Chapter 1119: The Hundred Herbs Immortal
With the miraculous power bestowed by He Ling, every flower, grass, and tree that Yun Che passed seemed to awaken from a deep slumber, releasing a fresher and more intense natural aura. Although many of them he was seeing for the first time, Yun Che could clearly and unmistakably call out their names, along with their characteristics, spirituality, and medicinal properties... without exception.
Yun Che's gaze continuously swept around, counting the various spiritual flowers he was clearly seeing for the first time, but his body never paused for a single moment. The response from the Heavenly Poison Pearl grew stronger and stronger, just like his increasingly intense heartbeat.
Very close... getting closer and closer...
If he could just obtain the Royal Immortal Herb, he could refine the "Qiankun Five Jade Pill." After successfully refining it himself, he could directly break through to the Divine Tribulation Realm.
Although Mu Xuanyin had once said that even if he did obtain the Qiankun Five Jade Pill, it would never be something someone at his level could refine; she would need to assist him. However, Yun Che had many times forcibly refined pills that other cultivators of the same level could not refine, and he had sufficient confidence in his special profound veins and constitution.
Even though he had personally experienced the enormous drawbacks brought by a large-scale leap in profound power along the divine path...
But achieving the Divine Tribulation would qualify him to participate in the Xuan God Convention, allowing him to enter the Zhou Tian God Realm... and see Mo Li!
Only this final step remained... and it was a small step within reach!
Yun Che's thoughts surged uncontrollably. Mo Li was the sole reason he had abandoned everything to come to the Divine Realm. He had arrived with hope, but what greeted him was disappointment, even despair. In the end, the "Qiankun Five Jade Pill" that Mu Xuanyin mentioned had rekindled what could be called his only hope.
So close, how could he not be excited?
The reaction of the Heavenly Poison Pearl grew more and more intense. Finally, with a flash of green light, Yun Che's body stopped, and he slowly looked downward.
An ancient tree, thick and sturdy, less than twenty zhang tall, but a full ten zhang in girth, with sparse, slender branches and leaves.
At the crown of the ancient tree, a brilliant green grass stood alone. It was extremely unremarkable, not even a finger long, swaying gently with the breeze, seemingly no different from the wild grass around it.
But the moment Yun Che's eyes fell upon that small blade of grass, his gaze abruptly froze, a tremor shaking his entire body. The sound of his heart beating was powerful and rapid, as if he could hear it without relying on his ears.
He had never seen it in any ancient text or heard any description of it. His strange feeling matched perfectly the name that surfaced in his mind...
This grass is... the Royal Immortal Herb!
When the name appeared in his mind like a spark, Yun Che's hands trembled slightly. Exhaling deeply, he calmed his surging emotions and said softly, "So you really are here..."
"Senior He Ling, thank you..."
After a slight pause, he flew down, reaching out his hand toward the Royal Immortal Herb, which shimmered like a green spirit.
The time for numbness should end here.
The time for the Divine Tribulation should begin here.
The moment his hand touched the blade of grass, as soft as jade, a sharp howl of wind suddenly burst from behind! The howl was like thunder, so sudden and explosive that it was overwhelming and deafening, carrying a profound force that seemed capable of shattering mountains and splitting the earth. It came directly toward his back, heart, and vitals.
This attack was incredibly fierce, not just to snatch, but to kill!
And the timing was so precise that even Yun Che was caught completely off guard. This attack did not come from far away; it was right behind him, from a mere thirty feet away!
The person who launched the sneak attack must have been hiding nearby for quite some time. Before Yun Che found the Royal Immortal Herb, he had already discovered Yun Che. He remained hidden and motionless, waiting for Yun Che to find the Royal Immortal Herb. Just as Yun Che was about to pick it, he struck with a thunderous blow—no, not to snatch the Royal Immortal Herb, but to kill Yun Che on the spot!
"Hmph!"
Yun Che sneered coldly. The Star God's Remnant Shadow was activated instantly. His entire body transformed into an afterimage, ghost-like, dodging the attack from behind by a hair's breadth. The profound light, massive as a pillar, swept past his body and blasted heavily onto the ancient tree.
BOOM!!
With a loud explosion, the ancient tree, thick enough for several people to embrace, was shattered into pieces. Wood chips and sawdust flew everywhere, while the originally slender Royal Immortal Herb was engulfed in the blast, turning into a puff of green smoke.
