Chapter 571: Once in Three Thousand Years
Wang Han and Du Luhuang also immediately transformed into
two rays of light and sped in the direction Yue Baize had left in.
The place remained silent for a moment, and a figure emerged
from the ground. Surprisingly, it was Jiang Chen. He’d sensed Du Lihuang’s
chase and remained hidden, drawing closer only when he sensed Du Lihuang and
Yue Baize exchanging blows. When he saw that Du Lihuang had unintentionally
gotten himself into quite a bit of trouble, and saw Wang Han facing off against
Yue Baize, Jiang Chen had thought that he was in for a good show between the
geniuses. Who knew that the two parties would immediately set aside their
grievances and instantly leave after receiving some messages?
“The appearance of a hundred lakes and ripples of mirages?
Ancient ruins, hidden herb garden, what’s all this?” Jiang Chen suddenly
received two message glyphs in quick succession as he stood there, puzzled. One
was from Elder Yun Nie, and the other from Ling Bi’er. They both mentioned the
same thing; the emergence of a hundred lakes and ripples of mirages…
Elder Yun Nie’s glyph also mentioned that Mu Gaoqi had met
up with him already.
This was actually the person Jiang Chen had been the most
worried about. With Mu Gaoqi’s cultivation level, he was without a doubt the
weakest genius participating in the Pill Battles. Now that he had met up with
Elder Yun Nie, Jiang Chen was much more at ease.
An ancient ruin, and a hidden herb garden. This string of
news greatly tempted Jiang Chen. He was about to walk forward when he suddenly
came to a halt.
“If even I’ve received news, then so must have those of the
Walkabout Sect. Perhaps it might turn out to be a smokescreen that they’ve sent
out to lure me out? Perhaps hoping to catch me halfway?” Jiang Chen was
thinking through things with an extra layer of caution. If this news was true,
then the elders of the Walkabout Sect could very well ambush him halfway and
take the sky spirit herb. But if this was false, the elders would still attack
him on his way in. No matter whether this news was true or not, things wouldn’t
look too good for him if he just charged in haphazardly. As he worked out the
ramifications of the news, Jiang Chen decided to still be as careful as
possible.
He decided to first take a walk around the outskirts.
Everyone was charging inwards to the meeting point right now, so the area would
be rather busy. The outskirts actually turned into a haven for him, and he made
many gains after wandering around for another day.
Things were precisely as he had surmised. Elder Wu Hen and
Elder Wu Qi had thought that Jiang Chen would fall into their trap like a moth
to a flame. However, they still came up empty-handed even after keeping careful
watch for quite a while.
Elder Wu Qi was a bit dejected, “Brother Daoist Wu Hen, I
feel like that kid has been thoroughly scared out of his wits. He’s probably
made up his mind to not show up. In my opinion, we should go to the rendezvous
first. If we’re any later, they’ll probably leave us behind and go by
themselves.”
Elder Wu Hen gritted his teeth. He hadn’t thought that Jiang
Chen would be so slippery and not even show a sliver of his face under these
circumstances. His irritation was sky high, and he had no place to vent his
anger. “Ancient ruins, hidden herb garden…” Elder Wu Hen’s heart was also
dripping blood. He too knew of that herb garden’s existence and how it had once
propelled the Myriad Empire to new heights. However, he just somehow felt that
compared to the sky rank herb that Jiang Chen definitely had, those unknown
rumors weren’t worth that much. What if they’d been exaggerated?
“Brother Daoist Wu Hen, if that ancient herb garden is real,
there may yet be sky rank herbs once it opens. Jiang Chen could find a sky rank
herb even in the lakes of the outskirts, how could there be none in the herb
garden itself? With our Walkabout Sect’s strength, we’ll figure out a way to
seize a sky rank herb as long as it appears!” Elder Wu Qi continuously tried to
convince Elder Wu Hen. His heart was actually afire with anxiety. He didn’t
want to waste time on this pointless waiting. He felt that waiting for Jiang
Chen to walk into their trap was a nothing more than fanciful thought. What if
he didn’t come? They’d have wasted their time for nothing. He’d already gotten
a sky rank spirit herb, there was no need to become embroiled in these muddy
waters again.
Elder Wu Hen was still a bit hesitant. He really didn’t want
to give up just like this. “Let’s wait a bit longer. We can go to the meeting
point if he still hasn’t shown up by daybreak.”
Elder Wu Qi sighed lightly, realizing that Elder Wu Hen must
hate Jiang Chen a great deal. From a certain aspect, the sky rank herb was no
longer the primary motive here, but rather Elder Wu Hen’s own pride.
“Alright, let us hope that that scum shows up tonight.”
Elder Wu Qi also knew just as well that there was little hope of that.
There were indeed a handful of disciples who passed by them,
but they were all of other sects. Elder Wu Hen kept watch almost all night
long, but not hair nor hide of Jiang Chen was seen. When light began to appear
in the east, Elder Wu Hen knew that there was nothing to be done and didn’t
voice a word of protest. He silently withdrew the poison formation with Elder
Wu Qi and made for the gathering spot.
“There’s no need to be frustrated, Brother Daoist Wu Hen. If
Jiang Chen appears at the meeting point, we’ll still have a chance to make a
move towards him. If he doesn’t, we’ll also have the chance to obtain a sky
rank spirit herb with the opening of the ancient herb garden.” Elder Wu Qi
attempted to comfort the other. With the way things had progressed, these were
the only platitudes that he could offer.
Jiang Chen was loitering around the outskirts but remaining
in contact with Ling Bi’er. They weren’t far away from each other now, and
could speak to each other silently.
“Haha, it seems that Elder Wu Hen is indeed laying in wait
for me outside and only rushing to the meeting point now. Mm? Elder Wu Qi is
also accompanying him?” Jiang Chen had made an agreement with Ling Bi'er that
she would tell him as soon as Elder Wu Hen appeared at the rendezvous point.
He’d just received her message that Elder Wu Hen had appeared, as well as Elder
Wu Qi.
“Elder Wu Qi, hmm?” Jiang Chen was a bit surprised. “That
Elder Wu Hen wouldn’t have really gone and violated the oath to leak news to
Elder Wu Qi, would he?” His thoughts instantly started turning another
direction after these words. “Ah, he was purposefully playing for time earlier
and must have messaged Elder Wu Qi before swearing to the oath!”
He was sweating profusely when he finished speaking aloud.
Elder Wu Hen was truly a wily old fox. Jiang Chen had been so careful, but had
still almost fallen victim to a trap. If he hadn’t retreated in time, then he
really might’ve been ambushed by those two old fellows by the time Elder Wu Qi
made it there!
“That old fox Wu Hen is really thoroughly slippery. I need
to be even more careful when I meet him next.” This Elder Wu Hen didn’t display
his emotions easily and kept his cards close to his heart. He was clearly adept
at creating falsehoods that lured others into relaxing their guard. Unless one
could completely trample him, one had to constantly be on their guard against
him, no matter what. But since Elder Wu Hen had already gone to the rendezvous
point, Jiang Chen was no longer worried about traps.
He quickly sped over and arrived at the meeting point with
an enormous bound after roughly two hours. Almost all the forty people in the
two successive batches that had entered the mountain had gathered here at this
point. Elder Wu Qi was slightly surprised by his presence and glanced quickly
at Elder Wu Hen.
Jiang Chen caught this small movement out of the corner of
his eyes. This made him even more certain that the old fox had long since used
some method to notify Elder Wu Qi. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have dared reveal the
secret of the sky rank herb after the oath was sworn. The heavens themselves
would’ve descended to deliver calamitous judgement onto the Walkabout Sect if
he’d broken that oath. The human heart could be lied to, but the heavenly dao
would brook no falsehood.
“You’re finally here, Brother Chen!” Mu Gaoqi was overjoyed
to see Jiang Chen. Although Ling Bi'er didn’t wear her heart on a sleeve like
Mu Gaoqi, her delicate features also relaxed slightly as she saw him.
Jiang Chen joined up with the Regal Pill Palace retinue and
ignored the looks of assessment from Elder Wu Hen and Elder Wu Qi. These two
fellows were likely burning with fury, but didn’t dare do anything to him.
“Junior brother, I found one of the spirit herbs on your
list—Tranquil Jade Sumi.” Ling Bi'er walked over joyfully to tell Jiang Chen
her good news.
Jiang Chen smiled slightly and responded in a low tone,
“I’ve gotten one as well. Let’s talk about it later.”
He didn’t dare talk about the Aletheia Icegrass. Once that
was exposed, he would attract hatred from both Ku Zhu and Du Lihuang.
Ling Bi'er was overjoyed by his news. Jiang Chen had once
said that he would have seventy to eighty percent chance in awakening her
father if they collected these four main ingredients. Now that she’d found one
and junior brother Jiang Chen had found one, there were only two spirit herb
ingredients away from curing her father.
There was finally a glimmer of hope after a decade of
struggling with this ailment. Ling Bi'er felt her nose tingle in this moment as
she suppressed the urge to bawl loudly. She looked at Jiang Chen, a vague,
murky feeling arising within her heart to join the gratitude that had already
settled there. Her heart, which had remained serene and tranquil for twenty
years, had now begun to stir to life. Her junior brother Jiang Chen had
descended from the skies as if an immortal on a white horse, pulling her out of
the mire to resolve all her problems. Before he’d arrived, all those
forefathers of pill dao and those so-called geniuses had all run their mouths,
but none of them had stepped forward to resolve the issue.
Jiang Chen nodded at Ling Bi'er and walked over to Elder Yun
Nie, speaking a few words before confirming the veracity of the rumors, that it
wasn’t something Elder Wu Hen had made up. “Jiang Chen, no one had known of
those rumors before either. There were quite a few ancient books in the ruins
of the Myriad Empire after it had fallen. Apart from the heavyweights of the
fourth rank sects in the Myriad Domain knowing of this, it hasn’t traveled to
anywhere else.”
The emergence of a hundred lakes, a rippling mirage, ancient
ruins, hidden herb garden…
“How much of these rumors are true?” Jiang Chen was curious.
“Since they were recorded in even the annals of Myriad
Empire history, there shouldn’t be much falsehood to them. History speaks of
this ancient herb garden as a divine miracle, and that the Empire was truly
strong for a while because of its appearance. To put it bluntly, this ancient
herb garden is what created the strong Myriad Empire of yesteryear.” Elder Yun
Nie explained patiently, but gave a sigh as he came to a close. “It’s a pity
that this scene has only appeared once, three thousand years ago. Therefore,
everyone suspects that this herb garden appears only appears once in three
thousand years.”
Jiang Chen nodded lightly. With his understanding of ancient
ruins and forbidden areas, they usually all had their own pattern in opening.
If they lost that pattern, then there would be only one reason—
Order had collapsed.
Chapter 572: The Ulterior Motives of the Tristar Sect
“Everyone, most of us have arrived by now. In that case, I
have a few suggestions to offer, if you’re willing to hear them out.” An elder
from the Great Cathedral spread his hands to calm the crowd as he addressed
them.
No one spoke as they all turned to look at him. The speaker
was Xiang Gan, the foremost elder of the Great Cathedral. Although he wasn’t as
old as Xiang Wentian of the Sacred Elephant family, he was still around nine
hundred years old and a pillar of his sect. This kind of old monster boasted an
unparalleled strength and was absolutely a top tier existence in this crowd.
Therefore, none of the others objected to him speaking up.
“The first, and the most important issue, lies with the
matter of confidentiality. I trust that none of you need me to go over the
Myriad Domain’s history. This ancient herb garden has once brought glory to the
region, and the care with which it was kept secret is the reason why the Myriad
Domain has yet to be conquered by others. This matter of confidentiality isn’t
just one of the herb garden, but one that has to do with the fates of all our
sects. I trust that no one here wants an armed force to invade one day and
seize our territory, claim our resources, and enslave our descendants?”
Confidentiality was certainly a must. Everyone nodded in
acquiescence.
“Right, we must keep this secret. Everyone must rise up
together and condemn those who reveal its presence!”
“We must keep this secret, or we’ll bring down disaster on
ourselves.”
Elder Yun Nie also nodded. “I quite agree with Elder Xiang
Gan in this matter. If we don’t keep this to ourselves, we will surely invite
calamity.”
When someone with as much authority as Elder Yun Nie had
spoken, those from the other sects naturally couldn’t remain quiet. They all
spoke of their intentions to keep the secret.
In the end, Elder Xiang Gan nodded. “Verbal promises are
useless. I hope everyone can swear a heavenly oath, that apart from the
heavyweights of our sects discussing the matter of the ancient herb garden, no
one can reveal its existence in any way, shape or form. This includes us
heavyweights as well, we cannot reveal its existence in any way, shape or form.
If any sect reveals its presence, then that sect must be punished by a heavenly
tribulation!”
“Right, only the heavenly oath can bind us all!”
Elder Xiang Gan’s solemn gaze swept past everyone’s face. It
was evident that he didn’t want anyone to slip through the cracks.
Most were highly supportive of this proposal, because this
matter didn’t only affect their personal gains and losses, but had to do with
the survival of each sect. It even impacted the future development of the
Myriad Domain.
