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

Chapter 40 Reencounter with Nangong Wan! The Ink Dragon!

Not long after, Zhou Yuan flew out of the deep valley on his magical artifact, a satisfied look on his face.

The group of iron-winged bats in the valley was indeed troublesome, but with the infinite mana empowered by four mid-grade spirit stones, he directly used the Golden Sword Technique to carpet bombard the bat king, and combined with the precise strikes of the Twelve Thorns of the Divine Court, he managed to wipe out all of these troublesome monsters.

They naturally acquired three 400-year-old Jade Marrow Mushrooms, and also unexpectedly discovered several accompanying Yin Soul Grasses—rare materials for refining Soul Nourishing Pills.

"This trip was worth it."

Zhou Yuan counted the contents of his storage bag.

The information he obtained from the ugly man of Spirit Beast Mountain was indeed detailed, and several of the marked medicinal herb locations were accurate.

Otherwise, searching for medicinal herbs in such a vast ring of mountains by himself would be much less efficient.

Leaving the deep valley, Zhou Yuan determined his direction and sped towards another special location marked on the map in his memory.

According to the information in the original work, the stone palace in that basin not only contained a large number of spiritual herbs, but more importantly, it also contained a treasure chest—in addition to talismans and magical artifacts, the chest also contained the secret of the "Six Ding Heavenly Armor Talisman".

They traveled for another half an hour.

Zhou Yuan appeared on the outskirts of a basin.

The scene before us was quite peculiar—the entire basin was surrounded by towering, oddly shaped rocks, making it impenetrable to wind and rain. These rocks were dark red in color and rugged in shape, resembling natural stone walls.

In the very center of the basin stands an ancient and enormous bluestone hall.

The stone hall has a rugged style, with blurry totems and runes carved on the walls, exuding a primitive and wild atmosphere.

Although the main hall is magnificent, the entrance is surprisingly small, only allowing two people to pass side by side.

According to Zhou Yuan's memory, this place was where the black dragon was located in the original story.

The stone hall contained many spiritual herbs, and also the legendary treasure chest.

However, the guardian beast of this place—that black dragon—had devoured more than a dozen disciples from various sects who wanted to take the treasure chest.

Its infamous reputation has made this place a forbidden zone that disciples of various sects dare not set foot in.

"The Ink Dragon's strength far surpasses that of an ordinary top-tier level one demonic beast—"

Zhou Yuan pondered to himself, "But with my current strength, I might not be without the ability to fight back."

With the perpetual motion mode enhanced by four mid-grade spirit stones, plus his trump cards such as the Twelve Divine Thorns and the Talisman Knife, he was confident of a 70% chance of success.

"That treasure chest is worth a try."

Zhou Yuan took a deep breath, about to step into the basin.

Suddenly, his powerful divine sense detected multiple fluctuations of energy coming from afar!

"Someone's here, and there are quite a few of them!"

Zhou Yuan's expression changed slightly. A flash of blue light appeared beneath his feet, and his figure moved like a ghost towards the stone hall.

He had to get in before the newcomers noticed!

Just moments after Zhou Yuan slipped into the stone hall.

Suddenly, a large group of cultivators appeared on the rocks on one side of the basin.

There were fifteen people in total, half men and half women, all dressed in the attire of the Hidden Moon Sect.

The leader was an elfin girl who looked only fifteen or sixteen years old. Her appearance was as delicate as a porcelain doll, and her eyes, though clear, carried a majesty beyond her years.

It was none other than Nangong Wan, a Core Formation cultivator from the Hidden Moon Sect!

Although she was only at the thirteenth level of Qi Refining at this moment, the faint pressure emanating from her made the disciples behind her dare not be negligent in the slightest.

"This is it." A handsome male cultivator said respectfully, "Grandmaster, according to the map, this hall should contain a large number of spiritual herbs, and there are rumors of a mysterious treasure chest—"

Nangong Wan nodded slightly, but her gaze seemed to drift towards the spot in front of the stone hall where Zhou Yuan had disappeared.

Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and a hint of doubt flashed in her eyes.

