Xie Zhaolin let out a long breath, her forehead beaded with sweat. This battle had looked simple, but in truth it was dangerous as hell. If the swarm hadn't backed her up, she would've been forced into a drawn-out struggle. She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and studied the corpse of the blackwater mysterious fish with a thoughtful gaze.
This Blackwater Mystic Fish was far stronger than the average second-rank beast. Its death throes alone carried the force of nearly a third-rank strike. Clearly, the beasts in Blackwater Abyss were far more dangerous than those outside at the same level.
"No wonder even the Hehuan Sect disciples don't dare tread here lightly…" she muttered.
But high risk always meant high reward. She crouched down to inspect the spoils. The fish's scales gleamed with metallic luster, its fins traced with faint silver lines. These were top-quality materials for refining artifacts.
Most precious of all was its venom gland, the size of a clenched fist. The toxin stored inside was enough to refine dozens of poison pills. Not to mention, since the beast lived next to Xuanyin Grass for so long, its body had to be saturated with pure yin energy.
Xie Zhaolin carefully extracted the venom gland and sealed it in a special jade vial. Then she peeled off a dozen of the most intact scales and stored them in her pouch.
Just as she was about to rise, her eyes caught a glimmer of blue near the fish's gills. Embedded there was a crystal-clear shard, glowing with dreamlike halos in the sunlight.
"A Water Spirit Crystal?" Her pupils contracted as surprise flashed across her face.
Normally, only water beasts of third-rank or above could condense such a treasure. She never thought a second-rank Mystic Fish could already form its embryonic core! It wasn't fully matured, but even as a fragment, it was a rare gem that couldn't be sought out deliberately.
After collecting her gains, she walked toward the Xuanyin Grass by the pool. Without the Mystic Fish guarding it, harvesting was easy. She carefully uprooted three stalks and sealed them inside a jade box.
"Not bad."
Just as she was about to leave, the Queen Bee sent a warning: there was something else at the bottom of the pool!
Xie Zhaolin narrowed her eyes and commanded her spider puppet. Threads of silk dipped into the water, and through their trembling she sensed the shapes below.
"What's this…?"
Her eyes widened. She yanked hard!
Water splashed as a pitch-black stone surfaced, wrapped in spider silk. Fine silver lines traced across its surface.
"Xuanyin Iron!"
She caught the ore with a thrill of joy.
This spiritual ore only grew in extremely yin environments. It was one of the best materials for forging yin-aligned artifacts. No wonder the pool had both Xuanyin Grass and even a Water Spirit Crystal. So the root lay here!
She wasted no time, sending the puppet back down. Soon, several more chunks of Xuanyin Iron came up, the largest the size of a fist, enough to craft a small artifact.
Glancing around, she realized this seemingly ordinary cold pond hid so many treasures. If this was any sign, Blackwater Abyss surely had more such hidden treasure grounds. As much as she wanted to explore further, reason screamed she had to leave. The blood stench from the Mystic Fish could lure in something far more terrifying.
She quickly formed seals, and a wisp of black qi swept across the battlefield, erasing every trace of blood and aura.
The swarm hovered above, keeping watch. The Shisha Spider crouched nearby, vigilant.
"Go."
With a soft command, Xie Zhaolin darted into the forest's depths.
Led by the Queen Bee, she soon found a hidden crack in the rocks. Inside was dry and airy, with natural vents above that let in light and gave her a clear view of the outside.
"This will do."
Her fingertip flicked, weaving several strands of black qi into a net across the entrance, forming a simple warning barrier.
The Queen Bee ordered the workers to spread out and guard, while the spider took position at the top, filling the crack with near-invisible threads.
Xie Zhaolin sat cross-legged and pulled out the largest piece of Xuanyin Iron. Its silver lines pulsed faintly, the ore icy to the touch. Pure yin qi seeped from it, stirring even the baleful qi in her meridians.
"Let's refine this first."
She pinched a seal, black qi coiling from her fingertips around the ore. The silver patterns lit up, the ore beginning to dissolve at a snail's pace. This would take endless cycles of nurturing with her own power, day and night, until every impurity was purged.
While the process ticked away, she drew out the Mystic Fish's scales. Thin as cicada wings yet hard as steel, their edges gleamed with deadly sharpness. She gathered black qi at her fingertips and etched complicated runes onto their surface.
"Ssshh—"
When the final stroke sank in, blood-red lines crawled across the scales. Though she wasn't a master forger, as the former chief disciple of the Hehuan Sect she had studied artifact refinement. Crafting basic weapons was a compulsory skill. All the knowledge she'd accumulated over centuries now became her greatest lifeline.
Carefully, she dripped a bead of the fish's blood onto the runes. The instant blood touched, scarlet mist hissed up.
Five hours later, eighteen thin throwing scales were complete. Xie Zhaolin exhaled a long breath and flicked one between her fingers. The scale spun dexterously, silver light streaking through the dim cave.
"Go."
Her wrist trembled, sending the scale flying. It embedded deep into the rock wall without a sound. Worse, the venom still clinging to it corroded the stone, leaving a bowl-sized hole.
"Not bad."
She smiled faintly, recalling the scale. Then she brought out the Water Spirit Crystal.
Inside the shard, water seemed to flow, casting blue light through the darkness. She hesitated. Instead of refining it, she tucked it away. This water-element treasure didn't align with her cultivation method. Trading it would be wiser. After double-checking the barrier, she took out the Xuanyin Grass.
She wanted to refine it into pills, but that required specific auxiliary ingredients. Choosing pragmatism, she decided to refine it directly. Though it'd waste some potency, it'd boost her strength immediately, essential for survival in this abyss.
She soaked the roots in a special jade dew, while shrouding the leaves in black qi. As her technique circulated, pure yin power slowly seeped out, flowing into her meridians and down into her dantian.
When the first rays of dawn filtered through the cracks above, Xie Zhaolin finally opened her eyes. After a night of cultivation, her spiritual power was fully restored, and her body carried a trace of yin attribute, letting her resist the abyss's baleful qi more effectively.
"Time to move."
She stowed everything away and scanned the area with her divine sense. The swarm confirmed no disturbances within three miles. Even so, she stayed on edge. The battle yesterday had been noisy enough to draw unwanted eyes. Before leaving, she scattered a ring of Beast-Repelling Powder, made from the venom of Yinsha Bees. It could mask the aura of any human cultivator.
Crossing through a withered forest, the Queen Bee suddenly buzzed an alert.
Xie Zhaolin vanished into the shadows.
Not far away lay the corpse of a three-eyed demon wolf, its throat cleanly slit. A faint spiritual fluctuation lingered on the wound.
"A cultivator…"
Just as the thought formed, a sharp crack rang out in the distance!
Her head snapped up. A dead leaf spun down from the treetops, though there was no wind.
Too quiet.
Her pupils shrank. The Queen Bee shivered violently on her shoulder, its compound eyes reflecting a blurred figure. Someone was standing only three paces behind her, shrouded in the tree's shadow, unmoving, silent. And she couldn't sense them at all!
The figure slowly raised a hand.
Run!!!