Jiang Chen stood behind Elder Yun Nie, his face carefully
expressionless. His attention wasn’t on the Walkabout Sect, but rather
discreetly on the Tristar Sect. Of the forty total from the two batches who
should be present, there should’ve been six from this sect. Yet, there were
only four present. Jiang Chen knew that Ding Tong occupied one of the slots,
but he would never appear now. That still left one person from the Tristar Sect
who was absent.
Everyone had agreed to Elder Xiang Gan’s proposal, even the
two elders from the Tristar Sect. They too nodded and felt that this should remain
confidential. Jiang Chen found that to be a bit odd. Could it be that these
elders didn’t know that the Tristar Sect had privately thrown in their lot with
the Ninesuns Sky Sect? They would certainly reveal the secret then, so why were
they acting so natural and proactive now?
Once the oath was sworn, they would be bound to silence and
therefore unable to pass this secret along. Apart from the two elders present,
there were also two young disciples present as well. One of them was Zhu
Feiyang, and the other was a girl named Mei Ruoxi. Jiang Chen had a previous
impression of her.
He used God’s Eye to covertly observe Zhu Feiyang, noting
that while his expression was natural and he'd put on a dashing air, there was
still an unnatural hint in his gaze. However, Jiang Chen never would’ve noticed
had he not been keeping a close eye on Zhu Feiyang. It was rather Mei Ruoxi who
didn’t betray the slightest reaction. She only nodded slightly when she heard
Elder Xiang Gan’s suggestion, and her expression didn’t seem to be an act
either.
“Zhu Feiyang must know of the arrangement between the
Tristar Sect and Ninesuns Sky Sect. As for Mei Ruoxi, either her acting skills
are too good or she’s still in the dark. And what’s going on with those two
elders? Logically speaking, they shouldn’t be this proactive, right? Is it
because they’re unaware of their interaction with the Sky Sect and so don’t
have a guilty conscience?” Jiang Chen didn’t think that to be the case, because
although the two elders appeared quite proactive, they were still acting to a
certain degree. But what did they benefit from doing so?
“How will they leak this to the Sky Sect once they swear a
heavenly oath?” Jiang Chen kept turning this question over in his mind. If
possible, he would like nothing more than to expose the Tristar Sect. But
reason told him that if he exposed the Tristar Sect now, he would have no
evidence or credibility.
With the Sacred Sword Palace’s dratted personality and the
Walkabout Sect’s own hostility towards him, they would certainly ally together to
speak against Jiang Chen. Then, it would be easy enough to catch him on the
back foot. He was not so brash as to play a losing hand.
Jiang Chen sank into thought, and suddenly felt occasional
looks of hatred shooting towards him from the Walkabout Sect’s side. He didn’t
need to turn his head to know that it was coming from Wei Qing.
Jiang Chen naturally couldn’t be bothered with someone who
was about to die. But when his thoughts wandered to the Walkabout Sect, he
suddenly remembered something.
“Right! That should be it!” Jiang Chen abruptly recalled
Elder Wu Hen’s heavenly oath. There had been nothing wrong with it, but that
he’d already sent the information onto Elder Wu Qi before he’d made the oath.
In this regard, he couldn’t be viewed as having violated the oath whether in
terms of cause and effect or precedence.
“Could it be that the Tristar Sect is also attempting a
similar play?” The more Jiang Chen thought it through, the more likely it
looked to him.
As his thoughts spun rapidly, those from the Great Cathedral
had already finished their vows. The content was quite stringent, and not the
slightest loophole could be detected. The Dark North Sect and Walkabout Sect
also walked forward to swear their oaths. When it came to the Regal Pill Palace,
Elder Yun Nie and the others all swore, and Jiang Chen walked up to emulate
them too. The Sacred Sword Palace was next, and there was no problem with them
either.
Last came the Tristar Sect, and one of the elders spoke with
a solemn expression, “I swear that I will not reveal the matter of the ancient
herb garden after leaving this place, and promise that those who have learned
of this matter here today will not reveal this secret to the outside world in
any way, shape or form. If we do so, then may the heavenly oath annihilate my
Tristar Sect!”
Jiang Chen couldn’t help but laugh coldly inside when he
heard this wordplay. This oath seemed just as stringent as everyone else’s, but
the other sects might not have this kind of loophole when they made their
oaths. However, Jiang Chen suspected their secret and picked up on the loophole
immediately.
“After you leave!” He snorted coldly. “Herein lies the
loophole. If he reveals the existence of this place before he leaves, then
that’s not within the boundaries of the oath. Then his so-called heavenly oath
won’t be binding!”
What a nice verbal feint! The words of swearing not to “tell
the outside world in any way, shape or form of what we learn of today” would
have no meaning at all then. All one had to do was to reveal the secret before
making this oath, then what did it matter if the one who knew the secret
revealed it or not? Only one was needed to reveal it, and that person wasn’t
covered under the oath.
“Nice plotting and planning!” Jiang Chen had to admire these
old fellows. Not a single one of them were easy characters, and each were more
slippery than the other. He flicked a glance over at Elder Wu Hen. It was
apparent that even one as slippery as Elder Wu Hen hadn’t detected the hidden
catch in this Tristar Sect elder’s words. Elder Wu Hen would’ve never dreamed
that the Tristar Sect was the Ninesuns Sky Sect’s dog! Only Jiang Chen, because
of his previous experience, knew that the Tristar Sect was the Myriad Domain’s
traitor and would pay attention to this loophole. How would the others pay attention
to something as miniscule as this when they didn’t know the Tristar Sect’s
particulars? Not to mention that everyone was already thinking it was just and
right to contain the secret. As a member of the Myriad Domain, it wasn’t a
simple matter of becoming a public enemy if they revealed this secret, but
really a type of suicide as well. When the enemy invaded and swept everyone
present up, then who would be able to emerge unscathed?
Elder Xiang Gan smiled with satisfaction when those of the
Tristar Sect finished their oaths. “Good, I trust that no one has any more
doubts of the secrecy of our undertaking here.”
Jiang Chen however, sent a silent message to Elder Yun Nie.
“Elder, there should be forty here, but there’s only thirty five. There are five
who have yet to arrive.”
Elder Yun Nie didn’t think much of it. “They must not have
gotten here in time, or were already lost?”
Jiang Chen was actually giving the elder a subtle reminder,
but the elder wasn’t understanding the hint. So he prodded him once again,
“There’s a loophole in everyone’s vows that they can take advantage of. They
all said that they will not reveal the secret after leaving, then what if they
tell their absent comrades before they swear the oath? Then that means the oath
doesn’t apply to those not here.”
These words were clearly spoken and instantly reminded Elder
Yun Nie. His expression shifted as he suddenly said, “Ole brother Xiang Gan,
can this little brother speak a few words?”
Xiang Gan gave the Regal Pill Palace quite a bit of face as
he smiled, “What would ole brother Yun Nie like to add on?”
The two sects had just conducted a Longevity Pill
transaction and so were in a honeymoon period. Elder Yun Nie spoke, “According
to logic, there are now forty people inside on the thirteenth day, but there
are only thirty five present. This means five are yet to arrive. Everyone’s
oath has spoken of not revealing the secret after we leave, but there was
nothing said of before swearing the oath. What if someone has already alerted
their companions before swearing? Then those who have yet to arrive wouldn’t be
within the scope of the heavenly oath! Wouldn’t this be a small loophole?”
Elder Yun Nie’s words weren’t particularly aimed at anyone,
but everyone nodded slightly after he spoke. He seemed to make a great deal of
sense.
Chapter 573: The Sacred Sword Palace Elicits Public Anger
Elder Xiang Gan paused briefly as he digested the words, and
then slapped his thigh. “Ole brother Yun Nie is a thoughtful one after all! We
almost let such a loophole slip past us! Everyone, count up your people and
report anyone from your sect who has yet to arrive! This is no small matter, so
no mistakes will be tolerated!” Elder Xiang Gan was a highly principled person
and immediately issued orders after receiving this reminder.
Jiang Chen relaxed slightly when he saw that Elder Xiang Gan
was emphasizing an ironclad oath. He’d done all he’d could at this point, and
had given all the reminders he could. That the Tristar Sect was colluding with
an enormous entity like the Ninesuns Sky Sect was something that he couldn’t change
on his own. Jiang Chen could only take things one step at a time. So, he would
just keep a careful eye on the situation, and expose the Tristar Sect at a
suitable moment.
He discreetly kept an eye on their reactions, and noted that
the two Tristar Sect elders did indeed have a barely perceptible shadow flash
past their brows after Elder Yun Nie’s speech. Zhu Feiyang even frowned
unconsciously. Mei Ruoxi however, nodded lightly, quite in agreement with Elder
Yun Nie.
“It looks like Mei Ruoxi’s still in the dark. Her level
isn’t high enough to know.” Their reactions was more than enough for Jiang Chen
to form a basic analysis. It turned out, Zhu Feiyang absolutely knew the truth.
Those who had yet to arrive were quickly tallied up. There
were two from the Tristar Sect, and one each from the Dark North Sect, Sacred
Sword Palace, and Walkabout Sect.
“I don’t care what methods you use; get in contact with them
immediately. If you are unable to do so, you must swear the oath again to
include those absent. No oversights will be tolerated. This isn’t aimed at you,
but out of consideration for the greater picture of the Myriad Domain.” Elder
Xiang Gan’s words were tough, but indeed reasonable.
Elder Wu Qi of the Walkabout Sect responded, “The other
elder of our sect should be here shortly.”
“There’s a disciple missing from the ranks of our Dark North
Sect, but we’re unable to get in touch with him. He may be lost to us. However,
we can swear the oath again and include him within it whether alive or dead.”
The Sacred Sword Palace also spoke up to report that they’d
gotten in touch with their person and that they’d be here momentarily. Only the
Tristar Sect remained mum.
“Elder Tan Lang, what of your Tristar Sect?” Elder Xiang Gan
smiled faintly.
The elder in question was feeling extremely conflicted at
the moment, but could only accept reality. “The other elder of my sect will be
here shortly. We’re unable to get in contact with disciple Ding Tong at the
moment.”
Elder Xiang Gan nodded, “Then we can only swear the oath
again.”
Elder Tan Lang was dejected, but he could only smile
faintly. “But of course.”
The others all arrived after roughly another hour. Apart
from the missing Dark North Sect disciple, Ding Tong of the Tristar Sect was
also absent. The other thirty eight candidates were all present, and they were
mostly of the six great sects.
“Alright, there are still two who are not here. All of the
various sects need to reaffirm their oaths.” Elder Xiang Gan was absolutely
impartial and didn’t allow anyone to gloss over things. Everyone ultimately
swore their oaths again under his supervision.
Elder Tan Lang was the epitome of dejection. Not only had
they lost their loophole, but another alarming issue had cropped up—where was
Ding Tong? Even Zhu Feiyang found this odd, much less Elder Tan Lang. Ding Tong
was such a great character, how could he possibly have met with an accident in
Mt. Rippling Mirage? However, neither Elder Tan Lang nor Zhu Feiyang knew that
Ding Tong hadn’t done anything other than make straight for Jiang Chen after
entering Mt. Rippling Mirage. Ding Tong was prideful by nature and didn’t think
much of a so-called genius like Zhu Feiyang. Therefore, there were many things
that Ding Tong hadn’t told the Tristar Sect at all.
Such as the fact that he was also there on Third Senior
Brother Yong Xingyun orders to kill Jiang Chen, for example. He would never
have been inclined to reveal this. This was also why Elder Tan Lang and Zhu
Feiyang wasn’t connecting his disappearance to Jiang Chen. Even if they knew
about it, they likely wouldn’t have thought that someone as strong as Ding Tong
would’ve been taken out by Jiang Chen.
Elder Xiang Gan only spoke again after verifying that there
was nothing amiss with everyone’s oath. “This is the thirteenth day, and the
formations to the mountain will close in seven days. Thus, time waits for no
one. I’d like to obtain everyone’s opinions now. Do we wait for the third batch
to arrive before entering the ancient herb garden, or do we go in now?”
“Now, now! Time is precious and we’ll only have five days
left when the third batch enters. It’s not worth it to waste three days waiting
for them.”
“Right, we need to go in first. Three days is more than
enough to get a lot of good things!”
This didn’t even need to be discussed at all. Everyone
advocated for entering right then.
Elder Xiang Gan took a look around and smiled. “It looks
like everyone has the same thoughts. But if we go in first, what of those who
come after?”
“What about them? We can’t wait.”
“Right, we can’t pass up on this opportunity. Why don’t we
leave behind a few folks to wait for them?”
“Mm, that’s certainly an idea.”
Elder Xiang Gan laughed softly. “Who’s willing to stay?”
Everyone suddenly became deaf and mute after he asked this
question, pretending they hadn’t heard. Who was willing to stay? No one was
willing to give up the chance to enter the ancient herb garden. It wasn’t fair
no matter who stayed behind. But they couldn’t not leave someone behind. When
the third batch entered and saw the phenomenon of the hundred lakes
materializing and the rippling mirage, they would certainly recognize the signs
ofthe ancient herb garden. Without the heavenly oath binding them, they could
very well reveal its existence after leaving.
Elder Yun Nie thought momentarily. “How about this, every
sect will leave someone behind. That’s fairest to everyone.”
