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墨書 Inktalez
The circular mountain range intertwined is not actually oriented east-west; it is merely an illusion created after entering.
However, it is indeed a true interlocking formation. Li Hong was astonished, not knowing who set this up initially; it must have taken the grand design of an Ancient Divine Being to accomplish such a feat.
After flying in reverse, it initially seemed as if they were flying back over the Nine Peak Basin, but suddenly, another unfamiliar ring of peaks and basin appeared before them. The group, who had been anxious before, was now genuinely impressed.
Before them, besides the blue sky, was a world bathed in red.
It was still a ring of Peaks surrounding a Basin, but unlike the first group’s Basin, there were more Peaks and the Basin was larger. The mountains were filled with strange, fiery red plants, and the Toxic Miasma above the Basin resembled thick clouds of crimson. It was daytime, and there were no signs of monsters on the mountains; everything was quiet. Yet this silence carried a chilling sense of danger.
The group cautiously flew on their swords. Ahead stood an exceptionally tall peak, its Summit bare. Li Hong pointed to it and said, “Let’s designate that peak as the second group’s Basin—Peak One—and pause there for now.”
They landed. From this vantage point, their view became clearer. This Peak had no trees at the Summit; just a short distance down from the Summit were bizarre trees that glowed bright red, resembling clusters of towering Red Coral.
Li Hong approached the edge of the Summit and extended his Colorful Light Tentacles to probe into the thicket of Red Coral trees.
The world before him was surreal; the clusters of Red Coral trees remained motionless in the gentle breeze, silent as a Dead Zone. There were no signs of life whatsoever.
As Li Hong extended his Colorful Light Tentacles to their limit and prepared to retract them, he noticed something.
A large Red Coral tree emitted a faint “drip” sound, as if liquid were falling. Focusing his mind on the tentacles, he saw clearly that a drop of red liquid indeed fell from the Red Coral tree onto the slightly reddish ground below, disappearing into the surface immediately.
Listening closely, he could hear occasional dripping sounds within this Red Coral forest; there were quite a few drops. Unlike the first group’s Basin, there was no tree-shaped miasma rising here. The fiery red Toxic Miasma seemed to directly envelop the area above the Basin. To find out if there were medicinal gardens beneath the Toxic Miasma, one would have to investigate personally.
Li Hong turned around to call out to his companions but found Chu Xi arguing with Chu Huai about something.
He heard Chu Xi coldly say, “Maybe your judgment is correct, but who dares take another risk? If you want to try it out, go ahead; there’s no need to drag so many people into this.”
Chu Huai's face flushed with anger, alternating between red and pale. "What is your problem? You can't stand anything I do. Is it only what Chu Hong says or does that is right? Everything I do is wrong?!"
"You can think that way if you want," Chu Xi replied calmly, clearly acknowledging the accusation.
Li Hong approached, frowning. "What's going on now?"
Seeing Li Hong made Chu Huai even angrier, but he had to admit that Li Hong was indeed stronger than him, so he could only suppress his anger and explain, "I remember in the first group Basin, those Strange Bats flew westward and disappeared, including those two old monsters. We are also flying west to get here. I think their nest might be around here; we should look for it, maybe check if there are any caves on the mountain that could hide them."
Li Hong thought for a moment and said, "No need to search; they are not here."
Chu Huai retorted, "On what basis are you so sure?"
"Simply because the direction here is problematic! When we saw those bats fleeing westward, every Basin here would change direction. The west we knew back then could be in a completely different direction days later; direction is the least reliable here. Also, if I'm not mistaken, the bright red trees growing here are highly toxic. Strange Bats fear poison the most; how could they possibly build their nest here? Enough arguing; everyone should rest well and avoid those bright red trees. I'll go explore the Basin below," Li Hong said before greeting everyone and flying down.
Chu Huai was still unconvinced and shouted, "So according to you, they are flying all over the place and will get lost in the Ancient Celestial Field? Hmph! I don't see them looking lost at all! They can still recognize their nests even if they were blind..."
Although Li Hong had already descended on his sword, he heard this last remark clearly and felt a stir in his heart. Indeed, where exactly were those Strange Bats' nests? How did they accurately find their prey and nests in the complex and unpredictable Ancient Celestial Field? It was indeed strange. However, he still insisted on his viewpoint: Strange Bats could be anywhere but not in this group of Basins.
