Mortal: I have a Spirit Gathering Cauldron

"Here it comes."

A large number of cultivators from the seven sects who had been waiting for this moment appeared from their respective hiding places.

They witnessed the rise of the little sun, saw it fly straight from east to west into the depths of the central mountains, and saw the scattered rays of light falling down wherever it passed.

After a struggle with the sphere of light, the fog finally began to thin. The outline of the tall, treacherous crater appeared before everyone for the first time.

It was a huge mountain range that stretched for two or three hundred miles and circled the core area. Strange rocks and cliffs were everywhere on the mountain surface, and towering trees that even tree people couldn't wrap their arms around were densely covering the entire mountain.

Some parts of the mountain range are only a few hundred feet high, resembling the entrances to canyons.

Some of the peaks soar into the clouds, reaching at least three thousand feet in height.

From the mountaintop, one can see startled birds in the distance.

A few low growls of demonic beasts echoed faintly from the mountains, their sounds ferocious and chilling, sending shivers down one's spine.

As the sun's rays dimmed, the fog inside the crater largely dissipated.

"Walk."

At this moment, all the cultivators from the seven sects who had entered the inner city wall moved.

The cultivators from the seven sects rushed towards the mountain path entrances that they had planned in advance.

Lin Feng immediately activated the Qingfeng Banner and rushed towards the core area.

As the fog dissipated, the view opened up. The surrounding scenery changed from gray-black rotten land to dark red earth, with occasional glimpses of low shrubs and moss.

The concentration of spiritual energy rose sharply, and one could feel the spiritual energy flowing through the body with every breath.

The deeper you go, the denser the vegetation becomes.

Several hours later, as Lin Feng searched for any possible spiritual herbs and continued on his way, he came across a huge building in the distance.

It was a stone temple.

Constructed entirely of massive, grayish-white stones, the stone hall stands over ten zhang high and several tens of zhang wide, exuding an imposing presence. Ancient patterns are carved across its surface, still clearly visible despite the passage of time. While the eaves and corners of the roof are somewhat damaged, their former glory is still evident.

The stone palace was shrouded in a thin mist, appearing and disappearing like a sleeping giant beast.

Lin Feng stopped and hid behind a rock, squinting as he examined the stone palace.

"Could this be the place?"

In the original story, Han Li and Nangong Wan joined forces to kill the Ink Dragon in this very stone hall. Han Li took the Ink Dragon's corpse, while Nangong Wan obtained a token from a large golden treasure chest in the stone hall, and later used the token to obtain the Six Ding Six Jia Talisman.

The Six Ding and Six Jia Talisman.

Lin Feng licked his lips.

That's a valuable item. In the original story, Han Li survived the spatial storm during his attempt to smuggle himself from the human realm to the spirit realm thanks to this talisman.

The turbulence in the spatial passage is no joke; without this talisman, you could easily be torn to shreds if you're unlucky.

"If we go in now, I wonder if there will still be any soup left?" Lin Feng was itching to try it.

He pricked up his ears and listened carefully.

Faint noises came from the stone hall, as if something was churning inside. The ground occasionally trembled slightly, accompanied by dull thuds.

"They're still fighting," Lin Feng judged.

Going in now might allow us to snag a bargain. Mo Jiao is severely injured, and Han Li and Nangong Wan are also greatly exhausted. If he, a fresh force at the twelfth level of Qi Refining, rushes in, a three-way battle might just present an opportunity.

The Six Ding Six Jia Talisman, the Golden Treasure Chest, the materials from the corpse of the Black Dragon... you could get rich just by picking up any one of these.

Lin Feng swallowed hard, and unconsciously took two steps forward.

Then he shrank back.

"No, no, calm down." He patted his face. "I'm a man who's going to survive until I become an immortal, I can't be reckless."

Thinking about it carefully, the risk is too great.

The Ink Dragon is a level two demonic beast, equivalent to the strength of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and it's one of the more ferocious ones among demonic beasts. Even if it's severely injured, its dying counterattack can still take someone down with it. His small frame, at the twelfth level of Qi Refining, would likely suffer greatly from a single blow.

Han Li, needless to say, is blessed with the protagonist's halo and incredible luck. Don't underestimate him just because he's only at the Qi Refining stage; he has a lot of trump cards up his sleeve. Fighting him is an open question.

