Xuantian Immortal Cultivation Record

"Senior's righteous help is deeply appreciated!" Zhang Yuan respectfully bowed to Daoist Fire Crow, expressing his gratitude.

These words were not mere pleasantries but came from the bottom of his heart. After all, if this old Daoist hadn't arrived in time, he probably wouldn't have been able to wait for Ape Thirteen's breakthrough before meeting a violent end.

Daoist Fire Crow glanced at the golden-haired giant ape standing obediently behind Zhang Yuan, and chuckled, "Fellow Daoist is too polite. Even without this old Daoist, you would have been able to protect yourself."

Zhang Yuan didn't expose him, knowing he had ulterior motives, and went straight to the point, "I heard Senior mention a transaction earlier. May I ask what kind of transaction it is? As long as I am capable, I will agree to anything!"

Daoist Fire Crow smiled again, "Actually, this old Daoist came here to offer himself as your hired thug."

"Hired thug?" Zhang Yuan was stunned, thinking he had misheard.

"That's right, a hired thug!"

Daoist Fire Crow said with a matter-of-fact expression, grinning, "Originally, this old Daoist wanted to escort you to Six Peaks Immortal City. Later, seeing that you had a mid-stage Core Formation spirit beast, self-preservation wouldn't be a problem. I was about to give up when I saw you heading straight for the northwest. I thought, the northwest is either the Yu Mountain Marsh or the northern route to the Immortal City. Neither place is safe, and there might be an opportunity for me to take action, so I followed you. As it turns out, your real destination is this Nether Soil Mountain.

"Yuan Zhilin, that little rascal, told me about you winning the rare earth at the auction, so I guessed you were going to the mountain to dig up more rare earth. I can't say for sure about other things, but my Fire Crows can still be useful for dealing with the Yin fiends and flying corpses in Nether Soil Mountain, so I offered myself as your hired thug to trade for more Spirit Enhancement Pills!"

"So, Senior is here for the Spirit Enhancement Pills. May I ask how many you need?" Zhang Yuan had guessed as much and wasn't surprised, directly asking for the required quantity.

"The more, the better, of course!" Daoist Fire Crow stared at Zhang Yuan with bright eyes.

Having experienced a lot of trouble because of the Spirit Enhancement Pills, Zhang Yuan was still wary and didn't dare to accept the statement, immediately smiling wryly, "Senior, I only have…"

"Fellow Daoist, how about this? You hire me as your thug. If I fail to help you obtain the rare earth, I won't take a single pill. If we obtain the rare earth, you can give me pills based on the quantity of rare earth, how about that?" Seeing that Zhang Yuan was about to play coy, Daoist Fire Crow immediately cut him off and proposed a flexible solution.

Hearing this, Zhang Yuan couldn't bring himself to refuse outright. Besides the fact that the old Daoist had saved him earlier and was already a great benefactor, going into the mountain to retrieve the earth was extremely dangerous. Relying solely on a big monkey who only knew how to charge recklessly was indeed unreliable.

He immediately nodded in agreement, "Senior's idea is excellent. If you enter the mountain with me and assist me, regardless of success or failure, I will gift you two Spirit Enhancement Pills."

Nether Soil Mountain is famous for having a land abyss within the mountain, from which Nether Soil is produced. This is an ancient legend. In reality, because there are several powerful demon beasts in the mountain and terrifying Yin fiends in the land abyss, and there are no known natural treasures, very few cultivators actually seek out the location of the land abyss.

That Xiong Qifeng was also extremely lucky to have stumbled upon the entrance to the land abyss when he encountered a great battle between demon beasts and Yin fiends. Otherwise, searching aimlessly in the mountain, he probably wouldn't have found the land abyss and would have been torn to shreds by a Core Formation True Demon.

From the outside, Nether Soil Mountain is no different from ordinary spiritual mountains and scenic spots, covering an area of nearly ten thousand miles, with towering peaks, dense vegetation, and numerous creatures. Even in the outer areas, there are Spirit Awakening stage demon beasts roaming around.

Zhang Yuan, Daoist Fire Crow, and Ape Thirteen didn't conceal their whereabouts. Following the map drawn by Xiong Qifeng, they flew straight towards the deep ravine on their swords. According to the map, the deep ravine was located about three thousand miles from the center on the west side of Nether Soil Mountain. The two people and one ape entered the mountain from the south side, then turned northwest, traveled more than three thousand miles, and then turned due north, heading straight for their destination.

Along the way, some ignorant Spirit Awakening stage birds came in flocks to attack them. However, with Daoist Fire Crow around, most of these birds ended up in the Xuan Tian Great Gourd's belly, becoming materials for refining fire. His three thousand Fire Crows had been depleted by more than half during the battle with Fire Cloud Master, leaving less than a thousand. Now, it was a good opportunity to replenish them.

Stopping and going, it took them most of the day to reach the vicinity of the deep ravine shown on the map, and they hadn't encountered any Core Formation True Demons.

At this time, it was already dusk, and a burst of green mist rose in the mountain. The surroundings suddenly became quiet, and there was no trace of demon beasts, giving off an eerie feeling.

"Look over there!" Daoist Fire Crow pointed to the northeast, about a hundred miles away, where there was a black crack stretching between two mountain peaks. The green mist was rising from there.

