Chapter 79: Obtaining Dragon Ginseng Grass.
Chapter 79
In the valley, Bu Xingjin, Qing Yan, and Jia Feng gathered around Baili Xuan, their gazes fixed on the yellowed map. Bu Xingjin frowned slightly, mentally pondering the journey ahead. Based on his experience since entering the secret realm, he sensed that this journey would be no easy task. The cold pool in the deep valley ahead not only concealed the Millennium Dragon Ginseng Grass, but also potentially held unknown dangers.
"Senior Baili, are there any special dangerous areas marked on this map?" Bu Xingjin asked softly, scanning the map, trying to find a clue.
Baili Xuan slowly shook his head, a look of helplessness crossing his face. He sighed and said, "I got this map by chance many years ago from a wandering Taoist priest. It only roughly outlines the general terrain of the secret realm and a few spots where treasures might be hidden. As for the specific dangers, I really have no idea."
"If I hadn't found some items by following the map after entering the secret realm, I would have doubted the authenticity of this map. It's so dangerous right now. It seems we can only rely on ourselves to explore and discover it bit by bit."
Bu Xingjin pondered for a moment, then looked up at everyone. "Since that's the case, let's get started. Seniors Baili and Xie are highly skilled, so they can lead the way. Qingyan and Gu Jiuge will follow behind, ready to respond to any emergencies. Jia Feng and Yun Luo will be on guard to prevent any sneak attacks. Everyone, be careful. If you encounter any danger, signal immediately."
Everyone nodded, and after making their own preparations, they resolutely set off in the direction marked on the map.
Along the way, the group dared not slack off for even a moment. The surrounding forest grew increasingly deep and serene. Towering ancient trees blocked out the sun, and only a few scattered rays of sunlight struggled to filter through the layers of branches, casting a dappled pattern of light and shadow on the ground. The smell of damp and decay permeated the forest, and from time to time, bursts of animal roars could be heard in the distance. The sound was powerful and savage, sending chills down one's spine.
"The atmosphere in this forest is getting increasingly eerie," Jia Feng muttered, scanning his surroundings warily. "I have a feeling something is secretly watching us."
Qing Yan nodded slightly: "There seems to be a powerful force hidden in this forest, it is secretly observing our every move."
Bu Xingjin's heart trembled. He could clearly sense the presence of that power, but it was like seeing flowers in the fog, unable to accurately grasp its specific location. He subconsciously gripped the Blood River Knife tightly in his hand. The slight warmth from the hilt seemed to be his only comfort in this unknown danger.
As they delved deeper into the forest, the surroundings grew increasingly silent. At some point, the occasional roars of beasts ceased, never to be heard again. Even the chirping of birds and insects that had always lingered in their ears seemed to be snuffed out by an invisible hand, vanishing without a trace in an instant.
At this moment, it seemed as if they were the only ones left in the world, wandering alone in this eerily quiet forest.
"Everyone, be careful! The entrance to the Deep Valley Cold Pond is just ahead." Baili Xuan's voice broke the suffocating silence. Everyone stopped and looked ahead.
A winding, secluded path, like a giant python sleeping for millennia, slowly descended. On either side, ancient trees grew ever more lush and dense, their overlapping branches and leaves intertwining like a solid, natural barrier. At the end of the path, a misty valley loomed. The mist, like a soft, wispy veil, drifted slowly, casting a mysterious and alluring veil over the valley.
"There's something strange about this fog." Xie Qingchen frowned, his gaze piercing through the layers of fog. His voice was filled with gravity. "It seems to contain some special power. Everyone, please be careful."
Bu Xingjin nodded and took the lead onto the trail. Everyone followed closely behind him, slowly walking deeper into the valley.
"This fog seems to be deliberately blocking our progress." After walking a few steps, Yun Luo's voice was soft but full of worry, and it echoed faintly in the quiet mist. "Every step forward feels like rowing against the current, and the resistance is getting greater and greater, as if an invisible pair of hands is desperately pushing us back.
Qing Yan nodded slightly: "This fog does contain some kind of power. Let's speed up and get through this fog as soon as possible."
Upon hearing this, everyone quickened their pace. However, as they moved deeper into the fog, the resistance became increasingly apparent. Not only was their progress hindered, but they also discovered that the fog was actually eroding their spiritual energy. With every breath, wisps of mist took advantage of the opportunity to penetrate their bodies, like cold insects, gnawing at their spiritual energy veins, making it increasingly difficult for everyone to circulate their spiritual energy.
