Chapter 394: Scattered
"The Holy Dao Sect?"
Li Wuji wasn’t aware that Bai Mo had come out of seclusion. When he arrived, he heard Bai Mo bringing up the topic.
Li Wuji said in surprise, "That sect is coming now for an exchange?"
Bai Mo nodded.
"That’s right. Didn’t you receive the news, Senior Brother?"
Li Wuji said, "No. They probably know my injuries just healed, so no one informed me."
He recalled the Holy Dao Sect’s origins and wasn’t nervous.
"The Holy Dao Sect is barely on the same level as our sect, but their disciple numbers and foundation are far weaker."
"They only dare to come now because we’re distracted by the Celestial Barrier Mountain."
Neither of them took the matter too seriously.
But Li Wuji still offered a reminder:
"The people from the Holy Dao Sect act without restraint and aren’t very friendly toward our sect. If you’re outside, Junior Brother, you must be careful..."
After saying a few more words, Li Wuji left.
Bai Mo, on the other hand, looked at the medicinal herbs that had been reduced by nearly half and verbally praised Ah Er.
"Good work."
Then, he finally walked into the black prison.
The flower bud on Yi Si’s head was about to bloom, attracting the attention of many prisoners.
After finishing his patrol, Bai Mo had no intention of letting the prisoners see the Two Qi Flower’s true form.
He walked into Yi Si’s cell. With a casual snap, the stem and bud of the Two Qi Flower fell into his hand.
Yi Si’s body suddenly stiffened, and he collapsed limply to the ground, as if something had been drained from his body.
But his eyes clearly showed a look of relief.
It made sense. Anyone who had a flower growing on them all day wouldn’t feel too at ease.
Bai Mo gave him a surprised look, but seeing that there was no serious issue, he left the black prison, humming a tune.
Once outside, Bai Mo held the flower bud in his palm and gave it a shake.
He drew in a surge of majestic Spiritual Qi, which coiled around the bud, causing the flower to bloom on the spot.
Illusory black and white ribbons of energy danced around the flower, a truly wondrous sight.
Ah Er saw something new again and tilted his head up, studying it curiously.
Bai Mo smiled faintly.
"This is good stuff. We have to use it right away while its medicinal properties are at their peak, just after being picked."
"What are you spacing out for? Go light the fire!"
...
The disciples at Celestial Barrier Mountain were replaced batch after batch.
At last, another batch of new disciples headed out, while the old ones returned with injuries.
Yuan Chu and his two companions, relying on their Dharma Protector divine generals, had been roaming freely in the Celestial Barrier Mountain until now, and were finally willing to return.
They hadn’t lost any limbs, but their internal and external injuries were not light, and they were covered in curses and restrictions.
The moment they returned, the three of them rushed straight to Mi Mountain without stopping.
Bai Mo was very surprised and delighted to see the three of them.
"What brings the three of you back?"
Yuan Chu smiled and waved his hand.
"Look at all these injuries on us. If we stayed any longer in the Celestial Barrier Mountain, especially on the other side, I’m afraid we would’ve died in there."
Xiong Xin and Gong Gui both looked embarrassed. Even though the two of them considered themselves thick-skinned, they didn’t dare say much when it came to the Celestial Barrier Mountain.
After staying there for so long, the aura of wealth and jewels about Gong Gui was gone, and he had returned to his former simple appearance.
Xiong Xin rubbed his stubbly hair.
"We roamed the front and back of the mountain, and those ferocious Demon Beasts didn’t have an easy time either."
"I heard that many of the Demon Beasts entrenched behind the mountain were scared away. They might flee to the outskirts of the mountain range, which will let our fellow disciples guarding the various cities get a piece of the action..."
Bai Mo laughed and invited the three of them into the mountain.
"Senior Brothers, you’ve come to my place. I imagine it’s for something important?"
"Haha, exactly..."
As they stepped through the gateway, before Yuan Chu could say anything, a wave of heat washed over them.
"Hah!"
Caught off guard, Yuan Chu’s bulging eyes dried out, and he couldn’t help but blink repeatedly, letting out a cry of surprise.
"Junior Brother, what kind of Pill were you just refining?"
"Just something I whipped up."
Bai Mo answered dismissively.
