“Eh! This seems to be the Dreamfruit, which has turned deep purple. Only after reaching at least ten thousand years of medicinal potency would it take on this color.” The astonished voice of the Great Divinity Sage rang out.
“This medicinal garden ruin hasn’t been visited for who knows how many tens of thousands of years. If the herbs here hadn’t reached ten thousand years of potency, I’d find it strange!” Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Han Li spoke calmly. Instead of hastily plucking anything, he quietly observed for a long while before turning and heading to another corner.
“Dragonvein Grass!” “Wind Spirit Flower!” He murmured the names of these exceptionally rare or long-extinct spiritual herbs. Each of these plants had a potency of over ten thousand years, and Han Li’s eyes grew increasingly bright.
“I never expected you to be so familiar with spiritual herbs. Among the ones you named, there are several whose properties I don’t even recognize,” the Great Divinity Sage couldn’t help but remark in surprise.
“Senior, are you mocking me? Among the herbs here, I’d be lucky to recognize a third. I still need your guidance for the rest,” Han Li replied with a faint smile, glancing at the other herbs in the garden.
“Hmph! Although I’ve dabbled slightly in alchemy, I haven’t deeply studied this field. At best, I can help you identify a few more. Over there is…” Perhaps considering it a trivial matter, the Great Divinity Sage didn’t make things difficult for Han Li and readily pointed out the names and uses of several other spiritual herbs.
Han Li nodded, flipping his palm to reveal a pale green jade slip. Without hesitation, he immersed his spiritual sense into it, standing motionless as if searching for something.
The Great Divinity Sage tactfully remained silent, not disturbing Han Li. After the time it took to finish a meal, Han Li withdrew his spiritual sense from the jade slip, his face pensive.
This jade slip was the one given to him by the Song woman from the Falling Cloud Sect. It contained records of many ancient spiritual herbs and pill formulas, which had allowed him to identify so many plants in this garden.
However, after carefully reviewing it just now, Han Li found that only one of the ancient pill formulas could be immediately prepared and refined. Some of the materials were the ancient herbs he had just identified, while others were ingredients he had obtained from border battles and the ransom for the ancient copper lamp treasure. Combined, they barely sufficed for the pill called “Crimson Cloud Pill.”
According to the formula, this ancient pill was an exceedingly rare cultivation-boosting elixir even in the primordial era. For Han Li, an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, its potency was somewhat excessive and even wasteful. The optimal stage for consumption would be mid-stage Nascent Soul. Taking it at the early stage would not only waste part of its efficacy but also subject the user to intense pain from meridians swelling or even tearing.
Apart from the Crimson Cloud Pill, another pill called “Snow Soul Pellet” also held great promise for refinement. The main materials for this pill could be gathered from the garden and his existing stock, covering about eighty to ninety percent of the required ingredients. The remaining few materials, though rare, could still be found in the outside world.
While the Snow Soul Pellet wasn’t a cultivation-boosting pill, it was an auxiliary medicine that allowed cultivators of ice-attribute techniques to advance their mastery of frigid power. The formula only briefly mentioned its effects without detailed explanation, but given the rare ingredients required, it was undoubtedly extraordinary.
As for the remaining herbs in the garden, they couldn’t be used to complete any other ancient pill formulas. Han Li decided to collect them for future use.
As his thoughts settled, Han Li organized the uses of these herbs. Despite his usual calm demeanor, he couldn’t help but feel waves of excitement.
He had been at the early stage of Nascent Soul for some years. Though constantly occupied and never having the chance for prolonged seclusion to cultivate his magic power, part of the reason was the lack of suitable pills to boost his progress, which had subconsciously driven him to seek opportunities elsewhere. Now, it seemed his efforts hadn’t been in vain—his opportunity had truly arrived.
If the Crimson Cloud Pills were as miraculous as the formula claimed, the herbs here could push his cultivation to the peak of the early stage, allowing him to attempt a breakthrough to mid-stage Nascent Soul.
Moreover, by transplanting some of these herbs and using the green liquid to accelerate their growth, he could ensure a steady supply of Crimson Cloud Pills in the future.
As for the Snow Soul Pellet, it would also be immensely useful to him, given that the refined Dry Blue Iceflame and Violet Heavenly Fire were both extreme-cold techniques. This pill could enhance their power.
