The atmosphere at Mount Gu Cong was so ominous that even birds avoided this place. Those that accidentally wandered into the place would be suffocated by the toxic fumes that rose ceaselessly into the air and death would be near-instant.
This was one of South Continent’s most dangerous locations.
However, no matter how hazardous the environment is, humans would always find a way to make it habitable.
There was an old adage that misfortune was inseparable from good luck. The central concept that Taoist sects subscribed to was the Yin-Yang dichotomy, which represented the polar opposites of each other. Hidden treasures were commonly found in dangerous places. This mountain was no exception, as it contained tons of spirit herbs and wild beasts, so herb pickers and hunters frequented Mount Gu Cong.
Lin Jin, of course, did not allow his eagle to fly right into the mountain. As the mountain’s miasma rose up to several thousand feet above, he feared that the eagle could not endure its potent air. What’s more, the risk of them wandering into another trap set by the Taoist meant that traveling on land was comparatively less risky. The greatest problem here was still that powerful miasma. Stronger flying beasts would find it difficult to overcome, much less a mere eagle beast.
The mountain path up ahead would lead them into Mount Gu Cong’s territory but it was covered entirely in miasma. Erected next to the path was a slanted stele with the words ‘Mount Gu Cong’ written in ancient Chinese, indicating its age. The stele was well-worn and it was covered in dead vines.
For some reason, Goldy was in particularly high spirits ever since arriving here, as if he couldn’t wait for the trek to start. If Lin Jin hadn’t forcefully held him back, the rooster would have darted straight into the unknown.
As he walked down the pathway, Lin Jin noticed a herb picker resting on a stone further up. The man was wearing a green hat and a short-sleeved shirt that revealed his muscular build. He was clearly a frequent visitor of this mountain. Sitting beside him was a herb basket that contained food wrapped in a large leaf. It must be rice balls, thought Lin Jin.
Rice balls were a treat that consisted of picked meat and dried vegetables, wrapped in cooked rice and steamed before it was ready to eat. This was the perfect portable snack to bring around when one was trekking around in the jungle.
With Shang’er refusing to let go of Lin Jin, the man approached the herb picker with the fox in his arms. The herb picker noticed someone approaching him, so he looked over with a cautious expression all while reaching for the blade he kept behind him.
His herb-gathering blade resembled a sickle, which was typically used for harvesting wheat. However, his blade was slightly smaller, which was presumably more convenient for navigating around the forest. Hence, the blades of all herb pickers were always sharp enough to easily harvest herbs and fight monsters or thieves if the situation ever arose.
Lin Jin wore a mask, and with him was a jaw-droppingly beautiful fox, as well as a feisty rooster who was flapping its wings, ready to charge straight at him.
Such a combination would make anyone suspicious and fearful of Lin Jin’s presence.
The herb picker was currently in an apprehensive mood as he grabbed onto the handle of his sickle. From inside his herb basket, a squirrel poked its head out, and it seemed pretty restless.
This squirrel was obviously the man’s pet beast.
Without stopping, Lin Jin simply walked past the herb picker, continuing his journey toward Mount Gu Cong. Realizing that Lin Jin was just a passerby, the herb picker breathed a sigh of relief. Still, upon noticing the direction Lin Jin was walking in, the man deliberated for a moment before calling out, “Mister, are you heading up Mount Gu Cong?”
Lin Jin paused and nodded. “That’s right.”
The herb picker added, “Mount Gu Cong is a dangerous place. If you have no important business in there, it’s best not to go inside.”
It was a bit of friendly advice.
As the man frequently gathered herbs around the edge of Mount Gu Cong, he was very familiar with this place. This odd person seemed like he was unknowingly marching into a hazardous area so he thought he would issue a word of advice just in case.
Lin Jin could tell that he meant well so he answered with a smile, “Indeed, I do have important business in there.”
