Chapter 637: Joining the Mysterious Peak?
fused."I’m going to Af Zi’s house. Uncle Zhao wants to show me around somewhere today," replied Hao Ren.“Oh, okay.” Hao Zhonghua munched on his bread without further questioning.In a way, Hao Zhonghua...Chapter 637: Joining the Ethereal Peak
Duan Yao, holding onto Little White's fur, entered the Ethereal Peak and saw several well-fed snow lion cubs rolling around on the ground. The Heaven-Defying Divine Treasure Golden Light Shield was circling around in the valley, while Hao Ren and three beautiful ladies were barefootedly busy in the spiritual fields.
Little White put Duan Yao down on the ground; at that moment, the Golden Light Shield, which had been aimlessly circling, shot a beam of golden light towards Little White's rear end.
In response, Little White leaped suddenly and flew over to battle with the Golden Light Shield.
Standing in confusion within the valley, Duan Yao didn't see the legendary Medicine King Ancestor anywhere. She was at a loss as to what to do next.
She looked at the three beautiful ladies by Hao Ren's side and realized that none of them were Zhao Yanzǐ; this left her feeling even more bewildered.
Zhen Cōngmíng, on his black disc, rose and fell in various corners of the valley, marking out different areas.
There are indeed similarities between array formation studies and architectural engineering; both require constructing a structure. Zhen Cōngmíng's examination of the terrain and feng shui was for preparing to rebuild an extensive array.
Seeing that everyone was busy with their own tasks, and not seeing the Medicine King Ancestor at all, Duan Yao, who had come here with a resolve to die, looked around helplessly, unsure of what to do next.
"Come over!" Hao Ren, standing in the spiritual fields, stood up and waved her over.
With gritted teeth, Duan Yao walked over.
She wanted to die alongside Hao Ren, but all the hidden daggers she had been carrying were confiscated when she was imprisoned on the Cliff of Reflection. Now completely defenseless, even with just her bare fists, she couldn't stand a chance against Hao Ren.
Lù Línlín and Lù Lǐlǐ watched Duan Yao with somewhat wary eyes.
Xie Yujia looked at her with some sympathy.
The Ethereal Peak had been ravaged by the previous battle, but due to Hao Ren and Xie Yujia's clean-up efforts, it was now tidier than before.
Hao Ren sized up Duan Yao from head to toe. He noticed tear marks on her face and two dark purple bruises on her wrist peeking out of the sleeve, with some skin peeled off, indicating that she had probably broken a bone.
The Heavenly Mountain Sect is really quite ruthless, Hao Ren thought.
"Yujia, give her two antidote pills," said Hao Ren.
“Alright!” Yujia also noticed the shocking injuries on Duan Yao’s wrist. Considering that Duan Yao was around the same age as Zhao Yanzǐ, she felt a bit sympathetic towards her.
She retrieved two medicinal pills from her Sumeru Ring and tossed them to Duan Yao with moderate force.
However, Duan Yao looked at these flying fourth-grade medicinal pills and raised her right hand, snapping them open in mid-air.
Two precious fourth-grade pills dropped into the muddy paddy field.
Duan Yao pouted, "I don't want your charity!"
"Barking at Lu Dongbin..." The Lan sisters frowned and were about to flare up when Hao Ren raised his hand to stop them.
Xie Yujia helplessly shook her head. This little girl's temper really wasn’t any weaker than Zhao Zhanzi’s.
"There is almost half a mu left. You can handle it." Hao Ren led the Lan sisters out of the paddy field and said to Duan Yao.
Duan Yao glared with her eyes, unable to suppress her anger towards Hao Ren.
"Yujia, you don’t need to work anymore. Let her do it." Hao Ren then spoke to Xie Yujia.
Xie Yujia hesitated for half a second before nodding and lifting her milky white legs out of the field.
She hadn’t sorted through the spirit herbs sent by the two sects, and she had also used up all her soul-releasing talismans and needed to draw more.
Beyond the valley, cultivators from various sects flew about as if Mystic Peak were a hub station.
