Immortal Cultivation: Starting from a Pharmacy Apprentice

Chapter 229: Chapter 229: Seeing Tianqing Again

Foul-smelling green blood splashed out.

The Mantis Beast beat its wings, about to fly, but the men holding the net were lifted and then dropped in unison, the iron net forcibly dragging it back down.

They gave the creature no second chance. The iron net twisted and coiled, enveloping it in an instant. Before it could struggle free, long blades and iron pikes had already been thrust inside.

It was left with far more than just a few wounds.

The taut iron net suddenly went slack, the Mantis Beast instantly falling silent.

A burly man holding a broadsaber strode up to its head.

"These Demon Beasts don’t have two ounces of meat on them, but they’re certainly not easy to kill."

With that, his muscles tensed, and the broadsaber came down.

CLANG! SPLURCH!

First came the sound of metal striking a hard object, followed by the blade breaking through the exoskeleton.

The Mantis Beast’s body suddenly spasmed, then went limp once more.

"Huh! You guys, come see what this is!"

The edge of his broadsaber was now bent, and the man winced at the damage. But immediately after, he discovered a strange object in the Mantis Beast’s brain.

He used the tip of his saber to pry a tangled, web-like object from its cranium.

"Since when do things like this grow inside a Demon Beast’s brain?"

Lanshan glanced over and said, "It wasn’t born with it."

He opened the waterskin at his waist and poured fresh water over the object, washing away the Mantis Beast’s brain matter.

A tangled mass of rootlets was clearly revealed before them.

"Shopkeeper Bai, what do you make of this?"

Bai Mo recognized the mass of rootlets.

"It’s a peculiar type of plant. When an animal eats it, the seed can germinate. Its soft tendrils take root inside the body, biding their time."

"Once the beast dies, the plant sprouts and grows, drawing nutrients from the corpse. In less than five days, it can grow into a lush, thriving patch."

"But why would this thing be in a Mantis Beast’s brain?"

One of the men hacked the Mantis Beast’s corpse open. Its simple organs spilled out, along with tumbling green egg sacs, releasing an overwhelming stench.

After searching the body several times, they finally found a hole in its cranium that had not yet fully healed.

"Well, what do you know! I was wondering why this thing seemed to have a grudge against us. So that’s the reason!"

"It was just a hired thug!"

Everyone’s faces darkened.

"It’s still a two-day journey to West Mountain. Everyone stay sharp."

The Mantis Beast’s corpse was buried unceremoniously.

Frankly, the creature didn’t have two ounces of meat on it. At best, some people liked to use its carapace to craft items.

But compared to metal, the materials from a Mantis Beast were nothing special.

The rest of the journey, however, was surprisingly uneventful.

They walked until nightfall, then found a cave to take shelter in.

A light drizzle began to fall, its patter in the mountains a soft, unending rhythm.

Several sentries, both visible and concealed, remained perfectly still, concentrating on their watch.

A bonfire was lit inside the cave, driving away the dampness.

Qin Wen seemed lost in thought, unconsciously prodding the bonfire with a twig.

Bai Mo’s gaze shifted from the strips of meat by the fire. The fat on them was sizzling; if the fire grew any stronger, the meat would burn.

"What’s the matter?"

Qin Wen snapped back to his senses and quickly stamped out part of the fire.

"It’s nothing. It’s just... I haven’t been in the mountains for a while, and things feel a little unfamiliar."

There was nothing more to say. If there were a better way, no one would choose to make a living in the mountains.

They might seem impressive in the city, holding a certain status and earning the awe of many.

But in truth, no family would want their children doing this kind of work—unless they had no other way to survive, of course.

Early the next morning, not daring to waste any time, the group got up and continued on their way.

A day and a half later, they still hadn’t encountered any more Demon Beasts.

They arrived smoothly at the foot of West Mountain.

The water in the mountain ravine flowed swiftly, rushing for several miles before joining an underground river.

