Chapter 8

Update Time: February 20, 2013

The night in the mountains always comes faster. A thin mist rises, and the light in the cave quickly dims. If the mountains and forests are relatively peaceful during the day, then at night, it is the time for all kinds of demons and spirits to appear. Many wild beasts in the mountains prefer to come out at night to hunt for food. The darkness is often filled with short but fierce fighting sounds, accompanied by the dying cries of prey, or the cold air seems to become even more intense.

Mo Yu slowly opened his eyes. In the pitch-black cave, his expression was calm. He reached out and accurately touched the package on his right side, easily opened it along the remembered direction, and took out some dried meat and water to eat again. The recovery of his physical strength and the repair of his damaged tendons and muscles required the absorption of more nutrients, and the food he ate was the only source of nutrition. As for the elixirs, they were treasures that only the high-ranking figures in the sects had the right to use.

The night in the mountains during autumn was especially cold, and the air felt like invisible knives cutting into the skin, causing a fine pain. But even with flint, Mo Yu had no intention of starting a fire. The fire at night could bring light and heat, but it would also attract countless dangers, and he would be left in the forest forever. So at this moment, the animal skin under his body, which isolated the cold stone, became particularly important. At least it allowed Mo Yu to use the blood flowing in his body to barely withstand the piercing cold.

Chewing and drinking were done silently, even the swallowing sound was deliberately suppressed to the extreme. The thin thread in his left hand was still intact, so no matter what sounds came from outside, Mo Yu's expression would not change at all. He completed his second meal in the darkness and quietly tidied everything up, then closed his eyes again, carefully feeling the slight tingling sensation in his flesh.

When the sun rose, the thick fog made the trees look like ghostly shadows, which quickly dissipated. The noisy jungle of the night slowly returned to peace. The nocturnal creatures returned to their dens, and the diurnal creatures had not yet come out. So now was the best time to travel.

Mo Yu quickly got up and quickly checked his body, a satisfied look appearing on his face. The physical strength he had lost yesterday had been completely restored, and the pain in his left leg had also decreased significantly. As long as he was careful, it would not affect his ability to fight. During this process, his body was agile, without any stiffness from sitting all night. Mo Yu put on his backpack, took a dagger, and bent down to walk out of the cave. He carefully wrapped the black thread and put it back in the backpack, then lightly leaped from a stone over ten feet high, identified the direction, and his figure quickly disappeared in the fog that had not yet completely dissipated.

Two days later, Mo Yu stood on a thick branch of a large tree, looking far into the distance. The huge mountains undulated and extended, but suddenly rose up not far away. At first, the mountains still had slopes, but after a hundred meters, they became steep and rugged. Higher up, there was a year-round cloud cover that blocked the view. Only through the movement of the clouds could one vaguely see the huge black shadow of the mountain, but not its peak. Now, this majestic solitary peak had been cut in half, forming a huge canyon. The roar of the water crashing could be heard even from here. This kind of awe-inspiring scene could only be attributed to the creation of nature, as it was hard to imagine what terrifying force could cut a mountain peak that soared into the clouds in half!

Mo Yu compared the map in his mind and confirmed that this was the part of the Juanyun River that flowed into the branch of the mountain range. His gaze turned to the half of the mountain near him, and his eyes immediately became intense. If the map was correct, this was the marked treasure location! His body was agile as he jumped down from the tree and began the final leg of his journey with firm steps. His steps were still steady, but his face was slightly pale, and there were obvious bandages on his shoulder, with spots of blood seeping through the thick gauze, indicating that his injuries were not light.

These were the souvenirs left by two mountain tigers. In return, Mo Yu's dagger severed their necks. As he delved deeper into the branch of the mountain range, the types of wild beasts began to increase, and their strength also grew. If he had not been lucky and cautious enough, he would have already fallen on the way.

Looking at the mountain, the last leg of the journey was not easy, especially with the rugged terrain. Mo Yu spent half a day, killing four mountain wolves and a mountain boar, before reaching the foot of the mountain. His face became even paler, his lips lost all color, and the wound on his shoulder, which had barely healed, reopened, staining the gauze red.

Supporting his tired body, Mo Yu found a sufficiently thick tree nearby. After carefully scanning the tree to ensure there were no hidden dangers, he climbed up using his hands and feet. He paused occasionally to apply the orange powder he had taken out to the tree trunk, and after reaching about ten feet high, he sat on a sturdy branch, breathing heavily. His already tired body was now even more weak and sore. He endured the discomfort, carefully treated the wound on his shoulder, ate some food from his backpack, and then began to rest with his eyes closed.

