Chapter 133: The Medicine Garden

A narrow mountain path was shrouded in mist.

On both sides, dense green foliage with slender, sharp leaves resembling sword blades grew abundantly. Dewdrops hung from their tips, crystal clear and glistening. Beyond this immediate area, visibility diminished due to the thickening fog.

“The formation has changed again,” Lu Zhaotian, leading at the front, cautioned the group.

In his hand, he held a Feng Shui compass purchased specifically to navigate the medicine garden’s formations. To obtain the Mind-Focusing Grass within the garden atop the mountain, he had been preparing for ten years.

“Do you know who set up this formation?” Elderly Ghost suddenly asked, recalling that on his previous visit, no such barrier existed.

“It could be someone from one of the three great sects. With Mind-Focusing Grass here in Guo Mountain County, it’s not unusual to find it guarded by a formation,” Sun Ji responded from beside him.

Wang Tianji and Chen Luo, bringing up the rear, remained silent. As outsiders to Guo Mountain County, they were unaware of its specific circumstances.

After walking further, the group spotted a crooked, withered tree ahead.

Hanging from the tree was a person.

What truly halted the trio was not the hanging corpse but a snake coiled around the tree. This peculiar serpent had a human face on its head, fur like that of a jackal covering its body, and bird-like wings sprouting from its sides. Currently entwined around the tree, it stared directly at the five individuals.

“It must be something left behind by those five evil cultivators.”

Instantaneously upon seeing the snake, all five activated their spiritual energy. The creature exerted a strong sense of pressure, evoking feelings akin to encountering an ancient being.

“Wang Tianji spoke up, breaking his silence: “This is a descendant of Hua She, an ancient demonic entity. If it were a pure-blooded Hua She, we wouldn’t stand a chance; our only option would be to await our demise. However, this particular Hua She here is quite small, likely indicating a hybrid with diluted bloodlines, making its power comparable to ours.”

Wang Tianji recognized the origin of this creature immediately.

“Hua She of antiquity, sounding like a woman, often associated with floods - Classic of Mountains and Seas,” Chen Luo recalled internally. Among the over a hundred external brains within him, one remembered this information from the library archives.

“Indeed, it’s an ancient demonic creature,” Wang Tianji spoke up for the first time.

Chen Luo remained vigilant, focusing most of his attention on the unseen presence lurking nearby. With the remainder of his awareness, he scanned the hanging corpse, particularly its head, which appeared remarkably well-preserved.

“Let’s proceed directly past. If it doesn’t provoke us, we’ll ignore it,” Sun Ji said as he led the way, keeping his gaze fixed on the crippled-neck tree to guard against any surprise attack from Hua She.

The group cautiously circled around the tree, slowly distancing themselves until the mist completely obscured the sight of the crippled-neck tree. Only then did they collectively sigh with relief.

A hint of regret flashed in Chen Luo’s eyes.

Just moments ago, he had been contemplating how to swiftly rush and seize the brain if combat ensued. To his surprise, Hua She was so cowardly that it never dared to make a move.

Beyond the crippled-neck tree lay a fork in the path, bordered by bamboo fences on both sides.

At the intersection stood a large stone, over three meters tall. On the left side, three chilling words were written in dark red blood, with droplets still seeping along their edges, evoking a terrifying atmosphere:

Spirit Herb Garden!

“It’s just ahead.”

Sun Ji took the lead once more, guiding the group towards the spirit herb garden.

As Sun Ji stepped onto the path leading to the spirit herb garden, the ground suddenly trembled.

Crack!

A sound of breaking echoed, as if triggering some mechanism. Instantly, a black seal script emerged from the ground, seemingly drawing Sun Ji’s entire foot towards it. Before he could react, a dark shadow burst forth from the mist and viciously bit down on his ankle.

“Ah!”

Sun Ji, both startled and enraged, swiftly swung his magical artifact at the shadow.

Clang!

Sparks flew everywhere.

Despite exerting all his strength, Sun Ji’s attack failed to harm the shadow, causing only a shower of sparks. The collision of spiritual energies sent ripples outward, momentarily impeding the shadow before it recoiled and disappeared back into the mist.

“It’s that Hua She.”

Wang Tianji quickly summoned a small bell-shaped magical artifact for protection. Lu Zhaotian drew his magical sword; being a sword cultivator, his strongest asset was offense. On either side, the dried-up old ghost summoned his Iron Body Art refined corpse and ‘Shidi’. At the rear, Chen Luo also produced his magical sword, with everyone now on high alert.

Initially, they assumed the Hua She had retreated, but it seemed that was not the case. Instead, their adversary chose a more cautious approach for stealthy attacks.

One failed strike and immediately vanishing out of reach.

This snake proved to be even more cunning than anticipated.

“The poison is problematic.”

Sun Ji retrieved a detoxification pill and consumed it, temporarily containing the toxin at his calf. However, it couldn’t fully neutralize the venom, leaving him in excruciating pain as beads of sweat dripped from his face.

“I’ll lead ahead; everyone, keep watch on all sides.”

Wang Tianji, equipped with his bell-shaped magical artifact and possessing the strongest aura among them, naturally became the ideal choice to spearhead the group.

As they approached the spot where Sun Ji was injured earlier, Wang Tianji avoided stepping on the same stone slab. Crossing over, he continued forward. Meanwhile, Sun Ji had somewhat recovered after suppressing the toxicity and followed closely behind. Falling here would mean forfeiting any chance at obtaining the Mind-Focusing Grass. The five individuals were cooperating, but no one would sacrifice their own interests solely for him. Not taking advantage of his misfortune already showed considerable restraint.

