In the next few days, in addition to practicing, Xu Chen also went out to pick up dung every morning, but he was not far away, only within a hundred miles of the mountain gate.
Of course, the harvest is definitely not much, either one, two, or three or four. It all depends on luck and the experience gained from years of picking up dung. Although I don’t get rid of it every day, I can only make it with shabby results.
describe.
In addition, if you are lucky, you can occasionally find a few low-level herbs, but their value is not high, slightly better than nothing. At most, they can be used to refine some mortal elixirs, which can be used in the trade between the sect and the royal family of the Song Dynasty or in exchange for some daily food, drink, and diarrhea for the sect.
of food, clothing and other supplies.
In fact, the herbs near the mountain gate have been continuously plundered by Taiyuan Sect disciples for a long time, and they are almost extinct.
In addition to picking up manure, Xu Chen would go to the medicine garden to observe two or three times every day. However, he found that the resurrection tree had not changed at all since the first day when it sprouted branches and buds. Even the new leaves showed no signs of growing.
The flower buds still seem to be wilting.
I'm such a crow's mouth.
Xu Chen felt that his guess had become reality so quickly.
Logically speaking, this should never happen.
You must know that the Great Elder planted three spiritual stones as fertilizer for the Resurrection Tree at once. Now the medicinal materials in the entire medicine garden are growing crazily due to the influence of this abundant spiritual energy. Many spiritual medicines that usually seem to be dying are starting to become more energetic.
Long leaves and flowers.
In other words, the branches and flowers of the Resurrection Tree are not due to the influence of spiritual energy, but due to other reasons.
Xu Chen thought about it over and over, and finally felt that it might have something to do with the fresh fox excrement that was finally buried.
And if you want to prove this, it is very simple, that is, go to Linghu Cave to pick up a piece of fresh feces and come back and try it.
but……
Thinking of the terrifying scene of a group of foxes roaring and roaring after leaving that day, Xu Chen felt a little cramped in his calves and decided not to take the risk.
He originally wanted to tell the third elder about this, but when he went to Chaoyang Peak, he found that the third elder was refining the second-grade elixir to be given to the Emperor of Song Dynasty. Now it was at a critical moment, and he did not dare to disturb him, so he could only come back.
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After observing for another three days, he found that the two flower buds had shown obvious signs of withering, and even the leaves on several new branches were showing signs of yellowing.
Xu Chen was a little anxious now.
Although it is none of his business whether the Resurrection Tree dies or not, the elixirs and talismans rewarded by the great elder are still on him. If he really dies, the reward will be very hot for him. The great elder might get very angry and beat him up when he comes back.
It's easy to just stop. It's possible to lose your cultivation and drive down the mountain. The consequences would be too terrible.
After much thought, Xu Chen finally gritted his teeth and decided to go to the Spirit Fox Lair again.
After all, seven or eight days have passed, and I have only stolen a few pieces of cake, and a group of foxes will not hold a grudge. Besides having been neighbors for so many years, the disciples of the Taiyuan Sect have not only gone to the fox den to steal feces once or twice, nor have they.
I saw that I was noticed and attacked by a group of foxes.
So early the next morning, Xu Chen got up at dawn, briefly washed himself, ate some dry food and bread, and then rode a first-grade flying sword to the spirit fox's lair.
The goal this time is very clear, which is to steal a piece of fresh feces. If you don't turn around, leave.
Of course, safety comes first. Ten miles away from the valley of Linghu Cave, Xu Chen stopped to replenish his vitality. Then he slowly flew into the mountain forest at a low altitude and sneakily, landed half a mile away from the cave, and then continued as slowly as before.
Touch it slowly.
This time it was still smooth, and it was so smooth that Xu Chen was a little scared.
Because it was so quiet in the valley, there was no sound at all, not even a bird could be seen.
"What it is?"
Ten feet away from the cave, Xu Chen saw through the sparse branches what seemed to be something lying on the ground in front of the Linghu Cave. He continued to take a closer look and found that they seemed to be several large and small foxes.
It seemed that today was not an auspicious day. Xu Chen turned around and tiptoed to retreat. However, he accidentally stepped on a dead branch and made a crisp crack, which sounded very clear in the quiet valley.
"Oops!"
Xu Chen threw the flying sword without hesitation, stepped on it and fled in a hurry.
However, when he flew more than ten miles in one breath, he found that it was still quiet behind him, and no fox roared or chased after him.
Wiping away his sweat, he landed on the ridge and waited for nearly a moment, only to find that a group of foxes were still motionless.
Now he was a little confused, and at the same time he began to quickly recall the scene he had just seen.
At this time, the morning sun has just risen in the east, and it should be the best time for all animals to go out to look for food.
Judging from his more than three years of experience in picking up dung, it is impossible for foxes to lie outside their caves and bask in the sun early in the morning. After all, the time is wrong.
So he decided to go back and take a closer look.
Soon, Xu Chen rode Feijian back to where he was just now. Through the sparse branches, the situation in front of the cave remained the same, with several foxes lying motionless on the ground.
Sure enough, something is wrong.
