Longevity: Starting as a menial servant in the Green Wood Sect

The heartbeat was deep and muffled, each beat like a heavy hammer striking Gu An's newly developed and still sensitive eardrums.

If one does not listen carefully, this sound can easily be confused with the sound of an underground river flowing. But at this moment, Gu An has just finished refining the Breakthrough Pill, and the pure medicinal fragrance that has not yet dissipated is seeping into the ground through the cracks in the rocks.

The thing underground had clearly sensed this aura that didn't belong to this dead land. At this moment, it was slowly awakening and began to frantically ram the earthen-yellow seal left by Han Qingsong.

Crack. A very subtle cracking sound came from beneath my feet.

Gu An's expression suddenly turned cold, and the joy he had just experienced from the breakthrough vanished instantly.

Is making a hasty retreat the only option right now?

He immediately dismissed the thought. Running out of Youying Valley now would not only make it impossible to explain his sudden surge in cultivation, but if that thing were to emerge, Youying Valley would inevitably be investigated again by the sect. At that time, his secrets hidden in the cellar, the poison network he had just planted, and his barely-used position as the manager of a Grade B resource point would all be ruined.

"We have no choice but to seek fortune in danger, but we can't risk our lives."

Gu An squatted down and placed one hand on the cold rock surface.

His innate affinity with spiritual plants was fully activated. As the talent was activated, his fourth-level Qi Refining Divine Sense began to probe into the ground like a snake, following the deepest and thickest roots of the mutated Ghost Mulberry.

The roots of this ghost mulberry tree penetrated the edge of Han Qingsong's seal and plunged deep into the earth's veins.

In Gu An's perceived world, there was only darkness. But at the end of that darkness, there was a huge, dark red mass of flesh, greedily sucking up the wisp of medicinal energy leaking from above through the roots of the Ghost Mulberry.

[Target detected: Unknown subterranean monster (currently sealed)]

[Status: Hunger, Mania]

【Characteristics: A flesh-and-blood aggregate, extremely gluttonous, afraid of fire, and susceptible to poison.】

"Is this... a flesh-and-blood Tai Sui?"

Gu An recalled a strange creature described in the "True Explanation of a Hundred Poisons." This creature was often born in extremely yin and evil places; although it lacked intelligence, it possessed an innate instinct to devour.

If it were to break free, even just by showing its head, it would devour all the mulberry trees in the valley.

But since it still needs to "suck milk" from the tree roots, those roots are the medium through which it interacts with the outside world. If it is not planted as soon as possible, this thing will eventually become a ticking time bomb.

A ruthless glint flashed in Gu An's eyes.

"Want some food? Then you can eat your fill."

He quickly got up, but instead of fleeing, he turned and rushed toward the pile of spoils he had looted from Xun Yin and the demonic cultivators.

Take out the Qingning Furnace and place it in the vent.

Gu An moved swiftly, emptying all the poisonous herbs from his storage bag at once.

The rotten bone grass, the juice of the ghost face vine, the heartbreak red, and the half bottle of corpse-dissolving water left by Xun Yin that could kill on sight.

"Since it's made of flesh and blood, that makes things easier."

Gu An formed hand seals, drawing upon the earth's fiery and malevolent energy.

This batch isn't for making elixirs, it's just for making soup.

"Three qian of bone-rotting grass can break through the defenses of flesh and blood; two spoonfuls of ghost-face vine juice can paralyze the nerves; with corpse-dissolving water as a base, it can cause the intestines to rot and the stomach to burst."

Finally, Gu An took out the "Soul-Soothing Powder" he had bought at the Ghost Market from his pocket. It was a supplementary medicine powder that he originally intended to use to calm his mind and cultivate. The dosage was so large that it was enough to knock out an Iron-Backed Ox.

Gu An poured everything he could think of into the stove.

Glug, glug.

Inside the Azure Furnace, the dark purple liquid churned violently, and the bubbles burst open, releasing a dizzyingly sweet and fishy smell.

The aroma was incredibly fragrant, strangely so, enough to mask the deadly poison.

Gu An held his breath, with the antidote pill in his mouth, and his hands moved in a series of hand seals, constantly pressing the Yin energy into the medicinal liquid to make its medicinal properties more restrained and insidious.

[Poison Making Skill Experience +10]

[Obtained: Bone-Corroding Soul-Soothing Soup (Tier 1 High-Grade Venom)]

[Characteristics: Extremely strong anesthetic, corrosive to flesh and blood, with an enticing aroma.]

"It's done."

Gu An carried the scorching hot alchemy furnace and darted to the ghost mulberry tree.

At this moment, the sounds of impact from underground grew more intense, and the ground even began to bulge slightly. The ghost mulberry tree was also shaking violently, its leaves rustling as if in fear.

"Don't worry, I'll give you an extra treat right away."

Without any hesitation, Gu An swung his long sword and cut a gash in one of the main roots of the Ghost Mulberry.

