PDLP Chapter 209 Herb Garden
Chapter 209 Herb Garden
"Well!"
Chen Xu groaned, feeling as if his mind had been struck by an invisible hammer, his vision blurred with stars, and his soul violently trembled.
If it weren't for the fact that his divine sense was already far superior to others of the same level, and that he had not undergone the tempering of the Nine Revolutions Divine Forging Pill, he would have been different.
This could potentially damage his mind and spirit, causing him to experience temporary dizziness or even confusion.
"What a powerful soul attack!"
Alarm bells rang in Chen Xu's mind. He endured the excruciating pain in his sea of consciousness and instantly retreated dozens of feet.
The strange head covered in grayish-white carapace failed to strike, and its giant mouth opened again.
An even sharper, invisible sound wave was brewing within it, its target firmly locked onto Chen Xu.
This time, the power was even greater than before, enough to instantly shatter the soul of an ordinary Core Formation cultivator.
Chen Xu's pupils contracted sharply, and he made a decision in an instant.
"Qingling!"
Without needing to say more, a thought instantly connected with the Beast Taming Space.
hum...
The space rippled almost imperceptibly, and a cold, azure figure suddenly appeared beside Chen Xu.
It was Qingling, who had just broken through to the Nascent Soul stage.
As soon as Qingling appeared, her gaze instantly locked onto the strange head that was about to let out a second shriek.
In her arms, the five-tailed little cloud bristled with fur, activating the [Ghost Domain Suppressing Spirit Emblem].
boom!!!
Centered on Qingling, a grayish-blue wave of energy surged and spread like a world-destroying tide.
Within the ghost realm, light was completely swallowed up, and even the decaying spiritual energy mixed in the air was quickly frozen.
The eerie head seemed to sense a deadly threat, twisting wildly in an attempt to break free from the shackles of the ghostly domain.
However, under the suppression of the Nascent Soul level ghost domain, all its struggles seemed futile.
At this moment, Xiaoyun let out a low whimper and spat out a beam of bluish-gray light.
It pierced through the thick, grayish-white shell of the eerie head in an instant, precisely penetrating its core.
Click... Click...
Immediately afterwards, the entire enormous, eerie head collapsed with a roar, turning into a pile of lifeless, grayish-white fragments scattered across the corroded, pitted ground.
The viscous, dark green saliva also lost its activity and slowly seeped into the cracks in the rocks.
From the moment Qingling was summoned to the moment the eerie head completely disintegrated and vanished, the entire process took only a fleeting moment.
The ghostly realm quietly receded, and Qingling's robes fluttered slightly.
The little cloud in my arms swayed its tail lazily, as if it had only done a trivial thing.
Chen Xu stood aside, watching the battle end in an instant, his heart filled with shock.
Although he knew that Qingling's strength would inevitably increase dramatically after breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, the scene of this instant kill still exceeded his expectations.
Qingling glanced at the pile of grayish-white fragments on the ground and frowned slightly: "This thing has a strange aura, neither alive nor dead, and seems to be a strange species that has been corrupted by some ancient power."
"This place is not safe to stay any longer. The commotion just now may have alerted other beings."
Upon hearing this, Chen Xu's heart tightened, and he dared not delay, quickly landing beside the pile of debris.
Although the head was destroyed, the grayish-white carapace fragments covering it, even after disintegration, still emitted a strange energy fluctuation and were exceptionally hard.
Moreover, it seems to possess some property of resisting erosion and soul attacks, making it an extremely rare material for refining artifacts.
He waved his hand and collected all the valuable shell fragments on the ground, carefully sealing them in a jade bottle along with a few drops of dark green saliva that had not yet completely lost their activity.
"Walk!"
Qingling's figure flickered, transforming into a wisp of green smoke and merging into Chen Xu's shadow.
Chen Xu then chose a direction far away from those hidden auras, transformed into a beam of light, and quietly left at top speed, skimming along the wasteland ground.
As Chen Xu flew away, he recalled the information provided by Lin Miaoyin.
This fragment of space is vast and boundless, with complex and varied terrain.
Besides the wasteland, there are ancient forests, mountains, swamps, and unknown ancient ruins.
After flying for about half an hour, a strange scene appeared on the gray-brown horizon ahead.
It was an area shrouded in a faint purple halo.
Within the halo, one could vaguely see twisted, gnarled black vines, as well as the outlines of some plants emitting a faint spiritual light.
Unlike the desolate and barren surroundings, that area seemed to contain some special vitality.
"Could it be... the Spirit Herb Garden?" Chen Xu's heart skipped a beat, and he slowed down.
It's not impossible that an ancient herb garden exists within this secluded realm, perhaps harboring rare treasures long extinct in the outside world.
He did not approach rashly, but stopped several miles away, cautiously probing the purple halo with his divine sense.
The moment their consciousness made contact, a powerful repulsive force rebounded.
"A restriction..." Chen Xu's eyes narrowed.
This purple halo was clearly a powerful protective barrier, safeguarding the spiritual plants inside.
