The Yunxi Secret Realm is very large, with mostly jungles and mountains in the south.
There are endless layers of emerald green, and when the breeze blows through, you can hear the sound of swaying branches.
Although Chu Qi and Yan Jiuge left the original mountain range, after walking for seven days, they still had not left the southern part of the Yunxi Secret Realm.
The gold swallower nestled on Chu Qi's shoulder, its green tail swaying back and forth. After seeing so much green recently, the gold swallower was not as averse to green as it was at the beginning, and it felt that it could accept having only a green tail.
Chu Qi controlled the amount of food he fed the gold-eating beast, and only fed it one bag of spiritual beast food at most every day.
"Huh? It seems we are about to leave the forest."
Seeing the lush green color of the trees in front gradually fade away, the scenery has obviously changed. Chu Qi's eyes brightened slightly, and he turned to share the news with Yan Jiuge.
"Maybe. The concentration of spiritual energy ahead is very high. There should be rare treasures."
Yan Jiuge responded and controlled the speed of flying the sword, preparing to land in front.
However, when the two got closer, they found that they had not reached the end of the forest.
Instead, there was a thick fog lingering around the forest ahead, making it difficult to see clearly in the distance, blurring perception.
There was a faint smell of damp in the air, and the ground looked a little sticky, like soil that had been soaked after rain.
Because of the thick fog, the sun is not visible, and the grass and trees inside are dark and somewhat gray.
"Could this thick fog be poisonous miasma..." Chu Qi hesitated. Guessing this possibility, he took out a bottle of detoxification pills from his Qiankun bag.
"Ayan, take this, just in case." Chu Qi handed the detoxification pill in his hand to Yan Jiuge.
Detoxification pills can detoxify some common poisons. Large-scale poisonous miasma will continue to affect the monk's physique, and a detoxification pill needs to be taken every hour.
Taking the medicine bottle from Chu Qi, Yan Jiuge subconsciously put it into his Qiankun bag. Over the years, Chu Qi had refined countless spiritual medicines for him, and the action of storing spiritual medicines had almost become a habit for Yan Jiuge.
After Yan Jiuge put away the detoxification pills, he looked at the thick fog in front of him and came back to his senses and explained, "It shouldn't be a poisonous miasma. It looks more like a natural swamp forest, so it condenses into thick fog."
"There are poisonous insects in the swamp, too. Eat one first."
Chu Qi took out another bottle of detoxification pills, opened the cork, ate one himself, then took one out and handed it to Yan Jiuge.
Yan Jiuge took it.
The detoxification pills made by Chu Qi have a very refreshing taste. They are not bitter at first, but become sweet afterwards.
Although the detoxification pills are a magical medicine made from low-level herbs, they have many effects and can also calm the mind. It doesn't matter if you take one or two more.
"ah!"
After Yan Jiuge finished eating the detoxification pill, the gold-eating beast lying on Chu Qi's shoulder opened its mouth wide and made a sound as if it also wanted to eat a detoxification pill.
The gold-eating beast is immune to all poisons.
But it should be fine if I take a detoxification pill, and I hope Xiao Jin won’t change color.
After Chu Qi thought for a moment, he finally stuffed a detoxification pill into the gold-eating beast's mouth under its expectant gaze.
It waited quietly for three breaths, and apart from opening its mouth again to ask Chu Qi for food, the gold-eating beast did not have any adverse reactions.
"It's spoiled. One pill is enough. Do you think the elixir is a meal?"
Yan Jiuge glanced over with an accusing look, cold and indifferent.
When it met Yan Jiuge's eyes, the gold-eating beast shuddered and subconsciously closed its mouth. When it came to its senses and realized what it had just done, it could only stare with its eyes wide open in silent anger.
It had only eaten one, but Yan Jiuge took an extra bottle.
We are all being fed by the master's magical medicine, so why should we be so fierce
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. The money-eating beast simply turned around and decided to point its butt at Yan Jiuge.
Seeing this scene, Chu Qi raised his hand and touched the gold-eating beast's head with some amusement to comfort it.
Sometimes Xiao Jin likes to eat too much, especially when it has never seen something before, and always wants to take a bite first. He only remembers food but not punishment, and is easy to coax after a tantrum.
After touching the head of the gold-eating beast, Chu Qi suggested to Yan Jiuge, "Shall we go into the swamp and take a look?"
Yan Jiuge slowly relaxed his brows, which had been furrowed by the gold-eating beast, and nodded and said "OK".