Having finalized his plans, Han Li let out a long breath, his face breaking into a rare expression of joy. If everything proceeded as he envisioned, the risks he had taken to enter the Fallen Devil Valley would not have been in vain. The loss of treasures and puppets would pale in comparison.
The only lingering concern was the two lost flying swords infused with Gold Essence. However, since these Emerald Swarm Swords were his life-bound treasures, they couldn’t be forcibly taken as long as he lived. At worst, he would spend more effort retrieving them after leaving this place—a task he assumed wouldn’t be too difficult. Unaware that the swords had fallen into the hands of another ancient demon, Han Li naturally reasoned this way.
Without further thought, Han Li patted his storage pouch, and over a dozen jade boxes of varying sizes flew out, hovering before him.
He immediately bent down and began carefully transplanting the herbs at his feet. Once one plant of a particular type was successfully transferred into a jade box, he didn’t rush to collect others of the same kind. Instead, he moved to another patch of herbs with the boxes in tow.
Whether familiar or unfamiliar, Han Li intended to transplant at least one specimen of each herb to ensure he could continue cultivating them outside this space.
However, after completing this task, his expression darkened. Three of the ancient herbs in the garden couldn’t be transplanted at all.
One spontaneously combusted upon being placed in a jade box, turning to ashes. Another withered instantly upon being uprooted, losing all medicinal potency, much like the Spirit Pillar Fruit he had encountered earlier. The third was even more bizarre—the moment its roots were disturbed, the herb dissolved into a puddle of liquid as if startled.
Han Li was deeply frustrated. It was said that few herbs in the world couldn’t be transplanted, yet this small corner of the garden had three. To his dismay, one of them was a key ingredient for the Crimson Cloud Pill—a devastating blow.
After circling the fiery-red grass several times, Han Li’s face grew stormy. Suddenly, he remembered something. After a brief hesitation, he reached into his robes and retrieved a small green vial that was neither wood nor metal—the mysterious vial he treasured above all else.
Normally, Han Li kept this vial hidden on his person with a secret technique. Unless he died, no one could discover or steal it.
“What’s that?” the Great Divinity Sage asked curiously. “Nothing, just a magical tool,” Han Li replied casually, holding the vial in one hand while calmly opening its lid with the other.
Nothing unusual happened when the lid was removed. After waiting a while longer, Han Li slowly resealed the vial and stowed it away, his brow furrowed. Since this space lacked sun, moon, or stars, and had no day-night cycle, the vial’s inactivity here wasn’t surprising. Still, Han Li felt a pang of frustration.
This meant that no matter how long he stayed, he couldn’t produce more Crimson Cloud Pills. The number of pills he could refine from the existing herbs was all he would get.
Feeling vexed, Han Li sighed and looked up at the gray sky, narrowing his eyes.
Setting aside the pill issue, he had a more pressing problem to solve: how to leave this space and return to the human world.
Now, there was no one to join forces with him for a combined attack. Earlier, he had probed the surrounding spatial walls with his spiritual sense but found no instability or anomalies—they were seamless and impenetrable. As for the sky and ground, his spiritual sense was rebounded upon contact, indicating the presence of restrictions.
Silvermoon had already employed earth escape techniques to explore underground but discovered nothing out of the ordinary. That left only the gray clouds overhead as the final area to investigate.
However, after witnessing the ancient demon’s soul being annihilated by the terrifying restriction, Han Li was naturally reluctant to rashly provoke it and invite disaster.
As he pondered, a silver light flashed on the ground before him, and Silvermoon emerged, bowing deeply.
“Master, I’ve thoroughly examined the underground area. Although there’s a restriction, it’s incomplete. I followed the gaps but found nothing unusual. I’m afraid I’ve disappointed you,” Silvermoon said apologetically.
“It’s fine. The underground was unlikely to have any loopholes,” Han Li replied calmly, nodding before turning his gaze skyward.
“Does Master plan to explore the sky?” Silvermoon asked, concerned.
“Yes. With no gaps in the surroundings or ground, we have no choice but to risk the skies. Since the silver flames only targeted the ancient demon, this restriction, though formidable, likely poses no threat to human cultivators. Otherwise, would we really be trapped here forever?” Han Li declared resolutely. With a flash of cyan light, he began floating upward.
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