Lanshan pointed to the dense forest in the distance and said in a low voice:

"It’s in there. The herbs Little Liu spoke of are all inside. That’s also where we took a beating."

His expression was heavy. In the few days since they had been gone, the signs of their struggle in the dense forest had already been covered over.

"Could it be just as Shopkeeper Bai said, that the plant life in these mountains has been growing exceptionally well lately?"

But Bai Mo’s expression was even graver than his.

"The ground qi here is very orderly."

"Hmm?" Everyone looked over, not understanding why he had said that.

Bai Mo had a basic understanding of how to lay out a medicinal herb field.

This art involved profound techniques for managing ground qi, secrets mostly held by the sects.

From Bai Mo’s perspective, the ground qi here was so orderly it required no management. One could casually break the ground, plant anything, and be guaranteed a bumper harvest the following year.

"Take me on a tour. The flow pattern of this ground qi seems familiar..."

The terrain here was rough, and the dense forest was quite large, covering a radius of at least a couple of miles.

By the time Bai Mo had completed his circuit and returned, the sky had already grown dark.

"Never mind, never mind."

"This is beyond our ability to handle. The good news, however, is that the creature within will be leaving soon."

Bai Mo had recognized the style of the ground qi’s flow.

It was the exact same style as the Great Azure Flower he had encountered when Brother Shui had asked him to enter the mountains!

Lanshan and the others were startled.

"What do you mean by that? Shopkeeper Bai, are you certain?"

Bai Mo nodded.

He remembered that the Great Azure Flower had left behind an offspring.

That offspring used its rootlets to touch the ground and was exceptionally good at escaping.

A senior brother from Broken Blade Peak who had come to meet them had run into it and was sent flying by the offspring.

"I saw the creature responsible attack with my own eyes. Even a senior brother from my sect was no match for it in a single exchange."

Everyone was shocked to hear this.

"An existence like that is here, on the outskirts of Celestial Barrier Mountain!?"

"If that’s true, why would it use a Demon Beast to obstruct us? Wouldn’t that be completely unnecessary?"

Bai Mo shook his head.

"Perhaps there’s some hidden reason. It’s best not to get involved."

"Once it leaves, we can all have some peace."

’No wonder that old senior in the tree stump back at the foot of the mountain specifically reminded me. For a natural marvel like the Great Azure Flower, concepts of good and evil truly don’t apply.’

’It’s all just for the sake of continuing its kind.’

’As for how that senior could sense the Great Azure Flower’s presence despite the great distance between them... Bai Mo guessed it was because the Great Azure Flower’s manipulation of the ground qi had been detected.’

Lanshan thought for a moment. Knowing Bai Mo wouldn’t deceive him, he asked:

"Shopkeeper Bai, are you sure that thing will actually leave?"

Bai Mo sighed.

"I’d actually prefer it if it didn’t, but now that it’s sensed my presence, I expect it will decide to leave."

’A creature like this is more secretive than anything; it won’t allow itself to remain exposed.’

Stopping in his tracks, Bai Mo turned and pointed to the dense forest.

"If I’m not mistaken, the trees on the outskirts of this forest were supposed to grow vigorously until their trunks lined up and their branches intertwined to form a barrier before stopping."

"Now that this place has been discovered and I’ve shown up uninvited, the master within will be preparing to relocate."

Bai Mo turned and started back the way they came.

"Brother Lanshan, you can send someone to keep watch. If the trees stop growing midway and don’t resume, it will mean the master within has departed."

Seeing Bai Mo’s confident and utterly convinced expression, the men’s doubts were assuaged, and they breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"So it seems it’s not an evil creature, just... territorial."

Lanshan was about to suggest they rest when he suddenly saw Bai Mo straighten his clothes and begin to walk away in a hurry.

"Quick! Get me back so I can notify my sect."

"If we’re fast enough, I might still be able to alert my senior brothers to intercept it..."

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