Baili Xuan, seeing this, looked solemn. He was the first to stop, quickly forming seals with his hands, muttering something. In an instant, a golden light curtain spread from his hands, enveloping everyone. This light curtain was like a spiritual haven, temporarily blocking the encroaching fog.
"Everyone, follow me and practice martial arts to reinforce this light curtain and survive this foggy area!" Baili Xuan shouted loudly.
Upon hearing this, everyone followed suit, each exerting their spiritual power and injecting it into the golden light curtain.
Bu Xingjin gritted his teeth, the Blood River Knife in his hand humming. He continuously channeled his own spiritual power out, and the blood light on the knife and the golden light curtain reflected each other.
Qing Yan held tightly in his hand the seemingly ordinary dead branch, which was now glowing faintly. His eyes were cold, and his spiritual power flowed along the branch and merged into the light curtain.
The talisman in Jia Feng's hand flashed with mysterious light, and he poured the power of the talisman into it.
Yun Luo waved her ribbons, which transformed into various runes in the air, interweaving with the spiritual energy of the crowd. Gu Jiuge and Xie Qingchen stood nearby, forming hand seals and similarly channeling their own spiritual energy into the light curtain.
Baili Xuan guided the direction of the spiritual power to ensure the stability of the light curtain.
With everyone's concerted efforts, the golden light curtain grew thicker, its light ever more dazzling, slowly advancing deeper into the fog. Although the fog remained dense, constantly attacking the light curtain, attempting to break through this protective barrier, everyone's resolve was as firm as a rock. Step by step, difficult yet resolute, they moved forward.
Just as everyone was trying their best to fight against the fog, a burst of hurried footsteps came from afar, breaking the tense atmosphere in the fog.
"Brother, look at this fog. It's strange. We have to be careful," a somewhat urgent voice called out. Everyone's heart tightened as they heard it. They stopped in their tracks and looked in the direction of the voice. A thin man and a burly man gradually emerged from the fog. They had been running fast and were now breathless, with beads of sweat on their foreheads.
Bu Xingjin looked closely and found that it was the pair of brothers he met in front of the collapsed cave.
"Huh, I didn't expect to run into you here." As the thin man approached, he also saw Bu Xingjin and the others. He was stunned at first, and then a hint of unwillingness and resentment flashed in his eyes. "I was wondering why you were running so fast. I guess you were heading for this deep valley cold pond. You must also know that there is a thousand-year-old dragon ginseng grass here. Great, this treasure, it seems everyone is thinking about it."
"Do you know each other?" Gu Jiuge was puzzled when he heard this.
"I don't know him. We only met once before." Jia Feng shook his head and replied.
The burly man frowned slightly, his eyes swept over everyone, and finally fell on the mist. He said in a deep voice: "Everyone, this is not the time to be fussy. This mist is very evil. Why don't we work together to overcome the difficulties?" His voice was low and majestic, echoing in the quiet valley.
Bu Xingjin pondered for a moment, glanced at his companions, then looked at the two men across from him. After weighing the pros and cons, he nodded and said, "Your Excellency is quite right. In the current situation, unity is beneficial to both sides, while separation is detrimental to both sides. However, since you two have agreed to come with us, I hope you will abide by the agreement and refrain from causing any further trouble."
The thin man curled his lips and was about to open his mouth to refute, but the burly man stopped him with a look. "Of course, we understand the situation," the burly man replied.
So, the two teams merged, realigned their formation, injected spiritual energy into the light curtain, and once again advanced deeper into the fog. With the addition of new forces, everyone's confidence seemed to grow slightly, but the resistance to progress remained immense. Each step seemed to exhaust all their strength, and everyone's breathing grew heavier. In the dense fog, they could only rely on blurry figures and occasional shouts to confirm each other's position.
"What the hell is this thing!" Jia Feng couldn't help but curse out loud.
As they continued to advance, their spiritual energy nearly exhausted, the fog finally thinned, revealing a vast, cold pond before them. The waters were bottomless, like a vast black mirror, reflecting the surrounding mountains and sky. At the edge of the pond grew clumps of shimmering, emerald green grass, its light striking against the gloom—the very Millennium Dragon Ginseng Grass everyone coveted.
However, before everyone could recover from the joy of discovering the dragon ginseng grass, the sharp-eyed Xie Qingchen suddenly changed his expression and exclaimed: "Something is wrong, that largest dragon ginseng grass... seems to be more than a thousand years old, probably close to ten thousand years old!" Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes were all cast towards the most vigorous and dazzling dragon ginseng grass by the pond, and they were all shocked.
