Ji Hong departed at dawn the next day, leading nearly fifty Black Armored Army soldiers, while Teng Qingshan, Guan Lü, and thirty experts from the Gui Yuan Sect remained behind.
The Gui Yuan Sect was not the only one coveting the scales of the Scarlet Scaled Beast. Many people still lingered at the foot of Flame Mountain.
...
In the blink of an eye, twenty-six days had passed since Ji Hong left!
As evening approached, Teng Qingshan descended the mountain alone, holding the Samsara Spear with an air of careless freedom.
“Commander Teng!” The experts of the Gui Yuan Sect at the camp greeted him enthusiastically upon seeing Teng Qingshan return. Ever since witnessing the battle among the experts in the center of the lava lake, everyone had gained a clear understanding of Teng Qingshan’s strength. He was definitely operating at the level of the Earth Ranking, and likely near the top of it!
“Commander Teng, did you find the Scarlet Scaled Beast?”
“Ha ha, with so many of you failing to find it, it’s bound to be difficult for me to find it as well,” Teng Qingshan replied with a smile.
“Hmph.” A cold snort sounded.
Teng Qingshan turned to see Leader Guan Lü stride out of her private, large tent, her face grim: “So many people, and we’re just waiting for you!”
“Haha, let’s eat, let’s eat,” Teng Qingshan laughed heartily, unwilling to engage in a spat with Guan Lü.
‘Stirred up a woman! Alas!’ Teng Qingshan sat down at the table, glancing at Guan Lü beside him, sighing internally. ‘Just one win? I held back a considerable amount of my power. I didn't even let you lose too miserably, and now you’re constantly giving me the cold shoulder.’ Teng Qingshan felt helpless.
Twenty-six days prior, right after Ji Hong left.
According to Guan Lü’s suggestion, she and Teng Qingshan were supposed to each lead half the contingent into the mountain to search. However, Teng Qingshan insisted on going into the mountains alone, leaving Guan Lü to lead all the experts. This greatly displeased Guan Lü. Somehow, it led to a challenge being issued!
Knowing full well Teng Qingshan was stronger, Guan Lü insisted on the contest anyway.
In the end, Teng Qingshan allowed Guan Lü to lose by a slight margin, ensuring she wouldn't lose too much face.
Who would have thought... Teng Qingshan was capable of operating solo, yet Guan Lü’s resentment toward him only deepened.
“Teng Qingshan!” Guan Lü sat at the same table as Teng Qingshan for dinner and said solemnly, “It has been twenty-six days. That Scarlet Scaled Beast has likely completed its transformation by now. Entering Flame Mountain now means the danger has increased significantly. I suggest you stop acting alone and stick with us. It’ll be safer.”
Teng Qingshan smiled: “Commander Guan, if the Scarlet Scaled Beast has fully transformed, any attempt by people like us to fight it head-on would be suicide.”
Guan Lü choked on her words.
Even Xiantian experts were deeply wary of the transformed Scarlet Scaled Beast; anyone going to confront it directly would be throwing their life away.
“Finding the scales isn't about brute force; we have to rely on this.” Teng Qingshan tapped his temple. “Don't worry, Commander Guan, I have a plan.”
“Hmph.” Guan Lü’s face immediately chilled.
She offered him the kindness of traveling together, yet Teng Qingshan simply didn't appreciate it.
Teng Qingshan looked at the stern-faced Guan Lü and whispered with a smile, “Commander Guan, let me tell you a secret.”
“Hm?” Guan Lü frowned and looked at her.
“Actually, Commander Guan, you are quite beautiful. If you didn't always wear that icy expression and smiled more often, many young men in the sect would likely pursue you,” Teng Qingshan teased. Guan Lü’s eyes instantly widened in shock, leaving her momentarily stunned. She was notorious in the Gui Yuan Sect for being cold and ruthless.
Moreover, she held a high command position at such a young age. Her commanding demeanor usually deterred any young man from approaching her; most likely, they were nervous even speaking in her presence.
Commander Guan stared at Teng Qingshan, bit her lip, and finally—
“Hmph.”
