So An Chen didn't hesitate and continued to venture deeper into the inner area.
After all, fortune favors the bold.
An Chen looked behind him, but there was nothing but mountains and forests.
Although he didn't see anything, he knew that the Grand Elder was definitely following from afar in some hidden spot, or perhaps using his Divine Sense to probe from a distance.
An Chen also had a plan.
Of course, he wouldn't entrust his entire life to others; just like yesterday when he jumped off the Cliff, he didn't entirely rely on Zhao Qingfeng to save him.
That's why he ended up in the water instead of becoming a meat patty.
After venturing deeper into the inner area for some time, An Chen continued to search for Spiritual Plants and Spirit Medicine, but he found nothing.
There was still some distance to the next growth area.
However, while he didn't find Spirit Medicine or Spiritual Plants, An Chen did find people.
As An Chen walked, he suddenly heard rustling sounds not far ahead.
An Chen initially thought it was some wandering Yao Beast, so he quickly slowed his steps and crouched down.
But when he heard faint talking, he realized it was a group of people.
An Chen quietly followed and took a look, discovering it was indeed the group from the entrance of the mountain; one more person had joined the team, making it six people in total, three males and three females.
After confirming they were Qingfeng Sect's own people, An Chen breathed a sigh of relief.
He didn't plan to join them; instead, he intended to continue on his own, as he had already refused their kindness at the mountain entrance, and joining them now would seem hypocritical.
Moreover, An Chen felt something was off.
He had set off much earlier than these people, and his speed heading towards the inner area wasn't slow; he even used Qingyun Step, meaning only the time spent gathering Spirit Medicine and searching along the way had taken up a lot of time.
But how did this group catch up so quickly?
The speed of these people wasn't particularly fast; they were even leisurely chatting and laughing, just like they were on a picnic.
Unless they weren't looking for Spirit Medicine or Spiritual Plants at all, but had been heading in this direction all along.
An Chen constructed a map and compared the direction of this group's travel using reference points.
"That's not right..."
There were no large Spirit Medicine or Spiritual Plant growth areas in the direction these people were heading; the only one was quite far away, almost deep within the mountain range.
Disciples generally didn't dare to go there because many Yao Beasts would appear nearby, and even if the Elders within the sect knew something had happened to these people, they might not be able to rescue them immediately.
Furthermore, that growth area wasn't large and didn't have anything good.
So where was this group heading?
An Chen didn't meddle, simply keeping the question in his mind, then quietly left.
This group was probably distracted by their own talking and the noisy footsteps of those around them, completely unaware that An Chen had quietly followed them for a while in the nearby woods.
An Chen quickly found the direction he needed to go, moving further and further away from the group.
Soon, he arrived at his destination.
This was another area where Spirit Medicine grew densely.
Recalling the contents of the book, An Chen picked all the identifiable Spirit Medicine and Spiritual Plants, putting them into his qiankun bag or storing them in wooden boxes.
There were also a few plants that required special storage methods which An Chen didn't have the conditions for, so An Chen could only regretfully leave them behind, silently marking them on his map, planning to come back when he was better prepared.
However, the Spirit Medicine and Spiritual Plants he found this time weren't very valuable; many were auxiliary medicinal Materials for Alchemy, and their output in the entire Cultivation World was quite large, making their unit price even lower.
An Chen bent over and worked for over half an hour, and the total value of what he gathered was still only around one hundred Spirit Stones.
He had wanted to look for some qingxin grass, which could at least be exchanged for some cash, but he found nothing.
After picking everything in this area, An Chen continued to delve deeper into this red-circled growth zone; in the inner area of the back mountain, the density of Spiritual Plants was indeed much higher, and An Chen would find a Spiritual Plant as he walked.
An Chen suddenly discovered a large boulder ahead, recalled the map, and remembered that this boulder should be the center of this Spiritual Plant growth area, so he began searching for Spirit Medicine and Spiritual Plants around it.
This round of searching indeed allowed him to find quite a lot.
The Spiritual Plants here were clearly much more valuable.
He also found a large patch of seven star grass, a Spiritual Plant that is the main Materials for making talismans; although its unit price is very low, he found a large patch, and as long as the quantity is large enough, selling potatoes can also make one rich.
This type of Spiritual Plant doesn't require any special preservation methods; you can just pull it up by the roots and throw it into your qiankun bag.
An Chen worked for another half an hour before he had collected all of this large patch of seven star grass.
There were tiny spores under the seven star grass leaves, and An Chen didn't forget to flick these mature spores into the ground while picking, then casually covered them with soil.
This time, the focus was on sustainable development, so he wouldn't run out of things to pick in the future.
seven star grass grows very quickly and has strong vitality; after An Chen picks this patch, it will grow back in less than half a year.
After working for half a day, the seven star grass in An Chen's qiankun bag had piled up, and after bending over and picking for so long, An Chen felt a sore back.
An Chen looked around; almost all the Spirit Medicine and Spiritual Plants nearby had been picked, so he decided to take a break.
An Chen checked his watch again and found that it was already past three in the afternoon without him realizing it.
An Chen calculated, the distance from here back to the mountain entrance was a bit too far.
Two and a half hours probably wouldn't be enough...
An Chen decided not to rush back.
Anyway, in the wilderness, a sudden Transmigration shouldn't attract attention.
Even if the Grand Elder might secretly be protecting him, he certainly wasn't watching him every moment.
An Chen returned to the vicinity of the large boulder and found a small stone nearby to sit on.
Although he was a bit tired, An Chen felt very happy; it was the kind of happiness you feel when you get paid at the beginning of the month.
Every month, when An Chen received the transfer from the internet cafe boss, he felt this way.
And now, although he didn't have money on him, these Spirit Medicine and Spiritual Plants could immediately be exchanged for Spirit Stones at the Hanging Reward Hall.
An Chen couldn't help but comfortably stretch, feeling delighted.
But just then, he suddenly heard a "hissing" sound behind him.
An Chen hadn't heard this sound much, but he still recognized it: it was the sound of a snake flicking its tongue.
Then, An Chen also heard a sound like leather rubbing against stone.
In an instant, An Chen's hair stood on end; he sprang up as if electrified and turned his head to look.
From between the rocks, a Python as thick as a thigh slowly crawled out, its eyes bloodshot, appearing terrifying and eerie.