Ji Yuan looked at the other person deeply, as if he hadn't expected them to give him this pill formula.
One should know that although the Po Zhang Dan only had the effect of targeting poisonous insects and miasma, it was still a graded item. If it were to be sold, it could easily fetch a high price of ten to twenty thousand taels of silver.
This could no longer be described as generous. Given their status as wild cultivators, it was already an act of a treasure-giving celestial being.
If someone like Li Buwei were to know, he would probably curse them, thinking they were deliberately putting on an act and were not true wild cultivators.
Even Ji Yuan, after a brief moment of stunned silence, couldn't help but size up the other person, genuinely unable to comprehend their thoughts.
Such a "generous" wild cultivator was truly one of a kind.
"Since the exotic beasts have been dealt with, let us continue our journey."
As if unaware of the young man's gaze, Huang Tianci chuckled and said to everyone.
The group set off again, using the crude Po Zhang Dan to dispel the poisonous insects in the miasma and continue towards the depths of the swamp.
However, for the rest of the journey, as if all their good luck had been used up, they were repeatedly attacked by exotic beasts. The three types of exotic beasts that the Grandmaster of Alchemy had kept in the swamp all appeared before them.
However, Huang Tianci and the others did not stand by idly. Although their combined efforts were somewhat strained, they managed to get through the ordeal with more fright than actual harm.
Only Ji Yuan's suspicions grew deeper. He couldn't help but wonder if it was his imagination, but every time there was an exotic beast attack, one or two of them always seemed to slip through and appear before him.
And when he fought back using talismans and other means, he always felt a gaze, dimly present, watching him, which made him feel extremely strange.
After half an incense stick's time, they finally reached the deepest part of the swamp. However, they were not only a bit disheveled but also had considerably depleted their spiritual power.
Even Ji Yuan was no exception, having lost about thirty percent of his spiritual power and significantly more stamina.
Even with the aid of pills, they had no time to refine them, so the recovery of spiritual power and stamina was limited.
"There seems to be no mansion here..."
Ji Yuan looked around but found no trace, nor did he sense any hidden aura.
Then, he instinctively lowered his head to look at the vast lake they were standing on, and a guess immediately arose in his heart.
"That's right, the mansion is at the bottom of the lake!"
Huang Tianci pointed downwards and said seriously.
The few people beside him did not show any surprise, clearly already knowing the inside story.
"How do we get down?"
Hearing this, Ji Yuan frowned slightly. Sinking to the bottom of the lake was naturally not a problem for him.
However, from the way they had attacked earlier, it was evident that none of the seven were skilled in water techniques. It would probably not be an easy task to descend to the bottom of the lake.
In his perception, the lake was at least thirty to forty zhang deep, as if it had been specially dug out.
Such a depth would be impossible for even a cultivator in the late stage of the Spirit Gathering realm, unless they were exceptionally skilled in water techniques to be able to descend to the bottom safely.
"That's not a problem. Fortunately, I have a water-repelling pearl, which is enough to protect everyone as we dive to the bottom of the lake." https:/
Chen Dade spoke, and at the same time, he took out a fist-sized, deep blue pearl.
This pearl was refined from precious jade and emitted a soft glow. Even without spiritual power infused into it, intricate patterns already appeared.
This was somewhat beyond Ji Yuan's expectations. He hadn't expected them to possess such a treasure. In the market, spiritual items like water-repelling pearls and fire-repelling pearls were often priceless.
Even for a place like Mingxin Pavilion, whose shops covered an entire prefecture and whose business even extended to the entire Lingyang Prefecture, their treasury did not stock such spiritual items.
He couldn't help but cast a deep look at the people in front of him. They were behaving less and less like wild cultivators.
No, perhaps from the very beginning, except for the aura they carried and their mixed spiritual power, they were not like wild cultivators in any other way!
Seeing their calm expressions and their undisguised gazes, Ji Yuan suddenly felt a very strange sensation.
He took a deep breath and suppressed his thoughts for the moment. Now was not the time to ponder these matters.
"Without further ado, let's set off."
Huang Tianci said, looking at Chen Dade beside him.
The latter nodded, and a surge of spiritual power immediately flowed into the water-repelling pearl in his hand. A layer of blue light then expanded, forming a sphere about three zhang in size, enveloping everyone within it.
The next moment, they followed Chen Dade downwards, sinking into the water. With the water-repelling pearl, the surrounding lake water did not touch them, being repelled about one and a half zhang away.
Furthermore, a gentle force lifted their bodies, suspending them within the sphere. As Chen Dade controlled the water-repelling pearl, he carried them towards the bottom of the lake.
As they continued to descend, the light around them grew dimmer and dimmer, eventually becoming completely dark. If not for the soft glow of the water-repelling pearl, it would have been impossible to see one's hand in front of one's face.
