Chapter 92: Spider Mountain

Based on the previous speed, Wang Yu estimated the journey would take two months.

In reality, it was much faster. Despite its larger size, its speed far surpassed Gu Zhengshun's bone boat. Having such a means of transport was much better than that troublesome black silk artifact.

He wanted one too.

In less than a month, Spider Mountain in Yeqiong Prefecture was already visible in the distance.

Their smooth arrival finally brought relief to Wang, who had been constantly on edge. Calculating the time, Wei Zhong should have emerged from seclusion by now, and he wondered what might be happening within the sect.

Luckily, they traveled fast.

During this month of travel, Wang Yu either cultivated or spent time with Situ Hong, learning more about Spider Mountain.

Ghost-Eyed Spiders are Yin-attribute demonic beasts with second-tier potential; adults can reach the late first-tier, and spider queens are almost all second-tier.

Each of those Ghost-Eyed Caves contained a spider queen.

The Spider Heart Grass spirit fields required Ghost-Eyed Spider excrement and bodily fluids to thrive. When they were stationed there, they would also need to enter the Ghost-Eyed Caves to collect excrement.

This task was not only arduous but also dangerous.

The demand for bodily fluids was mainly met through hunting, usually in cooperation with disciples from Five-Yin Peak. The Five-Yin Peak disciples would take the eyeballs, while they would extract the bodily fluids.

Although Spider Mountain was a breeding ground, the demonic beasts were not mere livestock; they possessed intelligence and free will, with the exception of the spider queens, who were controlled by the secret techniques of the Ferocious Ming Peak, the Sixth Peak of the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect.

The large number of Ghost-Eyed Spiders they bred were semi-wild, extremely fierce, and their aggressiveness was no less than that of wild demonic beasts.

Otherwise, there would be no need for so many people at Spider Mountain.

There had to be some reserve to ensure production wasn't delayed.

Wang Yu would undoubtedly team up with Situ Hong. It would be good to build rapport early, communicate frequently, and deepen their foundation of trust.

"Brother Wang, the ghost eyes of these Ghost-Eyed Spiders are excellent. They are not only useful to me but also a treasure for your cultivation of the Cold Blood Art."

At that moment, the two stood in a corner of the deck, quietly chatting as they gazed at their approaching destination. The deck was filled with cultivators like them.

Hearing this, Wang Yu immediately became interested.

"Oh, how so?"

Situ Hong opened his palm, and a small whirlwind of similarly chilling spiritual energy rose, faintly containing the roar of malevolent ghosts. This was his intrinsic ghost spirit, the Cold Wind Ghost, which he had refined.

Having not seen him for some time, Situ Hong had almost reached the peak of Qi Condensation Layer 8, not far from Layer 9, and his spiritual energy had condensed into a semi-liquid state.

His strength was considerable.

Compared to demonic beasts of the same level, human cultivators, apart from their physical bodies, had overwhelming advantages in all other aspects. As long as they possessed some combat intelligence, they were almost guaranteed victory at the same cultivation stage.

Of course, the human cultivators mentioned here refer specifically to disciples of Nascent Soul sects, not rogue cultivators.

Among demonic beasts, there were also those with powerful bloodlines, who were likewise not considered typical.

Situ Hong cultivated a technique called the Heavenly Yin Art, which shared the same attribute as Wang Yu's but focused more on the Yin attribute, with the cold attribute being secondary.

Wang Yu, on the other hand, focused primarily on the cold attribute, with the Yin attribute being secondary.

"Besides being used in alchemy and artifact refining, the ghost eyes of the Ghost-Eyed Spiders are inherently a superior spiritual medicine for cultivators of our Yin-cold attribute. After consumption, they can not only brighten one's vision but also aid in refining Yin-cold spiritual energy.

"When used with a Spirit Gathering Array, their medicinal effect is roughly equivalent to a first-tier mid-grade cultivation elixir, and they can be consumed alongside cultivation pills, with a limit of about ten.

"Similarly, the stronger the spider producing the ghost eyes, the more potent their effect. If it's the product of a second-tier Ghost-Eyed Spider Queen, it can greatly benefit Foundation Establishment cultivators."

