Chapter 585 - 567: Desert Thorn Forest, Trial Taker

The wind howled, sending yellow sand flying everywhere.

The sky was stained yellow, looking utterly gloomy.

Two Sand Giant Scorpions trailed behind Yang Chan, scuttling across the sand. Their speed was considerable, and they moved like the wind, kicking up clouds of dust in their wake.

To prevent their attention from being drawn away, Yang Chan had kept the two Sand Giant Scorpions focused on him. Otherwise, he risked being forced on to the next stage.

Some people liked to clear the stages quickly, but Yang Chan wanted to reap greater rewards. There was no prize for simply passing the trial. Instead, the real treasures—like these Top Level Spiritual Materials—were hidden along the way.

Even for the major Holy Lands and Imperial Dynasties, Top Level Spiritual Materials were extremely rare. They were exactly the kind of materials needed by their core forces and top-tier experts.

Barring the discovery of Divine Medicines, which were a tier above, Top Level Spiritual Materials were the best Cultivation Resources available. No faction could afford to ignore them.

Naturally, Yang Chan’s goal was to acquire the Top Level Spiritual Materials within the Secret Realm. They were the key to accelerating his Cultivation, and he had no intention of missing such an opportunity.

The Cyan Yuan Sect could no longer provide him with the resources necessary to support the Cultivation of a Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster. He had to be self-reliant.

He could, of course, choose to take things slow. But since a combination of factors had brought him into this Secret Realm, there was no reason to leave empty-handed. That just wouldn’t do.

Every effort must have its reward.

"This patch of Desert Thorn Forest contains an extremely dense concentration of Spiritual Qi. There must be something good buried in the sand!"

the Black Dragon advised.

Not far away, a patch of the Desert Thorn Forest came into view. Its thorns looked incredibly sharp; they had become Spiritual Materials themselves as a result of absorbing so much Spiritual Qi.

Some had started as ordinary herbs, but by growing in a place with such dense Spiritual Qi, they had eventually become Spirit Grass. Given enough time, they might even evolve further, but the difficulty of that was immense.

"I’ll get closer. You go in and take a look."

Yang Chan and the Black Dragon had worked together many times in this desert. He kept the two Sand Giant Scorpions on his tail, making sure they didn’t lose his trail. This allowed him to spend more time in the desert and gather more Spiritual Materials.

In just a short time, he had already collected a good number of Top Level Spiritual Materials. A few more, and he would have enough to last him a long while.

Many of these materials were exactly what Yang Chan hoped to find to refine elixirs that would aid the Cultivation of a Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster. Such an Elixir would not only let him absorb its Medicinal Power during his diligent Cultivation, but it would also provide more Potential Points. This would accelerate his completion of the second and third Bone Marrow Cleansings, allowing him to break through to the Blood Exchange Martial Saint Realm sooner.

On the Taiyu Divine Continent, a Blood Exchange Martial Saint was already at the pinnacle of power. Naturally, Yang Chan wanted to reach that stage as soon as possible.

However, the higher one’s Cultivation, the more Cultivation Resources were required and the longer it took to advance. Even with his many advantages, Yang Chan couldn’t avoid this reality.

The best way to accelerate his Cultivation was to acquire more Potential Points. A steady, unending supply of them—that was the key.

’Of course, if I could just get a zillion points at once, I’d be truly invincible.’ But obtaining that many was not only incredibly difficult but also highly unrealistic.

In contrast, the path of Alchemy and consuming elixirs, advancing step-by-step, was the one most suited to him.

"Alright!"

At Yang Chan’s word, the Black Dragon waited for him to get close to the Desert Thorn Forest. Then, he flew out of the Profound Yin Hanging Bead, darted into the thorny thicket, and began harvesting the Spiritual Materials.

"ROAR!"

As the Black Dragon was gathering the materials, a furious roar erupted from within the Desert Thorn Forest. The power behind it was considerable.

’The Exotic Beast guarding the Spirit Medicine this time is quite strong!’

Yang Chan froze for a moment when he heard the tremendous sound, but he quickly returned to normal.

’The fact that it could affect me like that proves the Exotic Beast in the Desert Thorn Forest is strong.’ Thankfully, he didn’t need to get close; he could just let the Black Dragon handle it.

How much they managed to harvest would depend entirely on the Black Dragon’s ability.

As far as he was concerned, any gain was a good gain.

In other parts of the Purple Void Secret Realm, one would have to dismantle Large Arrays to obtain these Top Level Spirit Medicines. Here, however, it was like picking them up off the ground, requiring almost no effort on his part.

The only one taking a risk was the Black Dragon. But as an Artifact Spirit, he was, in a sense, an immortal being.

As long as the Profound Yin Hanging Bead wasn’t destroyed, the Black Dragon, as its Artifact Spirit, would be fine. Even if he "died," he could be reborn.

The two Sand Giant Scorpions continued their pursuit. Even though fear flashed in their eyes when they heard the massive roar, they quickly refocused on tracking Yang Chan, intent on killing him.

It was as if they had an irreconcilable blood feud with him; they just wanted him dead.

"ROAR!"

Another furious roar echoed from the Desert Thorn Forest, the sound wave so powerful it flattened patches of the thorny brush. Its might was nothing to scoff at.

’Don’t tell me it’s not just the Black Dragon in that Desert Thorn Forest. Could there be someone else in there?’

Yang Chan’s brow furrowed slightly. He had instructed the Black Dragon to only take the Spiritual Materials that were easy to grab and to avoid taking risks for the inconvenient ones.

This region was vast. They could afford to abandon the difficult areas and choose spots where the Spiritual Materials were easier to acquire. This method was far more efficient and would yield a greater harvest.

That was how he had managed to accumulate so many Top Level Spiritual Materials so quickly. Based on his understanding of the Black Dragon, he shouldn’t be taking such a risk.

But the situation in the Desert Thorn Forest was clearly different from his expectations. Judging by the roars, something had been thoroughly enraged, and it would likely be very troublesome to deal with.

’If the Black Dragon wasn’t the one who did it, then there must be someone else in the Desert Thorn Forest.’

Yang Chan knew full well that they were still inside the Elite Trial Array, and he wasn’t the only person here.

Anyone who passed the previous volcano trial would enter this space.

Their entry points were random, the Exotic Beasts they encountered were different, and naturally, the trials they had to pass also varied.

One thing was certain, however: the weak couldn’t possibly make it this far.

Whether it was the first level’s glacier or the second level’s volcano in the Elite Trial Arena, it was nearly impossible to enter without reaching the Cleansing Marrow Grandmaster Realm.

Even if one’s Cultivation had broken through to the Cleansing Marrow Grandmaster Realm, if their Combat Power was insufficient, their only choice was to give up. Otherwise, they would only die here filled with regret.

These Exotic Beasts were all immensely powerful, champions among their peers. Not a single one was to be underestimated.

So, the sudden roar from the Desert Thorn Forest most likely meant that someone had just passed the volcano trial and arrived in this desert to begin the next stage.

’Trouble. I’ll wait a little longer. It’s better not to get involved.’

Yang Chan considered for a moment, but didn’t move closer. He had no desire to face either the unknown Trial Taker or the powerful Exotic Beast, so he had no intention of entering the Desert Thorn Forest.

If the Black Dragon had been by his side, he would have already left, heading for the next location with abundant Spiritual Qi to continue harvesting Spirit Medicine.