Just a moment ago, she seemed to sense someone nearby, but now, when she scanned the area with her divine sense, there was no one there.

Did she sense something wrong?

The girl was somewhat skeptical. She stood still, closed her eyes, and released her vast divine sense.

The spiritual sense of a Core Formation cultivator is incredibly powerful; even if their cultivation level temporarily drops, it is still far superior to that of an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator.

In an instant, his divine sense swept over the entire basin area like a tidal wave.

The result was quickly clear: apart from their group, they indeed did not sense the presence of any other cultivators.

But when divine sense tried to sweep across the stone hall, it was repelled by some strange force!

"Huh?" Nangong Wan was startled.

At first glance, she noticed that the stone hall was under a restriction, but this did not surprise her.

Several of the dozen or so monster lairs we had previously cleared had been sealed with magic, which is quite normal in forbidden areas.

But the restrictions here were so strong that even her divine sense couldn't pass through them—this was the first time she'd ever encountered such a thing!

"This is far superior to the superficial forbidden techniques of the previous places—" A strange light flashed in Nangong Wan's eyes.

The girl became excited and no longer wanted to pursue the faint feeling she had just had.

She believed that even if one or two disciples from other sects were spying nearby, it would be impossible for them to have any impact on so many people in the Hidden Moon Sect!

"Let's go, into the hall!" Nangong Wanyu waved her hand and led the group towards the stone hall.

The disciples behind him looked at each other, but none of them dared to question it, and they all followed.

After entering the stone hall, Zhou Yuan quickly proceeded along a winding corridor.

Ancient murals are carved on the walls of the corridor, depicting some kind of barbaric sacrificial scene. The distorted human figures and monster patterns look particularly eerie in the dim light.

A moment later, the corridor opened up into a bright and spacious area.

Before them lay an empty hall, several tens of feet square. The emptiness of the entire hall was unsettling.

Apart from a dark, flat passageway in the center, enclosed by a jade railing, there wasn't a single pillar or chair, and absolutely no place to hide.

"Oh no—" Zhou Yuan frowned.

Judging from the auras he sensed earlier, there were at least a dozen people coming, and one of them had an unfathomable aura that gave him a faint feeling of extreme danger.

Even if he was confident, he didn't think he could escape unscathed from a team of more than ten opponents.

"Let's hide in the tunnel first!"

Zhou Yuan made a decisive move, his figure flashed, and he rushed directly towards the tunnel entrance in the center of the hall.

The entrance to the tunnel was square, about five feet wide, with white jade railings inlaid along its edges. At the entrance, a row of blue stone steps led slopingly down into the depths of the underground, from which a humid, hot wind constantly blew out, carrying a heavy smell of earth and humus.

Without hesitation, Zhou Yuan stepped into the tunnel and hurried down the steps.

The steps were long, spiraling down into the ground. The further down you went, the more humid and stuffy the air became, and the dimmer the light grew.

But Zhou Yuan dared not linger for a moment. He knew that the group of people would soon enter the stone hall, and he had to find a hiding place as soon as possible!

After descending about a hundred feet, the view suddenly opened up before us.

When Zhou Yuan stepped out of the tunnel, he was stunned by the sight before him.

This is a huge underground space, about thirty feet high, but several miles in circumference. At a glance, it is a strange swamp world!

The ground was covered with muddy ground bubbling with black liquid, some areas forming small puddles that gleamed with an eerie dark green sheen. The air was thick with a damp, putrid stench, and the temperature was much higher than the ground, making it unbearably hot and humid.

There are many tall mounds of black soil scattered around the swamp, which look like the traces of some kind of giant creature's nest.

On the other side of the swamp, dozens of exotic flowers and herbs of various colors grow.

Zhou Yuan had excellent eyesight and immediately recognized that seven or eight of them were the three main medicinal herbs for refining Foundation Establishment Pills, while the rest were rare auxiliary spiritual herbs!

"So many medicinal herbs—" Zhou Yuan was overjoyed.

But he immediately suppressed his impulse and did not rush forward to pick them.