The facts had proven that this place was filled with deadly poison.
There were indeed living creatures here. However, it was likely that they came from another group of Basins like them—a fatal misstep.
Under a Red Coral tree, Li Hong discovered a dead bird. Its monkey-like head was very conspicuous; it was one of the peculiar monkey-like birds native to the first group Basin. It looked like it had died not long ago, lying on the ground with a large hole in its back. Every little while, the Red Coral tree would drip a drop of bright red sap into the hole on the bird's back with a soft hissing sound, making the hole larger until it completely pierced through and continued to expand at a visible rate.
The Monkey Bird was killed by a drop of tree sap. This sap is not only highly toxic but also corrosive; absolutely no drop should be touched.
The fiery red layer of Toxic Miasma loomed ahead. Li Hong hovered in mid-air for a moment. He summoned the “Starfire Shield,” not entering directly, but instead probing the edge down into the Toxic Miasma to test it.
The surface of the “Starfire Shield” blazed brightly, spinning rapidly as flames flung the Toxic Miasma away. Li Hong felt relieved and flew into the “Starfire Shield,” quickly descending into the Toxic Miasma.
Upon seeing the ground, Li Hong was stunned. There were no medicinal fields here, nor any Restrictions.
The ground was completely bare, lacking even the familiar Multicolored Dots, and the soil was a faint reddish color like that of the mountain rocks above. The layer of Toxic Miasma thinned out closer to the ground, allowing visibility for a couple of yards. As far as he could see, there was nothing but an empty expanse of ground.
Li Hong decided to fly toward the center of the Basin to take a look. Stepping on his Lingyi, he rode the spinning “Starfire Shield” forward like a giant top.
After flying for a while, he noticed something shimmering on the ground. As Li Hong approached, his tongue nearly recoiled in shock.
It was hard to describe; it looked like two gigantic lobster claws, and they were cooked lobster claws, bright red from top to bottom. Just the height of these claws made Li Hong feel they were taller than himself, not to mention their length—almost like two small boats.
This thing… Li Hong recalled that his master Yue Changzi had mentioned in a small booklet that some special refining materials are monster carapaces. This seemed somewhat similar to what was described as “Claw Dragon” claws. If it was true, this would be an exceptional refining treasure!
He scratched his head; there was still a small handful of “Little Celestial Pole Needles” in his “Cosmic Bag.” He took one out and aimed it at the Giant Claw, launching it with all his might. A flash of white light appeared, and surprisingly, the “Little Celestial Pole Needle” flew back without hitting anything, disappearing from sight. Looking again at the Giant Claw, there wasn't even a pinhole.
So hard! Li Hong was overjoyed; his full-force strike at the Late Stage of Heart Refinement couldn’t penetrate! This must be a “Claw Dragon” claw. He decided to summon his “Dragon Tail Whip,” wrapping it around the central part of both Giant Claws. Instead of going inside, he simply pulled these two massive creatures through the Toxic Miasma, flying upward.
Thus, people from the Nine Li Sect witnessed a remarkable scene. They saw Li Hong, swaying as he rode his Flying Sword, holding a long whip while dangling two enormous crimson creatures as he flew toward the Summit.
Everyone stood up in unison: “What is that!”
Li Hong was sweating profusely, and it was hard to tell that these two Giant Claws were quite heavy; he had exerted a tremendous effort to pull them up. From a distance, Li Hong shouted, "Everyone step back! Don't touch! This thing might be highly toxic!"
After a shaky landing at the Summit, everyone was pushed to one side.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Li Hong stood beside the Giant Claw and said with a smile, "Chu Xi, come take a look if this is a Claw Dragon's claw!"
Chu Xi rummaged through her Spirit Bag and pulled out a pair of icy white thin gloves to wear. Those who recognized them immediately exclaimed, "Ice Silkworm Gloves! They can protect against toxins, great stuff! I remember these belong to Ling Xiangzi, Master Uncle!"
"Still don’t believe you’re foolish! What’s so surprising about Master Uncle’s good stuff being given to Chu Xi? Just shut up and look at this rare find!"
Li Hong nearly burst out laughing.
