Chapter 120: The Great Elixir

When they emerged, it was already late at night. Looking up at the sky filled with stars, Xiao Qi sighed with emotion, "Why does this feel like escaping death?"

The exploration of the grand tomb had been a journey through life and death, yet the insight into the true nature of humanity was far more shocking than the dangers themselves. The condescending attitude of those powerful cultivators was deeply etched into Xiao Qi's mind. Although those people had been wiped out by the even more formidable Brother Yue, Xiao Qi still felt the lingering terror of being dominated by the cultivation world.

In the past, he had never wanted to leave the mortal world. How beautiful this vibrant world was! While immortality sounded wonderful, how many in this world could truly embark on that endless path? Only after witnessing the arrogant postures of those cultivators did he realize that even in the mortal world, safety was not guaranteed. Cultivators... were capable of entering the human realm. To them, the mortals of this world were not their kind; they were merely ants.

Only by constantly growing stronger, like Song Yue, could one have a chance to hold their destiny in their own hands. Otherwise, when danger struck, one could only be a burden, cannon fodder, or forced into a humiliating escape.

He looked at Song Yue and said, "Brother, I’ve decided. I’m going back into seclusion to study that page of scripture. I want to become stronger! Before I go, I’ll head back with you so the two sisters-in-law can study it too."

You don't have a single sister-in-law! Song Yue lacked the energy to argue. Let him say whatever he wanted; as long as he was happy.

In the distance, the Red Bird flapped its wings and flew over. Song Yue took Xiao Qi into the stele space, and the two were carried by the Red Bird back to the residential complex where Song Yue lived. Qian Qianxue and Wen Rou were both waiting at home. Xiao Qi took out the scripture and allowed them both to study it. Qian Qianxue took it for a moment before returning it, dropping a comment about going into seclusion, and turning back to her room. Wen Rou studied it for a slightly longer time, then also returned it, saying she needed seclusion to contemplate it carefully, and retreated to her room as well.

Xiao Qi didn't know how much they had remembered, but he needed to return to his own seclusion to cultivate. Before leaving, he told Song Yue, "If they didn't memorize it completely, leave me a message. When I come out of seclusion, I'll bring the scripture back!"

Song Yue replied, "You can keep it for your own family."

Xiao Qi said earnestly, "This is a scripture we earned together; we should prioritize our own circle first!" With that, he took his leave.

Song Yue then called Sun Tong, using a communication method outside the Management Department’s system, and briefly explained the situation. Sun Tong was shocked and verified the truth of the matter with Song Yue multiple times. Finally, he sighed and told Song Yue not to speak of this to anyone else, promising to handle the rest. Song Yue could imagine that the entire Management Department system would likely suffer a massive earthquake, just like the Chinese cultivation world had before. Many would be purged, and many others would be held to account.

After hanging up, Song Yue visited the Master’s house to see Old Peony. When he left last time, he thought he wouldn't be back for a long time, but he hadn't expected to return in just a few days. He told Old Peony about encountering the disciples of the Jade Cauldron Sect. Old Peony was surprised and said, "If that’s the case, it means they’ve discovered the theft from the medicinal garden. It’s fortunate you killed them all, but this matter... I’m afraid it won't end easily. Whether it’s the death of their disciples or the theft of the garden, they will pursue it."

Song Yue asked, "Since that’s the case, why should I leave the other great medicines in the garden?"

Old Peony seemed to understand what Song Yue was planning and warned him urgently, "Losing some medicines at the 'Connection' level is one thing—large sects may not value them too highly. But if you lose medicines of a higher tier, it will truly be a fight to the death! And don't ever doubt their means; they definitely have the ability to track you down!"

Song Yue indicated he understood, then smiled, "It’s not that I want to be in a life-or-death struggle with them, but the reality is that they won't let me go."

Old Peony was speechless, thinking to himself that no one else could stir up as much trouble as Song Yue—going to explore an ancient tomb and stumbling upon their people? And not only that, but he had wiped them out entirely... Any sect in the world would refuse to let that slide! In the eyes of cultivators, concepts like right and wrong, black and white, good and evil, were important, but not *that* important. For instance, regarding this matter, none of the great masters within the Jade Cauldron Sect would bother to reason with him. Once they traced it to him, they would simply send people to kill him.

