Chapter 77

"Long Xuan." At this moment, the Little Medicine Boy approached with a serious expression. Just as Long Xuan thought he was also going to target his roasted meat, he leaned in and whispered: "Do you have any waste Spirit-Gathering Pills?"

The Little Medicine Boy looked at him earnestly. By crazily consuming waste pills, he had long since reached the peak of Spirit Gathering and was only one step away from the Marrow Cleansing stage.

But now that the heaven and earth spiritual energy is thin, all Gu cultivators can only borrow the power of pills to break through, and he had to prepare for the matter of Spirit-Gathering Pills.

Hearing this, Long Xuan gave him an unexpected look. He is not stupid; he had already guessed that the Little Medicine Boy intended to borrow the poison-immune characteristic of the Cockroach Gu to "freeload" the medicinal power of waste pills to break through.

It must be said that his imagination is truly amazing and his ideas unique. This is really a good creative concept; this wild idea is almost catching up to his own.

Using the Cockroach Gu to consume waste pills is definitely a good idea, but the medicinal power of waste pills is far from comparable to that of finished pills.

Even if the Little Medicine Boy wants to freeload the medicinal power of waste Spirit-Gathering Pills, the possibility of successfully breaking through is minimal.

So Long Xuan also leaned into his ear and whispered: "I say, my success rate in alchemy has always been one hundred percent. Where would I get waste pills for you? Aren't you making things difficult for me?"

The Little Medicine Boy's mouth twitched, and he looked at him speechlessly.

Someone has a one hundred percent success rate in alchemy? Does he have to brag or he'll die? He has seen people who can brag, but this is the first time he has seen someone who can brag like this. In their village, is there no tax on bragging?

It really is a cow flying in the sky while he is bragging on the ground; this brag is a bit too big.

Of course, it is impossible for the Little Medicine Boy to believe such a thing; he only thought Long Xuan was bragging.

"Fine! Pretend I didn't say anything. When you bought my alchemy furnace, I already guessed that you were an alchemist, and you just mentioned the matter of Spirit-Gathering Pills to Li Laodao, so I have reason to suspect that you have Spirit-Gathering Pills on you."

"How about this, let's make a bet. You give me three Spirit-Gathering Pills, and I will give you my share of this treasure hunt."

"None of us know what is in that cave abode right now. If the treasure in my share is worth more than three Spirit-Gathering Pills, then you've earned it."

"If the treasure in my share is worth less than three Spirit-Gathering Pills, then I've earned it."

"Afterward, neither of us can go back on our word. Do you dare to bet?" The Little Medicine Boy looked at Long Xuan and whispered.

Long Xuan stroked his chin and looked at him with surprise again. At this moment, he truly looked at this Little Medicine Boy with new eyes.

This Little Medicine Boy is really not just ordinarily smart; not only could he observe from the details that he had Spirit-Gathering Pills, but he also learned how to use a "wolf in sheep's clothing" tactic.

However, he was actually a bit interested in this bet.

What is in that cave abode is completely unknown to them; it could be very rich, or it could be very poor. After dividing it by five, no one knows how much they can get.

What's more, this cave abode was discovered by Li Laodao. According to the rules, he is to take half of the treasures in the cave, and the most valuable treasure in the cave also belongs to him.

In this way, the treasures divided among the others are even fewer, and it is really hard to say who will be the one earning in the end.

However, for Long Xuan, whose alchemy success rate is one hundred percent, three Spirit-Gathering Pills are nothing at all; he wouldn't even feel heartache if he lost them. Of course, he is willing to accept this bet.

"Fine! Then I'll bet with you. It's settled, we must not go back on our word afterward."

Long Xuan secretly took out three Spirit-Gathering Pills and readily handed them into his hands.

The Little Medicine Boy was pleasantly surprised. He looked around with his peripheral vision and, finding that no one noticed this side, quietly collected the Spirit-Gathering Pills into his storage bag.

At the same time, he also gave Long Xuan a deep look, his eyes filled with unreadable meaning.

Through several observations, he could see that Long Xuan is a person with heavy suspicions, whose style of conduct is cautious to the extreme, doing everything with three parts of prudence, and acting without a single flaw.

Yet he actually handed the Spirit-Gathering Pills to himself first, not fearing at all that he would take the pills and deny the debt.

Such a person could never easily trust anyone. Him doing this can only explain one thing: that is, he has absolute certainty of defeating himself, so he is not afraid of himself reneging on the debt.

The Little Medicine Boy's pupils shrank, and he immediately felt wary. He concluded that this person must have very strong trump cards, and not just one; this person must never be provoked.

After the five people rested, they set off on their journey again. However, to take care of Li Laodao, they deliberately slowed down their pace.

