9: Leeks are moving

Dragon-Severing Cliff.

It was a Forbidden Ground in the northwest corner of Hongtian Holy Land, shrouded year-round by gray-black miasma. If ordinary Disciples approached, they would either become disoriented or, worse, be eroded by the miasma and turn into a pool of blood.

At this moment, a figure was carefully moving through the mountain forest under the cover of night, approaching that Forbidden Ground.

It was Lin Fan.

After being an Inner Sect Disciple due to Elder Liu's exception, he received no special treatment and was assigned to the most remote courtyard with the thinnest Spiritual Qi.

The surrounding Inner Sect Disciples looked at him with disdain and distance.

They all knew that Lin Fan had been soundly defeated by the Saint in the assessment and had only barely made it in through the sympathy of an Elder.

This kind of "connected individual" was at the bottom of the hierarchy in the Inner Sect, which always revered strength.

Lin Fan endured all of this. These past few days, he Cultivated frantically during the day and studied the map his teacher gave him at night, memorizing the route to Dragon-Severing Cliff by heart.

Tonight, he finally decided to set off.

"Teacher, do we really have to go in? The aura here... makes me very uncomfortable." Lin Fan lowered his voice, communicating with the old man in the ring in his mind.

He could feel that the aura emanating from the direction of Dragon-Severing Cliff was cold and tyrannical, causing the Spiritual Qi in his body to circulate somewhat sluggishly.

"No pain, no gain!"

The old man's voice carried a hint of solemnity, "This aura is precisely the residual resentment and power of an ancient Vicious Beast after its death. It's a potent poison for ordinary Cultivators, but for you and me, if we find the core area, we might just find an Opportunity to temper your Physical Body!"

"Jiang Chen's Physical Body is formidable, and your cultivation is far inferior to his. If you don't find another way, how can you defeat him in the grand competition three months from now?"

At the mention of Jiang Chen, Lin Fan's eyes instantly turned bloodshot, and the unwillingness and anger in his chest were reignited.

He clenched his fists, no longer hesitating, and quickened his pace.

Holy Son Peak.

Inside the sleeping quarters.

Jiang Chen sat cross-legged, his aura round and contained. His Seventh Realm Late Stage cultivation was completely stabilized.

The Dao Yan Heavenly Demon Body brought him not only a Breakthrough in cultivation but also a new understanding of the essence of power.

Behind him, a black shadow, like a ghost, quietly merged into the shadows of the hall.

It was his Guardian, Jiang Jiu.

"Jiang Jiu." Jiang Chen spoke faintly without looking back.

In the shadows, the black figure rippled slightly but made no sound.

"How strong are you?" Jiang Chen asked.

"Reporting to Saint, within the Tenth Realm, it's not difficult." Jiang Jiu's voice was hoarse and dry, as if he hadn't spoken in a long time.

Jiang Chen's eyebrows twitched. "Oh?"

"Meaning, you're confident against anyone within the Tenth Realm?"

Jiang Jiu nodded, remaining silent.

Jiang Chen already had a general idea. The Tenth Realm was the same Realm as his cheap father.

Looking at it this way, not to mention swaggering around the Holy Land, even if he went outside later, he could do whatever he wanted!

Thinking of this, Jiang Chen was already starting to look forward to the future.

"System, show me the latest updates on Lin Fan, that leek."

Jiang Chen called out in his mind.

"Ding! Leek Observer Xiaomian'ao is online!"

"child of destiny Lin Fan, instigated by the old man in the ring, is preparing to sneak into the Forbidden Ground Dragon-Severing Cliff tonight to seek ancient Dragon blood for Body Tempering, intending to wipe away his past shame in the grand competition!"

Immediately after, a light screen unfolded before Jiang Chen, even featuring a real-time rendered 3D mini-map.

A small red dot was stealthily moving towards the Dragon-Severing Cliff area.

Jiang Chen chuckled, "Alright, System, it even has GPS tracking."

"That's right! This System is dedicated to providing the host with the most thoughtful leek-harvesting service!"

"Dragon-Severing Cliff... I remember, isn't that where a demonic Dragon who betrayed the Sect was suppressed?" Jiang Chen recalled the original host's memories.