It was actually the Walkabout Sect who was the first to
agree to this proposal. Elder Wu Hen nodded expressionlessly. “I think this is
fair. The best is if the one who stays behind is an elder level personage. Only
this way will they be able to enforce restrictions on the third batch.”
But now, the elder from the Sacred Sword Palace refused to
agree. He was the only elder present from the Sacred Sword Palace. If he
stayed, then only three of the young disciples could enter, placing Sacred
Sword Palace at a great disadvantage. Of the eight from the Regal Pill Palace
and the Walkabout Sect, they’d all entered within the first two batches. It
wasn’t critical whether they had one more or one less within the herb garden.
“That would be inappropriate. There’s only four of us here
from the Sacred Sword Palace, and leaving behind the only elder for the three
youngsters to go in isn’t fair.” The Sacred Sword Palace elder shook his head.
However, none of the other sects agreed. Apart from the
Sacred Sword Palace, the others had more or less a full complement present.
Apart from the Tristar Sect, all of them had at least six present. The Regal
Pill Palace and Walkabout Sect even had all eight of their people there.
Although the Tristar Sect and Dark North Sect had each lost a person, there
were still six each from their two groups. There was also six present from the
Great Cathedral. Only the Sacred Sword Palace had just four.
Elder Yun Nie smiled faintly. “Is it only fair that each of
the other sects will leave behind one, but none remain from your Sacred Sword
Palace?”
The Sacred Sword Palace elder snorted coldly. “Yun Nie, your
Regal Pill Palace may have been the champion of the Pill Battles, but your
words don’t carry any weight here!”
Elder Xiang Gan frowned. “Then do you have any better
suggestions, ole brother Chen?”
Elder Chen paused, but shook his head. “I have no good
suggestions, but I will absolutely not agree to remain outside.”
Elder Xiang Gan’s face darkened. “Since Elder Chen thinks it
unfair and objects to a proposal that everyone thinks is reasonable, we can’t
force him either. In this case, we should just wait another three days and
enter the ancient herb garden only after the third batch of people come in.”
Vigorous complaints started shooting off when those words
dropped.
“How will that do? I say it’s fair that one person from each
sect stays! Elder Chen, none of us have any opinions to the contrary, but your
Sacred Sword Palace is the only one that has an issue?”
“Right, you can’t ruin things for everyone just because you
don’t agree!”
“One rat stool is enough to ruin a pot of soup. Some people
should strive not to become public enemy number one of the Myriad Domain!”
Those of the Sacred Sword Palace all had frosty expressions
after hearing these words being thrown at them. The young disciples had livid
expressions, visibly displeased by this kind of mockery.
Elder Chen snorted coldly. “Then we wait three days! I have
nothing against that.”
The others from the Sacred Sword Palace would enter in the
third batch. It would be fairer when all of them were present.
“I object!” Xiang Qin from the Great Cathedral roared out.
Yue Baize from the Sacred Lion family also sniffed
derisively. “I too object. I happen to have a grudge to settle with Du Lihuang
of the Sacred Sword Palace as well.”
“I also think it’s a joke to wait three days.” First
disciple Lin Hai of the Dark North Sect also stepped forth.
Shen Qinghong nodded as well. “What, do you expect us to sit
here and wait for three days, all of us glaring at each other? What a joke!”
Zhu Feiyang from the Tristar Sect also laughed. “It is
indeed inappropriate to waste three days.”
Wei Qing from the Walkabout Sect chuckled as well. “Brother
Wang Han, I have to remain neutral this time.”
The Walkabout Sect was actually the least willing to wait
three days. But considering that there were signs of the Sacred Sword Palace and
the Walkabout Sect forming an alliance, he wasn’t at leisure to step forth in
open objection.
Although the older generation had yet to speak, the
attitudes of the younger generation had already said it all. No one was willing
to wait three days.
“Old brother Chen, public opinion is hard to dispute. You
should decide what to do then.” Elder Xiang Gan didn’t threaten, but his words
were obviously an ultimatum.
“Old bother Xiang, we only have four from our sect here at
the moment. If I stay behind, won’t the three youngsters be at a disadvantage
after they go in? Why must my Sacred Sword Palace silently eat this kind of
loss just like that?” Elder Chen was still unaccepting.
“How ludicrous! Why are there only four here from your
Sacred Sword Palace? No one forced this situation down your throats. Who are
you to throw blame around when it’s your own abilities that came up subpar?”
Those who’d entered the mountain were based off the Pill
Battle rankings. The other four from the Sacred Sword Palace were ranked 21 to
30 and would come in with the third batch.
“I’ll stay!” Vice Head Wang Yue of the Herbal Hall
volunteered from the Regal Pill Palace’s side. He was second only to Elder Yun
Nie in the Herbal Hall, so his words carried great weight.
A green haired elder volunteered from the Walkabout Sect.
“I’ll stay as well.”
“I’ll remain behind.”
“I too.”
Elders from the Great Cathedral and Dark North Sect also
quickly stepped forth as volunteers.
Chapter 574: The Rippling Mirage Formation
Each of the remaining five sects had assigned an elder to
stay behind after a little conversation amongst themselves.
All eyes turned to affix the Sacred Sword Palace. Evidently,
if the sect tried to blather or argue again, they would attract harsh criticism
and combined suppression from the other five sects.
Elder Chen’s face looked hard and bitter. “We’re all from
the Myriad Domain. We should be crossing the river in the same boat in this
situation. Are you all trying to band together to shunt the Sacred Sword Palace
aside?”
Everyone remained silent. At this time, silence was golden.
Elder Xiang Gan waved his hands dismissively and said
impatiently, “Ol’ Chen, you’re just wasting everybody’s time now. Right now,
everyone is trying to persuade you with fair and kind words; you don’t want to
incite mass outrage, do you?”
“That’s right! Are you staying or not? We just need a single
word of agreement from your Sacred Sword Palace. Stop wasting our time.”
“Elder Chen, either you stay behind or all of your Sacred
Sword Palace remains here.”
“Elder Chen, you could stay here with the younger generation
of Sacred Sword Palace if you’re afraid they’ll be bullied inside. You can then
enter together with all of your people when they arrive three days later. We
won’t object to that either.”
The situation looked like it would soon grow out of hand in
the face of such boiling emotions. No one could remain calm when the ancient
herb garden was right in front of them. Think of the rumors! This herb garden
had caused the Myriad Empire to enter an unprecedented era of glory! Now that
it had appeared three thousand years later, this presented another chance for
the Myriad Domain to shake up their world. They would lose out tremendously if
they didn’t take advantage of this.
If it was even Palace Head Wang Jianyu in front of everyone
here at this moment, the crowd might still refuse to show him face, much less a
mere Sacred Sword Palace elder.
Jiang Chen had kept quiet all along and hadn’t fanned the
flames further. He knew that whether in terms of status or martial dao
strength, he had no right to speak. It’d be best if he kept quiet and silently
collected his wealth.
Since the Walkabout Sect now had a good relationship with
the Sacred Sword Palace, Elder Wu Hen tried to help resolve the issue. “Ol’
Chen, if you have faith in me. I will help look after the disciples from your
sect after they enter. Although I can’t guarantee they will do such-and-such,
but I can promise you that they won’t be mistreated.”
If there was anyone who could be called the most eager to
enter the ancient herb garden, that would be Elder Wu Hen. So, it was a matter
of course for him to try smooth things over. Elder Chen contemplated this new
offer for a while. He noted the other sects’ covetous demeanor; if he didn’t
agree to this, then Sacred Sword Palace might really be ostracized and be a
common public target.
“How could I possibly refuse Brother Wu Hen’s words? Ol’
Xiang, I can stay behind, but I want you to promise me that you won’t let our
younger generation suffer or get taken advantage off inside there.” Elder Chen
knew of the enmity between Du Lihuang and the Great Cathedral’s Yue Baize. If
by any chance, the Great Cathedral’s younger generation were to create trouble,
the Sacred Sword Palace’s youngsters would absolutely come off worse in the
following exchanges.
Xiang Qian said faintly, “I can only make sure that my Great
Cathedral won’t seek revenge from the Sacred Sword Palace. Other than that, I
cannot promise anything else.”
Elder Chen was actually worried that those crazies from the
Great Cathedral would take the opportunity to make trouble for them. “As long
as Great Cathedral doesn’t make trouble for us, then there’s nothing for me to
be worried about. Not to mention that Elder Wu Hen will look after my people.”
Elder Xiang Qian nodded, “Then, it’s decided. You six will
stay behind and wait until the third batch of people has arrived before you
enter again. Remember, make sure they swear to the heavens. There must not be a
single loophole. Whoever refuses to make the oath shall become the common enemy
of the entirety of the Myriad Domain. Anyone will have the right to punish
them.”
Everyone was in favor of those words.
The elders who’d chosen to stay behind sat down cross-legged
as a group after making various agreements, whereas the others all dashed
inside, one after another.
More mirror-like lakes appeared in front of everyone after
moving approximately twenty kilometers inward. Jiang Chen had seen many of
these lakes when he was outside. He’d thought it odd then, and had felt that
there were certainly a lot of lakes in Mt. Rippling Mirage. He’d obtained his
Hidden Chameleon Cloudpine from one of them as well.
It was a pity that although there were many spirit herbs
growing around the lakes, but they were mostly low level. Even earth rank
spirit herbs were rare, with a complete absence of sky rank spirit herbs. It
was obvious that Jiang Chen’s had been a happy accident.
The more they walked in, lakes started appearing in higher
frequencies, ranging in size and ship and dotting the landscape like stars in
the sky. The appearance of a hundred lakes and the rippling mirage. Casting an
eye over things, there were many more than a hundred lakes here.
Muffled rumbling sounds like rolling thunder traveled into
everyone’s ears in the distance as they walked another fifteen kilometers.
Everyone unconsciously picked up the pace. Elder Yun Nie issued some reminders
in a low voice, “Everyone be careful, and don’t panic. It’s impossible for
there not to be any risk in the ancient herb garden.”
A waterfall that looked like the rivers of the nine heavens
soon came into view. It was as if someone had torn a rip in the bed of the
heavenly rivers, forcing it to crash down endlessly. The waterfall extended
into the clouds, and its width was unmeasurable. It pounded the rocks from
great heights with dominating momentum, causing a slight pain as one’s eardrums
began to ratter.
There were hazy ripples of water around the waterfall,
seemingly real but also illusory. They were tangible mirages without material
form, presenting the visual impact of indistinct, ethereal beauty. When the
sunlight shone on the ripples, it fractured into stunning colors that interwove
in the air, creating long arcs of rainbows and appearing extraordinarily
beautiful in the air.
“Tsk tsk, is this the true Mt. Rippling Mirage?” Everyone
was captivated by the marvelous sight in front of them. They’d just entered Mt.
Rippling Mirage, but hadn’t thought that there would be even more beautiful
illusionary sights within. It gave rise to endless wonderful daydreams.
However, Jiang Chen could discern that the layers of
intersecting ripples were actually part of a very strong defense formation. If
ordinary folks didn’t detect the formation and rushed up to examine it, they
would absolutely be instantly destroyed by the formation. However, he could
also see that the formation seemed to be slowly opening as the ripples shifted
and changed. Apparently the three thousand year cycle was marked by the opening
of the formation.
“It looks like the rumors weren’t false.” Jiang Chen knew
that the formation would be thoroughly open after another hour of helping it
along, loosening up its layers.
“Heh heh, Baize, behind the waterfall must be the entrance
to the ancient herb garden. How about you and I take the lead?” Xiang Qin from
the Sacred Elephant family was chomping at the bit and invited Yue Baize from
the Sacred Lion family to come be part of the vanguard.
However, Elder Xiang Gan not quite shouted, “Don’t be
reckless!”
Xiang Qin started. “Elder, I remember that the rumors say
that when the water curtain of the waterfall opens, that is considered the
entrance of the herb garden. Was that wrong?”
“It’s accurate, but to recklessly charge in like you’re
doing and disturb the formation is no different from just going to your death!”
What level was Elder Xiang Gan’s cultivation? He’d naturally see through the
ripples to the profound mysteries of this formation.
“Formation?!” Xiang Qin’s eyes widened, betraying his
astonishment, as he took a closer look at the hazy mirages. “Those beautiful
rainbows are a formation?”
“Hmph, would it be called the ancient herb garden if it was
so easy to enter? A formation that opens once in three thousand years, even
emperor realm cultivators likely don’t dare charge in blindly, much less you!”
Apart from the elders present, it was likely only Jiang Chen
who’d been able to detect the formation in the younger generation. Even if the
Dark North Sect specialized in formations, or whether its young disciples
curbed their impulses and were patiently listening to an elder analyze the
formation, they were only scratching the surface. There was no hope for them to
thoroughly analyze the formation. But even so, they were able to tell that the
formation was slowly opening.
Xiang Qin was dejected. “So there’s a formation; do we just
sit here and wait? Or do we team up to try to break through it together?”
Lin Hai from the Dark North Sect suddenly laughed. “Brother
Xiang Qin, although I don’t fully understand this formation, I can tell you
that even if all of our strength increased by tenfold, we still wouldn’t be
able to break the formation.”
“That ridiculous?” Xiang Qin knew that the Dark North Sect
specialized in formations, and so didn’t doubt Lin Tai’s words.
“Don’t worry, the formation is slowly opening. It looks like
the rumors of the formation opening once every three thousand years were true.
