Chapter 731 - Xiaobai's New Divine Skill

flung her arms and started running.She only managed to take five or six steps before feeling a heavy pressure pulling on her legs, causing her to collapse onto the barren land with a thump.Hao Ren co...Chapter 731: Xiao Bai's New Divine Ability

Since there are only seven sects in the Seventh Heaven, each sect has a considerable territorial range.

The mountains that Hao Ren and his group just passed through actually belong to the Xuan Yin Sect’s territory. However, those places do not prohibit other sects’ cultivators from passing through. The current area is within the "management zone" of the Xuan Yin Sect—only cultivators of the Xuan Yin Sect are allowed entry.

"Our Tian Shan Sect has the closest relationship with the Xuan Yin Sect in the Seventh Heaven. I’ve been to the Seventh Heaven several times and this place called Niu Tou Mountain is where the Xuan Yin Sect’s spirit fields are located," Ling Wu, the Ancestor added.

“Mm.” Hao Ren nodded as he released a faint sword qi to test the situation ahead of the barrier while carefully flying over the mountain peak.

In a large plain enclosed by a series of mountains, countless spirit grasses were planted in variously colored plots!

Houses built along the mountainsides are densely packed in some areas and sparsely distributed in others. They’re roughly equivalent to the scale of sects in the Sixth Heaven.

"Is Xuan Yin Sect that large" Hao Ren asked.

“Esteemed ancestor has misunderstood, this place is merely a branch division of the Xuan Yin Sect called Niu Tou Mountain and not their main headquarters,” Ling Wu, the Ancestor explained softly. "The core headquarters of the Xuan Yin Sect is still quite a distance away from here."

Hearing him speak like that, Hao Ren understood. The Xuan Yin Sect in the Seventh Heaven was akin to a “commercial conglomerate” with its “headquarters” as the center and various “branches” dispersed around.

This place is merely one of their spirit field bases; it might be just one among several such bases they have in the Seventh Heaven. Since the Tian Shan Sect specializes in cultivating spirit grasses, regularly contributing them, they are more familiar with this area.

It’s precisely because this spirit field is far from the headquarters of the Xuan Yin Sect that Ling Wu dared to take the risk and accompany him here to steal medicine.

Hao Ren sat on Xiao Bai's back, hovering over the mountain peak while looking at the spirit fields below the mountain in the distance.

This branch division of the Xuan Yin Sect, which is equivalent in scale to a sect in the Sixth Heaven, also has quite a number of cultivators. On one hand, these cultivators are here for cultivation purposes; on the other hand, they guard the spirit fields against disturbances from the six other sects.

In reality, the Xuan Yin Sect is actually the weakest among all Seventh Heaven sects when it comes to cultivating spirit grasses, which is why they have the Sixth Heaven's Tian Shan Sect cultivate them on their behalf and pay regular tribute.

The Tian Shan Sect then entrusts simpler and lower-level spirit grasses to be planted by affiliated sects in the Fifth Heaven, such as those from the White Sand Sect of the Fifth Heaven.

In reality, the Tian Shan Sect is not entirely willing to do these things for the Xuan Yin Sect and other Seventh Heaven sects. However, competition in the Sixth Heaven is also fierce, and to stand firm there one must have connections in the Seventh Heaven.

"Which one is the black grass" Hao Ren asked his companion Lu Li-li.

“It’s that type with five branches shaped like plum blossoms, the very top has a small green ball, and its leaves are white,” said Lu Li-li while pointing at one plot of spirit fields.

Ling Wu was about to answer Hao Ren but he was slightly surprised when seeing how knowledgeable Lu Li-li is in recognizing spirit grasses.

Hao Ren thought the black grass would be a dark-colored herb, only to discover that its exterior was white and green.

"The growth environment for Black Medicine is very demanding. It's normal that it can't be cultivated in the Sixth Heavens; it needs to grow in a place with extremely rich spiritual energy, and no other spirit herbs can grow around where it grows. So it’s simple to judge its age— if there are no other plants growing around it even other Black Medicine, then these would be some of the strongest ones." Lu Lili continued.