Jiang Jiu's hoarse voice sounded again, "Yes. Thirty thousand years ago, a mountain-guarding black Dragon under the Seventh Ancestor, for unknown reasons, slaughtered its fellow Disciples and was later suppressed and killed by the Seventh Ancestor beneath Dragon-Severing Cliff."

"Its Dragon body did not decay, its Dragon blood formed a pool, and its Dragon resentment became miasma, hence it was designated a Forbidden Ground."

"Dragon blood forming a pool?" A smile played at the corner of Jiang Chen's mouth.

"So, this Opportunity is real." He stood up and stretched.

"Jiang Jiu."

"Your subordinate is here."

"You say, if someone sneaks into the Forbidden Ground at night, and I slap him to death, is that a problem?"

Jiang Jiu was silent; he was merely a Guardian and did not participate in decision-making.

Jiang Chen chuckled to himself, "Never mind. A leek, you have to let him see hope first, then let him experience despair. That way, harvesting him is more satisfying."

Jiang Chen walked to the window, looking in the direction of Dragon-Severing Cliff, his eyes full of mockery, "Let him search, let him take it. I want to see who will ultimately benefit from the Opportunity he worked so hard to find."

"We'll just wait here, wait for him to dig out the treasure, wash it clean, and bring it to our mouths."

Jiang Jiu's figure rippled again in the shadows.

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Dragon-Severing Cliff.

Guided by the teacher in the ring, Lin Fan safely avoided several patrols of Deacon Disciples.

He stood before a stone tablet, on which two blood-red characters were inscribed: Forbidden Ground.

A cold gust of wind blew, and Lin Fan couldn't help but shiver.

"Teacher, the miasma is too thick, I can't hold on much longer." He felt his consciousness starting to blur.

"Guard your mind, and circulate the Cultivation Technique I taught you!" the old man urged in a low voice.

Lin Fan quickly complied, and a scorching Cultivation Technique aura circulated within his body, barely resisting the miasma's erosion.

He walked around the stone tablet and stepped inside.

As soon as he entered, the surrounding landscape dramatically changed.

The sky was gray, the earth was dark red, and the air was filled with a strong smell of blood.

It made him want to vomit, and all the surrounding trees were withered, their branches twisted.

"What a terrifying place..." Lin Fan was terrified.

Just then, a sharp shriek rang out, and a black shadow pounced from the withered forest nearby.

"It's a carrion demon bat! Be careful, it's highly poisonous!" the old man warned urgently.

Lin Fan was startled. In a hurry, he gathered all his Spiritual Qi and punched out.

It hit the carrion demon bat's head squarely.

Bang!

The demon bat's head exploded, splattering black blood all over Lin Fan.

However, before he could breathe a sigh of relief, pairs of crimson eyes lit up from the withered forest in all directions.

Lin Fan then realized that he had stumbled into a carrion demon bat's nest.

"Oh no!" Lin Fan's face changed dramatically.

Dozens, even hundreds, of carrion demon bats swarmed from all directions, surrounding him.

Each demon bat's aura was no weaker than a Fourth Realm Peak!

"Kid, don't linger in battle, rush south! There's a glimmer of hope there!" The old man's voice was extremely urgent.

Lin Fan dared not delay, circulating his Cultivation Technique to its limit, and forcibly carved a bloody path through the bat swarm.

Wounds constantly appeared on his body, but he gritted his teeth, relying on sheer willpower, and charged forward frantically.

Finally, he broke out of the bat swarm's encirclement, and a colossal, bottomless cliff appeared before him.

He had nowhere left to go.

"Teacher!" Lin Fan cried out in despair.

He looked back, and the dense black bat swarm was already catching up again.

"Jump!" The old man's voice carried a hint of desperation.

"Below is where the Dragon blood is located! Whether you live or die depends on your own fortune!"

Lin Fan glanced at the ferocious bat swarm behind him, then at the bottomless cliff below his feet.

A hint of madness flashed in his eyes. "Jiang Chen! If I don't die, someday I will make you repay this a thousandfold!"

Lin Fan roared, leaped, and plunged into the abyss.