I'm in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have one equipment slot!

"Besides the corpse demon, there's also a Spirit Eye Jade that's about to take form!"

Zhou Yuan pondered in his heart that what he cared about was the Spirit Eye Jade in the place where the Corpse Demon was trapped!

The Jade of the Spirit Eye is an even rarer and more precious spiritual object than the Spring of the Spirit Eye.

If he could obtain this jade and combine it with the Spirit Eye Spring, his future cultivation speed would reach an astonishing level.

"Yunmeng Mountain is a place jointly controlled by three sects... Perfect, let's go take a look together."

Zhou Yuan made up his mind.

The Yunmeng Mountains are jointly occupied by the three major sects: the Ancient Sword Sect, the Falling Cloud Sect, and the Hundred Crafts Academy. They are a famous spiritual vein in the southern part of the country.

He could take this opportunity to observe the current state of the cultivation world in Tiannan up close, and also find a more suitable area for the future construction of his cave dwelling and the Spirit Eye Spring.

With that in mind, Zhou Yuan didn't delay any longer. He summoned Mei Ning, who was guarding him outside, gave her a few brief instructions, and then transformed into a streak of light, speeding towards the Yunmeng Mountains.

……

The Yunmeng Mountains are a continuous range of peaks.

This mountain is imbued with spiritual energy, with ancient trees reaching for the sky; it is truly a blessed land of immortals, blessed with both beauty and spiritual energy.

Yunmeng Mountain is a renowned sacred vein of spiritual energy throughout the entire Tiannan region.

Deep within these mountains grows a legendary tree called the Spirit Eye Tree, the last of the three great divine trees in the cultivation world.

In a sense, in the eyes of those in power in cultivation sects, it is even more valuable than Heavenly Thunder Bamboo and Soul Nourishing Wood.

Every two hundred years, this Tree of Spiritual Eyes will flow from its roots a spiritual liquid called "alcoholic liquid".

Although this liquid cannot be consumed directly, it is an excellent raw material for refining several kinds of elixirs.

Furthermore, the legendary holy medicine "Spirit-Stabilizing Pill" requires this spiritual liquid as a medicinal ingredient.

As for the "Spirit-Stabilizing Pill," also known as the Soul-Soothing Pill, it can not only enhance a cultivator's cultivation to a certain extent, but also calm the mind and soul, reducing the invasion of inner demons.

If one takes one beforehand when forming a nascent soul, it will definitely make the process much easier for the cultivator.

Because condensing a nascent soul and forming a core are quite different. In addition to requiring cultivation and certain opportunities, one must also endure certain illusions and inner demons.

After all, the process of transforming the elixir into an infant is a terrifying journey that tempers a cultivator's mind and willpower.

With such extraordinary treasures within the Yunmeng Mountains, coupled with its abundant spiritual energy far exceeding that of ordinary spiritual veins, it's no wonder that all sects want to establish themselves there.

After a series of open and covert struggles, the three sects of "Ancient Sword Sect", "Falling Cloud Sect" and "Hundred Crafts Academy" have now joined forces to occupy the territory.

Zhou Yuan's destination was not the core of the three major sects' mountain gates, but a desolate swamp located on the southwestern edge of the Yunmeng Mountains, at the border of the Luoyun Sect and the Ancient Sword Sect's territories.

Green Footprints Swamp.

This swamp is quite large, but it is thin in spiritual energy, muddy, and teeming with poisonous insects and miasma. It also lacks valuable spiritual herbs and minerals. In addition, its location is awkward, making it a "no man's land" that neither faction is willing to put effort into managing. Ordinary cultivators rarely venture into this place.

There is only one exception—that is, to capture a low-level demonic beast unique to this place called the "Snow Cloud Fox".

This fox is pure white and flawless, with soft and fluffy fur. It has a lively and adorable appearance, especially its pair of bright blue eyes, which are like gemstones.

It is especially popular with female cultivators who like spirit pets and pay attention to their appearance.

Occasionally, female cultivators from the sect or female buyers from the market would be willing to pay a high price to acquire it.

Some low-level cultivators who are short of money or skilled in taming beasts will venture into this dangerous swamp to try their luck.

Zhou Yuan arrived at the edge of the swamp.

He suppressed all spiritual pressure around his body.

With his powerful divine sense, far surpassing that of the late Nascent Soul stage, he completely concealed his aura, as if blending into the surrounding environment.

Let alone low-level cultivators, even ordinary Core Formation cultivators would find it extremely difficult to detect their presence if they passed by without careful investigation.

He silently slipped into the swamp.

Beneath our feet lay soft, slippery mud and tangled, decaying plant roots, while the air was filled with the faint smell of rotting leaves and miasma.

Zhou Yuan scanned it with his divine sense.

Avoiding some low-level poisonous insects and monsters lurking in the mud, they headed straight for a certain direction deep in the swamp.

After walking for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, we passed through a dense reed bed that exuded a strange, fishy smell, and suddenly the view ahead opened up.

Hundreds of feet away, a huge, almost vertical black cliff, as if cleaved by a god's sword, stands abruptly at the end of the swamp.

The cliff face soared into the clouds, and looking up, all one could see was swirling clouds and mist above, making it impossible to see the summit.

The cliff face was smooth as a mirror, presenting an eerie, pure black color that seemed to absorb light, which was out of place with the surrounding gray-green swamp environment, exuding a sense of eeriness and death.

Zhou Yuan's gaze fell on the bottom of the cliff, where weeds grew rampant and vines entwined.

