Immortal Cultivation: Starting from a Pharmacy Apprentice

Chapter 316: Chapter 316: Seeking Out

Walking through the prison with the Stone Giants today counted as a completed patrol.

Bai Mo returned to his stone house and made an entry in a massive, fan-sized ledger on the table.

Beside the ledger was a handbook the Stone Giants had left for Bai Mo, which listed many important matters.

’The two Brother Shis have such good habits. I’m grateful, but I’m afraid it’ll be a long time before I see them again.’

Bai Mo took a walk around the mountain’s perimeter to familiarize himself with his territory, which helped him settle in.

「The next day」

His belongings were delivered by some outer sect disciples.

The two disciples arrived, inexpertly piloting a Flying Ship. They hastily unloaded Bai Mo’s belongings, looking nervous and anxious the whole time.

’I heard this senior brother is an advanced Alchemy Cultivator. Why would he end up in a place like this?’

’Isn’t this the place where they imprison devils?’

After searching for a moment, they finally found the repaired path and arrived before the tall stone gate.

To their surprise, there were huge pits on either side of the stone gate. How strange.

One of them walked up, grabbed the large bronze rings with both hands, and banged them against the door.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

After a moment, with a RUMBLE, one half of the gate opened.

Bai Mo appeared, dressed in a grayish-white Daoist robe.

"Hm? You’re..."

"Ah, Senior Brother, we’ve come to deliver your luggage," the disciple who had knocked on the door said hurriedly.

Bai Mo understood. He opened the other half of the gate and let them in.

A Pill Furnace, medicinal herbs, and even the Spirit Wood that Bai Mo was accustomed to burning were all there, carried in by the two disciples in several trips.

After nearly an hour of work, everything was finally inside.

"Thanks for all the hard work."

Bai Mo wanted to offer them a bowl of water to drink, but the two disciples didn’t dare to linger at all.

’A Senior Brother warned us before we came not to stay long or do anything unnecessary.’

The two disciples glanced at the dark entrance of the black prison opposite them, then took their leave and departed.

After they were gone, Bai Mo suddenly remembered something.

’I should have asked them to bring back some rice and grain.’

Bai Mo had never lived such a cold, isolated life, cut off from civilization.

Suddenly, he felt there were many things he needed to prepare.

He also wondered if there were any neighbors here on Mi Mountain who could help each other out.

Acting on the thought, Bai Mo properly stored his Pill Furnace and medicinal herbs, made his bed, straightened his robes, and went out.

RUMBLE!

The stone gate closed.

Ever since the Stone Giants transferred their authority over Mi Mountain to Bai Mo, he had felt a faint connection to the mountain.

Even when he was away, Bai Mo could sense if anything was amiss on Mi Mountain.

After leaving, Bai Mo headed to the right.

He remembered that on his way here, the lands to the left and right were lush, green forests, but the domain of Mi Mountain alone was a barren land.

However, there was a stream to the right, so he figured there was a greater chance of finding signs of human life there.

But after half a day of trekking through the forest, Bai Mo had found nothing but some sweet, crisp wild fruits.

’There aren’t even any signs of people passing through here. This must truly be the domain of wild animals and Demon Beasts.’

As Bai Mo thought this, his Divine Thought sensed many lingering auras of Demon Beasts.

This wasn’t surprising.

The Spiritual Qi within the inner sect was dense. The water flowing from the cloud walls into the great sinkhole also caused Spiritual Qi to converge and gather on the surrounding land.

In a place like this, any wild animal with even a bit of aptitude would inevitably turn into a Demon Beast after absorbing enough Spiritual Qi.

With so many Demon Beasts here, trouble was bound to stir up over time, which should have attracted Sect Disciples to come and clear them out.

But the current primitive ecosystem and the numerous traces of Demon Beasts he had seen along the way only further convinced Bai Mo that few people ever came here.

After walking for some time, he had followed the river without seeing any sign of civilization, so Bai Mo ended his search for neighbors.

’I wonder if there are any maps of this area circulating. I must find a chance to get one someday.’

Although he had found nothing, Bai Mo was still in a pleasant mood.

The Spiritual Qi in the forest was rich. For an Alchemy Cultivator, walking amidst it was a way to commune with nature and comprehend the world.

