Complete one practice method every day

Chapter 92 Huge Gains

On the distant horizon outside Youlin County, above the already dimmed mountain outlines due to the total solar eclipse, a terrifying aura, as if awakened from a slumbering ancient beast, suddenly surged forth.

That aura was formless and intangible, yet it was clearly imprinted on the hearts of every living being who sensed its existence.

Just from the lingering aftershocks of this aura, Chen Yue and his companions felt as if their breath had stopped and their blood and qi had frozen for a moment. The distant mountains and forests seemed to bow silently under this aura, and even the wind stopped flowing.

Chen Yue's pupils contracted slightly as he stared intently in that direction.

Suddenly, he felt a faint throbbing and burning sensation coming from the spot on his chest where the black spot had been, as if it were resonating with the terrifying aura in the distance.

"That direction—the ruined temple? The mountain king?" Chen Yue instantly recalled his encounter at the ruined temple outside the city that night.

"Walk!"

Before Chen Yue could explain, he grabbed Lin Quan's arm and, with a low shout, burst into a full-force sprint, running wildly into the distance.

It moved so fast that it left a faint afterimage in its place.

Shen Dujiang and Hu Shaoyu felt the terrifying aura that made their souls tremble, so how could they dare to hesitate even for a moment?

The two immediately pushed their movement techniques to the limit, desperately trying to keep up with Chen Yue's back.

As Hu Shaoyu ran, he couldn't help but glance back at the direction from which the momentum was rising, his heart filled with lingering fear and relief.

Fortunately, Shen Dujiang came to find him in time, and he made a decisive escape, regardless of whether it was for money or not.

Otherwise, with his meager cultivation level, even if he miraculously escaped the ordinary ghosts in the city, what if that colossal aura that seemed capable of swallowing the heavens and earth had been directed towards Youlin County?

The fate of the entire county was unimaginable.

The four dared not stop for a moment, running headlong through the desolate and rugged wilderness. This run lasted for a full half hour.

After running at full speed for so long, the four of them involuntarily slowed down.

Hu Shaoyu, whose cultivation was the weakest, was the first to give in. His face turned as pale as paper, his chest heaved violently as if he were working a bellows, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

Clearly, such a long-term, unreserved escape is an immense burden for a martial artist of his level.

Shen Dujiang was slightly better, but he was still panting heavily, sweating on his forehead, and his breathing was no longer steady.

On the contrary, Chen Yue, who was speeding along with Lin Quan, was breathing slowly and steadily, his face was normal, and there was not much sweat on his forehead.

The powerful blood and qi and strong recovery ability brought by the Haoran Guyuan Jue, as well as the superhuman physique and amazing endurance tempered by the Tiger Roar Golden Bell Cover, were fully revealed at this moment.

For him, running at this pace for another half an hour wouldn't be a problem.

They continued on for a while longer, until the outline of Youlin County had long since disappeared below the undulating horizon, and even the dark cloud on the horizon had become blurry and distant. Only then did the four of them finally stop behind a small, sheltered earthen slope.

Hu Shaoyu almost collapsed to the ground, leaning against the earthen slope, panting heavily, unable to even speak.

Shen Dujiang also found a rock to sit on and silently regulated his breathing.

Lin Quan was already dizzy and disoriented from being jostled around so much that his face turned pale, and he barely managed to stand.

The four of them sat or leaned against something, temporarily escaping their desperate escape, and a sense of exhaustion and relaxation, as if they had survived a disaster, slowly spread through them.

Lin Quan looked back at the way he had come, his eyes still filled with fear.

Hu Shaoyu caught his breath, looked at Chen Yue and Shen Dujiang with a complicated expression, and suddenly said, "That—the one hundred taels of silver we agreed on for the travel fee in the county—let's just forget about it."

Upon hearing this, Shen Dujiang looked at Hu Shaoyu with some surprise. He hadn't expected that this seemingly shrewd old merchant would take the initiative to give up that windfall.

Shen Dujiang chuckled lightly, his tone slightly teasing: "Oh? Brother Hu is quite open-minded, just like that, giving up a hundred taels of silver?"

Hu Shaoyu waved his hand, a hint of embarrassment on his face, yet also a touch of sincerity: "Boss Shen, please don't make fun of me. I, Hu Shaoyu, have traveled the world, and although I love money, I also know how to write the word 'righteousness,' and I know how to weigh my own worth."

If it weren't for you all today, I'd probably be stuck in that godforsaken place, Youlin County, my fate uncertain. This so-called "guiding" was really just us helping each other out; how could I possibly ask for any "fee"? I'm not the kind of person who only cares about money and doesn't know what's good for them.

Chen Yue couldn't help but smile as he listened to Hu Shaoyu's words.

After a short rest, Chen Yue suddenly remembered the spiritual weapon he had obtained from the alchemist demon. He reached into his robes and took out the alchemy furnace, which had shrunk to the size of a fingernail. He held it in his palm and examined it carefully.

Shen Dujiang, Hu Shaoyu, and even Lin Quan, who had recovered from his shock, were all drawn to Chen Yue's actions and curiously gathered around, their eyes fixed on the small alchemy furnace.

Although Shen Dujiang and Hu Shaoyu had been in the martial arts world for many years and had heard of the name of the spirit weapon, they had only had a handful of opportunities to see it in person.

These kinds of artifacts, which originate from ghosts and evil spirits, are often accompanied by strangeness. Ordinary martial artists avoid them like the plague, let alone try to understand them.

As for Lin Quan, he had never heard of him before. At this moment, he felt that the small pendant was mysterious and dared not look at it for too long.

