A Mortal's Start in the Spirit Beast Mountain

Chapter 16 Azure-Winged Flying Serpent

"The path of cultivation is like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you fall behind."

Luo Ming muttered to himself, making a mental cleansing gesture with his fingertips to forcefully dispel the distracting thoughts about Han Yunzhi from his mind.

He knew very well that the cultivation world was not a place of compassion and empathy; feelings of compassion and regret were always luxuries for the strong, and he was still just an ant.

"I myself am mired in difficulties, struggling to survive in the late stages of Qi Refining, so what right do I have to lament the fate of others?"

His gaze darkened as he recalled the fates of cultivators who had been eliminated due to stagnation in their cultivation levels. Many of them had vanished without a trace. "If I cannot break through the insurmountable barrier of Foundation Establishment, I will ultimately be nothing more than a handful of dust, no different from those nameless skeletons."

In the instant his thoughts cleared, Luo Ming felt his mind become crystal clear. The restlessness brought on by the battle and distracting thoughts completely dissipated, and his mind sank into an unprecedented tranquility. This tranquility was not numbness, but a clarity after recognizing reality, and a firmness after clarifying his goal—on the path of cultivation, only by surviving and becoming stronger can one be qualified to talk about anything else.

As he circulated his cultivation technique, the medicinal power of the elixir and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth slowly seeped into his meridians, nourishing his empty dantian. Two hours later, Luo Ming slowly finished his practice, his magical power fully restored.

Stepping out of the stone cave, his gaze swept across the vast mountains and forests around him. After determining his location, he resolutely headed towards the center of the forbidden area, where the spiritual energy was the most abundant and the probability of finding high-level spiritual herbs was the highest. If he wanted to accumulate more Foundation Establishment resources, he had no choice but to venture deep into the dangerous place.

Beside a pool of water from which green steam occasionally rises, a poisonous toad the size of a millstone confronts a green snake with wings on its back. In the pool, a green lotus flower peeks out, its bud about to bloom, emitting an alluring fragrance, clearly nearing full maturity.

Just as the two demonic beasts were staring at each other, poised to strike, a joyful voice came from nearby.

"Huh! There's a withered lotus here."

Luo Ming emerged from behind the bushes, his gaze fixed on the lotus flower that was about to bloom, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

This lotus naturally grows in places containing highly poisonous substances, yet it is pure and spotless, completely devoid of toxicity, and is instead a rare and sacred medicine for body tempering.

When it is fully mature, all its essence will be concentrated on the lotus flower and the lotus root below, while the branches and leaves will quickly wither, hence the name "withered leaf lotus".

The standoff between the two demonic beasts was instantly broken, and they immediately turned their heads angrily to stare at Luo Ming, their scarlet eyes filled with hostility.

For cultivators, the withered lotus can strengthen their physical body and cleanse their meridians, greatly assisting them in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm.

This item is also an invaluable treasure for demonic beasts, especially poisonous insect-type demonic beasts, whose attraction is even more deadly. The stronger their physique, the more potent the poison they can withstand, and the easier it is for them to break through to higher realms.

"Stone-hearted Toad, Green-winged Flying Serpent..."

A hint of interest flashed in Luo Ming's eyes. Both were highly venomous monsters rarely seen in the outside world, and capturing them alive was far more valuable than killing them.

His sect, Spirit Beast Mountain, was renowned for its beast-taming techniques, and many disciples preferred to use venomous insects in combat. In particular, small venomous snakes like the Azure-Winged Flying Serpent could cause significant trouble even for Foundation Establishment cultivators if bitten, and their speed was as fast as lightning. They could be concealed in sleeves to launch surprise attacks, making them ingenious weapons of cunning.

Since he was determined to capture her alive, he naturally couldn't use powerful magical artifacts like flying swords. With a thought, he raised his hand and patted the storage bag at his waist. A flash of earthy yellow light appeared, and a round bead the size of a fist appeared in his palm.

This bead is called the Hunyuan Bead, and it was a top-tier earth-attribute magic weapon that he selected in the sect's main hall.

Luo Ming had been exploring this item for some time and discovered that its core function was not attack, but support. When activated by magic, it could form a hazy yellow light that would firmly bind targets within its range, making them unable to move. The larger the target, the better the effect, making it a powerful tool for assisting in capturing enemies.

With a thought, Luo Ming slowly channeled his inner power into the Chaos Pearl. The pearl instantly shone brightly, and a hazy yellow beam of light shot precisely towards the top of the azure-winged flying serpent's head.

The Azure-Winged Flying Serpent reacted extremely quickly, flapping its wings in an attempt to teleport away, but was instantly enveloped by the yellow beam of light emanating from the Chaos Pearl. This invisible pressure caused the Azure-Winged Flying Serpent to feel its body sink, and it was forced to the ground, its scales scraping against the earth with a hissing sound, unable to move.

"Using the right magical artifact really does make all the difference."

Luo Ming nodded inwardly, his confidence growing stronger. Cultivating immortality wasn't just about the depth of one's magical power, but also about understanding the situation and utilizing treasures. If it were a brute-force speed contest, he might not be able to defeat the Azure Winged Flying Serpent.

Seeing its companion subdued in an instant, the Stone Heart Toad on the other side trembled with fear, its two small eyes darting around frantically, clearly calculating its escape route. The next moment, its earthy-yellow spiritual power surged, and a thick layer of stone armor quickly covered its body, completely enveloping it. If one did not know the habits of this demon, one would think it was on defense, unaware that it had already dug a hole below and escaped far away.

"Hmph, trying to burrow underground and escape?" Luo Ming sneered as he quietly gazed at the nearly mature withered lotus in the small pond.

A few breaths later, a slight tremor suddenly came from the ground. Immediately afterwards, a gray shadow emerged from the soil beneath the Stone Heart Toad—it was the Rock Python that Luo Ming had raised. The Rock Python, with the Stone Heart Toad, which had already lost its ability to struggle, tightly gripped its mouth, and slowly crawled back to Luo Ming's feet.

"Indeed, professional tasks should be left to professional spirit beasts." Luo Ming bent down and stroked the rock python's head, a rare gentleness appearing on his face before he regained his composure. The purpose of raising spirit beasts was to complement each other's weaknesses and save unnecessary resources.

After dealing with the two guardian monsters, Luo ordered the Xuan Turtle to go down and harvest the lotus roots below.

A chilling laugh suddenly came from the treetops diagonally above: "Good lad, you've got some good luck, managing to find such a treasure as the Withered Leaf Lotus. Now it's mine, you can get lost!"

Then a figure appeared nearby like a ghost. Luo Ming's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly tensed up. The fact that the other party could sneak up here silently and avoid the detection of the fire crows in the sky showed that the concealment method was superb.

When he saw that the other person was wearing Tianque Fortress attire and had a face full of scars, a name came to mind.

"Are you that madman Feng Yue?"

"Hehe, I didn't expect that even your Spirit Beast Mountain knows my name. Since you know my name, you'd better get lost. If I change my mind, you won't be able to escape."

At this moment, Feng Yue saw that Luo Ming's cultivation level was the same as his own, reaching the perfect Qi Refining stage. He originally thought of using his fearsome reputation to scare the other party away, but the other party did not seem to be afraid at all. Instead, he seemed eager to try. Feng Yue was a little unsure of what to do.