If the formation doesn’t open by itself, I’m afraid that we would be at a loss
for options even if all the experts in our six sects were here.” Elder Xiang
Gan nodded.
Elder Wu Hen looked expressionlessly at the Rippling Mirage
Formation and occasionally flicked a hurried glance at Jiang Chen. It was
obvious that his emotions were indisputably complicated at the moment. He
lusted both for the ancient herb garden and Jiang Chen’s sky rank spirit herb.
Jiang Chen’s consciousness was strong, and so even though
Elder Wu Hen hid it well, Jiang Chen still sensed it every time Elder Wu Hen
snuck a peek his way. “Hmph, that old man is still coveting my sky rank herb.”
Jiang Chen wasn’t afraid. With so many present, Elder Wu Hen
wouldn’t dare to openly seize his spirit herb, no matter how domineering he
was. He didn’t become distracted either, but took the opportunity to carefully
examine the formation. It should be something created by an ancient expert back
in the day. He estimated that the one who could set up this formation was a
formation master who was at least a Great Titled Emperor, or even beyond.
“It looks like the Divine Abyss Continent didn’t survive the
ages with its present level of strength. The strongest people in the Myriad
Domain sits at the peak of the sage realm, and curiously enough, Mt. Rippling
Mirage is already present in a mere lower realm like the Myriad Domain. This
indicates that there were at least Great Titled Emperors present here in
ancient times.” Jiang Chen felt that the Myriad Domain had suddenly become
entirely mysterious, with all sorts of secrets just waiting to be discovered.
A flare of bright light marked the two hour point, and the
hazy, ethereal ripples as well as the intersecting rainbows all suddenly
evaporated into the air. Next, that unending water curtain parted from the
middle, revealing a set of ancient and simple silver-colored stone stairs. The
stairs were full of an ancient and desolate air, giving one the feeling of
setting foot into a desolate and barren era.
“The formation’s open, let’s go!” Those from the Great
Cathedral charged in as soon as Elder Xiang Gan’s mouth finished the order.
Chapter 575: The Sage Fledgling Grass
Those from the Walkabout Sect didn’t want to be left behind
either. They also dashed in under Elder Wu Hen’s guidance, followed closely by
the Regal Pill Palace and Dark North Sect. The Tristar Sect was hot on their
heels, and the three young geniuses from the Sacred Sword Palace naturally
brought up the rear.
Wang Han was livid as he watched the Walkabout Sect charge
in first. He cursed inwardly, “Wu Hen that old bastard talks a good talk about
taking care of us, but he runs faster than a rabbit! Even mountains will fall
if you rely on them, and so will water flow away if you try to rely on it.
Relying on yourself is the way!”
He spoke to his two junior brothers, “Junior brother Jin,
junior brother Du, keep a low profile after you go in. Be on your guard against
the Regal Pill Palace.”
Wang Hang was well aware that the Regal Pill Palace and
Sacred Sword Palace were absolutely irreconcilable. The Regal Pill Palace would
have the best opportunity to start trouble after entering the herb garden.
Du Lihuang nodded. “The Regal Pill Palace shouldn’t be so
bold as to start something if we don’t leave Elder Wu Hen’s line of sight.”
With how things had developed, they still had to shamelessly
stick to Elder Wu Hen despite his obvious unreliability. Otherwise, the Sacred
Sword Palace disciples would be in for a world of trouble if those from the
Regal Pill Palace encircled them.
“We’ll keep as low a profile as possible in the first three
days. When our people come in with the third batch, how will we be afraid of
them when our Sacred Sword Palace is so strong?” Another genius called Jin Feng
responded.
“Yep, so let’s settle on this. Let’s go in.” Wang Han waved
his hand and brought his two junior brothers charging in with him.
Jiang Chen followed the Regal Pill Palace elders into the
water curtain, leaping up the simple stone steps. There seemed to be no end to
them as they endlessly twisted and turned. Several thousand steps later, it
opened up to a beautiful valley carpeted in green. Clouds and mists wreathed
the valley, and the air was thick with spirit power. As they looked into it
from afar, the sight of spirit power whirling into the skies made everyone
wonder if they’d set foot in an immortal realm.
“The ancient herb garden!”
These words immediately flashed through everyone’s minds.
They all knew of it, but had never dreamed that there would be such a large
mountain valley hidden within. Judging from the scene in front of them, it was
at least a hundred kilometers in radius.
This ancient herb garden is this big? As Jiang Chen pondered
the view, those who had entered all shot towards the valley like dumplings
being dumped into a pot of water. Each figure vanished into the haze and mist
like stones thrown into water. Jiang Chen didn’t hesitate either, streaking
towards the mist as well.
He felt a surge of power enclose him like a ripple of water,
accelerating him as well as cushioning his descent as he landed on the ground.
When his vision recovered from the sudden speed, he discovered that he was deep
within the mountain valley. Interestingly, there was no one around him. It
seemed that everyone had been sent to different locations. Jiang Chen looked
around with God’s Eye and secretly summoned a few hundred Goldbiter Rat elites.
He silently commanded them, “Go, take all spirit herbs that are saint rank and
above. You get half of everything.”
Jiang Chen wasn’t going to be shy about things at all. He
was here already, so why hold himself back? If it wasn’t out of consideration
that the other Goldbiter Rats were too weak and easily exposed, Jiang Chen
would’ve released all the Goldbiter Rats.
That would’ve been a bit too over the top though.
If several million Goldbiter Rats had all surged out from
the Millionditch Stonenest, they would absolutely be able to make off with
everything in the ancient herb garden in the span of a day. But Jiang Chen
wasn’t that impulsive.
Some of the ordinary Goldbiter Rats’ cultivation levels
weren’t even in the spirit realm. They’d definitely be exposed if they were all
released. Once their existence was known and those experts struck back in fury,
there would be no end to the ways they could annihilate the Rats. The Walkabout
Sect alone could cause a genocide with their poison techniques, let alone any
of the other sects. So although Jiang Chen really wanted to make off with the
entire ancient herb garden, he was sensible enough to keep his head.
The Goldbiter Rats had the unique gift of a rather sensitive
sense of smell. They were very attuned to spirit herbs and thus highly
efficient in finding them. The joint operation from several hundred Goldbiter
Rats was enough to lead to large scale gains as well.
As for Jiang Chen himself, he was the epitome of caution.
Although there was no one around him, everyone was alone after entering the
ancient herb garden, and no one could guarantee that they wouldn’t be stabbed
in the back.
“The ancient herb garden is on another level indeed.
Although this is only the outskirts, the level and quantity of spirit herbs
present isn’t even comparable to the outside world.” Jiang Chen was as if a
fish in water along the way as he judged the amount of spirit power present,
making off with rich gains every minute. However, although there were more
saint rank and true saint rank herbs in the outskirts, there weren’t that many
earth rank spirit herbs. He only ran into one after walking for half a day, and
its quality veered on the lower side.
Jiang Chen’s eyes suddenly shifted as he saw a patch of
spirit herbs in front of him.
“Mm? This is …the Sage Fledgling Grass?” Jiang Chen saw that
the patch held blades of spirit grass that looked like infants, interwoven and
entwining around each other. They grew together, in large swathes. A rough
estimate put several thousand plants in this one patch. Even though Jiang Chen
had made great gains before, he was still quite shocked at the sight of this.
“The Sage Fledgling Grass is the key ingredient from the
Heroic Sage Pill! The thousands of Sage Fledgling Grass here is enough to
refine thousands of Heroic Sage Pills!”
What was the Heroic Sage Pill? It was a type of pill that
sage realm cultivators would use in the course of their cultivation. It was
similar to the Spirit Consolidation Pill of the spirit realm and Origin
Fostering Pill of the origin realm. The higher one’s cultivation level was, the
more high end one’s resource needs would become. The ingredients for such
resources would also become more rare.
Take the Spirit Consolidation Pill for example. That was a
low level pill in the Regal Pill Palace. As long as one was an inner disciple,
one wouldn’t want for the pill at all. Some top geniuses like Shen Qinghong had
abundant supplies of Origin Fostering Pills. He didn’t need to worry about
those resources at all.
However, the Heroic Sage Pill was different. In a place like
the Myriad Domain, the resources used by the sage realm cultivators were
noticeably more precious. This was why there were very few sage realm
cultivators in the Myriad Domain. Even a fourth rank sect like the Regal Pill
Palace had less than thirty sage realm experts, and the strongest amongst them
only ranked in earth sage realm.
A domineering fourth rank sect like the Great Cathedral had
noticeably more sage realm cultivators, but their numbers didn’t number in the
triple digits either. For fifth rank sects, they only had single digit numbers
of sage realm cultivators. Some even only had one or two.
This result had mainly come about because of resource
constraints. The lack of resources had caused sects to ration their resources
for sage realm cultivators, slowing down their cultivation speed. The causal
link there was easy to understand. Thus, it was natural that few at the peak of
the origin realm were able to break through to the sage realm.
Jiang Chen looked at the large swathes of Fledgling Sage
Grass, almost disbelieving his eyes. Although the Grass was a true saint realm
spirit herb, its uses weren’t something that ordinary true saint realm spirit
herbs could compare to. Its ability to be refined into the Heroic Sage Pill was
enough to make it one of the most popular true saint spirit herbs.
Just one or two blades were enough to incite fights. If they
numbered more than ten, then it was a big transaction. If reaching up to a
hundred blades, then it was an absolutely enormous business deal. As for one
thousand blades, there was no sect that could suddenly take out this sum of
Grass. Even a sect founded for pill dao like the Regal Pill Palace was no
exception. But now, there were several thousand blades in front of him! How
could this not shock him?
Although Jiang Chen was sorely tempted, he was in no hurry
to make a move. He would never believe that such a large, dense swathe of Sage
Fledgling Grass was there for him to harvest as he would.
Just as he was making observations with Psychic’s Head, a
figure suddenly darted forward and stopped at a distance a few hundred meters
from Jiang Chen. The newcomer was Wang Han from the Sacred Sword Palace!
Wang Han also paused slightly when he saw Jiang Chen,
killing intent flashing through his face. When his gaze stopped on the Sage
Fledgling Grass however, delight also dawned on his face.
“Sage Fledgling Grass?” Wang Han was the disciple of a large
sect after all, he was fully capable of identifying most herbs. The visual
impact of several thousand blades of Sage Fledgling Grass momentarily stunned
even someone who had such lofty standards as Wang Han. However, he only lost
his composure for a moment. He immediately looked back with a severe gaze at
Jiang Chen. Jiang Chen obviously came here before me, why hasn’t he made a
move?
The two of them had long since formed a grudge. Just like
Jiang Chen and Wei Qin had their differences, so did Jiang Chen and Wang Han.
Wang Han smirked coldly, “Jiang Chen, you don’t seem all that lucky.”
Jiang Chen smiled faintly, “What? You want to claim this all
for yourself?”
“You have a problem with that?” In Wang Han’s eyes, what was
the difference between a mere fifth level origin realm and an ant? Even if it
was Shen Qinghong present, Wang Han thought himself qualified to completely
dismiss the other. Ever since breaking through to the sage realm, Wang Han’s
standards had grown even higher. There were few in the younger generation who
could catch his eye anymore in the Myriad Domain. None of the Regal Pill Palace
were included in this list, because the strongest of them, Shen Qinghong, was
but half step sage realm. He wasn’t worthy of Wang Han’s attention before
taking that final half step.
“So what if I do?” Jiang Chen smiled lightly.
“Go die if you feel otherwise!” Wang Han was decisive and
ruthless. He couldn’t be bothered wasting words with Jiang Chen at all as he
shook his arms, a beam of sword light behind him soaring to the skies. As this
beam rose, it flickered once and emitted hundreds of sword qi blades.
“Die!” Wang Han waved his hand and chopped down fiercely.
The boundless sword qi suddenly sealed off the area and rained downwards!
This frightening strength seemed like it would cleave
straight through the sky, and arrived in front of Jiang Chen in the span of a
breath. It was a good thing that Jiang Chen had long since found a place to
escape to. With a brief shudder, he dove beneath the ground.
Bam!
When the sword light landed, frighteningly deep moats ten
meters deep instantly crisscrossed the ground where he’d been standing.
“Mm? This kid could evade my Frosty Desolation?” Wang Han
was slightly surprised. However, in the next instant, two terrifying auras
surged to life behind him. A domineering presence accompanied this strength,
and when Wang Han felt it, he immediately realized that his life was now on the
line. Without a doubt, he knew… that either one was more than enough to take
his life!
Chapter 576: Jiang Chen’s Rich!
Wang Han didn’t dare take a second to hesitate. He
frantically leaped into the air, blurring into a streak of light as he sped for
the thick woods on the left. A quick look back confirmed his fears as two
enormous wyverns were diving at him. These wyverns were interestingly designed,
as their wingspans were abnormally large. A full nine meters wide, the fleshy
wings on their back seemed like they could cover the skies.
Wang Han had just evaded the first blow, but the two wyverns
hadn’t planned on stopping at all. A quick flap of their enormous wings, and
they were speeding in Wang Han’s direction. Their maws gaped wide as bolts of
terrifying purple electricity arced towards Wang Han.
