Chapter 136: Picking Up Another Foundation Establishment Brain

As expected, this entity was trying to force him towards the third medicinal garden to meet his demise.

Chen Luo swiftly dodged the lanterns and raised his hand, unleashing the Wind Control Technique once more. Thirty-three Lotus Wind Blades erupted, slicing through the obstructing azure lanterns, turning them into shattered fragments. He then charged forward through the breach.

Behind him, the dispersed Mountain Spirit woman began to reassemble after Chen Luo’s Wind Control Technique attack.

More spirit medicines in the surrounding herb fields perished.

With each extraction, the previously fragrant spirit medicines now emitted a strong putrid odor, akin to decaying corpses.

“Go after him; there’s something peculiar about that person,” the young scholar instructed.

A flicker of fear crossed the Mountain Spirit woman’s eyes before she bowed her head and swiftly pursued the direction where Chen Luo had disappeared.

Upon returning to the first medicinal garden, Chen Luo immediately noticed a difference.

The spirit medicines he had seen during his initial entry had drastically changed. The herbal aroma vanished, replaced by the foul smell of rotting flesh. Earlier, the dried-up old ghost and the other locals mentioned that these gardens were nourished with the blood and flesh of Guo Mountain County’s citizens by the five great evil cultivators. Now it seemed apparent that what appeared as spirit medicines were unmistakably human remains!

Perhaps the third medicinal garden truly contained Mind-Focusing Grass, but to Chen Luo, the risks far outweighed the potential rewards. Venturing there could easily cost him his life. Instead of taking such a gamble, it would be wiser to return and retrieve the corpse hanging from the whipneck tree.

The hanged victim still had an intact head, as he had observed earlier.

Chen Luo flew swiftly, yet his spiritual energy consumption was starting to strain. Quickly, he retrieved a Gathering Spirit Pill and swallowed it, allowing the spiritual energy to replenish and improve his condition. The scenery blurred past on both sides; the intersecting spirit fields beneath him had completely transformed, even the lingering mist had dispersed.

Following the same path, he soon arrived at the entrance of the first medicinal garden.

The bamboo fence seemed easily jumpable, but out of caution, he chose to use the gate instead. Just as he landed and opened the gate, before stepping through, a voice echoed behind him.

“Are you truly so heartless?”

The Mountain Spirit woman had caught up again.

All traces of damage inflicted by Chen Luo’s Wind Control Technique were gone, prompting him to hasten his pace further.

“If my lord goes, I shall follow.”

The Mountain Spirit woman spoke with a plaintive tone, almost like singing. Waves of divine soul attacks surged forth, causing Chen Luo’s head to spin and the world around him to sway. His limbs involuntarily moved to turn back.

What a potent Soul Technique! Chen Luo’s heart jolted, and he swiftly activated his own spiritual energy.

As their forces collided, surprisingly, Chen Luo found himself at a disadvantage. The Mountain Spirit woman, having consumed countless individuals, possessed the collective strength of an entire city’s souls, making her power immensely formidable.

Fortunately, Chen Luo didn’t intend to engage her in a desperate battle. After barely resisting the attack, he swiftly opened the garden gate and bolted out.

Upon leaving the medicinal garden, his mind instantly cleared.

‘She is fused with the earth qi; to defeat her, I must lure her away from this garden,’ his keen observation prompted him.

Chen Luo glanced back, noticing the Mountain Spirit woman following closely behind.

A fierce determination flashed in his eyes as he touched the bag of holding at his waist.

Before coming here, he had prepared nearly a thousand spirit talismans. If pushed too far, he was ready to detonate them all, confident that such an explosion would surely kill this monstrous entity.

After passing the stone marker, Chen Luo quickly reached the whipneck tree.

Since Hua She’s death, tranquility had returned to the area around the whipneck tree. The corpse still hung from its branches, swaying gently like a pendulum on a swing.

Chen Luo darted forward, placing one hand on the dead body’s head.

‘Contact with deceased brain waves detected: Degradation Rate 99%. Read data?’

