Tan Qingxue was determined to obtain the Second Grade Spirit Medicine, and following her would surely lead to becoming cannon fodder.
The people from the Alchemy Hall, to avoid being discovered, were filled with murderous intent towards Li An and would not allow him to return alive to the Profound Yang Sect.
These thoughts flashed through Li An's mind one by one. He had always been reluctant to touch danger, preferring to develop steadily, with caution as the best strategy.
But the Cultivation Realm was like this, and Li An could not control everything and every variable.
When danger could not be avoided...
He would do his best to become the greatest danger himself!
The power of the Life Seed covered his whole body, and the Super Sensing Skill was operated to the extreme, making him move like a ghost in the forest.
He descended the cliff from where he had fallen, following the nearest path. The sound of the stream below and the thundering waterfall could be heard.
Li An saw the figure of the young man named Qin Wei.
He was searching very carefully at the bottom of the cliff.
Finding nothing at the base of the cliff, he spent considerable effort climbing the cliff face, which was overgrown with vines and shrubs.
Finally, he let out a sound of surprise, discovering a bloodied storage bag among the vines.
Qin Wei held the storage bag and returned to the base of the cliff, his face full of joy.
He hesitated for a moment, then decided not to spend more time searching for Li An's body—after all, the storage bag was essential for a cultivator, and if it had dropped, Li An was likely finished.
Qin Wei quickly left.
In the dense forest a hundred meters away, Li An's shadow followed like a specter.
...
Night fell.
Li An hid within the dense foliage of a large tree, two hundred meters away, where Qin Wei, Qing Yuan, and others had set up camp.
As Li An suspected, they were tailing Tan Qingxue and her companions.
After Qin Wei rejoined the group, he handed over Li An's storage bag, and there appeared to be no abnormalities.
Either the other party hadn't detected the scent on the storage bag, or they noticed but didn't care.
Li An believed it was the former; such a scent would be difficult to detect even for someone like Qing Yuan if inadvertently caught.
...
The next day.
By noon.
Tan Qingxue cautiously entered a valley.
After a day and a half of searching, the three had already checked three locations, experiencing a significant battle midway, and had managed to kill a Spirit Beast at the Qi Cultivation Stage Five with great effort.
But they ultimately did not find the Black Needle Giant Ape.
This was the last place!
"This is... Black Needle Giant Ape's dung!"
Jiang You stepped into a large, slimy object, exclaiming hurriedly as he moved away, scraping the mud off his shoe.
"So it's here?" Cao Zhirou's eyes also lit up.
Had they finally found it?
"Be careful... Black Needle Giant Apes usually guard Spirit Medicines closely and won't stray far!"
"I have a Tier Two Lower Grade Spirit Talisman that is enough to kill this Black Needle Giant Ape!"
Tan Qingxue was tense yet hopeful.
The three cautiously approached, detecting a faint herbal aroma in the air.
Roar!
Suddenly, from behind a giant rock on the right, a loud roar resounded.
A black shadow leapt from the treetops, charging directly at Tan Qingxue at an incredible speed!
"Bad!"
Their expressions changed drastically. Tan Qingxue immediately deployed a First Grade Upper Grade Water Shield Talisman!
The water shield was smashed to pieces by the titanic black ape's punch, and the powerful shockwave sent Tan Qingxue flying.
Tan Qingxue slammed into a giant tree a dozen steps away, her face pale, spitting blood, her chest robes shattered, revealing the protective soft armor beneath!
If not for this protective soft armor, she might have died!
But even the protective soft armor showed cracks.
The Black Needle Giant Ape at the Peak of Qi Refining had actually used an ambush against a cultivator at Qi Cultivation Stage Six!
This was completely against common sense.
She was caught off guard and was severely injured.
"Black Needle Giant Ape!"
"It's actually here!"
Jiang You and Cao Zhirou exclaimed, simultaneously deploying Talismans. The First Grade Middle Grade Fire Snake Talisman and Blade Transformation Talisman struck the black ape, but its tough hide endured, and it charged madly at Tan Qingxue.
Tan Qingxue's face changed drastically; why did this giant ape seem locked onto her?!
"Hold it off... I need some time!"
She spoke with difficulty, quickly swallowing a Pill and sticking three First Grade Middle Grade Qi Refilling Talismans onto herself.
