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Chapter 225: The Strange Demon Vine in the Herb Garden
Chapter 225: The Strange Demon Vine in the Herb Garden
"Lu Chen, we've arrived at the ancient palace of the blessed land."
Liu Su's pale face lit up as she gazed upon the majestic and imposing ancient palace before them, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"Mhm."
Lu Chen nodded slightly. After emptying the den of the two-headed armadillo-like demon beast, he had made his way straight towards the central region of the blessed land at top speed.
Along the way, he had encountered a few pesky demon beasts, but they were no match for him and were easily dealt with.
As he neared the ancient palace, he unexpectedly ran into Liu Su, and the two decided to travel together for mutual support.
The ancient palace before them was situated right at the heart of the blessed land, and it was the primary objective of countless Sky Sword Sect cultivators who ventured into this realm.
From within its depths, all manner of rare treasures, high-grade magical artifacts, cultivation techniques, and pills would occasionally emerge, and on rare occasions, even fifth-grade treasures could be found.
However, reaching the heart of the ancient palace required navigating through intricate arrays and prohibitions. Ordinary inner sect disciples would find it challenging to pass through these trials unscathed.
Only those with exceptionally wealthy and influential backgrounds and unparalleled talent would receive guidance and gifts of prohibition-breaking artifacts from their elders and masters.
Lu Chen and Liu Su's knowledge of the ancient palace was limited to its location, but they still harbored a glimmer of hope and had come to try their luck.
After all, treasures often found their way into the hands of those destined for them.
Once inside the ancient palace, the two flew swiftly through its vast interior.
The palace was sprawling, and the material used for its floors and walls seemed to resist spiritual sense, making it difficult to discern their composition.
"Herb Garden..."
As they passed by a side palace, Lu Chen couldn't help but pause in his tracks.
On the bronze front gate of the side palace hung a plaque with two ancient-style characters inscribed upon it.
"Lu Chen, do you want to enter the herb garden and take a look?" Liu Su asked, noticing Lu Chen's sudden change in demeanor.
"Yes, I do," Lu Chen replied, his voice steady.
"I want to see what kinds of spiritual plants ancient cultivators might have cultivated," he added, his eyes narrowing in determination.
"I've heard from senior brothers and sisters who have entered this blessed land before that the herb garden contains numerous spiritual plants, some of which are of the third grade," Liu Su said.
"However, it's said that there are also many mutated demon plants within. They appear no different from ordinary spiritual plants, but if a cultivator or demon beast approaches, they will suddenly launch an attack."
"Because it's difficult to distinguish them from regular spiritual plants, many of our sect members have suffered severe injuries in the herb garden. Coupled with the fact that there are third-grade spiritual plants in other areas of the blessed land, it's considered safer to avoid the garden altogether."
"So, over time, fewer and fewer people have ventured into the herb garden." Liu Su finished her explanation.
"Is that so?" Lu Chen murmured, his eyes fixed on the two ancient characters on the plaque.
Something seemed to spark within him, and his eyes flickered with determination. He turned to Liu Su and said, "Liu Su, you know me well."
"I have a deep interest in spiritual plants and beasts, perhaps even surpassing my passion for cultivation. Now that I've come to an herb garden left by ancient cultivators, I must take the opportunity to explore and admire it."
"As for how much opportunity I will gain from it, that's secondary."
"I didn't realize your enthusiasm for cultivating spiritual plants ran so deep, Lu Chen," Liu Su said, a hint of admiration in her voice. "In that case, let's part ways for now. Be careful."
Liu Su had no intention of joining Lu Chen in the ancient herb garden and was more inclined to explore other areas of the ancient palace in search of opportunities. Despite her surprise at Lu Chen's dedication to the path of spiritual plants, she quickly made her decision and bade him farewell.
"Take care, senior sister," Lu Chen said, bowing respectfully to Liu Su before turning and entering the herb garden.
Upon stepping inside, he felt as though he had entered an entirely new realm.
The herb garden was even more expansive than he had imagined, and on the dark gray soil, he could make out the scattered presence of spiritual plants in the distance.
Not all spirit seeds naturally grew into spirit plants, and some withered away, becoming useless.
There were also some spirit seeds, especially those of higher grades, that might enter a dormant state due to their surroundings not meeting the necessary growth conditions or because of improper cultivation methods. Instinctively, they would slowly fall asleep, greatly slowing the loss of vitality within the spirit seed, only to sprout and grow again when the right time came.
The Ghost-Faced Stone Mushroom that Lu Xuan had obtained earlier from a secret realm near Linyangfang City belonged to this category. It was only by using crushed vengeful spirits that he was able to awaken and cultivate the dormant spirit seed.
He entered the herb garden with this idea in mind.
"Ordinary spirit soil, nothing out of the ordinary."
He squatted down, pinching a small clump of ashen-black soil between his fingers, sensing the spiritual energy within, and murmuring to himself.
"That makes sense. If there were any special spirit soil here, it would have been scoured clean by fellow disciples who came before me. It's unlikely that I'd be the one to find anything left behind."
Lu Xuan stood up and ventured deeper into the herb garden.
Along the way, he discovered a few scattered spirit plants, but they were all low-grade varieties, not worth the risk of harvesting.
If he picked them carelessly, he might attract unwanted attention and be ambushed by deceptive Demon Blooms disguised as normal spirit plants.
As Lu Xuan ventured further, the grade and variety of spirit plants improved significantly, sparking his interest, given his familiarity with third-grade spirit plants.
Just as he was about to pluck one, he suddenly sensed violent spiritual energy fluctuations up ahead.
With a thought, Lu Xuan restrained his aura, and his figure, like a wisp of light, swiftly arrived at the source of the disturbance in just a few breaths.
There, he saw three inner sect disciples engaged in a fierce battle with a peculiar spirit plant.
From beneath the ground, tendrils resembling tentacles of blackish-green vines emerged, covered in sharp barbs. They let out piercing, shrill screams, carrying with them a putrid wind as they frenziedly attacked the three cultivators.
The trio worked together seamlessly, and in the blink of an eye, they had easily subdued the bizarre spirit plant.
"Hey there, fellow junior brother, care to join us for a chat?"
As they cleared away the vines, a youth of ordinary appearance called out to Lu Xuan, who was some distance away.
"Greetings, seniors. I'm just passing through and thought I'd see if I could find any spirit plants in this herb garden."
"Are you alone, junior brother?" The youth scanned him with his spiritual sense, a hint of surprise in his voice.
"If you're alone, it's best to be cautious in this herb garden. There are quite a few demon plants here, and they are extremely aggressive. If you're not careful, you might fall into their trap."
Hearing Lu Xuan's affirmative nod, the youth advised.
"Thank you for the warning, senior brother. Is that peculiar spirit plant you just dealt with one of the so-called demon plants?" Lu Xuan asked, his eyes fixed on the strangely shaped spirit plant not far away.
"Indeed. That demon plant is called the Weird Ghost Vine. It disguises itself as a normal spirit plant and ambushes cultivators or demon beasts that try to pluck it," the youth explained patiently.
"The three of us work together. We casually pluck the normal spirit plants we come across, and when we encounter mutated spirit plants trying to ambush us, we join forces to deal with them easily. It's a bit troublesome, but at least we have stable harvests this way."
"So, you're basically stepping on landmines?" Lu Xuan commented silently, bidding farewell to the trio as he continued on his way.
(End of Chapter)
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