The sky above Profound Flower was covered by a thin layer of mist when Yun Che left the Massage House.
The small pouch attached to his waist contained only a few resources lent to him by Mei Liang, but to him, those items represented the difference between entering Dark Moon Valley prepared or simply walking toward his own death.
Before he left, Mei Liang had placed three small bottles in front of him. One contained recovery pills, another contained an antidote, and the last contained several herbs capable of temporarily reducing the smell of a human.
"With these, you should be able to survive by avoiding danger and perform basic treatment."
Yun Che looked at the small sword attached to his waist. The weapon was not particularly valuable, but it was one of the few things he truly possessed and knew how to use.
"Yes, I’m minimally prepared. I’m only going to collect resources."
Mei Liang sighed and approached him. She personally tightened the sword sheath, making sure it was secure before looking at him again.
"You must be careful. I don’t have any other disciples."
She crossed her arms, maintaining a serious expression. There was concern hidden in her eyes, although she tried not to show it openly.
"Dark Moon Valley is not a place where a weak cultivator should try to prove his courage. There are Elementary Profound Realm beasts in that region."
"I know that, Mei Liang."
"Then listen to me carefully."
Mei Liang moved a little closer. Her voice became lower, but every word carried a seriousness that Yun Che could not ignore.
"Don’t try to defeat what you cannot defeat. If you encounter a beast superior to your cultivation, run. There is no shame in surviving."
Yun Che stared at her for several seconds. Those words were simple, but he knew they were true.
"I’ll remember that."
Mei Liang slowly stepped back.
"Yun Che."
"Yes?"
"Don’t come back dead."
For a moment, Yun Che had no answer. Then he let out a small smile, trying to ease the tension of the farewell.
"I’ll try."
Shortly afterward, he left the sect’s boundaries. The journey to the valley took several hours, and the farther he went, the quieter the region became.
The sounds of the disciples and activities of the Profound Flower Sect gradually disappeared. In their place came only the sound of the wind passing through the trees and the occasional distant cry of some creature.
When he finally reached Dark Moon Valley, Yun Che stopped at the entrance. Enormous trees formed a kind of natural wall, while their canopies concealed much of the sunlight.
The region remained immersed in a bluish gloom. There were deep marks on the stones, and some appeared to have been left by enormous claws.
Yun Che crouched down to examine one of the marks. Its depth and the distance between them were enough to make him understand that he was not dealing with an ordinary creature.
"Elementary Profound."
The system interface appeared before his eyes.
[Environmental analysis completed.]
[Presence of spiritual beasts detected.]
[Danger: High.]
[Recommendation: Avoid direct confrontations.]
Yun Che slowly stood up.
"System, tell me something I don’t already know that could actually be useful."
He entered the valley.
With every step, he searched for signs of movement. He did not move in a straight line. He stopped, observed his surroundings, and only then chose his next path.
After almost an hour, he found the first tracks. They were small and recent, left behind by a spiritual beast.
Yun Che carefully followed the footprints until he found a creature resembling a wolf, covered in dark fur.
The beast raised its head as soon as it sensed the human presence. Its eyes immediately locked onto Yun Che.
The system analyzed it.
[Spiritual Beast.]
[Cultivation: Eighth Level Body Tempering.]
Yun Che gripped the sword firmly.
"Finally, something I can fight. I was getting tired of running every time the system warned me about a dangerous creature."
The beast charged.
Yun Che narrowly dodged, feeling the wind caused by its claws pass beside his face. Its paws struck a tree behind him, tearing pieces of bark away.
He did not try to confront it head-on. After all, there were eight minor realms between him and the beast.
He deliberately retreated, leading the creature toward an area where the roots of the trees were exposed and formed natural obstacles.
The beast charged again with a roar, its eyes fixed on its target.
When it leaped, Yun Che moved to the side.
One of its paws became trapped between two thick roots, causing the creature to lose its balance for an instant.
Yun Che advanced and drove his sword into the beast’s body.
The creature fell to the ground after a brief struggle.
Yun Che remained motionless, breathing deeply. This had not been an overwhelming victory. He had won because he had carefully chosen the right moment and because of the traps he had prepared beforehand.
The interface appeared before his eyes.
[Beast eliminated.]
[Combat experience acquired.]
Yun Che cleaned the sword before sheathing it.
That was when he noticed something among the bushes, partially hidden by the leaves.
A human body.
Apparently, a cultivator had been killed by a beast, and the body had not completely decomposed.
He approached carefully and crouched down before the corpse.
The clothes indicated that the man had been a wandering cultivator.
Yun Che remained silent.
The Supreme Art of Necromancy began to pulse within his mind, as if it had spontaneously recognized the opportunity.
[Corpse identified.]
[Living cultivation: Sixth Level Body Tempering.]