The concentration of spiritual energy in the swamp is very high, and it is very likely that there are high-level herbs that Chu Qi needs. If they go in, they may gain something.
*
But the peace did not last long.
The moment Yan Jiuge stepped into the swamp before Chu Qi, his expression suddenly changed.
—There is a maze formation in the swamp forest.
The maze formation itself is not dangerous and there will be no spiritual power fluctuations that can attack monks, so it is difficult to detect from the outside.
The maze formation will allow the cultivators who enter it to step into a certain part of the formation at random, as if they were in a maze.
If two people entering the formation together are not connected by a rope or holding hands, they will most likely be separated by the maze formation.
Yan Jiuge felt annoyed. He should have brought Chu Qi in with him at that time. He was negligent.
Suppressing the anxiety in his heart, Yan Jiuge immediately took out the identity token from his waist and communicated with Chu Qi.
The call was quickly connected.
"Ayan? Why did you walk so fast? I couldn't see you after I came in." Chu Qi's voice was full of doubt.
As soon as he heard Chu Qi's first sentence, Yan Jiuge had a bad guess.
"Aqi, have you entered the swamp?" Yan Jiuge asked him.
Chu Qi replied, "Well, I followed you in, and I couldn't see you after I came in, so I was wondering."
There was no one around.
Chu Qi did not appear beside Yan Jiuge. Obviously, they were separated somewhere in the maze formation.
The original plan to let Chu Qi wait for him outside the swamp forest fell through, and Yan Jiuge could only explain the maze formation to Chu Qi.
After listening to this, Chu Qi concluded, "So, we can either meet halfway, or we can only meet after we get out of the maze formation?"
"Yes, carve a mark on the tree trunk along the way, and I will come to find you in half a day at most. If you are in danger, use the defensive spiritual weapon to protect yourself first, and then send a message to me immediately."
Yan Jiuge warned Chu Qi.
Chu Qi responded, "Okay, Ayan, remember to mark it too. I want to find you too."
Hearing Chu Qi's gentle voice, Yan Jiuge's anxiety was relieved a lot.
He and Aqi are just separated for a while, it won't be a big problem.
What's more, he had made a blood pact with Aqi. The contract not only provided guidance, but also served as the greatest guarantee of safety.
Yan Jiuge said this to himself in his heart, then picked up the Long Yin Sword, sensed the location of the blood covenant, and continued walking towards the swamp shrouded in thick fog.
*
The other side of the swamp.
Chu Qi had just finished communicating with Yan Jiuge and drew the Guiyin Sword from his waist, raising his alertness to the surroundings to a higher level.
When he entered the Yunxi Secret Realm before, he was accompanied by Yan Jiuge, a sword cultivator, and felt very safe.
Now Chu Qi is the only one left, and he is also a famous medical practitioner. No matter what, he has to be careful.
“Lulu.”
The gold-eating beast lying on Chu Qi's shoulder swung its tail. It understood its master's situation from the message just now. It jumped down on its own initiative and walked in front to scout the way for Chu Qi.
With the thick fog, even a cultivator couldn't see anything more than thirty feet away. In addition, the maze formation also weakened Chu Qi's perception, and he could only detect spiritual power fluctuations within a hundred feet at most.
I didn't expect that there was such a place in the Yunxi Secret Realm, where a maze formation was specially set up. I don't know whether it was set up by the predecessors who came here to train before, or left by the owner of the secret realm.
As far as Chu Qi knew, secret realms were generally ownerless, with their own world inside, but without the Way of Heaven. Although cultivators improved their strength in secret realms, they could not break through the realm by overcoming the tribulation. Only when they left the secret realm would the thunder tribulation come.
However, most records about the secret realm say it is a mustard seed space where powerful people fell in ancient times.
The mustard seed space has lost the constraints of the laws, but it is still connected to the Yunhua Realm, so it will be opened periodically for future generations to enter and train.
If it is a maze left by the previous owner of the secret realm, there may be some other clues, such as the identity of the previous owner of the secret realm.
If it was set up by the seniors who came to train in the past, there might be some rare treasures that they didn’t have time to take away, so they used the formation to hide them and wait for the younger generations in the sect to find them.
No matter what, chance is something that is unpredictable. The talents of nature and the treasures of the earth belong to those who are capable. Fortune and misfortune are interdependent, and only by giving can one gain.