Chen Yue tried to slowly inject a wisp of internal energy into it. As the energy flowed in, the pendant became slightly warm, and the dark bluish-black surface seemed to brighten a little, but that was all.

Just now, when the alchemy furnace absorbed energy, it would shrink from large to small. Now, when it absorbs energy again, it doesn't change at all.

Chen Yue could vaguely sense that there seemed to be a small space inside the pendant, but he had no idea how to open it or how to use it.

Contrary to what Hu Shaoyu said, one cannot know how to use it simply by injecting qi.

"Could it be that the method is incorrect? Or does this spiritual weapon require communication with one's mind?" Chen Yue's heart stirred.

He recalled the eerie eye contact and spiritual erosion between the alchemist and the demon. This alchemy furnace was not only his life-bound possession, but it might also be related to the power of his mind.

Chen Yue suppressed his distracting thoughts and quietly activated the Mind Cultivation Technique.

A wisp of spiritual power emerged from the sea of ​​consciousness, cautiously touching the dark pendant in the palm of his hand.

The moment the power of the mind touched the surface of the pendant.

"Buzz—"

A very faint resonance arose.

A small space, about two feet in diameter, with dark bluish-black walls, was clearly presented in Chen Yue's mind perception.

The space was stable and free of any cold or evil energy; instead, it had a peculiar sense of gentleness.

Chen Yue felt a slight joy as he scanned the space with his senses.

The space was small, and the other areas were empty except for three dark gold pills lying quietly in a corner.

The elixir exuded a faint, chilling aura; its purpose was unknown.

Chen Yue's mind stirred slightly, and he tried to use his mental power to guide one of the pills.

The next moment, under the astonished gazes of Shen Dujiang, Hu Shaoyu, and Lin Quan, a pill appeared out of thin air in Chen Yue's left palm, which had been open and had not moved at all.

It was like a magic trick, without warning, and inexplicably strange.

"Where did this elixir come from?" Hu Shaoyu thought he was seeing things.

Shen Dujiang was also full of surprise, staring intently at Chen Yue's hand.

Chen Yue offered no explanation. With another thought, the pill in his palm vanished instantly. In his mental perception, the pill had returned to its original position within the alchemy furnace space.

"It really does have the ability to store things!" Chen Yue couldn't help but show a look of surprise.

This seemingly dilapidated alchemy furnace, a spiritual weapon, actually possesses such practical functions. Although the internal space isn't very large, it's more than enough to store daily necessities, precious medicinal herbs, and alchemy manuals.

Chen Yue's thoughts shifted again, and he tried to extend his mental energy towards the bulging package behind him.

Without a sound, under the increasingly wide eyes of Shen Dujiang and Hu Shaoyu, the rather conspicuous large package on Chen Yue's back suddenly disappeared.

The small alchemy furnace in Chen Yue's hand remained unchanged in size and shape, only its weight increased slightly, now weighing less than one-tenth of its original weight.

"This—this is—"

Shen Dujiang gasped, his eyes flashing with a sharp light, and exclaimed, "A universe hidden in a sleeve? No, it's the ability to contain Mount Sumeru within a mustard seed! What a treasure, truly a treasure! I never imagined that the alchemy demon's furnace would possess such miraculous power."

Hu Shaoyu nodded repeatedly, his face full of envy and amazement: "Boss Shen is right. These kinds of spiritual weapons with their own space, although they cannot be used for attack and cannot harm the enemy, are very practical. Only caravans and escort agencies that travel all over the country have them."

"Having such a treasure while traveling the world would save me so much trouble; I never imagined I'd actually see it with my own eyes today."

Chen Yue's eyes were also filled with undisguised satisfaction. He hadn't expected that killing that troublesome alchemy ghost would bring such an unexpected gain.

In the future, many items that are inconvenient to carry, such as large quantities of medicinal herbs, spare weapons, precious elixirs, and even valuables like gold and silver, can be stored on one's person, making them easy to access and completely inconspicuous.

Although each time you store or retrieve an item, it requires a small amount of energy and mental strength, this amount is negligible compared to the immense convenience it brings.

"If this alchemy furnace had existed back in the Chen family—" A faint sense of regret swept through Chen Yue's heart.

If he had this item, he could take even more of the precious medicinal herbs and gold and silver that he couldn't take with him from the Chen family's storeroom.

However, I am fortunate to have it, and this is enough for me now.

Chen Yue carefully put the small alchemy furnace away from his body again, and Shen Dujiang and the others stopped watching and went to the side to rest.

Chen Yue's body slowly circulated the Haoran Guyuan Technique, nourishing the mental energy and blood that had just been consumed.

Chen Yue planned to take advantage of the break to carefully study the secret manuals in his hands. He had brought out quite a few secret manuals and pill formulas from the Chen family, all of which required time to study and ponder. If he found a suitable one, he could start cultivating it to further improve his strength.

About 15 minutes later, everyone's physical strength and mental state had recovered considerably.

Chen Yue put away the manual, stood up and said, "We've rested enough, let's continue our journey. Although we're far from Youlin County, it's still not absolutely safe."

Everyone nodded and set off again.

Having left the suffocating core area of ​​Youlin County and with no pursuers behind them, the four no longer ran as frantically as before, slowing down considerably to conserve their energy for a possible long journey.

After walking for about half an hour, the total solar eclipse had passed, but the sky still appeared gloomy.

"boom!"

Just as the four were walking along the dirt road, a terrifying wave, seemingly originating from the depths of the earth and appearing to come from the heavens above, suddenly roared from the direction of Youlin County behind them.

Even though they were far apart, the fluctuations were still clearly perceptible, and the ground beneath their feet trembled slightly.

The four of them stopped in their tracks at the same time and instinctively turned around to look.