After crossing the stone path, the group of five officially entered the medicine garden.

The mist within the garden was even denser, shrouding vast areas and obscuring visibility. However, the nearby spirit fields were still clearly visible. In two adjacent plots at their feet, distinct types of spirit materials were planted. The vibrant green foliage, with tender leaves adorned by delicate droplets, exhibited an eerie brilliance.

“Hundred-year-old Violet Gold Vine! Thousand-year Spirit Ginseng…”

As they gazed upon the spirit herbs in the herb fields, envy reddened their eyes.

These were primary ingredients for refining Foundation Establishment Pills, each capable of fetching a substantial number of spirit stones if sold elsewhere. Here, however, they were arranged neatly like common white radishes, abundant throughout the garden.

Wang Tianji, leading the way, made the first move. He produced a strand of spiritual silk and directed it towards a nearby spirit plant. Just as the silk was about to touch the spirit herb, a sudden voice echoed. A translucent hand emerged from thin air, swiftly grasping onto the spiritual silk.

“Stealing the master’s spirit herbs risks losing your hands.”

The hazy figure materialized, revealing the young scholar whom Chen Luo had encountered once before at the Mountain God Temple. It remained unclear what happened to the woman who had been close to him then.

“A Mountain Spirit!”

Being Peak Qi Refinement cultivators, they immediately recognized the origin of this young scholar.

“I seek my spirit medicine; you cultivate your spiritual path. We do not interfere with each other, so why hinder me?” Wang Tianji narrowed his eyes, aware of the Mountain Spirit’s legends and couldn’t help but inquire.

“I’m merely giving you a friendly warning.” The young scholar gestured towards the swirling mist, revealing that numerous dark shadows had suddenly emerged in what was once seemingly devoid of enemies. These creatures emanated strengths akin to early to mid-Qi Refining stages.

A few or even five might not be concerning, but the sheer number now present was terrifying. Their combined onslaught could easily exhaust anyone here.

“Move forward, let’s find the Mind-Focusing Grass first!”

Faces pale, each individual unleashed their divine abilities and swiftly fled in different directions.

Chen Luo also found himself under attack.

‘Spirit Medicine Mountain Spirits can be absorbed using the Iron Body Art for significant benefits.’

Initially, he planned to escape like the others using divine abilities. However, before he could act, the mummified brain offered another suggestion. This thought made him hesitate momentarily, allowing the shadowy figures from the mist to grasp onto him.

Clang!

Instantly activating the Iron Body Art, the Mountain Spirit’s palm came into contact and was drained completely. Its strength flowed back, emptied within the blink of an eye. Chen Luo felt a surge of pure spiritual energy entering his body, enhancing the color of the hundred little spiritual energy snakes inside him, subtly shifting from translucent towards a light green hue.

“Is this for real?”

Chen Luo halted, not only stopping his flight but actively turning back to confront the encroaching shadows.

One, two…

By the time he reached the tenth shadow, the Mountain Spirit Scholar ahead noticed him.

Instantaneously, a sense of impending danger overwhelmed Chen Luo’s mind. Abandoning any further attempts at harvesting more essence, he unleashed the Wind Control Technique, transforming into a streak of light and fleeing towards the direction where the dried-up old ghost and others had gone. Along the way, he didn’t forget to grab two more shadows, swiftly consuming them with the Iron Body Art.

Opportunities like these don’t come twice.

Fortunately, the Mountain Spirit Scholar did not intervene, merely giving him an extra scrutinizing glance.

The four individuals ahead were not running particularly fast; they hadn’t practiced the Iron Body Art, making them significantly affected by the misty shadows.

“Inferno Divine Incantation!” Wang Tianji raised one hand, channeling distorted spiritual energy into his palm. A powerful vortex formed, radiating intense fiery energy that swept outward from him as its center.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The nearest misty shadow, engulfed by this wave of fire, was incinerated into ash. Seizing this brief moment, the group swiftly charged into the second zone of the spirit field.

Separated by a bamboo fence, once they crossed it, the misty shadows vanished entirely.

The group that had rushed forward halted, panting heavily.

“Something is off with this spirit field. Those Mountain Spirits didn’t seem normal,” Wang Tianji said as he consumed a medicinal pill.

The final use of his Divine Flame Incantation had greatly drained him. For practitioners in the Qi Refinement stage, their spiritual power determined the extent they could employ divine abilities.

“Forget about the Mountain Spirits for now; let’s focus on how to deal with this woman.” The dried-up old ghost and Lu Zhaotian rose to their feet.

On the narrow path ahead, within the depths of the mist, a peculiar white-clothed woman slowly emerged.

As she approached, her figure gradually became clearer. It was the same woman who had been intimately close to the Scholar Mountain Spirit at the Mountain God Temple.

“Guests have arrived, my joy knows no bounds.”

The voice of the white-clothed woman fluctuated, sounding both distant and near simultaneously.

“Stellar Sword Incantation!” At the forefront, Lu Zhaotian suddenly drew his treasured sword, its radiant glow illuminating the entire area with sword qi. With one hand gripping the hilt, he lifted the blade high into the air and executed a powerful downward strike towards the still-approaching white-clad woman.

“Slaying Demon Strike!”

The sword aura burst forth, transforming into a crescent-shaped arc that swept across the scene.

A loud ‘boom’ echoed.

The advancing white-clothed woman flickered momentarily before being cleaved in two, much to everyone’s surprise.