Meanwhile, a light blue Spirit Talisman appeared in her hand, with faint water waves undulating on its surface, quite striking as she tried her best to activate it.
But her Spiritual Qi was damaged, and having just used a First Grade Upper Grade Spirit Talisman consumed her Spiritual Power, slowing her activation of the Tier Two Spirit Talisman.
Jiang You and Cao Zhirou gave it their all, but the Black Needle Giant Ape was at the Peak of Qi Refining, its strength unparalleled; their First Grade Middle Grade Talismans barely swayed it, and their own strength was far inferior, unable to restrain it.
The black ape leapt to Tan Qingxue's face.
Tan Qingxue hurriedly deployed the Water Shield Talisman again and quickly took out a First Grade Upper Grade Swift Movement Talisman to escape, trying to widen the distance.
The black ape pursued relentlessly.
Tan Qingxue used several First Grade Upper Grade Talismans consecutively, and her Spiritual Power reached its limit, forcing her to stow away the Tier Two Spirit Talisman and flee rapidly.
"Qingxue..."
Jiang You and Cao Zhirou chased behind, extremely anxious.
The giant ape pursued Tan Qingxue, covering two miles in an instant!
Tan Qingxue was almost at the end of her rope; depleted Spiritual Qi, exhausted Spiritual Power, fatigue creeping in, on the verge of collapsing.
Her chest armor was nearly shattered.
Suddenly, the black ape seemed to catch a whiff of something, ceased its pursuit of Tan Qingxue, and turned towards the valley.
Cao Zhirou and Jiang You, arriving later, dodged quickly, narrowly avoiding being struck by the ape.
"Qingxue, are you okay?!"
They hurriedly lifted Tan Qingxue.
"Quick... leave!"
Tan Qingxue managed this one sentence before fainting.
...
Within the valley.
"Hahaha... Tan Qingxue, oh Tan Qingxue, you're merely bait in my hands!"
Qing Yuan had entered the valley.
He was extremely pleased with himself.
——A month ago, they had pinpointed the location of the Black Needle Giant Ape, and at that time, they had also killed the ape's young.
That battle cost them numerous Spirit Talismans, Spirit Medicines, and other resources to escape, and the Alchemy Hall lost several elite Qi Refinement Stage experts.
The Black Needle Giant Ape was too terrifying; confronting it directly wasn't possible.
So, they released some information, allowing outer disciples to learn about the Second Grade Spirit Medicine.
However, few of the outer disciples dared challenge the Black Needle Giant Ape, so they waited until Tan Qingxue appeared.
The bottle given to Tan Qingxue was infused with the brain pulp of the Black Needle Giant Ape's juvenile, concocted into a solution. The giant ape's keen sense of smell would draw it away when Tan Qingxue approached.
Luring the tiger away from the mountain.
Now, the Second Grade Spirit Medicine was theirs...
He swiftly led his team into the valley. On the cliff, there was a cave.
"Two of you stand guard outside; the rest, follow me inside!"
He quickly issued the order, then rushed in.
In the dark cave hall, there were two nearly transparent lotuses, emitting a faint white glow!
"Two Glowing Loti of Second Grade!"
Qing Yuan was overjoyed to the extreme.
But at that moment, a miserable cry suddenly came from outside the cave hall!
Qing Yuan's face changed dramatically, he quickly turned around, and at the cave entrance, a gust of wind rushed in. The massive Black Needle Giant Ape had already charged in, letting out a deafening roar that made one's ears numb.
Qing Yuan trembled with fear, instinctively trying to retrieve a Magical Artifact, but the Black Needle Giant Ape was too fast, already grabbing his neck, its five fingers crushing his throat!
Blood splattered!
"No..."
The rest were filled with terror.
This was a massacre!
...
Outside the valley, on a mountain peak seven or eight miles away.
"The wind direction is right."
Li An opened the cloth bag, inside which the soil moistened with urine had dried and hardened. He gently cracked it open, placing the medicine bottle at the wind's mouth, allowing the pungent urine odor and an indescribable faint scent to waft downwind...
Li An put away the cloth, then immediately placed three First Grade Middle Grade Swift Movement Talismans on himself!
The same type of Talisman provided limited enhancement to him, with three being the maximum.
With a leap, he jumped into the forest, rushing toward the valley!
...