AWB Chapter 302 The spirit fox enters the valley
Chapter 302 The spirit fox enters the valley
That day, Chen Jinshu had just returned from the herb garden and began to manipulate the black iron puppet 'Chen Yan' in front of the stone house.
Chen Jinshu gently examined the cracks, probing them with his divine sense to sense the wear and tear on the internal formation.
"Why did you decide to tinker with this iron lump today, Master?" Qingheng materialized from the jade hairpin, dressed in a green dress, and stood behind her.
"Now that we have the Ten Thousand Year Stone Milk, it's time to reshape it." Chen Jinshu said, taking out a small white jade bottle from his storage bag. The bottle contained a milky white liquid that emitted a refreshing fragrance.
Qingheng leaned over for a look and clicked her tongue in amazement: "This stuff is amazing. One drop can bring a withered tree back to life. You're really willing to use all three drops on the puppet?"
"Chen Yan has risked his life with me many times, it's worth it." Chen Jinshu smiled slightly and raised his hand to drip the first drop of stalactite onto the crack in the puppet's chest.
The milky white liquid began to wriggle as soon as it came into contact with the black iron, quickly seeping into every crevice.
Chen Jinshu gathered spiritual energy at his fingertips, guiding the stalactites to distribute evenly.
The cracks on the puppet's surface healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the luster of the black iron became even deeper.
"Master, be careful. The stalactites contain life force. Improper handling could damage the puppet's internal formations," Qingheng reminded her from the side.
"I know what I'm doing." Chen Jinshu said intently, with fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.
As the second drop of stalactite fell, the puppet's skeleton emitted a faint humming sound under the stimulation of true essence, as if it had come to life.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Chen Jinshu took out the Gengjin sword energy that she had refined in the Sword Tomb and carefully integrated it into the puppet's right arm.
The runes of "Breaking the Qi" lit up one by one on his arm, their golden light swirling with a sharp killing intent.
"Great!" Qingheng clapped her hands in praise.
"If this right arm were to strike with full force, it would probably be no weaker than the full force of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator."
Chen Jinshu stopped, and the third drop of stone milk merged into the puppet's brow.
Chen Yan's entire body trembled slightly, then the light subsided and he returned to normal.
If you look closely, you can see that the surface of the black iron has an extra layer of faint, lustrous sheen, making it even tougher than before.
Chen Jinshu reached out and gently touched the puppet, feeling the power contained within it. He nodded in satisfaction: "Peak late Foundation Establishment stage, that's more than enough."
Just then, a faint mournful cry came from the bamboo forest.
Chen Jinshu frowned slightly and extended his divine sense, discovering a snow-white figure curled up in the grass on the outskirts of the purple bamboo forest.
She got up and walked over, parting the grass, and saw a snow-white three-tailed spirit fox lying there. There was a wound on its left hind leg, and the black blood had dried, indicating that it had been poisoned for a long time.
"Huh? How come there's a three-tailed spirit fox here?" Qingheng followed and squatted down to examine the spirit fox.
"The bloodline is pure, but this poison... it's like the poison of the stone crocodile."
The fox sensed someone approaching, opened its eyes warily, its gaze filled with fear and weakness.
It tried to get up, but its injuries were too severe, and it collapsed after only managing to prop itself up on one side.
"Don't be afraid." Chen Jinshu knelt down, her voice gentle. She took out an antidote pill from her storage bag and a bottle of hemostatic powder, carefully treating the spirit fox's wounds.
The fox spirit seemed to sense that she meant no harm, and gradually relaxed, letting her do as she pleased.
Chen Jinshu transformed the antidote into a medicinal liquid, carefully applied it to the wound, and then used his own true energy to drive the medicinal power to penetrate into his meridians.
“The toxin has penetrated deep into the body. If it’s not treated promptly, I’m afraid I’ll lose a leg,” Qingheng said from the side.
Chen Jinshu did not answer, focusing on circulating his internal energy to expel the poison.
After about half a cup of tea's time, the black poisonous blood gradually turned red, and the pain in the fox's eyes also dissipated.