"How about... I go with you!" Old Peony sighed and made a silent decision.

Song Yue was stunned. "You’re coming with me?"

Old Peony said, "Do you think high-tier medicinal herbs are like radishes and cabbage in a field, just waiting for you to dig them up?"

Song Yue replied, "Aren't they?"

Old Peony couldn't be bothered to argue. "Open the door and let me in; you'll see when we get there!"

Using the array disc left behind, Song Yue took Old Peony and instantly arrived at that Western secret realm again.

Returning to the place, they were familiar with the path and quickly found the location of the medicinal garden. Upon entering, both Song Yue and Old Peony were dumbfounded. The places where large numbers of sealed medicinal herbs had been growing were now almost completely empty! Only in the deepest part of the garden remained a few herbs, isolated and sealed by terrifying magical arrays.

Old Peony sighed, "Do you see? Once they realized the theft, they immediately transferred the original herbs away! They even dug up the medicinal soil." The soil where great herbs grew was unique, known as "medicinal earth," and the soil beneath top-tier herbs often contained immense medicinal properties itself.

Song Yue felt a pang of regret and sighed, "If I had known, I should have come here sooner." He looked at the few remaining herbs of clearly superior grade in the depths and asked Old Peony, "Why weren't those dug up?"

Old Peony explained, "That is why I came with you. This garden didn't belong to the Jade Cauldron Sect in the first place; they only discovered it long ago and occupied it. They couldn't break all the seals on these herbs, especially the most powerful ones..." Old Peony pointed a branch toward the back of the garden. "The disciples of the cultivation sects who are able to enter the human realm lack the ability to break those seals. Even if they wanted to use force, they had no opportunity."

"Can you break them?" Song Yue asked, looking at Old Peony.

"I cannot, but you can!" Old Peony replied. "However, once broken, those herbs might not be willing to go with you. That is why I came."

Song Yue was speechless. It seemed he still didn't know enough about the vast system of the demon race. Just listening to the legends and stories the Master told him as a child was far from enough.

Old Peony urged him to work quickly, as this place might not be safe. Since the Jade Cauldron Sect realized someone could enter at any time and had already moved the other herbs, they were likely to be vigilant and monitor every move here. Once discovered, even if he could escape, he would be completely exposed under the watchful eyes of a powerful sect. That would be troublesome.

Song Yue began to search for the frequencies of the seals. After mastering the ability to analyze and rearrange energy, his speed at finding the frequencies had increased significantly! In the blink of an eye, he cracked the seal on a medicinal herb that looked as bright as blood and shaped like sea coral. The moment the seal was lifted, the rich medicinal fragrance emitted by the herb nearly caused Song Yue to level up on the spot!

Song Yue was stunned, thinking, *What kind of tier is this herb?* Almost at the exact moment he broke the seal, the coral-like herb rose into the air, attempting to flee through the void.

"Fellow Daoist... slow down," Old Peony called out from the side.

The blood-red herb hovered in mid-air, emitting a mental thought: "Little Peony, why are you calling me to stop?"

*Little Peony?* Song Yue’s mouth twitched. The Old Peony tree, which had lived for thousands of years, was still just a baby in front of this herb?

"Fellow Daoist, you have been locked away for a long time. Now that you are free, where do you intend to go?"

The herb seemed to ponder for a long while before sending a mental fluctuation: "I do not know. I only wish to leave this place."

Old Peony said, "Then why not follow my young master?"

Song Yue: "..." He felt like Old Peony had suddenly turned into a master con-artist; he wasn't quite used to it.

"Young master? This child?" Although it was a plant, Song Yue felt he was being scrutinized. His spiritual power was very strong, and his perception was keen. At that moment, the orchid-like grass rooted in his spiritual sea suddenly swayed gently.

The herb hovering in the air immediately dropped to the ground with a thud, shocked. "What is happening?"

Old Peony was also confused; it didn't know what happened, but it quickly realized this must be one of Song Yue's secrets. It said earnestly, "My young master will not cage and imprison us like those human masters. Even if he needs help from a fellow Daoist, it is an equal exchange. Since you have nowhere better to go, why not try following my young master for a while?"

The Blood Coral was now wary of Song Yue. The energy fluctuation that had just emanated from this young human was enough to make its heart tremble, directly knocking it out of the sky. *Such a human... could he be kind?* It was somewhat suspicious.

