Chapter 30: Second-grade Mystic Beast

Chapter 30: Second-grade Mystic Beast

"Brother Chuan, how are you so amazing? Are you secretly the descendant of some noble house?" Murong Wushuang excitedly lunged forward, tightly hugging the stone slab as if it were a peerless beauty.

For him, a high-level cultivation manual was ten, even a hundred times more precious than the Blood Toad Wood—an invaluable treasure that no amount of money could buy.

With his talent, if he had possessed such a manual, he would have long since reached the Divine Ability Realm instead of stagnating at the Seventh Level of Profound Qi.

Ning Xiaochuan said, "I’m going down the cliff to search for the Blood Toad Wood. You can stay here and study the manual."

"No! I’ll go with you. Wherever rare treasures grow, there are bound to be unknown dangers. I’ll lend you a hand." Murong Wushuang tied the stone slab to his waist with a belt, slung it over his back, and began descending the cliff ahead of Ning Xiaochuan.

He felt he owed Ning Xiaochuan a huge favor. If he didn’t help him obtain the Blood Toad Wood, his conscience wouldn’t rest.

Though he’d engaged in all sorts of deceitful schemes, when it came to someone truly worth befriending, he was fiercely loyal!

Both of them were at the Seventh Level of Profound Qi, with arms strong enough to split mountains and fingers hard as iron.

Descending a cliff was child’s play for them.

Thud!

Ning Xiaochuan drove his palm into the cliff face, sinking half his arm into the stone to steady himself. His feet kicked into the rock, carving out footholds as he climbed down step by step.

After an unknown length of time, a black miasma rose from the base of the cliff.

"It’s poisonous! Quickly, shield yourself with Profound Qi!" Ning Xiaochuan immediately circulated the energy in his blood, and crimson Profound Qi seeped from his pores, enveloping his body to block the black miasma.

Murong Wushuang, climbing below, accidentally inhaled a breath of the miasma. Instantly, his head spun, and his blood flow grew erratic. He hastily wrapped himself in Profound Qi.

"To think there’s miasma drifting through these mountains… The bottom of this cliff must be no ordinary place," Ning Xiaochuan murmured, frowning slightly.

"Don’t worry! We’re both at the Seventh Level of Profound Qi. There shouldn’t be too much danger here in South Moon Mountain." Murong Wushuang was brimming with confidence.

He had visited South Moon Mountain many times—it was as familiar to him as his own backyard. Though he’d never ventured to the base of this particular cliff, he doubted it could be too perilous.

Ning Xiaochuan glanced downward, his eyes narrowing slightly in excitement. "Look! There’s a blood-red glow in the mist below, wrapping around what looks like a massive tree. That must be the Blood Toad Wood!"

Murong Wushuang peered down as well and indeed saw a faint radiance about a hundred meters beneath them.

Within the glow stood a towering tree, its branches adorned with blood-red leaves that emitted an eerie light.

The Blood Toad Wood was actually growing on the sheer cliff face!

Their hearts pounded with exhilaration.

This was an invaluable treasure.

Hiss!

On the cliff not far away, a crimson spider crawled out from a cave, its body as large as a washbasin, with eight sharp legs. Its legs pierced through the stone wall as easily as if it were tofu.

This was a Fire Spider, a Second-grade Mystic Beast, exuding a dangerous aura. Both Ning Xiaochuan and Murong Wushuang were startled and immediately gathered their Martial Arts Profound Qi, preparing for battle.

The combat power of a Second-grade Mystic Beast was at least comparable to a cultivator at the Seventh Level of Profound Qi, and some particularly ferocious ones could even tear apart warriors at the Ninth Level of Profound Qi. Encountering a Second-grade Mystic Beast on a sheer cliff was nothing short of a disaster.

The Fire Spider clung to the steep cliff as if walking on flat ground, its fist-sized eyes fixed intently on Ning Xiaochuan and Murong Wushuang.

"Boom!"

A burst of flames erupted from its body, enveloping it as it dashed toward Murong Wushuang with astonishing speed, its sharp legs stabbing at his head.

"Bang!"

Murong Wushuang moved with agility, like a nimble monkey on the cliff, swiftly descending over ten meters before stopping.

But the Fire Spider pursued relentlessly, spewing a strand of fiery silk from its mouth that wrapped around Murong Wushuang’s neck, suspending him mid-air on the cliff.

"Damn! This Fire Spider definitely has the strength to kill a warrior at the Eighth Level of Profound Qi. Be careful—" Murong Wushuang clutched his neck, trying to tear the silk apart, but it was tougher than steel wire, and the flames on it scorched his palms.

After hanging Murong Wushuang on the cliff, the Fire Spider turned to attack Ning Xiaochuan, spewing another strand of silk like a fiery sword aimed straight at his heart.

Ning Xiaochuan kicked off the cliff, wrapping his hand in Profound Qi as he grabbed the burning silk. His body plummeted downward, falling over thirty meters before the silk tightened, leaving him suspended in mid-air.

Above him, the Fire Spider had all eight legs embedded in the cliff face, trembling violently—it had nearly been dragged into the abyss by Ning Xiaochuan’s sudden descent.

Ning Xiaochuan had taken a gamble, and his heart pounded with relief. If the Fire Spider hadn’t been strong enough to withstand his weight, both of them would have fallen to their deaths.

But now, the tables had turned. He held the silk firmly in his grip—if the Fire Spider dared to move even slightly, it would plunge into the abyss and be shattered to pieces.

