The snake curled its body and immediately tucked the two Luminous Pearls into its possession.
The black python lowered its head, licking the Luminous Pearls with its tongue, clearly infatuated with them.
Seeing this, Gu Sheng mustered his courage again and slowly approached the Purple Spiritual Grass.
The moment he touched it, he still felt uneasy and glanced at the black python.
However, the black python was still immersed in the joy of possessing the Luminous Pearls, not even bothering to look at him.
At that moment, Gu Sheng was completely relieved and focused on gathering the Purple Spiritual Grass.
Gu Sheng didnât completely uproot the Purple Spiritual Grass, only taking the grown part and leaving the roots for the black python.
In just a moment, he had pocketed a piece of the Purple Spiritual Grass.
Patted the storage ring, Gu Sheng, satisfied, backed away.
"Thank you, we wonât disturb you any further."
After speaking, Gu Sheng and his group slowly retreated until they were far enough, at which point the black python returned to its original position.
Gu Sheng quickly led his group out of the cave, only to discover that the outside was already bright.
He took out a few pieces of Purple Spiritual Grass and shared them with the group, smiling, "Although we didnât sleep tonight, consuming the Purple Spiritual Grass is far more effective than sleeping."
"Brother Sheng, how did you know the black python wanted the Luminous Pearls?"
Shi Lou asked curiously, and everyone looked at Gu Sheng.
Gu Sheng scratched his head and said with a wry smile, "I didnât know either; it was after some probing that I realized this black python is quite intelligent. It controls its killing intent to let me know whether it harbors hostility towards me. After mentioning the Luminous Pearls, its hostility dissipated, and thatâs when I knew."
"So thatâs how it is. Brother Sheng, youâre so clever. If it were us, weâd surely end up in a fight with that black python."
"A fight might be unavoidable, but who lives and who dies is uncertain."
Huang Shan added, and everyone nodded with a smile.
"So Brother Sheng saved our lives again and not only that, but he also brought us such a treasure as the Purple Spiritual Grass. Following Brother Sheng, weâre not far from achieving great success."
After Shi Lou finished speaking, Gu Sheng playfully slapped the back of his head.
"Hurry up and consume the Purple Spiritual Grass. Only by raising your own cultivation can you get closer to achieving great success."
Shi Lou nodded and, along with the others, quickly absorbed the Spiritual Power of the Purple Spiritual Grass.
Very soon, rays of spiritual light flashed across their bodies and then merged into their foreheads.
Touching his own Dantian, Er Gou exclaimed with surprise, "Brother Sheng, I think Iâm about to break through!"
Hearing this, Gu Shengâs expression immediately became serious.
"Donât rush the breakthrough, suppress it for now. South Mountain is full of dangers, and if anyone notices youâre breaking through, theyâll definitely stab you in the back."
"I know, Iâve suppressed most of the Spiritual Energy in my Dantian. Iâll wait until weâre back at Stone Village."
Knowing that he was aware, Gu Sheng said nothing further.
The sky was already bright, so he led the group onward.
They hadnât gone far when Gu Sheng noticed something was off about the road.
He turned to Huang Shan and, with furrowed brows, asked, "Donât you feel somethingâs off about this path?"
When he asked, Huang Shan immediately nodded, "I noticed something was off too, but I wasnât sure if it was just my imagination, so I didnât mention it. Brother Sheng, do you think there are more stones on the path than before?"
"Yes, yesterday when we arrived, it was only dusk. The sky wasnât completely dark, and I specifically looked; apart from stones above, the path was clean. Now there are so many more stones..."
As he spoke, Gu Sheng realized something and suddenly stopped.
"It seems someone really wanted us dead yesterday."
As soon as he said this, everyone was taken aback.
"Brother Sheng, do you mean these stones were pushed down by someone?"
"Thatâs the only explanation; otherwise, it makes no sense."
Gu Sheng confirmed this thought as he looked up, as the stones seen last night were gone, and the fragments on the ground were those stones, shattered!
The group followed his gaze upward and immediately understood.
"I donât know who the scoundrel is, trying to ambush us like this!"
"Brother Sheng, could it be people from the Heisha Sect or Purple Mist Peak?"
After some thought, Gu Sheng sighed.
"It could also be people from the Qingxia Sect, considering Master Ling Xiao is still alive. With the Spiritual Pearl appearing, he wouldnât miss it."
Knowing that all three enemies were in South Mountain made everyone feel overwhelmed.
After hearing no response for a while, Gu Sheng looked at them and saw their anxious expressions, making him chuckle softly.
"Everyone, donât worry too much. In South Mountain, they canât use too many tricks. Acting purely on brute strength, like these stones, may not even hit us."
"But once they get the Spiritual Pearl, they wonât let it go, right?"
After Shi Lou asked, Gu Sheng raised an eyebrow.
"What if we are the ones who get the Spiritual Pearl? If we gain a hundred years of power, what will they have to oppose us?"
After thinking it over, they realized Gu Sheng was right!
"Yes, as long as we get the Spiritual Pearl, they wonât dare to act recklessly. At that point, weâll get rid of them all!"
Er Gouâs words amused them, and Gu Sheng, smiling, said, "This path wonât work now; letâs find another route to look for the Spiritual Pearl."
Climbing over several giant stones, Gu Sheng led the group onto another narrow path, which was tougher to traverse but relatively safer.
Gu Sheng and the others had been walking for two hours, while Luan Yun and Zhang Ping were still waiting above the previous path.
After not seeing Gu Sheng and the others for half a day, their eyes became increasingly bright.