Chapter 516 - 512: Extremely Dangerous
Chapter 516: Chapter 512: Extremely Dangerous
’This wasn’t a natural death!’
Fang Han carefully examined the skeleton of the Grandmaster Demon and then discovered an even more astonishing fact.
The Grandmaster Demon’s skeleton had clear signs of being violently broken. This meant the Grandmaster Demon hadn’t died of natural causes, but had been killed by some other being!
What did this imply?
It meant that there were very likely Grandmaster Demons in this Secret Realm, and even they weren’t absolutely safe.
This Secret Realm was far more dangerous than he had imagined!
’I have to be even more careful from now on!’
An indescribable sense of unease rose in Fang Han’s heart, but he forcibly suppressed it.
To quell his anxiety, he stopped thinking about potential dangers and instead focused on the Grandmaster Demon’s skeleton itself.
’It should be worth a lot of money, right?’
A Grandmaster Level Demon, even in death with only a skeleton remaining, was extremely valuable. It was good enough to be used as material for forging High-Grade Magical Soldiers.
If he deposited it into the system panel, it was sure to be worth a lot.
"Deposit."
Fang Han placed his hand on the Grandmaster Demon’s skeleton and summoned his system panel.
The enormous Grandmaster Level Demon skeleton, along with the vines wrapped around it and the moss covering it, vanished in an instant, as if wiped away by an invisible hand.
All that remained was a patch of compacted earth and a few large rocks that had been half-hidden by the skeleton.
[Wealth: 550,000 gold → 620,000 gold]
’It actually increased by a full seventy thousand gold.’
Fang Han glanced at his total wealth.
In less than an hour since entering the Secret Realm, he had already earned one hundred thousand gold.
Just as he had guessed, this Secret Realm was indeed full of precious treasures. In fact, treasures were everywhere.
Of course, it was also bound to be dangerous. After all, even the skeleton of a Grandmaster Level Demon could be found here.
’Time to keep exploring!’
Fang Han continued forward.
The decaying leaves underfoot were still soft and silent, and the surrounding forest remained vast and dense.
There were no birds chirping, no insects buzzing. Only the sound of his own footsteps and breath echoed through this primeval forest, which had been silent for who knows how many ages.
’What is that fragrance?’
As he passed through a dense forest of towering ancient trees, Fang Han’s steps suddenly faltered.
His nostrils flared slightly.
A faint aroma wafted through the air.
The scent was extremely faint, almost imperceptible, mixed in with the damp smell of decaying leaves and the fresh scent of plants. Anyone else probably wouldn’t have noticed it at all.
But after cultivating the Thousand-Mile Soul-Locking Art to Perfection, his sense of smell had been honed to an extreme sharpness. Not even the faintest scent could escape his perception.
The fragrance was different from that of ordinary flowers. It wasn’t the cloyingly sweet kind that attracted bees and butterflies, but a clear, crisp aroma with the faint, unique bitterness of medicinal herbs.
It was like the cool mist rising from a cold spring on a hot summer day. Just smelling it was enough to invigorate the spirit.
’This is definitely no ordinary thing.’
Fang Han followed the fragrance deeper into the dense forest.
The further he went, the clearer the scent became. It was no longer faint and elusive, but had coalesced into an invigorating, profound aroma.
He pushed through a thicket of dense bushes, and the view suddenly opened up.
This was an extremely hidden small valley, surrounded by steep cliffs. Only a narrow fissure allowed passage. Had he not followed the scent all the way here, it would have been impossible to find.
The light in the valley was dim, but with Fang Han’s Eye Power at the Late Stage of Third Grade, he could still see the scene within clearly.
In the very center of the valley floor grew a peculiar plant.
The plant was about a foot tall and pale purple all over. Its stem was as slender as a chopstick but stood perfectly straight, without any vines or branches.
At its top grew five perfectly round leaves. Their surfaces were covered with fine, spiderweb-like silver veins that shimmered faintly in the dim light, just like stars in the night sky.
Cradled within the five leaves was a flower bud, waiting to bloom.
The bud was about the size of a walnut, pale gold in color, with a faint shimmer of light flowing across its surface.
That clear, invigorating medicinal fragrance was emanating from this very flower bud.
"Star Orchid."
Fang Han whispered the name, a flash of pleasant surprise in his eyes.
He had seen records of this item in the Sect’s archives—the Star Orchid, a Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure capable of neutralizing rare poisons.
It was named for the star-like silver veins on its leaves. Its petals could cure any strange poison in the world. No matter how deeply one was poisoned, as long as a single breath remained, it could completely eradicate the toxin.
’No danger!’
Fang Han didn’t rush forward to pick it. Instead, he stopped and fully activated his Thousand-Mile Soul-Locking Art, carefully sensing the surrounding auras.
There was no aura of a Demon, nothing abnormal at all.
Only after confirming multiple times that there was no danger did Fang Han step forward and pluck the Star Orchid.
’It would be too much of a waste to deposit this!’
Fang Han took a Cold Jade Box from his Storage Ring, carefully placed the Star Orchid inside, closed the lid, and put it back into his Storage Ring.
Although the Sect’s Jade Dew Pills could also counteract poison, they were only effective against common toxins.
If he encountered the venom of some bizarrely poisonous creature, or a potent poison used by an expert who cultivated Poison Skills, the Jade Dew Pills would fall short.
He didn’t plan to deposit this Star Orchid into his system panel. He would keep it as a life-saving measure.