Seeing Qingcheng Sect’s Old Ancestor Susun and Chuxiong Sect’s Old Ancestor Man Niu recover their Core Formation Realm, all the other six-layered heaven sects worked tirelessly to search for the spirit herbs mentioned by Xie Yujia.
In a situation where all the Core Formation Realm cultivators’ realms were sealed off, whoever could first break the talismans would be equivalent to having an additional absolute power compared to other sects.
And if other sects couldn’t find the spirit herbs and their ancestors couldn’t recover their realms, it meant that the six-layered heaven’s hierarchy needed a complete reshuffle!
Duan Yao looked up at the cultivators outside before gritting her teeth. With tears welling in her eyes, she jumped into the paddy field with a splash.
Her hands had turned blue and purple from the Ice-Fire Shackles’ continuous sealing over several days, but when her father abandoned her on Mystic Peak, she already had no choice left.
She was no longer the only daughter of Tian Shan Sect’s sect master or its brightest star; all her former pride was gone!
As Duan Yao cried and reached into the paddy to pick up stones, moving them to the side, over these past ten years, she had only been tasked with cultivation. Nothing else required her personal effort.
In Tian Shan Sect, tasks like cultivating spirit fields were done by the sect’s lowest-level disciples; how could they have reached her
Her blue and purple hands stung fiercely when soaked in water.
Hao Ren stood at the edge of the field watching as she did these things. The Lan sisters stood beside Hao Ren, not saying a word.
Duan Yao thought about how Tian Shan Sect had abandoned her and cried like a little tearful child. When her eyes met Hao Ren’s icy gaze, she swallowed back her tears.
"Grand Elder Wang Dong of the Heavenly Mountain Sect requests an audience with Ancestor Medicine King!" A powerful voice resounded outside the valley.
Duan Yao straightened her sore back and looked in the direction of the valley entrance.
Father really can't bear to part with me; he must have Grand Elder Wang send someone to take me back!
"The Heavenly Mountain Sect respectfully offers three ten-thousand-year Golden Hammer herbs! We humbly request Ancestor Medicine King to grant us a talisman!" The voice of the Heavenly Mountain Sect's Grand Elder followed.
"Heavenly Mountain Sect," Hao Ren channeled his spirit energy, "the Heavenly Mountain Sect must offer twice as many!"
"This..." There was a brief moment of hesitation from the Heavenly Mountain Sect's Grand Elder before he quickly replied, "Agreed! As long as Ancestor Medicine King is willing to overlook past grievances, the Heavenly Mountain Sect will do its utmost!"
When Duan Yao heard this, tears began streaming down her face.
The grand elder didn't mention me at all; they've completely abandoned me. What matters now to the Heavenly Mountain Sect is getting hold of those talismans, not whether or not they save Duan Yao!
"Three ten-thousand-year Golden Hammer herbs and three ten-thousand-year Bronze Drum Skin herbs! We humbly request Ancestor Medicine King to grant us one talisman!" The Heavenly Mountain Sect's Grand Elder shouted. His tone was sincere yet slightly anxious.
He had been among the Heavenly Mountain Sect elders who besieged Mysterious Peak in the past, but times have changed. When you need to submit, you must do so; after all, Mysterious Peak’s spirit-reviving talismans hold all six-layer sects hostage!
No matter how bitter the enmity may have been before, one can only beg for mercy now!
"Little White!" Hao Ren called out.
Little White, who was entangled with Golden Shield, retreated into Xie Yujia’s cave and flew back outside with a talisman in his mouth, successfully swapping the six-layer sect herb for the one from Heavenly Mountain Sect. These herbs were still fresh, indicating that Heavenly Mountain Sect truly had deep reserves.
"Thank you, Ancestor Medicine King, for granting us the talisman!" The Heavenly Mountain Sect's Grand Elder received the talisman and left gracefully.
As she heard the grand elder’s voice grow distant, Duan Yao’s expression turned blank. Her red lips were already bitten through by her teeth.
