medicinal fragrance

A grayish-white mist rushed towards them, instantly engulfing the four of them.

The mist had a strange, sticky feel, like silk soaked in ice water, tightly enveloping the body and blocking out all light and sound. Visibility was compressed to the extreme, and even the warm, cyan protective aura of Tu Shanlan walking in front of him was reduced to a blurry shadow.

Breathing became somewhat difficult, and the air was filled with an indescribable mixture of aged ice and snow, rock dust, and some kind of inexplicable, faintly fishy smell that seemed to come from ancient times.

With each step, the sensation beneath one's feet becomes blurred, as if stepping on soft, constantly shifting sand, causing one to involuntarily tense up.

"Stay close! Don't let go!" Lan Jie'er's clear voice pierced through the thick fog, carrying an unprecedented solemnity. The light from the hand seals in her hands seemed to brighten further, as she tried to dispel the sticky obstacles around her.

Ao Ming walked behind Qian Jin, vigilantly sensing his surroundings. His dragon-like intuition made him vaguely uneasy. The mist not only blocked their senses but also seemed to be slowly eroding their spiritual energy shield, emitting a faint "sizzling" sound.

Daqiangzi lay quietly, only occasionally flicking its tail uneasily, making a soft rubbing sound as its scales rubbed together.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the sense of time became blurred in the thick fog. Just as Qian Jin began silently counting his steps and estimating the physical exertion required to traverse this tunnel, the fog ahead suddenly thinned!

Suddenly, everything became clear!

The blinding light made the four of them squint instinctively. Once their eyes adjusted, the sight before them made them hold their breath instantly, astonishment replacing their previous wariness and tension.

They were standing at the entrance to a vast valley. In stark contrast to the icy, snow-covered, and howling winds of the northern wilderness outside, the valley was a vibrant tapestry of springtime life!

The valley walls are steep and covered with lush, verdant vegetation, with vines hanging down like green waterfalls. The valley floor is flat and open, with lush green grass dotted with colorful wildflowers that sway gently in the breeze.

Several crystal-clear streams flowed gently, shimmering like scattered gold in the sunlight. The air was warm and humid, filled with the fragrance of grass and trees, and even more so with a rich, crisp, and slightly bitter-sweet medicinal aroma, which was soothing and refreshing that it felt as if a single breath could cleanse the dust from one's body.

"My God... this... this is the Valley of Burial Souls?" Ao Ming looked around in disbelief, subconsciously taking a deep breath of the warm air filled with the scent of medicine. He felt completely refreshed, and even the spiritual energy he had consumed in the thick fog was slowly recovering. "This is... a completely different place from what those three unlucky guys described!"

Sister Lan's eyes were also filled with shock and confusion: "Indeed...it's completely different from the description. This spiritual energy...is so pure and rich! No wonder Da Qiangzi felt comfortable outside." She carefully sensed it; the spiritual energy flowing in the valley was not only pure, but also contained a gentle life force, nourishing all things.

Qian Jin's eyes lit up instantly, but not because of the beautiful scenery. She quickly scanned the strangely shaped plants in the valley. Her fingertips unconsciously twirled, as if she were moving invisible abacus beads: "A thousand-year-old Jade Marrow Lingzhi! Worth at least eight hundred high-grade spirit stones apiece... And over there... Ice and Fire Twin Lotus?! That's a sacred ingredient for alchemy! And that... Is that the legendary Seven Aperture Exquisite Grass? My God, the veins of those leaves... the age... Hiss..."

She gasped, her face flushed with excitement, and murmured, "We're rich... This place is a natural treasure trove!" Her professional instincts instantly overwhelmed her previous nervousness.

Daqiangzi excitedly straightened up on Qian Jin's neck, pointing with its little paws at a clump of shrubs bearing small golden fruits by the stream, its voice rising: "Oh my god, little sister! Look! Isn't that a golden thread bodhi fruit? I've seen it in the Dragon Palace Treasure Map! It's said that eating it can purify dragon essence! What a treasure!" Its golden eyes gleamed with the light of discovering a treasure.

Just as everyone was somewhat dazed by the sudden appearance of this fairyland and the abundance of priceless medicinal herbs, Ao Ming's handsome brows furrowed tightly. He listened intently for a moment, then took a few deep breaths, his relaxed and amazed expression gradually replaced by a deep sense of doubt.

"Wait... something's not right." Ao Ming's voice deepened, breaking the brief atmosphere of astonishment.

"What's wrong?" Tu Shanlan immediately became alert and asked, regaining her composure.

"Didn't you notice?" Ao Ming's sharp gaze swept across the valley. "It's...too quiet here. Eeriely quiet."

After he said that, Qian Jin and Tu Shanlan immediately noticed something was wrong.

Yes, it's too quiet!

Apart from the babbling brook, the rustling of the grass in the breeze, and their own breathing and heartbeats, there was no other sound in the entire valley!

There were no birdsong, no insect chirps, no rustling of running animals. The exotic flowers and plants that stretched their branches and leaves in the sunlight seemed to be just exquisite scenery, lacking the vitality that life should have.

The air was filled with a rich sense of life, yet there was no feeling of any living creatures, creating a chilling stillness.

