The news from the Divine Valley instantly caused a sensation in the Medicine Capital, filling the streets with clamor as everyone’s eyes burned with fervor. What a treasure trove it was! From the moment of its discovery, people knew it was extraordinary—vast arrays of formations guarded a sacred medicinal herb, and now it might even be the site where a True Phoenix perished. The implications were immense! Its significance was no less than the discovery of the Kun Peng’s Nest, for both belonged to the Ten Fearsome Beasts. The battle at the North Sea years ago had claimed countless lives, and now, the True Phoenix’s nest had abruptly appeared in the Desolate Domain, shaking the world.
“It shouldn’t be. Though there were rumors of the True Phoenix shedding blood in this domain, its legacy wasn’t left here. What’s the deal with this Divine Valley?”
“Hmm, it might just be the discovery of True Phoenix bones—nothing’s confirmed yet. It could also be the remains of another divine bird.”
On the streets, powerful figures debated. A carriage that had been parked nearby suddenly soared into the sky, vanishing into the horizon. Soon, streaks of divine light shot through the heavens as many departed the Medicine Capital, their destination unmistakably the Divine Valley.
The burly middle-aged man’s expression darkened. The Grand Elder of the Divine Medicine Sect had ignored the matter entirely, rushing off to seize the treasure. He hesitated—should he return immediately? Though the Divine Valley was protected by countless formations, making it nearly impossible to breach, the outer regions had already yielded Phoenix bones, hinting at great opportunities.
“Return my treasure bone now, or don’t blame me for what happens next!” the man threatened, a glint of murderous intent in his eyes.
Shi Hao, though appearing nonchalant with his hands behind his back, subtly activated a rune in his right palm. Without a sound, he retrieved a pitch-black bone from the stall and handed it over. “You’re utterly unreasonable, bullying honest merchants. Fine, I’ll give in—here!”
Ade quickly stepped forward to take it, though he was suspicious. The pile of items had been a jumble, and he hadn’t paid much attention—only recalling a blackened bone. The middle-aged man, who hadn’t inspected it closely earlier, now scrutinized it, sensing only an ordinary bone.
“This isn’t it! Mine was a divine bird’s bone—hand it over!” The man’s eyes gleamed with menace.
“You sold me a worthless bone, now demand it back unjustly, and even expect me to replace it with a divine bone? Trying to swindle me? Think I’m easy prey?” Shi Hao’s expression darkened.
The man wavered. Perhaps he’d mistaken the bone—maybe the blackened one he’d obtained was indeed this ordinary piece. Overcaution had misled him.
“Kid, consider yourself lucky. I’ve urgent matters—no time to deal with you.” The man, a hidden expert in the Medicine Capital, took to the skies, seeking fortune elsewhere.
The Five-Colored Luan Bird frowned. “Why be polite? Just finish him off!”
Shi Hao shook his head. “Though he’s vicious, killing him outright would draw too much attention.” He wanted to remain inconspicuous, especially after hearing of the Divine Valley. If others knew his strength, it’d complicate things.
“Let’s hurry then! We don’t want to miss out,” the Crimson Bird urged eagerly, itching for action.
Following the stream of cultivators, they traveled hundreds of miles deep into the mountains. From afar, the valley shimmered with immortal mist, radiant symbols enveloping it.
“What a place! Clearly an ancient sacred abode with extraordinary formations,” the Nine-Headed Lion marveled.
Even from a distance, the spiritual energy was overwhelming. Any herb nurtured here for ages would surely gain sentience—let alone the one specially guarded, now undoubtedly a divine treasure, if not a saint-grade herb.
Creatures of all races gathered—none weak, for ordinary folk couldn’t approach the Divine Valley.
“If not for the Sovereigns sealing their mountains, preoccupied, this valley’s surroundings would’ve been razed to barren wasteland,” Huo Ling’er remarked.
“The symbols here are as profound as those on my clan’s sacred mountain,” Yun Xi murmured, astonished. Could one of the Ten Fearsome Beasts truly have perished here?
“Let’s try breaking into the valley’s depths,” the Purple Marten suggested eagerly.
Shi Hao stopped them, his dual-pupiled gaze grave. “I see at least a hundred interwoven formations—too intricate. Even Sovereigns would struggle.”
The valley’s entrance was stained red with blood, the ground dug deep—evidence of past struggles.
“Then what? Just watch helplessly?” the Crimson Bird grumbled.
“This might be the work of a Heavenly Deity—only the ancestors of the ancient divine mountains, revived, could breach it,” Yun Xi said.
“Heavenly Deity?!” The Nine-Headed Lion gasped.
“Or perhaps… left by one of the Ten Fearsome Beasts,” Yun Xi added.
At that, their eyes burned with greed. A formation by one of the Ten, guarding a miraculous herb—could consuming it grant ascension?
Though they couldn’t breach the formations, they could observe from above. Yet, the skies were eerily empty.
“Strange—from below, it’s an immortal paradise, but up here, just an ordinary valley,” they muttered.
“An aerial-distorting formation. Rash entry would shred one into pieces,” Shi Hao deduced.
Descending, they glimpsed hazy palaces veiled in mist.
“A giant boulder—some big shots are watching from there,” the Fire Crow noted.
Indeed, many waited for the elites to leave, hoping to glimpse the valley’s secrets from that vantage.
Shi Hao inquired—it was the only spot offering a blurred view of the sacred herb.
“Has this Divine Valley lain hidden for eons, only to emerge now as its treasure matures?” the Nine-Headed Lion pondered.
“Who actually saw the so-called True Phoenix bones?” an elder—half-step Sovereign—asked, exuding medicinal fragrance.
A young man stepped forward, presenting a bone. He knew he couldn’t keep it.
The Divine Medicine Sect’s Grand Elder examined it.
“Indeed a divine bird’s bone,” his companions confirmed, though they couldn’t verify it as a Phoenix’s. Its primal runes were lost, its divine essence faded.
“An astonishing valley—even a heavenly-rank divine bird perished here!”
The elders soon left, realizing the valley wasn’t ready to unveil itself.
The crowd surged forward, peering into the valley. Shi Hao’s group waited before ascending the boulder.
“Bizarre—elsewhere, the formations obscure everything, but here, we can see through,” the Five-Colored Luan Bird noted.
Faintly, a plant shimmered under a celestial glow, its fragrance piercing through layers of formations.
“Ten miles away, yet its scent reaches us—could this be the Desolate Domain’s supreme divine herb?” the Nine-Headed Lion exclaimed.
Shi Hao’s dual pupils focused. A one-foot-tall tree bore three flowers—one dissolving into a tiny, dancing figure, another morphing into a radiant, shifting artifact (resembling a pagoda, furnace, or cauldron), while the third remained untouched.
His heart raced. This was beyond belief.
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