Chapter 26: The Valley of Ethereal Shadows

Deep within the Hundred Thousand Mountains, Autumn Chill had already ventured into the deepest reaches of the outskirts. Here, he gradually began to notice signs of activity from many first-tier demon beasts and immediately heightened his vigilance. In such a place, danger lurked at every moment; he had to remain cautious and prepare for battle at any time.

With his current cultivation at the ninth layer of Qi Refining, Autumn Chill found himself in great peril in the depths of the Hundred Thousand Mountains’ outskirts. Top-tier first-tier demon beasts could appear at any time, and with worse luck, he could even encounter second-tier demon beasts. If that happened, facing a second-tier demon beast head-on would almost certainly spell his doom given his present strength.

Caution was the mother of safety—such simple wisdom was not lost on Autumn Chill. Just moments ago, he nearly caught the attention of a demon beast equivalent to the peak of the Qi Refining stage; fortunately, he concealed himself in time and narrowly avoided disaster.

The Hundred Thousand Mountains stretched vast and endless, reaching east to the Cloud Country, west to Wu, south to Qi, and north to Zhao, spanning millions of miles. Within its expanse lay strange terrains of every kind, countless birds and beasts, and demon creatures thriving and multiplying.

Ordinary people could not even enter its bounds; even low-level cultivators dared only to roam the outermost edges. Legend had it that at the very heart of the Hundred Thousand Mountains dwelled high-tier demon beasts, matching the power of cultivators in the Transformation stage.

Naturally, such a place bore myriad spiritual herbs and resources for cultivation. Every year, the mountains saw a steady stream of cultivators venturing deep within in search of treasures. Each day, battles raged—demon beasts slain by cultivators, or cultivators who fell prey themselves. Though demon beasts were innumerable, the lure of profit drew adventurers in droves.

On the western outskirts of the Hundred Thousand Mountains, bordering Wu, lay a place known as the Dark Yin Range. This range stretched for thousands of miles, home to all manner of demon beasts living year-round—one of the most renowned regions of the western mountains.

Within the Dark Yin Range was a peculiar gorge. The mountains circled on both sides, with a natural rift cleaving the center, as if split open by some mighty force. Below, the land was relatively flat, covered in grass. This place was called Spirit Shade Valley.

The valley was occupied year-round by a kind of demon beast called the Azure Wolf. As its name suggested, it was a wolf-type demon beast, known for living in packs—usually dozens or even hundreds forming one community.

Most Azure Wolves were first-tier demon beasts, their strength akin to cultivators in the Qi Refining stage. Typically, as pack creatures, an Azure Wolf pack would have a leader to command the group—a second-tier Azure Wolf King, whose power matched a human cultivator in the Foundation Establishment stage.

Azure Wolves were notorious for their cunning, their vindictive nature, and their ferocity. Though not powerful individually, they acted in groups, and when confronted by enemies, would often swarm together in dozens to attack. Thus, in Spirit Shade Valley, few other demon beasts dared provoke them.

By now, it was nearly noon; the sun hung high above. Over the front of Spirit Shade Valley, a young man in white flew through the sky. As he reached this spot, he slowly descended, landing atop a mountain and gazing down into the valley below.

“In the jade slip my master gave me for this trial, one task is to seek out Polygonatum in the Dark Yin Range. According to the slip, Spirit Shade Valley is home to Polygonatum.”

This youth was, of course, Autumn Chill. It had already been half a month since he slew those two Saber-Toothed Tiger beasts and harvested the Brahma Gold Tree.

For the past half month, he had traveled cautiously, evading many dangers, and arrived at Spirit Shade Valley to fulfill one of the trial tasks set by his master: to seek Polygonatum.

Polygonatum was a spiritual herb of heaven and earth, a primary ingredient in crafting Foundation Establishment Pills—not particularly rare, but its value depended on its variety and age. Generally, the older and rarer the type, the more precious it was.

After careful deliberation, Autumn Chill decided to avoid direct conflict with the demon beasts and find another way to obtain Polygonatum. With his decision made, he sat down atop the mountain to meditate and rest.

Over the next few days, Autumn Chill covertly observed the daily habits of the Azure Wolves. He wanted to understand their behavior before making a move. As the saying goes, “Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never lose a hundred battles.”

Thus, Autumn Chill lingered near Spirit Shade Valley for half a month. In that time, he had nearly mastered the Azure Wolves’ range of activity and their habits.

Autumn Chill began to prepare for action. That night, on a flat patch within Spirit Shade Valley, the earth suddenly shifted. Soon, a pair of hands emerged from the ground, followed by a head. It was Autumn Chill, who had used Earth Escape to secretly infiltrate the valley.

Dressed in black, he surfaced, observed his surroundings carefully, and, finding no sign of disturbance, began to search for Polygonatum with utmost caution.

Most of the Azure Wolves were asleep, hundreds of yards away. Autumn Chill had no intention of targeting their den for the moment. He would not risk alarming them, as that would be extremely dangerous.

About half an hour later, Autumn Chill found a spot where Polygonatum grew. The soil was deep, loose, and fertile, shielded from direct sunlight—no wonder such spiritual grass thrived here.

He approached quietly, studied the plant, and saw it was a Long-Leaved Polygonatum. Its leaves were broad and pale green, arranged in two rows at an angle; the rhizome was thick and fleshy, yellow-white, and slightly flattened.

Autumn Chill was nearly certain that this was Polygonatum, though it was a common variety, its age uncertain. Still, he felt a surge of joy, carefully uprooted it, placed it in his storage pouch, and used Earth Escape to slip away from the valley.

The next day, Autumn Chill continued to watch the Azure Wolves from the mountain top. After a day’s observation, he saw nothing unusual among them; it seemed his actions the previous night had not been discovered. He resolved to keep gathering Polygonatum in this manner.

In this way, after seven days of secret harvesting, the scarce Polygonatum on the outskirts had nearly all been picked clean. Clearly, he would have to venture deeper into the valley, though the risk would greatly increase. Autumn Chill halted his actions, deciding to rest for a few days and devise a plan that would ensure both success and safety.

Time flew by like a fleeting steed; before he knew it, Autumn Chill had spent more than twenty days at Spirit Shade Valley. On this day, he began to execute his carefully crafted plan.