This place is the lair of the Ink Dragon!

According to the original description, that black dragon was far stronger than an ordinary top-level level one demonic beast, and even comparable to a cultivator in the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

Moreover, this dragon is quite intelligent and adept at ambushes and sneak attacks. Countless cultivators have been swallowed whole by it the moment they were picking spiritual herbs.

Zhou Yuan concealed his aura, pushing the Concealing Breath Technique to its limit. His figure moved like a wisp of green smoke, silently darting towards the nearest mound of black earth.

There was a depression behind the mound of earth, which was just the right place to hide.

He had barely gone inside when he heard footsteps and voices coming from the direction of the tunnel entrance.

"Is this where the giant python dwells?"

A clear and delicate voice rang out, yet it carried an indescribable air of authority.

Nangong Wan stood at the entrance of the tunnel, her clear eyes sweeping across the entire swampy world, finally settling on the edge of the area where spiritual herbs grew abundantly.

Behind her, fifteen disciples of the Hidden Moon Sect filed out. Seeing so many rare and precious medicinal herbs, many of them had a look of greed in their eyes.

"Uncle-Master Nangong, that elixir—" a female disciple couldn't help but ask.

Nangong Wan waved her hand: "Take care of the guardian beast first. You all go and prepare your combined attack technique, according to the positions we practiced before."

"yes!"

The disciples responded in unison and quickly dispersed, occupying several key positions around the swamp.

They were clearly prepared, with each of the fifteen people occupying a position.

Nangong Wanze stood alone in front, her jade hand flipping over, revealing a crimson ring in her palm.

The ring was about the size of a palm, and its entire body was as red as jade, with densely packed flame runes engraved on its surface.

As soon as it appeared, the surrounding temperature rose sharply, and the air became distorted due to the high temperature!

It was Nangong Wan's natal magic weapon—the Vermilion Bird Ring!

Although her cultivation level has dropped and she is unable to unleash the full power of the Vermilion Bird Ring.

However, even a trace of the power of a Core Formation cultivator's natal magic weapon is far beyond the imagination of a Qi Refining cultivator.

"go!"

Nangong Wan gave a soft shout and tossed the Vermilion Bird Ring into the air.

The ring expanded in the wind, instantly growing to a size of about ten feet, hovering above the swamp. Flames surged within the ring, quickly forming a sea of ​​fire, and the scorching heat made the entire underground space unbearably hot.

At this moment, the swamp below began to stir.

Centered on a certain spot in the swamp, the nearby mud began to churn, and the area expanded and surged higher and higher, gradually forming a protrusion more than three zhang high!

Splash—splash—

The sound of the churning mud grew louder and louder, and black bubbles kept emerging from the bulge, bursting open and emitting a nauseating, fishy stench.

The momentum is astounding!

Nangong Wan's expression turned solemn, and the hand seals in her hands changed.

"disease!"

In an instant, the Vermilion Bird Ring in the air suddenly accelerated its rotation speed, and the sea of ​​fire inside the ring abruptly contracted, transforming into a thick whirlwind pillar of fire that shot out fiercely from above, heading straight for the high protrusion on the swamp!

Wherever the pillar of fire passed, the air exploded, and waves of heat rolled in, its power terrifying!

But just as the pillar of fire was about to strike the protrusion, "Pfft!"

With a muffled thud, a jet of jet-black water, as thick as a bowl, suddenly gushed out from the protruding silt!

The jet of water was as black as ink, emanating a strong, chilling aura, and it just happened to block the incoming flames.

Sizzle—Sizzle—

When water and fire collide, a piercing sound erupts!

Large clumps of water mist formed, instantly shrouding the surrounding area in fog and making everything blurry.

The jet-black water column and the crimson fire column were locked in a stalemate in mid-air, consuming each other and forming a strange balance.

Nangong Wan's originally solemn expression suddenly changed drastically upon seeing the jet-black water column!

"This isn't a Blackscale Python!"

She cried out, her voice carrying a rare hint of surprise and doubt.

"This is—a black dragon?!"

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