Shi Hao stepped into the desolate land. Apart from the distant vitality and rich fragrance, there was no vegetation nearby—only barren, cold silence.
*Crack!*
He stepped on some bones—divine bones, though they still held a faint luster, they had long since decayed, brittle enough to snap under normal weight.
Shi Hao remained cautious, knowing this place likely held great danger.
Behind him, the bird lingered at the edge of the dead zone, pacing back and forth. Its body, over ten feet long, radiated waves of demonic light, its eyes filled with malice as it stared at Shi Hao.
The demonic bird was torn between anticipation and fear, its emotions complex, as if urging Shi Hao to trigger something.
Shi Hao shot it a glare before resolutely pressing forward. With no other choice, he had to advance!
Piles of divine herbs were too tempting to resist. Shi Hao moved toward his target.
The terrain nearby was flat, resembling a small plain, devoid of grass, the earth dry and hard, tinged dark red as if stained by blood.
In the far distance, lush mountains stretched across the horizon, where divine herbs frolicked like mischievous children, appearing and disappearing at the foot of the hills.
“Golden Ginseng Baby, Flying Phoenix Grass, Coiling Dragon Flower…”
Shi Hao nearly drooled. Even from afar, with his Heavenly Eye activated, nothing could hide from him. These were genuine divine herbs, not mere substitutes.
They matched the descriptions in ancient texts—legendary divine herbs of immense value!
“One, two, three…”
With a quick scan, Shi Hao spotted nine of them. Since they darted in and out of the ground, he couldn’t be sure of the exact count.
But even this discovery was staggering. In other places, finding even one divine herb was rare, let alone nine!
Normally, a single divine herb would deplete the essence of a sacred land, making it impossible to nurture two in one place. Yet here, this rule was defied.
“If this is just one spot, how many divine herbs must exist across the entire divine herb range? Dozens? Hundreds?” Shi Hao wondered. Otherwise, why would the mountain range bear such a name?
He began to move stealthily. Divine herbs, having gained sentience, were highly alert and would flee at the first sign of danger.
Finally, he neared the edge of the barren land, approaching the verdant mountains. The divine herbs remained oblivious, still playing.
Shi Hao felt dizzy with excitement, even reluctant to act, as the herbs frolicked like children, laughing and full of life.
One ancient ginseng, golden and plump, with a long beard and leafy crown, darted about with astonishing speed—a divine herb of unknown age.
Its fragrance was intoxicating, refreshing body and mind.
Nearby, a crimson Flying Phoenix Grass, resembling a phoenix in flight, danced gracefully as it moved, trailing sacred light.
Its medicinal aroma was equally potent!
“Too tempting!” Shi Hao muttered before suddenly lunging forward, channeling his power to suppress them.
How could he leave empty-handed from such a treasure trove?
He wouldn’t harm the herbs, not even their roots. Even if he needed them, he wouldn’t kill the goose that laid the golden eggs—raising them was far more profitable!
But could he catch them?
Confident in his abilities, Shi Hao believed he could immobilize them. His eyes burned with anticipation, already envisioning his haul.
Yet, in that moment, disaster struck. The area suddenly lit up, warping space and time, sending violent tremors through Shi Hao’s body.
Then, from the barren ground, a stone mountain cracked open, spewing molten lava.
*Moo!* A deafening roar shook heaven and earth, shattering the void. A terrifying creature emerged.
Even Shi Hao, mighty as he was, nearly split apart from the sheer force of the sound—a roar powerful enough to kill ordinary experts outright!
It was a golden ox, its body radiant, painfully bright to the eyes.
Not flesh and blood, but forged from Yellow Path Immortal Gold—a dazzling, majestic being of unimaginable splendor!
“Yellow Path Immortal Gold?!” Shi Hao gasped, retreating rapidly. His scalp tingled—this was no ordinary foe.
The ox was only a foot long, yet its aura was overwhelming, making it seem as massive as a golden mountain.