All kinds of possibilities flashed through Chu Qi's mind. He calmed down and began to patiently look for the exit of the maze.
The soil in the swamp is very soft, so you need to use spiritual power to wrap the soles of your feet to reduce your own weight so that you won't sink into the mud.
However, before Chu Qi had gone far, the gold-eating beast that had jumped out to explore the way came back.
It was damp all over, and I didn't know what it had eaten on the way, but its body was showing some signs of blackening.
"Xiao Jin, you've been poisoned." Chu Qi raised his hand and performed a cleansing spell on the gold-eating beast, picked it up, and looked at its appearance carefully.
“Lulululul.”
The gold-eating beast lifted its tail and handed the thing it had obtained to Chu Qi.
It was an amber stone, but the texture was transparent. There was a small scorpion solidified in the middle of the stone.
But the strange stone itself is also poisonous.
Chu Qi took the strange stone handed over by the gold-eating beast and asked hesitantly, "Did you just eat a strange stone?"
The poisonous insect in the middle of the strange stone was alive before it became a strange stone, and it was not carved.
After so many years, if it was kept in a place with abundant spiritual energy, the poisonous insect might not have died yet.
“Lulu.”
The gold-eating beast shook its head. It didn't have time to eat it, so it hurriedly snatched it away and gave it to its owner.
"That's good. You can't eat this kind of strange stone randomly, okay?" Chu Qi breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the gold-eating beast say this.
"chatter."
But it looks nice, although not fragrant.
“You eat this.”
Chu Qi made an exception and took out another bag of spirit beast food from his Qiankun bag and gave it to it.
“Lulululul!”
The gold-devouring beast was so happy that it soon forgot about whether to eat the strange stone or not, and contentedly dived into the bag of spirit beast food to eat.
After coaxing the gold-eating beast, Chu Qi was about to put the strange stone into his Qiankun bag, but he suddenly sensed a special spiritual power fluctuation within a hundred feet.
It was a very faint aura, but there were many of them, and they were moving towards Chu Qi.
"Swish..."
There was no breeze, but the grass leaves made a slight rustling sound, as if something was crawling on them.
There are not only trees in the swamp forest, but also extremely lush grass, which is as tall as four gold-eating beasts.
Chu Qi frowned, and the spiritual power in his body flowed onto the blade of the Guiyin Sword. He slashed out a sword energy in the direction where the movement came from.
Although he could not practice sword cultivation techniques, he was very proficient in the basic sword moves of the Tianxuan Sect.
As the sword fell, the sharp sword energy instantly cut off a large piece of grass leaves, splashing thousands of leaf catkins. All the things hidden in the grass leaves were presented to Chu Qi.
"… "
Chu Qi took a breath.
Everywhere you look, the ground is covered with poisonous insects!
Poisonous scorpions, spiders, poisonous ants, centipedes, and even very small poisonous snakes... At first glance, the surroundings seemed to be gathered into a black tide, which looked particularly terrifying.
"chatter."
As if sensing that something was not right in the atmosphere, the gold-eating beast that had just finished eating a whole bag of spiritual beast food poked its head out of the bag.
Before the gold-devouring beast could come to its senses, its entire body along with the bag of spiritual beast food was grabbed by Chu Qi.
"Run, don't eat."
Chu Qi held the sword in one hand and grabbed the gold-eating beast in the other, then quickly turned around and rushed backwards, trying to avoid these poisonous insects.
The strength of the poisonous insects is less than the first level, but there are too many of them, so it is better to avoid them if possible.
However, these poisonous insects seemed to be gathering in this direction with a purpose.
Doubts began to grow in Chu Qi's mind. The gold-eating beast he was holding made a gurgling sound and explained to him the origin of the strange stone.
It turned out that the gold-eating beast had gone deep into the nest of poisonous insects, and while the poisonous insects were not paying attention, it dug out the strange stone and took it away.
Chu Qi: “…”
If he had known that the consequences were caused by Xiao Jin, he should have left this place as soon as possible.
Of course the strange stone couldn't be returned. In order to get it, the gold-devouring beast was stung twice on the butt by a scorpion. It still has a hint of black in it. It paid a heavy price.
But the poisonous insects at the back relied on their large numbers and had no intention of retreating. They stubbornly chased after Chu Qi and were about to catch up with him.
"This is not a solution."
Chu Qi thought for a moment and felt that it was not wise to waste energy racing with poisonous insects.