At that moment, the thin man and the burly man, who had been fighting alongside the others against the pressure of the fog, suddenly fell out. A glint of greed flashed in the thin man's eyes. He leaped forward and reached for the nearly ten-thousand-year-old dragon ginseng grass, shouting, "This treasure is mine!" The burly man, though silent, quickly followed suit, clearly having a tacit understanding and attempting to join the thin man in seizing this rare treasure.
"What are you doing!" Bu Xingjin shouted angrily, his figure flashing, and he instantly blocked the dragon ginseng grass, holding the Blood River Knife horizontally, blocking the thin man's path. Qing Yan also rushed over like a ghost, holding the dry branch sword in his hand with the tip pointing downwards, pointing coldly at the burly man, and said coldly: "You want to rob, but it won't be that easy."
The other companions also reacted quickly and gathered around, forming a defensive line with Bu Xingjin and Qing Yan, watching the two people who were trying to rob them. Gu Jiuge said in a deep voice, "You two, we agreed to work together before. Are you breaking your promise by doing this?"
The thin man snorted coldly: "Stop talking nonsense. How can we divide such a treasure with only one? Who can not be tempted? Take it if you have the ability!" After that, he took out a dagger in his hand and swayed his body flexibly, trying to find the flaw in Bu Xingjin's defense.
The burly man clenched his fists, his spiritual energy surging around him, and he put on a posture of attacking fiercely. He said to Qing Yan, "Brother, I'm sorry, but we two are determined to get this treasure. Make way!"
The two brothers' auras suddenly changed, revealing they were both in the late stage of the Spirit Severing Realm. They had immense confidence in their own abilities, daring to turn on their opponents in such a large group.
The battle was about to break out, and the frail man took the lead. His body was as fast as lightning, and his dagger, with a sharp gust of wind, pierced Bu Xingjin's throat. Bu Xingjin's eyes focused, and he dodged to the side, easily avoiding the attack. At the same time, he swung the Blood River Knife backhand, and a blood-red blade slashed at the frail man.
The frail man was startled and ducked quickly. The blade passed close to his scalp, severing several strands of hair. Furious, he took advantage of the moment to duck and launched a sweeping kick towards Bu Xingjin's lower body. Bu Xingjin reacted extremely quickly, leaping up, somersaulting in the air, and landing firmly on the ground. He then swung the Blood River Blade downwards, sending a powerful blade energy hurtling towards the frail man's face.
Qing Yan, facing the burly man's powerful attack, remained calm. He shook the dry branch in his hand, creating several "sword flowers". Although seemingly plain and simple, they neutralized the burly man's spiritual attacks one by one. The dry branch in his hand seemed to be infused with mysterious power. Every time he swung it, it brought a whirring sound, and when it collided with the burly man's spiritual power, it could even burst into tiny sparks of light.
Seeing his spiritual attack was ineffective, the burly man roared, clenched his fists, and with a whirring wind, he rushed towards Qing Yan's chest. Qing Yan's eyes flashed, and he dodged to the side. The dry branch quickly rose from below and hit the burly man's elbow joint, forcing him to retract his fist and defend himself. Then, Qing Yan stepped lightly and circled behind the burly man. The dry branch stabbed him from behind. The burly man sensed the danger behind him and dodged to the side, his clothes being cut by the branch.
The others were not idle either. Jia Feng walked around behind the thin man and cast a talisman in his hand. A beam of light shot towards the thin man's back. The thin man sensed the danger, but had no time to dodge. He took the blow, spitting out a mouthful of blood and stumbling a few times.
While the others were dealing with the thinner man, the burly man suddenly unleashed his strength, punching out with both fists. A powerful spiritual energy shockwave swept towards Qing Yan and the others. Qing Yan's eyes flashed, and he held the dry branch in his hand. With a loud shout, he poured all his spiritual energy into it and withstood the blow. However, the ground beneath his feet was also shaken and cracked, and he took several steps back.
"Qing Yan!" Bu Xingjin was extremely anxious when he saw this. He wanted to pull himself away to help, but he was entangled by the thin man and his crazy attacks.
At that moment, Baili Xuan snorted coldly and flashed into the battle like lightning. He quickly formed seals with his hands, muttering something to himself. In an instant, a golden curtain of light appeared before him, like an indestructible shield, completely blocking the spiritual shockwaves emitted by the burly man. Then, he waved his sleeves, and a powerful spiritual power swept towards the thin man like a surging wave. Unable to avoid it, the thin man was repeatedly pushed back by the spiritual power, his face pale.
"Hmph, you want to act wildly under my nose? Don't you know your own weight?" Baili Xuan's eyes were cold and his voice was like a bell, shocking the whole audience.
