Yang Kai moved alone through the right peninsula, venturing deeper and deeper.
He'd been in the right peninsula for over a day now. Along the way, he'd spotted plenty of Black Profound Fruits, but he had no intention of helping the Cloud Mist Sect complete its mission, so he didn't bother picking any.
The three-day deadline the Cloud Mist Sect cultivators had given was probably the absolute limit ordinary people could endure here, but with the Earth Demon's help, Yang Kai had nothing to worry about in terms of evil energy invading his body.
Quite the opposite, actually — the Earth Demon desperately needed that evil energy to recover its own strength, and was devouring it with great relish.
Yang Kai decided to explore the right peninsula first, see what kind of secrets it held, and then figure out a way to leave this Cloud Mist Island.
The right peninsula was quite expansive, with several hilltops — not particularly tall, but steep enough that ordinary people couldn't climb them.
Yang Kai's goal was those hilltops. He was certain he'd find some rare spiritual treasures up there.
As he walked, his steps suddenly halted. A faint, refreshing medicinal fragrance drifted through the air. The moment it reached his nose, his mind felt refreshed and clear, as if enlightenment had been poured directly into his skull.
After carefully pinpointing the direction of the scent, Yang Kai headed to his right. Before long, a plant roughly half his height appeared before him.
At its crown bloomed a small pink flower, its pistils unfurling with a pleasant fragrance. Looking closely, the blossom resembled a beautiful woman's face, smiling at him.
The stem was equally peculiar — curving like a woman's graceful waist, slender and shapely, captivating and suggestive.
"A Beauty Pistil!" Yang Kai's eyes lit up. He hadn't expected to find such a treasure after only a day. According to the pamphlet the Cloud Mist Sect disciples had distributed, this Beauty Pistil was a high-grade earth-class spirit herb. When refined into a pill with other ingredients and given to a woman, it produced remarkable effects — even if it couldn't turn an ugly woman into a beauty, it could at least make her skin incredibly smooth and supple.
Yang Kai naturally didn't hesitate. He reached out, plucked the Beauty Pistil, and placed it into the herb basket on his back.
He pressed deeper.
Perhaps it was because Yang Kai had ventured into territory no ordinary person had ever reached. After finding the Beauty Pistil, he discovered one treasure after another in quick succession.
The depths of Cloud Mist's right peninsula were essentially an untapped treasure trove.
The Cloud Mist Sect's own cultivators didn't dare penetrate this far, afraid of being affected by the evil energy. Ordinary people couldn't get this deep either. Now, all of it had fallen into Yang Kai's hands.
Over hill after hill, the rare herbs and spirit fruits in the basket on his back gradually multiplied.
The only pity was that despite the peninsula's considerable size, it couldn't withstand Yang Kai's thorough searching. In just three or five days, he had basically covered the entire right peninsula.
The basket on his back was now more than half full. The worst items inside were low-grade earth-class materials, and there were even heavenly-grade flowers and herbs. If sold on the outside, they'd easily fetch hundreds of thousands, even millions, in silver taels.
Moreover, there wasn't much danger here. Unlike Black Wind Mountain, where demon beasts roamed and those with insufficient strength would only end up as prey.
Yang Kai had been wandering here for several days and had encountered only two or three wild dogs.
On the third day, the Cloud Mist Sect's great ship arrived as promised. Yang Kai stood on a hilltop and watched the scene, but only sixty or seventy of the surviving ordinary people made it out alive.
The rest had likely been consumed by the evil energy, driven mad, and would eventually die on this right peninsula.
On the fourth day, Yang Kai stood at the base of a small hill, looking up at the peak before him — nearly three hundred zhang high.
This was the last hilltop in the area. Once he finished exploring it, he would have covered the entire right peninsula.
The Earth Demon, who had been uncharacteristically silent, suddenly shouted in excitement: "Young Master, this peak seems to be the source of all the evil energy on this right peninsula!"
"Are you sure?" Yang Kai was startled. He could feel it himself — the evil energy here was indeed much denser than elsewhere.
"Of course I'm sure! Even my spiritual soul is trembling..."
"Are you afraid?" Yang Kai asked, puzzled.
The Earth Demon let out a cackling laugh. "Not afraid — excited! Young Master, if you'd been starving for ages and a feast of delicious food was placed before you, how would you react?"
"Eat it!"
"Please, Young Master, grant this old servant the opportunity!" Yang Kai could even hear the sound of the Earth Demon swallowing saliva.
Yang Kai smiled faintly and began scaling the steep cliff face.
He too was curious to know what made this right half of Cloud Mist Island so different!
As he climbed, Yang Kai kept his eyes on the surroundings, hoping to spot more treasures along the way, but by the time he reached the summit, he'd found nothing — somewhat disappointing.
At the top of the peak, Yang Kai straightened up and surveyed the area.
This hilltop was peculiar — a flat summit. From a distance, he'd already noticed it was completely barren, and now that he stood upon it, the feeling was even stronger.