A Mortal's Start in the Spirit Beast Mountain

Chapter 271 Unusual Peeping

Once Xuan Gu's figure had completely disappeared, the tense atmosphere seemed to ease slightly. Han Li turned to Luo Ming, a sincere smile on his face, and cupped his hands, saying, "It's been many years since we last met. Brother Luo, you are even more impressive than before. Congratulations on your great progress in cultivation, breaking through to the mid-stage of Core Formation. With your foundation and opportunities, you should be close to the late stage soon."

His tone carried a sincere admiration and a hint of barely perceptible envy. After all, every step after reaching the Core Formation stage is incredibly difficult, and Luo Ming's ability to step into the mid-stage before him, with his profound aura, clearly indicated a very deep foundation.

Luo Ming laughed and waved his hand: "Brother Han, you flatter me. It was just a bit of luck that I gained something. With your temperament and opportunities, it's normal for you to surpass me. Don't forget, we made a promise that when we achieve Nascent Soul, we will return to Tiannan and settle our old scores! If we can get the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng to help us this time, our chances of condensing our Nascent Soul will surely be even greater."

Mentioning the Old Testament and the Nascent Soul Path, Han Li's eyes sharpened, and he nodded solemnly. Then, his expression turned serious, his gaze warily sweeping the direction Xuan Gu had departed. His lips moved slightly, and he switched to telepathic communication, sending his voice directly into Luo Ming's sea of ​​consciousness:

"Brother Luo, this old monster Xuan Gu is extremely cunning and sneaky; he's definitely not a good person. His 'generosity' in taking out these two extraordinary treasures and then leaving alone makes me suspect something's amiss. Especially that set of array flags… Senior Brother, you must be extremely careful from now on; this person may very well harbor malicious intentions!"

Just as Luo Ming and Han Li were discussing, at the same time, in a secluded spot on the rocky slope several miles away, Xuan Gu had already stopped. He first cautiously scanned the surroundings with his divine sense, confirming that Luo Ming and Han Li had not followed and that there were no other lurking cultivators or demonic beasts in the area. Then, he quickly raised his hand and cast several restrictions to isolate their auras.

As soon as the barrier light screen was formed, a slightly illusory primordial spirit, surrounded by a faint gray aura, eagerly emerged from somewhere on his body, hovered slightly in the air, and manifested as a humanoid figure with a blurred face but unusually greedy and excited eyes.

"Brother Xiao, are we about to make our move?" The voice of the primordial spirit, filled with barely suppressed excitement, asked sharply in the Xuan Gu sea of ​​consciousness.

Xuan Gu stared expressionlessly at the primordial spirit drifting before him, his eyes cold as he said, "Be patient. Once you've captured the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng and your mind relaxes slightly, thinking your mission is nearing completion, that will be your best opportunity to strike. Remember, your primary target is Luo Ming. You must kill him with a single blow, devouring his primordial spirit and taking over his body as quickly as possible. His physical body is incredibly strong, just what you need."

He paused, his eyes flashing with even colder light: "Once we succeed, you and I will immediately join forces and annihilate Han Li with lightning speed! These two have a close relationship and a tacit understanding; keeping either of them alive is a variable. Delay will only lead to unforeseen changes; we must act swiftly and decisively to eliminate any future trouble!"

Upon hearing this, the primordial spirit excitedly circled twice, repeatedly saying, "Good! Good! Brother Xiao, rest assured, my 'Ten Thousand Ghosts Devouring Souls' is already itching for a fight! I'll make that brat Luo Ming's soul scatter, and his body will be the foundation for my rebirth! As for Han Li... hehe, with his flying sword that can unleash evil-repelling divine thunder, we'll have to be careful. But as long as we seize Luo Ming's body and that demon banner, with the combined strength of the two of us, destroying him will be a piece of cake!"

Xuan Gu said no more, only nodded slightly, his gaze piercing through the gaps in the rocks, casting a long, cold and patient look towards the direction where Luo Ming and Han Li were.

Just as Xuan Gu and the illusory primordial spirit finalized their poisonous plan, a flash of dark light appeared, and it turned and rushed back to where Luo and Han were.

About ten feet away from where they had just been talking, an ancient giant tree, so large that it would take several people to encircle it, stood there. Between the rough bark patterns, the air was slightly distorted, and an "eye" with clear pupil patterns, formed entirely from pure wood spiritual energy, silently appeared.

This Wood Spirit Eye seems to be an organ that grew out of the giant tree itself, blending into the surrounding environment, with its aura extremely restrained.

It silently gazed in the direction where the Xuan Bone had disappeared, its pupils reflecting the receding gray shadow, revealing a cold and playful meaning, as if it had witnessed the entire conspiracy whispered just now. After a moment, the Wood Spirit Eye flickered slightly, then silently dissipated like a bubble, returning to pure wood spirit energy without leaving a trace.

Meanwhile, above the small rocky hill on the other side.

Luo Ming stood casually to the side, but his gaze kept sweeping over Han Li, who was focused and skillfully setting up the "Four Symbols Black Tortoise Formation." Han Li's caution was evident; he had already secretly checked and replaced the main flags among the four array flags to ensure that even if the formation was activated, control would not easily fall into Xuan Gu's hands.

