C264 Weird Flowers and Strange Grass Were Everywhere!

Bai Shenshen, still reeling from the shock, made a beeline for the mid-lake island in a blur of motion.

The placid lake surface was suddenly disturbed by ripples!

The once-clear water turned murky, and a faint green sheen appeared on the surface, beginning to emit a soft glow.

Bai Shenshen's face turned pale with alarm.

Her body, poised to soar towards the island, came to an abrupt halt. She gazed intently at the water, her expression grave.

After a brief moment of reflection, she withdrew a handful of silver sand from a pouch at her waist and cast it into the air.

The silver grains dispersed, descending onto the lake like a shroud of mist.

"Sss!" The moment the sand touched the water, billows of thick smoke erupted.

Bai Shenshen's expression darkened once more. Standing at the water's edge, she bowed her head to watch the gentle undulations of the lake and instinctively stepped back without a word.

She dared not make another move.

After a period of stillness, she saw the lake's surface smooth over, the water regaining its clarity.

Activating her spiritual energy once again, her eyes shining, she peered into the lake's depths. The water was devoid of life—no fish, no shrimp, not even a single strand of aquatic vegetation.

The dense thicket of tall bushes along the shoreline seemed to be concealing the lake deliberately, as if to prevent anyone from stumbling upon it.

"This doesn't look like a natural formation. There's an abundance of human interference," she mused.

After observing for some time, Bai Shenshen's suspicions grew. With a furrowed brow, she pondered, "Within a hundred miles, only the Yu family of Darkmoon City are skilled in herb cultivation. And Elfview Town is not far from here. But how could the Yu family manage to cultivate the elusive Void Spiritual Plant?"

The question nagged at her.

Even her own Medicine Sect, after scouring the Profound Sky Continent for exotic locales and attempting cultivation, had failed to grow the Void Spiritual Plant.

How could the Yu family have succeeded?

"Never mind, I can't decipher this now. I'll just leave a mark and move on."

Deciding not to linger, Bai Shenshen set off to explore further afield.

Half an hour passed.

Amidst a parched stretch of land, where the earth itself seemed to have fissured, a cluster of vibrant red flora miraculously sprouted.

The flowers were yet to bloom, their branches sword-like and resplendent, shimmering with a rosy glow.

"Scarlet Sun Flowers!"

Bai Shenshen couldn't contain herself any longer and exclaimed in astonishment, instinctively wanting to dash toward them.

But as she took a step forward, she was hit by a sharp, acrid scent emanating from the cracked soil.

Her face paled, and she halted as if pulling back at the edge of a cliff, her gaze fixed on the dozen immature Scarlet Sun Flowers. She murmured, "Scarlet Sun Flowers only thrive in toxic environments. While the flowers themselves are not poisonous, the soil nurturing them is paradoxically dry on the surface and damp beneath, exuding a potent toxin with alarming corrosive properties."

The Scarlet Sun Flower, an Earth Level Seventh Grade medicinal herb, was precisely the object of her quest.

Yet, according to her sect's archives, these flowers were supposed to grow further north, in lands far more perilous than here.

The proximity to Elfview made their presence here, against all her experience and understanding, highly improbable.

What was even more astonishing was that each Scarlet Sun Flower was at the same stage of growth—none had blossomed.

In contrast, the Scarlet Sun Flowers she had encountered elsewhere were a motley assortment—some freshly sprouted, others in full bloom, and a few nearing their end.

The uniformity of growth she was witnessing now was exceedingly unusual.

Unless...

A startling notion took root in Bai Shenshen's mind, leaving her taken aback.

Unless these Scarlet Sun Flowers were not a work of nature but a product of human cultivation!

Only through deliberate cultivation, with seeds sown simultaneously, could such uniformity in growth stages be achieved, as was evident before her.

"On the Profound Sky Continent, there are many eccentric alchemists, but I've yet to hear of anyone capable of cultivating Scarlet Sun Flowers on their own."

With her mind swirling with uncertainties, Bai Shenshen sensed that this journey to the Northern Lands was taking an unexpected turn.

She continued to roam the vicinity.

Then, to her amazement, she discovered three more exotic plants and herbs, freshly planted in the strange terrain nearby.

Moreover, they were all thriving!

The three peculiar flowers and herbs, as rare as the Void Spiritual Plants and Scarlet Sunflowers on the Profound Sky Continent, were nearly impossible to cultivate.

After witnessing these three exotic botanicals, she came to a firm conclusion.

Someone had deliberately planted them here!

In other words, the surrounding flora was not naturally occurring.

This revelation was even more astonishing than the sight of the flowers and herbs themselves.

Who could have successfully cultivated such rare species on the Profound Sky Continent?

...

In the secret chamber of the Yu family's old mansion in Elfview, Ning Ji circled restlessly, pausing now and then to gaze expectantly at the stone door.

Yu Cann reclined in a wooden chair in the courtyard, his gaze lost in the star-studded night sky. Though his eyes were fixed on the heavens, he could sense the fluctuating temperature of the secret room through the spiritual power emanating from within him—sometimes surging, sometimes plummeting.

Yu Yuan had been inside for the better part of the day.

"Creak!"

The massive stone door swung open from within.

Yu Cann and Ning Ji turned sharply towards the door, their faces alight with excitement.

Heat rolled out from the now-open door. Peering through the gap, they could see the glowing red pill furnace cooling down after the fire had been removed.

