I forge immortality with spiritual treasures.

Chapter 59 Encountering a Monster in the Cave

"Alas--"

Cai Que'er peeked out from inside Ying Chan's clothes and asked, "What's going on?"

Ying Chan simply shook his head.

He had thought that the spirits losing their intelligence and even going mad due to the Emperor's fluids was just a very accidental event. He never expected that he would encounter signs of something out of control so soon after arriving here.

Is the poison of the Emperor's Dew really that terrifying?
Just as I was pondering, Crane Lord landed steadily on the mountainside. After setting him down, another clear cry rang out.

Although Ying Chan could not understand the meaning of birds and beasts, it was not difficult for him to guess, so he cupped his hands and said, "Please do as you please, Crane Lord."

Crane King nodded, then spread his wings and flew away.

Ying Chan knew that it was not leaving, but rather lingering nearby, and could be summoned again with the talisman paper from Hechifang when needed.

After watching He Jun leave, he began to investigate the mess in the mountains. He quickly discovered that these traces had not been there for long, at most no more than a day.

Indeed, it hasn't been long since the Emperor's Dew descended to earth. If the loss of control was truly caused by the Emperor's Dew, it would naturally have happened within the last day or two.

"That is to say..."

Ying Chan narrowed his eyes slightly, looking ahead: "This monster might not have gone far?"

"Fairy, be careful."

He said goodbye to Cai Que'er, then became more vigilant and headed towards the direction of the traces.

Cai Que'er shuddered, as if sensing some atmosphere, and became tense as well.

However, they did not encounter any surprise attacks along the way. Ying Chan followed the trail and arrived at a dark cave.

The cave was extremely deep and dark, like a giant mouth waiting for its prey to be devoured; it looked extremely dangerous.

But once you find this place, the traces become clearer.

Clearly, the monster that caused the chaos in the mountains was inside this cave.

Ying Chan frowned and first inserted several talismans into the cave to check the situation, but received no feedback.

His expression grew even more solemn, and he took the Qiankun Bow that was strapped to his shoulder and held it in his hand.

"Taoist priest."

Cai Que'er trembled slightly: "You're not going to go in, are you?"

Ying Chan paused for a moment, then his expression softened slightly, and he smiled at it: "Since you have received the decree from the academy, you must fulfill your responsibilities."

"Don't worry, fairy, I know what I'm doing. You can wait for me outside."

On flat ground, it's fine, but in a space like a cave, even if a bird flies very fast, it will still be restricted.

Therefore, we should explain our considerations and not expect it to follow suit.

Unexpectedly, after hesitating for a moment, Cai Que'er shook her head repeatedly: "I'll go in with you. If... if there really is a crazed monster, I'll peck its eyes out!"

"Haha."

Ying Chan smiled upon hearing this: "Alright, but there's no need for you to exert yourself, Fairy. Just follow behind from a distance, and if anything goes wrong, immediately escape from the cave, okay?"

Cai Que'er readily agreed.

He nodded and then went into the cave first.

As the light gradually diminished, the cave became increasingly dark and secluded.

Although Ying Chan's hearing and vision improved significantly after he mastered Qi cultivation, and he was no longer too afraid of the dark, his field of vision was still somewhat limited.

After a slight hesitation, he took out a talisman from his pocket, breathed on it, and attached it to the talisman. The talisman immediately burst into flames and, under his control, floated forward, illuminating the path ahead.

This was a minor technique that Ying Chan learned from the "Collection of Forty-Nine Methods of Spiritual Response." Although it was only used for illumination, it was fortunate that it did not require distraction and consumed very little magical power. However, summoning talismanic fire for illumination, while restoring much of Ying Chan's vision, might also prematurely alert anything in the darkness.

Therefore, he became more careful, not only gripping the Qiankun Bow tightly, but also channeling the chill of the water into his throat.

Thus, in the silence, even a moment or two becomes extremely long.

Ying Chan ventured deeper into the cave, and his ears gradually picked up some sounds.

The sound was like a muffled thunder rumbling in the throat of a ferocious beast, deep and concealing a violent nature, which immediately alerted Ying Chan.

He slowed his pace, only directing the talismanic fire forward, the light gradually pushing back the darkness, until suddenly!
A pair of scarlet eyes appeared in the darkness, seemingly churning with endless ferocity.

Ying Chan felt a chill run down his spine, and a breath of water was about to turn into a cold wind and sweep out, but in the next instant, he stopped casting the spell.

In the darkness, a pair of scarlet eyes stared intently in his direction, their malevolence surging, yet they remained motionless.

As the talismanic fire drew near, a massive silhouette appeared in the dim light. Though merely a shadow, it conveyed a striking sense of ferocity and terror.

The approaching talisman fire seemed to have stimulated it; the muffled sounds in the cave suddenly rose, as if a roar would be unleashed at any moment.

However, Ying Chan immediately stopped the talisman fire from moving forward.

The edge of the firelight also stopped before the outline of the beast, allowing it to hide in the darkness.

Therefore, those scarlet eyes never fully unleashed their ferocity.

"Taoist priest, Taoist priest."

The colorful sparrow cautiously flew closer, its voice barely audible: "What's going on?"

Ying Chan frowned, maintaining a standoff with the monster in the darkness.

He had a strange feeling that this monster was suppressing its brutality and ruthlessness, and that its blood-red eyes contained not only a threat, but also some kind of unreadable meaning.

Along the way, one could see broken grass and trees, churned mud and rocks, and a scene of utter devastation.

However, he found no trace of the killing, and Ying Chan suddenly realized something.

This monster is probably not completely out of control; at least it is still suppressing itself, not committing any indiscriminate killings, nor attacking Ying Chan.

So what should we do...?

Ying Chan pondered for a moment, then slowly took a step back, and the vigilance and ferocity in his blood-red eyes seemed to lessen slightly.

Ying Chan remained facing it, slowly retreating step by step, while simultaneously recalling the talismanic fire.

Only when the outline and eyes of the monster disappeared into the darkness again did he turn around and stride out of the cave.

Upon seeing the light of day again, Ying Chan breathed a sigh of relief, and Cai Que'er also perked up before asking, "Taoist, what is this?"

“I observe that the spirit is not completely out of control, so we must eliminate it without explanation.”

Ying Chan shook his head.

Although from a certain perspective, he could also receive Taoist merit rewards in addition to this monster, no one would know the details.

But that is not what Ying Chan meant.

"I've often heard that Taoist practitioners must uphold their original intentions. Do I consider myself to have done so?"

He smiled, strapped the Qiankun Bow back to his shoulder, and said, "These past few days, I have been patrolling the surrounding area. If it can suppress its ferocity and refine the essence of the Emperor's Dew, that would be the best outcome. If it eventually loses control, it won't be too late to get rid of it then."

Cai Que'er nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Ying Chan glanced back at the cave one last time, then gathered his strength and leaped up to a treetop, drifting away gracefully.

(End of this chapter)