Wang Han was scared out of his wits. These two were thunder
wyverns! Judging from their demeanor, they were at least as strong as a human
sage realm cultivator. How would Wang Han be able to evade their attacks all by
himself? His thoughts spun furiously and came to only one conclusion, flee!
The several thousand blades of Sage Fledgling Grass were
indeed highly tempting, and could even change the Sacred Sword Palace’s
destiny. But compared to his life, of course his life came out on top as more
valuable.
Whoosh!
Wang Han spurred himself onwards with a gust of chilly air,
activating a transportation glyph as he hurtled through the air. It was obvious
that he knew he had no way to match the wyverns in speed. He would be caught if
he was even half a step slower, and that would lead to only his death. In
addition, he had already come up with a plan, so he couldn’t keep the wyverns
on his tail any longer. He had to leave them where they were so they could turn
back to Jiang Chen.
Wang Han was well aware that killing Jiang Chen with these
wyverns around was near impossible. If he led the wyverns away from here, that
would actually be making things easy for Jiang Chen. He would never willingly
help Jiang Chen harvest the Sage Fledgling Grass by luring away the wyverns.
Wouldn’t that be just peachy, hmm? Therefore, Wang Han was very decisive and
activated a transportation glyph, breaking through the air in a burst of speed,
and throwing the wyverns completely off his trail. He would leave the two
wyverns to Jiang Chen. He’d still have a chance to come back for the spirit
herbs as long as the wyverns destroyed Jiang Chen. When he died, the secret of
the Sage Fledgling Grass would die with him, and Wang Han would be able to pick
up this treasure.
One had to say, Wang Han had made quite a good plan on the
spur of the moment. The two wyverns were hot on his tail when they suddenly
witnessed a flash of light, which completely wiped out any traces of their
enemy. The two wyverns looked at each other, unsure of what to do. They were
the guardians of this area. As humans hadn’t entered this ancient herb garden
in three thousand years, that meant that they hadn’t had any opponents in three
thousand years either. That meant they’d almost never had any run-ins with any
enemies.
The two wyverns butted their heads against each other and
conversed, eventually coming to the conclusion that they wouldn’t be able to
catch up to this slippery enemy. They could only turn and head back dejectedly.
They’d only been gone for ten breaths of time to chase Wang
Han, but they were shellshocked upon returning. The several thousand blades of
Sage Fledgling Grass had all gone missing in that short period!
The wyverns were incensed beyond rationality. The Grass was
their food, and someone had stolen it all before they’d had time to enjoy it.
“Aoo!!!”
“Aaoooo!!”
The two wyverns threw their heads back in a long howl to the
sky, venting their extreme rage.
“Boss, these humans are too wicked!”
“The person who stole our Sage Fledgling Grass must be the
comrade of that human in white! We only need to find that human to be able to
find the person who stole the Grass!” Another wyvern lowered its head and
growled, looking at the devastation on the ground and how not even half a blade
of Sage Fledgling Grass remained behind. They were near to crying tears of
flame in their rage.
“Right, it must be that human’s comrades. I remember his
face, let’s go! We’ll go hunt him down!”
“Let’s go!”
The two wyverns were obviously not very intelligent as their
mind had yet to truly open up. They had no other thoughts other than concluding
that it must be Wang Han’s comrade who’d stolen the Grass. Far away, the person
in question had just rematerialized out of the light of the transportation
glyph and sneezed suddenly as chills ran all over his body. Wang Han had no
idea at all that the two wyverns had invoked a death grudge against him.
He stood where he was and smirked proudly. “Jiang Chen, I
hope those two wyverns show you a good time. Champion of the Pill Battles?
Let’s see how cocky you can be in front of those wyverns!”
He was strutting in pride when a cold light suddenly flashed
in front of his eyes. Two spots of black suddenly appeared in the direction
that he was looking in, making straight for him. Wang Han widened his eyes and
trembled all over with shock. “Damn it, I even used a transportation glyph, but
they’ve caught up so quickly?”
His eyeballs almost fell out in his fright and he didn’t
dare linger, immediately speeding off in a ball of cool light. Wang Han had one
more transportation glyph, but it was a life-saving treasure. He didn’t want to
just waste such a precious thing.
Compared to Wang Han’s agonizingly stressful circumstances,
Jiang Chen was quite relaxed. When the wyverns had chased after Wang Han the
first time, Jiang Chen had called upon a thousand Goldbiter Rats and cleaned up
the entire patch of Sage Fledgling Grass. The strength behind Wang Han’s stroke
just now had been enormous enough to force Jiang Chen to take cover beneath the
ground. As a result, he’d remained hidden from the two wyverns. Therefore, when
they’d taken off in hot pursuit of Wang Han, he’d stolen all of the Sage
Fledgling Grass and shifted all the blame to Wang Han. According to the two
wyverns, whoever had stolen the Sage Fledgling Grass was certainly Wang Han’s
comrade.
Jiang Chen’s pockets were now bulging after obtaining
several thousand blades of Grass. He wouldn’t have any regrets even if he was
forced to leave the ancient herb garden right then. He escaped the area through
the ground, popping up about roughly fifty kilometers away, only when he was
certain that there was no danger. He knew that the wyverns hated Wang Han with
a passion now and would chase after him relentlessly, sworn to kill him.
Jiang Chen looked around and noticed nothing more of value
around. At least, he couldn’t be bothered to collect ordinary spirit herbs anymore.
He took a few steps forward to get his bearings, deciding to head deeper into
the ancient herb garden. The further one traveled, the higher the levels of the
spirit herbs were and subsequently, the greater the chances of high level
spirit herbs appearing.
With the Goldbiter Rats emptying out every place they
crossed, Jiang Chen only needed three days to fill up his storage ring to a
third of its capacity. After these three days, Jian Chen noticed another group
of people entered the ancient herb garden. It seems like the third batch has
also entered.
He kept low profile these last few days, proactively evading
others as much as possible. With Elder Wu Hen’s personality, he would never
give up on the Cloudpine. Jiang Chen didn’t want to reveal his tracks and
attract his attention. He wouldn’t have been afraid of ordinary old monsters,
but those of the Walkabout Sect were all scheming, devious, and quite adept at
poison formations. He wouldn’t be guaranteed of victory under this setup even
if he summoned Long Xiaoxuan, not to mention the dragon was a trump card he
shouldn’t reveal under any circumstances.
Jiang Chen came here to harvest spirit herbs, not to engage
in pointless conflict. As for Elder Wu Hen, there was no rush to deal with him.
There would be plenty of time to settle the score once Jiang Chen raised his
strength.
On this particular day, Jiang Chen was getting ready to set
out at the first ray of dawn when the light of a transportation glyph touched
the ground three hundred meters in front of him. A distraught figure coalesced
before fleeing with great speed.
“Gaoqi?” Jiang Chen discerned the identity of this figure at
a glance! He was about to open his mouth and call out to Mu Gaoqi, when he
noticed the bedraggled state Mu Gaoqi was in; grave injuries covered his body
and it seemed he would collapse any moment now from exhaustion. It was obvious
someone was chasing after him, and he had used the transportation glyph to
shake off the enemy’s pursuit.
Jiang Chen was about to greet Mu Gaoqi but forcefully
restrained himself. He judged from Mu Gaoqi’s posture there was a mark placed
on him, so even after using the glyph he was unlikely to escape his pursuers.
Mu Gaoqi leaned against a big tree and swallowed some pills,
taking a moment to recover . He grit his teeth, stood back up, and sprinted off
into the depths of the shrubbery.
Two more figures arrived at the tree a few breaths after Mu
Gaoqi left—they were Du Lihuang of the Sacred Sword Palace and Wei Qing of the
Walkabout Sect.
Wei Qing walked around the great tree and smiled sinisterly.
“He was here just a moment ago. He can’t be far.”
Du Lihuang looked at Wei Qing with some admiration. “Brother
Wei, your tracking skills are simply amazing! You’re even able to find him even
after he used the transportation glyph?”
Wei Qing chuckled. “My Walkabout Sect has a secret art of
tracking. Once we have a mark, it’s rare for us to lose it.” When these words
left his mouth, he felt his heart spasm. He recalled that one anomaly, Jiang
Chen! Their exclusive tracking mark had somehow failed on Jiang Chen back then.
Not only was it seen through, but it was even exploited by Jiang Chen who
scattered his clothes in every which way to make fools out of Elder Wu Hen and
Elder Wu Qi.
Fortunately, it was evident Mu Gaoqi didn’t hold a candle to
Jiang Chen. Wei Qing scanned the terrain and pointed in the direction of the
thick growth. “The kid’s gone in there. Heh heh, looks like he’s at the end of
his rope.”
“Heh heh, let’s go after him!” The two looked at each other
and charged into the thick growth
Those two seem really determined on killing Mu Gaoqi. The
Sacred Sword Palace and Walkabout Sect even seem to be cooperating to achieve
their evil plans. Jiang Chen’s eyes glittered as he looked at their departure,
killing intent exploding in his heart. Above all else, Mu Gaoqi was his first
good friend in the Regal Pill Palace, how could he let these two hunt his
friend down so blatantly?
Mu Gaoqi had finally ran out of ideas. He had even used the
transportation glyph to escape his pursuers, but he couldn’t shake them. He
tried to send a message glyph to Elder Yun Nie to request for help, but with
his cultivation level he was unable to bridge the distance! He considered
asking Jiang Chen for help too, but dismissed that thought quickly. Although
Jiang Chen was strong, Du Lihuang was at the peak of the origin realm and Wei
Qing possessed great skills in poison, they weren’t easy to deal with. He would
only be dragging his brother down with him if he asked for help!
Chapter 577: His Only Crime Was His Wealth
After Mu Gaoqi scurried into the thick growth, he slowed
down to a walk as he felt his body become weaker and weaker. He knew he had
most likely fallen victim to Wei Qing’s poison. With his innate wood
constitution and his baptism in the wood spirit spring, Mu Gaoqi didn’t fear
ordinary poisons. Unfortunately, the poisons of the Walkabout Sect were
anything but ordinary, quite devious even. Although the poison took effect at a
much slower rate than normal due to Mu Gaoqi’s uncommon foundations, once he
fully activated his origin power, it would still reach all corners of his body.
His feet lost their strength, his every step heavier than
the one before. When he finally couldn’t support his body any longer, he sat
down heavily on the ground. “To think that I, Mu Gaoqi, would fall here!”
Tragic feelings assailed his heart. He really didn’t want to accept this. He
had an innate wood constitution, and was going to fall to his end in this
ancient herb garden before he’d had time to show the world his splendor!
Two figures dashed through the shrubbery behind him, landing
on either side of Mu Gaoqi. In front of him stood Wei Qing, and behind him was
Du Lihuang.
Wei Qing sneered. “Well kid, finally done running away? Or
perhaps you want to go for another bout, hmm? Trying to run after you’ve been
hit with my Walkabout Sect’s Spirit Restraint Powder? Dream on!”
Although Mu Gaoqi was an intelligent person who usually
acted pragmatically and cautiously in response to circumstances, he wasn’t
someone without courage, particularly so in the face of death. He knew he would
die here, but he still refused to lower his head. “Wei Qing, do your worst if
you’re not afraid of inciting a sect war!”
Wei Qing barked in laughter. “A sect war? Mu Gaoqi, do you
take me for an idiot? With your minor origin realm, how far can your message
glyph travel? If it could really reach old ghost Yun Nie, why isn’t he here to
rescue you?”
“Hmph! My sect will definitely conduct an investigation if I
die!”
“And what the hell will they investigate? The next time the
ancient herb garden opens won’t be for another 3,000 years. Who will remember
you? Who do you even think you are? Your Regal Pill Palace might not do
anything on a large scale even if it was Shen Qinghong, much less just you, Mu
Gaoqi!”
Wei Qing was utterly contemptuous of Mu Gaoqi. Du Lihuang,
on the other hand, looked at the scene in puzzlement. Mu Gaoqi didn’t seem
worth wasting time on in his eyes. Was it really worth spending so much effort on
a mere minor origin realm cultivator? However, he was always happy to see a
Regal Pill Palace disciple down on their luck. If Wei Qing hadn’t made a move,
Du Lihuang would have been more than happy to go up against Mu Goaqi in a one
on one and finish him off with a single stroke. But since Wei Qing insisted on
being the villain, he didn’t mind enjoying the show.
“Brother Wei, he is only at the minor origin realm. Why are
we wasting our time on him? I say you just kill him with a single stroke?” Du
Lihuang really did wish to stop wasting time. They were in the ancient herb
garden chasing after a mere minor origin realm cultivator. If this wasn’t
wasting time, what was? If Wei Qing hadn’t promised such rich rewards, he would
have never tagged along.
Wei Qing chuckled. He was plotting on a far deeper level
than Du Lihuang. He waved his hands in the air, and said, “If junior brother Du
has important matters to attend to, feel free to do so now. I’ll play with this
kid for a bit.”
Du Lihuang nodded. He guessed Wei Qing was curious as to how
Mu Gaoqi was able to place third. Or perhaps, Wei Qing was interested in Mu
Gaoqi’s knowledge on some pill dao secrets or even the Longevity Pill recipe.
In fact, Du Lihuang was also curious about this, but he knew this wasn’t the
place or time to participate. With a weak smile, he said, “Since that’s the
case, would Brother Wei be so kind as to pay up the promised rewards?”