"Alright." Chen Jinshu stopped and stroked the fox's soft fur. "Let it rest in the valley for a few days before leaving."
The fox nuzzled her palm with its head, its eyes filled with gratitude.
……
Three days later, on the night of the full moon.
Chen Jinshu scattered the last handful of seeds in the herb garden, straightened up, and gazed thoughtfully at the bright full moon in the sky.
"The spiritual energy in this valley seems to be more concentrated than it was a few days ago," she murmured to herself.
Qingheng peeked out from the jade hairpin: "Master noticed it too? I had this feeling the day before yesterday, but I didn't pay attention to it at the time. Tonight, the moonlight is bright, and the spiritual energy is even more obvious."
Chen Jinshu closed his eyes and let his consciousness spread into the depths of the valley.
Beneath the once-abandoned spirit fields, a life force seems to be surging, like an underground current carrying pure and vast spiritual energy.
"There's a problem." She opened her eyes, her gaze thoughtful.
"The spiritual vein at the bottom of the valley is only a third-grade low-level vein, it shouldn't have such fluctuations in spiritual energy."
Just then, the three-tailed fox limped out of the bamboo forest, squatted down at her feet, and rubbed its head against her skirt.
After several days of recuperation, the fox has recovered considerably, but its leg injury has not yet fully healed.
“Little guy, what do you know?” Chen Jinshu squatted down and looked into the fox’s eyes.
The fox raised its head, its eyes sparkling with spiritual light.
It opened its mouth and let out a low groan, then turned and walked into the depths of the bamboo forest.
After taking a few steps, he turned back to look at her, as if gesturing for her to follow.
"It will lead the way." Qingheng flew out from the jade hairpin, transforming into a streak of green light and following behind the spirit fox.
Chen Jinshu's mind stirred slightly, and he followed.
A human, a fox, and a spirit passed through the purple bamboo forest, circled a rocky slope, and arrived at an inconspicuous corner in the valley.
There was a large, square blue stone, about three zhang in size, covered with moss, and looked quite ordinary.
The fox walked to the blue stone, raised its front paw and pointed to the area below the stone.
Chen Jinshu walked over and reached out to feel the bluestone.
The stone surface was cold and damp, as if it had never seen sunlight. She probed it with her true essence, and suddenly, her fingertips touched a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy.
"There's a concealment formation here." Chen Jinshu's eyes lit up, and he traced the formation's patterns with his fingers.
"It was formed naturally. No, it was set up by man, but due to the passage of time, the formation is now broken and incomplete."
With a slight flick of her wrist, the moss on the surface of the bluestone cracked and fell off.
A faint blue light shone from beneath the stone, illuminating her face with a serene glow.
"This is..." Chen Jinshu bent down to look and saw a small stone cave under the blue stone, about the size of a water vat, deep and unfathomable, with a faint blue light coming from inside the cave.
"A spiritual vein cave!" Qingheng exclaimed in surprise. "No wonder there was such pure spiritual energy here. It turns out it was sealed by this formation!"
The three-tailed fox also walked to the cave entrance, whimpered twice inside, and then looked back at Chen Jinshu with earnest eyes.
Chen Jinshu understood: "You want me to go down and take a look?"
The fox nodded, then used its paws to write characters on the ground, stroke by stroke.
The fox's paws are not as nimble as human hands, and the words it writes are crooked and distorted, but they are still legible: "The earth vein cave, gushing forth under the full moon, is occupied by the stone-armored crocodile."
"Stone-armored crocodile?" Chen Jinshu frowned slightly. "That early-stage Golden Core demonic beast?"
The fox nodded, its eyes filled with fear, clearly having suffered a loss at its hands.
"The night of the full moon... isn't it tonight?" Qingheng looked at the moon in the sky, then at the cave entrance. "Master, shall we go take a look?"
Chen Jinshu pondered for a moment: "Since it's in the valley, we'll have to explore it sooner or later. Tonight is perfect; when it's spewing out spiritual energy, those demons will most likely be off guard."
She turned to the spirit fox: "Little one, you can stay in the valley to recover from your injuries. I'll go check on you and come right back."
