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Chapter 87: Each Unfolding Action

“In ancient times and now, the various prominent factions in the world, including the national government and the Yin-Yang Office, have summoned powerful individuals more than once to search for and attempt to kill the [Pharmacist].”

“But he has an unpredictable whereabouts. Even if he is occasionally surrounded by coincidence, no matter how severely injured, pierced by countless arrows, or plunged into deep valleys, or even burned to ashes, he seems to reappear unharmed in no time, as if no means could kill him.”

“Thus, the Pharmacist is also referred to by some who venerate him as… [Immortal Pharmacist].”

Seeing the deeply wary expression on Ling Feng’s face, Miss Vilyric nodded to herself.

An immortal [Pharmacist]?

It’s just like some urban legend, isn’t it?

Unfortunately, it appears that guy has long since left; otherwise, I would really want to meet him.

“Then next…”

“Uh…”

Just as Miss Vilyric was about to continue speaking, a heavy groan suddenly echoed in the spirit shrine.

She and Ling Feng turned their heads only to find Elder Tian Er with wide eyes, clutching his neck in pain as he fell backward. He stretched out his hand, seemingly wanting to say something, but only managed to produce wheezing sounds, and his limbs began to twitch as his eyes rolled back, giving the impression that he could stop breathing at any moment.

“Oh no, it must be a trap left by the [Pharmacist]!”

Ling Feng shouted in alarm and rushed forward without hesitation, prying apart the clenched paws of the rat demon that was strangling his neck, only to discover that there had mysteriously appeared a perfectly fitted, collar-like pattern that was similar to Little Mole’s abdomen at the time.

The pattern glowed and shrank, resembling a genuine noose, making it hard for Elder Tian Er to breathe; in no time, he was on the brink of death!

“Ah!”

“What… happened?!”

“Uh uh uh… help me…”

Like lighting a string of firecrackers, those members of the Ground Mouse Gang who had already given up resisting—including those who had been knocked unconscious and lay unresponsive on the ground—over seventy percent of them had similar collar-like patterns gradually appearing around their necks, resembling the death ropes of the grim reaper, tightening around their throats, causing them to fall to the ground in agony, moaning endlessly.

“What is going on?!”

The sudden turn of events threw Little Mole, who was trying hard to soothe the demons, into a panic. Although she herself had been cleared of latent toxins by the Priestess beforehand and was safe, her friends and family in the Ground Mouse Gang were not so lucky.

Retrieving the talisman that had been placed on Elder Tian Er’s neck, Ling Feng exchanged a serious glance with the black-haired girl who had also crouched down to check the situation.

“The [Pharmacist] truly lives up to his reputation; he actually modified the [Demon-Suppressing Talisman] into such a new, strange form.”

“It’s like a predetermined trap embedded in the demon’s body; usually, everything goes smoothly, but once the target makes a specific pre-set action, it will immediately erupt, taking their lives, resulting in a whole chain reaction—madman…”

“He really does stick to the principle of [not actively killing].”

The Priestess nodded pensively.

“It seems the key trigger is the two words [Pharmacist]; I must say he’s a genius ~”

“There’s only a thin line between genius and madness… this is troublesome. If it were just one or two people, I could still handle it, but with this many triggered at once… Vilyric, do you have any emergency measures?”

“Why do I feel like you’re treating me as if I’m some kind of fairy tale character…”

Helplessly shaking her head again, the black-haired girl raised her hand, and the [Eternal Staff · Heart of the World] fell into her palm.

“Alright, alright, even though it seems the commotion will be quite loud, since I promised Little Mole to resolve this properly, I can’t go back on my word.”

She pointed the sacred staff towards the sky.

“Descend, Holy Radiance.”

……

Cangyun Mountain, Peach Blossom Peak.

In the beautifully crafted stone pavilion located at the center of the spirit pool on the mountaintop, a silver-haired girl set down the teacup she had just raised to mid-air, shifting her gaze from the array before her to the distance, a hint of unusual brilliance flashing in her tranquil, beautiful eyes.

