Chapter Forty-One

As the underling screamed, Chu Jie strode forward, his hand flashing out like lightning to seize something in his grasp. If not for the fact that Chu Jie had already reached the Spirit Convergence Realm, there was no way he could have caught this creature so quickly. The place where they had been hiding was shrouded in darkness, so Chu Jie couldn’t tell at first what kind of being he had captured. He could only feel it writhing restlessly in his hand, struggling with all its might yet unable to break free of his grip.

“This must be what bit you. Do any of you recognize it?” Chu Jie opened the entrance to the cave, letting in the light.

Only then did everyone see clearly what he held—a snake-like creature with delicate wings, as thick as an arm, writhing madly in his grasp.

“I know it—that’s a Gale Serpent, a creature unique to the Abyss of Gods and Demons. Typically, they’re only found below the seventh terrace. It’s not venomous; in fact, it’s said to be delicious and much sought after by the people in the outer city,” Jiang Ziyun said.

“How did a creature from the seventh terrace get here?” Chu Jie’s eyes gleamed as a possibility occurred to him.

He walked over to the bitten underling and said, “Have someone apply some ointment to the bite. Since it’s not venomous, there shouldn’t be any serious issue. Since this Gale Serpent seems so fond of you, I’ll let you handle it.”

The underling’s frown immediately gave way to excitement as he took the Gale Serpent. The delicacy everyone in the outer city craved was now his to enjoy. Gale Serpents were only found on the seventh terrace—he had never even seen one before.

As the underling headed out to roast the serpent over the fire, Chu Jie examined the place where the creature had appeared. For a Gale Serpent, native to the seventh terrace, to turn up here could only mean one thing—there might be a passage from here to the seventh terrace.

The terraces of the Abyss of Gods and Demons were a bizarre landscape; under normal circumstances, one could only descend terrace by terrace, each step fraught with peril. The deeper one ventured, the stronger the Nine Heavens Gale would become.

The members of the Mad Dog Camp were all warriors at the Body-Tempering Realm; reaching the fifth terrace was already quite an achievement for them. Yet if Chu Jie could find a way to lead his men deeper, it could be of great benefit.

But the pressing question was, how did the Gale Serpent appear here?

He had blasted out this cave himself; there was no way the serpent could have crossed through space to get here. If it had such ability, it would not have been caught. Pondering this, Chu Jie suddenly noticed a small hole in the ground he had overlooked before.

He summoned the Universe Wheel, which emitted streams of spiritual light and blasted a large hole at the spot.

The Universe Wheel entered and circled inside, and Chu Jie heard a few sharp cries, as if several creatures had been slain. By the light of the Wheel, he saw five or six dead Gale Serpents below.

“Someone, fetch those Gale Serpents up here. Tonight, we feast,” Chu Jie ordered, then jumped down himself, using the Wheel’s glow to inspect the surroundings.

It was a long, narrow passageway, seemingly formed by nature. The terrain sloped ever downward; perhaps this tunnel would lead all the way to the seventh terrace.

He didn’t rush onward. He had only just recovered, and his men’s spiritual power was not yet replenished. There was no need to hurry. Now that he had a bounty of Gale Serpents, replenishing their strength was of utmost importance.

Of course, Chu Jie would certainly explore further. If he could gather supplies, it would be of great use when he entered the outer city—his Body of Nine Tribulations required vast amounts of rare materials. Even if he didn’t need them, his brothers did.

So, if resources could be found, all the better.

The serpent meat was soon roasted. An underling brought Chu Jie the largest piece, its aroma mouthwatering and irresistible. Chu Jie took a large bite; as the meat entered his stomach, it was like a gentle flame, warm and nourishing, subtly strengthening his physique. If one could eat Gale Serpent meat regularly, their body would surely become formidable.

Chu Jie’s eyes lit up. If the brothers of the Mad Dog Camp could feast on this often, their progress would be astonishing in no time.

Moreover, if this passage led to the seventh terrace, even if Chu Jie didn’t come back, he could send his men here to hunt Gale Serpents.

The men, tasting the meat, immediately sensed its benefits.

“Boss, if I could eat this every day, my cultivation would skyrocket,” Jiang Ziwen exclaimed, clearly excited.

In the chaos of this region, everyone yearned for strength—for here, weakness was a crime.