Intricate fiery patterns on the furnace's surface slowly faded from bright to dim.

Yu Yuan, his forehead and neck flushed from the heat, emerged with his clothes damp with sweat, yet he wore a smile of profound relief. He assured Ning Ji, "I have fulfilled my duty."

Ning Ji was ecstatic, "Was it a success?"

Yu Yuan handed over a pellet, red as a jujube, into Ning Ji's palm, "The Qian Yang Pill, a mere Third Grade Spirit Level pill. This pill isn't meant for healing; it's a standard medicine for reinforcing one's foundation and vitality. Cultivators from the Primordial Yang Sect and the Red Devil Sect receive it as a reward for their service to the sect."

"Cultivators from both the Primordial Yang Sect and the Red Devil Sect utilize the Qian Yang Pill to harness its intense fiery energy—either to refine their skin and bones or to infuse it into the Qi and blood of their Middle Dantian, aiding in the practice of unique techniques."

"This pill will serve as a remedy for your injuries," Yu Yuan stated with gravity.

Without any further ado, Ning Ji swallowed the Qian Yang Pill right before Yu Yuan and himself.

Soon after the pellet settled in his stomach, strands of intense flame energy began to course through his body, following his Spiritual Spell and intent, making a beeline for his lower dantian at the Yellow Court.

As the potent flame energy reached his lower dantian, it seamlessly integrated into his veins, flesh, and blood, becoming a part of his very essence.

Subsequently, the Yellow Court fully embraced the fiery energy.

The moment the energy was channeled into the Yellow Court, Ning Ji's face lit up with delight.

He could distinctly sense the stubborn Frost Energy hidden within his Yellow Court Little World, which he had been unable to purge on his own, now seemingly in the crosshairs of the flame energy.

A sharp pain erupted in his lower abdomen, but he was elated rather than alarmed. Wide-eyed, he exclaimed to Yu Yuan, "It's effective!"

Yu Yuan responded with a carefree smile, "Naturally, it is."

Beside them, the elder Yu Cann, his face aglow with satisfaction, chimed in, "Knowing it directly targets and eliminates the Frost Energy in your lower dantian puts my mind at ease."

Yu Yuan gestured towards the open stone chamber and advised, "Elder Ning, proceed inside to assimilate the pellet's power. That chamber will be beneficial for you."

Ning Ji accepted the suggestion without hesitation, entering the chamber and sealing the stone door behind him.

"Could it truly be Liu Wei from the Cold Yin Sect?"

Once Ning Ji was inside, the elder's expression turned grave as he queried, "The Cold Yin Sect is one of the seven major lower sects on the Heavenly Source Continent. How could they stoop to such vile and shameless tactics?"

Yu Yuan offered a slight smile and remarked, "It's not just the lower sects. Even among the ranks of the Primordial Yang Sect, Sword Sect, and Profound Sky Sect, with their numerous disciples and elders, you'll find all sorts of characters. In my view, the Great Elder who took a fancy to Lim Zhuyun and brought her into the Cold Yin Sect is precisely the type who will stop at nothing to achieve his objectives."

"And what of the Ice Soul Crystal?" Yu Cann sighed.

"For the time being, we'll hold onto it. The Great Elder of the Cold Yin Sect is unlikely to focus too much on our Yu family," Yu Yuan replied with a nonchalant air. "Regarding Liu Wei, his imminent appearance in Elfview is probably not solely because of the Ice Soul Crystal. Our family's affairs are likely just one of the many issues he intends to resolve along the way."

Yu Cann inquired with a hint of curiosity, "Is this merely a trivial issue for us?"

"Indeed, the practitioner named Lau Wei from the Cold Yin Sect is far from ordinary," Yu Yuan replied, his expression growing somber. "The Spiritual Spell he practices isn't accessible to just any disciple or elder. It transforms the cold current into a venomous serpent, concealing the poison within. This Spiritual Spell is far from ordinary. Regardless of Lau Wei's modest level of cultivation, his standing within the Cold Yin Sect must be significant."

"But why would he target our Yu family?" Yu Cann asked, visibly shaken.

"Around Darkmoon City, there are oddities aplenty, with many places and things that are quite peculiar," Yu Yuan said with a smile, gesturing towards the north. "Take that region, for instance—it's teeming with hidden secrets."

"The north?" Yu Cann echoed, surprised.

"Yes, the vast expanse stretching from Elfview Town to the Divine Might Empire. Don't be fooled by the sparse Spiritual Qi there—it's inhospitable to both mortals and cultivators," Yu Yuan mused, his gaze distant. "Places that harbor filth often give rise to unusual phenomena. They should not be underestimated."

Mid-conversation, the sound of a spiritual bird flapping its wings pierced the sky.

Yu Yuan looked up to see a majestic golden eagle emerge from the clouds, diving straight towards them.

"Who goes there?" Yu Cann bellowed.

He sensed the powerful life force of the golden eagle, identifying it as a Fourth Level Spiritual Bird.

Matching a Fourth Level Spiritual Bird was no small feat, especially since his cultivation was at the Profound Break Stage, and he had only recently recovered to the Middle Period after healing a knee injury.

In a true confrontation, he wasn't sure he could best the golden eagle.

And there, perched upon the eagle, was another rider.

With a thunderous "Boom!" the golden eagle, rather than landing gracefully, crashed into the earth.

A figure tumbled from its back, blood gushing from wounds on his chest and back.

"Zhan Tianxiang!"

​