Chapter 202: Treasure Mountain

Lu Fang paused thoughtfully, then smiled: “By chance, I once gained a great opportunity, which strengthened my body and speed beyond others at the same realm—I was able to handle the battle against the water serpent beast in the cold pool because of it.”

He explained the unusual aspects but did not reveal the specifics.

For now, he had no desire to expose his identity, nor did he feel it necessary.

Jiang Yuan and the other two were quite perceptive; seeing Lu Fang reluctant to elaborate, they did not press further—after all, anyone who cultivated deep within the Scorched Lands must have some secret.

This was perfectly normal.

Bei Tian changed the subject: “I didn’t expect to find five sprigs of third-rank Frost-Condensing Grass right after entering. Though I got injured, it was still worth it.”

He turned to Jiang Yuan with a smile: “Besides this cold pool, are there other places here with heavenly treasures?”

Jiang Yuan smiled sweetly, stomped her foot, and said: “This mountain is a treasure mountain. Last time I came here, I accidentally discovered a crystal vein underground—along with other ores besides crystals.”

“This place is like a mountain assembled from all kinds of ores. Last time, I found three locations with mineral deposits.”

“Be careful: where ores are found in the mountain, the deeper you dig, the more you feel the ores increase in quantity—and you might encounter powerful beast creatures. These beasts generally build their nests near heavenly treasures.”

Jiang Yuan fell silent here, letting out a soft sigh:

“Actually, last time I didn’t come alone—I entered with an expedition team.”

“We stumbled in unexpectedly. There were twelve of us. Some died in the Poison Mist Zone, some perished by the cold pool, and finally, a few were ambushed and killed by subterranean beasts while mining.”

“In the end, only I escaped.”

Jiang Yuan’s expression grew somber as she recalled.

Lu Fang frowned slightly: “If it’s this dangerous, why return? With just the four of us, we could—”

He didn’t finish, but his meaning was clear.

Jiang Yuan forced a faint smile at Lu Fang: “Back then, we were all too excited. Everyone had their own agenda, leading to infighting—and we were unprepared, so we suffered heavy losses.”

“But if the four of us cooperate, obtaining the underground ores shouldn’t be too difficult. Even if we truly encounter powerful subterranean beasts, as long as we’re cautious, we can retreat safely—even if we can’t kill them.”

Lu Fang drew a deep breath, frowning: “The toxins in the air seem stronger now. Have you noticed?”

He had sensed the toxins upon entering, but somehow, they had grown stronger.

Only someone with an exceptionally sharp perception, like himself, could detect such subtle changes.

“Really? I didn’t feel anything,” Bei Tian said, yet he reached into his pouch and swallowed a detoxifying pill. He hadn’t sensed any change in the toxin—but his earlier reckless entry into the Poison Mist Zone had left him traumatized.

Wu Jie also instinctively pulled out a detoxifying pill and swallowed it; before entering, Jiang Yuan had warned him the air here was toxic and he must carry plenty of detox pills.

Jiang Yuan wasn’t as tense. She closed her eyes and sensed carefully, finding nothing unusual. She hesitated: “Young Master Fang, you say the air’s toxin is slowly growing stronger—are you certain?”

“Certain,” Lu Fang replied firmly.

Not only had he sensed it—Moxin had sensed it too.

It wasn’t an illusion.

The toxin in this space’s air had truly grown stronger.

Seeing Lu Fang so certain, Jiang Yuan’s expression darkened. She stood there silently, lost in thought.

Bei Tian frowned: “The toxin in the air doesn’t seem that potent. As long as we take detox pills in time, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

But Lu Fang wasn’t so optimistic. He sensed Jiang Yuan’s unease: “We don’t know what kind of poison this is. We only vaguely feel our skin itching slightly, and our righteous qi condenses more slowly…”

“What?!” Jiang Yuan gasped, cutting him off. She turned to Lu Fang urgently: “You mean your righteous qi is affected by this toxin?”

She had never known this before.

Bei Tian and Wu Jie both stared at Lu Fang. They hadn’t sensed anything amiss and didn’t understand why he said this.

Lu Fang spoke seriously: “The toxin in the air does affect my righteous qi—though the effect is slight and hard to notice. My perception in this area is stronger than most, so I can detect it.”

Jiang Yuan frowned: “What do we do? If what Young Master Fang says is true, the longer we stay here, the stronger the toxin becomes—we might die of poisoning.”

Wu Jie chanted a Buddhist mantra, then looked at Jiang Yuan: “It can’t be that bad, can it? You’ve been here before—did the air’s toxin affect you last time?”

“No,” Jiang Yuan replied firmly, then suddenly added: “But last time, the Poison Mist Zone and the cold pool here were different from now.”

“How different?” Bei Tian couldn’t help asking.

Jiang Yuan pondered: “I didn’t pay attention before. Only now, after Young Master Fang mentioned the toxin growing stronger, did I recall: last time, the Poison Mist Zone didn’t have nearly as much poison.”

“Even the large-leaf grass near the Poison Mist Zone seemed much more vigorous than last time. At first, I thought it was just because I hadn’t come in a while and it had grown better.”

“But when I harvested the third-rank Frost-Condensing Grass from the cold pool’s depths, I noticed they had grown larger and felt even colder.”

Jiang Yuan suddenly seemed to realize something, turning urgently to Lu Fang: “Young Master Fang, can you describe the water serpent beast in detail? As precisely as possible.”

Lu Fang recalled: “It was over ten zhang long, entirely white. Unlike other serpent beasts, its body was covered in scales—extremely hard. Oh! It had two fleshy protrusions on its forehead.”

Jiang Yuan swallowed hard, dramatically: “Are you sure?”

Bei Tian nodded vigorously: “Definitely! I saw it too. I thought the water serpent’s head looked odd, but now that you mention it, I realize—it had those fleshy bumps on its brow.”

“Just as I suspected. We must leave immediately. This place is more dangerous than I imagined—I underestimated it.”

Jiang Yuan’s face was filled with panic.