"My young master is a Child of Destiny. You, Fellow Daoist, should know about that world—my young master is someone chosen by the existence of that world!" Old Peony continued to bluff.

The Blood Coral responded cautiously, "Many people have been chosen by that world!"

Old Peony laughed, "Young master, open the portal and show Fellow Blood Coral!"

Song Yue silently opened the portal of the Jade Void Heaven-Reaching Stele. A wave of medicinal fragrance wafted out, and through the energy gateway, the lush, verdant landscape inside could be vaguely seen. The Blood Coral quickly engaged in a conversation with the herbs inside—a communication only plants could perceive—before asking Song Yue, "You won't use me to refine pills immediately?"

Song Yue replied, "I will not."

Blood Coral: "..." It felt very uneasy! Because it could sense the meaning behind Song Yue's words—he didn't know how to refine pills!

Old Peony was speechless. "He will find the world's most top-tier medicinal soil for you! And even if he does refine pills, he will only take small branches from you. It is a fair trade, a fair trade!"

The Blood Coral actually wanted to refuse. *Look at what is planted inside this human's little world? A Blue Enchantress tree? That kind of low-grade tree dares to occupy the central area? And those medicinal materials that barely have any spiritual intelligence... they are all too low-grade!* It felt that moving into that little world was not worth it. It didn't believe such a human could find the highest-grade medicinal soil.

At this moment, the orchid-like grass in Song Yue's spiritual sea swayed gently again. The Blood Coral nearly collapsed! *Again!* If it were a human cultivator, these two instances would be enough to make it vomit half a pound of blood!

"I agree!" It no longer hesitated. It felt that if it delayed any longer, it would be killed by that inexplicable, terrifying existence!

Old Peony breathed a sigh of relief. "Fellow Daoist has made the wisest choice!"

Blood Coral: *I just feel like I've been conned. I just hope I won't be used up entirely for alchemy.*

Following this, Song Yue broke the seals on the other few medicinal herbs. Seals that even peak-level Golden Core array masters couldn't crack were not a problem for him. It wasn't that he was so powerful, but that the Master’s techniques were simply too incredible!

These herbs were all different in appearance, each emitting a refreshing fragrance and possessing immense potency. In just this short while, Song Yue felt his strength and spiritual power increase significantly. One herb, similar to a plant in the Gentianaceae family, had broad leaves pressed against the ground and deep blue tubular flowers with a hint of eerie purple. Another was a fungal herb with a pink, pointed cap and a pale stalk; once it entered the stele space and saw the Blood Coral, it admitted they were relatives. Only then did Song Yue realize the Blood Coral was also a fungal herb, belonging to the coral fungi family.

There was also a Holly plant that had lived for who knows how many years, over a meter tall, covered in bright red berries, its leaves tipped with sharp thorns. The moment its seal was broken, it fired a barrage of these leaves at Song Yue like a terrifying storm. But after a gentle sway from the grass in Song Yue's spiritual sea, it was directly subdued.

Harvesting these four herbs, according to Old Peony, they all belonged to the 'Spirit Severing' tier—they were true treasure herbs! Old Peony told Song Yue that even the top experts of the cultivation world would turn green with envy if they saw herbs of this level. Moreover, the correct way to use such high-tier herbs was never to refine them into pills all at once.

"That’s called destruction, not alchemy! No alchemist would ever do that. High-tier herbs are rare; obtaining one is a stroke of immense luck. Who would waste them like that?"

"High-level alchemists only take a small portion of the herb, refining various pills without harming its roots."

"Don't you have a young girl around you who is a talented alchemist? She understands these principles."

Finally, Old Peony remarked that even without its arrival, these herbs would have been hard-pressed to escape Song Yue’s hands. If it hadn't sensed the anomaly in Song Yue initially, after witnessing the reactions of the herbs to him, Old Peony realized that Song Yue possessed a treasure capable of suppressing these plant-based demon clans! As for why it hadn't sensed it, perhaps... it was because it was Song Yue's friend.

Just as Song Yue gathered all the herbs into the stele space and Old Peony followed him in, two figures suddenly sped toward them from the distance. Faster than those two figures were two sharp, flying swords! Seeing this, Song Yue turned and fled. With one step, he left the secret realm, activated his flying disc, and sped away!