87: Explore the back mountain for traces of demons, a secret realm hides mysteries.

Over the next two days, Li Muchen was in no hurry to go deep into the back mountain to search for traces of the Yao Beast.

He first spent considerable effort using the earth vein suppression talisman as the core, combined with his own True Essence, to carefully repair and reinforce the damaged nodes of the protective field around Qingfeng Temple. He even made some fine adjustments to the field's operating mechanism based on feedback from the actual combat, making its response to malicious attacks of specific intensities more sensitive and its protection more resilient.

After completing all this, the earthy-yellow light shield enveloping the temple became more solid and stable. It was almost completely hidden during the day, only appearing slightly when subjected to a strong impact or when the Yin Qi was at its peak during midnight. This maintained the necessary protection while reducing "stimulation" to the outside world, avoiding more unnecessary attention.

At the same time, he had Zhao Desheng gather the prestigious elders and young men of the Zhaojiaao Village village to establish several rules: strengthen day and night patrols, paying special attention to any unusual movements from the back mountain; receive visiting pilgrims politely but watch for suspicious individuals and report them promptly; resolutely stop and report any attempts to damage the temple or investigate the secrets of "immortal arts" to the police; the temple would maintain its daily routine as usual, not expanding its scale or actively promoting itself, with "tranquility" as the priority for everything.

Li Shiyu and Zhao Xiaowen also volunteered to assist in organizing pilgrim registrations and maintaining order, using their own methods to record the actual situation in an attempt to preserve an objective record amidst the chaotic rumors.

After settling the internal affairs, Li Muchen finally turned his gaze toward the depths of Yuntai Mountain.

The Yao Beast that attacked the temple had a tyrannical and powerful aura, certainly not a common beast that had attained spirit. It could accurately find Qingfeng Temple, where incense Power Of Will and earth vein Spiritual Qi converged, and attempted to break in by force, clearly possessing significant intelligence and energy-sensing abilities. With such a demon lurking in Yuntai Mountain, the temple would never have peace if its origins were not clarified and the hidden danger eliminated.

Early this morning, the sky was dimly lit, and the thin mist had not yet dispersed.

Li Muchen changed into a suit of dark green martial attire suitable for mountain travel, carried the thunder-struck wood wrapped in cloth on his back, hung the earth vein suppression talisman at his waist, and brought several bottles of Qi-replenishing Pills to supplement his True Essence, along with prepared Heart-Clearing, Evil-Breaking, and Breath-Concealing Talismans. He quietly left through the back door of the temple and vanished into the vast back mountain shrouded in morning mist.

The back mountain of Yuntai Mountain was extremely vast, with steeper terrain and dense primeval forests where few people ventured. Even the most experienced local hunters rarely went deep into it. Rumors said there were miasmas, poisonous insects, fierce beasts, and some unexplainable strange phenomena, making it a "Forbidden Ground" in the eyes of the ancestors of Zhaojiaao Village.

Li Muchen did not travel fast, with his Spiritual Sense fully active like the most precise radar, scanning the surrounding environment. He tracked the residual, tyrannical, and fishy scent unique to that Yao Beast in the air while carefully observing the changes in the mountain forest.

The deeper he went, the taller and older the trees became, with vines interwoven like nets and light struggling to penetrate, making it look eerie and dark. A thick layer of fallen leaves had accumulated on the ground, making his steps soft and silent. Occasionally, startled birds and beasts scurried through the forest, but there were no signs of large predators, as if this area had been marked as territory by some even more powerful existence.

The residual Demonic Qi in the air was intermittent; clearly, even after being injured, the Yao Beast's movements remained agile, and it knew how to hide its aura. However, Li Muchen's perception of energy fluctuations far exceeded that of ordinary people, especially after his initial communication with the earth veins of Yuntai Mountain, making him even more sensitive to the aura of abnormal "living things" in the mountains.

Following the clues, he crossed two steep mountain ridges and passed through a deep ravine filled with mist and poisonous insects, finally arriving at a place with very special terrain.

