Chapter 57

Outside the Yellow City, a young man dragged his long shadow away from the city!

After buying the other dozen herbs, Ye Feng did not return to his family but rushed to Blackwind Mountain, planning to search for the Heartroot.

Before leaving, the girl had described the shape of the Heartroot, fearing that Ye Feng might not recognize it and miss it. She even broke the rules to draw a picture, depicting a vivid heart-shaped five-leaf plant.

A hundred miles was not very far, taking roughly an hour. Ye Feng arrived at Blackwind Mountain before dark. The surroundings were filled with eerie winds, making Blackwind Mountain very peculiar. The ground was covered with black stones, and even some plants were black. The hurricanes that swept through brought with them black mist.

As the sky grew dark, Ye Feng stopped advancing. At night, Blackwind Mountain was filled with eerie winds and even malevolent energy. It was rumored that this place was once a habitat for demons.

However, that was many years ago. It was said that hundreds of years ago, Blackwind Mountain was not like this. Later, a great battle occurred, and some evil forces were driven here, eventually all being exterminated. The battle turned into a great war, and the ground was stained red with blood, which gradually turned black over time.

Even at night, there were eerie cries, which were very piercing and chilling. Fortunately, Ye Feng had a fearless heart and was not afraid of anything.

Standing on the nearest peak to Blackwind Mountain, Ye Feng overlooked the entire mountain. The surroundings were clearly visible. Blackwind Mountain had only one entrance, as the area around it had been sealed off, leaving only one gap, which was the only way in.

After observing the terrain clearly, Ye Feng found a sheltered place to rest. He planned to enter Blackwind Mountain at dawn to search for the Heartroot.

The night passed without incident.

At dawn, Ye Feng emerged from his cultivation. After a night of cultivation, his true qi had become even purer, especially the Star Transformation technique. Ye Feng felt he had reached a minor success. The continuous absorption of star power over the past few days had finally allowed him to achieve minor success in the first transformation of the Nine Transformations of Gods and Demons.

His body emitted a crystalline light, like a cluster of stars illuminating his body, making his physical body even stronger.

"It's time to set off!"

Without lingering, Ye Feng rushed to the entrance of Blackwind Mountain. In a few breaths, he appeared at the entrance.

After checking the surroundings, Ye Feng entered Blackwind Mountain and found the temperature had dropped sharply. It was much colder here than outside, and with it being late autumn, a chill swept over him.

Ye Feng had to activate his true qi to dispel the cold, warming his body. Only those at the innate realm could resist cold and heat; those at the acquired realm could not.

The ground was very soft, feeling like stepping on human flesh, leaving a footprint with each step. Eerie winds howled like knives, cutting into Ye Feng's cheeks.

Fully alert, Ye Feng slowly moved deeper into Blackwind Mountain. Along the way, he rarely saw any plants growing. Even if they did, they were pitch black, as if everything here was cursed, forming a sea of black.

After about an incense stick's time, Ye Feng reached the depths of Blackwind Mountain. Everything around him was black. If the Heartroot really existed here, why hadn't Ye Feng seen even a hint of green? This place was a dead zone. Could the Qianluo Hall have deliberately deceived him?

But the Qianluo Hall had no grudge against him and would not spread false information or lure him to Blackwind Mountain. So Ye Feng still believed the Heartroot was in Blackwind Mountain; he just hadn't found it yet.

"Chirp chirp!"

A mud monkey ran past Ye Feng at incredible speed, disappearing in a flash.

Without hesitation, Ye Feng followed. How could a mud monkey survive here? What did it eat? Ye Feng was puzzled. If it had come from outside, why hadn't he noticed? So the only possibility was that the mud monkey had always lived here.

After a few jumps, Ye Feng's body reached the edge of a cliff. He saw the mud monkey leap down the cliff. Ye Feng stopped at the edge, looking down at the dense black mist. He didn't dare to act rashly.

The thick black mist obscured Ye Feng's view, making it impossible to see the bottom. He had to go down to find out. The mud monkey had leaped down without hesitation; perhaps there was a platform below?

Even if there was a platform, Ye Feng didn't dare to take the risk. If he fell, he would be shattered to pieces.

If he left, Ye Feng would be unwilling. Since the mud monkey could go down, there must be something unusual here.

Leaving, Ye Feng went out of Blackwind Mountain, found many vines, and returned. He wove the vines into a rope, tied one end to a large rock, and the other to his waist. Ye Feng slowly descended.

Hugging the cliff wall, Ye Feng carefully moved down. After descending about ten meters, he entered a dense black mist, which completely obscured his view.

