The aftermath of the battle in Gurgling Valley still surged within Gu Xuan.
On the mountaintop, the cold wind cut like a knife across his seated figure.
Sharp pain pulsed from the site of the broken bone in his left arm; the scent of herbs mixed with blood stimulated his nerves.
But he paid it no mind, his consciousness entirely immersed in the surging, river-and-sea-like vital energy within his Dantian.
The massive essence obtained from refining the Boar Fiend was being rapidly converted by the Demon Suppression Hall, washing over his meridians and bones again and again.
The mental shock from that ferocious beast before its death now served as his Nutrient.
Within his Spirit Sea, an invisible barrier quietly condensed, several times tougher than before.
What surprised him even more was a brand-new divine ability brewing in his palm.
He slowly spread his right hand, gathering True Qi. With a mere thought, a visible ripple of air suddenly burst forth with a dull "buzz," shattering a fist-sized rock in front of him!
"Sound Wave Shock…" Gu Xuan murmured. This was merely a nascent form, yet its power was already considerable.
If this force could be condensed into a beam, its penetration power would likely rival any divine weapon.
He suppressed the excitement in his heart and pulled out the Sheep Skin scroll from his robes, a scroll stained with countless beasts' blood.
Under the faint morning light, he dipped his fingertip into the blood seeping from his wound and heavily circled the location of Gurgling Valley on the Northern Region Map, marking a brand-new stronghold symbol beside it.
His gaze fell upon the three names already circled on the map—Blood Eye Beehive, Shed-Skin Serpent Tomb, and Fallen Horn Deer Plain.
These three locations were dangerous areas he deduced from incomplete ancient texts were most likely to hide the Essence Fluid.
To repair the Demon Suppression Hall and unlock more functions, the three portions of Essence Fluid were indispensable.
His gaze swept past the map toward the continuous mountain ridges in the distance, and Gu Xuan’s eyes instantly turned cold.
Although the spying gaze had vanished, the feeling of being targeted by a venomous snake was imprinted on his senses.
"After watching a good show, one must leave behind some ticket money," he said. He put away the map and slowly stood up, his bones emitting a series of crisp sounds like popping beans. "This first return gift will start with the Shed-Skin Serpent Tomb."
Two days later, a swamp permeated with stench and decay appeared before Gu Xuan.
This was the Shed-Skin Serpent Tomb.
As far as the eye could see, there were only snake sheds the size of small hills, gray-white and cracked, layered upon one another like a graveyard for giant beasts.
The pungent odor in the air was enough to suffocate and cause ordinary martial artists to faint.
This was the lair of the notorious Shed-Skin Python of the Bei Jing.
Gu Xuan hesitated not at all. His figure moved like a phantom across the massive piles of shed skin, finally finding a hollow cavity in the highest and most concealed shed to lie in wait.
He took out a tough steel chain from his pack, evenly smeared the highly toxic sludge scraped from the bottom of the Black Water Pool onto it, and then quietly waited for nightfall.
The moon hung high overhead, and all was silent.
Deep in the swamp, a grating hiss broke the tranquility.
A giant python, over twenty zhang long and as thick as a water bucket, slowly raised its head from the mud pit. Its triangular serpent eyes flashed with cruel, faint light under the moonlight.
It seemed hungry. Flicking its tongue, its massive body began to glide toward the forest, preparing to hunt.
Now was the moment!
The instant the Shed-Skin Python passed beneath him, Gu Xuan descended from the sky!
He landed silently on the giant serpent's nape, like a hunting hawk.
Before the creature could react, the steel rope coated in potent venom wrapped tightly around its neck like a persistent parasite!
"Hiss—!"
The intense pain and sensation of suffocation instantly sent the Shed-Skin Python into a frenzy.
It thrashed and rolled wildly, its massive body smashing countless piles of snake sheds into pieces!
