Cultivators who could wander the uninhabited regions of the Divine Oracle Cave Heaven either possessed powerful reserves of strength or traveled with companions. In these unrestricted areas, where the "Prohibition of Arms" law did not apply, danger came not only from various formidable Fierce Beasts but also from people. Murder, plunder, bullying, and sexual violence happened there from time to time.
Even so, the dangerous uninhabited regions still attracted cultivators from all directions like moths to a flame. This was because the opportunities of the Great Dao were abundant. Various cultivation resources, all kinds of Heaven and Earth Treasures, immortal legacies, unparalleled Divine Artifacts, and even Divine Skills could potentially be found there.
「...」
Luo Qingxian was clearly not visiting the Mahayana Realm's uninhabited regions for the first time. She had some understanding of the Ferocious Land and wouldn't get lost. She led Luo Xiu and Luo Xian swiftly to the deepest part of the Ferocious Land, where they saw the so-called "Divine Mountain."
Luo Xiu stopped on a towering ancient tree hundreds of meters tall, gazing at the distant, continuous range of green hills, his heart filling with nostalgia.
As he had suspected, that was Ghost Valley Mountain—the home where he had grown up!
However, he couldn't understand why Ghost Valley Mountain, which had mysteriously disappeared from Earth decades ago, would appear on the tenth level of the Divine Oracle Cave Heaven.
"Xiao Yu, was Ghost Valley Mountain originally part of the Divine Oracle Cave Heaven?" Since he couldn't figure it out, he had no choice but to ask Cave Spirit Xiao Yu.
Xiao Yu said, "Yes, fellow Daoist. This is the cultivation site of the Ghost Sword Heavenly Emperor. He brought it into the Mahayana Realm of the Divine Oracle Cave Heaven thousands of years ago."
Hearing this, Luo Xiu frowned slightly and asked, "Then what about the Ghost Valley Mountain on Earth where I grew up?"
Xiao Yu said, "There is a Construct Wood Formation on Ghost Valley Mountain that connects different realms. Also, due to some of the Ghost Sword Heavenly Emperor's methods, this mountain is not restricted by the Grotto Heaven Laws."
Luo Xiu fell silent for a moment, pondering. "So does that mean... I've actually been cultivating in an environment like the Divine Oracle Cave Heaven since I was young?"
"Theoretically, yes."
Luo Xiu was at a loss for words. At that moment, he suddenly understood the meaning of the phrase, "Some people are born in Rome."
「...」
The Ferocious Land was desolate, with sparse vegetation. The expanse of green hills within it stood out strangely, like an oasis in a desert.
Even from a great distance, Luo Xiu could see streams of Spirit Light crisscrossing the outer perimeter of the hills, like shooting stars in the night sky. He presumed those streams of Spirit Light were the cultivators flying to explore Ghost Valley Mountain.
"ROAR—!"
As Luo Xiu's thoughts wandered, a deafening beast roar suddenly shattered the quiet, and the very ground seemed to tremble with it.
Luo Xiu looked toward the sound. Thousands of meters away, the earth had burst open. Countless rocks mixed with dust shot into the sky, rolling like dragons. Flashes of Spiritual Power lit up the chaos, interspersed with the shrill screams of people. A moment later, a hundred-meter-long, fire-enshrouded giant scorpion revealed itself from the ruptured earth.
Luo Qingxian's brows furrowed, her expression instantly turning grave. "That is a Flame Demon Scorpion. A Fierce Beast that went extinct in the Ancient Era. Why would it appear here?"
Luo Xian, her eyelids shaded with pale orange, lowered her gaze and said, "It must also be here for the Divine Mountain."
At this moment, Luo Xiu sensed a terrifying aura. On the tenth level, any cultivator could only exert the strength of the Mahayana Realm. However, this ancient Fierce Beast, native to the Divine Oracle Cave Heaven, was not limited by the Grotto Heaven Laws.
Luo Qingxian decided instantly, "Run!"
"Once the Flame Demon Scorpion catches up, or if we are hit by its venom, not even the gods can save us. No matter how peerless your talent is, death is certain!"
Without hesitation, the three of them immediately flew into the distance.
However, in this uninhabited region, the most terrifying thing is often not the Fierce Beasts, but the hearts of men. The cultivators being chased by the Flame Demon Scorpion had obviously noticed Luo Xiu's group. Hoping to increase their own chances of survival, they flew toward them, clearly intending to drag the trio in to "share the burden."
The Flame Demon Scorpion's flight was extremely fast, and it caught up with the unfortunate cultivators in moments. The eerie poisonous mist it spewed instantly engulfed them. Within the mist, the cultivators dissolved into bloody water in mere seconds, which the Flame Demon Scorpion then ingested along with the mist.