Xu Chen hesitated for a moment, then plucked up the courage to pick up a stone and threw it to the entrance of the cave from a distance. A group of foxes made no move at all.
Now even a fool knows something is completely wrong.
"Could it be that the whole litter of foxes is dead?"
Xu Chen muttered to himself, then tiptoed through the woods and approached the cave, until he reached the range that his spiritual consciousness could cover about ten feet away, then he let go of his spiritual consciousness and swept it lightly, and then took a long breath. Sure enough, there were huge and small things in front of the cave.
The six little foxes were all dead, without a trace of breath.
But he didn't feel any joy about getting rich. Instead, he felt more nervous and dignified.
This nest of foxes is quite powerful, with their territory covering hundreds of miles, and there is also an old fox among them who is about to reach the second level. Only a more powerful monster can be wiped out in one fell swoop.
Second or third order?
Xu Chen couldn't help but shudder.
He hesitated for a long time, and finally his curiosity overcame his reason. He reached out and took out two talismans, held them in his hands, and slowly walked to the entrance of the cave.
One of these two spiritual talismans is an amulet, which can release a protective spiritual energy that can withstand at least a full blow from a monk at the late stage of the True Yuan Realm. If placed at the Taiyuan Gate, almost no one can break it except for the three elders.
Another jade talisman stores a spell, and it is a group attack spell. When activated, five wind blades will be released, and the attack power is also as high as a full-strength strike of a late-stage True Yuan realm monk.
This defense and attack can at least ensure that he can retreat completely from the attack of the second-level monster spirit beast. As for how far he can run, it depends on how far his vitality can support him.
Of course, if a third-level monster or spiritual beast comes, they will have to wait for death. Unless the great elder comes in person, they will have to turn into daddy.
There were six foxes, most of them were underage, and they all seemed to have been dead for several days. A few of the smaller ones had begun to rot, and there was yellow-brown liquid flowing everywhere on the ground, as if it was the traces left after diarrhea, and the air was filled with
The stench is disgusting.
Xu Chen gently pulled it with his feet a few times, then pinched his nose and looked around, and finally entered the cave cautiously and courageously.
But as soon as I walked in, which was no more than two feet away, I saw another fox lying on the ground. It was quite big and must have been an adult. Of course, it had been dead for several days.
The stench in the cave is even stronger.
Faintly, it seemed that there was a fox lying deeper on the ground.
Xu Chen felt his heart pounding wildly. He held his breath and continued walking in. Sure enough, after walking three feet, he saw another dead fox. He continued to the last fork in the road. He couldn't help but trembled, and found that there was a dead fox.
In the forked hole where he collected dung last time, there were several fallen ones. He walked in and counted them carefully. There were five in total.
In other words, in the short distance of just over ten feet from the outside of the cave to here, thirteen foxes have died, more than half of them adults.
The total number of foxes in this den is only about ten.
In other words, basically all the foxes in this litter are dead, with at most three or four remaining.
Although he didn't see the old fox who was about to reach the second level, Xu Chen's nervous heart relaxed a lot, and at the same time he became more uncontrollably excited.
Now he is really going to get mad.
Ordinary underage foxes have little value after death, but these adult foxes are valuable after death. One head is worth at least one spirit stone. Of course, if you catch it alive, you can buy several times as many spirit stones.
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Through this observation, he has discovered that these foxes did not die from attacks by other monsters, but seemed to be poisoned.
Because this way into the cave, there are traces of diarrhea everywhere along the way.
What a powerful poison!
Xu Chen couldn't help but started to feel his heart beat faster again.
Any animal can distinguish food, and most of a group of spirit foxes have some intelligence and will never eat randomly. It is understandable to say that one or two are poisoned to death, but the whole litter was poisoned to death.
, that would be beyond the scope of understanding.
Could it be that he was attacked by other highly venomous insects and snakes?
Xu Chen was shocked and exited the cave entrance on the left. After thinking for a moment at the right fork leading to the depths of the cave, he bravely walked in slowly.
If you don't enter the tiger's den, you won't catch the tiger's cubs. These foxes died under strange circumstances. He had an urge to find out the reason, and he had a vague feeling that the sudden flowering of the resurrection tree should be related to the poison of these foxes.
After all, the fresh excrement picked up last time seemed to indicate that the fox was suffering from diarrhea.
Xu Chen raised one foot higher and lowered the other, and walked in under the dim light. After walking more than ten feet this time, he found a three-foot-large fox dead on the road.
The fourteenth one.
Xu Chen became more courageous and walked along the largest alleyway. After a full quarter of an hour, his eyes suddenly lit up, and a spacious cave with a radius of tens of feet appeared. On the top of the cave was tens of feet high.
There is a crack, bright light shines through, there are ferns and vines around it, and there is dripping spring water dripping down.
There are also some moss and green weeds on the floor of the cave, and there are large and small gravels everywhere, but the entire cave seems relatively clean, the air is still fresh, and there is no disgusting smell.
On the drier side of the cave, there are some nests made of withered grass branches, which seem to be where a nest of foxes sleep.
A gray-white fox with dirty fur curled up motionless in the grass nest.