Gu Xuan was like a small boat in a raging storm, clinging tightly to the steel rope, allowing his body to be flung until his limbs felt nearly broken. The muscles in his arms bulged as he poured all his strength into tightening the rope!
In agony, the giant serpent violently opened its gaping maw, spewing a deluge of yellowish-green mucus!
Gu Xuan inwardly cursed, quickly dodging sideways, but the Sheep Skin scroll hanging at his waist was splashed by a corner of the mucus. It was instantly corroded with a large hole, and half the map turned to black char!
At the critical moment, Gu Xuan held the steel rope tightly with his left hand, formed a seal with his right, and shouted, "Explode!"
A tiny light suddenly burst open deep within the Shed-Skin Python's mouth!
That was a Mayfly Remnant Core he had secretly flicked inside when the beast was unprepared!
The violent energy detonated in the most vulnerable part of its mouth, instantly blasting its jawbone into a bloody mess.
Taking advantage of the giant serpent's moment of confused consciousness, Gu Xuan’s thoughts raced. The gate of the Demon Suppression Hall boomed open, and an irresistible suction instantly pulled the dying behemoth inside!
Inside the Hall, the refinement array operated automatically. Moments later, two streams of crystal-clear energy fluid, resembling liquid moonlight, materialized out of thin air.
"Essence Fluid ×2!" Gu Xuan let out a long breath. Only one portion remained.
On the third night, bearing his injuries, he infiltrated the Fallen Horn Deer Plain.
Unlike the stench of the Serpent Tomb, this place exuded a deathly stillness and sorrow that penetrated the bone marrow.
Giant white deer antlers, like tombstones, pierced the cracked earth, pointing straight toward the sky.
Beneath the antlers lay the skeletons of male deer.
Gu Xuan soon detected something unusual.
Every skeleton here had obvious impact fractures on its skull.
They had not died from predation or fighting; they had actively rammed into the rock walls of this area, committing suicide!
This bizarre scene made him wary.
Just as he was wondering, in the distant Bone Forest, a pitch-black Fallen Horn Deer with hollow, lifeless eyes slowly walked out.
It carried no trace of life, resembling a walking corpse, save for the single remaining antler on its head, which emitted a faint blue glow.
Gu Xuan immediately understood that this deer had been corrupted by some unknown power in this place, its mind lost, driven only by a Resolve to guard something.
The Fallen Horn Deer did not attack him. It simply walked to the center of an open area, slowly knelt down, and let out silent, mournful cries.
Strange sound waves spread out, causing the ground beneath its feet to tremble, as if something was churning underground.
Gu Xuan did not want trouble and prepared to bypass it, heading deeper into the Deer Plain to search for the spring eye.
But the moment he took a step, the ground beneath his feet collapsed without warning!
A massive suction force pulled him down. He had no time to react before being swallowed entirely into the dark pit!
The world spun, and Gu Xuan crashed heavily onto the ground.
He quickly stabilized himself and looked around, finding himself in a vast underground cavern.
The cave walls were covered in colorful crystal clusters, refracting the faint light penetrating from outside into bizarre patterns of light and shadow.
The sound of falling debris came from above; that Fallen Horn Deer had jumped down as well.
It landed nearby completely unharmed, the single antler on its head glowing intensely blue, as if resonating with something deep within the cavern!
In an instant, a terrifying mental shock shot straight toward Gu Xuan's Spirit Sea along the resonance!
He grunted, the newly formed mental barrier in his Spirit Sea vibrated violently, and the Demon Suppression Hall automatically activated its defensive golden light.
Amidst the chaos of this mental confrontation, a perfectly clear whisper, filled with endless temptation, sounded directly in his mind:
"Let me out... I can teach you how to sever the Life Contract bound to you."
Gu Xuan’s spirit shook violently, but a cold smile appeared on his face as he responded directly with his divine sense: "You can't even get yourself out, so how can you help me?"
While mocking verbally, he was already moving stealthily.