Before the black sap could flow out, Gu An poured the scalding hot "Bone-Corroding Soul-Soothing Soup" down the opening.

Sizzle—the venom penetrated the wood, sending up a puff of blue smoke.

However, Guisang itself is Yin Wood, which has extremely high resistance to this venom. On the contrary, its deep-rooted root system, after sensing this rich "energy", instinctively accelerated the transmission of it to the big mouth in the ground.

After Gu An finished ingesting the venom, he retreated three zhang (approximately 10 meters) rapidly, clutching two thunderbolts tightly in his hands, staring intently at the ground.

Three breaths, five breaths, ten breaths... in no time at all.

"roar--!!!"

From the depths of the earth, a deep, muffled roar suddenly echoed. The sound was filled with pain, anger, and a frenzy born of betrayal.

The ground suddenly bulged upwards, and several cracks burst open like a spider web.

Gu An's heart tightened, and the fingers gripping the thunderbolt turned slightly white.

If the poison doesn't kill it, then this thing will have to blow up the passage, and a conflict will break out here.

No, we need to come up with a solution.

Gu An was thinking of a solution and estimating his chances of eliminating the thing underground.

However, the roar lasted only a moment before it suddenly subsided, turning into a whimper similar to that of a wounded wild animal.

Then, the sobbing subsided and turned into slow, labored breathing.

The heartbeat that sent chills down Gu An's spine began to slow down.

Thump...thump...thump...

Ultimately, it fell into complete silence.

Like a drunkard who, after causing a ruckus, finally passed out on the street.

Gu An did not step forward immediately, but waited for a full quarter of an hour until he was sure that there was no more movement underground and that the cracks on the seal had not continued to expand before he slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.

Crisis resolved.

[Use poison techniques to suppress monsters, combat experience +30]

[Poison Making Skill: Proficient (1/200)]

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and went forward to examine the ghost mulberry tree that served as a conduit.

This sight stunned Gu An. Although the ghost mulberry tree was somewhat withered from being corroded by the poison, drops of bright red dew, like blood, were seeping from the knots in its trunk.

The dewdrop was crystal clear, radiating an extremely pure energy, even more tempting than the Breakthrough Pill that Gu An had previously consumed.

"This is……"

Gu An stretched out his finger, carefully dipped it in the water, and gently sniffed it.

There was no smell of poison, only a rich sense of life.

A thought struck him, and he took a small bite.

boom!

A surge of heat rushed from the tip of his tongue straight to his stomach, instantly transforming into pure qi and blood energy that flowed into his limbs and bones. His body, which had been somewhat depleted due to the tension and the poison refining process, was restored to its former state in that instant, and even his newly broken-through realm was somewhat stabilized.

"Blood Spirit Dew?"

The name flashed through Gu An's mind.

Legend has it that some high-level demonic plants, after consuming large amounts of flesh and blood, will expel the indigestible pure blood and qi from their bodies, which will condense into dew.

Although the "Tai Sui" underground was stunned by the poison, its abundant blood and energy were extracted by the Ghost Mulberry Tree as an intermediary in the process of fighting the toxin. After being filtered by the tree, it was transformed into this highly nourishing substance!

Looking at the tree covered in bright red dewdrops, and at the enormous creature at his feet that was asleep but not dead, Gu An couldn't help but smile.

This is hardly a crisis.

This is clearly a living, inexhaustible "blood bank"!

As long as the dosage of the venom is controlled and the monster is kept in a cycle of "sleep - anti-venom - blood production", then Gu An will essentially have a private body-refining resource point!

In the world of cultivation, one refines qi and cultivates techniques, but if one can also possess a powerful physical body, one's ability to survive will increase exponentially.

"A loss may turn out to be a blessing in disguise."

Although a lot of consumables were lost, it was not a problem for Gu An, who was short of cultivation resources. After all, these things were easy to find, but body-refining resources were extremely scarce, and even in the black market, they were priceless.

Compared to the meager amount of silk that can be extracted from the mulberry tree, the Blood Spirit Dew is obviously more valuable. However, this kind of thing is clearly not something that someone at the fourth level of Qi Refining can afford.

As the saying goes, "A common man is innocent, but he is guilty of possessing a treasure." If a mere cultivator possesses a great treasure and tries to flaunt it everywhere, he will definitely invite unwarranted disaster.

For now, the only option is to improve my cultivation level and then find a suitable opportunity to sell this thing.

Gu An took out a jade bottle and collected every last drop of the Blood Spirit Dew from the tree trunk. Three whole bottles.

After doing all this, he repaired the ground and laid several warning lines around it.

At this moment, the east was already turning white.

Gu An stood in the morning mist, feeling the surging spiritual liquid within his body and the heavy Blood Spirit Dew in his arms, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

Having reached the fourth level of Qi Refining and having found a path to strengthen his physical body, the start is excellent. The only question is when the Blood Blade Sect will invade.