Ning Xiaochuan pulled himself closer to the cliff, planting one foot into the stone wall. With his other arm, he condensed Profound Qi into a Profound Qi Sword and slashed at the Fire Spider from a distance.

"Swish!"

The Fire Spider, highly intelligent, saw the attack coming and immediately released its grip on the cliff. Its body was yanked downward by Ning Xiaochuan, plummeting toward the base of the cliff.

Ning Xiaochuan let go of the silk, unwilling to be dragged down with it.

Finally, it was over!

"Fzzzt!"

But then—a sudden twist.

Just as the Fire Spider fell past Ning Xiaochuan’s head, it spat out a second strand of silk, wrapping it around his neck.

Ning Xiaochuan's expression changed abruptly as he swiftly channeled his Profound Qi to protect his neck.

The intelligence of a Second-grade Mystic Beast was far from ordinary—it had actually found a way to turn the tables in the blink of an eye.

The Fire Spider let out a furious screech as it landed on the cliff face and swiftly climbed upward. Just moments ago, it had nearly died at the hands of this human. Now, it was determined to drain every drop of blood and brain matter from him.

Ning Xiaochuan was only at the Seventh Level of Profound Qi, and the Profound Qi within his body was still sparse. After unleashing a single Profound Qi Sword, he needed half an hour to gather enough energy for another.

As the Fire Spider lunged again, Ning Xiaochuan had no choice but to fight bare-handed against its razor-sharp claws.

Boom!

Boom!

...

The Fire Spider had eight limbs, while Ning Xiaochuan only had two hands. The two battled fiercely on the cliff, their Profound Qi scattering outward and shaking loose rocks from the precipice.

Boom!

Under the pressure of life and death, Ning Xiaochuan's latent potential erupted, instantly breaking through his bottleneck and advancing to the Eighth Level of Profound Qi.

His blood circulation accelerated dramatically, completing five full cycles in a single minute. Simultaneously, his pores greedily absorbed the Heaven and Earth Profound Qi, funneling it into his Martial Arts Heart Palace.

The amount of Profound Qi within his Martial Arts Heart Palace instantly tripled, forming a vast sea of energy that radiated intense fluctuations.

The Fire Spider naturally sensed Ning Xiaochuan's breakthrough and attacked even more frantically, lunging with its bloody maw wide open, aiming to bite off his head.

"You think you still have a chance? Die!"

With a sweep of his arm, Ning Xiaochuan unleashed a sword shadow of Profound Qi, cleaving through the Fire Spider's hardened shell and shattering its body into pieces. A corrosive spray of crimson blood splattered everywhere.

Ning Xiaochuan took a deep breath—he had finally slain this Second-grade Mystic Beast.

He touched his chest, where a 10 cm-long wound oozed blood, soaking his clothes.

"Strange. The Fire Spider's claws should be venomous, so why do I show no signs of poisoning?" Sealing the wound with Profound Qi, he dismissed the thought for now and turned to rescue Murong Wushuang, who was still hanging from the cliff.

The spider silk had left a deep, bloody ring around Murong Wushuang's neck, nearly severing it entirely.

Gasping for breath, Murong Wushuang stared at Ning Xiaochuan in shock. "Brother Chuan, you actually broke through to the Eighth Level of Profound Qi? Impressive, truly impressive!"

"With the Fire Spider dead, there shouldn't be any more danger. You should climb up and tend to your wounds first. I'll retrieve the Blood Toad Wood," Ning Xiaochuan said, seeing that Murong Wushuang was badly injured.

Murong Wushuang didn’t argue and nodded before quickly scaling the cliff.

Meanwhile, Ning Xiaochuan continued descending until he finally reached the Blood Toad Wood. A faint, unique fragrance—its signature scent—drifted to his nose.

Gazing at the Blood Toad Wood, Ning Xiaochuan's heart swelled with excitement.

This specimen had to be at least a thousand years old, as large as a millstone, shaped like a massive crimson toad crouching on the cliff. Its claws, eyes, and mouth had even begun to form vague outlines.

This was merely the main trunk of the tree, from which grew nine branches as thick as arms, covered in blood-red leaves that emitted a faint fragrance.

"This must weigh at least several thousand jin! And it’s still alive—this Blood Toad Wood is practically priceless."

As Ning Xiaochuan placed his palm on the trunk of the Blood Toad Wood, the demonic sword within his heart immediately let out a joyful hum. A stream of energy surged from the sword, attempting to absorb the Blood Toad Wood’s vital essence.

Ning Xiaochuan swiftly withdrew his hand, severing the connection between the demonic sword and the Blood Toad Wood.

Though he wished to use the Blood Toad Wood to enhance his cultivation immediately, allowing the demonic sword to absorb it directly would only utilize a tenth of its medicinal power.

Only by refining the Blood Toad Wood with the power of the Heart Nurturing Cauldron could Ning Xiaochuan fully absorb its potency.

"I’ll dig it up first and refine it slowly. A piece of Blood Toad Wood this large should be enough to push my cultivation to the Divine Body Realm in a short time."

Ning Xiaochuan took out his chopping knife and began carefully excavating the cliffside, ensuring the roots of the Blood Toad Wood remained intact. Perhaps he could even bring it back to Haitang Manor and cultivate it there.

A single Mystic Wood was enough to transform barren land into a spiritual site for martial cultivation.