Just as the battle was raging, ripples suddenly formed on the surface of the cold pond, and a powerful pressure spread from the depths. Then, a massive aquatic beast emerged from the water. Its body was as big as a mountain, its scales gleaming with an icy blue light. Its bloody mouth opened, revealing sharp fangs, and it let out an earth-shattering roar.
The water beast seemed to be disturbed by the fluctuations of spiritual power and the sounds of fighting among the people. It woke up from its slumber, and as soon as it woke up, it sensed the threats around it, so it vented its anger on everyone.
Everyone was shocked by this sudden change and retreated, temporarily stopping the internal fighting. However, greed still gleamed in the eyes of the thin man and the burly man, unwilling to give up the opportunity to snatch the dragon ginseng grass.
The water beast gave no time for anyone to breathe. It swung its thick claws, carrying a tremendous force, and pounced upon the crowd. Qing Yan's eyes fixed, and he shook the dry branch in his hand. He took the lead in attacking the water beast, attempting to use offense as a defense and repel its attack. Bu Xingjin was not to be outdone. His Blood River Blade, engulfed in blazing flames, slashed at the water beast's neck from the side, forming a pincer attack with Qing Yan.
The others also unleashed their special abilities, a shimmering cascade of light and spiritual energy intertwining around the cold pond. Gu Jiuge formed hand seals, sending runes flying towards the water beast, attempting to restrain its movements. Yun Luo held a silk ribbon, which danced through the air, transforming into soft yet resilient barriers, partially blocking the beast's attacks. Jia Feng circled behind the beast, seizing the perfect moment to slam the talisman into its tail.
As the crowd engaged in a fierce battle with the water beast, the frail and burly men, still intent on stealing the dragon ginseng grass, took advantage of the chaos. The frail man, seizing a gap in the beast's attack, dodged and sprinted toward the dragon ginseng grass. However, just as he took a few steps, the beast's massive tail swept across, sending a whirring sound. Unable to dodge, the frail man was struck hard by the tail, sending him flying like a kite with its string cut, crashing heavily into a boulder. Blood gushed from his mouth, and his face instantly turned as pale as paper.
The burly man, seeing the situation was dire, was about to turn and flee, but the water beast seemed to sense his intentions and opened its bloody mouth, blasting out an icy blue water bolt that shot straight at the burly man. The burly man hastily formed hand seals, trying to block the bolt, but the water bolt was so powerful that it instantly broke through his defenses and struck him in the chest. The burly man screamed and stumbled back several steps, his shirt soaked in blood.
But these two men were, after all, at the late stage of the Spirit Severing Realm. After a brief moment of panic, they knew that if they didn't first deal with the water beast, none of them would escape alive. So, the frail man, suppressing the pain, infused his dagger with spiritual energy and smashed it fiercely into the water beast's eyes. The dagger, swathed in his spiritual energy, whistled towards the water beast. The water beast instinctively turned its head to avoid the dagger, which grazed the corner of its eye.
The burly man also cheered up again. He shouted loudly, and the spiritual power around him shone brightly. He clenched his fists and punched the water beast several times. Each punch was accompanied by a powerful spiritual power fluctuation.
However, the water beast was no pushover. Completely enraged, it roared to the heavens, its roar ringing in everyone's ears. Then, with a fierce swipe of its tail, it sent both Jia Feng and the burly man flying backward. Both Jia Feng and the burly man slammed heavily into a tree, instantly spitting blood and turning pale.
"Jia Feng!" Bu Xingjin was extremely anxious when he saw this. He wanted to get out of the water to save him, but was blocked by another wave of attacks from the water beast. Qing Yan shouted, "Don't be distracted. Get rid of this beast first!"
Just when everyone was engaged in a tough fight, Xie Qingchen suddenly shouted: "Its abdomen is its weak point! Attack its abdomen with all your strength!" Upon hearing this, everyone was cheered up, adjusted the direction of attack, and gathered all their strength towards the belly of the water beast.
The water beast seemed to sense danger and struggled desperately, trying to protect its abdomen with its claws, but it was ultimately unable to withstand the combined force of the crowd. A dazzling flash of light passed, and the water beast let out a final scream. Its massive body collapsed with a loud thud, splashing water everywhere before slowly sinking to the bottom of the pool.
After this battle, the thin man and the burly man were also seriously injured. Seeing that the situation was not good and knowing that there was no hope of snatching the treasure today, they hurriedly picked a few thousand-year-old dragon ginseng grass while everyone was still stunned, turned around and fled in embarrassment.
Although Bu Xingjin and the others were exhausted, they also breathed a sigh of relief. Bu Xingjin walked forward and carefully picked the nearly ten thousand year old dragon ginseng grass.
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