MTLNOVEL Chapter 15
“Eighty breaths!”
From a mile away in the forest, Li An reached the base of Spirit Plant Mountain in just 80 breaths—less than two minutes!
This was thanks to his Light Step Technique and deep knowledge of the terrain.
Without hesitation, he followed the path he’d scouted before, swiftly climbing Spirit Plant Mountain.
He reached the same rock as last time in about 300 breaths, roughly five minutes.
He moved carefully to avoid alerting Fan Jie.
Fan Jie’s hut was still lit—he wasn’t resting.
Li An crept silently to the corner of Fan Jie’s hut.
“Hm?”
Glancing at the herb field, he noticed the Fire Spirit Fruits, half-ripe last time, were now much larger, about the size of a baby’s fist.
Fan Jie must have brought back something to speed their ripening.
With the Hundred Beasts Sect’s threat looming, Fan Jie likely wanted the fruits to reach Second Rank before they arrived.
Otherwise, it’d be a huge loss.
“How… How could this happen? The fire poison was supposed to be under control!” Fan Jie’s voice came faintly from inside.
“It hurts so bad… What’s going on?! Damn it, no Clear Essence Pill is one thing, but is there something wrong with the Poison Suppression Powder?!”
He sounded like he was growling in pain.
Li An channeled his spiritual qi. Ten steps away, in the herb field, a water arrow formed, slicing through a Fire Spirit Fruit’s stem.
The fruit fell with a thud, the arrow bursting with a small noise.
“Who’s there?!” Fan Jie rushed out, spotting the fallen fruit. He looked puzzled and suspicious. “How’d it fall…”
He walked to the field, bending to pick it up.
At that moment—
Whoosh!
An arrow’s whistle cut through the air.
“Trouble!” Fan Jie spun around, facing two water arrows.
He waved a hand, throwing out a talisman. A yellow flash formed an earth shield, blocking the arrows.
He’d used an Earth Shield Talisman.
But as the arrows were blocked, a bone-chilling wind swept over him, stiffening his body, making movement sluggish.
A Chill Wind Talisman.
At the same time, four fiery bursts exploded from all directions.
Four Flame Talismans.
“Damn it!” Fan Jie’s face paled as the flames surged toward him.
His robe tore open, revealing a worn soft armor glowing faintly—a Low Grade First Rank Protective Tool.
The four Flame Talismans’ blasts were mostly blocked by the glow.
As the flames faded, two more water arrows shot at him.
“You dare ambush me…” Fan Jie roared, spotting a figure at the wall. He channeled qi, forming a fiery red shield.
A Low Grade Yellow Tier Technique—Fire Shield Technique.
He also conjured a fireball, hurling it with full force.
But his body trembled violently, the fireball collapsing before it traveled far.
“Pfft!” Fan Jie spat blood, convulsing.
The fire poison had erupted.
He’d suppressed it, but these past days, it surged uncontrollably, at its limit.
Fighting with spiritual qi broke the balance, detonating the poison.
Two more water arrows flew at him.
“Damn…” Fear filled Fan Jie’s eyes. Unable to use qi, he was as good as crippled.
He grabbed his storage bag to open it, but before he could, his heart felt hammered.
Looking down, a dagger had pierced his Low Grade First Rank armor, stabbing straight into his heart.
“How… possible!” He stared, dumbfounded, collapsing stiffly.
From the shadows, five more water arrows shot out, all hitting his body.
The armor, already damaged at one corner, lost its protective runes. The five arrows left five bloody holes.
Yet the attacker didn’t stop, firing dozens more water arrows, riddling Fan Jie’s body like a sieve.
A figure leaped out, landing beside him.
Li An swiftly pulled out the Star Glow Dagger, grabbed Fan Jie’s storage bag, and tossed a final Flame Talisman onto the body.
Fan Jie’s corpse burst into flames.
