Chapter 199

Jiang Yuan looked toward the misty barrier behind the poison mist zone and said, “Every so often, toxic creatures emerge from beneath this zone and consume the poison mist.”

“At that moment, the poison mist here becomes thin—this is the ideal time to consume these large-leaf herbs, which grant some resistance to the poison.”

She glanced at Bei Tian and sighed, “If I’d known it would come to this, I should’ve warned you earlier. I didn’t expect him to be so hasty.”

Bei Tian’s face was covered in scars; he replied, “I was reckless. You did warn me just now.”

The Five Precepts Monk hesitated and asked, “So should we wait here until the poison mist thins before passing through?”

Lu Fang raised an eyebrow slightly and said, “Even after crossing the poison mist zone, there are surely more dangers ahead. Didn’t Jiang Yuan already say that the closer you try to get to the barrier, the farther away you end up?”

Jiang Yuan nodded. “We don’t need to approach the barrier. This place is vast, with plenty of rare herbs and heavenly treasures—we have more than enough to gather.”

As they spoke, large swarms of strange beasts began emerging from beneath the poison mist zone, immediately devouring the mist.

Due to their low intelligence, they also turned on each other.

The dense throng of beasts attacked one another, a horrifying sight—so many venomous creatures made even the bravest recoil.

Bei Tian swallowed hard and said, “If we could wipe out all these beasts at once, their materials would fetch a good price outside.”

Jiang Yuan smiled bitterly. “Impossible. I thought of that before too. Their bodies are extremely tough, and their vitality is immense. From a distance, you can only kill a portion—the rest immediately devour the dead.”

Lu Fang flipped his palm and shot out six-meridian sword energy, slicing a group of beasts cleanly in two—but the corpses were quickly buried beneath the swarm.

Soon after, the beasts in that area moved away.

The dead beasts had vanished entirely, not even a trace left.

“Such fierce aggression!” The Five Precepts Monk frowned, murmuring, “It seems crossing this place will be harder than expected. I agree with Jiang Yuan—we don’t need to approach the barrier. We can find heavenly treasures elsewhere.”

Bei Tian stared longingly at the misty barrier behind the poison mist zone, clenching his fists. “What a waste—the misty barrier must hold great fortune. It’s right before us, yet we can’t reach it.”

Jiang Yuan sighed. “Given our current strength, entering the unknown misty barrier isn’t necessarily wise. Even if true fortune lies within, we couldn’t handle it. More likely, we’d die inside.”

Lu Fang glanced at the misty barrier and smiled. “No need to be so discouraged. Didn’t Jiang Yuan say earlier that the closer you get, the farther away you are pulled?”

“Perhaps this isn’t the true entrance. Let’s search the area for heavenly treasures—we might find the real one.”

“The misty barrier is certainly dangerous, but if we do find the correct entrance, I’ll still try to enter.”

Unlike the Execution Grounds, the Lesser Upper Realm is simply a vast place—only here, all the Lesser Upper Realms are unknown, and no one knows what lies inside.

Yet its dangers are certainly less than those of the Execution Grounds.

Regardless, if Lu Fang encountered a Lesser Upper Realm offering fortune, he would never let it slip away.

Jiang Yuan looked at Lu Fang in surprise. “I’ve thought the same. If we truly find an entrance to the Lesser Upper Realm, we should enter—but I think the chance is slim.”

“Let’s pretend the barrier doesn’t exist. For now, focus on gathering the heavenly treasures here.”

The Five Precepts Monk said, “I agree.”

Bei Tian sighed. “I agree too.”

Jiang Yuan noticed Lu Fang lost in thought and asked, “Young Master Fang, will you join us in gathering heavenly treasures, or will you wander alone? I should warn you—this place is dangerous for you.”

Lu Fang paused, then smiled. “I’ll stay with you all for now, to get familiar with the environment. But later, I may wander alone.”

After discussing, the four headed away from the poison mist zone.

The outer perimeter of the barrier was enormous—far larger than Lu Fang had imagined. After climbing the mountain ahead, they found a cold pool in a ravine halfway up the slope.

Even from afar, Lu Fang felt the cold—a bone-deep chill, as if it would freeze his blood solid.

Jiang Yuan rubbed her arms and frowned. “When I last came here, it wasn’t this cold. I didn’t expect it to grow colder after just a short time.”

Bei Tian stared at the distant cold pool and asked Jiang Yuan, “Is this the pool you mentioned, where the third-rank Frost-Set Strange Herb grows? Just standing this far away, it’s freezing—how could anyone jump in?”

Jiang Yuan nodded. “Last time I came, it wasn’t this cold. A fifth-rank Water Serpent guarded the Frost-Set herbs. If you could lure it away, you could easily pluck them.”

“But isn’t that too dangerous?”

The Five Precepts Monk worried.

Jiang Yuan smiled. “There aren’t just one or two third-rank Frost-Set herbs—they grow in patches. If we coordinate, each of us can get at least five. Yes, it’s dangerous—but worth the risk.”

A fifth-rank strange beast is nearly invincible within its realm.

Especially in a cold pool, where the Water Serpent moves like a fish in water—this advantage makes the power gap even wider.

Lu Fang declared, “I’ll join this mission. Five third-rank Frost-Set herbs are worth the attempt. I’ll lure the Water Serpent away.”

The Five Precepts Monk nodded. “Count me in.”

Bei Tian hesitated, then, unable to resist the lure of the third-rank Frost-Set herbs, said, “I’ll join too.”

Jiang Yuan smiled brightly. “Since everyone agrees, perfect. But because the cold has intensified, we must succeed on the first try.”

“If we fail once, the Water Serpent will be on guard. Its intelligence isn’t high, but it’s not low either.”

“Also, I suggest two of us work together to lure it away—if one gets trapped, the other can help escape.”

“Young Master Fang volunteered to lure it—he must be confident in his speed. So he’s one. We need one more from the three of us to join him.”

“I should be the one to do it, but the Frost-Set herbs grow in a remote spot, and the cold intensifies the closer you get.”

“For efficiency, I’m better suited to harvest them.”