The power of the restriction is profound and ancient, and it is by no means something that a Core Formation cultivator can easily break.
Upon closer inspection, he discovered that the restriction was not without flaws.
In one corner near the ground, the purple aura appeared to be thinner than elsewhere.
There were faint signs of sluggish energy flow, as if it had been eroded by some force, leaving a tiny weak point.
"Qingling, can you sense the exact strength of this restriction?"
A cold voice rang directly in Chen Xu's mind: "Very strong. The power of rules contained in its core far exceeds that of ordinary Nascent Soul restrictions. It should be a remnant from ancient times."
"But at this weak point, the energy level drops to the peak of the Core Formation stage, and there is obvious stagnation in the flow."
"If we focus our efforts on one point and break through the whole area, we have a 70% chance of briefly creating an opening."
"Seventy percent...that's enough." Chen Xu's eyes narrowed, and he had already made up his mind.
He landed silently, concealed his aura, and began to rapidly form hand seals.
The pure Xuan Shui spiritual power and the blue-black "Xuan Gu Zhen Mo Gong" demonic energy intertwined and condensed at his fingertips.
Just as he was poised to break through the barrier...
Three streaks of light, imbued with a strong aura of blood and malevolence, suddenly shot out from behind a cluster of jagged rocks in the distance.
The light faded, revealing three faces filled with cruelty and greed.
The leader was a burly man with strange blood-red tattoos covering his face, and his aura had clearly reached the peak of the late Core Formation stage.
It was none other than Li Gang, the infamous "Blood Butcher" under the command of the Xuan Sha Ancestor!
He had two men on either side of him, one tall and thin like a bamboo pole, holding a white bone banner.
A short, stocky female cultivator carried two enormous blood axes on her back; both were at the mid-stage of the Core Formation realm.
"Hehehe! It's like finding a needle in a haystack!"
Li Gang's bloodshot eyes were fixed on Chen Xu as if he were looking at a dead man, his voice hoarse:
"Boy, you killed my fellow disciples from Xuan Sha Island, and you still dare to cultivate our island's supreme secret manual, the 'Mysterious Bone True Demon Art'!?"
"Our ancestor has declared that today, we will capture you and make you spill all your secrets!"
The tall, thin monk, waving his white bone banner, spoke in a sinister tone:
"Senior Brother Li, why waste words! This kid was able to kill Gray Hawk and the others, he must have some skill. Let's just take him down!"
"The weak point in the restrictions of this herb garden is exactly what we need."
The blood-red tattoo on Li Gang's face twisted slightly with his ferocious smile, adding to his menacing appearance.
His blood-red pupils were fixed on Chen Xu, as if he wanted to devour him alive: "Alright, Junior Brother Hou, Junior Sister Tu, make your move!"
"Remember, the Ancestor must live! Blood Fiend Cage, rise!"
However, before Li Gang could finish speaking, a chilling pressure that seemed to freeze one's soul suddenly descended.
Qingling appeared silently in front of Chen Xu, raising her hand to unleash a gust of yin wind.
The cold wind, though seemingly gentle, disregarded space and instantly swept over Li Gang and his companions.
The sinister smiles on the three faces froze instantly, and extreme fear erupted in their eyes.
Their protective magical aura, which they were so proud of, vanished silently like paper in the face of the yin wind.
……
The eerie wind dissipated, leaving only Chen Xu and Qing Ling on the desolate plain.
The three Core Formation cultivators from Xuan Sha Island, who had been so aggressive just moments before, along with their magical treasures, have been completely annihilated without a trace, as if they had never existed.
Chen Xu stared at the empty ground in front of him, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Xuan Sha Island reacted too quickly! Li Gang and the others had obviously come following some kind of tracking technique, with a clear objective.
This means that from the moment they stepped into the Netherworld, they were already exposed to the sight of Xuan Sha Island.
A moment later, Chen Xu came to his senses.
His gaze once again locked onto the weakest point in the restrictions of the Spirit Herb Garden, and his hands, which had been poised to strike, suddenly pushed forward.
The compressed Xuan Shui spiritual power and the demonic energy merged perfectly, forming an energy cone.
The energy cone collided violently with the purple halo, unleashing a blinding surge of spiritual energy.
The purple halo flickered wildly, and countless mysterious runes flickered in and out, attempting to repair the breach that had been invaded.
However, under Chen Xu's all-out attack, the speed of repair could not keep up with the speed of destruction.
"Open it!"
The veins on Chen Xu's forehead throbbed as his spiritual power surged forth recklessly, pouring into the Breaking Restriction Cone.
The energy crystal cone shone brightly, and its rotation speed increased by another three percent.
Click...
A clear cracking sound rang out, and the purple aura fluctuated violently as a hole was finally drilled open, just wide enough for one person to pass through.
The edge of the cave entrance flickered with purple light, its energy extremely unstable and clearly unsustainable.
"Fast forward!" Qingling's voice was urgent.
Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Xu's figure transformed into a blur.
