Chapter 129: with translation of chapter title

Brother Wang, that clue Old Knife Scar gave— is it reliable? Li Hu wiped sweat from his forehead, gazing at the distant cliff as if soaked in ink, his heart hairs stood on end, "Ghost Sorrow Cliff— just hearing the name makes one's spine chill."

Wang Shan didn't speak, merely focusing his gaze on the constantly flashing red dot on the system map, which matched exactly the position Old Knife Scar had described. The system wouldn't be wrong; so, the Purple Monkey Flower, is on Ghost Sorrow Cliff.

"No mistake." Wang Shan said in a low voice, "The position marked by the system matches what Old Knife Scar said. The Purple Monkey Flower should be right there."

"That's great!" Li Hu's spirits lifted, but then he muttered, "But this place looks no good at all. Did the system say what fierce beast guards it?"

Wang Shan nodded, his expression turning grave: "Yes. The system's preliminary detection shows at least three third-tier peak Crimson Flame Flying Lizards."

"Three?! Third-tier peak?!" Li Hu's eyes almost popped out, "My goodness, this thing is far harder to deal with than that Azure-Eyed Golden Beast! It can fly, its whole body ablaze!"

Zhang Mei, listening beside them, also turned pale. Three third-tier peak beasts, for their small team, are almost an insurmountable moat.

Before Wang Shan could comfort them, the system's alert tone rang again in his mind, its tone graver than any before: 【Warning! Detected a higher-energy lifeform! Deep in Ghost Sorrow Cliff, likely lurking a fourth-tier Crimson Flame Flying Lizard King!】

"What?!" Wang Shan couldn't hold back this time, letting out a low cry.

"Brother Wang, what's wrong? Could there be something even stronger?" Li Hu saw Wang Shan's expression change, his heart leapt to his throat.

Wang Shan swallowed hard, his voice dry: "The system says… there might still be… a fourth-tier Crimson Flame Flying Lizard King."

"Fourth… fourth-tier?!" Li Hu almost fell back sitting, his tongue tangled, "Brother Wang, you, you aren't joking, are you? A fourth-tier beast— what does that mean? Even a late Foundation Establishment cultivator would have to detour upon seeing one! We three… running into it would be like delivering a meal!"

Zhang Mei directly covered her mouth, her eyes full of horror. A fourth-tier beast is already a legendary existence; ordinary cultivators don't even get a chance to see one.

Wang Shan raised his head to gaze at Ghost Sorrow Cliff. The cliff face was steep as a cut, piercing the clouds; below lay a bottomless valley, year-round filled with scalding steam, the air reeking of strong sulfur, making one want to vomit. In such a place, not to mention humans, even ordinary birds and beasts struggle to find footing.

"Ghost Sorrow Cliff, Ghost Sorrow Cliff… indeed the name is not in vain." Wang Shan muttered to himself.

The difficulty of obtaining the Purple Monkey Flower instantly surged to a despair-inducing level.

But thinking of the Foundation Establishment Pill, and of Wan Honghai's old face, Wang Shan gritted his teeth again.

"We have to go even if we don't want to." He slowly spat out a few words, each as if squeezed from between his teeth, "The Foundation Establishment Pill lacks only this Purple Monkey Flower. Without establishing foundation, we'll eventually be worn to death by that old dog of the Wan family."

Li Hu opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but ended up just letting out a heavy sigh: "Brother Wang, you're right. But… a fourth-tier beast— what are we to do?"

"Forcing our way in definitely won't work." Wang Shan shook his head, "That's no different from suicide. We must use cunning."

He began rapidly calculating in his mind. A fourth-tier beast already possesses considerable spiritual intelligence; ordinary traps and tricks would likely be ineffective.

"Brother Wang, what if… we think of another way to get the Purple Monkey Flower?" Zhang Mei whispered, she truly didn't want Wang Shan to take this deadly risk.

Wang Shan gave a wry smile: "If there were another way, why would I come to this damned place? The Purple Monkey Flower is inherently rare, its growth conditions harsh; likely the entire Man Yun Mountain Range only has it on Ghost Sorrow Cliff."

Li Hu stomped his foot: "Damn it! Die then die! Wherever Brother Wang goes, I, Old Li, will follow! At worst, we die, and eighteen years later we'll be fine young men again!"

Zhang Mei also pressed her lips: "Brother Wang, count me in. If we die, we die together."

Seeing the two's determined eyes, Wang Shan felt a warm current surge in his heart. He patted Li Hu's shoulder: "Don't worry, we're not at the end of our rope yet. Since we've decided to go, we must make thorough preparations."

