Chapter 1156: Gathering Medicinal Herbs
On the top wall of the mountain depression grew a single stalk of grass, not more, not less, just one.
Such a peculiar growth pattern, growing upside down, was something Chen Tianlong had never seen before, so he secretly confirmed in his heart that this was indeed the Life-extending Licorice.
But, what could be dangerous about this?
Could the danger mentioned in the mission simply refer to the difficulty of picking it from the mountainside?
Thinking of this, Chen Tianlong found it plausible, so he moved closer to check other features. After a careful observation, he noticed the grass had toothed leaves and yellow stalks.
Chen Tianlong smiled slightly; this was undoubtedly the Life-extending Licorice, no mistake about it.
He felt a bit excited, thinking that he was about to complete this task with effortless ease, experiencing an unspeakable thrill.
The cave wall was only two meters high, and at Chen Tianlong’s height, he could just about reach it by stretching his hand.
Therefore, Chen Tianlong stood on tiptoe and reached out to pick it.
But at this moment, suddenly a swarm of bats emerged from the top wall, possibly from a nearby bat nest; Chen Tianlong was not exactly sure.
Seeing them rush towards him with mouths open, intending to bite, he knew that since bats were essentially blind, someone like Chen Tianlong, a master, was not someone they could bite at will.
So, Chen Tianlong quickly dodged to the side, drawing the Dragon Slayer Sword in the process, but the bats multiplied instantaneously, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, gathering into a horrifying dark mass.
It was clear these bats were no ordinary bats; seeing those sharp teeth emitting bloodlust, Chen Tianlong realized these were Blood Bats.
At this moment, Chen Tianlong became highly cautious because the mountain depression was small to begin with, making fighting unmanageable. But the mission’s item was right in front of him, and letting it go was out of the question.
Therefore, his mind was racing rapidly, trying to devise a good plan to deal with these bats. Suddenly, Chen Tianlong had a thought: why eliminate them when he could just lead them away?
These Blood Bats couldn’t see objects; they relied solely on their ultrasound to attack.
Chen Tianlong pondered for a while, then smirked and swung the Dragon Slayer Sword, forcefully striking the stone, producing a series of loud clanging noises.
At this point, the bats showed signs of confusion.
Many bats immediately flew to the sound on the stone, opening their mouths to bite. The next moment, many bats crashed into the stone wall, some fainting on the ground, others struggling painfully.
Seeing this, Chen Tianlong was overjoyed, knowing the bats had fallen for the trick, and hurriedly continued striking in multiple directions. In no time, the sound formed a rhythmic symphony amid the intricacies of the area.
At that point, one could see an astonishing scene: countless bats almost losing their wits in the noise, flying erratically, their formation utterly disordered.
Chen Tianlong saw the opportunity, sprang up, and with a firm yank, uprooted the Life-extending Licorice, intact, into his hand.
But at this moment, as the sound ceased, the Blood Bats had readjusted.
The black mass was rapidly closing in on Chen Tianlong, quickly nearing his position.
He sneered coldly, then swiftly swung the Dragon Slayer Sword, releasing a powerful Sword Qi. Under the impact of the Powerful Qi, fragments of rock flew from the side of the mountain.
The bats flew in panic and confusion for a while, causing further chaos. Taking advantage of the situation, Chen Tianlong leaped out through a crevice beside the waterfall, grabbing a dangling vine as he descended.
Chen Tianlong quickly climbed up the cliff face by the vine, but suddenly felt it give way, continuously sliding down, which was frustrating because it meant the vine had already detached.
At the cliff top.
Just as Hao Shuai was searching for his Spirit Medicine, unbeknownst to him, he found himself near the cliff’s edge, noticing a vine extending straight to the cliff’s middle. Curiously, he looked down.
Just in time to see Chen Tianlong climbing up, followed closely by a dark mass which appeared to be bats on closer inspection.
Hence, Hao Shuai grinned slyly, walking over to where the vine was tied, pulling out a sharp blade, and made a clean cut.
The vine severed neatly, rapidly rolling off the cliff’s edge.
Chen Tianlong found himself descending rapidly, glancing at the pursuing Blood Bats, gritted his teeth, and with all his might, kicked off the cliff face, propelling himself vertically away from the stone wall.
Simultaneously, Chen Tianlong chanted the Nine Yang Celestial Dragon Technique to steady himself, swiftly sheathed the Dragon Slayer Sword, and began gathering a Powerful Qi Bomb in his hand.
As Chen Tianlong was plummeting, almost caught by the bats, he suddenly perceived a shadow flashing by; the next instant, he felt as if he landed on something soft.
He focused his gaze and was astonished to find it was Xiaogu!
With Xiaogu’s assistance, in a short while, Chen Tianlong landed securely atop the mountain.
After a moment’s surprise, Chen Tianlong suddenly recalled Xiaogu had been secretly following him all this time, probably sensing his danger since entering the cave and had stayed nearby ready for action.
These Spirit Beasts have innate intelligence, possessing a very keen sensing ability with their masters. Ever since Chen Tianlong joined the Celestial Pill Sect, Xiaogu had been sensing him, secretly following.
"Wow, that was close, almost didn’t make it."
Having reached the mountaintop, Chen Tianlong still felt lingering fear.
However, he suddenly thought, for the vine to be that sturdy, why did it fall off for no reason?
Chen Tianlong, feeling a bit frustrated, walked over to where the vine was tied, discovering a neat cut on the vine, obviously sliced by someone.
Chen Tianlong cautiously surveyed the surroundings but didn’t find any clues, thinking to himself, besides the six people on the mission, who else could be here?
After ruling things out in his mind, Chen Tianlong naturally thought of Hao Shuai. Does this kid really want him dead? Despite being persecuted multiple times, Chen Tianlong hadn’t hardened his heart to kill him, while Hao Shuai repeatedly tried to take his life.
Chen Tianlong thought it over, realizing how treacherous he was. He really needed to quell his murderous intent, or else he’d have to be constantly wary, making life unbearable.
Meanwhile, hidden in the trees, Hao Shuai clutched his chest, unable to remain calm, having thought Chen Tianlong was doomed. Unexpectedly, he was saved by a large eagle, leaving Hao Shuai quite frustrated.
Hastily, he hid among the trees, lost in thought.
Seeing no activity around him, Chen Tianlong shook his head, remembered Lin Wushuang and Liu Ting and the others were still on the other side, unsure of their situation. Promptly, he followed the small river to track them down.
On the other side, Lin Wushuang had walked for some time, not finding the Millennial Reishi Mushroom, not even a shadow of it, leaving her a bit disheartened. Feeling a bit tired, she surveyed the surroundings, spotting a tall ancient tree not far away.
It was termed an ancient tree because half of its trunk was already decayed, while the other half remained vibrant and thriving. Initially, Lin Wushuang found it curious that a single tree could exist in such a state.
However, feeling exhausted, she approached the tree, sitting on an exposed root.
The sun wasn’t quite scorching that day, but after searching for a long time, Lin Wushuang began to sweat. While resting in the shade, she scanned the area and her gaze landed on a purplish-black object on the tree trunk.
"Hmm? What is that? It looks quite similar to the task’s description of the Millennial Reishi Mushroom, could it be...?"
Thinking of this, Lin Wushuang felt elated: "Isn’t this the Millennial Reishi Mushroom? Wonderful, wonderful, I finally found you, hehe."