"chatter?"
The gold-eating beast was already on its way out. It consciously wrapped its tail around Chu Qi's arm and hung itself on its master's hand, so that the master no longer had to waste energy carrying it.
"Wait a minute, you run and hide on that tree. I need to clean up those poisonous insects chasing us." Chu Qi discussed with the gold-eating beast.
Although the gold-eating beast is immune to all poisons and invulnerable to swords and guns, it has basically no other offensive power except for its sharp teeth, a good body, and the ability to hunt for treasures.
We can't let Xiao Jin bite those poisonous insects.
Just thinking about it, Chu Qi felt that such a scene was too terrifying.
“Lulu.”
The gold-eating beast nodded, and then with a whoosh, it rushed from Chu Qi's arm to the branch of the big tree he mentioned.
If we only talk about the ability to escape, the gold-devouring beast feels that its master is probably not as good at running as it is.
Chu Qi naturally had no idea what his pet was thinking. Seeing that Xiao Jin had already stood on a high place and hidden, he stopped not far from the tree and turned around to prepare for a fight.
Poisonous insects do not have much intelligence and usually act based on their survival instinct, so they often bully the weak and fear the strong.
Unless they are deterred by force, they will continue to chase their prey.
Since he switched to studying medicine, the sword in Chu Qi's hand has rarely been used to kill people.
There is still a difference between normal sword practice and actual sword use.
Now when he held it again, the sharp aura of the weapon emanating faintly from the sword edge made Chu Qi feel familiar.
In his previous life, he was obsessed with swordsmanship, but was careless in understanding the sword's meaning. He didn't know what attracted him to the magic sword in his hand.
Otherwise, in his previous life, he had dual spiritual roots of water and wood, and could have pursued the path of medicine.
Chu Qi took a deep breath, and the moment he closed his eyes, the memories sealed in his mind flashed through his mind, as clear as if it had happened yesterday.
Don't be trapped by a small space, don't be trapped by the world.
Wherever the sword points, that is the path he will take.
This is the sword intent that amazed Chu Qi when he was young, and it is also Yan Jiuge's sword intent.
He was like a moth attracted to the light of a candle, trying to reach the level of Yan Jiuge through hard practice day after day, even if it was only one thousandth of that.
However, he spent his entire life without ever truly understanding Yan Jiuge.
No matter how powerful the sword intent is, one day it will be trapped by the heart.
In another life, Chu Qi will still remember Yan Jiuge's sword intent and will still be amazed by his swordsmanship.
However, Chu Qi did not want to pursue such swordsmanship, but wanted to understand Yan Jiuge more.
As a medical practitioner, I am not as sharp as a sword practitioner. I will be disturbed by this world and trapped by the world. But I will no longer be imprisoned by the thoughts in my heart.
Thoughts raced in an instant, and Chu Qi opened his eyes.
The blade of Guiyin Sword trembled, making a low humming sound due to Chu Qi's change in mood, and the momentum on the sword edge surged.
The next moment, the sword energy broke through the air and cleared the thick fog, falling in all directions, startling the poisonous insects and causing them to retreat subconsciously.
But the poisonous insect's retreat speed was not as fast as the sword's. For a moment, the poisonous insect seemed to fall into a net woven by the sword light and was chopped into pieces.
The poisonous insects that can chase in front are all the stronger ones and die the fastest.
After the first batch of poisonous insects died, the poisonous insects behind were frightened by the sword energy and fled into the swamp.
But in the blink of an eye, all the poisonous insects that were as dense as a black tide before dispersed, except for those that were killed by the sword.
"bass!"
The Guiyin sword was sheathed again, making a clear sound.
Chu Qi had just finished solving the dilemma in one go, and before he could relax, he heard a familiar shout coming from the treetops not far away -
"Are you the sword cultivator from the Tianxuan Sect? Help me, fellow Taoist!!"
"?"
Hearing this, Chu Qi subconsciously looked around, but did not see Yan Jiuge or other fellow disciples, and suddenly felt a little disappointed.
But the shouting continued, "Just now I saw you, Daoist fellow, drawing your sword. It was like a blessing from heaven! I have been trapped here for three days and three nights. I finally met you, Daoist fellow swordsman. It must be God's will that I will not perish in this swamp full of poisonous insects."
Chu Qi: “…”
Wait a minute, that fellow swordsman from the Tianxuan Sect he was talking about, could he be talking about me
(End of this chapter)