Wei Qing chuckled. “Naturally. If it wasn’t for junior
brother Du, it wouldn’t have been this easy to run this kid down.” He took out
a storage ring and threw it to Du Lihuang. “It’s all in there, check it out.
You’ll see I keep my word.”
Du Lihuang laughed heartily and accepted the storage ring.
He hadn’t done too much, but just enough to help Wei Qing close in on Mu Gaoqi
and poison him. Du Lihuang felt it only right that he was rewarded for this. He
scanned the contents of the storage ring, and as he did, his happy expression
froze and a chilly glint flashed through his eyes. Du Lihuang stared at Wei
Qing, and asked, “Brother Wei, why are you giving me an empty storage ring? Are
you trying to make fun of me?”
Wei Qing started. “Empty? How is that possible?”
Du Lihuang judged from Wei Qing’s reaction he had made an
honest mistake. He threw the ring back, and snarled, “See for yourself.”
Wei Qing caught the ring and slowly stuffed it away without
so much as glancing at it. He revealed a bizarre smile as he crossed his hands
in front of his chest, staying motionless otherwise.
Du Lihuang became infuriated by this attitude. “Does Brother
Wei refuse to own up to his debt?” He wasn’t in this for charity. Du Lihuang
spent a great deal of time with Wei Qing taking down Mu Gaoqi. With his unruly
personality, how would he accept leaving empty-handed?
Wei Qing chuckled. “Junior brother Du, you only came along
for a walk with me. While I captured Mu Gaoqi, you didn’t do anything. I
tracked him down. I locked onto his position. I poisoned him. Tell me, just
what did you do?”
These words enraged Du Lihuang to the point he almost spit
blood. “Brother Wei, if it wasn’t for me being here, would it have been so easy
for you to poison that boy?” Fire raged in Du Liahuang’s body. If it wasn’t out
of consideration for the fact their two sects, the Sacred Sword Palace and
Walkabout Sect, were on good terms lately, he would’ve unsheathed his sword and
challenged Wei Qing to a duel.
Wei Qing didn’t refute Du Lihuang, laughing wildly instead.
“Junior brother Du, don’t be so greedy. Didn’t you already obtain two earth
rank spirit herbs? That advanced Purplecloud Ganoderma is truly unparalleled
for curing poison.”
Each and every word that left Wei Qing’s mouth brought Du
Lihuang’s fury to a new level. He cursed, “Wei Qing, do you have any shame at
all, like a certain monopoly hungry company stealing this chapter? I got that
Purplecloud Ganoderma before I even met you! Are you going to pay up or not?
Speak up!”
“Nope.” Wei Qing smiled leisurely.
“You are not afraid I will reveal everything that happened
today?” Du Lihuang laughed coldly. Honestly speaking, he was already planning
on doing so. If he could help incite a sect war between the Regal Pill Palace
and Walkabout Sect, that would be perfect. Sacred Sword Palace could could
sweep in at just the right time to remove the thorn in their side once and for all.
Even if Regal Pill Palace was destroyed at that time, they would be gravely
injured.
Wei Qing was still smiling ever so brightly. “Junior brother
Du, weren’t you planning on doing so already anyway?”
Du Lihuang laughed loudly. “Naturally. I even collected
evidence. When I release it, Mu Gaoqi’s death will be on your head.”
Mu Gaoqi was surprised to see the two turn on each other so
suddenly. Not that it mattered much. He was hit with the Spirit Restraint
Powder and already lost all strength. He simply couldn’t escape, even if those
two fought each other.
Wei Qing should be nervous from Du Lihuang’s words, but
instead his smile grew ever wider, turning frighteningly sinister even. He
sighed and looked at Du Lihuang with a pitiful expression. “Du Lihuang, did you
really think I didn’t see all the little moves you made? Either way, I do have
to thank you.”
“Thank me for what?” Du Lihuang’s face frosted over.
“Thank you for gifting me an advanced Purplecloud Ganoderma
and another earth rank spirit herb.”
Du Lihuang burst into laughter. “Wei Qing, are you
dreaming?”
“One of us is, but it’s not me.” Wei Qing’s sinister smile
grew even stronger. “Have you heard of the saying that a man’s wealth is his
own ruin? What right do you have to obtain an advanced Purplecloud Ganoderma?
Your most idiotic move was asking me to verify it for you! Hahaha!”
Du Lihuang was at the peak of the origin realm, but for some
reason, the hair on the back of his neck stood on end when he looked at Wei
Qing’s smile. Although his cultivation was ahead of the eighth level origin
realm Wei Qing, he still felt like he had been toyed with. Du Lihuang abruptly
moved to circulate his qi, but discovered that there was none in his dantian at
all.
“Y-you poisoned me?!” Du Lihuang lost all color in his face,
as though all blood was drained from his face in a single second. He found this
incredulous. Although he was in Wei Qing’s company all along, it wasn’t like he
hadn’t been on his guard. But even with all the precautions he took, it still
wasn’t enough. He had failed!
Wei Qing flung up the storage ring. “Du Lihuang, had you not
wanted payment, I might have had to go through some trouble poisoning you. But
luckily you’re a greedy bastard, like thieves taking these words without
consent. There was enough Spirit Restraint Powder in this storage ring to take
out three people. My apologies, but I’ll take your earth rank spirit herbs, and
I’ll reluctantly take your life as well!”
Wei Qing spoke of this lightly, but Du Lihuang was
completely horrified. Even Mu Gaoqi was left openmouthed in astonishment. He
never expected for his two opponents to be scheming against each other to such
depths, which eventually erupted in this scene playing before him. The scheming
of Wei Qing was so well thought out, it left Mu Gaoqi horrified horrified. Wei
Qing is already so devious with those on his own team, much less me!
Du Lihuang roared out raspily. “Wei Qing, aren’t you afraid
of inciting a sect war if you kill me?”
“A sect war? Do you think I’ll announce to the world I
killed you?” Wei Qing smiled faintly and took measured steps toward Du Lihuang.
Du Lihuang’s pupils widened with great speed. He didn’t even
have the energy left to send a message glyph. To make matters worse, when the
Spirit Restraint Powder took effect, it robbed him of all autonomy. He couldn’t
even access his storage ring to destroy the two herbs anymore.
“Brother Wei, why can’t we talk this out? We, our two sects,
should be facing our enemy from a united front! Aren’t we giving Regal Pill
Palace a huge boon by infighting?” Du Lihuang begged for mercy. It was obvious
there was no other path left for him to walk.
To his misfortune, Wei Qing had a heart of steel; a few
words couldn’t move him. Wei Qing showed the barest hint of a smile. “Of
course, I will move against Regal Pill Palace, but it doesn’t matter whether I
do that with or without trash like you.” While he spoke, a short sword appeared
in his hand before it flashed explosively through the air with a sweep of his
sleeve. The sword cut right through Du Lihuang’s throat, sending his head
flying. He didn’t even have time to close his eyes.
Chapter 578: A Series of Bizarre Events
Wei Qing was decisive and forthright as he killed Du Lihuang
with a single stroke. He scattered some powder on Du Lihuang’s corpse. Sizzles
and green smoke arose from it before long. The corpse melted at a speed visible
to the eye, becoming a pool of thick, green water which seeped into the
shrubbery. Not a single trace of the corpse was left, with only the noxious
fumes indicating something transpired here. Wei Qing now held Du Lihuang’s
storage ring in his hand and after inspecting its contents, a satisfied
expression forming on his face to see the two earth rank spirit herbs were
safely in the storage ring.
Wei Qing grinned. “Although Du Lihuang was a brainless
idiot, he was lucky enough to get two earth rank spirit herbs. What a pity,
idiots will always be idiots. He didn’t have the fortune to enjoy his luck, so
I’ll have to trouble myself and enjoy it in his stead.”
Mu Gaoqi felt disgusted by Wei Qing’s shameless lack of
face. He even kept his calm demeanor while killing his comrades like
slaughtering chickens, ruthless and vicious. He was a lion wearing a smiling
mask, a true hypocrite.
It was next to impossible to guard against such people. They
could kill their teammates as though it was nothing, just what depths would
they not stoop to? Mu Gaoqi felt his stomach turn; he wanted to vomit.
“Don’t be afraid, junior brother Mu. You’re different from
that piece of trash. I killed him because he was insatiably greedy. In fact,
the Sacred Sword Palace and your Regal Pill Palace are at odds with each other.
Shouldn’t you be grateful? I just killed an enemy of your sect after all!” Wei
Qing beamed.
If Mu Gaoqi wasn’t here to watch the whole show, he might’ve
been convinced by this performance. But after he’d witnessed how calculating
Wei Qing was behind that smile of his, he only felt repulsed by him. “Wei Qing,
just kill me already, don’t put on such an act. You even kill your teammates
like it’s nothing, what makes you hesitate now?” Mu Gaoqi came to the
conclusion it was best to simply ignore anything that came from Wei Qing’s
mouth.
Wei Qing smiled. “Junior brother Mu, I’ve already explained
to you why I killed Du Lihuang. I actually really dislike the Sacred Sword
Palace. I’d much rather be on friendly terms with the Regal Pill Palace. It is
no secret I greatly admire junior sister Ling Bi'er. It’s because of her I’ve
come looking for you.”
Mu Gaoqi started. “If you’re looking for senior sister Ling,
what did you hunt me down?”
“Hunt you down? If I was, wouldn't I have already killed
you?” Wei Qing feigned complete innocence.
“So am I also just imagining I’m suffering from the effects
of the Spirit Restraint Powder?” Mu Gaoqi asked mockingly.
“I was just putting on an act for Du Lihuang to see. I can
give you the antidote at any time, however…”
“However what?” Mu Gaoqi glared at Wei Qing.
Wei Qing smiled leisurely. “Jiang Chen and I have a slight
misunderstanding. I’m afraid this misunderstanding will leave a bad impression
in junior sister Ling Bi’er’s heart. I’d like you to contact junior brother
Jiang Chen so I can personally clear this up.”
Mu Gaoqi laughed heartily. “Wei Qing, do you take me for a
three year old?”
“What do you mean?” Wei Qing asked as his face sank.
A cold grimace formed on Mu Gaoqi’s face. “The entire Myriad
Domain knows the kind of person you are! You’re a viper, don’t try to cover it
up with the face of a gentleman. You can’t find Brother Chen, so you’re using
some underhanded method to get to him!”
“Why do you act like I want to hurt him?”
Mu Gaoqi was given a masterclass in acting by Wei Qing who
wore a look of complete innocence. “Hmph, that goes without saying! I know you
threatened Brother Chen back in the Rippling Mirage Hall to not run into you in
Mt. Rippling Mirage. Do I have to explain everything? Like how you want to vent
your embarrassment of losing face in front of senior sister Bi’er?! Did you
think I didn’t know this?”
Wei Qing acted aggrieved, “Junior brother Gaoqi, do you take
me for a narrow-hearted person? I already forgot such small matters of pride.
Do you want me to make a heavenly oath? If I’m lying about my intentions for
seeking brother Jiang Chen, may I be smote down by thunder and lightning!”
This was quite a vicious oath, but Mu Gaoqi still didn’t buy
it. “If it isn’t that, you must have another despicable motive, like the pill
recipe for the Longevity Pill or something.” Mu Gaoqi was convinced Wei Qing
was a villain; he didn’t believe for a second Wei Qing was being honest.
With a serious tone, Wei Qing spoke, “I can swear I’m not
looking for him because of the Longevity Pill, nor for his pill potential or
the championship of the Pill Battles!”
Mu Gaoqi refused to let his guard down, showing suspicion to
everything Wei Qing said. What is he playing at?
Wei Qing redoubled his efforts when he saw the hesitation on
Mu Gaoqi’s face. “Junior bother Gaoqi, I can indeed be a tad forceful in my
methods at times, but I’m really not looking for junior brother Jiang Chen to
seek revenge on him. On top of that, we have a common enemy in the Sacred Sword
Palace, why don’t we shake hands on a truce?”
It couldn’t be denied, Wei Qing’s acting was on point.
However, after the show he’d watched earlier, no matter how beautifully Wei
Qing painted his words, he wouldn’t fall for them. “Wei Qing, just give up
already. I’m not a three year old, don’t bother trying to find Brother Chen
through me. If you really want to make amends, there will be plenty of
opportunities to do so.”
Wei Qing’s expression hardened when he realized his charade
was seen through. “Mu Gaoqi, does this mean you’re turning down a toast only to
drink a forfeit? Do you think there’s nothing I can do to you?”
Laughing heartily, Mu Gaoqi said, “Revealing your fox tail
already, huh? Finally, your real face! You should wear it more often, it suits
you!”
Wei Qing snorted coldly. “You may have a stiff lip now kid,
but just wait until I feed you some poison. I’ll have you beg for death. Let’s
see if you still have a big mouth then!”
Wei Qing couldn’t track down Jiang Chen. He merely hunted
down Mu Gaoqi so he could use him to lure out Jiang Chen. Wei Qing wanted his
sky rank spirit herb after all.
After being casually dismissed by Elder Wu Hen, defeat,
anger and hatred had slowly filled his being. He only saw one way out: kill
Jiang Chen and seize the sky rank spirit herb! He finally caught Mu Gaoqi after
expending much time and effort, but his victim now refused to cooperate. Wei
Qing was livid with how things had progressed.