"Ah...!!" A cry of extreme anger came from afar. A figure dashed out, grabbing aimlessly at the dissipating green smoke but catching nothing. He immediately turned around, his eyes blazing with rage as he glared at Yun Che: "You... you ruined my good deed!!"
The one who attacked was Emperor Nanlie!
Yun Che squinted his eyes and smiled lightly: "Sorry, Emperor Nanlie, I have poor reflexes and couldn't avoid it in time. To think that Emperor Nanlie, a dignified realm king and a Divine King, would deign to sneak attack a junior. It's truly... unexpected."
"..." Emperor Nanlie's expression turned ashen. Yun Che's words were like needles stabbing into his heart. He struck because he knew Yun Che was highly alert. In this herb-gathering field, he had to kill Yun Che instantly to prevent him from alerting the other two, so that he could peacefully obtain the Royal Immortal Herb. But he never expected Yun Che's reaction to be so incredibly fast, and the way he dodged was bizarre and strange. Not only did the attack miss, but the Royal Immortal Herb was also destroyed.
As a dignified Emperor Lord who had lived for over ten thousand years, he had been outsmarted by a junior.
Emperor Nanlie's gaze at Yun Che was filled with deep malice and viciousness. Below, a green shoot slowly sprouted from the stump of the shattered ancient tree, growing at a speed visible to the naked eye, gradually forming a new blade of grass.
"!!" Emperor Nanlie's eyes lit up. Just as he moved, a swift figure flashed ahead of him, and the newly sprouted blade of grass had already appeared in Yun Che's hand.
As expected of the Royal Immortal Herb—an extraordinary plant that could not be destroyed. Not only was it tougher than the hardest profound artifact, but even after being shattered, a new sprout would instantly grow from its root!
"Hand it over!!" Emperor Nanlie shouted furiously, his profound power surging all over his body. He was about to attack again, but he did not expect that two streaks of light had already arrived from afar and landed nearby, startled by the earlier blast.
"Heh." Emperor Nanlie put away his profound power, looked at the two who had arrived, then turned to Yun Che with a sinister smile: "Little bastard, you better thank your lucky stars. But it's good that they're here—it saves me the trouble of searching for them. But now that the Royal Immortal Herb is yours alone..."
As he spoke, a strange and proud smile spread across his face without any concealment.
The two who arrived were Mu Baimei and Han Kuan. They had just been searching the entire herb field and had sensed the disturbances here, but the moment they landed, their gazes simultaneously locked onto the green blade of grass in Yun Che's hand.
There was no description of how the Royal Immortal Herb looked in the ancient texts, but at this moment, their minds echoed with the same thought: This must be the Royal Immortal Herb! Their thoughts were unhesitatingly confirmed by the extremely striking, heart-pounding aura emanating from that blade of grass.
They searched for half a day both inside and outside with no success, but a junior had found it first.
"Ling Yun, you..." Han Kuan's eyes flickered, seemingly unable to believe it. He and the other two had powerful perceptions covering a hundred miles, but they had found nothing. Yet this Ling Yun had come straight here and found it.
"Is this..." Mu Baimei stared at the Royal Immortal Herb in Yun Che's hand, his lips twitching slightly, his mind churning fiercely. After a long while, he sighed heavily: "It seems fate is mysterious and unpredictable after all. Since you found the Royal Immortal Herb first, it should belong to you according to the agreement."
After speaking, he smiled faintly as if having let go of a heavy burden. He even stepped forward slightly, standing between Yun Che and Emperor Nanlie.
"..." Emperor Nanlie's brows moved, but he smiled instead: "I secretly followed this kid for a long time. I saw him come straight here and pick this thing. I never expected that the three of us, who had always thought highly of ourselves, would end up being outwitted by a junior. Lord Island Master of Supreme Sea Palace and Lord Sect Master of Black Soul Sect both traveled thousands of miles to come here, but ended up returning empty-handed. I'm quite curious what you all plan to do."
"I, Han, am not an unreasonable person. Since I promised, I will naturally honor it." Han Kuan spoke with righteousness, though a trace of reluctance flickered deep in his eyes. "Since Ling Yun obtained the Royal Immortal Herb by fate, it is his. I will not force it."