Just as he was about to turn back, Bai Mo stopped and tilted his head, listening intently.

Just a moment ago, he had clearly heard the sound of someone shouting.

"...Take this... Hiyah..."

Certain that he wasn’t imagining things, Bai Mo quickly made his way toward the source of the sound.

Pushing aside grass and parting branches, it took Bai Mo only a moment to find the source of the sound.

As soon as he stepped out, he saw a disciple processing the corpse of a bear on the ground.

The disciple was also very surprised to see Bai Mo.

"There’s someone else here!?"

Bai Mo was a bit surprised by his words and was the first to offer a greeting.

"Greetings, Senior Brother."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You don’t know?" the disciple asked in return.

Bai Mo replied, "I am but a junior brother who has just arrived in the inner sect. I’m unaware of many things. I hope Senior Brother can enlighten me."

Only then did the disciple understand.

"That explains it."

He turned and pointed in a certain direction.

"Do you know what’s nearby?"

Of course, Bai Mo knew. It was the direction of his own Mi Mountain.

"The Mi Mountain Black Prison?"

"So you do know," the disciple said.

"That’s the place where they imprison devils. All sorts of evil spirits are often scheming to rescue them."

"Ordinary disciples don’t usually wander around here for fear of being mistaken for someone with ulterior motives."

As he spoke, he hastily made a few cuts on the bear’s corpse.

"I only came here because I’m short on some materials for Artifact Refining and knew that Demon Beasts run rampant in this area. But even so, I don’t dare stay long."

Bai Mo could see he was cutting out the edible parts and offered some advice:

"Down and to the left. The meat under the ribs has an excellent texture and absorbs flavor well."

The disciple, in the middle of his work, gave Bai Mo a surprised look, then followed his advice and cut off that piece of meat.

"I used a precious medicine to lure a suitable Demon Beast. Now, the nearby Demon Beasts are probably all agitated and on the move."

"Junior Brother, you should be careful when you leave, too."

After speaking, the disciple packed up his things, grabbed his Longsword, and hurried off toward the river. He leaped across it and disappeared from sight.

Bai Mo tossed away the half-eaten wild fruit in his hand, and a Longsword appeared in its place.

’I’m not skilled in Swordsmanship, but with my Foundation Establishment cultivation, dealing with ordinary Demon Beasts shouldn’t be a problem.’

With that thought, he gripped his Longsword and headed back the way he came.

ROAR!

He hadn’t gone far when, just as expected, a leopard-like beast leaped out, its jaws open as it pounced at him.

It had been lying in ambush for a long time and had chosen the perfect moment. If he were knocked down, the beast’s jaws would likely clamp down on his neck in the next instant.

However, none of the beast’s movements could escape Bai Mo’s Divine Thought.

Before it could get close, a Pill Furnace materialized out of thin air above its head.

The beast’s vision was completely blocked. It was shocked, and before it could react, a sharp pain shot through its neck.

Bai Mo pulled his sword from its neck. Seeing it was still twitching, he delivered another thrust and finished the beast off.

’Ha! Now I look like a proper member of a Demon Hunting Team.’

Bai Mo playfully flourished his sword for his own amusement.

The journey back was not peaceful.

All kinds of Demon Beasts came one after another. It was hard to say whether Bai Mo had stumbled into their patrol routes, or if their random wandering had blocked his path.

But even though Bai Mo had yet to fully develop the power of his Foundation Establishment, he could still use his Spiritual Qi alone to pierce the Demon Beasts’ hides and slay them with his sword.

Having received so much Demon Beast meat from Lanshan and the others, Bai Mo naturally knew a thing or two about butchering them.

Whenever he spotted a beast he considered a choice ingredient, he became even more focused, his strikes swift and fierce, determined to claim his prize.

For a time, the forest was unusually lively.

"Die, you foul beast!!"

Bai Mo once again cut down a four-tusked boar demon, getting spattered with foul, stinking demon blood.

The sturdy demon’s body collapsed, crushing the bushes beside it and revealing the scene behind.

A small beast was standing upright on its hind legs. It had a pointed head, a long snout, and gray fur. It stared at Bai Mo, terrified, its legs trembling uncontrollably.

Bai Mo watched it for a moment before recognizing what it was.

"A badger?"

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