“Is that so!” At this, the herb picker could only say, “Then please be careful of the miasma and the poisonous bugs. There’s a lot of bug-repelling grass along this path, the ones with seven leaves. Pick some and rub it over your body to chase those poisonous bugs away.”
The herb picker was pointing to some herbs as he spoke.
He did it with good intentions too.
Lin Jin saluted and thanked him.
Then, without delay, he stepped into the miasmic Mount Gu Cong.
The herb picker watched as Lin Jin left and he sighed afterward.
“Sigh, there goes another adventurer. Rumors have been spreading since long ago that an immortal resides in Mount Gu Cong, but I think they’re just lies. Countless people have lost their lives in their futile search for the immortal. Oh well, I’ve said what I could so that’s what counts,” he mumbled under his breath.
Having said that, the herb picker stuffed the final rice ball into his mouth. However, before he could even swallow it, he turned his head and froze up.
His pet beast, the squirrel that was trained to find herbs started acting unusually as a medicinal aura surrounded it. In addition, the herbs he had picked inside the basket began to exude wood spirit energy as started growing magically.
It was just incredible!
After living for so long, it was the herb picker’s first time seeing something like this.
A more knowledgeable person would surely have recognized the squirrel’s odd behavior as a sign of evolution.
Or rather, it was already in the process of evolving.
Only in Rank 2 could a beast utilize its elemental powers and this squirrel obviously possessed a wood attribute. That was the reason why it could strengthen the herbs’ aura and help them grow.
By now, Lin Jin was already deep inside Mount Gu Cong.
“The miasma here is really thick!” Lin Jin couldn’t even see what was ten feet ahead of him as everything was shrouded in white mist. Looks like there’s a reason why people tended to avoid this place after all.
Hidden in the fog were numerous poison insects crawling around, rustling as they moved. Even with Lin Jin’s strong mentality, he found the noises mind-numbing.
Shang’er expressed her displeasure too. Goldy was the only excited one, as he went on a rampage hunting for food like a newborn chick who didn’t know better.
Lin Jin didn’t stop him, allowing him to eat his fill. It was difficult to forage for insects in some places, and since they had come all this way, he might as well let the rooster enjoy the feast. After all, Goldy was the one who lent Lin Jin his powers back at Daluo Temple.
The only worry Lin Jin had was the insects’ strong toxins that might harm Goldy. However, after thinking about it more, he figured he was only being a worrywart. Goldy had a unique constitution and if he was brave enough to eat them, he could probably handle the poison.
Even if he did end up getting poisoned, with Lin Jin around, he should be fine.
Goldy dashed around like a madman, gobbling up various kinds of insects including the scary-looking ones, like centipedes and scorpions. Nothing could escape his voracious appetite.
After entering the mountain, Lin Jin started to pick up White Ape’s aura.
The enemy had obviously allowed White Ape to release his aura. In other words, the ‘Taoist’ was aware of Lin Jin’s arrival.
Following the direction of the aura, Lin Jin continued forward, venturing through the thick woods. Just as they were passing through a valley, something weird happened. Or rather, it was inevitable that this was going to happen.
The miasma had gotten denser around this part of the woods and somewhere in the fog, the rustling noises started growing louder, indicating that there was a buildup of poisonous insects somewhere out there.
The miasma and insects must have been under the control of a spell, which explained their abnormally high activity.
Lin Jin flung his sleeve, sweeping out a powerful gust to blow away the miasma around them. Once the fog was blown away, they could finally see the hordes of poisonous insects crawling around them. There were layers and layers of them like crashing waves.
There were probably hundreds of thousands, no, millions of bugs here.
A second later, the poisonous bugs charged over without warning.
“Dragonfire!”
Lin Jin reacted in time. Invoking a spell, and a tiny flame danced on his fingertip. He pointed it at the swarm, from which ember shot out, and once it landed on the ground, like burning gasoline, it spread around rapidly, instantly igniting the area around them.
Lin Jin had no fear of fire. With Xiao Huo’s Dharma body, no flame could possibly harm Lin Jin.