"Oh?" Nanlie Emperor smiled lightly: "I guess it's only right that we leave empty-handed. But Lord Island Master, are you really going to let this treasure slip through your fingers just like that? A truly rare and unique treasure may never appear again in ten thousand lifetimes. If you miss it this time, you might never have another chance."
"If the treasure is fated to be mine, I will obtain it. If not, I will not force it." Mu Baimei spoke indifferently: "Rather than lamenting the treasure, I am more curious as to why Nanlie Emperor would choose to sneak attack a junior. You have lost all the dignity befitting a realm king."
"Hmph!" Emperor Nanlie's face darkened: "You old fogies, stop playing hypocrites with me in front of a junior! Do you think I don't know what you're thinking? Right now, this kid not only has the Royal Immortal Herb in his hand, but he also has the Heaven-Destroying Sword and Netherworld Brahma Flower that we know of. Plus, the unknown treasures on his body... I can guarantee that he alone has more treasure than our three families combined!"
"This kid is a fucking treasure trove!" Nanlie Emperor's eyes grew greedier and more ferocious: "Now that he's alone and at our mercy, neither heaven nor earth will answer his calls! If we don't kill him and seize his treasure, when will we ever have another chance?!"
"Rubbish!" Mu Baimei's face changed greatly: "Nanlie old thief, do you even know shame!? We have an agreement with Ling Yun, and he saved my son's life. If I were to harm him, wouldn't I be worse than a beast!? I, Mu, may not be a good person, but I would never do something so vile as destroying a bridge after crossing it!"
"Bah!" Nanlie Emperor sneered disdainfully: "If you really felt that way, you wouldn't have come to this herb field at all! And when you three teamed up to put pressure on this kid, you didn't spare him any face either. Now that the treasure is about to fall, you start playing noble? Don't make me laugh!"
"..." Mu Baimei's face flushed red, but then he spoke heavily: "No matter what you say, I will not harm Ling Yun. If you dare to touch a single hair on his head, I will fight you to the death!"
"Hahahaha!" Nanlie Emperor laughed wildly: "Old Mu, you've lived so long and still can't see clearly. Look around you. We are in an isolated world, and no one knows what happens here. If we kill this kid and divide the treasures among ourselves, no one will ever be the wiser. If we let him leave with the Royal Immortal Herb, once the news spreads, do you think he will just let it go? I guarantee that in less than three days, everyone in the entire Tianxuan Continent—no, the entire Eastern Domain—will know that you, Mu Baimei, crossed the sea to the Southern Domain to snatch the Royal Immortal Herb, but ended up being outsmarted by a mere junior!"
"When the time comes, your old face will be thoroughly humiliated!"
"..." A flicker of hesitation crossed Mu Baimei's eyes.
Yun Che had been watching the three of them coldly, silently listening to their conversation. He was not afraid; instead, his eyes held a faint, barely perceptible sneer.
"Lord Island Master, what Lord Nanlie said makes some sense." Han Kuan, who had always remained silent, finally spoke: "Rather than letting others take the treasure, it's better to keep it for ourselves. Besides, this Ling Yun is certainly no ordinary person. His profound strength is only at the Divine Tribulation Realm, but his agility and aura are extraordinary. If we let him escape today, it will surely bring endless trouble in the future! He is a talent that must be nipped in the bud, lest we regret it later!"
The tone of his words had already taken a subtle turn. As he spoke, his eyes glinted fiercely, and he took a step closer to Yun Che, his killing intent fully exposed.
"..." Mu Baimei's face turned increasingly ugly. He gritted his teeth and said, "I can't do it. If we act against the agreement, we will be no different from beasts. As a realm king and one of the Four Sacred Grounds, I, Supreme Sea Palace, have always acted with integrity. If I do such a thing, I will lose all credibility in the world."
"Hahahaha, you think too much." Nanlie Emperor laughed heartily: "We kill him here, and then we destroy the body and erase all traces. Not even a ghost will know it was us. How can there be a loss of credibility? Old Mu, you might as well listen to my advice and get rid of this kid before he grows up. I suspect he might have some kind of secret technique or hidden background. If he's really the descendant of some top powerhouse, we'll all be in deep trouble."