Taking advantage of the Fallen Horn Deer's complete focus on resonating with the Seal, he silently released a wisp of extremely condensed Yin Energy. Like an invisible fine needle, it quietly pierced the crack at the base of that single antler, probing backward!
Indeed!
In the Fallen Horn Deer's soul core, he shockingly discovered an extremely faint, yet incredibly familiar mark—it was the unique insignia belonging to the Cultivation Court!
Just then, several pieces of debris rustled down from the top of the cavern.
Three figures descended silently onto a higher crystal platform using vines.
Leading them was that Barbarian Bull mercenary who was missing a horn.
He held a glowing jade disc in his hand, which was replaying the footage of Gu Xuan battling the Boar Fiend in Gurgling Valley!
"It is indeed him," the one-horned Barbarian Bull lowered his voice, his eyes filled with greed. "It's him, the Broken Covenant person the Chained Candle Association has offered a bounty of one hundred thousand Yin Coins to track!"
A thin companion beside him asked, "Big Brother, should we strike now?"
The one-horned Barbarian Bull shook his head and sneered, "No rush. Let him exhaust himself opening the spring eye, then we just take the goods and leave. Wouldn't that be better?"
However, before his words finished, Gu Xuan below suddenly looked up!
Listen to the Wind and Discern Position combined with Subterranean Movement Perception—in this silent cavern, the three distinct breathing patterns, different from the deer's cries, were as clear as torches in the dark night!
"Seeking death!"
A murderous glint flashed in Gu Xuan's eyes. He flicked his wrist, and three needles, already coated with potent poison, tore through the air with a sharp whistle, shooting toward the throats of the three men respectively!
A melee instantly erupted!
The three mercenaries dodged in shock and anger.
Gu Xuan gave them no chance to regroup. He stomped his foot, his figure weaving ghost-like across the crystal-covered cave walls, creating countless distorted reflections that instantly confused the enemies' vision.
The next moment, he pressed his palm to the ground and unleashed the Sound Wave Shock he had just mastered!
"Buzz—!"
The terrifying shockwave expanded from him as the center, causing the entire cavern to shake violently. The crystal platform beneath the three instantly cracked and collapsed!
Moments later, the dust settled.
Two corpses were buried under the rubble; only one person remained, pinned under Gu Xuan's foot, barely breathing.
"Speak, who sent you?" Gu Xuan's voice carried no emotion.
The captive was terrified out of his wits and blurted out everything: "It was... it was the Northern Border Three Great Merchant Guilds! They jointly issued a warrant, saying you possess a dangerous ancient formation fragment map, and anyone who provides information about you can receive a huge reward!"
"Ancient formation fragment map?" Gu Xuan sneered, stomping the Recording Jade Disc into powder.
He lifted the captive and threw him toward the cave entrance like trash: "Go back and tell your masters—next time you send people, remember to bring enough money to buy your lives."
Having dealt with the trouble, he turned and returned to the depths of the cavern.
The Fallen Horn Deer, having forcibly resonated, had already exhausted all its life force and lay on the ground, its single antler shattering as well.
Gu Xuan showed no mercy, throwing its corpse into the Demon Suppression Hall.
With a flash of light, the final portion of Essence Fluid was obtained.
Finally, he had gathered the three portions of Essence Fluid.
When he returned to the surface from the pit, it was already deep into the night.
A cold moon hung in the sky, its chilly light spilling onto a quiet lake surface, reflecting shimmering ripples.
A slender and ethereal figure stood gracefully upon the lake surface at some unknown time, like an elf beneath the moon.
Ye Xi's voice, soft as the evening breeze, yet clearly reached Gu Xuan's ears:
"What you are about to open is not just the Alchemy Workshop... but also the mouths of the dead."
Gu Xuan’s pupils contracted sharply upon hearing this.
He clenched the three portions of Essence Fluid he had just gathered but had not yet fused, understanding that this refinement might be more than just repairing the Demon Suppression Hall.
The true key might not lie in the artifact he was about to forge itself.