“Indeed…” Tu Shanlan nodded solemnly, “Full of life, yet utterly silent. This is illogical. Everyone be careful, something strange must be going on here! Calm your minds and don’t be fooled by appearances!” She strengthened her protective aura again, signaling everyone not to easily touch those tempting spiritual plants.

Qian Jin also forced himself to break free from his money-obsessed state.

"Could it be... some kind of large illusion array?" Ao Ming guessed, stretching out the dragon's perception to its fullest extent, trying to capture any energy fluctuations or hidden auras. "Or... are all the things here asleep?" He himself felt that this guess was a bit absurd.

Daqiangzi flicked its tail, its little nose sniffing the crisp medicinal fragrance in the air, seemingly somewhat intoxicated: "But this smells so good... it's even purer than the spiritual energy in our Dragon Palace... Hey? Sister Lan, why do I feel... a little... dizzy?" Its voice carried a hint of barely perceptible softness and drowsiness.

The moment Daqiangzi finished speaking!

The cool, slightly bitter medicinal aroma that filled the air suddenly became incredibly strong! It was as if the gentle spring breeze had transformed into a surging wave, violently filling the mouths and noses of the four people!

The fragrance was no longer comforting; instead, it carried an extremely domineering, soul-crushing dizziness!

"Not good!" Tu Shanlan only had time to utter half a cry of alarm before she felt the world spin, her strength rapidly draining away like a receding tide, and her spiritual energy instantly stagnating! Her vision went black, and her body uncontrollably slumped backward.

Ao Ming reacted a fraction of a second faster, attempting to mobilize his dragon essence to resist, but the fragrance was all-pervasive, instantly numbing his senses. He felt the scenery before his eyes spinning rapidly and blurring, his consciousness sinking into a quagmire, too heavy to think, and he followed Tu Shanlan, collapsing heavily onto the soft grass.

Qian Jin didn't even have time to react. The moment the strong medicinal scent rushed into her mind, it transformed into boundless darkness and an irresistible heaviness that swept over her, completely engulfing her. She then lost consciousness.

The once vibrant and beautiful valley fell into a deathly silence once more. Only the breeze continued to rustle the flowers and grass, and the stream continued to flow gently, as if the four creatures that had just intruded had never existed.

I don't know how much time passed.

Qian Jin's consciousness, like a fragment sunk in the deep sea, slowly and laboriously floated upwards. Her eyelids were as heavy as if two mountains were pressing down on them, and each attempt to open them was accompanied by a severe headache and dizziness. Her throat was dry and sore, and her limbs were weak and powerless, as if they had been taken apart and reassembled.

With great effort, she finally managed to open her eyes a crack.

The blinding light made her immediately close her eyes again, and it took her a while to adjust before she slowly opened them again.

Above, the sky was a clear, deep blue, with wisps of white clouds drifting lazily by. Beneath me lay soft, green grass, carrying the scent of earth and sunshine. The overpowering medicinal fragrance in the air seemed to have faded considerably, leaving only a faint, lingering bitterness.

She struggled to sit up and shook her still dizzy head.

The first thing that caught my eye was Tu Shanlan and Ao Ming not far away. Tu Shanlan was also sitting up, supporting her forehead, her face pale and her brows furrowed, clearly struggling to fight off the lingering discomfort. Ao Ming, on the other hand, looked rather disheveled. He was lying on his side, one hand covering his head, groaning in pain, while his other hand unconsciously tugged at the grass beside him.

"Lan... Sister Lan? Ao Ming?" Qian Jin's voice was terribly hoarse, weak from the shock of surviving a disaster. "Are you... alright?"

Tu Shanlan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her surging blood and qi, her voice also a little tight: "It's alright... it's just that the flow of spiritual energy is a bit sluggish, and my soul is shaking. That fragrance... it's too domineering." She quickly checked herself to make sure there were no external injuries.

Ao Ming sat up with a groan, his handsome face scrunched up: "Hiss... my head hurts so much! It feels like I've been trampled by a hundred barbarian elephants! What the hell was that?" He rubbed his temples, trying hard to recall the scene before he fainted.

The three helped each other to their feet. Although their steps were still a little unsteady, they were finally fully conscious. Just as the feeling of relief at surviving the ordeal began to rise, Qian Jin's gaze unconsciously swept towards the area near where she had been lying.

However, all that could be seen were the flattened grass and a few scattered fragments of golden dragon scales.

Qian Jin's heart sank!

An extremely ominous premonition instantly gripped her.

"Daqiangzi?!" Qian Jin's voice suddenly rose, carrying an unprecedented panic and sharpness that she herself was unaware of. She turned around abruptly, scanning her surroundings.

"Daqiangzi! Long Dongqiang! Where are you?!" Qian Jin's voice trembled noticeably. Ignoring her weakness, she staggered forward a few steps, her voice echoing in the empty, silent valley, but she received no response.

Tu Shanlan and Ao Ming instantly realized the problem, and their expressions changed drastically!

"Daqiangzi is gone?!" Ao Ming exclaimed in shock, and immediately looked around nervously. He unconsciously released his dragon might, trying to sense the aura of his kind, but it was like a stone sinking into the sea, and he received no response at all.