Nangong Wan is even more outrageous. She is a Core Formation stage cultivator. Although her cultivation level is only Qi Refining stage now, her combat experience is undeniable, not to mention she has a magic weapon in hand.

Lin Feng analyzed the situation rationally.

Then an even more serious problem was discovered.

What if he barges in and happens to stumble upon that scene?

In the original story, Han Li and Nangong Wan were engaged in a fierce battle with the Ink Dragon in the stone hall when they were accidentally sprayed with aphrodisiac by the Ink Dragon's scrotum. To cure the poison, she and Han Li had an indescribable relationship.

If Lin Feng rushed in now, he might see one of the following scenes:

Scene A: Han Li and Nangong Wan are fighting a fierce battle with the Mo Jiao. He rushes in and is mistaken for an enemy by both sides, so it's two against one—no, one against two plus a monster.

Scene B: Mo Jiao has been killed, and Han Li and Nangong Wan are facing off. He rushes in, and the two of them join forces to kill him first.

Scene C: Nangong Wan and Han Li have just triggered the Mo Jiao's Lustful Sac and been poisoned by the Lustful Poison. They are about to... cough cough.

Screenshot C is the most critical.

Lin Feng shuddered.

"What if when I go in, the aphrodisiac has already spread, Nangong Wan is disheveled, and Han Li is in a panic... what if I also accidentally get infected?"

"A threesome?" Lin Feng's lips twitched. "I wonder if a Core Formation female cultivator's body can withstand two people on her first try..."

Lin Feng quickly slapped himself. "Damn it, what dangerous things am I thinking about?" If such a thing really happened, the Reincarnation Dao Ancestor would probably kill him with a single finger across realms. That image is too beautiful to contemplate.

He huddled behind the rocks, feeling increasingly threatened.

The golden treasure chest is tempting, but my life is more important.

"Never mind, the Six Ding Six Jia Talisman is good, but I can't get it for now," Lin Feng comforted himself. "I'll try again later."

"Although the materials of the Ink Dragon are good, it is only a level two demon beast. We can get as many as we want in the Chaotic Star Sea. There is no need to take the risk."

Lin Feng successfully found a bunch of reasons for himself, and then comfortably gave up his plan to break into the stone hall.

"Just thinking about it, the Dao Ancestor of Reincarnation shouldn't blame me, right?" He looked up at the gray sky.

The commotion from the stone hall gradually subsided, and then, all was quiet.

Lin Feng pricked up his ears and even held his breath.

He didn't get up immediately, but waited another quarter of an hour to make sure there was no movement from the stone hall before crawling out from behind the rock.

"Shall we take a look? Just in case there are leftovers?"

Lin Feng hesitated for a moment, but still decided to go and take a look.

We won't go in; we'll just take a look from afar. If the black dragon's corpse wasn't taken, or if there's anything left behind in the stone hall, it'll be good to find something.

He concealed his breathing and cautiously made his way towards the stone hall.

The stone hall's doors were wide open, but the interior was pitch black, making it impossible to see what was happening inside. A stench permeated the air, a mixture of blood and some other indescribable smell.

Lin Feng stood at the door and peeked inside.

The place was a mess. A group of disciples from the Hidden Moon Sect sat blankly on the ground, staring at a large crater without saying a word, looking lifeless.

The ground was riddled with craters, and the walls bore deep claw marks and charred black from magical attacks. In the very center of the ground lay a large pool of dark red blood, still steaming.

The black dragon's corpse is no longer there.

Deep within the stone hall, a golden box could be vaguely seen, its lid half-open and its interior empty.

"As expected, there's not even leftovers to eat." Lin Feng shook his head and turned to leave.

He didn't want to stay here any longer. If he got discovered, it would take even more trouble.

Lin Feng urged the Qingfeng Banner forward and ran faster than a rabbit.

There are still large tracts of land in the core area that have not been explored. Although the Ink Dragon is dead, other spiritual herbs are still there. He needs to hurry and find as many as possible while the poisonous miasma dissipates.

"Let's go, let's go gather herbs."

Lin Feng's figure flashed and disappeared into the mist.

On the fourth day in the forbidden area, the sun shone brightly.