Chapter 120

Following the Barbarian Tribe's Great Shaman's guidance, Yu Su, accompanied by Lu Yan, flew westward towards the Barbarian Forest, while keeping a close eye on the situation below.

"Have you been to this area before?"

"No, this area is quite dangerous. The wild people in the wilderness won't run in this direction."

"What kind of danger?"

"The wild folks say they'd rather run towards the eastern mountains than enter here. The monsters here are even more terrifying than those in the eastern mountains, and once you go in, you can't come out."

Lu Yan had tried to approach it himself, but only got a little closer. His beast-like instincts warned him of danger, so he never lingered in this area.

There were no villages in this area, just a vast expanse of desolation.

However, as they flew further west, the flora became more lush.

The spiritual energy between heaven and earth became richer.

Yu Su secretly rejoiced. The spiritual energy was already dense even before getting close to the Death Valley, proving that his speculation was likely correct – there might be a spirit stone mine in the Death Valley.

He also knew that such an important place would definitely be guarded by a great demon. So, when they were getting close to the Death Valley, he had the comprehensive spirit sprite open a wide-range scan.

Wide-range scanning consumed a lot of spiritual power, and the comprehensive spirit sprite was somewhat stingy with its spiritual power.

[Master, why not use divine consciousness?]

"Great demons can sense my divine consciousness. What if I alert them?"

[Alright.]

The comprehensive spirit sprite understood the situation and obediently opened the wide-range scan.

The Death Valley turned out to be much larger than Yu Su and the others had imagined, and there was thick mist obstructing their vision. They couldn't see clearly into the deeper areas.

The comprehensive spirit sprite's wide-range scan hadn't reached the point of covering the entire area, similar to Yu Su's current Foundation Building stage spiritual sense scanning range.

To truly understand the situation inside the Death Valley, they would have to fly in.But Yu Su did not rashly enter. If there's a Great Demon inside, even with his sword-flying ability, it would be dangerous. In the end, they chose to land on the outskirts of Death Valley.

Surrounded by towering peaks, the valley was at the periphery of high peaks. Most of the trees here were tall, with trunks as thick as a person's embrace.

As they entered the mountains in the morning, the dense fog around the periphery had just dispersed, leaving dewdrops hanging everywhere. The dew on the grass and leaves soaked Yu Su's and their pants.

Taking a deep breath, Yu Su felt refreshed and said, "The spiritual energy here is much denser than the outside, almost catching up to the spiritual energy of Deer God Mountain."

He asked the comprehensive spirit sprite for any discoveries. After scanning the surroundings, it found no spirit stone mine but detected several low-level demon beasts roaming, along with some spiritual herbs and flowers.

Undeterred, Yu Su wasn't expecting to find a spirit stone mine on the outskirts.

"Let's explore the periphery first."

...

*Bang.* The corpse of a low-level demon beast thudded on the ground, taken down by Yu Su and Lu Yan working together. While exploring the outskirts, they encountered several low-level demon beasts, gaining additional rewards.

This particular demon beast was guarding a special flower—Red Frost Flower. It had five petals, each as red as flames, with tiny dewdrops on them, radiating vitality.

"This is the Red Frost Flower, one of the materials for refining Foundation Building Pills. Used alone, it also has potent healing effects on meridians and dantian. A valuable find," Yu Su said, carefully picking the Red Frost Flower.

Lu Yan, intrigued after hearing about Foundation Building Pills, asked, "If I consume a pill made from it, can I build my foundation?"

Yu Su replied, "Yes, you can, but forcing foundation building with pills is not as good as breaking through naturally. Of course, if you're unsure, using the pill as a supplement is also an option."

Lu Yan inquired about the differences, and Yu Su explained the pros and cons of breaking through naturally versus using pills.

Understanding the distinctions, Lu Yan decided to focus on natural breakthroughs and stopped coveting the Red Frost Flower.

Afterward, they dealt with more low-level demon beasts, collecting valuable items. Taking advantage of the dense spiritual energy, they practiced cultivation on the outskirts.

Once they explored the nearby area thoroughly, they began planning to enter the valley. The entrance was hidden, and it took them some time to find it.

Yu Su noticed some monkeys near the entrance. "Why are there monkeys?"

\[Golden-Tailed Spirit Monkeys, second-level demon beasts.\]

Second-level demon beasts meant there might be even stronger beasts inside. It wouldn't be easy to intrude.

Returning to the cave they stayed in overnight, Yu Su suggested to Lu Yan, "How about you fly in first to explore the path?"

The small mystical bird chimed in, "I'm just a fledgling. Could you bear to let me go alone?"

Yu Su assured, "I trust you. There's nothing a divine bird like you can't handle."

After some hesitation, the bird agreed and flew towards the valley entrance. The accompanying desert leopard also roared, eager to contribute, but Lu Yan shook his head, understanding the potential risks.

After the bird flew away, Yu Su and Lu Yan waited in the cave. After about an hour, they heard the flapping of wings. Yu Su stood up to catch the returning bird.

"Little ancestor, you weren't discovered, right?" Yu Su checked the bird.

The bird chirped, indicating that as a divine bird, it couldn't be discovered.

Yu Su questioned, "Divine bird?"

It was the first time he heard the bird mention this. The comprehensive spirit sprite seemed slightly surprised but refrained from commenting.

Setting aside this matter, Yu Su asked the bird about its findings. The bird reported, "Inside is a paradise for monkeys, and the most powerful one is a Monkey King, nearly reaching fifth-level strength."

Fifth level? Yu Su was surprised. That was approaching the strength of forming a golden core. This could be troublesome for him, a cultivator in the early Foundation Building stage.

He then thought about the bird's divine fire. "Little ancestor, can your divine fire deal with that Monkey King?"

"Of course, even the water snake demon guarding the life tree is no match for it. I can handle that monkey easily. But..."

"But what?"

"I'm still too young. My control over the divine fire isn't that precise. If the Monkey King is clever and dodges, my divine fire won't be effective. Plus, I can only use it once in a while."

This raised concerns for Yu Su. The best approach might be to get close to the Monkey King and, when it least expected, unleash the divine fire. Alternatively, they could attempt to suppress it using the bird's bloodline power.

Concerned about the reliability of the bird's bloodline power, Yu Su decided to trust it this time. They planned for the bird to hide in his backpack and, when he got close to the Monkey King, suppress and attack it.

"Can your divine fire be temporarily stored?" Yu Su asked the bird.

"No, at least a heavenly-ranked artifact is needed to store it."

They didn't have access to a heavenly-ranked artifact.

Sighing, Yu Su considered the suggestion from Lu Yan, "Perhaps we can use the bird's bloodline power to suppress it."

The bird got angry, claiming it was due to the water snake demon being close to forming a golden core. The Monkey King, not even at the fifth level, wouldn't be able to resist its bloodline power.

Yu Su and Lu Yan exchanged glances. Lu Yan suggested, "Let's give it a try."

Trusting the bird this time, Yu Su agreed, "Alright, after I go in, hide in my backpack. When I approach the Monkey King, suppress it when it's least expecting it, and then unleash your divine fire."