The Crater

These storage bags all belonged to the rogue cultivators traveling with them on this trip. After they were ambushed and killed by the three Wu brothers, their belongings were naturally divided among the trio.

Shi Yu gave them a quick glance. Aside from a handful of loose spirit stones, low-tier pills, and minor spiritual materials, there was nothing of real value, so she stowed them all into the Fate-Tapping Bell.

“I'll dispose of these odds and ends once I get out of the mountain range,” she mused.

Looking down at the headless corpse before her, Shi Yu pursed her lips.

That the Slaughter Spring water possessed such terrifying power was both surprising and expected.

Even for her, retrieving a single drop to temper spiritual materials required wrapping it carefully in more than half her spiritual energy; otherwise, the sharp, destructive aura contained within would harm both her divine sense and physical body.

If someone were completely unprepared and touched undiluted Slaughter Spring water directly, the consequences were obvious.

“It works as a trump card, to be used only as a last resort.” Shi Yu shook her head slightly.

First, the supply of Slaughter Spring water was limited. Currently, it only produced three drops every half month, and her artifact refining consumed a great deal, leaving her with little to spare.

Second, just extracting a single drop drained most of her spiritual energy, which meant she could use it at most once during combat.

If she missed or faced more than one enemy, she would likely be left drained of Qi, at the mercy of others.

“If I refine some concealed weapons like Ice Soul Needles or Thunder Beads and find a way to coat them with Slaughter Spring water, that should yield great results.”

“I'll worry about that later,” she muttered. She continued using the branch to sift through Wu Hao's clothes and discovered another storage bag tucked inside his inner robe.

This was his personal storage bag.

Shi Yu extended her divine sense inside, her eyebrows arching into a pleased curve.

Wu Hao's own storage bag held quite a few good items.

Evidently, murdering rogue cultivators for their riches was something the three brothers had done more than once or twice.

Inside, there were over a thousand low-grade spirit stones alone, as well as several spiritual materials that caught Shi Yu's eye and could prove useful.

“Seven-Star Blood Vine, Sinew-Rending Grass, Heartbreak Honeysuckle, Earth Treasury Flower... all poisonous herbs.”

Among the Tier-2 pills Shi Yu intended to refine, a few happened to require these very ingredients.

“Now that the medicinal field inside the Fate-Tapping Bell has expanded, I can pick a few to plant in it.”

Apart from those, there were two technique manuals.

One was a cultivation technique called 《Thousand Spiders Hand》. Practicing it required the aid of various poisonous herbs and granted a divine ability to command venomous creatures.

With the 《Yin-Yang Fate-Tapping Record》 in her possession, Shi Yu had zero interest in other cultivation techniques and set it directly aside.

The other was a movement technique. After flipping through it briefly, she realized it was the very movement technique used by the rogue cultivator who had tried to claim the Dragon Bamboo Fruit for himself earlier.

“《Wind Walking Art》, just like 《Lesser Swallow Steps》, is a Tier-1 movement technique.” After scanning through it, she gained a general understanding. “The whole manual focuses on speed like a swift gale—its strength is obvious, and so is its flaw.”

“《Lesser Swallow Steps》 excels in flexibility and agility, best suited for combat rather than fleeing or traveling long distances. The two complement each other quite well...”

Moreover, with the Fate-Tapping Bell to refine and improve techniques, its effectiveness would surely reach an even higher level.

“I'll practice it once I'm out of the mountain range and somewhere safer.”

With her thoughts settled, Shi Yu stowed everything away and exhaled softly.

Wu Hao had ultimately reaped what he sowed.

After resting and adjusting her breathing for a moment until her divine sense recovered somewhat, she stowed the corpse of the nearby Moon-Embracing Kite-Falcon into the Fate-Tapping Bell as well.

Compared to the Scarlet Flame Void-Cleaving Python, the Moon-Embracing Kite-Falcon was much smaller in size, so enveloping it with her divine sense to store it wasn't nearly as strenuous as before.

Once everything was dealt with, Shi Yu casually burned Wu Hao's body and set off from the area.

These past few days had brought many twists and turns, but her harvest far exceeded her expectations.

Dragon Bamboo Grass, a movement technique, various spirit plants and spiritual materials... and most significant of all, the remains of two spirit beasts with power approaching the Golden Core Realm.

Once she returned and processed these gains, her strength would undoubtedly see a remarkable leap.

With this, only one matter remained for this trip. Once she resolved it, she could head to the prefecture's main city without lingering worries, search for the Heavenly Tone Lotus, and establish a firm foothold there.

Sensing the increasingly restless fire spiritual energy in the air, Shi Yu walked in the direction where it was most active.

The Spirit Wandering Talisman had teleported her not far from her destination. After walking about three or four li and crossing a ridge, her view cleared, revealing a volcano sitting directly ahead.

It was a graceful yet majestic peak, with smoke occasionally puffing from its summit. Framed by the blue sky and white clouds, it possessed a unique beauty that set it apart from the surrounding mountains.

Yet somehow, despite still being a distance away, Shi Yu felt as though she could see a mysterious, bone-chilling aura seeping from the deep crater.

Taking a deep breath, she picked up her pace and darted toward it.

...

By the time she reached the base of the volcano, dusk had already fallen.

Standing at its foot, its grandeur evoked a sense of solemn awe.

Smoke billowed continuously from the crater, dyeing the sunset-tinged blue sky into a deep, gloomy indigo.

Without much hesitation, Shi Yu began her ascent.

The mountain terrain beneath her feet felt strangely soft, the soles of her shoes sinking slightly into the ground as if stepping onto the skin of some colossal creature—the thought gave her a faint prickle of unease and dread.

Fissures cracked open across the ground from time to time, spewing debris and surging flames, filling her nose with a heavy stench of sulfur.

Though slightly uneasy, she couldn't resist her instincts, occasionally crouching to gather high-quality sulfur, ores, and the fire-attribute spirit herbs she stumbled upon every now and then.

By the time she finally reached the crater, night had long since fallen.

Sitting beside the crater, Shi Yu took out a small pot and cooked herself a pot of fragrant spiritual grain porridge.

Holding her bowl and sipping porridge, Shi Yu looked down at the tiny restless movements across the land below. At last, she sighed and turned her head to look behind her.

The crater was shaped like a funnel, with a radius of roughly ten-plus zhang. Looking down from above, the inside was pitch black, with only a faint glimmer of crimson light visible.

“Am I really going down there?” Finishing her porridge, she tried extending her divine sense downward, a look of apprehension surfacing on her face.

The crater seemed to lead straight down into the Earth's core, appearing utterly bottomless. When her divine sense probed downward, it sensed nothing at all.

The temperature, however, was blisteringly high. Even with her Fire-attribute Spiritual Meridian, which naturally drew her close to flame, the steaming heat still drenched her back in sweat.

Yet this discomfort did not last long. The dormant crimson within her bloodline seemed to answer a calling, lighting up once again for a brief moment.

In an instant, the discomfort faded. The blast of heat rolling over her now felt merely warm, like soaking in a hot spring, filling her with a blissful, comfortable glow.

Hesitating for a moment, Shi Yu took a deep breath and leaped down after all.

This volcano felt completely different to her; as if something in the darkness was summoning and drawing her. If she didn't go down and see what it was with her own eyes, she knew she wouldn't be able to rest.