The location Li Laodao mentioned was a bit far. Under his guidance, it took them more than twenty days to reach the place. A round trip would take two months.

Long Xuan could only pin his hopes on there being good things inside; otherwise, spending so much time cost is simply not worth it. Wouldn't it be better to sleep at home with this time?

The location of the cave abode in Li Laodao's mouth was in a lava terrain in the underground world. There was lava everywhere here, and sparks flew out from the lava from time to time, emitting a scorching temperature. Even the rocks here were black.

Li Laodao laughed: "Hehe! It was also a coincidence. During the last beast tide, I was chased by spirit beasts, and only then did I coincidentally discover this place. I'm afraid none of you know where the cave abode is."

The Little Medicine Boy nodded and guessed: "This cave abode is near the market, yet it has never been discovered for so many years, so the cave abode must be very hidden."

"Lava is a place humans dare not set foot in, so the cave abode must be hidden in the lava, right? I can't find a more hidden location than this."

"Oh?" Li Laodao gave him an unexpected look and smiled: "You are quite smart, although what you said is correct, it is not accurate enough."

"To be accurate, the cave abode is on a rock wall on the opposite shore of the lava sea, with stone pillars paving the way, winding toward the shore."

"But all the stone pillars were hidden by an illusion array and could not be seen at all. If I hadn't fallen into the lava while being chased by spirit beasts and discovered that I didn't die, I would never have discovered this cave abode."

"The stone door of the cave abode was also hidden by an illusion array. Last time, I found all the stone pillars by throwing stones, and I found the stone door of that cave abode."

"However, thinking that since the owner of the cave abode could set up such an exquisite illusion array, the killing array in the cave must certainly not be weak in power."

"So I didn't dare to go deep and retreated, preparing to find some teammates to go in again. Although some treasures would be divided, the safety would be much greater."

"However, those stone pillars connected together are not in a straight line, and there are no reference objects on the lava surface. I have already forgotten where they all are, and I'm afraid we need to search for them again."

Li Dashan said at this time: "Isn't it just throwing stones to ask the way? It won't take much time. I'll go feel out the path."

After Di Xin glanced at him, she said: "Don't be impulsive. It's not as simple as you think here."

"This place is a bit like a type of ancient array. Have you never thought about why the owner of the cave abode would make the stone path curved instead of a straight line?"

"The straight line is the shortest distance between two points. For the convenience of travel, he should have made the road home a straight line. Why go to such trouble? Isn't this just torturing himself?"

"This..." Hearing this, Li Laodao was stunned.

Indeed, why would the owner of the cave abode make the road home nine turns and eighteen bends instead of a straight line? Doing so would only be inconvenient for himself and waste his own time.

He didn't think about this question in detail at first, just subconsciously thinking that doing so would be more hidden.

But thinking about it carefully now, doing so is simply taking off one's pants to fart—an unnecessary move.

He accidentally fell onto the first stone pillar at that time and threw stones to find the way, and he felt out all the stone paths. How is this hidden? It can't play any role in blocking people from coming; it only makes things difficult for himself. Maybe one day he would remember the road wrong and fall down himself.

It would be better to just make a straight line.

Di Xin said very seriously: "This is a type of ancient array. You were wrong just now. There isn't a single stone pillar connected into a curve in the lava, but a field of stone pillars. The number of stone pillars might be too many to count."

"And among so many stone pillars, only a very small number of stone pillars are correct. These stone pillars connect into a route."

"And the rest of the stone pillars are wrong. If you throw a stone on them, nothing will happen, but if a person steps on them, it will trigger a mechanism, and then the stone pillar will sink, or there will be other dangers."

"Your life is really big enough to be able to perfectly avoid all the wrong options and feel out the correct route with one life. How did you do it?" Di Xin looked at him with a strange gaze.

Hearing this, Li Laodao opened his mouth wide, breaking out in a cold sweat. At this moment, he was completely frightened, and his heart was filled with lingering fear.

How did he do it? He also didn't know how he did it, only feeling that his life was really big enough. It was simply too thrilling. That he could survive this, even he felt surprised.

Long Xuan looked at him with a shocked gaze, also completely stunned.

What kind of luck is this? Only one route is correct in a field of stone pillars. The probability of passing is simply unimaginably low. How on earth did he survive?

Is this Li Laodao perhaps also a Child of Fortune? Is this going to stage a "Record of an Old Man Cultivating Immortals"?

Long Xuan's heart was greatly shaken, and the way he looked at him was different.

"Then can I fly over?"

At this moment, Long Xuan thought that he could step on his left foot with his right foot and fly over directly, but he didn't know if it was feasible.

Di Xin looked at him with a strange gaze again. Fly over? He thinks he is a flying man in the air? And fly over? Why doesn't he go to heaven!

"If you don't want to be sucked into the lava, then go ahead and fly."

