Its sharp teeth scraped against the Bronze cage bars, striking sparks.

Xu Yunfan’s pupils contracted. He could see clearly now that the dense rows of teeth were not bone, but countless microscopic Ginseng Roots that had hardened into crystalline prisms.

A faint green light suddenly bloomed from the three Ginseng Leaf-shaped birthmarks on the doll’s brow. From the wounds pierced by the bronze spikes, a milky-white sap began to ooze out at a visible rate.

An indescribably strange fragrance grew stronger. Following the doll’s action, the scent abruptly intensified threefold.

The joints in Xu Yunfan’s fingers suddenly popped like crackling beans.

The strange fragrance that drilled into his nostrils became molten lava in his throat, spreading swiftly from his lungs into his flesh and blood.

The Pure Yang Inner Breath lying dormant in his flesh erupted like kindling doused in oil, surging madly through his muscles, skin, and membranes.

"HISS!!"

Xu Yunfan had no time to read the several notification messages floating in his vision.

He staggered and braced himself against the rock wall. The calcite his palm touched was seared with the five-fingered imprint of his hand.

He could clearly feel a liquid like molten gold flowing beneath his skin after inhaling that single breath of fragrance. Only then did he realize that the milky-white sap seeping from the Ginseng Doll’s wounds was condensing into a mist of Spirit Marrow in the air!

’What a waste, a true waste!’

Just smelling its scent had caused such a powerful reaction in him. No wonder that Demon Tiger was fighting so desperately to get it back.

The Bronze cage suddenly trembled violently.

The doll splayed its limbs against the bottom of the cage, its sharp teeth gnashing hatefully as it glared at the look of enjoyment on Xu Yunfan’s face. Its cheeks were puffed out; it was clearly holding its breath, trying to prevent Xu Yunfan from smelling even another wisp of its scent.

Bloody mist suddenly burst from beneath Xu Yunfan’s skin.

He wiped the blood away, only to find that the flesh and blood where the liquid had passed through seemed to be turning transparent, revealing bones underneath that shone with a jade-like luster.

Within the space of a few breaths, the flesh that had become almost transparent gradually returned to normal.

"Such potent Purifying!"

He violently ripped off the leather armor on his left arm. Beneath his skin, he could see bluish-purple meridians rearranging themselves. Impurities were being constantly expelled from deep within his pores, coating his entire body in a layer of Black Oil!

Only now did he have a moment to see the stream of notifications that had almost flooded his Attribute Panel.

’You have absorbed a mouthful of pure Spirit Marrow. Your constitution has been enhanced.’

’You have absorbed a mouthful of pure Spirit Marrow. The Sunrise Qi Skill dormant in your flesh has activated on its own, continuously absorbing it. The Skill Level of your Sunrise Qi Skill has greatly increased.’

With this single notification, his Sunrise Qi Skill’s Skill Level had increased by twenty points. At this rate, it wouldn’t even take two months for him to achieve Great Success in his Pure Yang Qi Skill and step into the Flesh Refining Realm.

This Ginseng Doll... even in an era of Primeval Spirit Prosperity, where Extreme Daoists walked the earth, it was a Divine Medicine that people would fight tooth and nail for.

A Ginseng Doll transformed from a Ten-Thousand-Year Ginseng was a rarity in this world!

A storm surged in Xu Yun’s heart. His eyes were fixed on the Ginseng Doll, which was still puffing out its cheeks and holding its breath. His burning gaze looked as if it wanted to swallow the creature whole.

The Ginseng Doll shuddered and instinctively pressed itself against the Bronze cage, trying desperately to get away from Xu Yunfan.

It had seen that same look in the Demon Tiger’s eyes.

’What a pity!’

Xu Yunfan slowly sat down on the ground, feeling a little regretful.

If he really were to swallow it whole—setting aside whether it was even edible—the sheer amount of Spirit Marrow contained within the Ginseng Doll would instantly make him explode.

Just the single breath the doll had exhaled had been enough to make his skin split, pushing him to his limit. If it happened again, his body might just disintegrate.

