C302 The Human Heart Is Not Enough to Swallow an Elephant

Clusters of Void Spiritual Plants showed signs of concealed tampering, likely to accelerate their growth. The plants, encircled by golden patterns, bore lines as delicate as hair, tinged with a deep crimson—a result of blood essence infusion.

Yu Zhu, concealed at the lake's bottom, failed to detect the covert interference, a testament to the mystical bond between the Void True Spell and the Void Spiritual Plants within a certain proximity.

Shen Feiqing, wielding the Void True Spell, manipulated space and time, eluding all detection. During her battle with the Seventh Level Silverfrost Dragon at Hidden Dragon Lake, her inadvertently spilled blood essence vanished into a fleeting rift in the void, miraculously infusing the nearby Void Spiritual Plants.

The plants Yu Yuan had cultivated on the mid-lake island were meant to mature in half a year. Yet, under her influence, the dozens of Void Spiritual Plants he had sown were on the verge of ripening without his knowledge.

Reflecting on Shen Feiqing's strategy, Yu Yuan couldn't help but admire her cunning. "She utilized her own dissipating blood essence to hasten the maturity of the Void Spiritual Plants. Her battles with the Thunder Sect and Cold Yin Sect warriors were twofold: she awaited the backlash's eruption while simultaneously anticipating the plants' ripening. Both timings had to align perfectly, or her efforts would be in vain."

Under the watchful eyes of the White-robed Imperial Advisor and Xu Zixi, Yu Yuan approached the Void Spiritual Plants and crouched down. His face shadowed, he observed the lush plants with their intricate golden patterns. "The plan was meticulous, with a high chance of success. But did this esteemed General forget to extend me the courtesy of a greeting? Our laboriously cultivated Void Spiritual Plants, coveted and claimed by her, vanish in a sweep—hardly ethical, wouldn't you say?"

Zhou Cangmin remained silent.

Xu Zixi carefully chose his words. "Yu Yuan, might this be your own conjecture?"

With a radiant smile, Yu Yuan subtly signaled Yu Zhu with a thought.

"Whoosh!"

The tranquil waters of the lake transformed into crystalline streams, soaring from the surface. They cascaded like reverse waterfalls, hovering over the Void Spiritual Plants, before coiling into a water curtain that shielded the plants from the world beyond.

Within the depths of the curtain shimmered multicolored specks of light, each harboring the essence of poison.

"Very well," Yu Yuan clapped his hands, his demeanor jubilant. "Whether it's mere speculation on my part, we shall observe the outcome. Henceforth, the forced maturation of the Void Spiritual Plants must cease."

Pointing at Yu Zhu, she remarked, "She's in sync with the Absence Relic. Without her attention, the commander could easily meddle undetected. But now that she's aware, thwarting the commander's subtle maneuvers should be no challenge."

The White-robed Imperial Advisor's brow furrowed as he observed the Void Spiritual Plants, obscured by an odd water screen, as if under a giant inverted umbrella.

He refrained from immediate comment, curious whether Yu Yuan's speculation was mere conjecture.

Xu Zixi, too, remained quietly expectant.

The lake's surface rippled gently, and a new vision gradually emerged.

Reflected in the lake's heart was Shen Feiqing, suspended in the void, valiantly contending with the transformed Silverfrost Dragon, while persistently fending off the covert strikes from the Thunder Sect and Cold Yin Sect masters.

Clad in pitch-black heavy armor, the Divine Matrix Diagrams etched upon it alternately blazed with brilliance and swiftly dimmed.

The commander, amidst the fray, exuded a formidable presence; with each gesture, the heavens seemed to collapse, and time to decelerate.

Yu Yuan watched the lake's heart mirror intently, astonished as the sequence of images flickered, advancing and reversing.

The commander grappled closely with the Silverfrost Dragon, its body sheathed in silver scales. A vast, shimmering dragon scale had just been torn away.

Then the scene shifted, and the lustrous scale was once again affixed to the dragon's chest—a momentary reversal in time.

Yu Yuan, lacking the strength to witness the battle firsthand, felt his head spin from the spectacle within the mirror, the "Desolate True Spell" leaving him so disoriented he nearly retched.

If it was so for him, the Silverfrost Dragon and the Thunder Sect and Cold Yin Sect's warriors, locked in combat with Shen Feiqing, were undoubtedly in greater distress.

Yet, he remained fixated on the mirror at the lake's heart, his gaze locked on Shen Feiqing, who stood resolute like a warrior goddess, determined to confirm the truth of his inner suspicions.

Abruptly, the commander's ethereal figure jolted.

With a casual, unseeing punch, he struck the void.

