Leaving the imperial capital, everyone was on high alert—whether it was Jiutou Lion or Huo Ling’er—because they had received intelligence that someone was plotting against Shi Hao. The grand city wall faded behind them, stretching to the horizon’s end beneath the setting red sun. Fortunately, no ambush came. Even while resting for the night in a small town’s inn, nothing unusual occurred. The night was surprisingly peaceful; the anticipated troubles never arrived.
“Hmm,” reported Huo Ling’er, “someone has left a large sum at the Blood God Mansion to purchase your head, but this assassin hall refused the contract and returned the offered treasure bones.”
Everyone sighed in admiration. The Blood God Mansion was a well-known killer hall throughout the Desolate Domain. Yet even they feared Shi Hao, choosing not to strike. This greatly surprised the group.
“Shi Brother’s reputation spreads far and wide. Truly admirable!” said the two brothers of the Three-Eyed Clan. Indeed, their hearts were shaken. The Blood God Mansion was no ordinary place. Its assassins came from all races, powerful and formidable. Legend claimed that over the years, there were few jobs they failed to complete. At their peak, even the heads of Sovereigns weren’t safe!
“At least nothing happened!” Whatever the case, everyone felt relieved. No one wished to travel constantly under threat. It was good news that the assassins had backed down.
The King-level barrier—an extremely difficult threshold to cross. If Shi Hao wanted to shorten his cultivation time and ascend to higher realms, he naturally needed to use the family heirloom pill formulas. What he lacked now were various spirit herbs, which he must gather and complete.
“What famous mountains and rivers does Fire Nation have? I wish to personally go and collect medicinal herbs,” Shi Hao asked Huo Ling’er.
“Why bother with famous mountains and rivers? You don’t necessarily need to go there to collect herbs. Just buy them at a high price,” Huo Ling’er replied. True master alchemists rarely harvested herbs themselves—they always had specialists doing it for them.
“Go to Yaodu!” suggested Jiutou Lion, who was quite knowledgeable about it, given its extraordinary origins.
Yaodu—”Medicine Capital”—was an incredibly renowned place, famed since ancient times and continuing into the present. It wasn’t affiliated with any sect, yet followed strict rules. Located within Fire Nation, it was an ancient city where many herbalists gathered, naturally attracting an abundance of spirit herbs. Legend claimed it was the birthplace of the Medicine God.
Previously, Shi Hao knew little of this, but now, hearing about it, he grew increasingly interested and decided to head there to trade for sufficient medicinal herbs to aid his breakthrough.
“I’m coming too!” squawked the big red bird. Originally, it had come seeking a master, but this route coincided with its own destination—the ancestral land of Fire Nation lay in that direction.
They didn’t waste any time along the way. Sitting atop the Void Beast hide brought by Huo Ling’er, they tore through space like lightning, vanishing instantaneously at incredible speed.
Otherwise, flying alone would have taken one or two months, as the land was vast, filled with marshes and wilderness, boundless and endless.
Void Beasts were already rare in ancient times. Whether their bones or hides, they were priceless treasures used in crafting spatial artifacts. In this era, live ones were almost impossible to find, so such a Void Beast hide capable of tearing through space was extremely valuable and beyond price.
No one knew how long they traveled before emerging from the void, the black rift behind them slowly sealing shut.
“With such a treasure, you could go anywhere! Truly enviable,” muttered the Fire Crows—remnants of an ancient race—as they drooled alongside the big red bird.
This was a mountain range shrouded in clouds and mist, brimming with spiritual energy. Faintly, one could hear the cries of apes and tigers, with fierce birds and strange beasts roaming freely.
Where were they?
Certainly not Yaodu. Everyone looked to Huo Ling’er, puzzled.
“The distance was too great. Even with coordinates, the Void Beast hide couldn’t pinpoint the exact location. But we shouldn’t be far off,” she reasoned. “Look, the fragrant medicinal aroma drifting from these mountains suggests abundant herb fields nearby. We must be close.”
Nodding in agreement, they flew out of the mountains on their magical artifact toward a plain. After traveling over a hundred miles, they finally saw the ancient city—Yaodu.
Outside the city walls, countless medicinal fields stretched endlessly, filled with fragrance and swirling spiritual energy. Rare and precious spirit insects darted between the old medicinal plants.
“Wow, is that a Golden Herb Butterfly?” cried the Five-Color Phoenix in astonishment.
In the fields fluttered a golden butterfly, its three-foot-long wings shimmering with radiant light. Wherever it flew, the medicinal herbs flourished, blossoms bursting open, exuding rich fragrance.
Among butterflies, two were most famous: the Heaven-Sundering Demon Butterfly, known for terrifying combat power, and the Golden Herb Butterfly, which enhanced the growth of medicinal herbs and assisted alchemists in refining pills.
“This isn’t a pure-blood Golden Herb Butterfly, but still very rare!” Huo Ling’er judged.
Even below the city walls, medicinal fields were carved with numerous formations, drawing in quintessence from ten directions, nourishing the soil.
“Except for the Great Wilderness forbidden zones, this is said to be the most suitable place for plant growth,” remarked Jiutou Lion, clearly familiar with the legends.
It was here that the Medicine God was born and ultimately perished. His essence, including medicinal properties, transformed into a life-giving rain, blessing this land.
