Chapter 106: A Lucky Encounter? Or Sitting on the Fisherman's Profit?

A few days later.

Yan Buji saw the wandering cultivators on the road, each with a grim expression, discussing matters of the Silent Wind Valley.

"How's it going?"

"They were wiped out clean. Although they had prepared countermeasures against the aberrant mist in advance, that Many-Eyed Snake was truly terrifying; even a leader at the Seventh Layer of Refining Qi was devoured by its maw!"

"Seventh Layer of Refining Qi? That's already late-stage Refining Qi, right? Can't even get past that Many-Eyed Snake?!"

"Yes, if this Abnormal Material were that easy to obtain, the nearby first‑tier Abnormal Beasts would have been wiped out by us long ago!"

Yan Buji felt a sudden chill in his heart upon hearing that.

Forget it, I won't join the commotion.

Abnormal Beasts truly aren't as simple as I thought; not charging in rashly was indeed foresight.

Yan Buji had originally planned to wait until he was better prepared. Coincidentally, in the past few days he heard that the aberrant mist could be temporarily blocked by coating the whole body with a specially made elixir. After gathering the formula from various sources, he brewed it just yesterday and still wanted to take a look at the Silent Wind Valley.

Yan Buji instantly felt somewhat hindered; indeed, in the cultivation world one must watch one's footing. Whether preparation is sufficient is only a small step toward success; forging still requires one's own strength.

"So there's truly no way? Where exactly should I look for the special eyes?"

"Wait, how did the former Hundred Herb Sect disciples cultivate the Three‑Flower Pupil?" Yan Buji suddenly realized this question.

Although the Sanhua Tong Secret Method was obtained from Huang Songshan's cave residence, it originally came from the Hundred Herb Sect and was used by its disciples to oversee spiritual herbs and medicines.

They couldn't possibly be digging out other people's eyes to practice, could they?

Moreover, the Sanhua Tong Secret Method mentions that cultivation must be done through special eyes and cannot be achieved by human effort alone.

That means... there must be special eyes existing within the Hundred Herb Sect?

Unfortunately, he currently can't go directly to Chen Li; otherwise, within the Hundred Herb Sect's Lingyu, there might truly be an exceptionally rare eye!

But the crux is, the Hundred Herb Sect's Lingyu is probably more dangerous than the Abnormal Beasts.

Lacking strength, Yan Buji can't even master the Sanhua Tong Secret Method; does that mean there's absolutely no chance?

"No, I must go see the Silent Wind Valley, but I won't necessarily intervene. First, I need to figure out why that Many‑Eyed Snake is so terrifying!"

Abnormal Beasts, with their myriad bizarre abilities, have become cultivators' great foes, yet they themselves might be quite frail.

Whatever the specifics, Yan Buji refuses to give up without seeing it himself!

Since no one can subdue that Abnormal Beast in a short time, he can't just wait for someone capable to appear, can he?

The Abnormal Material won't fall into his hands anyway, so he might as well take a gamble!

Thinking this, Yan Buji told Li Yun that he was going out on business, then left the market.

Finding a secluded spot and seeing no one around, Yan Buji changed into different attire, covered his face, and set off toward the Silent Wind Valley.

Silent Wind Valley.

This place is not a picturesque landscape; rather, it is a region of barren mountains and treacherous waters. The surroundings are barren, only jagged rocks, and because the wind never blows there, it is called Silent Wind Valley.

Seeing the crimson mist drifting from within the Silent Wind Valley, making it impossible to see inside, Yan Buji nodded; this matches exactly what the Hundred Mutant Spectrum records.

The aberrant mist blocks spiritual perception, so Yan Buji can only judge by color whether multiple Abnormal Beasts are present. However, having come on this venture, he wouldn't just stand outside the valley and take a look.

He took out a bottle of elixir, tipped it over his head and smeared it around his body, then channeled a thin layer of magical energy to enter.

No problem!

Yan Buji exhaled in relief, still thinking that if the elixir failed, he could just leave.