The fox shook its head, biting her sleeve with its teeth, seemingly wanting to go down with her. "You're going to lead the way?" Chen Jinshu chuckled. "Your injuries haven't healed yet, or..."
The spirit fox shook its head vigorously, its four paws stomping on the ground, a faint spiritual light flowing around it. Although it was only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, its eyes revealed a stubbornness.
Chen Jinshu had no choice but to agree: "Fine, you can come along. If you encounter any danger, hide behind me."
……
Although the entrance to the cave is narrow, it becomes wider as you go down.
Chen Jinshu used his lightness technique to slowly descend along the stone wall.
The cave walls were covered with glowing moss, and the pale blue light illuminated the naturally formed stone steps.
The three-tailed fox led the way; although its leg injury had not yet healed, its movements were still agile.
Qingheng transformed into a ball of green light and followed Chen Jinshu, curiously looking around.
“The spiritual moss on this cave wall must be several hundred years old,” Qingheng exclaimed. “If we used it to refine medicine, we could at least make a batch of excellent Spirit Nourishing Pills.”
“Those things aren’t urgent.” Chen Jinshu looked around. “What I care about is where this ley line leads.”
The deeper you go, the richer the spiritual energy becomes.
The air seemed to be filled with layers of mist, and one could feel the pure spiritual energy flowing into their meridians with every breath.
Chen Jinshu silently circulated his inner energy, guiding it into his dantian, and felt a sense of well-being throughout his body.
"Such pure spiritual energy," she sighed softly. "If one were to cultivate here, the speed would probably be several times faster than outside."
After descending about a hundred feet, a three-foot-square underground cave came into view. The cave ceiling was adorned with crystal-clear stalactites, and in the center was a clear pool of water, emitting wisps of white steam.
Specks of light floated in the pool, like twinkling stars in the night sky.
"Is this the earth vein spiritual cave?" Chen Jinshu approached the pool, squatted down, and reached out to touch the water.
The water was cool but not icy; instead, it had a warm, soothing feel.
"Such abundant life force!" Qingheng exclaimed. "If this water were used to irrigate spiritual plants, it could probably make those rare spiritual herbs grow by 30%!"
Just as Chen Jinshu was about to examine it closely, the three-tailed fox suddenly let out a rapid whimper and nudged her leg with its head.
"What's wrong?" Chen Jinshu turned around alertly, scanning his surroundings with his divine sense.
Suddenly, a powerful demonic aura surged from the depths of the pool.
The demonic aura was thick and domineering, carrying an ancient and savage pressure that made the air momentarily still.
"They've arrived." Qingheng's expression hardened, and she transformed into a beam of emerald light, protecting Chen Jinshu's side.
The pool churned violently, and a pair of dark yellow vertical pupils emerged from beneath the surface.
Immediately afterwards, a huge head covered in scales emerged from the water.
It was a stone-armored crocodile, three zhang long, covered with bluish-gray scales, as if it were wearing stone armor.
Its gaping maw opened, revealing its gleaming white fangs, and it exhaled a foul stench.
"Early stage of Golden Core." Chen Jinshu's pupils contracted slightly, and he secretly made a hand seal.
The stone crocodile slowly crawled out of the pool, and with each step it took, the ground trembled slightly.
Its dark yellow vertical pupils were fixed on Chen Jinshu, and it let out a low roar, its voice threatening.
"Human, this is not a place for you," the stone-armored crocodile spoke in a hoarse, deep voice. "Leave now while I'm in a good mood, or else..."
"Otherwise what?" Chen Jinshu asked calmly.
"This ley line spiritual site was unclaimed before you occupied it. Since it's located within the Azure Phoenix Valley, why can't I come here?"
Upon hearing this, the stone-armored crocodile let out a low, cold laugh: "Unclaimed property? I have been here for a hundred years, this is my territory. How dare you, a mere junior, try to take it?"
It turned to look at the three-tailed spirit fox, its gaze turning cold:
"So it was you who brought you here, it was that fox who stole the spiritual elixir! I spared your life last time, but you dare to come here to die again?"
