Wu Ying didn't know what dangers lay ahead on the mountain, but the keen intuition of the Treasure Seeking Rat told it that all the good things were uphill; there was nothing here below.

Zhang Yang led Qu Meilan, and they ascended together.

Before long, they had passed the outer fringes of Yinlong Mountain, officially stepping onto its territory. Qu Meilan’s face had turned deathly pale, her heart hammering faster than it ever had before.

A sense of despair gripped her: ‘No ascending the Dragon Mountain, no descending into Hell.’ This was an ancestral tenet passed down through generations. Dragon Mountain—Yinlong Mountain—was a forbidden ground for everyone in the Southern Frontier.

And now, she had set foot in this very forbidden place.

Zhang Yang was oblivious to the turmoil in her mind; he was entirely focused, maintaining extreme vigilance.

After several system upgrades, all his physical functions had been greatly enhanced. In terms of hearing or sight, Zhang Yang was far superior to ordinary people, surpassing even practitioners of the same Inner Strength cultivation level.

This mysterious system, while occasionally causing Zhang Yang doubt, had undeniably transformed him.

Everything around them fell under the surveillance of Zhang Yang’s senses. Sensing his tension, both Lightning and Wu Ying grew unusually serious.

Wu Ying’s tiny nose twitched faster, and Lightning perched itself on Zhang Yang’s shoulder, constantly scanning the surroundings.

No sound or movement could escape this pair.

They advanced slowly, penetrating deeper into the forest.

After walking for about ten minutes, Zhang Yang’s brow suddenly furrowed. Lightning became instantly alert, and even Wu Ying stopped dead, sniffing the air incessantly.

Beside them, Qu Meilan’s eyes had grown vacant, staring blankly up the slope.

A moment later, without any command from Zhang Yang, Qu Meilan began walking straight up the mountain.

“Come back!”

Zhang Yang shouted sharply. Qu Meilan, who usually obeyed him without question, acted as if she hadn't heard him, continuing her trek uphill.

Zhang Yang’s eyebrows knitted together. With a surge of movement, he instantly appeared in front of her.

He reached out and grabbed Qu Meilan’s arm. She glared at him with intense fury and swung her other hand to strike him. Given her current strength, she was incapable of harming Zhang Yang in the slightest.

Failing to connect with her attack, Qu Meilan struggled fiercely, her gaze fixed on the peak, desperate to break free from Zhang Yang’s restraint and continue climbing, as if something up there held an irresistible pull.

However, seeing the expression on Qu Meilan’s face, Zhang Yang’s heart gave a slight jolt, and a profound shock crossed his features.

To be precise, it wasn't her face that stunned him, but her eyes.

For some unknown reason, Qu Meilan’s eyes had turned completely crimson, obscuring the whites entirely—a sight profoundly unsettling.

“Is there something wrong with the air here?”

Zhang Yang’s mind suddenly received a signal from Wu Ying, and his expression shifted slightly.

Wu Ying possessed the most powerful sense of smell, superior even to his own and Lightning’s. After careful analysis, Wu Ying had discovered the air up here was different from that below, laced with a scent that induced hallucinations.

The odor was incredibly faint; only through deliberate concentration could Wu Ying detect it.

Yet, this delicate trace had produced such a powerful effect. Looking at the colossal mountain range, Zhang Yang’s internal shock refused to subside.

Zhang Yang suddenly tapped Qu Meilan sharply on the head. Her struggling ceased instantly, and she collapsed limply.

After knocking Qu Meilan unconscious, Zhang Yang did not press onward.

He was now certain that the area surrounding them was saturated with this potent gas capable of generating intense hallucinations. He could resist it, but ordinary people and low-level cultivators like Qu Meilan stood no chance.

It explained why no one who had entered the mountain over the years had ever returned.

With this invisible fog, anyone entering the mountain would inevitably lose their bearings, driven only to rush upwards. What dangers awaited them at the summit was unknown, but going there was tantamount to suicide.

Based on Wu Ying’s relayed information, Zhang Yang meticulously analyzed the scent that he himself couldn't even detect.

The odor was subtle, effective against low-level cultivators and laymen, and even held some influence over cultivators above the second layer of Inner Strength. However, it exerted little effect on high-level cultivators at the third layer.

This realization did not ease his mind; rather, it made him even more grave.

This was an entire mountain, a massive range that would take him several days just to circumnavigate. This was merely the foothills, and such a potent hallucinogen was present here. The sheer power required to generate this quantity of vapor was staggering.

Qu Meilan had mentioned that several hundred years ago, when that terrifying spirit beast wasn't present, people could generally enter. Things changed only after the beast arrived.

Zhang Yang was almost certain that these hallucinogens were manufactured by that spirit beast.

