The night on Lion Peak Ridge was far from quiet, with the calls of various wild beasts echoing from afar and the chirping of insects and birds nearby.
Xiao Fei sat by a campfire, a porcupine leg roasting on it, sizzling and dripping oil, its aroma filling the air.
About an hour ago, he had successfully provoked an arrow porcupine and lured it into a trap.
However, the process of killing it proved somewhat difficult.
He hid behind a mound of earth outside the pit, not daring to show his head, as any glimpse would result in a volley of arrows shot his way.
Later, he remained behind the mound, controlling his flying sword to battle the porcupine in the pit for over ten rounds before finally managing to slay it.
Fortunately, his earlier caution in digging such a pit had limited the porcupine's mobility, and he had hidden himself securely behind the mound.
Otherwise, he truly wouldn't have been a match for that arrow porcupine.
Xiao Fei took out a piece of dried food from his spatial storage and, using a branch, held it by the fire to roast.
At the same time, he flipped the porcupine leg on the fire rack and brushed it with a layer of honey.
He had peeled the leg, salted it, wrapped it in caul fat, and then placed it on the fire to roast.
By now, most of the fat from the caul fat had been rendered out. Sprinkling some spices on it, the aroma exploded, drifting far and wide.
Xiao Fei took the leg off the fire rack, blew on it, and took a large bite.
Instantly, a crispy, fragrant, and tender flavor filled his mouth.
The outermost layer of caul fat, after being roasted and rendered, had a charred, crispy texture.
The leg meat inside, having absorbed plenty of the rendered fat, was lean but not tough. Coupled with the moisture locked in by the outer caul fat, it was fresh, tender, and even contained a hint of its own juices.
"So delicious!"
With a few ravenous bites, the entire porcupine leg was consumed.
At this moment, a warm current rose within his abdomen as the spiritual energy from the porcupine meat was released, refined, and absorbed by his body.
Xiao Fei spent the night in meditation.
By morning, the porcupine leg he had eaten the previous day had been completely refined.
Carefully sensing the growth of his internal magic power, it was at least equivalent to ten days of cultivation using spirit stones.
It was slightly less than consuming a Qi Gathering Pill, but he estimated that eating the entire porcupine would be equivalent to taking three to four Qi Gathering Pills.
However, hunting demonic beasts was not easy and could easily cost one's life, whereas refining pills was relatively simpler and at least didn't involve such risks.
Xiao Fei rose from beside the campfire, a bean-sized iron thorn seed appearing in his hand.
The clump of iron thorns had been dug up by the roots and transplanted into his spatial storage.
He had found a total of 34 seeds on the iron thorn bush, and he had planted four of them.
Silently reciting the incantation for the Entanglement Technique, the seed in his hand flew out.
The iron thorn seed rapidly sprouted in mid-air, extending several branches that wrapped around a tree as thick as a barrel.
The branches tightened quickly, digging into the tree trunk.
"Crack!"
The large tree could no longer withstand the pressure and was snapped in half at the waist.
Of course, the primary function of the Entanglement Technique was to restrain enemies and bind them.
Xiao Fei walked over to inspect it. The iron thorn branches, after releasing their full power, had begun to wither.
These branches, stimulated by magic power, could not be replanted.
After tidying up his belongings, he continued walking into the mountains.
He had already found the Thousand Gold Flower, one of the three spiritual herbs needed for the Qi Gathering Pill, and was still missing the Red Veined Yellow Ginseng and the Spirit Gathering Grass.
Today, he would try a different mountain.
After moving to another mountain, he found a Red Veined Yellow Ginseng within half a day.
The Red Veined Yellow Ginseng had red patterns on its roots and stems; the older it was, the more red patterns it had, and the better its medicinal properties.
The one he found was also an immature seedling, with faint and sparse patterns on it. He could only transplant it into his spatial storage to cultivate it slowly.
Following this, Xiao Fei's luck seemed to diminish. He roamed Lion Peak Ridge for several days, collecting only ten Thousand Gold Flowers and three Red Veined Yellow Ginsengs.
He hadn't seen even a single leaf of the Spirit Gathering Grass.
At this point, Xiao Fei was heading towards the main peak of Lion Peak Ridge.
The main peak had denser spiritual energy, which meant more spiritual herbs grew there, but it also implied greater danger.
He had encountered several demonic beasts during these days, all of which he had chosen to avoid, keeping a safe distance.
Each demonic beast had its own territory, and as long as they weren't accustomed to preying on humans, they wouldn't venture outside their territories to hunt humans.
After climbing to the main peak for a day, he indeed found a Spirit Gathering Grass.
With this, he had found all three spiritual herbs he needed. He could now wander around a bit more, and whether he found anything else or not, he could head home.
Just then, a figure was seen rushing down from the summit of the mountain, covered in dust and appearing quite disheveled.
Upon seeing Xiao Fei ahead, the figure called out loudly for help.
"Fellow Daoist ahead, please assist me in slaying this demon together, and I shall reward you handsomely."
"It's you!"
Xiao Fei heard the somewhat familiar voice and looked closer, realizing it was an acquaintance – Zhu Yu.
Since their first meeting, Xiao Fei's impression of Zhu Yu was that of a beautiful face with a heart of a viper.
He had rosy lips and white teeth, and an elegant demeanor. His appearance was such that even women would envy him.
Yet, when it came to tricking people, he wouldn't even bat an eye.
However, Zhu Yu's current complexion was pale and drawn, his hair disheveled, and his clothes were not his usual luxurious robes but a set of short garments, torn in many places, with patches of blood seeping through.
Zhu Yu also recognized Xiao Fei now, but he showed no intention of stopping, continuing to rush towards Xiao Fei.
Xiao Fei intended to block him but noticed not far behind Zhu Yu, the grass parted, and a large black snake was chasing them.
With a single glance, this snake was at least a high-grade Rank One demonic beast, far superior to both of them in cultivation.
There was no time to cast spells to block it, so he quickly used his body-lightening technique, covered his head, and fled.
Zhu Yu, at the seventh level of Qi Condensation, was only slightly stronger than Xiao Fei. At this moment, he wanted to drag Xiao Fei along to fight the black snake behind them and was trailing slightly behind.
Wherever Xiao Fei fled, Zhu Yu followed, and the black snake behind them also pursued.
Sometimes, when Zhu Yu ran ahead, Xiao Fei had to hurry to catch up because the black snake was closely pursuing him.
The two of them and the snake formed a straight line, engaging in a mountain cross-country race on Lion Peak Ridge, with fierce competition and every participant giving their utmost effort.
But as Xiao Fei ran, he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. The Zhu Yu following behind almost collided with him.
Looking further ahead, there was a bottomless cliff.
"Xiao Fei, you see, we've gone through hardship together and shown true friendship. How about we join forces to slay this snake?"
Xiao Fei truly wished he could slap Zhu Yu with the sole of his shoe right now. Who wanted to share hardship and friendship with him?
However, the black snake had already caught up. The two adversaries had no choice but to join forces against it, and any past grievances could be discussed later.
Without hesitation, Xiao Fei threw out an iron thorn seed.
Zhu Yu also conjured a flying boat at this moment and struck towards the black snake.