Chen Ye followed the small white fox, and together they quickly ventured deeper into the vast expanse of the Three Thousand Great Mountains.
The mountains were majestic, and the forest seemed endless.
As far as the eye could see, the tree canopies blocked the sun, letting only dappled light fall between the trees, occasionally accompanied by the fearsome roars of demon beasts.
"I heard that there are demon beasts of the Golden Core or even Nascent Soul level in the Three Thousand Great Mountains..."
Chen Ye muttered.
The Three Thousand Great Mountains are not confined to the Yan Kingdom alone.
This range stretches across the entire Lingxu Realm, dividing it in two.
With such an immense area, even a Nascent Soul True Monarch doesn’t know how many demon beasts are within.
Fortunately,
the small white fox’s spiritual awareness was sharp, always able to accurately avoid the presence of powerful demon beasts.
"Little White, oh Little White, your fox nose is quite sensitive. No wonder you could find Qing Jun."
Chen Ye extended his divine sense, constantly vigilant of his surroundings.
At the same time, he did not forget to test the little fox.
He increasingly discovered that this fox was far more than it appeared on the surface.
The small white fox suddenly halted its steps and turned to bare its teeth at Chen Ye upon hearing this.
What do you mean by fox nose?
If you can’t talk, don’t speak!
It sounded like it was being compared to a hunting dog!
The most irritating thing was that it didn’t dare to talk back.
"Squeak!"
The small white fox called out in frustration and turned to leave, its four short legs running quickly, wanting to leave this annoying human far behind.
With the small white fox’s spiritual awareness and Chen Ye’s formidable divine sense, their journey was smooth, without encountering any demon hunter cultivators or demon beasts.
Gradually, the forest ahead became denser, and the wood spiritual qi in the air was exceptionally rich.
"Squeak?"
The small white fox couldn’t help but stop, sniffing the air, then looked at Chen Ye in surprise.
Chen Ye’s eyes lit up.
Having cultivated near the wood element monument for a while, he was quite familiar with its aura:
"This seems like the aura of the wood element monument? Could the Demon Vine tribe have saved the wood element monument after the Grotto Heaven’s collapse?"
Upon careful thought, it seemed reasonable.
Originally, the wood element monument was part of an array, and neither Foundation Establishment cultivators nor Golden Core True Men could forcibly remove it.
But later, when the demon cultivators destroyed the array’s core at the Ninth Layer Heaven, the entire array collapsed, leaving the wood element monument unbound by the array.
Coincidentally, the Demon Vine tribe, which was rooted near the wood element monument, was in a position to seize it.
"Squeak squeak!"
The small white fox chirped happily twice.
This monument is a Golden Core level treasure!
It carries boundless spiritual essence. If it could have the monument’s assistance, it could further reduce the time for Mortal Transformation!
Chen Ye also felt exhilarated, quickening his pace towards the increasingly dense wood qi.
However, besides the refreshing wood spiritual qi in the air, there was also a faint hint of blood.
"Something’s not right."
He slowed his pace, sending his divine sense cautiously ahead.
The small white fox also contained its excitement, its small body tensed.
Now, it was truly just a little fox; if it encountered danger, it would be finished!
Fortunately,
the evil human still had some conscience; seeing something amiss, he did not urge it to scout further.
Instead, he picked it up.
"?"
Chen Ye looked puzzledly at the shy small white fox. This fox was getting stranger and stranger, even blushing from being held.
He was not bothered and continued forward for several more miles, circling a mountain wall, before stopping.
Ahead was the entrance to a massive valley, shrouded in dense green miasma, obscuring the scenery within.
Outside the valley, no less than twenty or thirty cultivators were gathered.
These people formed small groups of three or five, most at the late period of Qi cultivation, their expressions greedy as they pointed towards the valley entrance but none daring to advance.
Not far from them lay a dozen cold corpses, their deaths tragic.
It was unclear whether it was due to mutual slaughter or other causes.
"Indeed, such dense spiritual energy must have attracted many cultivators."
Chen Ye thought to himself.
As he pondered, the miasma at the valley entrance suddenly churned violently!
"Ah—!"
A shrill scream emanated from it, followed by a blood-soaked figure stumbling out.
Their breath was chaotic, evidently a cultivator in the early stage of Foundation Establishment!
They were in a sorry state, one arm drained of blood, reduced to bones.
"Brother Qian!"
Another Foundation Establishment cultivator exclaimed, surprisingly an old acquaintance of Chen Ye, Luo Heng from the Jade Lizard Association.
He hurriedly stepped forward, supporting the swaying cultivator named Qian, urgently asking, "Brother Qian! What happened inside?"
The cultivator named Qian clutched Luo Heng’s arm in terror: "Inside...the whole valley is alive! All around are Foundation Establishment stage demon vines!"
Luo Heng’s expression tightened, he said solemnly: "All around? Could it be there is a single Foundation Establishment demon vine entrenched in the valley? Or a group?"
"I...don’t know! Upon entering, there were vines everywhere; it was impossible to tell! But...there should only be one; otherwise, how could I have survived?"
The cultivator named Qian couldn’t be sure. As soon as he saw the valley, he was overwhelmed by dense vines, frightening him out of his wits.
But on second thought, one Foundation Establishment demon vine could indeed grow an entire valley of vines.
Hearing this, Luo Heng’s heart settled slightly.
He patted Brother Qian on the shoulder, handing over a healing elixir: "Brother Qian, you should rest here and not enter again."
Then, he turned to the remaining dozen or so cultivators outside the valley and proclaimed loudly: "Everyone! What Brother Qian said likely indicates only one Foundation Establishment demon vine is entrenched, splitting into thousands of vines! The wood spiritual qi inside is so rich; there must be a great treasure! If we unite, we might just make it through!"