With an angry huff, she threw down her chopsticks and stormed straight into her large tent.
Teng Qingshan watched Guan Lü’s retreating figure, shook his head with a smile, and pleasantly sipped his wine.
‘Women!’ Teng Qingshan sighed. In his previous life in the assassin organizations, he had seen every type: the alluring female assassins, the cold female assassins. He had seen women far colder than Commander Guan. Take his wife, ‘Little Cat,’ for instance—a woman as icy as a machine!
Only around Teng Qingshan would she display a softer, feminine side.
In truth, Teng Qingshan harbored a slight fondness for this cold Guan Lü. Perhaps...
It was because his wife in his past life was also such a cold person.
‘If I had possessed this much strength in my previous life, perhaps many tragedies wouldn't have occurred,’ Teng Qingshan drank another cup of wine. Though tinged with a hint of sorrow, his state of mind remained calm. ‘The world of my past life had sparse spiritual energy, and we didn't have marvels like the Black Fire Spirit Root.’
Reflecting on the past twenty-six days, Teng Qingshan felt a touch of awe.
The real reason he went solo was... he wasn't entering the mountain to hunt the Scarlet Scaled Beast, but to quietly practice the Tiger Form Divine Art.
Just as he predicted, the Tiger Form Divine Art truly allowed his entire body to unlock further potential and absorb energy.
However, the absorption of the ‘mysterious energy of the Black Fire Spirit Root’ latent within Teng Qingshan was tied to his cultivation time! The longer Teng Qingshan practiced the Tiger Form Divine Art, the more energy he absorbed. Furthermore, this progress occurred at an almost constant rate.
For twenty-six full days, Teng Qingshan's improvement each day was nearly identical!
“Twenty-six days, and my bone and muscle strength have increased by another ten thousand catties. And it doesn't look like it's near the end yet,” Teng Qingshan marvelled at the vastness of the energy contained within the Black Fire Spirit Root. Counting the sudden initial boost of twenty thousand catties, his total strength increase now amounted to thirty thousand catties!
His physical strength had climbed from one hundred eighty thousand catties to two hundred ten thousand catties! In less than a month.
“It’s a good thing this Black Fire Spirit Root fell into my hands! If it were another martial artist, they focus on internal force, not enhancing physical strength. If they ingested the Black Fire Spirit Root, it would be a complete waste.” Teng Qingshan lamented for those historical martial artists who consumed Black Fire Spirit Roots.
What a waste!
He had already improved by thirty thousand catties, and the rate was still constant.
“For instance, the Xiantian expert ‘Sima Qing’; the explosive power of his Xiantian True Essence is roughly close to two hundred thousand catties,” Teng Qingshan clearly recalled the battle from days ago. “Just by instantly boosting my internal force by sixty thousand catties of immense power, I severely injured him. Of course... this also has to do with Sima Qing being relatively weak!”
Teng Qingshan was clear-headed!
After killing Sima Qing, Teng Qingshan wasn't arrogant enough to think he was invincible.
“Based on Sima Qing’s strength, he is likely in the first tier of the three great Xiantian realms: the ‘Void Core’! Moreover, Sima Qing specialized in agile close combat and evasion. He’s quite lacking in true, direct confrontation,” Teng Qingshan speculated. Among Xiantian experts, Sima Qing probably ranked near the bottom.
It was similar to how, among peak Houtian masters,
The Thunder God Blade ‘Wu Yue’ could easily slaughter a crowd of first-rate martial artists. Even among Xiantian 'Void Core' experts, there should be variations in skill level.
“However, the fact that I could kill Sima Qing with an overwhelming advantage means that if I face a Xiantian ‘Void Core’ master, I still have a slight chance,” Teng Qingshan did not underestimate himself unnecessarily.
“Right, tomorrow I enter the mountain and begin searching for the Scarlet Scaled Beast!” Teng Qingshan immediately dismissed further musings. * The next morning, autumn was already setting in deeply in September, and the weather had grown colder.