Stepping into the valley, the surroundings were eerily silent as if nothing existed.

But Yan Buji dared not reveal his form; he suppressed his aura, trying to become like a stone so the Abnormal Beast wouldn't notice him.

Perhaps the tattoos on Yan Buji also affect Abnormal Beasts, for he passed by without being detected.

"The utility of these three Spirit‑Devil diagrams truly warrants a careful study sometime."

Yan Buji pondered, feeling that the three Spirit‑Devil diagrams recorded in the Guān Tiān Dēng Mó Zhuàng could not be fully explained by simple tattoos. Relying solely on this Yan Wang's Judgment Ghost Diagram, which activates concealment without expending energy, seems to involve far more.

It's just that during this period he hadn't focused on Martial Dao Profound Skill, and had overlooked that he possessed these three exquisite Spirit‑Devil diagrams.

After walking for a while, Yan Buji suddenly sensed a huge noise ahead, as if a cultivator was battling that Abnormal Beast!

Yan Buji quickly hid, crouching and slowly approaching.

Because his spiritual perception was blocked, he couldn't probe the situation ahead.

He only saw a silhouette fluttering ahead, wielding a sharp blade and fighting the massive Many‑Eyed Snake!

Yan Buji held his breath and steadied his mind; unsure whether the scene was Illusion Art, he locked his spiritual perception within his mind, unwilling to release it lightly.

After a while, the vision remained a battle scene, and he exhaled in relief.

The greatest weakness of Illusion Art is that a cultivator with sufficiently strong spiritual perception can see through it.

Although Yan Buji isn't a powerful cultivator, his spiritual perception far exceeds that of ordinary cultivators, and having sat with his eyes closed for a long time without encountering danger shows he indeed wasn't detected by the Many‑Eyed Snake.

Since the scene is real, who is the one fighting the Many‑Eyed Snake?

It's astonishingly powerful— even a cultivator at the Seventh Layer of Refining Qi with a large retinue was slain by the Many‑Eyed Snake. Could the cultivator before him be a Peak Refining Qi?!

Among the nearby Peak Refining Qi cultivators, the only wandering cultivator with a known name seems to be that one...

"Hahaha, you Abnormal Beast truly is formidable. Such Illusion Art blurs reality, and I almost fell into your trap!"

A familiar voice sounded; it wasn't Zhang Lai, who had accompanied Yan Buji the first time he entered the cultivators' market—so who is this?

He hadn't expected Zhang Lai to dare come alone and fight the Many‑Eyed Snake here!

Suddenly, the weapon in Zhang Lai's hand erupted with a flash of intense light, slashing toward Yan Buji's direction in an instant!

Yan Buji's pupils contracted.

He! He discovered me?

No, he wouldn't mistake me for an Abnormal Beast, would he?

But before Yan Buji could react, a stone beside him was struck by the flash, instantly manifesting its true form!

Yan Buji felt a chill run through his body and immediately leapt outward!

Zhang Lai flew here, and upon seeing Yan Buji he was momentarily startled: 'Yan brother? What are you doing here? Forget it, let me kill this abnormal beast first, then we'll talk!'

'Be careful, Zhang brother.' Yan Buji, face full of embarrassment, retreated a few steps, but in truth he was worried that Zhang Lai might attack him.

After all, I could sneak into the valley's depths unseen, and just happened to bump into him while he was fighting the abnormal beast; if he were even a little more wary, wouldn't he suspect I was trying to profit from their fight?

Do you believe I just happened to run into you?

Anyway, if Yan Buji encounters someone like this, he'd just slap them to death.

Zhang Lai unleashed his divine might, forming several hand seals! Suddenly, numerous stone dragons erupted from the ground, roaring as they tightly coiled around the Many-Eyed Snake.

The Many-Eyed Snake could not escape, only able to watch as Zhang Lai's Blade Light flashed, and with one strike he severed its neck.

Seeing Zhang Lai so ferocious, Yan Buji's heart filled with extreme dread.