“Ahhh, in ancient times, when heavenly geniuses arose and saints vied for supremacy, even the Medicine God fell. How magnificent and terrifying that age must have been,” they mused upon approaching the ancient city.
Its walls were low, some sections collapsed, ruins scattered everywhere. The gates had long vanished. Yet inside, the city bustled with life, showing no signs of desolation.
Though ancient, Yaodu remained a sacred site. While the crumbling walls seemed neglected, people here possessed the means to repair them—but saw no need. Walls were unnecessary; they were merely remnants of history.
As soon as they entered, thick medicinal fragrance greeted them, making their bodies feel refreshed and relaxed.
“Ah! Is that a Spirit Herb Tree?” gasped the Fire Crow.
Beside the main road stood an ancient tree so massive that several people couldn’t encircle it. Covered in green leaves glowing faintly, it bore a few enormous buds radiating colorful auras and emitting fragrance.
The Fire Crow recalled legends—how certain ancient herbs in Yaodu mutated into trees after eons, living thousands of years.
“This herb lived over five thousand years. Though it never became a Saint Herb, it gradually gained sentience and evolved into a medicinal tree,” explained Huo Ling’er.
Old herbs spanning millennia were not uncommon—some were even ten thousand years old. But those evolving into trees were exceptionally rare.
It was said this herb survived a lightning strike and miraculously absorbed a pool of Thunder Tribulation Liquid, causing mutation.
Shi Hao understood the value of Thunder Tribulation Liquid. Long ago, in the Healing Sky Pavilion, Elder Mu Yan taught him thunder techniques. Once, risking danger, Mu Yan took him into storm clouds during a thunderstorm to refine this liquid. Before that, Mu Yan himself had only ever refined a single drop.
For this herb to receive such a baptism was truly a celestial blessing!
“It may not be a Saint Herb, but its effects rival them. More importantly, it possesses immense combat power,” Huo Ling’er added.
Everyone was stunned, circling the tree in awe.
Even Yun Xi, descended from an ancient divine mountain, displayed shock, carefully examining the tree.
Its branches were lush and verdant, rising over a hundred meters tall. Its bark cracked like dragon scales, each leaf dripping emerald light.
They smelled a sweet fragrance and found themselves momentarily dazed, standing motionless.
Additionally, a few translucent branches reached out, brushing against their bodies, emitting radiant light.
Shi Hao snapped back to awareness but sensed no hostility, so he made no move.
Soon, Jiutou Lion, Fire Crow, and others also regained their senses, marveling at the tree’s likely formidable battle strength.
Huo Ling’er explained, “Anyone entering Yaodu will be examined by the Spirit Herb Tree. It can detect malicious intentions toward this sacred land.”
Jiutou Lion nodded, adding, “I’ve heard this before. Also, it’s said the flowers blooming on this medicinal tree are second only to Saint Herbs in rarity and power.”
“You sure know a lot,” someone chuckled beside them. By now, they had entered the city streets, bustling with people.
“Pity though. The tree blooms only a few flowers yearly, each auctioned for astronomical prices. Most cannot afford them,” another person lamented.
On the tree, only a few flower buds remained, each a different color, glowing brilliantly.
Upon entering Yaodu, Shi Hao and his companions felt overwhelmed. Every kind of medicinal herb surrounded them, their combined aromas subtly cleansing hidden ailments within the body.
“Yaodu truly is a blessed land,” they marveled.
“Selling Divine Grass! Exchange one for a Holy Sage artifact!” called a nearby vendor.
The big red bird and others gawked. Divine Grass? Really?
“Of course, sharp eyes are needed here. You must distinguish truth from deception,” someone advised.
They immediately understood: even in Yaodu, many sellers peddled inferior herbs. Yet occasionally, true unique treasures might appear.
“Golden Herb Butterfly, one-of-a-kind pair! Hurry and bid if interested!” shouted an elderly man holding a jade jar.
Shi Hao and others approached to look, finding two caterpillars inside the jar. They exchanged speechless glances.
“Youngsters, haven’t you heard of metamorphosis? These are juvenile Golden Herb Butterflies, not yet transformed!” the old man smiled.
“Who are you trying to fool? Two worms and you expect us to believe?” scoffed the big red bird.
Unfazed, the old man retorted, “I never lied. If anywhere in the world holds a true Golden Herb Butterfly, it would be here in Yaodu—perhaps even hibernating for eons as a caterpillar!”
They moved on, only to be amazed again shortly after by a peculiar medicinal vine.
A small medicinal field attracted a long line of people waiting quietly for potion refinement. Surprisingly, the one performing the alchemy was an ancient vine itself.
“What’s going on here?” Shi Hao and others were astonished.
The vine bore a single flower shaped like a cauldron, glowing bronze and spewing flames.
Those in line tossed in ingredients, and the cauldron-like bloom began refining the medicine—a breathtaking sight.
An old woman explained, “This is the Sacred Medicine Vine of Yaodu. Its flower resembles a bronze cauldron. Once, it absorbed a divine flame fallen from the heavens, enabling transformation and granting it sentience to assist in alchemy.”
“Such wonders exist?” Shi Hao and company were deeply shocked, growing more intrigued by Yaodu’s mysteries. They decided to stay awhile and explore further.
“You’ve arrived at just the right time,” someone added. “Soon, a miraculous event involving a divine ancient herb may occur. That spectacle will surely be worth witnessing!”
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