The Shen Nong Heart Method's advanced techniques meant Lin Xiao Tian didn't have to worry about backlash.
The only troublesome aspect was the surrounding environment. Lin Xiao Tian couldn't guarantee that some overzealous monsters wouldn't appear during the process.
To thoroughly resolve this problem, Lin Xiao Tian decided to conduct a thorough cleansing.
The next moment, Lin Xiao Tian plunged into the lake.
Under the moonlight, the lake shimmered with ripples.
At first, it was one frog-person that escaped to the shore.
Then came two, then three...
In the end, there were even catfish-people.
These escaped monsters were all severely injured, but they were all grateful to have escaped.
Because at that very moment, a deadly battle was unfolding at the bottom of the lake.
By the time Lin Xiao Tian returned to the cave, there were no other monsters left in the lake.
Lin Xiao Tian gathered all the monsters in one place, then sprinkled his cave with medicinal powder again before starting to circulate his energy.
His own green energy had reached its limit, like a bottle filled with water; any more would only spill out. He could only condense his magic power.
Time ticked by, second by second.
In the latter half of the night, monsters entered the lake.
Even though Lin Xiao Tian had cleared out the monsters once, some fearless ones still found their way back in.
Of course, the monsters that entered now were all targeting the corpses.
Lin Xiao Tian had deliberately gathered the dead monsters together, as he was well aware of these monsters' habits.
Finally, two hours later, Lin Xiao Tian opened his eyes.
A beam of golden light shot from his eyes. At this moment, Lin Xiao Tian felt filled with power.
"This is... Divine Sense!"
Lin Xiao Tian sensed it and found that his perception was entirely different this time. Previously, it was like a low-tier sonar. Now, without even moving, he could clearly see his surroundings as if they were right beside him.
The range of his Divine Sense was a hundred meters. While not vast, it was an immense help to Lin Xiao Tian. A hundred meters was enough for him to do many things.
The monsters in the lake were still fighting over food. Lin Xiao Tian glanced down at the bead and found a trace of spiritual energy remaining within it.
Without hesitation, Lin Xiao Tian circulated the Shen Nong Heart Method, preparing to absorb the residual energy.
However, this time, as he circulated the Shen Nong Heart Method, he felt something was amiss.
"Huh? What's this?"
Lin Xiao Tian's eyes snapped open.
The next moment, he plunged into the lake once more.
Seeing Lin Xiao Tian appear, the monsters who had been feasting immediately scattered in all directions.
Lin Xiao Tian had no interest in them. The monsters here now were all low-level and could no longer provide him with much assistance.
Lin Xiao Tian wasn't looking for them.
"Found it!"
After searching the lakebed for a while, Lin Xiao Tian's eyes lit up.
He circulated the Shen Nong Heart Method again.
The next moment, a sonorous voice echoed in his mind.
"It really is the Shen Nong Medical Codex!" Lin Xiao Tian exclaimed excitedly.
Just now, when he circulated the Shen Nong Heart Method, he had felt a resonance in his mind.
Lin Xiao Tian immediately recognized that this resonance was identical to the one he had experienced when he first obtained the Shen Nong Medical Codex.
Thanks to his Divine Sense, Lin Xiao Tian easily discovered the Shen Nong Medical Codex.
The Shen Nong Medical Codex, just like before, entered Lin Xiao Tian's body directly in the form of energy.
This energy had been converted and could be immediately absorbed by ordinary people. This made Lin Xiao Tian admire the person who wrote the medical codex.
Lin Xiao Tian carefully examined the codex. This time, it contained even more information. For instance, in the section on plant and animal knowledge, Lin Xiao Tian found many familiar entries.
It turned out that the human-faced sheep was indeed called a Taotie, but the true Taotie was enormous. What Lin Xiao Tian had seen were merely its avatars, with the main body hidden somewhere.
The insect king also had its own name: the Red-faced Demonic Spider. The more powerful the Red-faced Demonic Spider, the more human-like its human form would be. The demonic spiders Lin Xiao Tian had encountered were not yet very powerful; they hadn't even condensed their magic power.
As for the beads Lin Xiao Tian had been absorbing, they also had a name: demon cores.
Demon cores were treasures used in the creation of elixirs. When combined with certain herbs, they could be refined into immortal elixirs that increased cultivation.
Lin Xiao Tian then looked at the properties of these immortal elixirs and immediately felt that he was wasting precious resources. If combined with herbs, the effects of these demon cores would be multiplied.
In addition to elixirs that boosted cultivation, the Shen Nong Medical Codex also contained many elixirs for saving lives. Among them was an elixir called the "Po E Dan" (Breaking Calamity Pill), which could clear negative effects from the body. It was a miraculous medicine for expelling poisonous insects and also had remarkable effects on certain curses.
Having condensed his magic power, Lin Xiao Tian felt he had a certain level of combat strength. It was time to leave.
Now, even if he encountered an Apostle, Lin Xiao Tian felt confident he could fight it. However, to be safe, Lin Xiao Tian decided to retrieve the firearms he had previously discarded.
According to the classification of cultivators in the Shen Nong Medical Codex, he was still in the Qi Refining stage. The Qi Refining stage was divided into nine levels, and he was at the very bottom. A handgun's power was still superior to his.
Of course, this was also true for the Apostle. It was merely an avatar of the Taotie, inheriting less than a thousandth of the main body's strength, and naturally, it was no match for bullets.
"So many days have passed, I wonder how they are doing?" Lin Xiao Tian murmured to himself.
His greatest concern now was Li Xue and the others.
But the terrain in the valley was complex and changeable, and he couldn't find them.
After wandering aimlessly in the forest for some time, Lin Xiao Tian still had no success.
Just as Lin Xiao Tian was preparing to change direction and continue searching, a voice suddenly came from somewhere.
"Who?" Lin Xiao Tian looked around but saw nothing.
"Kid, go backward. I'm here." The voice said.
Lin Xiao Tian looked behind him, and simultaneously extended his Divine Sense in that direction. There was nothing there.
Lin Xiao Tian didn't move, but cautiously asked, "What do you want?"
The voice chuckled, "No need to be nervous, I'm here to help you."
Lin Xiao Tian frowned, "Help me with what?"
"Are you looking for a few people? Two women and one man?"
Lin Xiao Tian was stunned, "You know where they are?"
"They were taken by an avatar of the Taotie and are now in a very hidden place. When dawn arrives, they will all die."
Hearing the other party directly mention the Taotie's name, Lin Xiao Tian knew that the person was likely telling the truth.
"You said you want to help me, how will you help?"
"I can take you to find them."
"Alright! Thank you then, please come out?"
"I can't come out."
"You can't come out, so how can you take me?" Lin Xiao Tian asked.
"Come over here, I'll give you something," the voice enticed him.
Lin Xiao Tian didn't move.
"Why don't you come over?"