Among the supreme immortal materials—Void Immortal Gold, Dark Immortal Gold, Seven-Colored Immortal Gold—Yellow Path Immortal Gold stood equal. And here was a massive chunk of it!
A fist-sized piece was enough to spark bloody battles, yet here was a foot-long ox—enough to craft a true immortal’s weapon!
Shi Hao fled, but the golden ox pursued, radiating killing intent.
“A living creature?!” Shi Hao was stunned. This wasn’t a man-made puppet but a true living being.
Immortal Gold gaining sentience and transforming into life was only a legend, recorded in ancient texts!
Yet here it was—a terrifying entity that would unsettle even the mightiest experts.
This wasn’t Shi Hao’s first encounter with such a being. Years ago, in the Three Thousand Dao Provinces, he and Qi Daolin had fled from a Seven-Colored Immortal Gold creature in an ancient cave.
But this time was different. The golden ox was hostile, its roar meant to kill.
Shi Hao retreated again and again, covering vast distances with each step, but the ox matched his speed, relentless in its pursuit.
*Roar!*
The ox’s bellow split the earth, shattering distant stone mountains.
Shi Hao was sent flying, his focus shifting from herbs to survival—this was a dire crisis.
The golden ox’s power was unfathomable, though its consciousness remained immature, not yet fully evolved.
Had it been fully sentient, Shi Hao would have died instantly.
Its combat instincts were primal, driven only to protect its territory and herbs. If it had mastered techniques and divine abilities, Shi Hao would stand no chance.
Yet even so, it was terrifying. Having existed for eons, it possessed boundless divine power—casual strikes could slay gods.
*Clang!* Shi Hao tested its defenses, striking with a treasure art, but the ox remained unmoved.
Its body, forged of Immortal Gold, was indestructible—even the collapse of worlds couldn’t harm it.
Shi Hao was at a loss. The ox’s body was invincible, impervious to all attacks.
“These divine herbs… I’ll be back for them! You—enjoy your temporary victory. I’ll return for revenge!” Shi Hao shouted before fleeing at full speed.
But the golden ox was relentless, its divine power forming a golden bridge that linked directly to Shi Hao.
“Escape that way!” A voice guided him, startling Shi Hao. What new creature had appeared? This divine herb range was too bizarre.
Soon, he relaxed. It was an ancient tree—radiant and sacred—an Heavenly Deity Tree, rooted in the mountains, communicating with him secretly.
Shi Hao recalled the “White Turtle Carrying Immortal,” a longevity herb that had once mentioned the four Heavenly Deity Trees. Originally one, they had been split apart, each now a separate entity.
If reunited, they would transform back into a single longevity herb—a peerless immortal medicine!
Its potency would far exceed the sum of its parts, becoming an immortal tree medicine—a rarity even among longevity herbs.
Shi Hao already possessed one, nurturing it in the Soil of All Things. It had borne fruit, but he refrained from harvesting, hoping one day to merge all four into the ultimate immortal tree.
Legend said its fruits could elevate one directly to immortality—a feat so outrageous that it was said to be the reason they were split apart.
Of course, this was mere speculation.
Following the Heavenly Deity Tree’s guidance, Shi Hao fled, barely escaping death. But the golden ox, with its keen instincts, pursued relentlessly.
For three days, Shi Hao endured a grueling chase, narrowly avoiding death multiple times, suffering severe injuries.
Meanwhile, a major event unfolded in the foreign realm.
“Someone from Emperor Pass has come to our world, meeting with high-ranking figures?” The news spread among noble clans, causing an uproar.
Was someone defecting? Was Emperor Pass about to open, or was something else afoot?
Soon, another message spread, thrilling the younger generation—especially top talents like He Ziming, who smirked cruelly.
“Fang Huang is trapped in the Divine Herb Range!”
The news came from those who had crossed the border into the foreign realm.
“Let us march! The younger generation’s chance for redemption is here. Gather at the Divine Herb Range and slay Fang Huang—erase him from this world!”
“Hah! Someone delivered the news of his whereabouts. Perfect! Let’s go finish him off!”
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