He immediately calmed his mind and began searching through the system mall.

"Got it!"

【Fourth-Tier Beast Habits Compendium (Crimson Flame Flying Lizard Volume)】, redeemed!

【Special Environment Adaptation Pill (Heat & Sulfur Resistance)】 formula and materials, redeemed!

Spirit Plant Points poured down like a waterfall, but Wang Shan didn't even blink. Compared to his life, these are external possessions.

He took out the formula and materials, then began refining on the spot. Thanks to prior experience, this round of refining the Special Environment Adaptation Pill went smoothly; shortly, three pills emitting a faint cool aroma were produced.

"One each; taking them should let us withstand this place's scorching heat and toxic gas." Wang Shan distributed the pills to the two.

Li Hu took the pill, shoved it into his mouth, and smacked his lips: "Hey, it really works; that restless heat on my body faded considerably right away."

While studying the newly redeemed Beast Habits Compendium, Wang Shan analyzed: "I estimate that the fourth-tier Crimson Flame Flying Lizard King is likely the Purple Monkey Flower's natal guardian beast. Such heavenly treasures often have powerful beast guardians, and with extremely strong territorial awareness, any creature entering its territory is seen as a provocation."

"Then we're even more out of luck?" Li Hu's newly risen confidence was crushed again.

"Not necessarily." Wang Shan suddenly recalled something, quickly taking from his storage bag the 【Life Essence Core】 obtained from the Azure-Eyed Golden Beast's body.

He tried using the system to scan the relationship between this object and the Purple Monkey Flower.

After a moment, the system prompted: 【Life Essence Core contains vast vitality, strongly promoting spirit plant growth; especially for fire-attribute spirit plants like the Purple Monkey Flower, it can greatly shorten maturation time and enhance medicinal efficacy. If used for cultivation, the effect is even better.】

"Huh?" Wang Shan's eyes lit up, "This thing… actually works wonders on the Purple Monkey Flower?"

This is truly an unexpected joy! If we could use this Life Essence Core as bait, or somehow influence the Purple Monkey Flower through some means, perhaps we could find an opportunity.

"Looks like heaven hasn't blocked the road yet." A hint of a smile appeared on Wang Shan's mouth, his confidence increased a bit.

Just as the three prepared to move closer to Ghost Sorrow Cliff to find a suitable entry point, the Black Jade Slip at Wang Shan's waist suddenly trembled slightly.

His mind stirred, he stopped his steps and took out the jade slip.

On the system map, a concealed mountain hollow about several li to the rear-left of Ghost Sorrow Cliff flashed a weak energy marker briefly.

"Huh? What is this…?" Wang Shan felt somewhat puzzled.

He directed his Spiritual Sense toward that direction to investigate, but was blocked by a faint, elusive demonic aura.

"Something seems to be over there." Wang Shan frowned.

The three carefully detoured over a rocky ridge, pushed aside dense vines, and the view ahead opened up.

Below a steep cliff face, a cave entrance cleverly concealed by massive stones and vegetation suddenly appeared. Around the entrance lay scattered beast bones, the air reeking of a faint bloody smell, and… an extremely strong beast aura.

What caught Wang Shan's attention was that, on the stone wall at the edge of the cave entrance, he faintly saw some blurred carvings.

"This pattern…" Wang Shan leaned in closer to examine it carefully.

Although most of it has been eroded by time and moss, the remaining parts faintly resemble the runes on the 【Ten Thousand Beasts General Compendium Stele】 and those on this Black Jade Slip!

"Beast Taming Sect runes?" Wang Shan's heart leapt, "Could this be an ancient cave dwelling?"

But how could such strong beast aura arise? Could it be that the place has been taken over by a beast?

This sudden discovery added further variables to an already complicated situation.

"Brother Wang, this cave… should we go in and have a look?" Li Hu felt a bit curious, also a bit fearful of that demonic aura.

Wang Shan shook his head: "No rush. Ghost Sorrow Cliff over there hasn't been settled yet; let's note this place first. If… I mean if, Ghost Sorrow Cliff proves impossible, this might serve as another route."

He faintly sensed that deep within the Man Yun Mountain Range lay more secrets than he had imagined.

But for now, the most important thing remains that Purple Monkey Flower which determines whether he can achieve Foundation Establishment.

"Let's go, first go to Ghost Sorrow Cliff to scout the path. Remember, be careful in everything, preserving life comes first." Wang Shan urged, his gaze once again turned toward that red mountain cliff where danger and opportunity coexist.