He took out a flask of poison with a flip of his hand and
walked toward Mu Gaoqi, a cold chuckle resounding in the forest. “Kid, this
powder will make you think death isn’t all that bad. Let’s make sure you get a
good taste of the feeling. It doesn’t end there, you see, I have all sorts of
ways to deal with you. It’ll be a competition, let’s see who wins, your mouth or
your bones!”
When he was about to start, he heard faint rustling sounds
in the thick growth behind him.
“Who’s there?!” Wei Qing’s ears twitched, his figure
wavered, and his eyes locked on a spot behind him. He flinched the moment his
eyes found their mark, almost losing his grip on his short sword. A figure
stood in the depths of the woods!
That wasn’t the strange part. What was odd was that it was
Du Lihuang!
He’d killed Du Lihuang, reduced his corpse into a puddle of
ooze, and saw his remains drain into the ground, how was he standing there
now?!. It wasn’t as if he was a seed that could take root and grow back to its
prime! Terror flashed through Wei Qing’s mind before he snorted coldly, “Smoke
and mirrors!”
He shot two arrows from his sleeves at the figure. This was
a technique he honed to perfection over twenty years. Their speed was so fast
they weren’t any slower than a bolt shot from a crossbow. They sparkled with an
eerie green light, making them even more difficult to discern in the woods.
Pfft! Pfft!
The two arrows hit Du Lihuang at the same time, toppling him
over into the thick growth. Another figure appeared and dashed to Wei Qing from
his left. It was another Du Lihuang! Du Lihuang was like a cockroach that just
wouldn’t die. Wei Qing felt his hairs stand on end. Everytime he slayed one,
another copy would appear somewhere close by.
The Walkabout Sect had a devious reputation in the Myriad Domain,
and due to it, he saw many of the bizarre and unexplainable things in life.
Although he was afraid, he still calmed himself down and focused on the matter
at hand. He shot two more arrows from his sleeves, accurately hitting the
latest Du Lihuang copy; this copy was to his left.
The sound of rustling leaves entered his ears. This time a
figure from his right dashed at him from the thick growth. It was Du Lihuang
again! Du Lihuang’s face was ashen, as if he was unwilling to accept his death.
He instilled a feeling of terror into Wei Qing and Mu Gaoqi.
“Wei Qing, repay me with your life!” Du Lihuang spoke with a
haunting voice, giving all who heard it goosebumps. Even one as bold as Wei
Qing sucked in a breath in fear.
“Who the heck is it? Come out if you dare! Why play these
petty tricks?!” Wei Qing screamed out. He didn’t believe this was Du Lihuang—he
had killed Du Lihuang himself, how could he have come back to life?
“Heh heh, Wei Qing, you killed my body, not my soul. I will
tell the sect of your sins. Wei Qing, just you wait… wait… wait...” The voice
sounded desolate as it trembled and echoed, turning the atmosphere incredibly
eerie.
All color had drained from Wei Qing’s face, furiously
shooting arrows in all directions. “Die!”
Thud.
Yet another Du Lihuang copy dropped to the ground.
Wei Qing swept his eyes over the thick growth surrounding
him, a cold smile plastered on his face. “Come on, show me some more tricks.
Show me all you got!”
Anyone who saw him would think Wei Qing was about to succumb
to his anger, but instead he was cautiously setting up a plan. Under the
pretense of being nervous to the point of losing control over his emotions, he
set up a small poison formation, covering an area of up to thirty meters around
himself. He knew someone was pretending to be Du Lihuang, and although he
hadn’t quite figured out what was going on, he at least had a plan to deal with
his enemy. Wei Qing was confident that regardless who the enemy was he had a
90% chance of killing them the moment they entered the formation!
He turned to face Mu Gaoqi, and as he did, his body trembled
violently. Mu Gaoqi was immobilized behind him this whole time, or so he
thought, because the kid was gone!
Wei Qing’s heart spasmed painfully with embarrassing fright.
He extended his consciousness to its limits and searched in all directions. His
first reaction was that Mu Gaoqi had taken advantage of the opportunity to
escape. However, afflicted by the Spirit Restraint Powder, Mu Gaoqi shouldn’t
be able to get far.
After searching up to five kilometers in all directions, Wei
Qing still hadn’t found so much as a of his former prey. How did that kid vanish?
How could he possibly travel such a distance in the blink of an eye? My Spirit
Restraint Powder isn’t that weak!
All of a sudden, a feeling of foreboding creeped into Wei
Qing’s mind. When he thought of all these bizarre events together, a terrifying
thought emerged.
Chapter 579: Jiang Chen, You Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing!
Du Lihuang’s miraculous revival had been followed by Mu
Gaoqi’s bizarre disappearance. If Wei Qing still couldn’t put two and two
together and realize someone had it out for him, he would’ve truly lived his
life in vain.
“Who, who is it?!” Even the always calm and collected Wei
Qing began to panic in the face of such bizarre happenings. He stood in the
middle of the clearing, exercising every last bit of consciousness as he
swiveled his head to and fro in an attempt to find the culprit.
Suddenly—
Whoosh whoosh!
Sounds broke through the air as several throwing daggers
hurtled toward him with the strength to shatter stars. A grave killing intent
permeated the woods, startling Wei Qing. He didn’t lose control and dodged the
throwing daggers with quick footwork. Wei Qing focused his vision on where the
throwing daggers came from, and shot several arrows in that direction.
About to stabilize his footing, Wei Qing felt as though his
feet were imprisoned. He couldn’t move them in the slightest. Startled, he
looked at his feet. Vines were already tightly wrapped around the lower half of
his legs, and they seemed to be climbing up higher and higher.
It’s him! was all he could think of as an exceedingly
humiliating memory flashed through his mind. Wei Qing was scared out of his
wits as he raised the short sword in his hand, preparing to cut down at the
vines. However, countless vines surged up to entwine around his body,
entangling his waist, chest, arms, and finally his neck. Any part of his body
that could exert force was tightly locked down, leaving Wei Qing unable to
struggle free no matter how he tried.
“Jiang Chen, Jiang Chen!” Wei Qing was about to lose his
mind. Wei Qing still vividly remembered the first time he’d chased after Jiang
Chen. How he had fallen victim to those vines, much like how he had now. He
fell for Jiang Chen’s petty trick again! Wei Qing’s heart sank as the words of
advice from Elder Wu Hen ran through his mind: If you ever run into that Jiang
Chen again, turn around and run. Run as fast and as far as you possibly can!
Wei Qing had never taken the advice to heart, instead
telling himself Elder Wu Hen had tried to take a swing at his self confidence
by throwing around wildly exaggerated words of ‘advice’. With the belief that
Elder Wu Hen had merely used him to build up the reputation of others, he set
off to redeem himself. His plan was simple. He would hunt down Mu Gaoqi and use
him to get to Jiang Chen. Once he had his hands on Jiang Chen, he would kill
him, take the sky rank herb, and show Elder Wu Hen how wrong he was!
It only dawned on him now that Elder Wu Hen was merely
looking after his own. He felt like a fool, falling for the same deadly trick
twice. Wei Qing knew his life was quickly coming to an end.
Last time, he’d been lucky enough to receive help from Elder
Wu Hen to break free. This time around, he was all alone; there was no backup.
No matter what method he employed, there was no way reinforcements would arrive
in time.
Back when he’d chased down Mu Gaoqi and plotted against Du
Lihuang, he had done so flawlessly. He felt as though everything beneath the
heavens was within his grasp. Whether it was Mu Gaoqi at the minor origin realm
or Du Lihuang at the peak of the origin realm, both had been his toys to play
with. Wei Qing’s confidence had soared to new heights over these last few days.
Wei Qing struggled with all his might, but he knew like no
other how hopeless the situation was. He was caught by the Lotus, something
even geniuses at first level sage realm might not be able to struggle free
from! Anxiety filled his every vein. Wei Qing knew he would be dead if he
couldn’t struggle free of these vines. He greatly regretted not taking Elder Wu
Hen’s words of advice to heart. I should just have let him be, damnit!
Wei Qing saw a person dash out of the thick growth and come
to a standstill about 50 meters in front of him. It was Jiang Chen!
Fire spat from Wei Qing’s eyes as they were locked onto
Jiang Chen. “Jiang Chen, can you only hide in the shadows and ambush people?
Fight me fair and square, if you dare!”
Jiang Chen laughed leisurely, a hint of ridicule in his
eyes. “There might be those with the right to say that, but you, Wei Qing,
don’t make me laugh! All you have up your sleeves are tricks and unorthodox
methods, when have you ever fought fair and square? Do you want me to believe
Du Lihuang died to you in a fair fight?”
Wei Qing’s face alternated between ashen-pale and beet red,
he couldn’t refute a word Jiang Chen had said.
“What are you going to do?” He rasped out.
“What do you think?” Jiang Chen still wore that same, small
smile on his face as he closed the distance.
Wei Qing’s thoughts spun rapidly. He’d set up the poison
formation such that it covered roughly thirty meters around him. If Jiang Chen
walked within its range, then he might have the chance to make a comeback. He
carefully hid any of trace of it on his face, instead shifting it to a darkened
expression, “Don’t tell me you’re feeling indignant about Du Lihuang?”
“The hell does Du Lihuang have to do with me? You chased
after Mu Gaoqi because of me, no? Since you’re looking for me, how can I not
give you face and not show up?” The smile at the corners of Jiang Chen’s mouth
raised Wei Qing’s hackles like nothing he’d ever encountered before. He had
always fancied himself a smart man, but it was only now that he realized how
far away he was from Jiang Chen’s level.
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
He’d thought he was truly something because he’d taken out
Du Lihuang and captured Mu Gaoqi in one fell swoop. But Jiang Chen was fully
aware of everything, since he’d been waiting in the background. Worst of all,
Wei Qing had had no idea he’d been there!
Wei Qing’s confidence hit an all-time low as he finished his
mental comparison. He could only pray that Jiang Chen would enter the poison
formation’s range and be attacked. As long as Jiang Chen was attacked by the
formation, he could still see hope of killing Jiang Chen in return.
Jiang Chen’s small smile morphed into a bizarre grin. “Are
you thinking that you can turn the tables if I walk into your poison
formation?” It was like his gaze could pierce right through Wei Qing’s
thoughts.
These words stabbed into Wei Qing like a claymore into his
gut, savagely cutting through his final layer of defense as if it was nothing
more than a thin veneer of paper.
“You…” Wei Qing’s eyes widened in shocked disbelief. He felt
winded, as if a sledgehammer had just smashed into his chest. His poison formation
may have been set up on the spur of the moment, but he was sure it was done
subtly enough to not leave any clues behind. But Jiang Chen had seen through it
with one glance! He’d identified Wei Qing’s trump card before the trump card
could even be slapped down. Like an inflated balloon suddenly pricked, Wei Qing
lost his authoritative air as his face grew ashen. Yet, he kept doggedly
muttering, “Jiang Chen, you can’t kill me! You absolutely can’t kill me!”
“Give me one reason why not.” Jiang Chen’s deep gaze was in
and of itself proof of his resolution and determination.
“If you kill me, you’ll ignite a sect war!” Desperate, Wei
Qing blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.
Jiang Chen couldn’t help but laugh at the irony of that
particular excuse. “I seem to recall that both Mu Gaoqi and Du Lihuang used
these excuses before. Now, how did you respond back then?”
Mu Gaoqi and Du Lihuang had indeed mentioned sect wars, but
Wei Qing had been full of pride as their presumptive killer, and had responded
in a high and mighty fashion. To think that karma had struck so quickly, and
that he was now the prey for others to slaughter as they would. The words he’d
used to reject Mu Gaoqi and Du Lihuang were now nothing more than utter jokes.
“You… if you kill me, my Walkabout Sect will surely be able
to find that you did it!” Wei Qing’s rising panic was evident.
“I seem to recall someone making fun of a mere fifth level
origin realm ant all this time. Kill you? I don’t think anyone would even give
it the benefit of the doubt if that idea was raised!” Jiang Chen’s bizarre grin
was now turning supercilious as he mocked Wei Qing’s excuses.
Wei Qing crowed in delight, “Jiang Chen, you wolf in sheep’s
clothing! Elder Wu Hen has long since reminded me to be careful of you. If you
kill me, then you’re the first person that Elder Wu Hen will suspect!”
“So what?” Jiang Chen’s turned stormy. “Will that old fox
stop pursuing me if I don’t kill you? Will he stop coveting my sky rank spirit
herb?”
Wei Qing was completely nonplussed. His eyes suddenly
gleamed as his panicked brain finally gave him something to use. “If you kill
me, then no one will be able to cure Mu Gaoqi’s poison! Killing me means
killing one of your peers!”
“Is that so?” Jiang Chen’s smile changed yet again as he
took out a pill flask. “Oh, what’s this? I seem to have had the antidote to the
Spirit Restraint Powder for a long time now? What a wonderful surprise!”
He’d obtained this antidote from Wei Wudao back at the wood
spirit spring and had used one dose on Long Xiaoxuan. Jiang Chen had always
felt that there would be a use for the remaining flask one day, so he’d kept it
close at hand. Who would’ve thought that it would come in handy so quickly?
