Mount Gu Cong was filled with miasma so birds and beasts couldn't fly there. Even if they did, they would be knocked down by the rising miasma and die a horrible death.
This was one of South Continent's most dangerous places.
However, no matter how dangerous a place was, there were still traces of humans.
Their ancestors had long said that fortune and misfortune came hand in hand. Daoism emphasized the two extremes of yin and yang. Even though it was a dangerous place, there were still many hidden benefits. For example, the mountain was filled with spirit herbs and spirit beasts. Herb gatherers and hunters often visited Mount Gu Cong.
Lin Jin didn't let the eagle beast fly in directly. For one, Mount Gu Cong was filled with miasma so the eagle beast might not be able to withstand it. Another reason was that the Taoist might have set up a trap. Comparatively speaking, it was less risky to enter the mountain from land. More importantly, the miasma here was too strong. Even the strongest flying beast couldn't withstand it, let alone the eagle beast.
On the mountain road, in front of them was the miasma filled Mount Gu Chong World. Beside it stood a crooked stone tablet with the words' Mount Gu Chong 'written in ancient characters. There were many damaged places on the stone tablet and withered vines grew all over it.
Goldy had been feeling inexplicably excited since the beginning. He was eager to give it a try. If Lin Jin hadn't restrained him, he would have charged into Mount Gu Cong by now.
Just then, Lin Jin saw a herb gatherer resting on a rock up ahead. The man was wearing a straw hat and short robes. He had a strong physique and it was obvious that he was a frequent traveler. Beside him was a medicinal basket and a bag of dried rations wrapped in leaves. They were glutinous rice balls wrapped in dried meat and dried vegetables. They were wrapped in rice and steamed in a pot. Lin Jin carried them with him so that he could eat one whenever he was hungry. It was quite convenient.
Lin Jin approached with Shang 'er in his arms. The herb gatherer noticed Lin Jin's approach so he glanced at him warily before reaching for the medicine knife on his back.
The herb gatherer's medicine knife resembled a sickle used to cut wheat but was smaller. As they had to travel the mountains all year round, the medicine men's medicine knives were extremely sharp. They had no problem cutting herbs and could even deal with beasts and bandits.
Lin Jin wore a mask and carried a pretty little fox in his arms. Beside him was a rooster. The rooster was obviously excited as it kept flapping its wings, eager to try something out.
This style and combination would definitely arouse suspicion and make people fearful.
The herb-gatherer was very fearful. Other than gripping the hilt of his knife, the squirrel in his basket also poked its head out. It was a little restless.
Clearly, this squirrel was his pet beast.
Lin Jin didn't stop. He continued forward, walking past the herb harvester and heading for Mount Gu Cong. When the herbalist saw that he was just a passer-by, he let out a sigh of relief. He did not have enough time to see where he was going, so after some thought, he asked, "Sir, are you going to Mount Gu Cong?"
Lin Jin paused and nodded. "That's right."
The herbalist continued, "Mount Gu Cong is a dangerous place. If you don't have anything urgent to do, try not to go there."
This was a kind advice.
The herbalist often gathered herbs at the edge of Mount Gu Cong, so he was very familiar with this place. When he saw this person rashly enter the mountain, he tried to dissuade him out of goodwill.
Lin Jin understood what the herbalist was trying to say. He smiled and said, "I do have something important to tell you."
"I see!" At this, the herbalist could only say, "Then, sir, you must be careful of the miasma and all kinds of poisonous insects. There are many insect repellent plants by the roadside, those seven-leafed plants. Pick some up and wear them to repel poisonous insects."
As he spoke, the herbalist pointed at some herbs by the roadside.
He clearly meant well.
Lin Jin saluted him and thanked him.
Then, without further ado, he stepped into the miasma shrouding Mount Gu Cong.
The herbalist watched as Lin Jin left. He sighed and mumbled to himself, "Sigh, I wonder where this pugilist came from. People used to say that there were immortals in Mount Gu Cong, but I think they were all lies. All these years, countless people have entered the mountain because of this legend, only to lose their lives. Forget it, I've said what I have to say. Just do your best."
Having said that, the herbalist stuffed the remaining rice balls into his mouth. When he turned to look, he was stunned.
His pet beast, the squirrel that had been trained to search for herbs, looked a little strange at this moment. There was a cloud of medicinal energy surrounding its body. Apart from that, the herbs that had been collected in the basket were all filled with wood spirit energy. Some of them were even growing.
This was something he had never seen before.
In all his years, this was the herbalist's first time seeing something like this.
If someone with a bit of knowledge saw Squirrel's current state, they would know that this was a sign of a pet beast's evolution.
Or rather, this pet beast was evolving.
Only after reaching Rank 2 could one use elemental powers. This squirrel was obviously of the wood attribute, which explained the medicinal aura and the strange sight of growing herbs.
By now, Lin Jin had stepped into Mount Gu Cong.
"There really is a lot of miasma here!" Lin Jin couldn't see anything more than ten feet in front of him. Miasma and white fog were everywhere, so there was a reason why this place was called a danger zone.
Under the miasma, many poisonous insects were darting through the grass. Rustling sounds echoed in Lin Jin's ears as well. Even with Lin Jin's mental fortitude, he felt his scalp tingle.
Shang 'er was clearly displeased as well. Goldy, on the other hand, was as happy as a little chick that had never seen the world. He began to hunt for food in a frenzy.
Lin Jin didn't stop him. He could eat as much as he wanted. It wasn't easy to find insects in other places anyway. Now that he was here, Lin Jin let him eat as much as he wanted. After all, Goldy had contributed a lot back at Daluo Temple.
The only thing that worried Lin Jin was that these poisonous insects might hurt Goldy if they were too poisonous. But after giving it some thought, he realized that his worries were unfounded. Goldy had a unique constitution and since he dared to eat, he wasn't afraid of being poisoned.
Even if he was poisoned, with Lin Jin around, nothing would happen to him.
Goldy ran around happily, holding all sorts of poisonous insects, centipedes, and scorpions in his mouth. He was having a great time feasting on them all.
After entering the mountain, Lin Jin could sense White Ape's aura.
The other party had deliberately allowed White Ape to reveal himself. In other words, the 'Taoist' knew that Lin Jin was here.
Following the aura, Lin Jin walked forward. After passing through the dense forest and mountain stream, he arrived at a valley. Something unexpected happened. Or rather, it was inevitable.
The miasma around them was getting thicker. Rustling sounds could be heard coming from the miasma. Lin Jin could tell that there were a lot of poisonous insects here.
The poisonous miasma insects seemed to have been activated by some kind of spell as they were unusually active.
Lin Jin waved his sleeves, sending out a strong gust of wind to blow away the surrounding miasma. Once the miasma was gone, one could finally see the dense swarm of poisonous insects around them. It could be said that they were stacked on top of each other like a tide.
There weren't just tens of thousands of them. There were millions of them.
The next instant, the poisonous insects swarmed toward them.
"Dragonfire!"
Lin Jin reacted quickly. He invoked a spell and flames danced on his fingertips. With a point of his finger, the flames shot out and scattered like sparks that had been thrown into kerosene. They spread rapidly, igniting their surroundings in an instant.
Lin Jin wasn't afraid of fire. With Xiao Huo's Dharma body, he wouldn't be hurt even if he was burned.
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