Before him was a huge valley surrounded by mountains on three sides. The entrance was narrow and hidden, obscured by thick ancient vines and drooping branches; it would be extremely difficult to find without a deliberate search. The interior of the valley, however, was exceptionally open, with sunlight shining directly onto the valley floor, forming a sharp contrast with the gloom outside.

Most striking of all were the three massive stone pillars standing in the center of the valley, over ten zhang tall, pitch black, and covered in strange natural patterns! The pillars were arranged in a triangular formation, enclosing an open space of about one mu. In the center of the open space was a pitch-black abyss about three zhang in diameter and bottomless, from which faint white gas, mixed with sulfur and a certain fishy smell, was currently curling up.

The residual aura of the Yao Beast became suddenly intense at the valley entrance, finally pointing into that abyss.

Li Muchen did not enter the valley immediately but crouched on a hidden cliff wall above the entrance to observe carefully.

His Spiritual Sense cautiously probed toward the three black stone pillars and the central abyss. The material of the pillars was neither metal nor jade, cold to the touch, and the natural patterns on them faintly formed some ancient and primitive formation, which seemed to be slowly absorbing the surrounding earth qi and the essence of the sun and moon, gathering them toward the central abyss. Within the abyss, the Demonic Qi was so thick it had almost materialized, mixed with a scorching, tyrannical Earth Fire Qi and... a trace of extremely weak yet even more ancient and profound "spiritual rhythm."

"This place... is not simple," Li Muchen thought with solemnity. These three stone pillars and the abyss were definitely not naturally formed; they were more like relics left from some ancient era, or... some kind of "cultivation" or "Seal" site arranged by someone. The Yao Beast's presence here was likely no coincidence.

He carefully sensed the movement inside the abyss. The Yao Beast's aura was deep below, appearing to be in a state of slumber or healing; although its aura was still powerful, it lacked its previous frenzy and seemed relatively stable.

"It's an opportunity," Li Muchen's eyes narrowed slightly. Taking advantage of its severe injuries not yet being healed to conduct a deep investigation, or even... if he could resolve this hidden danger in one go, that would naturally be best.

He restrained his entire aura, activating the "Breath-Concealing" effect of the earth vein suppression talisman to its maximum while also applying a self-made Breath-Concealing Talisman to ensure nothing went wrong. Then, his body, like a weightless feather, silently drifted down the cliff wall and landed at the edge of the valley.

He did not enter from the front between the stone pillars but stayed close to the shadows at the edge of the valley, circling toward the side and rear of the abyss. His movements were extremely slow and cautious, ensuring every step made no sound, and his Spiritual Sense was highly concentrated, sensing the Yao Beast's slightest breath and energy fluctuations within the abyss.

Finally, he reached the edge of the abyss and looked down.

The opening was three zhang in diameter, with steep inner walls extending downward in an irregular funnel shape. The further down it went, the larger the space seemed to become and the darker the light, but within Li Muchen's Spiritual Sense perception, he could "see" the scene within dozens of zhang below.

Deep in the abyss, about thirty zhang down, a huge natural cave appeared. At the bottom of the cave, dark red, viscous, and scorching lava was actually surging! The lava lake was not large, but it emitted terrifyingly high temperatures, reflecting the entire cave in a bright red glow as heatwaves rolled upward.

On a protruding, relatively flat black rock at the edge of the lava lake, a massive figure was crouching!

It was indeed the Yao Beast that had attacked the temple!

Observing it at close range now, Li Muchen could more clearly feel its enormity and ferocity. It was shaped like a giant ape but even more burly, with a shoulder height of nearly two zhang, and its body was covered in palm-sized, thick black scales that shimmered with a metallic cold light. Its head resembled a bear's but wasn't quite one, with a curved, sharp single horn right in the center of its forehead emitting a dark glow. Its limbs were as thick as pillars, with sharp claws digging deep into the rock. Even as it lay there, the sense of primal ferocity and power originating from the wilderness still rushed toward him.