The familiar interface popped up, indicating a degradation rate of 99% - likely due to the extended time since death.

Read!

With a thought, Chen Luo felt the familiar aura flow into him through his palm.

Once again, there were no extraneous thoughts. However, this time was different—the body hanging from the tree belonged to a Foundation Establishment cultivator!

The eighth Foundation Establishment brain.

Chen Luo’s spirits soared as, upon absorbing this external brain, he distinctly sensed a newfound familiarity with the medicinal garden. When looking at the surrounding landscape beyond the garden, he could now perceive the network of the formation’s pathways.

In other words, this deceased Foundation Establishment cultivator hung on the tree was likely an array master!

What a massive gain!

Just imagine how valuable the Luxury Nation’s Qi Refinement tier-one array master was; picking up a Foundation Establishment array master’s brain would surely catapult Chen Luo to new heights! With some additional study on array-related knowledge, he could swiftly become an experienced array master himself.

“What are you doing?” The Mountain Spirit woman, who had closely followed, stopped and looked at Chen Luo with confusion etched on her face.

Earlier, she assumed Chen Luo was trying to escape Guo Mountain County, but instead, he came here merely to examine this corpse. What kind of unwavering dedication made someone, even while fleeing for their life, not forget their penchant for looting bodies?

“I just wanted to offer some comfort to this senior, enduring such hardship hanging here,” Chen Luo replied expressionlessly, withdrawing his hand.

The Mountain Spirit woman glanced at the still ‘swinging’ corpse behind her and then looked back at Chen Luo, remaining silent.

If you truly felt sympathy for this senior, shouldn’t you start by lowering his body first?

“I’m not planning to steal any spirit medicines now. Are you certain you want to confront me head-on?” Chen Luo sat cross-legged beneath the tree.

“Guo Mountain County isn’t somewhere you can just…” The Mountain Spirit woman intended to utter some menacing words, but before she could finish, she saw Chen Luo retrieve a thick stack of spirit talismans from his bag of holding and place them in front of him.

The palpable spiritual energy emanating from the hefty pile indicated their authenticity.

“These are genuine spirit talismans,” Chen Luo stated as he arranged them neatly. Then, he produced three full gourds filled with medicinal pills.

Three stacks of talismans and three gourds of medicinal pills. Whether it was sustained endurance or explosive power, he was well-prepared. With these laid out, Chen Luo finally lifted his head, smiling broadly.

After a moment of silence, the Mountain Spirit woman eyed Chen Luo without uttering another harsh word. Her form dissipated into mist and vanished completely.

She might be difficult to kill, but that didn’t mean she was invincible. With such a barrage of spirit talismans directed at her, survival seemed unlikely. Moreover, judging by Chen Luo’s demeanor, there appeared to be even more resources at his disposal. Engaging in a life-or-death struggle with a cultivator who could ‘sprinkle money’ like this was the height of folly.

Since he wasn’t entering the medicinal garden, she decided to let him pass without further confrontation.

“Seeking wealth, knowledge, companionship, and territory—even demons understand the importance of resources,” Chen Luo sighed. He began utilizing his newly acquired Foundation Establishment intellect, sharing the knowledge he possessed with it, and swiftly gained insights into array formations.

This knowledge was gleaned from studying under Longevity Daoist during their time at the Yue Tomb, though its usefulness here remained uncertain.

‘Detecting traces of an array formation near the corner of the spirit herb garden, likely indicating its foundation.’

The array master’s analysis promptly provided feedback.

Chen Luo’s spirits lifted, and upon revisiting the garden’s corner, he indeed sensed something distinct—an unmistakable sense of incongruity.

Not just within the garden but throughout Guo Mountain County, a large-scale array formation seemed to envelop everything. Due to the absence of control and maintenance by its creator over time, gaps had emerged in the formation.

Chen Luo scrutinized the formation, searching for a way out.

Time ticked away, second by second.

After nearly an hour, just as Chen Luo started discerning some patterns, his focus was abruptly interrupted by hurried footsteps approaching.