103: Chapter 103 "Fertilizer"

He said those words hoping the other party would hesitate to act for fear of collateral damage.

Unfortunately, he had miscalculated.

Upon hearing this, the leader of the Blazing Fire Sect Disciples grinned even wider and said to his fellow Disciples, "Did you hear that? He says his companion is waiting for him."

The surrounding Disciples burst into a fit of laughter.

The leader's smile vanished instantly. "A Loose Cultivator at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer dares to come to Fallen Phoenix Valley to hunt Yao Beasts? And even concocts such a story full of holes. Seize him!"

At his command, several Magical Artifacts flickered with spiritual light. Though Zhang Hu resisted with all his might, his feet were trapped and he was outnumbered; he was subdued in just a few moves, and the spiritual power in his Dantian was sealed.

"Take him inside and hand him over to the Deacon Elder for disposal," the leading Disciple said with a practiced wave of his hand.

Inside the temporary Immortal Cave, the mirror-shaped Magical Artifact in Chen Tai's hand suddenly began to vibrate.

On the mirror's surface, the light dot representing Zhang Hu first stopped moving, and then several different light dots appeared to surround it.

After a brief stalemate, the dot representing Zhang Hu began moving toward the deeper parts of the valley!

"Zhang Hu has been discovered!" a female Disciple exclaimed.

"And he might have been captured alive!" another Disciple added, his voice slightly tense.

Everyone's gaze then converged on Chen Tai's face, waiting for his decision.

Chen Tai's expression was also very grim. He hadn't expected that despite such thorough preparations, the first scout he sent out would be lost before even touching the enemy's core area.

Deacon Lin remained calm on the surface, but used Divine Sense to send a voice transmission: "Elder Chen, what do we do now? Judging by Zhang Hu's situation, he likely triggered a Formation laid by the Blazing Fire Sect when he stopped. The situation is unclear; should we leave first?"

"No need," Chen Tai immediately refused. To flee after losing just one Qi Refining Disciple—if word got back to the Sect, how could he continue to win people's hearts? "He's just a Qi Refining Disciple; if he's lost, so be it. He has, however, used his life to scout a useful piece of information for us."

"The Blazing Fire Sect is even more cautious than we imagined. In this Fallen Phoenix Valley, there are likely even greater secrets beyond conspiring with those from the Outer Manor. If we can find out the specific details, it would definitely be a great merit. The Sect is never stingy with those who contribute!"

Chen Tai said these words in front of everyone.

Hearing this, almost all the other Disciples entertained the thought of retreating.

Zhang Hu's strength was considered decent among them, yet he was captured without even a chance to resist. This gave them a more direct understanding of the danger of this mission.

They wanted the merit, but they didn't want to lose their lives!

However, Chen Tai would not give them a chance to regret.

"Li Ming, Wang Yue." Chen Tai turned his gaze toward two other Disciples in the team, a man and a woman.

Li Ming had a quick mind and was skilled with Talismans; Wang Yue was light-footed and had keen perception.

"Here, Disciple!" The two stepped forward, bracing themselves.

"You two, go scout once more," Chen Tai said in a tone that clearly brooked no argument. "Remember the approximate location where Zhang Hu was ambushed and bypass that area. Your mission is not to go deep, but to find out exactly what mystery lies within that miasma."

Having said that, he looked at Deacon Lin.

Deacon Lin understood and took a Talisman from his Storage Pouch.

The Talisman was entirely silver-white, with complex golden patterns flowing across its surface. As soon as it appeared, it emitted a sharp ripple of spiritual power.

"This is a second-rank Low Grade Illusion-Breaking Talisman," Deacon Lin said, handing the Talisman to Li Ming. "This Talisman can see through most illusion Formations and mists below the second rank for a short time, so you won't fall into a trap blindly like Zhang Hu. But remember, activating this Talisman generates spiritual power fluctuations; use it only as a last resort."

He then took out two green Talismans and handed one to each of them. "These are second-rank Low Grade divine movement talismans. Once you've scouted the area or if you encounter a life-or-death crisis, activate these immediately to escape. Do not linger for a fight."

Li Ming and Wang Yue took the three precious second-rank Talismans, their hearts both excited and heavy.

They were excited that the two Elders were willing to invest so much, but heavy because this exactly illustrated the level of danger of this trip.

"Go now," Chen Tai patted their shoulders. "The Sect's rewards are never given for nothing."

"We obey your command!"

The two looked at each other; since it was unavoidable, they could only hope for success.

Sensing Talismans were placed on them again. After leaving the cave, they headed off in another direction and slowly disappeared into the mountain forest.

Chen Tai and Deacon Lin, along with the remaining four Disciples, remained hidden in the cave, waiting for news.

Two light dots on the Jade Slip represented Li Ming and Wang Yue's positions; they were currently circling the outskirts cautiously, not venturing deep immediately.

The wait was long. As night deepened, the mountain winds grew stronger.

Just then, the dots representing Li Ming's group stopped in an area on the outskirts of the miasma and ceased moving.

Everyone in the cave felt their hearts tighten, thinking another accident had occurred.

However, half an hour later, the two dots moved again and began heading deep into the miasma.

But their movement trajectory seemed a bit strange, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, as if they were chasing something.

In reality, Li Ming and Wang Yue were not in a hurry to enter the miasma.

They stayed outside the valley for a long time, patiently hunting three ill-tempered first-rank Yao Beasts—Black-Maned Wild Boars.

They didn't kill them, but only inflicted non-fatal wounds to provoke their ferocity, and then quietly smeared a special Soul-Attracting Incense on them. This scent could be easily locked onto by the tracking compass in their hands.

After doing all this, the two drove the three boars, making them charge toward the depths of the miasma.

They followed far behind, pretending to be Loose Cultivators on a hunt. This allowed them to observe the situation and provided a reasonable excuse if they were discovered.

Not long after the three Black-Maned Wild Boars charged into the miasma, their auras on Li Ming's tracking compass became motionless.

The two looked at each other, both feeling a chill in their hearts.

It was far too dangerous inside this miasma!

They became even more cautious, following the trail left by the Soul-Attracting Incense in the air and creeping forward carefully.

After sneaking for about three li, they stopped before a hillside.

On the open ground not far behind the slope, the corpses of the three Black-Maned Wild Boars lay quietly. Each had a large bloody hole in its forehead, clearly killed in a single strike.

Four Blazing Fire Sect Disciples surrounded the Yao Beast corpses, checking them while talking in low voices.

"What bad luck. This time it's just a few stupid pigs that wandered in, and we have to handle them ourselves," one Disciple complained, kicking a boar's corpse.

"Alright, stop complaining," another lowered his voice. "Compared to that fertilizer Senior Brother Wang sent in today, dealing with a few pigs is nothing."

"Fertilizer?" One of the Disciples seemed unaware and asked curiously, "Senior Brother, I just heard from the patrolling brothers that a Loose Cultivator at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer was captured alive. Is the fertilizer you mentioned him?"

PS: Thanks to all the big shots for your support. One chapter for today, the rest later. There will be extra updates during the Lunar New Year's Eve. (How many extra chapters should I add?)