For now, Xu Yunfan didn’t dare go to Celestial Craft City. If that Demon Tiger followed the scent and caught up to him there, it would only cause more trouble. And then there was that group from Bei Mang Mountain. If he didn’t deal with them cleanly and news got out, he would be plunged into a situation with no hope of recovery.

Moreover, he needed to forge a Treasure Box Cage to restrain this doll against his chest before he could feel at ease. Carrying it around like this in a birdcage was like a child walking through a crowded market with a sword—courting disaster.

If he encountered an expert whose strength far surpassed his own, his luck would run out.

Xu Yunfan quickly calmed himself.

He glanced at the underground Dark River. With his ability of Seeking Dragon and Distinguishing Veins, he naturally knew this Dark River was a flowing channel that led to the outside world.

He carefully dipped the Ginseng Doll into the water. Aside from provoking an angry wail from the doll, it showed no signs of escaping.

Seeing this, Xu Yunfan hesitated no longer. He slung the Thunderfire Qilin Hammer onto his back, secured the Profound Steel Mechanism Box, and after making sure everything was in place, he walked slowly to the riverbank.

Seeing Xu Yunfan’s movements, the nearby Ginseng Doll froze for a moment, then began to wail. Its two small hands, covered in Ginseng Roots, grabbed the Bronze cage and began to shake it violently.

Why would Xu Yunfan pay it any mind? If he stayed here for long, the Demon Tiger would find him sooner or later. It was better to get out first, find a place to forge a Mechanical Box with a Qi Storage Mechanism to put the Ginseng Doll in. Only then could he avoid being tracked by the Demon Tiger.

With the squealing, flailing Ginseng Doll in tow, he plunged headfirst into the Dark River.

「Half an hour later.」

The reeds by the pond rustled.

Xu Yunfan had just leaned his soaked back against a bluestone at the pond’s edge when his pupils reflected a Bronze Lamp thirty feet away. Its wick was unlit, but its sides were carved with Spells that writhed like living things.

The Lamp Master’s gray robes were damp with dew. He had clearly been waiting for a long time.

"Young Hero Xu, you are quite the swimmer."

The Lamp Master flicked a blade of grass from the lamp’s shade. The Bronze Lamp made a soft sound of gears meshing as it turned, and his fingers continuously adjusted the oil cap on a bronze stud.

"From the Ghost-Despairing Waterfall to Bibo Pond, the Dark River has seven forks. You chose the most dangerous one, Shepan Dao."

Although the Lamp Master’s tone was casual, it couldn’t hide the dust and bits of grass clinging to his clothes. He had clearly run into some trouble on the mountain cliffs.

The corner of Xu Yunfan’s eye twitched. He subconsciously glanced at the Ginseng Doll in the Bronze cage he was gripping tightly. It was still spitting out water.

It was this little devil. When the underground current had surged, it had suddenly shaken the cage, pulling him into the winding and treacherous Shepan Dao. If not for his considerable skill, the Perfection of his bones, muscles, and skin, and the fact that his organs had also been tempered to a degree, he might have actually died in that fork of the river.

Xu Yunfan’s fingers tightened around the Bronze cage. Water from the pond dripped down the iron chain.

He squinted, studying the Lamp Master for a long moment before speaking slowly.

"The Thousand-Mile Dust Incense from Bei Mang Mountain?"

It was recorded in the Celestial Craft Cave that those fellows from Bei Mang Mountain—the grave robbers—had many imperceptible tricks up their sleeves.

The Thousand-Mile Dust Incense was colorless and odorless, yet extremely adhesive. Only those who practiced the special Secret Martial Arts of Bei Mang Mountain could smell it.

A flicker of surprise crossed the Lamp Master’s gray eyes. His gaze kept drifting to the Ginseng Doll in the Bronze cage in Xu Yunfan’s hand.

"I seem to have underestimated you. I thought you were just some young master from the Celestial Craft Cave out for a stroll, but it turns out you’ve walked the paths of the Mortal World."

Xu Yunfan let out a soft laugh, his gaze quickly turning ice-cold.