"..." Mu Baimei was silent for a long time. The greed in his eyes warred with his conscience. Finally, under the burning gazes of Nanlie Emperor and Han Kuan, he reluctantly nodded: "Alright, since you two insist, I have no choice but to go along with it."
"Good, good! That's more like it!" Nanlie Emperor laughed again. He then turned to Yun Che, a proud and arrogant look on his face: "Little bastard, do you hear that? Today is your death day. But before you die, why don't you hand over all the treasures on you? That way, we might give you a quick death. If you resist, don't blame us for being ruthless."
"Emperor Nanlie, I am naturally willing to follow the rules of the agreement. The Royal Immortal Herb is already in my hands, so why would I possibly hand it over to you?" Yun Che's expression was calm, not a trace of panic on his face.
"Ridiculous!" Nanlie Emperor sneered: "You think just because you found the Royal Immortal Herb, it's yours? Hah, in this place, the one with the biggest fist gets to decide. Since I set my eyes on it, it belongs to me, Emperor Nanlie!"
"Lord Island Master, Lord Han Kuan, are you of the same mind?" Yun Che looked toward Mu Baimei and Han Kuan.
"..." Mu Baimei lowered his head, unwilling to meet Yun Che's gaze.
"Boy, stop wasting words." Han Kuan said coldly: "If you obediently hand over the treasures, I can spare your life."
"Spare my life?" Yun Che sneered: "Lord Han Kuan, you think I'm a three-year-old child? If I hand over the treasures now, I'll probably die faster. Since that's the case, why should I give you the satisfaction?"
"Rambling!" Nanlie Emperor grew impatient: "There's no need to waste time with him. Kill him first, then we'll search his body!"
As his voice fell, Nanlie Emperor was the first to make a move. The profound light in his hand condensed, transforming into a golden spear. With a swift motion, he hurled it at Yun Che, the spear tearing through the air with a whistling sound.
"Die!"
Yun Che's body blurred, and the golden spear passed through his afterimage, stabbing into the ground. With a loud boom, a deep crater formed on the spot, earth and rocks flying everywhere.
"Your movement technique isn't bad." Nanlie Emperor's eyes flickered with surprise. Then he smiled: "But to me, it's nothing more than a clown's trick!"
After speaking, his figure vanished from the spot, and in an instant, he appeared in front of Yun Che. His five fingers hooked like claws, fiercely grabbing at Yun Che's throat. At the same time, a surging pressure enveloped the entire area, causing the air to seem to freeze.
"Not good!" A cold glint flashed in Yun Che's eyes. He knew he was no match for Emperor Nanlie in a direct confrontation, and with two powerful enemies nearby, staying would only lead to death. Without any hesitation, the Star God's Remnant Shadow was activated to the extreme, and his body, like an ethereal phantom, barely dodged a fatal grip.
"Huh?" Emperor Nanlie was startled. He hadn't expected Yun Che to escape his sure-kill strike. However, he was quick to react, his claw turning into a palm and slapping down.
BOOM!
A golden palm imprint, huge as a mountain, descended from the sky, covering a hundred feet in radius, enveloping Yun Che completely.
"This time, see where you can run!"
Yun Che gritted his teeth, the phantom profound light on his body flickering as he continuously dodged. But the golden palm imprint was like a cage, trapping him inside. In terms of sheer power, he was far from Emperor Nanlie's opponent, and once trapped, it would be difficult to escape.
"Emperor Nanlie, I think you've forgotten one thing." Yun Che suddenly spoke: "Before entering this place, we had an agreement: whoever finds the Royal Immortal Herb first owns it, and no one else may forcibly take it. You, Emperor Nanlie, are not only a nation's sovereign but also a realm king. Surely you wouldn't be a shameless and untrustworthy scoundrel, would you?"
"Heh!" Emperor Nanlie laughed: "I originally thought that someone who could force us three to such lengths must be an extremely clever person. But it turns out you're just a brainless fool. After all, you're still too young."
As his voice fell, his smile remained, but his figure suddenly swooped down, heading straight for Yun Che.
"Nanlie old thief, stop right there!!"
At the same time, a thunderous shout suddenly came from the air. A torrent of blue profound energy also blasted down, transforming into countless water arrows in the air, covering Emperor Nanlie's entire body.
Emperor Nanlie gave a heavy snort, flicked his golden sleeve, and scattered all the water arrows. His body was pushed back by the shockwave. He squinted at the suddenly appearing figure and sneered: "Old Mu, what a coincidence."
