Translator: CinderTL
When Song Wen swallowed the medicinal pill, a flicker of surprise crossed the eyes of the scholar and the dwarf. They then watched him intently.
There was no better way to test a medicinal pill than to use a person as a test subject.
Since Ai Kun had volunteered to be the test subject, the two were naturally pleased to see it.
After swallowing the pill, Song Wen's body gradually began to glow with a faint green luminescence.
The glow was extremely subtle, extending only an inch from his body.
Yet this thin layer of luminescence completely repelled the surging toxic miasma, preventing it from harming Song Wen's physical form in the slightest.
The scholar and the dwarf quickly stowed the medicinal pills in their Storage Rings, unlike Song Wen, who had taken his immediately.
Given the pill's remarkable effectiveness, they decided to save it for a life-or-death situation, not to waste it casually.
"Hmph! Ai Kun, giving you the Spirit Pivot Detoxification Pill is a complete waste of a treasure," the white-haired elder said resentfully.
With that, he continued forward.
Two hours later, the group of four arrived at a sheer cliff face.
Below the cliff, layers of gray-green miasma had accumulated, as thick and viscous as a stagnant green lake.
The miasma flowed slowly but never dispersed, like an undercurrent churning beneath the surface of a dead lake, exuding an ominous sense of danger. Sunlight struggled to penetrate the heavy miasma barrier, but not a single ray could pierce through.
The four of them stood in an area also permeated with toxic miasma, though not as thick as the nearly tangible miasma within the valley itself. Still, it was heavy enough to chill the blood.
The omnipresent miasma severely disrupted their vision and Divine Sense, making it impossible to gauge the true size of the valley.
"Below this cliff lies the Yin Spider Valley," the white-haired elder said, his expression grave as he gazed down at the gray-green miasma swirling beneath their feet.
The scholar asked, "Fellow Daoist Jiang Chao, do you know the exact location of the Nine Deaths Grass within the Yin Spider Valley?"
The white-haired elder shook his head. "I don't. Senior Jiang Lanruo only learned of the Nine Deaths Grass here from others. She doesn't know its precise location or the dangers that lie within the valley."
The scholar's face darkened at this news.
Even before entering the valley, their Divine Sense could only penetrate a radius of ten miles. Once inside, their perception would undoubtedly be further suppressed.
Setting aside the countless poisonous insects and demon beasts that might lurk within the Yin Spider Valley, simply finding the Nine Deaths Grass would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
The dwarf, the white-haired elder, and the scholar all wore grim expressions, their brows furrowed with deep worry.
In contrast, Song Wen seemed remarkably relaxed.
"Fellow Daoists, it seems the Rotting Miasma Ridge isn't as dangerous as you claimed. We've encountered hardly any significant obstacles along the way."
"Utter nonsense!"
The white-haired elder glanced at Song Wen with disdain.
"The reason we reached this place so smoothly is because we're here during the peak of the beast tide in the Rotting Miasma Ridge. Countless demon beasts and poisonous insects have swarmed toward the Qianchang Wilderness. Moreover, Senior Jiang Lanruo provided us with a map that helped us bypass numerous perilous areas. Without her guidance, the four of us, with our current cultivation levels, would likely have struggled to reach this point safely. Furthermore, if not for the Spirit Pivot Detoxification Pills from my Jiang Family, you wouldn't even have been able to withstand the poisonous miasma along the way. How dare you speak so arrogantly now?"
Faced with the white-haired elder's rebuke, Song Wen could only force a sheepish smile, clearly intimidated. He didn't dare argue back.
The dwarf suddenly interjected. "Regardless of how treacherous Yin Spider Valley may be, we must find the Nine Deaths Grass. Let's not waste any more time. We should enter the valley immediately!"
With that, he swallowed a Spirit Pivot Detoxification Pill.
The white-haired elder and the scholar followed suit.
Then, the four of them leaped off the cliff.
After falling over a thousand feet, they reached the valley floor. Simultaneously, they released their Divine Senses, spreading them in all directions.
The valley floor was barren, strewn with scattered rubble and undulating mounds of earth.
Song Wen discovered that his Divine Sense could only penetrate about a hundred feet around him.
He estimated that the dwarf and the scholar, whose cultivation levels were higher than his, could sense much farther, but not by an overwhelming margin.
After realizing that his perception range was the shortest among the four, Song Wen stopped wasting his Divine Sense on scanning the surroundings. Instead, he remained quietly behind the other three, adopting a completely passive attitude.
This only further infuriated the white-haired elder, who was already displeased with him.
"Which direction should we go?" the scholar asked.
The white-haired elder replied, "In my opinion, we should split up and search individually. After all, each of us only has two Spirit Pivot Detoxification Pills, which will only allow us to stay here for six hours. Time is of the essence."
His suggestion was clearly aimed at Song Wen.
The scholar shook his head. "That's too risky. The situation in Yin Spider Valley is unknown. If we encounter a powerful Great Demon or poisonous insect, we could be picked off one by one."
The white-haired elder knew the scholar was right. He abandoned his stubbornness and nodded, saying in a low voice, "Then let's head toward the center of the valley first."
The four of them rose three feet off the ground and slowly advanced toward the valley's heart.
After half an hour, the demon beasts and poisonous insects they had been dreading were nowhere to be seen.
After traveling no less than ten thousand miles, the four cultivators still hadn't reached the edge of the valley on the other side.
The dwarf muttered under his breath, "Just how big is this valley?"
"Yin Spider Valley is just a valley. Logically, it shouldn't be ten thousand miles wide," the white-haired elder said gravely.
The scholar spoke up, "Fellow Daoists, haven't we been here before?"
The three men froze.
"Fellow Daoist Kong Jin, are you saying we've lost our way and haven't been traveling in a straight line?" the elder asked.
The scholar pointed at a small earthen mound ahead. "I fear that's precisely the case. I have a distinct memory of this mound."
With the scholar's reminder, the three men grew increasingly familiar with their surroundings.
The white-haired elder's expression darkened as he said, "It seems we truly have lost our way and have been circling in place all this time."
The scholar added, "All four of us are Divine Transformation Stage cultivators. It's impossible for us to simultaneously lose our sense of direction. Unless something here is interfering with our perception."
The white-haired elder scanned their surroundings, but found nothing unusual.
"Fellow Daoist Kong Jin, what do you think is interfering with our perception?"
The scholar replied, "I don't know. Perhaps it's a demon beast. Or maybe the natural terrain here forms a Formation. Or perhaps the poisonous miasma in this valley has a hallucinatory effect."
Song Wen's face was etched with worry.
"What should we do? We're trapped! It's been nearly three hours since I took my first Spirit Pivot Detoxification Pill, and its effects are wearing off. If we can't escape this area soon, I'll be the first to succumb to the miasma."
He then turned to the white-haired elder with a hopeful expression.
"Fellow Daoist Jiang Chao, surely you prepared more than eight Spirit Pivot Detoxification Pills, didn't you? Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that we four happened to have just enough to share?"
(End of the Chapter)
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