The treasure was right in front of him, and although Mo Yu wanted to climb the mountain and search immediately, his weak body could not support it. He slowly suppressed his agitation, forcing himself to calm down, and his breathing gradually became deep and steady. According to the map, the treasure was at the top of the mountain, but with such steep and dangerous terrain, even when he was in good condition, Mo Yu did not dare to be careless. Now, he had to be even more cautious. Any mistake during the climb could result in a fatal fall. He had come this far through many dangers and did not want to fail at the last moment!

Night soon fell, and although the wound had been treated, the faint smell of blood still attracted the wild beasts in the forest, which were extremely sensitive to the smell of blood. Two mountain wolves were the first to discover the prey hiding in the tree. They growled threateningly to the hidden competitors and walked back and forth under the tree, unwilling to leave. At midnight, Mo Yu opened his eyes on time and began to eat at night. After resting for half a day, his physical strength had recovered significantly, and the wound on his shoulder had stopped bleeding. Now, it was sending a tingling sensation, like ants crawling on the wound, indicating that it was healing quickly.

There were already more than a dozen mountain wolves gathered under the tree. They looked up at the delicious prey, occasionally standing on their hind legs or leaping with all four paws, baring their sharp fangs, which looked even more pale in the moonlight filtering through the branches. Their green eyes, like flickering ghost fires in the darkness, made one's heart race with cold. But Mo Yu remained calm. He drank two sips of water, quietly tidied everything up, and closed his eyes again. From start to finish, he did not even glance at the wolves gathered under the tree.

As time passed, the wolf pack gradually became agitated. Two mountain tigers arrived but only stood at a distance, quickly turning and leaving under the threatening growls of the wolves. In the early hours of the morning, the wolves reluctantly left in groups, going to hunt for other prey.

The night passed peacefully.

The next day, Mo Yu stayed in the tree, eating and resting to help his shoulder wound heal as quickly as possible. According to the rate of consumption of the dry rations, he had to start climbing the mountain in one more day.

Night fell again, and more wolves came, but this time they lingered for a short while and then left, clearly realizing they could not catch the prey in the tree. Just as dawn was breaking, a fat mountain bear came to the base of the tree. It stood on its hind legs and slapped the tree trunk with its broad front paws, causing the bark to shatter and fly, and the whole tree to shake violently, showing its incredible strength. The mountain bear, the dominant creature in the area, wandered around for a while, then turned and disappeared from sight. Only after confirming it had left did Mo Yu relax and continue to rest.

The third day was calm, and the surrounding wild beasts seemed to have realized they could not harm Mo Yu, gradually ignoring his presence. But just before dawn, a colorful venomous snake silently climbed up the tree trunk. It was about five to six feet long, its tongue flicking out, and its cold, icy eyes looking up at the prey above. Its long body coiled upward, and the friction of its scales against the bark made no sound.

With this skill of hiding its presence, it had hunted many difficult prey. The person in the tree would soon become its prey, providing it with food for five to six days, allowing it to rest comfortably. But when it was still about ten feet away from Mo Yu, its body suddenly trembled, and its cold, icy eyes showed clear signs of dizziness. Its body softened and fell to the ground with a "thud," struggling to recover before fleeing in panic. The realgar powder applied to the tree trunk had finally served its purpose.

As dawn approached and the surroundings gradually became quiet, this was the safest time of the day in the forest. Mo Yu stood on the branch, moved his arms, and found that the wound had healed enough, though it still affected him somewhat. As long as he did not overexert himself, it should be fine. His body was agile as he climbed down from the tree, and without any pause, he headed straight for the towering peak in front of him. The dry rations were running out, and the pressing time did not allow him to wait any longer. Today, he would climb the mountain to search for the treasure!

Mo Yu's muscles were taut, and he used the protrusions or cracks on the rocks to climb like a flexible monkey. The first two hundred meters of the mountain still had a slope, but after that, it became extremely steep, and the parts of the mountain that could be used for support began to decrease. Mo Yu looked up, his eyes keenly searching for places to climb, and quickly calculated in his mind to choose the most efficient way. His speed was inevitably affected, but it was still much faster than that of an ordinary person. When he could not pass a certain point, he used the dagger in his hand to pierce the rock and use it for support to continue climbing.

From a distance, the mountain seemed very high, but only by climbing it could one truly understand how high it was. Mo Yu had been climbing for two hours, deep into the clouds, but when he looked up, he could only see the mountain rocks extending into the clouds, with no end in sight. Although his breathing was still steady, it had become much deeper than at the beginning. The fine sweat on his nose quickly evaporated in the howling mountain wind, but strangely, the clouds surrounding the mountain were not affected by the wind and did not dissipate at all.

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[Thank you to Meng Meng, Wei Dao, Shuishui Huohuo, Chulai, Nana, and other friends for your support. The book is now in fourth place on the new book chart, and the gap to the front is not large. I hope everyone can help Jiuyang make further progress! There will be another chapter at 11 PM.]

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