Chapter 1653: Spirit-Transforming Sacred Lingzhi
"A hundred-thousand-year ancient sacred medicine?"
Xiang Chunan and Mu Lingxi were ecstatic and immediately rushed over.
Not to mention them, even a Great Saint would go crazy and fight fiercely over a hundred-thousand-year ancient sacred medicine. Such a heaven-and-earth treasure was a rare encounter, not something one could seek out.
In the cave, at a higher elevation, a crude stone shrine had been built from piled rocks. The shrine was only about a meter tall, divided into four levels. It didn't seem to house any cultivator, yet an extremely thick medicinal fragrance emanated from it.
Moreover, the small stone shrine was enveloped in a purple mist, making it appear extraordinarily mystical.
Xiang Chunan licked his lips and said, "Why is there a stone shrine here? It's so small, no one could live in it. Who built it?"
"Such a strong medicinal fragrance. After breathing it in, the sacred qi inside my body is boiling. There might really be a hundred-thousand-year ancient sacred medicine inside that shrine." Mu Lingxi's eyes were bright, her pupils darting around.
"Watch me smash this shrine with one hammer blow."
Xiang Chunan raised his large iron hammer, ready to strike down, but Zhang Ruochen blocked him. "Don't. If you damage the hundred-thousand-year ancient sacred medicine, its medicinal properties will greatly diminish."
"Oh right, why didn't I think of that? I was too reckless just now." Xiang Chunan slapped his forehead, quickly put away the large iron hammer, then shook his body. His muscles and bones contracted, shrinking his body to the size of a fist. He swaggered into the shrine.
Mu Lingxi also shrank her body, becoming a beautiful three-inch-tall little fairy. Flapping her phoenix wings, she flew into the second level of the shrine.
Zhang Ruochen did not immediately enter the shrine. Instead, he took out the eighteen formation flags refined by Xiao Hei and inserted them around the shrine, just in case. Only then did he shrink his body, becoming a tiny person. The flagpoles of the formation flags stuck in the ground were thicker than his body.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was about to enter the shrine...
"Boom."
A deafening explosion came from inside.
The stone shrine shook, cracking in several places, and a powerful purple energy surged out from within.
"Clatter."
The eighteen formation flags unfurled simultaneously, emitting a crimson glow.
Xiang Chunan's roar rang out: "Brother Ruochen, stop that old fellow! Don't let him escape!"
"Old fellow?"
Before Zhang Ruochen could react, a purple streak shot out of the shrine, moving at an incredible speed. He had no time to intercept.
"Boom."
The purple streak collided with the eighteen formation flags and fell to the ground. It turned out to be a golden-haired old man wearing a deep purple Daoist robe.
The golden-haired old Daoist had a round golden cap on his head, several times larger than his body, very much like the cap of a lingzhi mushroom. In any case, he looked top-heavy.
"A hundred-thousand-year ancient sacred medicine, a Spirit-Transforming Sacred Lingzhi."
Zhang Ruochen exclaimed and immediately formed a hand seal, pressing it down toward the golden-haired old Daoist from a distance.
The golden-haired old Daoist was the Spirit-Transforming Sacred Lingzhi.
Afraid that using too much force would crush him, Zhang Ruochen only used thirty percent of his power.
The golden-haired old Daoist formed a hand seal, and deep sacred qi surged from his palm. Purple qi condensed into a cloud, with countless bolts of lightning interweaving within it, flying toward Zhang Ruochen.
"He can even use sacred arts?"
Zhang Ruochen's expression changed. He quickly performed a Space Displacement and dodged to the right.
"Boom."
The purple lightning cloud struck the stone wall, leaving a deep palm print surrounded by cracks.
Immediately after, a large amount of sacred dao rules surged from the golden-haired old Daoist's body, converging into his arms. He softly uttered, "Mountain-Shifting Force."
"Rumble."
One of the formation flags was actually sent flying by his palms.
After breaking free, the golden-haired old Daoist shook his arm, and a palm-sized ancient bronze chariot flew out from his sleeve. He agilely climbed onto it, drove the bronze chariot, and fled at top speed deeper into the cave.
Mu Lingxi flew out from the stone shrine, her body radiating dazzling sacred light as she returned to normal human size.
"Boom."
Xiang Chunan reverted to his true form, his body shattering the shrine. Rubbing his rear, he picked up his large iron hammer and chased after the old Daoist. "How dare you sneak-attack your Grandpa Xiang and try to run?"
As soon as he entered the shrine, Xiang Chunan had been kicked in the rear, falling flat on his face. He was full of resentment and was determined to catch the old Daoist and eat him alive.
Mu Lingxi was somewhat astonished. "This is really strange. A sacred medicine has actually cultivated itself into an old Daoist, and the cultivation technique it practices is exceptionally powerful. Who taught it those techniques and sacred arts?"
Zhang Ruochen was also very surprised. The old Daoist's strength was formidable; even the eighteen formation flags couldn't trap him.
A wild sacred medicine, if no cultivator had passed on a cultivation technique or taught it martial skills and sacred arts, would have no combat power even after growing for a hundred thousand years.
If the old Daoist had been staying in this kind of cave all along, there was absolutely no way he could have such powerful means.
However, the old Daoist clearly had little contact with the outside world. Despite his strong cultivation, he was scared by Zhang Ruochen, Xiang Chunan, and Mu Lingxi and fled in panic.