After listening to Situ Hong's explanation, Wang Yu's eyes brightened. He had been concerned that his cultivation speed had reached its limit and he lacked other methods to accelerate his progress, but now he unexpectedly found one.

"However," Wang Yu asked, "Brother Situ, will spiritual root aptitude affect the efficacy of this item?"

"Uh... well..." Situ Hong paused.

"I've heard that the effect of ghost eyes is relatively mild. We'll have to try it to know for sure."

"You're right."

The two didn't chat for long before the giant spirit boat began to descend, and the full panorama of Spider Mountain came into view.

The mountain wasn't tall, only about 1,700 to 1,800 meters.

It was dotted with twenty-one Ghost-Eyed Caves. The mountain rocks were black, devoid of soil and vegetation, and everywhere were gray clumps of solidified spider webs.

The terrain was somewhat similar to Xuan Gu Mountain. At the foot were vast expanses of spirit fields, with a cluster of farm-like buildings in the center.

Scattered stone houses were also distributed along the edges of the spirit fields.

The soil in the fields emitted a faint foul odor and was brownish-green in color, tangled with a large amount of spider silk, resembling an insulating blanket made of rice stalks.

Rows of Spider Heart Grass were neatly arranged, black and red in color, with leaves resembling spider legs. At the top of each plant grew a reddish, fleshy, tumor-like fruit, which was the origin of the name "Spider Heart."

The giant spirit boat stopped at the edge of the spirit fields. After over 800 people had disembarked, the veiled woman finally put it away.

Wang Yu and Situ Hong stood at the back. After the Foundation Establishment cultivators stationed there completed the handover, approximately three hundred people boarded another spirit boat and departed.

Thus, Spider Mountain was completely taken over by their group.

They continued forward for another thousand meters, arriving at the center of the spirit fields. It was then that the disciples from Five-Yin Peak and Cold Blood Peak separated, and tasks were assigned to each person.

Wang Yu had experience caring for spirit fields, so he didn't need to enter the spider caves for now. He was assigned two mu of land to look after the Spider Heart Grass within.

His accommodation was in a nearby stone house, and he was also given a booklet containing various precautions.

The Five-Yin Peak disciples had a more troublesome task: they needed to go to the nearest city, Corrosion Heart City, to retrieve food for feeding the Ghost-Eyed Spiders.

They also had to invite disciples from Ferocious Ming Peak, stationed in Corrosion Heart City, to check the spider queens' condition. This was far more troublesome than caring for the spirit fields, and everyone had their assigned tasks.

On Wang Yu's side, half the people cared for the spirit fields, while the other half formed three teams, entering the Ghost-Eyed Caves once every seven days to collect excrement and Ghost-Eyed Spider bodily fluids.

The two groups rotated annually, so it wouldn't be his turn to join the cave-entering team until next year.

This timing was perfect for him to adjust, and it was quite relaxed.

This place was equipped with a large, second-tier mid-grade formation connected to an underground spirit vein. However, not much spiritual energy remained for cultivation, with the majority being occupied by two Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The spiritual energy environment was far inferior to that within the sect, but it was still acceptable; consuming some spirit stones could compensate for daily cultivation. For Wang Yu, it was even less of an issue, as his reliance on the environment was almost nonexistent.

Even without a spirit vein, his cultivation still soared.

There wasn't much to do here, the work was easy, and there were no external dangers. It was perfectly suited for him to slowly accumulate resources and convert them into strength, occasionally refining pills and familiarizing himself with the use of his Cold Flames.

Such as the Twelve Flame Spirit Seals, Flame Spitting Art, and so on.

In particular, he had left the Body Refining cultivation technique, Dragon Jiao Strength, in his passive cultivation for about four months, and he had recently just achieved minor success in it.

Each time the idle cultivation system provided feedback, it was the power of blood essence, allowing his passive cultivation to reach the third layer of body refining.

Three "dragon tendons" had condensed within his body, causing his strength to surge.

This power originated from deep within his muscles and bones. With every exertion, bulging, thick, and fierce veins could be seen beneath his skin, granting him immense strength and vigor.