After devouring those cultivators, the Flame Demon Scorpion felt a significant increase in its cultivation. As if it had acquired a taste, it then set its sights on Luo Xiu's group.
Luo Qingxian's expression was grave, knowing the beast had now targeted them. "You two go first, I'll draw it away. Don't worry, I'm confi—"
Yet before she could finish speaking, she saw Luo Xiu turn back and fly straight toward the Flame Demon Scorpion, appearing somewhat excited, even eager.
"You two ladies, retreat! I'll deal with this!"
The inner core of the Flame Demon Scorpion is an unparalleled poison—a treasure I could only hope to encounter by chance. Now that I've found it, how could I possibly let it go?
Luo Qingxian wasn't the only one who knew of the Flame Demon Scorpion. In fact, Luo Xiu had long ago seen a detailed record of it in his master's atlas.
「...」
Seeing a mere human cultivator not fleeing but charging toward it, the Flame Demon Scorpion seemed insulted and immediately spewed a mouthful of poisonous mist at Luo Xiu.
Luo Xiu's expression remained unchanged as he completely ignored the onrushing mist. With a casual wave of his hand, the Indestructible Divine Flame whooshed forth. In an instant, the vast poisonous mist was ignited by the Divine Flame, forming a huge and spectacular Fire Cloud that looked like a blazing sun from afar, baking the land with its intense heat.
Luo Xiu suddenly burst out from the Fire Cloud, charging directly toward the Flame Demon Scorpion. With a wave of his hand, countless egg-sized balls of lightning flew out from him. These were the Thunder Dao Creatures he had subjugated previously in the Tianhe Secret Realm!
Faced with the terrifying penetrative power of the Thunderfish and Thunderworm, the Flame Demon Scorpion's hard exoskeleton was useless. It was easily punctured, and the beast let out a hysterical scream.
"Damn it!" its voice roared, shaking the heavens and the earth. "A mere human cultivator dares to provoke me! Flame Demon Ten Thousand Techniques!"
The massive body of the Flame Demon Scorpion suddenly exploded, transforming into countless palm-sized poisonous scorpions that scattered in all directions like rain in a gale. In an instant, the area for dozens of miles was covered by them.
Faced with these scorpions that ignored their protective Spiritual Power barriers and climbed directly onto their bodies, Luo Qingxian and Luo Xian were somewhat panicked.
Dammit! Luo Xiu scanned the surroundings, cursing inwardly as he immediately unleashed a dense Aura of the Dead, devouring the life from the nearby scorpions.
Cave Spirit Xiao Yu said, "These are all its clones. You need to find its main body to kill it."
Luo Xiu immediately released his Divine Sense to cover the surroundings and asked, "What does its main body look like?"
"It's larger, red, and has gold patterns on its back."
Hearing this, Luo Xiu felt a surge of gratitude for the Cave Spirit. Soon, his Divine Sense locked onto the main body hiding in a thicket of grass. He threw a Death Spirit Sword Qi and killed it instantly.
With the main body slain, the poisonous scorpions flying chaotically through the air instantly gathered into one spot, merging back into the original, massive Flame Demon Scorpion. However, Luo Xiu didn't rush to collect the spoils of war. He went to find Luo Xian and Luo Qingxian first.
When he found Luo Xian, his brows furrowed. She had been severely poisoned. Her lips were black, her complexion was pale, and she was lying on the ground on the verge of death.
Cave Spirit Xiao Yu said, "Even an Emperor Realm Expert would die if poisoned by the Flame Demon Scorpion and not treated in time. Fellow Daoist, if you wish to cure this Princess of the poison, you can only..."
However, before Xiao Yu could finish, Luo Xiu had already begun to remove Luo Xian's clothes. In matters of medicine and detoxification, Luo Xiu certainly didn't need Xiao Yu's guidance.
A short while later, looking at the snow-white beauty before him, Luo Xiu took a deep breath to steady his mind. At this moment, Luo Xian's upper body was clad only in a bright silver lace bra.
"Princess Luo, I apologize... When it comes down to it, your life is more important."
Luo Xiu slowly reached for the transparent straps atop her snow-white shoulders.
Luo Xian weakly opened her eyes, her own brimming with tears. She wanted to stop Luo Xiu but couldn't muster any strength. "No... don't..."
Luo Xiu said gravely, "Do you want to live or not? Even if you don't, I can't stand by and watch you die. Princess Luo, just think of me as a physician right now. Don't overthink it."
Hearing this, Luo Xian slowly closed her eyes as if in tacit agreement.
Luo Xiu took another deep breath. "Uh... your dress has to come off, too. You have many wounds on your legs from the scorpion bites."
"..."