Chapter 239 - Chapter 239: Chapter 232 Ice Lotus 1 (1/2)
Chapter 239: Chapter 232 Ice Lotus 1
The wild bees patrolled for a while and, finding no target to attack, flew away one after another.
Qin Niu, however, followed the vines down to the base of the cliff.
Even with his innate realm cultivation, the descent was so difficult that it was evident how cautious the Green Demon had been back in the day.
To avoid his enemies’ pursuit, the Green Demon chose to hide at the bottom of a cliff where even masters of the innate realm would find it hard to descend.
Every ascent and descent of the rock face was fraught with great danger.
The Green Demon’s choice was very wise. Precisely because it was so perilous to reach the bottom of the cliff, those hunting him wouldn’t think to look here.
Following the wild vines, Qin Niu slowly made his way down to the bottom of the cliff.
These vines were incredibly sturdy, appearing not too thick, but strong enough to hold fast to the cliff’s precipitous rock face.
Once at the base, he looked around and saw layers of mist.
It felt like entering a dreamy world.
His gaze was soon drawn to a particular vine.
There was a small vine, only as thick as chopsticks and dark green throughout, with ordinary-looking leaves. However, one could see faint yellow veins and white spots on its stem.
According to experience, such vines had extraordinary toughness and strength.
“This vine doesn’t look very big, but the herbal essence is so rich!”
His training in the Medicine King Sutra had progressed to the acquired realm, enabling him to clearly sense the energy contained within the plants and the medicinal essence they emitted.
In this world, every herb and tree can be used for medicine.
Even a newly sprouted blade of grass emits medicinal essence.
The stronger the medicinal essence of a plant, the higher its value.
Initially searching for the Green Demon’s treasure, Qin Niu found this vine so unusual that he dug it up on the spot.
He did not expect its roots to penetrate so deeply into the rock layer, and it took considerable effort to finally unearth it.
Many of the vine’s roots were broken off by Qin Niu’s hands.
Just as he had predicted, the vine appeared small but was tremendously resilient.
Though it could not compare to an iron chain of the same size, it was much sturdier than a hemp rope of similar thickness.
Brought back and planted in his own backyard, it would add a new member to the medicinal garden.
The forbidden grounds of the Fang Family had given him a deep insight.
A family or sect that wanted to thrive for generations must make preparations for nurturing talent.
He was mainly cultivating himself, and the medicinal herbs he grew were primarily for his own use.
Only under the right conditions would he consider cultivating the three women—Xiao Qing, Wang Wanyan, and Tang Caixian.
For the moment, there were no wild bees at the bottom of the cliff.
Perhaps the pheromones he had released on the surface of his body were still at work, causing other wild bees to mistake him for one of their own. So, they all lurked in the shadows, not coming out to attack him.
According to the treasure map, after descending to the bottom of the cliff, he should continue walking along the right side of the cliff face.
When a cold pool appears, he would have arrived.
Along the way, Qin Niu found human skeletons on the ground, and some had even left behind swords and iron armor.
All were forged from Hundred-Tempering Fine Steel, of extremely high quality.
This indicated that the number of masters who had perished here was not small.
Whether these items and bones were left by adventurers or the Seven-Star Sect masters who chased the Green Demon was no longer verifiable.
The fame of the Green Demon Bee was so great that it attracted countless masters to seek the treasure, yet it also cost many their lives.
He groped his way through the dense mist, barely able to see beyond five meters.
He had no idea how far he had gone, surely more than half an hour, when the mist ahead gradually began to thin, extending his visibility from about five meters to roughly ten meters.
Qin Niu smelled the distinctive fishy smell that one finds only by a riverbank.
The air around him also felt exceedingly cold and damp.
His heart leaped with anticipation; the cold pool must be close by.
Indeed, he didn’t have to go much farther before he came upon a deep pool about two hundred square meters in area. Cold air bubbled up from the surface of the pool, mingling with the mist at the base of the cliff and causing a significant chilling effect.
This was also the reason why the mist was thinning out.
The valley stream flowed into the pool, forming this deep expanse of water.
Qin Niu picked up a stone and threw it into the pool, causing large ripples to spread.
The stone quickly sank.
“Little Ink Turtle, it’s time for you to show what you can do once again.”
Qin Niu took the little Ink Turtle out of the basket.
In reality, his basket was a bit broken, damaged by those steel-winged wild bees.
After coming out, the Diamond Ink Turtle stuck out its head cautiously and crawled towards the edge of the pool.
About a meter from the water, it suddenly accelerated and plunged into the pool.
Seeing this, Qin Niu felt reassured.
With the Diamond Ink Turtle’s timid nature, if there were any formidable creatures lurking inside the pool, it would never dare to dive in.
He began to examine the surroundings of the cold pool.
He even took out the Green Demon’s treasure map to compare.
There was no mistake, the shape of the cold pool matched exactly what was shown on the map.
According to the Green Demon’s markings, the treasure should be hidden at the bottom of the pool.
After waiting a moment, the little Ink Turtle surfaced from the bottom of the pool.
It was still playfully frolicking about.
Since being brought home by Qin Niu, it had been kept either in a broken tank or in the front courtyard’s fishpond—not quite comparable to this natural wild habitat’s comfort.
“Timid turtle, is it safe down there in the pool?”
“Safe!”
The little Ink Turtle communicated with him using spiritual thoughts.
Since Qin Niu’s Termite couldn’t enter the water, he hid his basket, removed his clothes, leaving just his underpants on, and with the Ink Blade in hand, he dived directly into the cold pool.
The pool’s icy water was bone-chillingly cold.