Beneath the cloud sea, golden light shot up into the sky. Even at the top of Peach Blossom Peak, nearly ten thousand meters above sea level, it was still clearly visible, and one could feel the impending radiance that seemed about to envelop everything.

“This is…”

The other party, a pink-haired beauty dressed in imperial attire sitting opposite her, also turned her head, a graceful curve appearing at the corner of her eyes as she smiled like water.

“What pure light! Such an astonishing show of skill; this must be at least a powerful being at the [Transformation] stage, yet none exist among the twelve peak masters; I wonder what the visitor’s intentions are.”

“……”

After a brief hesitation, the silver-haired girl shook her head, pondering aloud.

“The golden light soaring into the sky… it’s the second time now.”

The beauty chuckled.

“Do you think it’s that person?”

“Hard to predict; however, regardless, we’ll continue with our plan. I will set off immediately; the rest relies on you.”

“Got it…”

Nodding as she picked up a chess piece, the beauty contemplated placing it within the array between them, creating a ripple of light, and smiled again.

“Don’t worry; I will properly welcome those approaching guests for you. Others have been informed as well; now… we just wait for their action.”

……

“We’ve arrived; this is Peach Blossom Peak.”

About an hour later, among the endless strange peaks that seemingly reached the sky, the white-clad middle-aged man stopped walking, turning to look back at the various figures of different heights behind him, double-checking his pack with a serious expression.

“Proceed onward; we are about to enter the mountain path of Peach Blossom Peak. Although this area is relatively open and safe among the twelve peaks of Cangyun Mountain, it is by no means comparable to ordinary mountains; since I am somewhat experienced as a forerunner, allow me to say a few things, and I hope everyone keeps these in mind.”

“First, please do not deliberately damage the flowers, plants, and trees in the mountains.”

“Second, if you encounter spiritual beasts you find agreeable, you may take them with you if the other party consents, but do not force or harm them, as the consequences will be very severe if discovered.”

“Third, try not to stray from the mountain trail; otherwise, you may encounter unforeseen dangers.”

Pausing briefly, Murong Yun added.

“The above three points are the essential guidelines for normal visitors to understand and adhere to when touring Peach Blossom Peak. Our situation may be slightly different, but it’s still better to be cautious.”

“Yeah, yeah, we know, Mr. Murong, you always nag like an old woman ~ By the way, it seems there aren’t as many tourists around here as expected. Looking at the scale of that small town, I thought the flow of people in the mountains would be denser.”

After poking fun at the white-clad middle-aged man’s routine reminders, Miss Vilyric looked around curiously, glancing from side to side at the few individuals occasionally passing through the ‘ticket checking area’ into the mountain path.

“Miss Vilyric, please don’t mock me… As for the tourists, it’s currently the off-season for travel, having just passed the end of the year; the weather is still quite cold, especially at high altitudes. Many spiritual beasts are also hibernating, and considering the peculiar location of Cangyun Mountain, it’s entirely normal for there to be relatively few travelers.”

Ling Feng casually added.

“Perhaps that’s exactly why those wicked individuals from the Demon-Suppressing Sect chose this time to plot mischief; after all, where there are more people, there are more eyes, and busy seasons tend to have various accidents.”

“That makes sense; but I don’t think they will honestly come in through here. I remember Elder Tian Er mentioning something about tunnels—hey, do you think… these tunnels lead upwards?”

Chatting casually, the group arrived at the ticket checking area before the mountain path.

Of course, the so-called ‘ticket checking area’ was just a personal name given by Vilyric based on her memories from Blue Star; in reality, it was merely a watchtower.

As for its duties, it involved verifying the identities of incoming tourists, confirming there were no issues, collecting a fee, giving some reminders, and providing each person with an emergency tool for summoning help in case of unexpected situations.

A peach blossom encased in a vessel similar to glass.

It is said that if this object is smashed within the Peach Blossom Peak area, the Peach Blossom Guards assigned to maintain order will receive the message and come to provide assistance.

However, doing so would mean that person would lose the qualification to stay on the mountain, so it’s just a mere emergency tool.

Such safety measures reflect the potential dangers present at Peach Blossom Peak to some extent.