On its chest, there was a clear charred collapse where scales were shattered and flesh was torn—the wound left by the counterattack of the earth vein protective field. A faint earthy-yellow spiritual light lingered around the wound, preventing it from healing, but it was also being slowly worn away and neutralized by the scorching demonic power surging from within the Yao Beast.

The Yao Beast's eyes were tightly closed, and with its breath, two streaks of scorching air carrying sparks puffed out from its nostrils. It seemed to be using the Earth Fire essence and some ancient spiritual rhythm in this abyss to heal its injuries and recover its Origin Qi.

Li Muchen's gaze, however, was more attracted by a strange sight behind the Yao Beast, in the center of the lava lake.

Amidst the rolling dark red lava, a plant was actually growing!

It was a strange tree about three feet tall, entirely crimson like blood! The trunk wound like a dragon, with no leaves, and at the top grew three fist-sized, crystal-clear fruits that looked like they were carved from rubies! Inside the fruits, flames seemed to be flowing, emitting an alluring fragrance and a majestic Pure Yang Fire Spiritual Qi!

At the base of the crimson strange tree, one could vaguely see half of a dark red ancient stele embedded in the lava, carved with blurred, ancient runes that looked like leaping flames.

"Earth Core Fire Lotus? No, it's... 'Vermilion Fruit'? And it's three fruits about to ripen!" Li Muchen's heart jolted as he recognized the origin of that strange tree and its fruit. It was a spiritual object of heaven and earth recorded in the miscellaneous notes of the Daoist Canon—the [Crimson Flame Vermilion Fruit Tree]! It needed to grow in a place where Earth Fire essence converged, absorbing fire spirits and earth vein essence; it would take a thousand years to flower, another thousand to bear fruit, and another thousand to ripen. Its fruit, the [Vermilion Fruit], contained incredibly pure fire-attribute spiritual power and majestic vitality, having miraculous effects on cultivating fire-based techniques, tempering the Physical Body, and healing or extending life—it could be called a Heaven And Earth Treasure!

No wonder! No wonder this Yao Beast was entrenched here, even risking an attack on Qingfeng Temple, where incense Power Of Will and earth vein Spiritual Qi converged!

These Vermilion Fruits were about to ripen, and the spiritual rhythm and majestic vitality they emitted must have triggered special fluctuations in the earth veins and Spiritual Qi of Yuntai Mountain. As a prominent "node" of Spiritual Qi and Power Of Will in the mountain, Qingfeng Temple likely "attracted" or "interfered" with these fluctuations unintentionally, being seen by this Yao Beast as a threat or a rival for resources, which was why it attacked!

The Yao Beast's goal was likely to monopolize these soon-to-ripen Vermilion Fruits, using their power to break through its own Bottleneck and perhaps even... Shapeshift?

And the timing it chose to attack Qingfeng Temple was exactly after he had left; although the earth vein protective field was set up, it lacked the flexible control of him as the "formation controller" and could only defend and counterattack passively. If he had been in the temple, he might have noticed the abnormality in advance or even communicated with the Yao Beast to avoid this conflict.

All the clues seemed to be connected.

Thoughts raced through Li Muchen's mind. These Vermilion Fruits were indeed rare treasures and would be of great use to his cultivation as well. But with this Yao Beast guarding them here, it clearly viewed them as its exclusive possession, making a conflict between the two sides inevitable.

Should he take advantage of its severe injuries and strike like thunder to kill the Yao Beast and seize the Vermilion Fruits? Or... was there another way?

His gaze fell on the Yao Beast again, especially on the residual earth vein power from the same source as his own at its wound. Then he looked at the Vermilion Fruit tree and the half-buried ancient stele in the lava lake.

This abyss, the stone pillars, the ancient stele, the Vermilion Fruits, and the Yao Beast... they seemed to form an even older and more complete picture.

Perhaps there wasn't only the path of life or death.

Just as Li Muchen was weighing his options, in the cave below, the crouching Yao Beast's tightly closed eyes suddenly snapped open!

Two spots of crimson-red, tyrannical, and fierce light instantly locked onto Li Muchen's hidden position above the abyss!

It... noticed him!