He, however, focused most of his attention on the golden silk ball in his hand. His fingertips slowly traced the cool, supple golden silk, while deep within his eyes, the crimson-gold Qianyang True Fire quietly flowed, pushing the "Qianyang Fire Eyes" to their limit. Under the insight of the supreme Yang True Fire, the perfectly disguised pure golden spiritual aura belonging to the "Golden Silkworm" on the surface of the silk was slowly peeled away, revealing something more essential within.

One could see wisps of extremely subtle, pure, yet completely different from the properties of the golden threads themselves, gray-black Yin energy, like living veins, deeply embedded in the core of each golden thread, closely combined with it, forming the true source of binding and sealing of this magical artifact.

"The Shadow Silk... just as I thought."

Luo Ming sneered inwardly. This item had an extremely strong sealing effect on cultivators' magical power and the pure spiritual essence within spiritual objects. Using it to capture wood-type spirits like the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng was indeed a "targeted remedy." Xuan Gu's plan was truly vicious. If he really used this net to trap the spirit ginseng, the spirit ginseng would likely be trapped, and Xuan Gu's hidden trump card within the Yin Soul Silk would instantly erupt, turning against him.

Knowing the details, Luo Ming naturally wouldn't touch the item again. He calmly took out a specially made cold jade box, put the gold ball inside, and quickly affixed several "spirit-sealing talismans" to isolate spiritual energy before storing it in the deepest part of his storage bag, separating it from other important items.

After doing all this, he glanced down at his left wrist. There, a simple and ancient-looking bracelet, interwoven with blue, gold, and red, sat quietly on his wrist, occasionally emitting a faint light. It was the magical artifact he had personally crafted, the "Demon-Binding Rope." This rope could be both strong and flexible, unpredictable and designed to bind all kinds of demons. Its mysteries were no less than those of the golden net, and it was entirely under his control.

"How can your old devil's broken net compare to my own treasure?" Luo Ming thought to himself.

Just then, as if sensing something, he raised his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the void, looking in the direction where Xuan Gu had left. His eyes narrowed slightly, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Looks like this old fellow is getting impatient to put on a show..." he muttered to himself, his voice barely audible. "Actually, I'm getting a little tired of this too. This pretentious act is really exhausting."

A moment later, a whooshing sound rang out, and the gray shadow formed from Xuan Gu returned, landing lightly in front of the two. His gaze quickly swept over the seemingly completed formation and the composed Luo Ming and Han Li, a smile spreading across his face as he praised, "You two fellow Daoists are quick and efficient, preparing so soon. It seems you are determined to obtain the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng."

Luo Ming laughed heartily and replied, "Brother Xuan Gu, you jest. What Core Formation cultivator in the world wouldn't be tempted by such a rare treasure that can increase the chances of condensing a Nascent Soul? They'd probably dream of getting their hands on one." He then gestured towards Han Li beside him, teasingly adding, "Right, Brother Han?"

Upon hearing this, Han Li also revealed an undisguised expectant smile on his face and nodded. Although he did not say much, anyone could clearly see the eagerness in his eyes.

Xuan Gu took in the two's "eager" appearance, and most of his last doubts dissipated. He was secretly delighted and then began the most crucial step: using the musk beast's dung to lure the little guy out.

Time flowed silently. At the foot of the stone mountain, the Four Symbols Black Tortoise Formation had silently unfolded, a very faint yellowish-brown halo enveloping the area within a hundred feet, blending seamlessly with the surrounding environment, almost imperceptible unless deliberately explored.

Luo Ming and Han Li each concealed themselves at their designated positions on the edge of the formation. Han Li hid in the shadow of a weathered boulder, his aura perfectly concealed, his gaze fixed on the center of the formation—there, an open jade box was emitting a strange, foul stench that was unbearable for cultivators; it was the excrement of the "Musk Orchid Beast" that lured the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng.

Luo Ming, on the other hand, chose an ancient tree that would take several people to encircle as cover. Leaning against the rough trunk, he seemed to be intently observing the movements within the formation, but his brows furrowed slightly involuntarily. An indescribable, faint sense of unease, as if being watched by something invisible, pierced his senses like tiny ice needles.

"Senior," he said, diverting a wisp of his mind to his sea of ​​consciousness and sending a telepathic message to the Heavenly Mirror Hermit.

"Have you noticed anything unusual around you? I have a feeling that something is wrong, a vague sense of unease, as if I'm being watched from afar by something dangerous."

Upon hearing this, Tianjing Sanren's voice became more serious: "For you to have such a clear spiritual warning... could it be that Extreme Yin Old Monster? The way he looked at you before was strange."

After saying that, a divine sense fluctuation that was far more magnificent and subtle than Luo Ming himself, yet extremely obscure, spread outwards from Luo Ming like ripples on water, silently covering a range of thousands of feet, meticulously examining the subtle movements of every inch of land, every wisp of spiritual energy, and every blade of grass and tree.

A moment later, Tianjing Sanren's voice rang out again, tinged with doubt: "Strange... Within a radius of a thousand feet, apart from grass, trees, soil, and rocks, there is very little sign of life. That Xuan Gu Old Ghost is hiding behind a crevice in the rocks a thousand feet to the southeast, his aura steady, as if waiting. Also... I have discovered a rather interesting place."