No one cared about her, a mere initial-stage core formation cultivator. In the face of such an overwhelming disparity in power, all that mattered was appeasing Ancestor Medicine King and allowing Heavenly Mountain Sect to continue its existence.
Even if it meant paying twice as much, Heavenly Mountain Sect would exchange for the Nascent Soul realm.
The moment the Heavenly Mountain Sect’s Grand Elder left, another voice echoed at the valley entrance: "Senior Disciple Liu Heng of Qingcheng Sect offers three ten-thousand-year Fortune Fragrance herbs! Please accept them with a smile!"
Qingcheng Sect had rummaged through their treasure vault and managed to find three more ten-thousand-year Fortune Fragrance herbs, so they quickly sent them over.
All sects were now desperately searching for spirit grasses; who knew whether Ancestor Medicine King might suddenly raise prices If it got up to six spirit grasses per talisman, they would have no choice but to follow Heavenly Mountain Sect's example and grit their teeth to accept it.
The pricing and release rights were all in the hands of Mystic Peak, who completely controlled them.
"Take it!" Hao Ren answered.
Xiao Bai, having just returned to the valley, had to fly out again with the three spiritual herbs. Xie Yujia also finished drawing another talisman, which Xiao Bai then delivered.
"Thank you, Ancestor, for granting this talisman!" Liu Heng of Qingcheng Sect said excitedly.
The eyes of the cultivators from other sects who stayed at the valley entrance turned red. If it weren't on Medicine Master’s territory, they would definitely have tried to seize the talismans by force.
A single talisman capable of restoring a core formation cultivator's cultivation stage could lead two sects into bloody battles!
Therefore, these ancient ancestors who had lost their cultivation stages surrounded Mystic Peak and dared not stay in their own Sixth Tier Heaven sect—If the talismans left Mystic Peak’s territory, they would definitely be intercepted on the way!
It was only because Medicine Master sat in the valley that the sects didn't engage in actual combat. The core formation cultivators who had received and used the talismans also dared not act.
The ancient ancestors who hadn’t regained their cultivation stages didn’t dare to leave Mystic Peak’s territory either—Some of them had already recovered, while they still hadn’t; if they left this area, it would be certain death at the hands of those whose cultivation stages had been restored!
Once Liu Heng of Qingcheng Sect received the talisman, the cultivators from various sects standing near the valley entrance quickly flew to their own camps to report the latest developments.
With some ancient ancestors recovering their cultivation stages and others still at the core formation stage, the atmosphere around Mystic Peak grew increasingly tense.
A few talismans that Xie Yujia could draw on a whim made these Sixth Tier Heaven sects work as hard as they possibly could to dig up every treasure house and dangerous location rich in spiritual herbs!
"OK!" Zhen Cunming flew around and, landing next to Hao Ren on the black round disk, said, "I've already marked everything. If you can find me 15 core formation cultivators willing to work for you, plus 150 core formation-stage disciples and 1,500 foundation establishment-stage disciples, I'll help you rebuild the array!"
He had skipped class to come here and was anxious to get back.
Hao Ren smiled slightly and pulled out all the Spirit Qi in his body before shouting, "For the next hour, four grade six spiritual herbs will be exchanged for one talisman!"
Knowing that drawing a talisman also consumed Spirit Qi, he decisively raised the price!
The cultivators outside who were trying to get information paled when they heard Hao Ren’s words. At this rate of price increase, those who found spiritual herbs later would be at a huge disadvantage!
What was already an extremely tense atmosphere became even more so; the participants were now digging up every inch of ground in their search for spiritual herbs to hand over to Mystic Peak as soon as possible.
"If core formation cultivators are willing to trade away one hundred years of cultivation experience, they will also be given a talisman," Hao Ren paused and continued shouting.
(To be continued)s slightly stunned, 1280 sword beams had already tightly surrounded him."Uncle Three is amazing!" Hao Ren hurriedly said."Hahaha..." Zhao Kuo burst out laughing. All the sword beams rapidly shrunk and...