Wearing the Ice Silkworm Gloves, Chu Xi approached the claws, tapping and feeling them. Finally, she said, "This thing indeed has potent toxins. But it’s not a Claw Dragon's claw; it’s the claw of a large Scorpion."
The crowd erupted in disbelief, even Li Hong couldn't accept it.
"Impossible! How could a Scorpion grow this big? It must have become a spirit!"
"Goodness! A Scorpion this large is just not possible!"
Chu Xi asked calmly, "Where did you find this?"
Li Hong turned around and pointed to a spot one-third of the way from the center of the Basin. "I didn’t go into the central area; I found these two big guys and just hoisted them up."
"You should continue towards the central area; I suspect there are even bigger ones there," Chu Xi said quietly as she looked at Li Hong.
She must have had some thoughts when she said that. Li Hong scratched his scalp and decided to take another look. He soared into the air with his sword.
"I'll go take a look and be right back!"
After estimating the situation, Li Hong directly descended from above the center of the Basin. Passing through the fiery layer of Toxic Miasma, a large pile of strange objects immediately appeared before his eyes.
He was dumbfounded; Chu Xi's analysis was completely correct.
If the two claws he saw earlier were like small boats, these two claws were like large ships! They were piled up on the surface like small hills, vividly red and extremely terrifying.
Thinking about it, he continued to explore outward. Sure enough, at intervals, he discovered more of these Giant Claws. The farther out he went, the smaller they became; the two Giant Claws he found were actually the smallest.
Li Hong was speechless. He quickly flew out of the Toxic Miasma and returned to the Summit.
After explaining the situation below, Li Hong immediately asked, "Chu Xi, do you have any idea what this is all about?"
Chu Xi calmly replied, "I estimate that a long time ago, this Basin was a Scorpion Pit, raising Exotic Giant Scorpions. But for some unknown reason, those who set this place up abandoned it. These Venomous Scorpions were left unattended and began to kill each other; the smaller ones were eaten by the larger ones until even the largest one died. Its flesh gradually eroded away under the Toxic Miasma, leaving only these two Giant Claws behind as they are quite special."
Li Hong's eyes lit up immediately: "Are you saying that these Giant Claws from the Venomous Scorpions are treasures? The people who raised them did so for their claws? Are they not inferior to Claw Dragon Claws?"
Chu Xi nodded.
Without looking back, Li Hong dove down and shouted, "Wait for me!"
A long time later, Li Hong finally flew back up, empty-handed but with a satisfied smile on his face. Everyone was puzzled; Chu Huai and Chuxuan exchanged glances and pondered deeply.
Chu Xi and Chuxiong didn't ask any questions. It goes without saying that Li Hong would definitely find a way to stuff the best part into the Cosmic Bag. Chu Xi communicated, "The older, the better, but it's highly toxic, so you must be careful. Don't contaminate the celestial herbs inside."
"It's fine," Li Hong replied cheerfully through thought transmission, "I used a Stone Box to create a separate space just for this stuff, so it won't touch anything!" However, a look of frustration crossed his face as he deliberately exclaimed loudly, "It's highly toxic! There's no way to take it!"
Everyone suddenly understood, except for Chu Huai, who merely scoffed. Chuxuan still maintained a blank expression.
As night fell, the ticking sound in the Red Coral forest grew louder. It seemed that here, the situation was reversed; the Toxic Miasma was thicker at night. The surroundings were eerily silent, with not a single Beast Roar to be heard, which instead provided a sense of reassurance.
Since everyone had just consumed a Fire Origin Pill, they were not inclined to meditate. Some chatted casually while others discussed strange topics, but only Chuxiong was enthusiastically talking about Mortal Realm delicacies. Gradually, everyone became engrossed in his tales and couldn't help but drool at the thought of the Nine Li Sect's exquisite dishes.
This night turned out to be the most relaxed one since entering the Ancient Celestial Field.
At midnight, Chuxiong's voice began to fade. Li Hong sat alone at the Summit's edge, facing away from everyone. His hands moved restlessly within his sleeves as he made sure to isolate the Giant Claw he had collected today more securely.
Just then, a chilling scream echoed from afar.
"Help—" The quiet night made it sound particularly eerie, sending shivers down everyone's spines.
Someone was in danger!
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