At a critical moment, it could mean the difference between life and death.
He continued onward.
With his previous gains, Fang Han became even more vigilant of the forest, but also more expectant—
vigilant of the potential dangers, and expectant of what he might discover next.
’This aura?’
After walking for several *li*, an aura suddenly appeared in Fang Han’s perception.
Sensing this aura, his steps came to a halt, and his pupils contracted sharply in an instant.
The aura exuded an indescribable terror. It was as deep as an abyss and as vast as the sea, carrying a pressure that made one’s very soul tremble.
It was just like the Black-Scaled Demon Tiger he had encountered before.
No, it was even stronger.
’A Grandmaster Level Demon!’
In that instant, a layer of cold sweat broke out on Fang Han’s back.
No wonder this forest was so deathly still—no birds or beasts, no insects, not even the sound of the wind seemed to exist, as if it had been swallowed whole.
So this was the territory of a Grandmaster Level Demon.
He held his breath, and the Returning Ruins Hidden Essence Skill began to operate with unprecedented intensity.
The Stealth Secret Technique, at its Realm of Perfection, was unleashed without reservation, instantly suppressing his aura to the absolute limit.
His heartbeat became slow and drawn-out, his skin temperature merged with the environment, and his breathing became nearly inaudible. He was like a piece of dead wood, a lifeless stone.
’Good. I’ve been maintaining the Returning Ruins Hidden Essence Skill this whole time, so I haven’t been discovered!’
Only after confirming that the terrifying aura was stable and showed no unusual fluctuations did the string of tension in Fang Han’s heart, stretched to its limit, loosen ever so slightly.
Thankfully, he was far enough away that the Grandmaster Level Demon probably hadn’t noticed him.
If he had been discovered, his chances of survival would have been slim.
’I have to leave this Grandmaster Level Demon’s territory immediately!’
Fang Han turned around silently, his steps extremely light and steady, as he slowly retreated in the direction away from the aura.
His movements were so light that he didn’t even crush a single decaying leaf under his feet.
After retreating more than ten *li*, and confirming he was far away from the terrifying aura, Fang Han finally let out a full sigh of relief.
Even though his current strength was quite impressive—he could even kill a First Grade Martial Artist like Meng Zhao by wielding the Wind Shocking Sword, a Spiritual Weapon—
he was absolutely no match for a Grandmaster Level Demon.
A Grandmaster Level Demon could probably kill him more easily than he could kill a Middle Third-Grade Martial Artist.
He felt like he’d just taken a walk through the gates of hell.
As he continued to move away from the Grandmaster Demon, the auras of animals and even other Demons began to appear in Fang Han’s perception.
A small bird flew overhead, its wings beating in a fine, rapid rhythm.
Two gray rabbits rustled through the undergrowth, nibbling on something.
Farther off, a few muntjacs were drinking from a stream, flicking their tails from time to time to drive away unseen insects.
The auras of two Demons appeared five *li* away. Though no match for a Grandmaster Demon, they were still extremely powerful, having clearly reached the level of the Upper Three Grades.
’I should be out of the Grandmaster Demon’s territory now!’
Fang Han slowly let out a long breath.
Demons have an extremely strong sense of territory. No other Demon would dare set foot within a radius of several dozen *li* of a place occupied by a Grandmaster Level Demon.
Now that he could sense the auras of these scattered Demons, it meant he had completely left the Grandmaster Level Demon’s territory.
He continued forward, his steps a little lighter than before.
After passing through a dense forest, the terrain suddenly rose, and a hill about a few hundred feet high lay before him.
Fang Han tapped his toes on tree trunks for leverage, reaching the summit in just a few leaps.
Standing atop the hill, Fang Han gazed into the distance.
The vastness of this Secret Realm far exceeded his imagination.
In the distance, mountain ranges stretched on like waves of dark indigo. Closer by, the sea of trees surged like a green ocean. A winding stream glittered as it appeared and disappeared through the forest.
’Hm? What’s that?’
Off to one side, a silver light caught Fang Han’s attention.
Far in the distance, about several *li* away, a dazzling silver light pierced through the gaps in the sea of trees, like a giant silver sword stabbing toward the sky.
The light was so intense that it was clearly visible even through the dense forest, appearing especially dazzling against the verdant surroundings.
’What could that be?’
Fang Han’s brow twitched slightly.
What on earth was emitting that silver light?
He didn’t move immediately. Instead, he first used the Thousand-Mile Soul-Locking Art to carefully sense in that direction.
There was no aura of a Demon, nor any other abnormalities.
After confirming multiple times that it was safe, he unleashed his Body Technique and sped toward the source of the silver light.
He covered the distance of several *li* in a matter of moments.
When he broke through the last thicket of bushes and saw the scene before him, his steps came to an abrupt halt.
"This..."
Fang Han’s mouth fell open. For a moment, he was at a loss for words.
Before him was a relatively open field of gravel, surrounded by trees, like a natural open-pit mine.
And in the very center of this gravel field stood a piece of Silver Mine ore so enormous it was difficult to describe. It lay there like a mountain of silver.
Its entire body was a dark silver color, its surface covered in a dense network of natural crystalline patterns.
Sunlight poured down through the gaps in the canopy, striking the crystalline faces and refracting into thousands of dazzling silver beams that scattered in all directions.
The shock had nothing to do with his Cultivation or his strength. It was a purely instinctual, primal impact from seeing such a massive quantity of silver, the very metal of currency.