Zhang Ruochen released his spiritual power to probe the ruins of the stone shrine and actually found something.
He crouched down, pushed aside the broken stones, and picked up a fragment of a tortoise shell from the bottom of the shrine. On it was carved a human figure in a strange posture, sitting cross-legged with hands reaching toward the sky.
In addition, there were dozens of somewhat blurred characters.
The characters were very ancient. Even with his spiritual power, Zhang Ruochen could not grasp the meaning they represented.
Although the tortoise shell fragment looked ordinary, the hundred-thousand-year-old Spirit-Transforming Sacred Lingzhi wouldn't have kept it in the shrine for no reason. It must be extraordinary.
"I'll study it after we get out." Zhang Ruochen put the tortoise shell fragment into his space ring.
"Boom."
The cave entrance that Xiang Chunan had blocked was attacked by outsiders, producing a loud noise.
Mu Lingxi's expression changed. "Those cultivators have arrived. With their cultivation, they'll break through the cave soon."
"Let's go. Follow the direction the Spirit-Transforming Sacred Lingzhi fled. There might be another exit to this cave."
Zhang Ruochen grabbed Mu Lingxi's wrist and dashed forward at top speed. They didn't know how far they had run when the cave became narrower and narrower, extending upward.
Mu Lingxi showed a delighted expression. "Ahead in the cave, there's an airflow. It's probably an exit."
But Zhang Ruochen frowned slightly. There was indeed air flowing in the cave, but it was exceptionally cold, carrying a yin qi and death qi that made people very uncomfortable.
Gradually, the air in the cave turned black.
Mu Lingxi also sensed something was wrong. The smile on her face disappeared, and her expression grew increasingly solemn.
"Swoosh—"
The two of them rushed out of the cave, finding themselves in a pitch-black world filled with extremely heavy yin qi. When it touched their skin, it caused a stinging sensation. The yin qi and death qi were actually eroding their physical bodies.
Zhang Ruochen and Mu Lingxi immediately released sacred qi, using layers of sacred light to protect their bodies, driving away the yin qi and death qi.
"What is this place? It's so gloomy, even more terrifying than the underworld." Mu Lingxi felt this was not a good place. For some reason, fear arose in her heart, and she involuntarily grabbed Zhang Ruochen's robe.
Zhang Ruochen also felt a trace of fear.
That fear was as if the power of the God of Fear had been forcibly infused into his body; he couldn't help but be afraid.
Zhang Ruochen remained calm and observed his surroundings, but even using his heavenly eye and spiritual power, he could only see within ten zhang. Beyond that, everything was blurry.
"Don't you think the aura here is somewhat similar to the aura emanating from the forbidden zone above the White Bone Slope?" Zhang Ruochen said.
"It... does..."
Mu Lingxi's face grew even paler. "Brother Xiang chased the Spirit-Transforming Sacred Lingzhi, and I don't know where he went. Should I go back the way we came, or wait for him here?"
If this really was the forbidden zone above the White Bone Slope, they absolutely could not recklessly wander around.
From the cave, Lansibai's voice sounded: "There's an airflow. The exit should be ahead."
"It really is cultivators from Paradise Realm. It seems we can't go back." Zhang Ruochen grabbed Mu Lingxi's arm, performed a Space Displacement, and vanished from the spot.
A moment later, Lansibai, Wuxiang, the Four-Winged Scarlet Angel Nie Zhan, and more than a dozen Saint King realm experts rushed out of the cave. Their bodies emitted dazzling sacred light, but Zhang Ruochen, hiding dozens of zhang away, could only see a blurry glow.
Nie Zhan was shrewd. He guessed what this place was, his expression solemn, and he dared not act rashly.
Lansibai felt that upon arriving here, his state of mind had been breached by an external force of fear. His legs trembled uncontrollably. "Should we still pursue? Maybe we should retreat first?"
Nie Zhan glared at him. "The cave still has the aura of a hundred-thousand-year ancient sacred medicine. Clearly, those three have already picked it. Such a treasure can't even be found in the Inner Four Academies. How can we let three nobodies take it?"
Wuxiang was also full of desire for the hundred-thousand-year ancient sacred medicine. "Although this area is dangerous, it holds great opportunities. Not only might we find the hundred-thousand-year ancient sacred medicine, but we could also pick other treasures."
Lansibai said, "But we have no idea which direction those three fled."
A three-step Saint King with a lion's head and silver pupils said, "There are footprints on the ground. Follow them, and we'll find them."
Lansibai wanted to say more, but Nie Zhan spoke first, his voice cold: "Those with courage, follow me. Those afraid to take risks, stay here and guard the cave exit."
A moment later, Nie Zhan and Wuxiang, along with eight powerful Saint Kings, followed the footprints and disappeared into the darkness.
Lansibai and the other six Saint Kings stayed behind to guard the cave exit.
Lansibai took out a set of formation flags and inserted them around the cave entrance, setting up a defensive formation to prevent other cultivators from coming through the cave to this place.
Another gaunt creature took out a stack of jade formation plates and buried them in the soil, setting up an offensive formation in case some unknown creature rushed out of the darkness to attack them.
The other Saint Kings were also cautious types, all setting up defensive and offensive measures, worried about encountering the legendary malevolent spirits. They had heard many tales about this forbidden zone and were quite uneasy.