Fortunately, the black mist was not toxic; it just blocked his view. He slowed down and descended another ten meters. His feet seemed to touch the ground.

The view was no longer restricted. Ye Feng found himself on a high platform that seemed to extend from the cliff wall, jutting out like a large rock. On the other side of the platform was a dark cave, deep and bottomless.

The bottom of the cliff was also bottomless, covered with green plants, and even some mud monkeys were jumping around. Ye Feng never imagined that the scene below the black mist would be like this.

Untying the vine from his waist, Ye Feng analyzed the terrain. The bottom of the cliff was bottomless and could not be explored. Only a dark cave entrance was in front of him.

After hesitating, Ye Feng entered the dark cave. It was spacious and seemed to extend underground, winding and twisting.

Despite the dark entrance, the light inside was not blocked. Ye Feng could distinguish directions. The temperature was comfortable, and there was a warm spring flowing through a channel.

After walking for about half an hour, Ye Feng's view suddenly opened up. He had entered the bottom of the cliff, where everything was green, and there were many spiritual fruits growing. Hundreds of mud monkeys were playing here.

Ye Feng finally understood why the Qianluo Hall said the Heartroot appeared in Blackwind Mountain. It was likely that the mischievous mud monkeys had picked the Heartroot and taken it outside, where it was discovered. It seemed no one had entered this bottom of the cliff before.

Seeing someone enter, the mud monkeys let out chirping sounds and quickly leaped onto the cliff wall, holding vines and looking at Ye Feng with fear. These mud monkeys were not aggressive; they were herbivores.

Picking a spiritual fruit, Ye Feng smelled it, and the fragrance was overwhelming. He swallowed it, and his true qi grew rapidly.

A 500-year-old Golden Fruit contained pure spiritual energy, which could increase his strength by several years, and Ye Feng swallowed it.

There were many such spiritual fruits here, about a hundred, and some had already matured and fallen to the ground, turning into spiritual energy to nourish the soil for the next cycle.

Ye Feng did not hesitate and began to gather the fruits, storing a large number in his storage ring. He did not pick the fruits that were only a hundred years old, as they were not worth much and could be left for future use.

After about a quarter of an hour, Ye Feng had collected over a hundred spiritual fruits, feeling very excited. With these fruits, his cultivation speed would increase significantly.

In the distance, a few spiritual herbs emitted a faint starlight, like stars in the dark night. Ye Feng appeared at the edge of the herbs in a flash.

"Heartroot, I finally found you!" Ye Feng looked at the dozen Heartroots, his face excited. He quickly collected them and carefully stored them in his storage ring.

The mud monkeys around him saw Ye Feng pick all the fruits and let out shrill cries, looking very angry. Without the fruits, how would they survive? One fruit could sustain them for a long time.

"Roar!"

A roar suddenly interrupted Ye Feng. On a distant cliff, a golden mud monkey appeared, much larger than the others, about the size of a human, holding a stick. The roar came from its mouth.

"Monkey King!"

Ye Feng was surprised. There was actually a Monkey King here, and behind it was another cave, likely its resting place.

The Monkey King leaped down, standing opposite Ye Feng, baring its teeth and growling. Ye Feng's actions had invaded their territory.

Ye Feng did not dare to be careless, sensing that the Monkey King was not ordinary. A regular mud monkey could not have such strength, and the Monkey King seemed to have developed intelligence. Ye Feng did not want to harm it.

"Whoosh!"

The Monkey King pounced, swinging its stick and smashing it down at Ye Feng.

"How dare you, do you think I'm afraid of you!" Ye Feng, enraged, punched the stick back, intending to give it a lesson.

"Bang!"

A shadow retreated rapidly, causing a violent tremor in the air, which produced a loud explosion.

"This... I can't believe it," Ye Feng was shocked, unable to believe that he had been pushed back by a monkey.

In that strike, Ye Feng had used the strength of three flying dragons, intending to crush it in one blow. He realized he had underestimated it. The mud monkey's strength was far beyond his imagination, likely more than eight flying dragons, if not more. Was this the strength of a mud monkey?

"Roar!"

The Monkey King, seeing that it had not shattered Ye Feng with one blow, looked puzzled, as if it didn't understand. Although it had developed intelligence, it was still like a child.

The air rumbled, and the force from the stick this time was even greater, exceeding eight flying dragons.

"Damn, no way!"

Ye Feng did not dare to be careless, using the Shadow Step technique to dodge, unable to understand how a mud monkey, at the ninth level of the acquired realm, could have such strength, even greater than his own.