Hao Ren followed her delicate fingers' direction and indeed saw a few white spirit herbs with emerald green spheres, isolated in a field of spirit crops, swaying their heavy "green heads" in the wind.

The Patriarch of Spirit Martial was secretly impressed; he had always thought that his Heavenly Mountain Sect excelled at cultivating spirit herbs, but now he realized even the two personal maidservants of Medicine King Patriarch possessed such knowledge.

However, upon further consideration, Hao Ren reasoned that since Medicine King Patriarch was skilled in alchemy, it would make sense for him to have someone talented in identifying medicinal plants around him.

"Little White, did you hear all of this" Suddenly, Hao Ren lowered his head and pulled on Little White's ear.

Since he returned from the Nine Dragons Palace, he had noticed that Little White’s intelligence seemed to have improved again. So it should be able to understand roughly what Lu sisters said.

Little White chirped repeatedly as it shrunk into a ball about the size of a palm and frolicked around Hao Ren like a fluffy snowball.

"Stop pretending!" Hao Ren tapped Little White's head, immediately making it compliant.

"Steal those highest grade ones for me," Hao Ren instructed Little White.

Little White made pitiful sounds and finally conceded defeat.

"As long as you succeed in getting them, I’ll let you eat as much medicine pills as you want." Hao Ren said, then tapped Little White's rear end.

Almost instantly, Little White rolled down the hillside.

The Patriarch of Spirit Martial was surprised to see Hao Ren sending a spirit beast on an herb-stealing mission.

This fifth-tier Snow Lion had almost as much intelligence as a sixth-tier Snow Lion, Jiti! And when it came to courage, it was even more remarkable!

Stealing herbs from sects in the Seventh Heavens would probably make Jiti hesitant to try, but this fifth-tier Snow Lion did not hesitate at all!

"Linlin and Lily, help me keep a lookout," Hao Ren instructed.

"Yes! Young Master!" Lu Liling and Lu Lili sat cross-legged on either side of Hao Ren.

"Senior Martial Spirit, please be more alert to the surroundings." Hao Ren added.

“Hmm…” The Patriarch of Spirit Martial nodded heavily; this was all he could do at present.

The proud patriarch of Heavenly Mountain Sect was actually serving as a lookout for an herb thief. Jiti shrank into the size of a squirrel and stood on the Patriarch's shoulder, concealing its presence while also being vigilant.

The Patriarch’s cultivation level was merely Core Formation stage, unlikely to attract much attention in the Seventh Heavens; furthermore, Jiti’s stealth technique helped him remain hidden.

But when he looked at Hao Ren again, he found that the two female cultivators by Hao Ren’s side were controlling two floating rings around him, completely concealing all traces!

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Hao Ren released dozens of sword beams, chasing in front of Little White to probe the barrier for her.

Little White ran up and down the slope like an inconspicuous little rabbit. But when Lingwu Ancestor was focusing on it, he suddenly discovered… The fifth-stage snow lion, Little White had vanished!

The advanced spiritual technique of a snow lion—Stealth!

Lingwu Ancestor was so startled that he even held his breath. Spiritual beasts would unlock some instinctive spiritual techniques as they ascended in levels and awakened their beastly bloodline, for example, the sixth-stage Jitian had ice and fire attack abilities, and could also intimidate a Nascent Soul cultivator with its "Lion Roar." But how did this fifth-stage snow lion possess the stealth technique that only appeared at the sixth stage!

Spiritual beasts capable of such spiritual techniques could instantly hide their figures and conceal their aura. In battle, they were almost invincible! Unless one had extremely high spiritual awareness, it was impossible to sense a hidden spiritual beast nearby.

Hao Ren also felt slightly surprised when he saw Little White suddenly disappear.

Since Little White had activated the ice and fire attack spells, she hadn’t displayed any other techniques. He didn’t expect that this creature still possessed an invisibility technique at fifth stage!

If not for his mental connection with it, Hao Ren wouldn’t have been able to pinpoint its exact location!