The three-tailed fox shrank back in fright, but still stood stubbornly behind Chen Jinshu, its white fur standing on end, emitting threatening growls.
Chen Jinshu reached out and patted the spirit fox's head reassuringly, then said to the stone-armored crocodile:
"Now that you have occupied this place, what about the city? If you acknowledge me as your neighbor and share the spiritual energy of this sacred cave, I will not treat you unfairly."
"A mere late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator dares to negotiate with me?" A hint of sarcasm flashed in the Stone Armor Crocodile's eyes. "With your meager cultivation, you probably can't even break through these scales of mine."
Seeing that the stone-armored crocodile couldn't see through his cultivation level, Chen Jinshu couldn't help but sneer, "Try it?"
Before she could finish speaking, with a flick of her sleeve, Chen Yan transformed into a figure of black iron, blocking her way.
The puppet's body, reshaped by the millennia-old stone milk, is even more resilient. A wisp of Gengjin sword energy flickers on its right arm, carrying a sharp killing intent.
"A mere puppet." The stone-armored crocodile snorted disdainfully, opened its mouth and spewed out a cloud of grayish-white demonic energy, which transformed into several stone spears that shot towards Chen Yan.
"Break." Chen Jinshu shouted softly.
Chen Yan raised his right arm, and the Gengjin sword energy transformed into a three-foot-long golden blade of light, slashing horizontally.
The stone spears were instantly reduced to dust upon contact with the sword energy.
The sword energy, still powerful, slashed straight at the head of the stone crocodile.
"Hmm?" The stone-armored crocodile's pupils shrank slightly, and it opened its mouth to spew out a cloud of primordial yellow energy, blocking its path.
The sword energy struck it, producing a piercing metallic clang and sending sparks flying.
The puppet, reshaped by the stone milk over ten thousand years, was able to match the full power of a late-stage Foundation Establishment peak-level demon beast with its full force.
A hint of seriousness flashed in the Stone Crocodile's eyes: "Your puppet is quite something."
"Not only that." Chen Jinshu made a hand seal, and Chen Yan took a step forward, unleashing three consecutive sword strikes with her right arm, which were the three forms of the "Breaking the Qi Slash" that she had comprehended.
The first sword strike transformed sword energy into a shower of golden rain, blocking the stone crocodile's retreat.
The second sword strike, its energy like a rainbow piercing the sun, aimed directly at his dantian.
The third sword strike transformed into three crescent moons, attacking its vital points from different angles.
The stone-armored crocodile's expression changed slightly. Not daring to be negligent, it opened its mouth and spat out a palm-sized tortoise-shell shield.
The tortoise shell grew longer in the wind, transforming into a giant shield over ten feet tall, blocking its path.
The golden sword energy struck the shield, producing a deafening roar, and fine cracks appeared on the tortoise shell.
"What a powerful Qi-breaking strike!" A cold glint flashed in the Stone-Armored Crocodile's eyes. "Since you can break through my Stone Scale Qi, I will not let you live!"
It suddenly opened its mouth and inhaled, and the spiritual liquid in the pool seemed to be drawn by an invisible hand, turning into a water tornado that surged into its mouth.
The demonic energy surged, and the Stone Crocodile's body expanded, making the rock patterns on its scales even clearer, radiating a powerful earth elemental force.
"Rock and Soil Cage!" the stone-armored crocodile roared, stomping its four feet on the ground.
The ground shook violently, and the bluestone beneath Chen Jinshu's feet suddenly cracked, sprouting several stone pillars that closed in on her like a cage.
The stone pillar was wreathed in earthen-yellow demonic energy, carrying a heavy sealing power.
Chen Jinshu's expression remained unchanged. With a flick of his wrist, he took out the Star Moon Guqin from his storage bag and gently plucked a string.
"Shangxian: Soul Suppressor!"
The sound of the zither transformed into tangible ripples, causing the closing stone pillars to tremble and freeze in place.
The stone-armored crocodile felt a jolt in its soul, and even the flow of its demonic power became somewhat sluggish.
"What beautiful music!" A hint of apprehension flashed in its eyes. "Are you a music cultivator?" (End of Chapter)