A surge of dark red light, powerful as a raging torrent, shattered massive columns. The intent behind the fist scattered bolts of lightning and struck the humanoid dragon, its form draped in dragon scales.

The Silverfrost Dragon let out a howl, its human form giving way to that of a dragon, blood spraying in all directions.

Beneath the blazing sun, the colossal Silverfrost Dragon continued to howl, its cries filled with a mix of agony and exhilaration. Its eyes, now resembling two peculiar silver moons, shone brightly against the sunlight.

Her howls took shape in the ancient language of dragons.

A sequence of archaic dragon script was woven from the blood that splattered across her scales.

In midair, a miniature Silverfrost Dragon materialized.

This diminutive dragon, a mere fraction of her size, was crafted from her own spilled blood, embodying a unique bloodline ability of the Silverfrost Dragon. Shen Feiqing paid it no mind.

On the shores of the mid-lake island, the White-robed Imperial Advisor, Zhou Cangmin, and Xu Zixi, known as the Python Queen, joined Yu Yuan in gazing at the lake's mirror-like surface.

Shen Feiqing, reflected in the mirror, seemed to be peering through from another dimension.

She looked towards Yu Yuan, then Xu Zixi, and finally settled her gaze on Zhou Cangmin.

She and Zhou Cangmin locked eyes across the void.

"Crack, crack, crack!"

The mirror on the lake, formed by the natural energy drawn by Yu Zhu's power, couldn't withstand the clash of their soulful gazes and fractured like glass.

With a resounding crash, the mirror shattered completely.

The broken fragments dissolved into the water, blending back into the island's heart.

The White-robed Imperial Advisor's smile was tinged with bitterness as he muttered to himself, "You even kept this from me."

Lifting his head, the bitterness vanished, replaced by a radiant smile. "Yu Yuan, you were correct. As for this cluster of Void Spiritual Plants, well, what's your asking price?"

"Cangmin!" Xu Zixi gasped, "Is Feiqing truly as he predicted?"

"Without a doubt." The White-robed Imperial Advisor affirmed with a nod, "I certainly wasn't wrong about Yu Yuan; he's an oddity. Indeed, he's correct. Feiqing and the Tusk Troops are here because of the Void Spiritual Plants. According to Feiqing, such extraordinary plants shouldn't even be growing on the Profound Sky Continent."

"But imagine if Void Spiritual Plants could thrive on the Profound Sky Continent. Those that grow there would be even more extraordinary than those found on the Heavenly Source and Quietus Continents."

"The specifics are beyond me. What's clear, though, is that only the Void Spiritual Plants from the Profound Sky Continent can aid her with the 'Ancient Desolate Realm Void True Spell'."

"The Void Spiritual Plants from the other continents lack this miraculous potency."

Zhou Cangmin's gaze was awash with astonishment as he maintained his focus on Yu Yuan throughout the conversation.

He was not versed in the intricacies of medicinal lore and couldn't fathom what set the Void Spiritual Plants of the Profound Sky Continent apart from those of the other lands.

Yu Yuan had mentioned that these particular plants were cultivated within the Absence Relic, a joint effort between himself and Yu Zhu.

"Herbs that are not native to the Profound Sky Continent possess their own unique marvels when they do manifest," Yu Yuan said with a smile. "But discussing the finer points of pharmacology with you is futile; it's not your field of expertise."

"Just understand this much..."

There was a hint of pride in Yu Yuan's tone. "Your colleague from the Ancient Desolate Sect has been coveting my possessions, intending to claim them without so much as a word. That's where she's erred."

"She assumed the Void Spiritual Plant was a spontaneous gift from nature, not realizing it was already claimed." Zhou Cangmin quickly interjected, "According to her, no one on the Profound Sky Continent should have the ability to cultivate the Void Spiritual Plant. She believed it was a miraculous product of the Absence Relic, a treasure coaxed into existence by the secret realm's influence."

"Now that you're aware," Yu Yuan said with a gentle chuckle, "Senior, do you intend to purchase this patch of Void Spiritual Plants on his behalf?"

"Damn it!"

Xu Zixi erupted in anger, pointing at the Enmesh Crystal in her grasp. "The insatiable greed! Are you unaware of how valuable this Enmesh Crystal is? Isn't it more than a fair trade for the Void Spiritual Plant?"

Yu Yuan simply shook his head. "It's not enough."

At a loss for words, Zhou Cangmin muttered, "Such an appetite for gain."

"Don't overreach!" Xu Zixi's face was marked by displeasure.

"Let me introduce you to someone," Yu Yuan offered with a smile.

No sooner had he spoken than another figure materialized, as if conjured from thin air.

Xu Zixi glanced over and, with a sullen tone, remarked, "I just knew it."

"Good to see you both."

The newcomer was Yan Qiling.

...