“I know. Soon, we’ll explore this passage—there may be even more Gale Serpents inside.” Chu Jie summoned the Universe Wheel, letting it circle around him, illuminating the surroundings with a brilliant glow.

When all had eaten their fill, Chu Jie was the first to leap into the passage; the others sealed the cave entrance behind them and followed.

Chu Jie led the way, his men close behind. The Universe Wheel hovered before him, casting radiant light down the path.

They delved ever deeper; at times, Chu Jie felt as though they were descending toward the earth’s core. Underground, it was impossible to judge how deep they’d gone. After some time, the passage branched and grew uneven, but they pressed on, until they entered a vast cavern and their view suddenly opened up.

“What a magnificent sight!”

The cavern was enormous, and all around, glowing crystals bathed the chamber in a brilliant light.

Chu Jie looked around, stunned; those luminous crystals appeared to be profound jades—if so, this was likely a small vein of them. For such a resource to go undiscovered here—what did it mean?

It meant fortune had smiled upon him! With these profound jades, he could exchange for countless rare spiritual herbs and treasures, and provide resources for his brothers’ training as well.

This place was now his for the taking.

His men realized this too, frozen in awe.

“So many profound jades—we’re rich!”

“Following the boss really is lucky!”

“Haha, with these resources, the Mad Dog Camp will soar!”

The brothers were jubilant, some even using their swords to carefully pry loose a crystal. The piece they extracted was only palm-sized, but at a glance, there were tens of thousands of such jades in this cavern. The chamber was immense; mining it would be no easy task.

Once, only Spirit Convergence Realm cultivators could mine profound jades. Now, all of them could do it, with no need to brave the Nine Heavens Gale.

Even for those at the Spirit Convergence Realm, acquiring so many profound jades was a dream; the quality and size here made them top-grade.

Previously, the capture of a Wind Listening Panther had been worth only five hundred top-grade profound jades; here, there were tens of thousands. It would take time to extract them, but the reward was well worth the effort. These jades could be traded for Spirit Gathering Grasses, used for cultivation, or even serve as currency in the outer city.

Chu Jie’s heart raced. He’d heard tales of sudden fortune in Bloodslaughter City, and now, it had come true for him. He could already imagine Mu Xu, the quartermaster, going mad with joy when he returned to Lingyun District with a mountain of jades. The whole team he had assembled would benefit.

Yet, despite the wealth before him, Chu Jie remained vigilant.

Throughout history, fortune and danger went hand in hand. The origins of such a vast cavern were unknown, but Chu Jie felt an eerie premonition, as if something was about to happen.

Suddenly, Chu Jie’s brow furrowed—he sensed something amiss.

“Chen Long! Form a defensive array!” Chu Jie summoned the Barbaric Cauldron, letting it hover in the air. A powerful sense of danger pressed in.

As the threat intensified, everyone held their breath, not retreating into the narrow passage behind them—it was too cramped for a proper fight.

By now, Chen Long and his team had set up the defensive array, and Chu Jie once more felt the bond among them.

A buzzing sound grew louder, and from a hole in the cavern’s roof, a mass of black mist poured forth.

It was a cloud composed entirely of Gale Serpents—thousands of them, their wings vibrating as they surged into the chamber and dove straight for Chu Jie and his men.

A flash of understanding crossed Chu Jie’s mind—this must be a Gale Serpent nest. Discovering intruders in their lair, the serpents had immediately launched an attack.

A single Gale Serpent was no threat, but a thousand of them posed mortal danger.

The Gale Serpents were blindingly fast. In a matter of moments, the cloud descended upon Chu Jie and his Mad Dog Camp.

“Kill!” Chu Jie roared, swinging his fist. Blinding light erupted from his knuckles, and in a single blow, he slew more than a dozen Gale Serpents.

Surging spiritual power filled the air as Chu Jie struck again and again, each punch felling another serpent.

Under his control, the Universe Wheel soared into the cloud, streaking through the air in dazzling arcs, harvesting the serpents’ lives.

At first, Chu Jie considered using the Barbaric Cauldron to simply collect the lot, but then he remembered the value of the meat and abandoned the idea.

Knowing well the benefits of Gale Serpent flesh, the men of Mad Dog Camp fought with exceptional ferocity, utterly fearless in the face of danger.