[Corpse eligible for transformation.]
[Would you like to transform the corpse into a physical body spirit?]
Yun Che stared at the corpse for several seconds.
This would be the first true test of the technique he had received from the system.
"Yes."
A cold energy appeared around the corpse. Threads of Yin energy began to travel through the dead man’s muscles and meridians, slowly enveloping his entire physical structure.
The skin took on a grayish hue as spiritual energy concentrated inside the body.
The process seemed slow, but every moment revealed that something that should have remained dead was beginning to move again.
Yun Che watched everything attentively.
Finally, the corpse’s fingers moved.
Then its arms.
Its body slowly rose.
Its eyes opened.
There was no human consciousness within them.
Only a dark, cold light remained inside the pupils.
[Transformation complete.]
[First physical body spirit created.]
[Cultivation: Sixth Level Body Tempering.]
Yun Che remained silent, staring at the undead standing motionless before him, waiting for an order.
"Stay."
The undead immediately obeyed.
A smile slowly appeared on Yun Che’s face.
"I can’t call myself a Supreme Necromancer yet, but well, every journey begins with the first step."
Yun Che understood that he did not need to fight alone.
Even though he was in the lowest realm, he could use the dead to compensate for his lack of strength.
He continued advancing through the valley, now accompanied by his first undead.
Shortly afterward, he found the Lunar Blood Flower.
The small flowers grew along a dark slope, emitting a faint reddish glow that stood out among the vegetation.
Yun Che immediately approached.
[Resource identified: Lunar Blood Flower.]
[Available quantity: 7.]
Yun Che’s eyes lit up.
"Finally. I thought I’d have to search for much longer."
He was about to approach the flowers when he felt a terrifying pressure sweep through the surroundings.
The undead beside him immediately stopped.
Yun Che also froze.
Between the trees, two yellow eyes slowly appeared in the darkness.
A huge silhouette began to advance, gradually revealing a body covered in black scales.
Yun Che recognized the creature.
[Spiritual Beast.]
[Cultivation: Third Level Elementary Profound.]
Yun Che’s expression became serious.
"I can’t beat this."
The creature emerged completely from the forest.
It was enormous, covered in black scales, and possessed two long fangs protruding from its jaw.
It opened its mouth and released a roar.
The sound made the trees tremble.
Yun Che did not hesitate.
"Run!"
The undead immediately advanced.
The beast violently struck it with one of its paws.
The physical body spirit was sent crashing into a tree before falling to the ground.
Yun Che used that moment to run toward the flowers.
He quickly plucked all seven Lunar Blood Flowers and placed them inside the pouch.
The beast noticed.
Its gaze turned toward Yun Che.
Yun Che ran without looking back. Branches struck his face and rocks made his steps difficult, while the sound of the creature’s footsteps drew closer and closer.
He knew he could not escape for long.
Then he noticed a narrow slope several meters ahead.
An idea emerged.
While the undead distracted the beast, Yun Che suddenly changed direction.
The beast freed itself from the physical undead and continued pursuing Yun Che.
At the last moment, Yun Che jumped into a lower area of the slope.
The creature tried to follow him, but the ground gave way beneath its enormous weight.
One of its paws sank into a natural depression.
The beast roared furiously.
Yun Che did not waste any time.
"Now!"
The undead, which had been knocked down, had managed to recover from the previous attack and charged forward again.
The beast became occupied for several seconds.
Yun Che ran and only stopped when he was already far away from the creature.
He leaned against a tree and breathed deeply, feeling his heart pounding violently against his chest.
The interface appeared.
[Objective completed.]
[Lunar Blood Flower obtained.]
Yun Che smiled.
"With this, I have thirty-five crystals. I only needed thirty."
He now possessed more than enough to fulfill one of Su Lian’s requirements.
Yun Che carefully checked the small pouch.
"Now I only need the Veil-Breaking Pill."
[Additional Reward Unlocked.]
Yun Che frowned as the interface changed again.
[Location Discovered.]
[Tomb of an Ancient Cultivator.]
Yun Che slowly raised his head.
Among the trees, in the deepest part of the valley, it was possible to see a stone structure partially hidden by vegetation.
He remained motionless for several seconds.
An ancient cultivator, now dead.
He possessed the Supreme Art of Necromancy and an ability he had just discovered that could transform corpses into physical body spirits.
Yun Che tightened his grip around the pouch containing the thirty-five crystals.
"If I’m lucky, I might be able to acquire the ancient cultivator’s legacy."
The first undead remained silently behind him.
Yun Che then began walking toward the ancient tomb.
There was no fear in his eyes.
There was anticipation.
If the corpse inside that tomb could still be used, perhaps he had found something far more valuable than spiritual crystals.
Perhaps his true path of cultivation had just begun.