Zhang Yuan's eyesight was limited, and he could only vaguely see the green mist rising from there. So, he asked, "What does Senior think that place is?"

"This green mist is somewhat Yin and cold, unlike the water mist produced in the mountain forest. Perhaps it is related to the land abyss. That might be where the ravine is located." Daoist Fire Crow's expression was solemn, and his brow was furrowed. "However, those two mountain peaks seem to have a very strong demonic aura. Those few True Demons are probably all there!"

Zhang Yuan nodded and said, "The few True Demons in this Nether Soil Mountain are probably related to this land abyss. If the ravine is there, the True Demons are likely to be nearby as well."

He also sent a divine sense transmission to Ape Thirteen: "Brother Ape, can you sense the demonic aura over there?"

Ape Thirteen nodded and transmitted back: "There is a very strong demonic aura!"

However, a hint of doubt appeared on its ugly face, as if it had discovered something.

Daoist Fire Crow took out a cyan jade bottle, took a gulp, and then smiled at Zhang Yuan, "Undying Flame! It can also relieve fatigue and refresh the mind. Would you like a sip?"

Zhang Yuan hadn't seen him drink Undying Flame all the way, not even during the fierce battle with Fire Cloud Master. Now, he took it out, presumably feeling that the road ahead was difficult and dangerous, and it was time to fight desperately. He immediately waved his hand in refusal and asked, "If we encounter Core Formation True Demons, how many can Senior withstand?"

"That's hard to say. It depends on the realm and talent. If there are no birds or those skilled in escaping, four or five early-stage Core Formation True Demons are no problem. At most two mid-stage Core Formation True Demons. If it's a late-stage Core Formation True Demon, I can only delay it a little."

Daoist Fire Crow was slightly stunned that Zhang Yuan asked so bluntly, then gave a self-deprecating smile, "However, Fellow Daoist doesn't need to worry too much. We are just looking for the entrance to the land abyss. As long as those few True Demons aren't blocking the entrance, we don't need to confront them head-on. It's the real danger once we enter the land abyss. If the Yin fiends inside are powerful, then we will be between a rock and a hard place!"

Zhang Yuan thought about it and also felt it was very dangerous, so he asked, "Does Senior have any good ideas? Should we test the strength of the True Demons first?"

Daoist Fire Crow smiled, "I was just planning to do that. No matter what the relationship between the True Demons and the Yin fiends, they are definitely opponents to us. If we can kill off one side first, it will naturally be safer."

Zhang Yuan nodded and said, "Senior, if we encounter multiple Core Formation True Demons, I will have my Brother Ape fight the late-stage one, and you can restrain the remaining ones. We will then assess the situation and decide whether to fight or retreat. What do you think?"

Daoist Fire Crow said seriously, "That's excellent! However, Fellow Daoist must pay attention to one thing. If there are birds or demon beasts with extremely fast escape techniques, you must be careful of their sudden attacks. In a crisis, neither this old Daoist nor this Brother Ape might have time to protect you!"

Daoist Fire Crow was clearly worried about his ability to protect himself. These words were like a subtle suggestion that he shouldn't go personally and should stay behind to wait for news.

Zhang Yuan smiled faintly, "Senior, rest assured, I have my own ways to protect myself!"

Daoist Fire Crow thought he was talking about that powerful existence and immediately nodded, no longer speaking.

Thus, the two people and one ape suppressed their flying swords, using the dense leaves of the forest below as cover, and quietly swept towards the black crack. At this time, the demon beasts were hiding, and they were flying at low altitude, so they didn't have to worry about triggering a battle and exposing their tracks.

After approaching within thirty miles of the two mountain peaks, the two people and one ape became even more careful. Core Formation True Demons don't cultivate divine sense. Their perception of the outside world still relies on their innate powerful five senses. Especially their hearing and smell, which are extremely sharp. In sensing living things, they are no weaker than the divine sense of cultivators in the same realm.

"There's trouble, a Bijing Suanni Beast!" Daoist Fire Crow suddenly stopped, summoned the Xuan Tian Great Gourd, and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes, "I only heard that there was one in Dragon Mountain Marsh. I didn't expect there to be one here too."

"Bijing Suanni Beast?" Zhang Yuan was startled by the name. Although he didn't know what a Bijing Suanni Beast was, he had heard the name Suanni before. That was an ancient divine beast, "A variant of the Suanni?"

"No, it doesn't have a trace of blood relationship with that divine beast. It just looks like the legendary Suanni and is very difficult to deal with, so it was given such a name." Daoist Fire Crow shook his head, not saying much. "It's coming, be careful! Its eyes are very sharp. Unless blocked by mountains and rocks, it can clearly see everything within a hundred miles, and what's especially powerful is that it can also create illusions. Its body can release poisonous smoke, which will rot anything it touches."

Zhang Yuan subconsciously released his divine sense and saw a demon beast more than ten feet long, black all over, and shaped like a lion, shuttling between the trees and grass a dozen miles away. Its movements were agile, and its speed was extremely fast. It passed by giant trees without touching any branches or leaves, and quietly arrived in front of them. Its two eyes were like two huge emerald green gems, flashing with sharp light.

After this majestic beast appeared, it didn't immediately launch an attack, nor did it roar to provoke them. It just quietly glanced at the two people, then its eyes fell on Ape Thirteen, its emerald green eyes flashing with a curious look.