Seeing Jiang Yuhe speak, Qi Yu and the other two all nodded. This was no loss for them, and they had some autonomy. As long as they were careful, there was no problem.
Moreover, they could see that Long Chen was a very resourceful person and should cherish his life more than others.
However, Zhao Qinglong was more cautious. He first declared that if things didn't work out, he wouldn't share a Spirit King Pill with Jiang Yuhe, clearly out of fear of Jiang Yushe tampering and not trusting her.
With this, they agreed that if they didn't find the ruins of the Seventh Branch, Zhao Qing Laolong and the leader of the Ironblood Mercenary Group would share one Spirit King Pill.
Thus, the matter was settled. Both sides reached a consensus: as long as there was no life-threatening danger, the four would act as guides and do their best to lead Long Chen and the others deeper inside.
The four of them were delighted to receive the Spirit King Pill, but they couldn't eat it now. If luck was on their side and they found the ruins, each person could receive a complete pill.
A complete Spirit King Pill can guarantee their advancement to a spiritual grade, and they won't share it until the very last moment.
What they didn't know was that these two pills were both refined by Long Chen himself, deliberately aged to make them think they were antiques, but it was just to deceive people.
Originally, the main ingredient of the Spirit King Pill was the core of the Hundred Spirit Peony, which blooms once every thousand years, and only the smallest part of the core could be used.
Moreover, the Spirit King Pill is extremely prone to failure during refining, which is why it has always been a rare treasure with no market value, rarely seen on the market.
Long Chen didn't have the Hundred Spirit Peony, but he did possess the Jianmu Divine Tree, which is also a spiritual object of heaven and earth. Long Chen extracted its essence, fused it with the Divine Beard Narcissus, and combined it with various auxiliary herbs, successfully refining the Spirit King Pill.
Although he had failed countless times along the way, Long Chen had plenty of materials and never regretted failing. In the end, he refined the Spirit King Pill, making it all worth it.
Originally, Long Chen researched the Spirit King Pill to earn more money. After all, when the Dragon Blood warriors returned, he had to support a whole family, and money was essential.
Among the pills Long Chen currently knew, the Spirit King Pill was the most profitable and in short supply, which was why he had set his sights on it.
What he didn't expect was that as soon as he developed it, it came in handy. A few Spirit King Pills could make several Immortal King experts work for him. It was totally worth it.
For safety's sake, everyone discussed it and ultimately chose the leader of the Ironblood Mercenary Group to lead the team, since he was the most experienced here and knew the area better than others.
At the same time, they all brought their trusted assistants. Zhao Qinglong's deputy was killed, leaving only a half-step Immortal King expert as a follower.
After roughly discussing a plan, they rested for the night. The next day, Bai Shishi fully recovered, and everyone set off together.
It must be said, they were local powerhouses who knew every terrain here inside out. However, even as they advanced, they had to be extremely cautious, avoiding the territories of many powerful magical beasts.
In this area, almost all the magical beasts that could be defeated were slain, and the remaining ones were mostly unable to fight and could only hide far away.
Some places allowed flight, while others had to slip through with their tails tucked. Without a teleportation array, they had to be cautious. After traveling forward for three days, Long Chen clearly sensed something strange, and Jiang Yuhe and the others' expressions grew serious.
"We're about to enter the dangerous zone ahead. Besides terrifying magical beasts, there are tree demons that silently take lives.
Let me make it clear in advance: if we alert a terrifying presence and our lives are threatened, we'll run away. When that happens, don't say we're disregarding our moral boundaries." The leader of the Ironblood Mercenary Group said solemnly.
"Morality?" Long Chen smiled.
Long Chen's smile made the Ironblood Mercenary Group leader's face flush. This was the Evil Dragon Domain, filled with bloody slaughter—where was there any sense of justice?
"Don't worry, if there's danger, you don't need to go. Just lead the way." Long Chen said calmly.
Although the Ironblood Mercenary Group leader and others had never been to the ruins of the Seventh Branch, they knew the general location. This area was vast; without them, Long Chen would have had to spend a lot of effort to find it.
The leader of the Ironblood Mercenary Group nodded, took the weapon in hand, and focused fully on leading the way, not daring to be careless.
The dense forest ahead grew deeper and the light dimmer. Earlier, as everyone moved forward, there were birds and insects chirping, but once they entered this area, the sounds disappeared, and everything fell into a frightening silence.
Although Zhao Qinglong and the others were Immortal King realm experts who usually killed without blinking, at this moment, each of them wore grave expressions, looking around tightly and gripping their weapons tightly.
You have to understand, this place is notorious for its treacherous and dangerous nature—one wrong move and you could lose your life.
The leader of the Ironblood Mercenary Group moved forward while looking at a formation disk in his hand to determine his position. In such a tense environment, his sense of direction became hazy. It seemed as if some mysterious force was suppressing people's spiritual sense, making them feel terrified.
"Wait a moment,"
Long Chen suddenly said. Everyone stopped in their tracks and looked at him.
Long Chen took out a longbow, and with a pun of the string, a streak of light shot away.
"Pfft"
Blood light splattered in the distance, and a monster that looked both human and ape-like, with wings on its back, was killed by Long Chen with a single arrow.
Everyone ran over to take a look. The monster had bark-like scales and had originally been attached behind a large tree, so it was completely invisible. They had no idea how Long Chen had discovered this creature.
"Ghostly Ape" The
leader of the Ironblood Mercenary Group's expression changed. He recognized this monster—the Ghostly Ape was not a being of the Immortal Realm, and there were no records of it. It was the name given to them by the powerful figures of the Evil Dragon Domain.
Their combat power was not overwhelming, but they had a terrifying ability: they emitted ghostly howls that could confuse people's minds. Even Divine Lord-level experts would fall victim.
This Ghost-Crying Ape likes to eat human brains. It is said that if you are bewitched, you lose consciousness. It bites open a person's skull with its teeth and directly sucks the brain marrow. It is extremely cruel and skilled at hiding, making it hard to detect.
The Ironblood Mercenary Group leader and others didn't notice the Ghostly Howling Ape at all, and its location was behind a tree, so no one could see it.
"Three more."
After Long Chen finished speaking, he took out three wooden arrows.
"Puff puff puff"
came three soft sounds from afar. People went over and saw that all three ghostly wailing apes had been skulled by arrows.
"Alright, the threat is lifted. Let's continue." As Long Chen spoke, he put away his longbow. The Ironblood Mercenary Group leader and the others all shuddered at Long Chen's unfathomable archery. This calm young man was so powerful it was terrifying.
In the dense forest, they carefully advanced for more than an hour. When they reached the base of a large tree, countless vines silently coiled around them.