“Dr. Bloomer, please tell me your request. As long as it’s something I can do, I’ll definitely do it!” People fear death, and Cassius is no exception.
“My request is simple: do not attempt to investigate the identity of the tea house owner anymore, and keep all your thoughts about him to yourself,” Leo said.
Cassius nodded solemnly, “Dr. Bloomer, I promise I won’t investigate the tea house owner anymore.”
“Remember what you said today, or next time, no one will be able to save you,” Leo said, taking out a talisman from his body and folding it into a talisman packet, which he handed to Cassius.
Cassius was surprised, “Dr. Bloomer, this is…”
“You take this talisman packet home, burn it in a bowl, and drink the water. Your problems will be completely eradicated,” Leo explained.
Cassius carefully took the talisman packet, “Thank you, Dr. Bloomer.”
“I need to use the restroom.”
In the storage room next to the tea house restroom, the ageless person was already waiting inside.
“That man won’t investigate you anymore. You don’t need to take his life,” Leo said.
The ageless person handed a sealed small bottle to Leo, saying, “Master Bloomer, this is my three drops of blood.”
Leo took it, confirmed it, and stored it in his Void Storage Talisman.
The transaction complete, after leaving the tea house and bidding farewell to Cassius, Leo felt quite content. Unexpectedly, staying overnight in the county town resulted in obtaining three drops of blood from an ageless person, meaning at least thirty more years of life.
Back at the motel, Leo took a shower and slept comfortably.
The next day, Leo woke up early, had breakfast, and left the motel to continue towards the Northern Desolation Mountains.
About two hours later, Leo reached the southern foothills of the Northern Desolation Mountains.
According to information Leo obtained online, ascending from the southern foothills was the easiest route.
Looking around, the mountains were high and dense, and the surroundings were desolate.
Leo found a inconspicuous spot, parked his car, and then took out the backpack and climbing gear from the trunk, beginning his trek up the mountain.
Shortly after Leo started climbing, not far from his parking spot, an off-road vehicle appeared.
Five people got out of the vehicle, with the leading man being none other than Vincent, who had encountered Leo before and was spared by him.
After the failure of the previous mission, Vincent had almost been eliminated by Oktrar. However, Oktrar ultimately spared him and gave him a chance to make amends: secretly follow Leo and find the whereabouts of the three Spirit Medicines.
Shortly after Vincent and his group ascended, another car arrived, a Porsche SUV.
The first to get out was a woman, someone Leo had seen before – Amaya.
Following Amaya was an elderly man, slightly hunched, giving off an ailing impression.
“Miss, you saw it just now. A group is following Leo into the mountain. Why not wait here? We can take advantage of the situation, wait for Leo or those five to return with the Spirit Medicines, and then snatch them,” the elderly man suggested.
Since the day she met Leo and learned that he knew about the Spirit Medicine Immortal Trace, Amaya had been paying attention to Leo’s movements. Following him to the foothills of the Northern Desolation Mountains, Amaya finally confirmed one thing: Leo definitely had a portion of the Spirit Medicine Immortal Trace. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have found this place.
“Mr. Elliott, I decided before I came that I must enter the mountain. If you don’t want to go in, wait for me in the car,” Amaya said firmly.
The middle-aged man pondered for a moment, then looked up, saying, “Alright, since you’ve made up your mind, I won’t stop you. If you encounter danger inside the mountain, send a signal to me.”
Amaya nodded, put on her climbing gear, and started ascending.
Leo continued in the direction indicated by the map stored in his mind. The further he went, the more challenging the path became.
At this point, Leo had entered the primeval forest. Without a compass, it was highly likely he would get lost in this vast forest.
After a challenging journey through the primeval forest for over an hour, Leo finally emerged from the woods and reached the summit of the first mountain. Looking ahead, there were still undulating mountains as far as the eye could see.
Without the guidance of a map, finding the Spirit Medicines in these vast mountains was akin to searching for a needle in a haystack.
Next, Leo had to descend the mountain and climb again in the mountain hollow before reaching another peak. The seemingly short distance was, in reality, quite lengthy.
At a time like this, having a helicopter would be wonderful.
By the time Leo climbed the second peak, night had begun to fall.
Leo had considered using the Wind Burst Talisman to assist in his journey, but running through a thorny and perilous dense forest wasn’t a wise choice. During such a run, protecting himself with spiritual energy would consume a considerable amount, risking exhaustion and danger once the spiritual energy was depleted.
Additionally, the physical exertion would be terrifying. Once the talisman’s power was exhausted, Leo would need to eat and rest for an extended period.
Considering these factors, walking straightforwardly was the more scientific approach.
On the mountainside of the second peak, Leo got lucky and found a suitable cave for overnight stay.
Collecting many dry branches and leaves into the cave, Leo lit a campfire. Illuminated by the fire, he briefly tidied up the cave and took out dry rations and water for his dinner.
After finishing a simple dinner, Leo tried to call Sophia on his phone, but unfortunately, there was no signal in this cave.
Sleeping on the hard ground of the cave wouldn’t be comfortable. Leo decided to sit cross-legged, closed his eyes, formed a hand seal, and started cultivating the Nine Heavens Star Chart.
Leo had tried this before. Once he entered a state of meditation, the outcome was comparable to waking up refreshed and full of energy.
The next day, as the first light pierced through the darkness, Leo quickly packed up and continued his journey.
After walking for another full day, the highest peak of the Northern Desolation Mountains was finally within reach.
The map obtained from Black indicated that Dragon Whisker Grass, Phoenix Gall, and Goblin Essence, the three Spirit Medicines, should grow on the highest peak of the Northern Desolation Mountains.
With hope in sight, Leo gathered his strength. Around 7-8 PM that night, he finally reached the summit.
Leo planned to find a cave on the mountainside to rest for the night, allowing him to start searching for Dragon Whisker Grass, Phoenix Gall, and Goblin Essence in the mountains the next morning.