Regardless of the method, the fact that it could saturate the entire mountain with such a drug demonstrated its unimaginable strength—a power beyond Zhang Yang’s current comprehension.

He noted that while the effect of these agents wasn't quite as strong as the poison needles he carried, it was close enough to confuse cultivators.

“Jee-jee-jee!”

“Squeak-squeak-squeak!”

Wu Ying and Lightning cried out simultaneously, the two little ones now harboring fear. They were intelligent enough to recognize the presence of an overwhelmingly powerful life form, one whose might far exceeded their previous estimations.

They were silently asking Zhang Yang if they should proceed.

Glancing at them, a flicker of hesitation crossed Zhang Yang’s eyes, but it vanished quickly, replaced by a look of firm resolve.

“Wu Ying, you take the lead. Be extremely cautious!”

Zhang Yang’s decision was to continue forward. Cultivators inherently pursue advancement through adversity, constantly facing potential unforeseen accidents. While cultivators appeared powerful, they had many natural adversaries.

At every tier, an unstable state of mind could lead to Qi Deviation.

Especially the Heart Demon—that was the most lethal threat. Even masters at the fourth layer of Inner Strength, if caught unawares by a Heart Demon infiltration, faced a wretched demise. Zhang Yang’s grandfather in his past life had perished this way.

It could be said that cultivation itself was an act against heaven, filled with dangers and setbacks.

This moment presented a peril, a profound one, but Zhang Yang could not abandon the path simply because of fear. To do so would halt any future progress in his state of mind.

If that happened, his strength would forever stagnate at the third layer of Inner Strength, perhaps reaching its late stage, but never the fourth.

Even if his strength and Inner Qi were sufficient, even with the aid of the Saintess Flower, he couldn’t force his way to the fourth layer. Doing so would leave him constantly vulnerable to Qi Deviation. The invasion of a Heart Demon offered no warning, and no spiritual medicine would offer recourse.

Wu Ying began moving again, slightly slower than before.

Lightning grew more astute, and Zhang Yang slowly climbed, carrying the limp Qu Meilan.

He had briefly considered leaving her behind, but abandoning her now would be tantamount to murder. He had only knocked her out; she would awaken soon and immediately resume her compulsive rush toward the summit.

They traveled for about an hour when Wu Ying’s pace suddenly quickened slightly.

It was late afternoon now, coinciding almost exactly with the time Wu Zhiguo’s poison acted up yesterday. This meant Zhang Yang had less than a day left, and he needed to factor in travel time for the return journey.

Wu Ying darted ahead to a patch of low weeds and began calling insistently into the foliage.

Zhang Yang hurried over. Upon reaching the weeds, his eyes immediately lit up.

Behind the tangle of greenery rested a small, brilliantly colored plant bearing several bright red berries.

“Blood Su! At least three hundred years old!”

Zhang Yang was visibly delighted. This was an extremely rare, high-grade medicinal ingredient. Blood Su was an uncommon Chinese medicinal herb, vital for treating certain ailments.

Not only could Blood Su treat diseases, but it could also substitute many auxiliary herbs in prescriptions, yielding better results.

Wild Blood Su was already scarce; a specimen three centuries old or more was a rarity—a treasure that couldn't be bought with money.

Zhang Yang carefully plucked the crimson berries from the ‘Blood Su’ plant, leaving the root system intact.

By preserving the vegetation, the Blood Su could continue to grow, not perishing just because he took the fruit. Zhang Yang was not entirely greedy; digging up the whole plant would be useless, as a Blood Su of that age couldn't be transplanted elsewhere. It was better left to bear more fruit for future destined people.

After securing the Blood Su berries, Wu Ying continued leading the way forward.

Soon after, Zhang Yang’s expression darkened further.

In this brief span, he had discovered another valuable, high-grade herb—the kind almost impossible to find outside, yet seemingly common on Yinlong Mountain.

And this, too, was an aged specimen. Herbs of this quality simply could not grow undisturbed for so long anywhere else.

Though these weren't Spirit Medicines, they were rare masterpieces. Consecutive discoveries should have made him happy, yet he couldn't bring himself to rejoice.

At this moment, he finally grasped the most severe issue.

Yinlong Mountain appeared lush, filled with various wild grasses, flowers, and towering trees—looking entirely normal, yet it lacked one crucial element.

Life. Walking further, Zhang Yang realized the entire mountain was terrifyingly silent. Forget about wild pheasants, rabbits, or even ferocious beasts; he hadn't spotted a single ant.

This was clearly a dead mountain—a mountain existing only with plants, devoid of any animal life. This was the first time Zhang Yang had encountered such a place.

Zhang Yang’s face grew immensely grim again. Lightning and Wu Ying stood close together, their small faces devoid of any cheer, increasingly oppressed by the environment.

………… First update, returning home today, next chapter will be slightly later! .RT