But in his divine sense, behind those vines and weeds, there was a narrow crevice that was extremely well hidden and mostly concealed by natural rocks and plants.

"This is it."

With a firm resolve, Zhou Yuan moved swiftly and silently to the foot of the cliff.

He waved his hand to brush aside the drooping vines, revealing a dark gap behind him, just wide enough for one person to pass through sideways.

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhou Yuan stepped into the crevice, and soon the view ahead opened up to reveal a natural cave that wasn't too large.

The cave was dimly lit, but to Zhou Yuan, it was no different from daytime.

His gaze immediately fell on the inside of the cave, near the mountain wall.

There stands a rough stone platform with obvious signs of human carving.

On the stone platform.

A person is sitting cross-legged!

It was a woman who looked to be no more than twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. She was wearing an elegant pale yellow dress and had an extremely beautiful face.

Her eyebrows resembled distant mountains, and her eyes were like autumn waters.

Her skin was as white as snow.

It seemed to have its own soft light in the dim cave.

She has a slender figure, and even when she is sitting cross-legged, her graceful curves are still visible.

However, this stunning painting has a shocking flaw—her left sleeve hangs limply down her side, empty from the shoulder down.

This woman was actually a disabled person with a missing arm.

Within her remaining right arm, a small beast, its fur entirely white without a single blemish, resembling a fluffy snowflake, was quietly curled up.

The little beast's bright blue eyes were half-open, as if it were dozing off, and it looked charming and adorable.

It was a low-level demonic beast, the Snow Cloud Fox.

"Why have you trespassed into my cave, fellow Daoist?"

On the stone platform, after the initial panic, the severed arm quickly calmed down, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, her tone carrying a hint of vigilance and questioning, as if Zhou Yuan were truly an uninvited guest.

The snow cloud fox in her arms seemed to be awakened as well, its azure eyes opening as it warily stared at the intruder.

"Heh, your cave dwelling?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuan let out a cold, ambiguous laugh. His gaze, sharp as torches, swept across the simple stone platform in the cave, finally settling on that exquisite face, which couldn't hide a hint of stiffness: "Are you sure this isn't a cage?"

"What cage? What nonsense!"

Pretending to be angry.

"Corpse Demon, what use do you think your rudimentary illusions can have against me?"

The moment the words "corpse demon" were uttered, it was like a thunderclap!

The composure she had carefully maintained on her face shattered instantly, and an undisguised look of horror and panic flashed in her eyes. Her delicate body trembled almost imperceptibly.

She forced down her inner turmoil and shouted, her voice trembling with fear, "What...what nonsense are you spouting! What corpse demon? I am a cultivator from the Falling Cloud Sect, currently in seclusion for cultivation. Fellow Daoist, do not make false accusations!"

Zhou Yuan stopped looking at her, as if she were already fish on a chopping board.

His gaze shifted and landed directly on a simple stone table in the corner of the stone chamber.

The stone table was carved from rough mountain stone, with a flat surface, on which sat a solitary wooden box about a foot long and half a foot wide.

The wooden box itself has an antique feel, with a dark yellow hue from the passage of time and fine wood grain, clearly indicating that it is not made of ordinary wood.

On the lid of the box, a lifelike relief pattern is meticulously carved—a strange flame burning fiercely, its shape twisted and leaping, unlike ordinary fire. In the center of the flame, a blurry human figure can be vaguely seen, looking up at the sky, making a silent roar, full of pain and struggle.

What's even more striking is that a talisman is perfectly affixed to the front opening of the wooden box.

The talisman was about the size of a palm, made of ancient paper, and had a pure gold color. It was decorated with complex and mysterious runes outlined in cinnabar. Each stroke seemed to contain an overwhelming and unstoppable force of yang energy, and it was slowly emitting a faint golden halo, enveloping the entire wooden box in a sacred and majestic aura.

"What's sealed inside... is your main soul, right?"

Zhou Yuan smiled knowingly, walked slowly towards the stone table, his gaze falling on the golden talisman, and spoke with certainty.

"Tsk tsk, this talisman is specifically designed to ward off evil spirits and vengeful ghosts. It seems the predecessor who sealed you here back then was determined to suppress you for eternity. With your body impaled by silver chains and severely damaged cultivation, you have no way of tearing this talisman apart. So... you can only stay here, conjuring this pitiful appearance, hoping some unlucky bastard or greedy ghost will stumble in, be bewitched by you, and break the seal for you, so that your main soul can be released, your strength restored, and you can regain your freedom... Am I right?"

With each word he spoke, the stone platform... Her face paled a little.

By the end, he was completely pale.

The last glimmer of hope in their eyes was completely extinguished, leaving only boundless terror and despair.

"How...how do you know so much?! Who are you?"

Her voice became sharp and trembling, completely devoid of its previous gentleness: "Fellow Daoist! Senior! Spare me! I beg you, Senior, to spare my life! I am willing to serve you as your master, your slave, and your servant, with absolutely no disloyalty!"

"There are still some treasures in this cave, which I wish to offer to you, my esteemed predecessor!"

Faced with Zhou Yuan, an unfathomable mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator who could see through all her secrets at a glance, she couldn't even muster the thought of resisting.

"There are still some treasures in this cave, which I wish to offer to you, my esteemed predecessor!"

Faced with Zhou Yuan, an unfathomable mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator who could see through all her secrets at a glance, she couldn't even muster the thought of resisting.

All that remained were the most humble pleas.