws of the demonic beasts, and my life would have been in grave danger. Moreover, given Senior Brother's strength, even without my help, I believe you could have handled the situation with ease just now."

Chu Zifei did not answer, but instead changed the subject: "Are you going back to Yellow Maple Valley?"

"Exactly," Han Li replied.

"If that's the case, why don't we travel together?"

"That is exactly what I wish for."

The two exchanged a concise and efficient conversation. After speaking, two beams of light simultaneously rose into the air, riding their magical artifacts and maintaining a steady pace as they flew side by side toward Yellow Maple Valley.

  

As he sped along, Chu Zifei kept wondering to himself.

Han Li's words and actions were frank and proper, seemingly purely out of gratitude, but the hearts of people in the cultivation world are unpredictable, and he never dared to completely trust them.

Even after entering the territory of Huangfeng Valley, he still couldn't figure out Han Li's true thoughts.

Chu Zifei had assumed that the two would part ways after entering the Taiyue Mountains, but to his surprise, Han Li did not change direction and continued to head west of the Taiyue Mountains.

Seeing this, he couldn't help but ask, "Why are you going this way too?"

A question arose in his mind, and he asked, "Why are you going west?"

Han Li said in a very calm tone: "My cave dwelling is located on the west side of Mount Taiyue."

A word to awaken the dreamer.

Chu Zifei suddenly realized that in order to cover up the secret of the little green bottle, Han Li deliberately avoided the crowded areas in the valley and chose the most remote and quiet place on the west side to open up the cave. He also happened to stumble upon the eye of the spiritual spring, which allowed him to accumulate his foundation.

Upon reaching the western mountain range, the two nodded to each other and went their separate ways.

Chu Zifei headed towards his cave in the southwest, while Han Li went straight to his residence in the northwest.

Upon returning, Chu Zifei raised his hand to form a seal, opening the cave's protective barrier and isolating it from external threats. He then turned and stepped directly into the cultivation room.

After days of fighting and running around, he was exhausted, both physically and mentally. His only thought at the moment was to soak in the Earth Fire Spirit Pool and use the heat of the pool to wash away his fatigue.

But as soon as their feet stepped into the pool, a sudden burst of scorching heat hit them.

He was surprised.

The temperature of the Earth Fire Spirit Pool at this moment is much higher than before he left the valley. If an ordinary cultivator were to step into it, his skin and flesh would be burned instantly by the high temperature.

Chu Zifei had no choice but to immediately use the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts to protect his body and resist the heat wave with his powerful physique, which allowed him to steadily step into the depths of the Spirit Pool.

The warm spiritual energy mixed with the heat of the earth fire seeped into the body through the pores of the skin.

The fatigue accumulated from the fierce battle dissipated in a short time.

What surprised him even more was that, under the high temperature of the earth fire, the turbid yin energy hidden in the gaps between his bones was completely activated, flowing slowly along the meridians, washing over his muscles and bones again and again, and tempering the foundation of his physical body.

Chu Zifei closed his eyes to sense the subtle changes within his body, his heart filled with barely concealed excitement.

This Earth Fire Spirit Pool has endless uses. There is no need for deliberate meditation and arduous cultivation. Just by circulating the Eight-Nine Mystic Technique and soaking in the pool to rest, one can use the heat of heaven and earth to spontaneously cleanse and refine one's muscles and bones.

Although the changes are small, they can accumulate over time and nurture over the years, eventually building up a considerable foundation of advantages.

Overjoyed, he couldn't help but take stock of his own wealth, and a shadow of gloom instantly fell over his heart.

This trip to bid for the gold essence was extremely expensive, almost emptying most of his savings.

He now only has a little over 1,400 spirit stones left in his storage bag, which is a bit insufficient for his increasingly advanced cultivation.

His thoughts raced, and Chu Zifei immediately made a plan.

The corpse of the Black Fang Spider that had been killed earlier, as well as the poisoned needle magic weapon, had been kept in the storage bag without being disposed of.

This is a good opportunity to go to the market to sell my spirit stones and make up for the shortfall, and also to find a durable, high-quality robe.

Having been through numerous battles, the ordinary robes had been repeatedly damaged and torn, rendering them unusable and in dire need of replacement.

Having made up his mind, Chu Zifei stepped out of the spiritual pool, circulated his spiritual energy to dry the moisture around him, changed into a clean set of Huangfeng Valley clothes, and with a flicker, transformed into a faint shadow, heading straight for the market.

Upon landing on the street, he had a clear goal and walked straight toward Wanbaolou without lingering.

I'm very lucky today. Master Ding, who is in charge of appraising antiques at Wanbaolou, happens to be in the shop.

Although this old man was a mortal, he was extremely knowledgeable and had a keen eye for all kinds of materials, magical artifacts and treasures for cultivating immortality. He was highly respected in the entire Huangfeng Valley market.

Old Ding recognized Chu Zifei at a glance and shakily approached him.

Chu Zifei respected the other party's skills and quickly stepped forward to offer his help.

Old Ding raised his hand with a smile to politely decline, his gaze falling on him as he spoke familiarly, "Young friend, have you come to visit today? Have you found some rare treasures that you wish to exchange with me?"

"Sir, you have a discerning eye." Chu Zifei nodded and chuckled. "I do indeed have two items I wish to sell, but they are quite large and inconvenient to retrieve from the main hall. Do you have a large open space available?"

Upon hearing this, Old Ding was slightly taken aback, then a glint of light flashed in his eyes, and he stroked his beard and laughed heartily: "No problem! My Wanbaolou has a spacious courtyard, with plenty of room for everyone. Follow me!"

After saying that, the two walked side by side through the front hall and slowly entered the backyard on the first floor.

The courtyard was spacious, making it convenient to place the Black-edged Venomous Spider.

Chu Zifei raised his hand and waved it, causing the storage bag to float in mid-air, and quietly activated his divine sense.

With a muffled thud, dust rose slightly, and a black-spined venomous spider, several meters in size and with its body intact, crashed heavily to the ground.