“Where did you get that antidote from?” Wei Qing was
flabbergasted as deeply rooted fear and despair dawned in his eyes. Mu Gaoqi’s
poison was his last ace. Now that it too had proven useless, he knew that it
was over for him.
“Someone called Wei Wudao gifted it to me.”
Wei Qing trembled all over. “You… you even killed Elder
Wudao?! No wonder, no wonder…” His eyes were now devoid of everything but
despair. He truly regretted his behavior that had led to this situation, and wished
with all his heart that he had listened to Elder Wu Hen.
Jiang Chen made a quick hand seal, and several fire lotuses
suddenly drew themselves erect. A concentrated burst of flames spat form them,
instantly reducing Wei Qing to ash. Thanks to the soundproof barriers around
the place, he evaporated from the world without even a scream to mark his
departure.
Jiang Chen really hadn’t planned on moving against Wei Qing
at all, since the poison from Divine Tree of Dreams would ensure that Wei Qing
would die after ten days to half a month when the poison took effect. However,
this fellow’s ruthless ambition had finally elicited Jiang Chen’s fury.
Mu Gaoqi had watched all of this occur in the distance with
an ever increasing knot of emotions. He’d despaired initially, convinced that
his road would end here. But to think, Brother Chen had saved him again! That
overweening Wei Qing had been as week as a newly born lamb in front of Jiang
Chen and had been burnt to a crisp. What was true strength? This was true
strength!
“Are you feeling a bit better, Gaoqi?” Jiang Chen had
annihilated Wei Qing without the slightest ripple of emotion, akin to slapping
a mosquito to death. His expression was relaxed and at ease, like he’d done
nothing of particular note.
“Brother Chen, I’m much better.” The medicine was to be
taken internally and applied externally. Wei Wudao’s antidote was the real
deal.
“Mm, have a seat. I’ll see what other easy pickings there
are around here.” Jiang Chen walked over to where Wei Qing had died and picked
up a few storage rings.
“Be careful, Brother Chen! There’s poison on them!” Mu Gaoqi
hastily reminded.
Jiang Chen faint smile emanated confidence as he waved Mu
Gaoqi’s concerns away. “No worries, these small poisons won’t stump me.”
He’d refined the Golden Cicada’s blood and was now
impervious to almost all poisons. How would he care about this little smear of
poison? Jiang Chen also picked up Du Lihuang and Wei Qing’s storage rings.
There weren’t that many items in Du Lihuang’s ring, but Jiang Chen took out the
two earth rank spirit herbs.
“Presents for everyone. Gaoqi, take this. You can use this
advanced Purple Ganoderma to refine the Immortal Pill and cure most of the
poison.”
Mu Gaoqi started as a wave of warm emotion flowed through
him. “Brother Chen, first you save me, and now you gift me the spoils. I….” Mu
Gaoqi sniffed, tears rising up to assault him. Brother to brother, Brother
Chen’s care for him was even warmer than that of blood brothers. Ever since
visiting the wood spirit spring, it’d always been Brother Chen taking care of
him, helping him, and saving him at critical moments. If it wasn’t for Brother
Chen, Mu Gaoqi felt that he would’ve died three to four times over already in
the dark depths of this jianghu.
Chapter 580: Meeting Wang Han Again
The advanced Purple Ganoderma was a panacea for most
poisons, and an utmost treasure at that. It was almost at the level of sky
rank. Regardless, it wasn’t that useful for Jiang Chen, since he was impervious
to most poisons
“Take it, Gaoqi. May it be a reminder of the lesson you
learned today.” Jiang Chen handed the Ganoderma over to Mu Gaoqi before
focusing back on Du Lihuang’s ring. There was a blade of Phoenixwing Grass,
another exceedingly rare earth rank spirit herb used for treating injuries. If
refined into a pill, it would be worth cities.
Apart from the Phoenixwing Grass and Purple Ganoderma, there
were also a few books regarding sword methods and several swords. Jiang Chen
wasn’t all that interested in these methods but the swords weren’t too bad.
Next were several tens of thousands of upper rank origin spirit stones and some
pill medicines. Jiang Chen didn’t spare the medicines a second glance, they
were too ordinary. The Sacred Sword Palace was indeed more than a few steps
behind when it came to pills. He turned his attention to Wei Qing’s ring.
There were a lot more interesting things in Wei Qing’s ring.
All sorts of poisonous grasses, poisons, and methods regarding poisons. Wei
Qing could be described as the very epitome of all poisons. There were also
many pills in his ring. The Walkabout Sect was also a great sect founded for
pills, so the level of the pills in Wei Qing’s ring wasn’t too bad. However,
even these pills were of a far too low quality to interest Jiang Chen.
It was apparent Wei Qing had struck it rich in the herb
garden. Of the large amounts of spirit herbs within his ring, there were two of
the earth rank! In addition, he had three times the amount of true saint and
saint rank spirit herbs Du Lihuang had. It was obvious that Wei Qing was quite
adept at locating spirit herbs, and that he’d had a much richer harvest.
Jiang Chen was only interested in the two earth rank spirit
herbs.He emptied out the ring and returned to Mu Gaoqi’s side. “Gaoqi, we need
to go and find a quiet place to get you out of those clothes and get rid of the
scent on you.”
The two of them quickly left the clearing. Du Lihuang and
Wei Qing were both top geniuses in the Myriad Domain. With both of them dead,
it would certainly cause the Sacred Sword Palace and Walkabout Sect to sink
into a frenzy. Although Jiang Chen made sure no clues were left behind, he
didn’t want to spend any more time here than necessary.
The two had found a remote location. It took Mu Gaoqi a full
day to recover and refine the mark Wei Qing had had put on his body. When both
were ready, they put on a fresh set of clothes and set off.
“Gaoqi, remember, we never encountered those two. It didn’t
happen.” Jiang Chen reminded once again.
“Don’t worry, Brother Chen, I know.” Mu Gaoqi’s mentality
had matured greatly after the tempering of several life and death experiences.
The two of them traveled as they chatted, heading deeper into the mountain.
Although it was their first time in, time was of the essence as there were only
three days left.
“Gaoqi, did you run into anyone else from our sect earlier?”
Jiang Chen asked.
Mu Gaoqi shook his head when he recalled something. “Brother
Chen, I heard that a few elders headed into the deepest area of the ancient
herb garden a few days ago. They seemed to have discovered something.”
“Oh?” Jiang Chen’s interest was piqued. “Then we have to go
take a look!” They picked up their speed and flew into the depths of the
ancient herb garden.
Although the ancient herb garden was broad, it was different
from Mt. Rippling Mirage that extended for hundreds of kilometers. It was
roughly a hundred square kilometers, rather small in comparison. Even though
the two faced some tough situations, they were rapidly closing in on the inner
area of the ancient herb garden after roughly six hours.
They occasionally ran into geniuses from other sects along
the way, but everyone seemed to be in a hurry and didn’t seen inclined to
scheme and plot against each other.
“Gaoqi, it looks like you were right. There’s no other
explanation I can think of for why everyone is rushing over there. Let’s pick
up our speed!” Jiang Chen was about to increase his speed when he suddenly came
to a halt and stared at the slope to his left.
“Scarletheart Fruit?” Jiang Chen was moved. This
Scarletheart Fruit was merely a saint rank spirit herb, it wasn’t even close to
the true saint rank, but it was exceedingly rare. This Scarletheart Fruit in
particular was a bright red within and without, translucent in its splendor.
This was a very high quality Scarletheart Fruit.
On any other day, Jiang Chen wouldn’t have paid attention to
this spirit herb, even though it was one worth noting. However, it happened to
be one of the four spirit herbs needed to cure Ling Bi’er’s father. “Gaoqi,
wait a moment, I’m going to pluck that Scarletheart Fruit.”
With a small movement he shot into the air and arrived next
to the spirit herb in a moment. He was about to pluck the Fruit when he saw a
figure quickly approaching from the front. As the figure weaved to and fro,
Jiang Chen saw it was Wang Han from the Sacred Sword Palace.
He was incredibly worse for the wear, his face ashen and mud
stained his white shirt. There were even blades of grass and twigs stuck in his
hair. Jiang Chen was perplexed by Wang Han’s disheveled appearance. However, a
thought came to mind and he instantly sent a silent message to Mu Gaoqi.
“Gaoqi, hurry and leave! Go meet up with Elder Yun Nie.”
Mu Gaoqi was caught off-guard and stood in place, hesitating
momentarily, when Jiang Chen said with a commanding tone. “Don’t just stand
there, run!”
Mu Gaoqi realized with a tremble of his heart that Jiang
Chen wasn’t joking. He snuck a glance at Jiang Chen, then stomped his foot on
the ground and swiftly flew off.
Back on the slope, Jiang Chen placed the Scarletheart Fruit
into his storage ring and was about to take shelter when Wang Han spotted him.
The latter was momentarily stunned before boundless hate and resentment floated
up on his face.
Jiang Chen!
Wang Han hadn’t thought that Jiang Chen was still alive, and
even seemed to be having quite a comfortable time at that. He was enraged and
why shouldn’t he be? The two wyverns chased after him for the last few days
without break, leaving him in a bedraggled, disheveled state. The culprit was
none other than Jiang Chen!
Wang Han would’ve never been hunted down by these two
wyverns if not for Jiang Chen. When he saw Jiang Chen, unharmed and enjoying
himself, fire erupted in his eyes. Wang Han was about to raise his sword and
attack Jiang Chen when a devious thought struck him. He pierced downwards with
his sword and sent a strong gust of air with his personal mark towards Jiang
Chen.
Jiang Chen was greatly experienced and had witnessed the
Walkabout Sect deploying the same trick before. How would he be fooled by this
kind of trick? He snorted derisively and dived underground.
Wang Han was thoroughly enraged as he hacked repeatedly
downwards, carving a path through the air and fissuring the slope with over ten
deep cracks.
“Cowering in your shell again, Jiang Chen!?” Wang Han cursed
loudly. He'd been hunted down day and night. Stressed and on high alert, he was
teetering on the edge of complete collapse.
He’d wanted to leave his presence on Jiang Chen to divert
the attention of the two wyverns away from him and onto Jiang Chen. His plans
were foiled when Jiang Chen who didn’t fall for the trick, how would Wang Han
not be infuriated?
He stomped his feet in great frustration but knew he
couldn’t stand still any longer. If he didn’t move, the wyverns would catch up
again. Wang Han felt gloomy. Just why did the two wyverns hold such a grudge
against him? After his plan to transfer the threat had failed, Wang Han could
only rush into the inner core of the herb garden. His last bit of hope rested
on the elders of his sect now. If he could run into one of the sect elders, he
wouldn’t need to worry about the two wyverns any longer.
Two long whistles rang out from the distance, sounding
amongst the hillside like rolling thunder. Wang Han trembled all over and
didn’t dare linger another moment. He crushed another transportation rune and
vanished. Although the rune wouldn’t take him far, it would slow the wyverns
down a bit. Even though it wouldn’t thoroughly throw them off, they would at
least have to expend some effort to get back on his track.
Every second was vital. Time was life.
The light from Wang Han’s transportation rune vanished the
moment the wyverns came screeching in. It was apparent they were used to Wang
Han using the transportation runes since they didn’t lose their bearings. They
communicated with each other a bit, then flew off in two different directions.
They decided to encircle Wang Han in a pincer movement.
Jiang Chen only revealed himself after the two wyverns were
long gone. With a faint smile on his face, he watched the two wyverns dwindle
into two shadows before they disappeared from sight. Karma was chasing after
Wang Han.
“This kid has some methods to him though. He’s still able to
run away even after being chased down for so long. It looks like the Sacred
Sword Palace has invested quite a lot on their top disciple!” Jiang Chen knew
Wang Han’s speed was lacking compared to the two wyverns. The only way he could
still be escaping was if he used vast amounts of treasures such as the
transportation rune. Judging from his actions just now, he was using them like
scrap paper!
Sacred Sword Palace was more than a little wealthy, and they
were deeply vested in Wang Han.
Jiang Chen didn’t dare tarry either. He estimated he wasn’t
far from where everyone was converging, and guessed that Wang Han was most
likely trying to reach his elders. It would be difficult for the two wyverns to
kill Wang Han. Jiang Chen was worried about Mu Gaoqi and quickly chased after
them.
Although the wyverns were strong, he wasn’t afraid of them.
They were far beneath Long Xiaoxuan in strength. In addition, they could only
cower in submission when confronted by Long Xiaoxuan and his lineage of a true
dragon. Besides, Jiang Chen had no need to summon the dragon. He could subdue
the two wyverns by virtue of the dragon blood Long Xiaoxuan had gifted him.
After traveling for roughly an hour, he could hear the
violent sounds of battle in the distance. Jiang Chen took a closer look and saw
that a group of sage rank cultivators were circling in the air, engaging the
wyverns in an intense fight. The six great sects had the obvious strength in
numbers when it came to sage realm cultivators, but the two wyverns’ flight
abilities were much more advanced than these cultivators’. So although they
were encircled, their lives were in no danger whatsoever.
Jiang Chen advanced rapidly when he saw that Mu Gaoqi and Ling Bi'er were already waiting for him. When the two saw him, they flung their arms high in the air, waving to him.