Just as the purple light at the edge of the cave entrance began to contract violently, I narrowly escaped.
Just as Chen Xu and Qing Ling's bodies were completely submerged, a muffled "hum" sound came from behind them.
The purple halo trembled violently, then returned to normal, as if it had never been destroyed.
As soon as he stepped into the restricted area, Chen Xu felt a lightness all over his body.
The pervasive, heavy pressure suddenly vanished, replaced by a refreshing and soothing feeling.
The air was filled with a pure and rich spiritual energy, carrying the fresh fragrance of plants, which was completely different from the mixed and decaying smell of the outside world.
The sight before them shocked both him and Qingling, who was hidden in the shadows.
The ancient trees, towering and gnarled, have bark that has a warm, jade-like luster, and a faint, ethereal light flows among their branches and leaves.
The ground was covered with a thick layer of moss, which felt soft and springy underfoot.
The ground was covered with a thick layer of moss, which felt soft and springy underfoot.
Various strangely shaped spiritual plants grow in a scattered manner.
There are magical herbs with leaves as if carved from jade, and exotic fruits with vines entwined around ancient trees.
There are also wondrous flowers that take root in the spiritual spring and nurture liquid spiritual essence.
"What an amazing ancient herb garden!" Chen Xu exclaimed inwardly, his eyes gleaming.
The age and spiritual power of each medicinal herb here far exceeded his imagination.
Many of the herbs were completely unheard of, clearly ancient treasures that had long since disappeared from the outside world.
Lin Miaoyin's words were true; this Xuanqiong Netherworld indeed contained an astonishing opportunity.
However, beneath this peaceful facade lurks a deadly crisis.
Just as Chen Xu's gaze swept over a strange herb that resembled a Ganoderma lucidum, several seemingly harmless clumps of dark blue vines beside it suddenly came to life.
The vines shot up like venomous snakes, moving so fast that they left only afterimages, their tips flashing with a cold, poisonous light, aiming straight for Chen Xu's vital points.
"Watch out!" Qingling's cold voice rang in Chen Xu's mind as an even faster bluish-gray wind blade slashed out.
Chi Chi Chi!
The wind blades precisely swept across the roots of the vines, instantly freezing the dark blue vines and turning them into ashes.
However, the attack seemed to trigger a chain reaction.
hum!hum!hum!
A giant flower with serrated edges on its leaves suddenly opened its blood-red maw and spewed out a thick, green poisonous mist.
Several seemingly dead shrubs, their branches twisted and turned, transformed into sharp wooden spears that shot towards them.
Countless tiny beetles emerged from beneath the moss on the ground, surging towards Chen Xu like a tide.
"Hmph!" Qingling snorted coldly and revealed her figure.
The terrifying pressure of the Nascent Soul stage was released without reservation.
The medicine garden, which was just moments ago fraught with danger, was instantly and forcibly suppressed.
At this moment, Chen Xu's sharp gaze swept over the tiny beetles that were frozen in place.
These insects were not ordinary poisonous insects; their shells were jet black and shiny, reflecting a metallic cold light in the dim light of the medicinal garden.
Upon closer inspection, the patterns on the carapace faintly form some kind of incomprehensible runes.
What alarmed him even more was that, despite the pressure from the Azure Spirit Nascent Soul level, these insects were not directly crushed.
It was simply pressed down and unable to move, which shows how tough its carapace defense is and how tenacious its vitality is.
"What kind of insect is this?" Chen Xu's mind raced.
The Mysterious Realm is a fragment of space left over from ancient times. Even seemingly insignificant beetles nurtured within it may possess extraordinary characteristics.
These insects have amazing defensive capabilities; if we could subdue them and use them for our own purposes…
With a slight thought, Chen Xu took out a beast-taming ring.
An invisible suction force precisely enveloped the hundreds of strange beetles on the ground that were being held down by the Azure Spirit's oppressive power.
The beetles were instantly swept into a tiny vortex and disappeared from their original spot, all disappearing into the Beast Taming Ring.
With the crisis temporarily averted, Chen Xu turned his gaze back to this vibrant ancient medicinal garden.
He dared not be careless, and remained highly vigilant with Qingling, exploring cautiously.
"There's something unusual about the spiritual energy fluctuations ahead," Qingling suddenly said.
Following Qingling's guidance, the two passed through a grove of vines and arrived deep in the herb garden.
In the center of a relatively open area, there stood a dilapidated stone tablet.
The stone tablet is inscribed with several ancient characters that have long since become blurred, exuding a desolate and ancient aura.
Behind the stone tablet, the space presents a strange, distorted state.
A layer of restrictions, even more solid than the surrounding purple halo, firmly sealed off this distorted space.
"A spatial node...could it be the entrance to an ancient cultivator's cave?" Chen Xu wondered to himself.
The aura of this dark gold barrier is extremely ancient and powerful, far surpassing the protection of the outer herb garden.
The oppressive aura emanating from the flowing runes on it caused even Qingling to furrow her brows slightly.