In the silent tranquility at the bottom of the lake, the group stopped talking at some point, which made the atmosphere somewhat somber.
This was not the first time Ji Yuan had experienced the fear of endless silence and darkness from a deep water environment.
However, despite having prior experience, he still felt a sense of discomfort, and his state of mind inevitably fluctuated. It took him a long time to calm down.
He even speculated that no matter how many times he went through such an experience, it would be difficult to get used to it and remain unaffected.
When the group, with the help of the water-repelling pearl, had sunk to a depth of about thirty zhang, a colorful glow suddenly began to emanate from around them.
At some point, fish began to swim in the surrounding lake water. Although they were not precious spiritual fish, they appeared to be quite intelligent.
"That's..."
Ji Yuan opened his spiritual eyes and was immediately filled with shock.
He saw that at the bottom of the water, more than ten zhang down, there was a magnificent mansion built entirely of various colored jades, and even the roof tiles were exquisitely crafted glazed tiles!
The entire mansion was bathed in a multicolored glow, and even from a distance of more than ten zhang, a strong spiritual energy could be felt.
"This is the mansion of that Grandmaster of Alchemy."
Huang Tianci said slowly, the smile on his face having disappeared at some point, his eyes flashing with a strange light.
A short while later, Chen Dade manipulated the water-repelling pearl, leading the group to the entrance of the mansion at the bottom of the lake.
As soon as they approached, Ji Yuan felt a sense of comfort, bathed in the multicolored glow, as if enveloped by a special force. Not only was his stamina rapidly recovering, but his fatigue also quietly receded.
He looked up and noticed that the mansion had no plaque, and the space above the main gate was empty, which seemed a bit strange.
At the same time, he also discovered that flanking the main gate were two lifelike jade lions carved from extremely rare blood jade!
This type of jade was produced only once in many years. Even a piece larger than the palm of a hand was priceless. Even without being refined by cultivators, it had the miraculous effect of nourishing the blood in the body and warding off all evil, making it difficult for ghosts and demons to harm.
Looking at the two jade lions in front of them, even their bases were cast from blood jade. They were about a zhang tall, and as soon as they approached, a scorching yang energy could be felt.
"Just these two jade lions are enough to be comparable to half a magical artifact!"
Ji Yuan couldn't help but whisper, already contemplating how to move them.
However, as soon as he finished speaking, he felt a gaze fall upon him. He instinctively wanted to look around, but his eyes inadvertently swept over the jade lions by the main gate.
In an instant, the spiritual power within his body surged, rushing through his meridians like a rolling river.
The Profound Sky Spirit Devouring Pagoda, which was suppressing his injuries in his dantian, also vibrated slightly and silently.
The two jade lions, which should have been inanimate objects, turned their heads in unison, their gazes revealing a hint of displeasure, as if extremely dissatisfied with their prices being estimated right in front of them.
At this moment, Ji Yuan looked as if he were facing a great enemy. His already pale face turned even more so, and his body even trembled slightly.
The reason was simple: under the gaze of these two jade lions, he felt as if he were being targeted by two third-realm cultivators, and a spiritual pressure seemed to envelop him.
Fortunately, in the next moment, Huang Tianci took out a jade token from his embrace, which made the two jade lions withdraw their gazes, and the spiritual pressure instantly vanished.
Ji Yuan immediately breathed a sigh of relief, his expression grim as he quietly took a step back, quickly circulating his cultivation technique, and suppressing the surging spiritual power within his body as much as possible.
If Huang Tianci had been any slower, he would have lost control of his spiritual power under that spiritual pressure and instinctively attacked the two jade lions with all his might.
If such a scene had occurred, his fate would not have been good, as the other party had released a third-realm aura!
With their powerful spiritual senses, he could sense that these two jade lions were not merely for show but truly possessed a powerful strength comparable to that of a third-realm cultivator.
"Those who hold the token may enter and exit the water mansion."
One of the jade lions, although it did not speak, its voice emanated from its abdomen.
As its voice slowly faded, the tightly shut door of the water mansion slowly opened, and an extremely dense rosy glow gushed out. Just being illuminated by it, the fatigue in the body vanished, as if filled with endless energy.
Ji Yuan even felt that some minor injuries were slowly healing, with a speed comparable to taking spiritual medicine.
However, after a brief few breaths, the rosy glow before them gradually dissipated, and the miraculous effect of healing injuries was gone.
He couldn't help but feel a sense of pity. If it had lasted longer, bathing in such rosy light for two or three hours might have healed all but his most severe injuries.
However, pity notwithstanding, he had not forgotten his true purpose for coming here. As long as there was enough time, any injury could be healed. As an alchemist, he had this confidence.
Compared to that, the opportunities here were more important. After all, the original owner of this water mansion was a Grandmaster of Alchemy!
There was probably nothing else in the world that could attract him so much!