"The Pill Furnace has been burning for several days. The Spirit Wood used as fuel is quite valuable, which is why there’s still so much heat left."
The three of them weren’t really asking, though.
Once inside, Yuan Chu just said, "We rushed over to your place, Junior Brother, because we wanted to ask you to refine a furnace of Pills."
He took out a Pill Formula and a brown, head-sized fruit, handing them to Bai Mo.
The fruit was shaped like a blister and was indeed soft; a finger could sink deep into it when pressed.
The Pill Formula didn’t state the Pill’s purpose.
Bai Mo glanced at it and, based on his experience, could tell at a glance that it was meant to be used in conjunction with certain techniques.
He weighed the soft, spongy fruit in his hand. It was quite heavy, but Bai Mo had truly never seen it before.
Yuan Chu was all smiles.
"The Celestial Barrier Mountain truly lives up to its name. All sorts of strange and bizarre things are produced there."
Bai Mo was intrigued and asked:
"I don’t recognize this fruit’s origin. Could Senior Brother enlighten me?"
Yuan Chu began to explain, a smug look on his face.
"It’s the fruit of a carnivorous tree."
"The tree captures Demon Beasts and shoves them into the ground where its roots are spread, absorbing their essence to grow."
"The entire tree only grows that one fruit."
Bai Mo then asked for the tree’s name, but the three of them genuinely didn’t know.
The reason they brought this fruit back was that they had received guidance from their Dharma Protector divine general, who told them it would be of great use.
As the three were talking, Yuan Chu suddenly moved his arms a few times and mumbled something, seemingly uncomfortable.
Seeing this, Bai Mo took out three black-and-white Pills and handed them over.
"Take this Pill. The three of you will feel better."
"Ooh! Good stuff!"
Yuan Chu didn’t suspect a thing. He shared the Pills with his companions and tossed one into his mouth.
The Pill was rather bland as it entered his mouth.
As it dissolved, a large amount of Yin-Yang Qi was released, but it wasn’t absorbed by the body.
The two streams of Yin and Yang Qi crisscrossed and surged through their bodies, acting like a pair of scissors that shredded the curses and restrictions.
Yuan Chu was stunned. He waited until the medicinal power was exhausted and the Yin-Yang Qi had washed through his body twice before he suddenly let out a breath of relief.
"I feel completely refreshed!"
"Junior Brother, do you have any more of these Pills?"
Bai Mo shook his head.
"The catalyst was too scarce. I only managed to refine a few. Don’t even think about it, Senior Brother."
"What a pity!"
Xiong Xin and Gong Gui also came back to their senses, looking very regretful.
Leaving the items and Spirit Stones, the three of them took their leave.
They had come to Mi Mountain first because the fruit they obtained was precious, so they had rushed over.
Before leaving, Yuan Chu found a moment to ask.
"What’s the deal with those people from the Holy Dao Sect?"
"I heard a few days ago there were competitions in the Alchemy Dao and the Array Dao. Now they’re even setting up a stage for a tournament?"
Bai Mo was even more surprised than he was.
"Those people are still here?"
After speaking, he shared what he had heard, which drew a sneer from Xiong Xin.
"A bunch of petty cowards. They’re just jumping around and causing trouble because the sect’s top disciples are away."
"Let’s go! We’ll go meet them!"
The three of them left in a flurry, while Bai Mo’s gaze fell on the head-sized fruit in his hand.
Back in his stone house, he cut it open with a knife. Not much juice flowed out. Inside was a slippery, sticky pulp shaped like several crescent moons with serrated edges.
...
「At the same time.」
Far away in Immortal Arrival City, a group of men from a Demon Hunting Team was also struggling to slice open the body of a Demon Beast.
Lanshan reached into the flesh and organs, rummaged around, and pulled out a stone slate that was stuck inside.
He casually handed it to one of the men beside him.
"Take a look. Is the content more or less the same?"
The man stared at it for a moment with wide eyes.
"Yes, but this one has sentences about the Alchemy Dao. We can’t understand it..."
"Mm."
Lanshan wiped his hands on a piece of fur.
"Why do we keep finding these things lately?"
"Make a copy and send it to Shopkeeper Bai."
"Alright!"