Mu Baimei, carrying a huge wave of air, descended from the sky with a "whoosh" and landed, staring angrily at Emperor Nanlie: "Nanlie old thief, what are you doing? As a dignified Divine King, you would stoop to such a murderous hand against a junior more than a hundred times younger than you? Aren't you afraid of losing all face?!"
"Hehe." Emperor Nanlie sneered coldly: "Old Mu, you're clever enough. Can't you guess why I attacked?" He tilted his head: "This kid is really something else. The three of us covered a hundred miles with our spiritual sense and found nothing, yet he came straight to the Royal Immortal Herb. The Royal Immortal Herb is now in his hands. What are you going to do about it, Old Mu?"
"Oh!?" Mu Baimei looked at Yun Che: "Ling Yun, is this true? Have you really already obtained..."
Before he could finish, he suddenly turned his head and glared at Emperor Nanlie: "Since Ling Yun has obtained the Royal Immortal Herb, then according to the previous agreement, it belongs to him. No one may forcibly take it! Nanlie old thief, you are, after all, a man of some standing. To do such a despicable act for a single Royal Immortal Herb!"
"Hmph!" Emperor Nanlie laughed mockingly: "The agreement was among the three of us. As for this kid, you were the one who promised him, not me."
"Without Ling Yun, the three of us wouldn't even be able to enter this place." Mu Baimei said angrily: "Whether you agreed or not doesn't matter. Since I have given my word, I will never allow you to snatch it by force. If you dare lay a hand on Ling Yun again, don't blame me for being rude. After we leave this place and word gets out, if the world learns that you stooped to such a base act for the Royal Immortal Herb, I'm afraid the entire star realm will be shamed by you!"
"Hahahaha!" Emperor Nanlie burst into wild laughter: "Well said, very well said! As expected of Old Mu, these words are truly righteous and moving. If you keep going, I'm afraid I'll be moved to tears and die of shame!"
"What's going on!? The Royal Immortal Herb's aura has vanished!"
A heavy voice rang out, and Han Kuan, drawn by the noise, arrived and landed beside Emperor Nanlie.
"The Royal Immortal Herb has been found, in that kid's hands." Emperor Nanlie said with a grin: "What do you plan to do, Lord Han?"
"..." Han Kuan's expression shifted. He looked at Yun Che and Mu Baimei beside him, saying nothing, his face changing several times.
"Just now, Nanlie old thief broke his oath and tried to murder Ling Yun. If I hadn't arrived in time, he would have already fallen." Mu Baimei said solemnly: "Ling Yun is not only the savior of my son but also the one who made it possible for us to enter this realm. That he found the Royal Immortal Herb first is the will of heaven. According to the agreement, none of the three of us may seize it. Lord Han, you wouldn't stoop to the same shameless act as this Nanlie old thief, would you?"
"..." Han Kuan smiled, but his expression was rather ugly: "Lord Island Master is truly wise. Han admits inferiority."
"Good." Mu Baimei nodded, then walked toward Yun Che, his face gentle: "Ling Yun, if you can obtain the Royal Immortal Herb, it is your destiny. Setting aside the great favor you did for my son, I will never allow anyone to forcibly take the Royal Immortal Herb from your hands. To prevent some villains from persisting in their wicked schemes, I'll take you out of here first. Once outside, no one will dare to make a move against you, since, after all, people still have some face to save."
Yun Che nodded gratefully: "Yes, Lord Island Master."
"Let's go." Mu Baimei walked up to Yun Che and reached out his hand, seemingly intending to use his profound power to quickly take him away.
Just as Yun Che extended his arm as well, Mu Baimei suddenly turned his palm into a claw. His originally gentle hand, under a sudden surge of profound power, transformed into a venomous snake awakening, aiming straight for Yun Che's throat...
Clearly a ruthless, lethal strike with no mercy!
Accompanying it was a hideous sneer that rose on Mu Baimei's face.
Riiip!!
The green earth was violently torn apart. Shattered flowers and grass mixed with mud and sand scattered wildly in all directions. But the sneer on Mu Baimei's face had just formed when it froze.
Because what his hand caught was not Yun Che's shattered throat bone, but a broken ice afterimage.