A snow lion of the fifth stage had the power equivalent to a Nascent Soul cultivator in the middle phase. If it also possessed such an invisibility technique, wasn’t that making it invincible

Hum… In front of the invisible Little White appeared a fine ripple. This was Hao Ren’s weak sword beam reacting with the barrier set up by Xuan Yin Sect.

A breakthrough talisman shot out from Hao Ren’s hand and floated steadily towards the barrier, hugging the ground.

Pop!

The barrier emitted a slight crackle and formed a small breach. The invisible Little White took this chance to slip in.

The coordination was impeccable.

Lingwu Ancestor stared wide-eyed with astonishment. If he hadn’t been focusing on the direction of the Black Medicine Spiritual Field, he wouldn’t have noticed the slight disturbance occurring within the space where the barrier had been set up.

More faint sword beams accompanied Little White over and there was another barrier next to the large spiritual field.

Hao Ren followed the gap in the first barrier with another breakthrough talisman, easily opening up the second barrier.

The breakthrough talisman could break through any array formation regardless of how it was set up. And being able to send the talisman along the ground was something only Hao Ren, who controlled sword beams, could do.

Lingwu Ancestor’s heart tightened when he saw that Hao Ren had remotely broken through the second barrier. This Medicine King ancestor was really formidable!

The cultivators of the Mysterious Sound Sect in the caves on nearby hills were completely unaware.

In no time at all, Little White had reached the edge of the Spirit Field of Black Medicine.

Hum!

A small patch of red light lit up as Hao Ren's third Dimensional Crossing Talisman easily broke through the third layer of barriers.

Little White ran in and finally couldn’t contain its demon power any longer. It transformed back into a little puppy, seized a solitary ten-thousand-year-old Black Medicine plant, extended two front paws, and started digging furiously.

Luckily, it was small enough that the cultivators of the Mysterious Sound Sect on the hills wouldn’t notice an animal sneaking into such a vast Spirit Field.

Little White pulled out a ten-thousand-year-old Black Medicine plant and bit down on it. Then, he ran towards another ten-thousand-year-old Black Medicine plant in the center of another Spirit Field.

Following the same method, Little White quickly dug up another one.

It didn’t dare to eat the ten-thousand-year-old Black Medicine that Hao Ren needed, but it still couldn’t resist taking a few bites out of the nearby thousand-year-old Black Medicine. The dense spiritual energy made its entire body feel comfortable.

Ten-thousand-year-old Black Medicine was one of the highest-tier sixth-level spirit herbs in today’s world of cultivation. Only sects with seven layers of heavens had both the qualifications and conditions to plant them on a large scale, but not all sixth-level spirit herbs could be cultivated. It just happened that the Mysterious Sound Sect had such a Spirit Field suitable for Black Medicine's growth, which did indeed cultivate several ten-thousand-year-old Black Medicine plants.

Little White dug up five in an instant, and its tiny mouth was almost full. But it still wanted to dig out one more, so it ran deeper into the field, and pulled out another ten-thousand-year-old Black Medicine plant with just a few moves.

The Mysterious Sound Sect’s most precious spirit herb had been dug up by Little White in an instant!

Right as Little White was about to restore its spiritual energy and hide itself to return, the ten-thousand-year-old Black Medicine plant it pulled out suddenly triggered a mechanism!

The roots of this ten-thousand-year-old Black Medicine were connected to a thin wire!

Bang!

A golden cage dropped down from the sky.

Little White, holding six ten-thousand-year-old Black Medicine plants, tried to escape but bumped into the edge of this golden cage. A crackling lightning appeared, shocking Little White out of its invisibility!

Hao Ren didn’t expect that his efforts would be in vain; not only did the Mysterious Sound Sect set up formations, they also set up traps!

Seeing the cultivators on the hills suddenly stirred and flying towards the direction of the Black Medicine Spirit Field, Hao Ren had no hesitation. He flapped his wings and flew over as well!

(To be continued) hadn’t yet closed, breaking through a space with their impact and rotation—Dragon Break Slash!Xiaobai, who had been hanging out with Zhen Cunming all day long, had also picked up some cleverness; it...