"I’ll go get it back!"
Chu Chaonan quickly drew out his long sword, intending to cut the Ju Ling Vine’s stem with the blade, but was stopped by Ling Feng.
"Don’t be reckless, Ju Ling Vine isn’t collected that way."
Ling Feng shook his head, "Among the Five Elements, metal overcomes wood. Ju Ling Vine is an extremely wood-attribute poisonous plant, and once it comes into contact with metal, it immediately withers."
As Ling Feng spoke, he retrieved a pair of silver silk gloves and put them on his right hand.
These gloves were sewn from the silk of the Vermilion Ice Worm and could effectively resist poison while preventing damage to the Ju Ling Vine.
Cautiously, he cut off about two to three feet, placed it in a jade bottle, and only then did Ling Feng step back, softly saying, "Alright, let’s go find the next material."
The Blood Demon Hand glanced at Ling Feng, sighing in admiration, "No wonder you had to come in person. If it were me, what I collected might have already been ruined. Haha..."
Immediately after, the group successfully gathered several poisonous materials needed to refine the Forbidden-breaking Pill, including Black Valley Grass and the Five Poison Fruit. Though they encountered a Great Saint Level demon, the Blood Demon Hand lured it away, allowing Ling Feng and the others to seize the opportunity to collect the toxins.
By the time they had gathered all the materials, it was only around dusk.
"Have we collected everything?"
The Blood Demon Hand exhaled deeply, evidently exhausted from dealing with a Great Saint Level demon.
"Yes, we’ve collected everything."
Ling Feng nodded, double-checking everything to confirm that nothing was missing, and nodded again.
"Alright, let’s get out of here quickly."
The Blood Demon Hand also sighed in relief; come night, the Demon Cave would become even more dangerous.
Especially on this Eighth Layer, even he couldn’t guarantee a safe exit.
"Wait a moment."
Just as they were about to leave, Ling Feng called out to everyone, "Senior Xue, we might need to stay a bit longer."
"You brat!"
The Blood Demon Hand frowned, "Didn’t you hear me? Staying longer will increase the danger several times. Don’t think the Demon Cave is a good place just because we haven’t run into danger so far!"
Chu Chaonan promptly nodded, "Listen to Uncle Xue. Even though I’ve been here for a month, the old man gave me a life-saving talisman; it automatically releases a barrier at night, helping me get through. Plus, I was only on the Seventh Floor; the Eighth Layer might not keep us covered!"
"I understand, but..."
Ling Feng clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and said, "Earlier, while passing through that passage, I discovered a kind of purple soil!"
"So what?"
The Blood Demon Hand was impatient; dusk turning to night was just a short time away.
"That purple soil is called Purple Star Sand. Its presence indicates that the legendary Purple Spirit Star Flower is growing beneath it! The Purple Spirit Star Flower only blooms at night, and only for a brief fifteen minutes, during which it can only be collected."
Ling Feng spoke in a deep voice.
"What’s a Purple Spirit Star Flower?"
Chu Chaonan was puzzled, evidently unaware of its significance.
Yeu Junyao, however, had a flicker of spirit in her eyes, as if recalling something.
"It’s a Healing Holy Medicine, and currently, it’s the only flower I can think of that can cure Uncle Ghost Doctor!" Ling Feng said solemnly.
"What!"
The Blood Demon Hand was startled, "Brother Ling, please explain clearly!"
"Brother Ling, what’s going on?"
Chu Chaonan, who grew up without parents, was raised by the Evil People in the Evil Valley, aside from Muu God Monarch. To him, these evil people were like family.
Especially the Ghost Doctor, who took care of him meticulously since he was young, holding a high place in his heart.
He had known for a long time that the Ghost Doctor was afflicted with a chronic illness. Despite the Ghost Doctor being a rare medical genius of the era, Chu Chaonan had always heard him coughing incessantly. Recently, the frequency of this coughing had increased.
Moreover, the blood he coughed up contained a bone-chilling ice crystal, indicating the cold in his body had long eroded his organs.
If there was a way to cure the Ghost Doctor, he would try at any cost.
Ling Feng took a deep breath, "I was just contemplating, but unexpectedly, I found Purple Star Sand here. If the Purple Spirit Star Flower exists, I’m confident I can cure Senior Ghost Doctor’s hidden illness!"
"I remember now!"
Yeu Junyao nodded, "This is indeed Purple Star Sand. Generally, its presence means the Purple Spirit Star Flower grows here, although it might also indicate it once grew here."
Ling Feng bit his lip, nodding slightly, "Yes, it’s possible the Purple Spirit Star Flower may bloom here tonight, or it might have flowered before but withered away. Even if we wait here, there’s a high chance we’ll end up for nothing!"
Saying this, Ling Feng looked up at everyone, "So, I want to gather everyone’s opinion. If the majority agrees to wait here, we’ll wait and see. But if you think the risk is unnecessary..."
Ling Feng took a deep breath, "Although I want to try, I respect everyone’s opinions."
But mainly the Blood Demon Hand’s opinion.
If the Blood Demon Hand is willing to try, his presence would at least offer some safety.
If the Blood Demon Hand is unwilling to stay, despite his intentions, Ling Feng wouldn’t stand a chance against the demons.
Staying would only lead to death.
Ling Feng did want to remedy the Ghost Doctor’s hidden illness but wouldn’t gamble with his own life.
He’s not afraid of death but has too much left unfinished; he can’t die!
"My life was saved by Old Chang. For Old Chang, I’m willing to take the risk once!"
The Blood Demon Hand took a deep breath, a resolute glint in his eyes.
Ling Feng was slightly surprised, knowing the Blood Demon Hand to be a notorious Great Evil Man. To the world, evil people are nothing but selfish, ruthless brutes, indifferent to others’ lives.
Yet the Blood Demon Hand, despite his infamy, could be grateful and willing to risk his life.
For this alone, he surpassed the so-called hypocrites of the Righteous Sects by a great margin.
"I’ll stay too!"
Chu Chaonan nodded firmly, "Uncle Ghost Doctor is extremely important to me, and I want to help him!"
"With everyone staying, do I have a choice?"
Yeu Junyao pursed her lips, and after some thought, retrieved several talismans from her Spirit Storage Ring, "These are random teleportation scrolls. If we encounter danger, break the talisman; we might be transported out of the Demon Cave. Of course, if our luck is bad, we might get sent directly to the Ninth Floor, where we could die even faster!"