“Time flies; it’s been three months since I set out,” Teng Qingshan moved alone across Flame Mountain, sighing softly. It took nearly twenty days to escort the cargo to Chu County in early June. He had now been at Flame Mountain for just over two months. When he left Jiangning, it was the scorching heat of summer; now, the weather had cooled.
Teng Qingshan moved like a nimble monkey, advancing rapidly across the vast mountain.
He couldn't be bothered to take detours.
He climbed directly to the summit of a high peak, then leaped off the cliff's edge. Circulating internal force within his body, the perceived weight of his entire body sharply decreased as he plummeted toward the valley!
Boom!
Upon landing, the ground shook violently, creating a crater, and the surrounding earth cracked. Teng Qingshan walked out with a smile.
“A hundred-zhang cliff; combining internal force with physical strength truly allows one to easily dissipate the impact,” Teng Qingshan then darted directly into the cave, beginning his descent into the region of the underground lava lake.
Teng Qingshan began his search in the first location—underground!
...
Many martial artists claimed that after the battle, the Scarlet Scaled Beast would leave the underground to find a hidden place on the surface to undergo its transformation. Therefore, many people were searching above ground!
While saying so verbally, many martial artists understood in their hearts—
The Scarlet Scaled Beast was very likely still underground!
Because underground lay the maze of tunnels! The tunnels were pitch black, one after another. Some tunnels were extremely high, perfectly capable of accommodating the Scarlet Scaled Beast walking through them. Some tunnels were lower. But... everyone harbored a deep fear of the tunnels being entirely dark, rendering their vision useless.
Thus, they were reluctant to enter.
“Gurgle~~” The lava lake boiled as usual.
Teng Qingshan walked directly into the tunnel, moving slowly, the Samsara Spear constantly ready for an attack.
‘My eyes, in this darkness, can actually see so far.’ Teng Qingshan marveled internally. In the completely dark tunnel, Teng Qingshan could see dozens of zhang away (nearly a hundred meters) at a glance. He recalled that a month ago, in this same tunnel, he could only see a few zhang.
Since practicing the Tiger Form Divine Art, Teng Qingshan’s vision in dark conditions had markedly improved.
And his hearing was also improving.
‘Furthermore, whenever I unleash my physical power, the skin across my entire body subtly glows a dark crimson! And its toughness has clearly increased too.’ Teng Qingshan was astonished by his own changes over these twenty-six days. The faintly crimson skin, growing tougher and tougher... this reminded Teng Qingshan of demonic beasts!
‘Scarlet Scaled Beast! I remember when I first pursued the juvenile beast, it suddenly erupted, its whole body turning bright red, and its speed greatly increasing.’
‘Now, when my physical strength explodes, my skin also faintly shows a dark red hue—though it's subtle and usually unnoticeable.’
Teng Qingshan wasn't foolish.
He realized this must be related to the ‘Black Fire Spirit Root’!
The first time the Black Fire Spirit Root’s energy was actively absorbed, Teng Qingshan’s vision, hearing, and skin showed no changes. But now, actively cultivating and absorbing that energy, gradual changes began to manifest.
‘At least in darkness, I have an advantage! And my physical defense is stronger. Of course... it’s not as exaggerated as the Scarlet Scaled Beast’s!’ Whenever Teng Qingshan thought of the Scarlet Scaled Beast, he couldn't help but praise it. While the beast’s physical strength was mediocre when young, its scales were terrifyingly tough.
Though Teng Qingshan had improved, the increase wasn't as pronounced.
“Hm?”
Teng Qingshan walked casually along, but suddenly, he whipped his head around to look in a distant direction. About several dozen zhang away, a massive, scarlet-red head was staring back at him.
‘Scarlet Scaled Beast! Scarlet scales? It, it has fully transformed?’ Teng Qingshan was greatly alarmed. ‘Wait, I can see it, but it shows no reaction. Does the Scarlet Scaled Beast not see me?’
Teng Qingshan was unsure about the Scarlet Scaled Beast's vision.
Likewise, the Scarlet Scaled Beast assumed Teng Qingshan couldn't see it from dozens of zhang away! In its perception, in the completely black environment, humans were blind.