"Coming here, you must follow the rules of the cave abode owner. Anything else like climbing a rope, jumping over, riding a spirit beast to fly over... none of them will work."

"The owner of the cave abode has already thought of everything you can think of. How could he leave such an obvious loophole?" Di Xin rolled her eyes at Long Xuan and said.

"Fine, then pretend I didn't say anything." Long Xuan smiled awkwardly.

Of course, he was just saying it casually. He wouldn't be so reckless. Even if he flew over, he would definitely let his Flame Clone test it first to confirm that he didn't die before he flew himself.

"In that case, Li Laodao finding the stone door of the cave abode last time was entirely due to heaven-defying luck. Now that he has forgotten the route, does that mean we have no other way?" Li Dashan frowned and said at this time.

"There is. That is to have a row of people stand behind, try the road one by one. If one dies, the person behind takes over. The correct route will be felt out very quickly," Di Xin said lightly.

Long Xuan was shocked. Isn't this the "Squid Game" from his past life? But there are only five people in their group. This amount of human life is not enough to fill it. Even if he walks last, it will definitely be his turn.

"Li Laodao, you have good luck, you go first!" Long Xuan looked at that Child of Fortune and said.

"I... no no no no!" Li Laodao's head shook like a rattle-drum, and he was so scared that he couldn't even speak clearly.

"You go first, please. I used up all my good luck last time and even overdrawn it into a negative number. This time I will definitely take a wrong step."

"No, you are the Child of Fortune, you go first. Elders come first; I have always had a tradition of respecting the old and loving the young."

"No no no! You go first..."

"You guys still have the leisure to joke at a time like this." Di Xin rolled her eyes at the few people and added: "Actually, there is another way, and that is for me to break this array directly."

"However, I don't know if I can succeed, so I can only try it for now. If it doesn't succeed, you two go forward to explore the path."

Long Xuan nodded and said: "Then I will trouble you. I'll go relieve myself first and will be right back. You go ahead and get busy."

Di Xin spat lightly: "Truly, noble people have many bowel movements when they go out. Go and return quickly, don't fall into the lava. When the cave abode is opened by me later, no one will wait for you."

"No need to wait for me, just hold it for me first when dividing the treasures." Long Xuan immediately ran far away.

Turning left and right, Long Xuan ran to an extremely hidden corner. Looking back, he found no one following, and the Heavenly Mechanism Eye saw no tracking insects, so he released his Flame Clone.

He didn't come out to take a dump, of course. According to the plan, he was to change clones to replace himself at the entrance of the cave abode.

No one can guarantee that it is one hundred percent safe inside the cave abode. Any accident could happen at that time.

What's more, that Li Dashan doesn't make him feel at ease, and that Di Xin is even less of a pushover.

He felt that entering the cave abode himself was simply not safe, so he might as well let the Flame Clone go in for him while he hides outside.

In case something really happens, it will be the Flame Clone that dies, which has nothing to do with him.

So Long Xuan took this opportunity to retreat, preparing to swap himself and exchange with the clone, thereby deceiving the heavens.

He hung his storage bag and insect-breeding bag on the waist of the Flame Clone. The clone can only copy the abilities of inner Gu but cannot copy outer Gu. This move is also to prevent the Flame Clone from having the power to fight in case of infighting.

Finally, Long Xuan patted the Flame Clone on the shoulder and instructed: "I'm giving you a difficult task. You are now replacing me to enter the cave abode to search for treasures. Keep an eye on Li Dashan at all times. Your chance to perform meritorious service has arrived; don't let me down."

The Flame Clone has always been hardworking and uncomplaining. He has done this kind of tiring and dangerous work many times and has long been accustomed to it. Without any rebuttal, he walked toward the distance.

Good things are always done by the main body, and bad things are always done by the clone. Having such an unscrupulous master, what else could he do?

After the Flame Clone left, Long Xuan released the Water Clone and the Kan Clone. The Wood Clone was taking care of spirit herbs in Old Long's Medicine Garden, and the Earth Clone was at home looking after his own medicine garden. After the Flame Clone left, he only had two clones left that he could use.

Long Xuan also didn't expect that there would be a lava zone near the market. This is exactly the terrain he had been searching for for a long time.

Over the years, he has been sending clones to various dangerous environments to collect various varieties of top-grade Water Bears. Now he has collected almost enough, only lacking the top-grade Water Bears that live in extreme heat zones and are good at resisting heat.

Now that he has finally found a lava environment, he took this opportunity to collect this last type of Water Bear.

Afterward, the matter of refining Water Bear Gu can be put on the agenda. Long Xuan has long been looking forward to Water Bear Gu and is already impatient at this moment, just waiting to return and refine the Gu immediately after this trip ends.

(End of chapter)