Li An moved quickly, dumping everything from the storage bag: dozens of spirit stones, various herbs, bottles, jars, even a flying boat tool worth hundreds of stones!
Fan Jie had clearly prepared to escape. When the bells rang, he’d planned to flee on the boat, outpacing the beast tide.
But Li An didn’t glance at the treasures. He plucked all four Fire Spirit Fruits, stuffed them into his storage bag, and ran.
“Not over time—250 breaths, still enough!”
The fight with Fan Jie was lightning-fast, taking about three minutes. Cleanup didn’t exceed four.
By his estimate, the beasts would reach his and Wang Zilin’s cave in five more minutes.
Racing down the mountain, Li An took just one minute.
Three minutes later, he was back in the forest.
It took a minute longer than going up, as he’d paused at a stream to bury Fan Jie’s storage bag in thick mud.
He also tucked his last Chill Wind Talisman and Earth Shield Talisman into the bag, keeping nothing on him.
Deafening roars of spirit beasts echoed from the pass.
The sound suggested they were slower than Li An expected—seven or eight minutes away.
As he’d predicted, the bells spooked the enemies, slowing them to scout.
Li An dove into the cave.
He immediately ran the Art of Nurturing Life and Forging Immortality, letting the Life Seed’s aura spread.
Grabbing Wang Zilin’s hand, he extended the aura to mask Wang Zilin’s life signs.
They became like plants or roots!
Time ticked by. The ground shook as beast roars reached the cave—demon wolves howling, spirit tigers roaring…
The Spirit Bells Fan Jie setup rang thunderously!
Li An’s heart raced. Though their cave was hidden in the rock pile and his technique masked their aura perfectly, in such danger, who knew if a one-in-a-million chance could expose them?
He was on edge!
…
At the same time, at the base of Spirit Plant Mountain, Zhang Susu woke from sleep in a panic.
Shouting Fan Jie’s name, she didn’t bother dressing properly and ran up the mountain.
…
Outside Spirit Plant Mountain, on a cliffside path to the outer sect, an elder stood atop a peak, gazing toward Spirit Plant Mountain.
“They should be here,” he said. “Just now, reports came from the markets and mines—attacks by unknown forces.”
“Heh, they’re trying to lure us away, drawing our focus elsewhere so they can rush through Spirit Plant Mountain to hit our core…”
“Prepare. Let them pass Spirit Plant Mountain into the middle zone, then strike and wipe them out!”
…
At the foot of another peak, a man in a fiery red robe sighed, reading a message from a jade talisman. “What a pity! Just seven more days, and the Fire Spirit Fruits would’ve fully ripened!”
“Damn Hundred Beasts Sect, ruining my plans!”
He clenched his fists, eyes full of hate. “If I’d known they’d come through Spirit Plant Mountain, I’d have used the Ripening Powder sooner. I waited for natural ripening for better quality, but now they won’t even reach Second Rank!”
“Brother Lu, those Fire Spirit Fruits are Second Rank Spiritual Herbs. Can we trust Fan Jie?” a young man beside him asked, worried.
The red-robed man said coldly, “He’s riddled with fire poison. He has to come to me for help!”
“What if he takes the flying boat, ignores our plan, and flees the sect for good?” the youth pressed, concerned. Even unripe, the Fire Spirit Vine was priceless. If stolen and nurtured, it could still bear Second Rank fruits—a huge opportunity for a low disciple like Fan Jie.
“The Poison Suppression Powder and the boat have my marks. If he betrays us, he’s dead…” The red-robed man sneered, looking toward Spirit Plant Mountain. “Hm, per our deal, Fan Jie should be here soon.”
The youth nodded. “Brother, with the sect on high alert, getting Fan Jie out will be tough…”
After this, Spirit Plant Mountain’s secrets would be exposed, and Fan Jie couldn’t stay.
“If we can’t get him out of the Clear Sun Sect, we’ll get him out of this world,” the red-robed man said icily.
…
(Chapter End)