Longzang

Chapter 642 Harvest (Part 2)

As soon as they entered the herb garden, Master Chuhe's voice rang out: "Hmm? This smell... it's like Youying Grass, but something's not right! Let's go take a look!"

Wei Yuan remained calm and first looked around at his surroundings.

The herb garden wasn't large, but it was extremely exquisite. The garden was neatly divided into nine sections, each several tens of acres in size.

Each area is planted with a herb that resembles rice grains, its seeds like pearls, radiating a soft glow. The growth rate of the herb varies from area to area, suggesting that it is harvested in sections.

The central medicinal field possessed the most concentrated spiritual energy, so much so that wisps of black mist constantly rose from the ground. This medicinal field covered approximately several dozen acres, with only one herb planted on each acre.

These dozens of medicinal herbs are already over ten feet tall, with thick branches and trunks, resembling small trees. The fruits they bear are each the size of a bowl, and their shimmering light illuminates the surroundings, creating a dreamlike scene.

With a hint of pride, Wu Li said, "This entire medicinal garden is planted with Netherworld Grass. This grass condenses the essence of the Netherworld, making it a truly rare and precious Yin medicine. The surrounding eight areas are harvested in rotation, one area every twenty years."

The plants in the central area were planted when the medicinal garden was established, and have been there for over four hundred years. Built atop the source of a secluded spring, and further enhanced by a powerful spiritual array, their growth rate is seven times faster than outside. Therefore, these dozens of Youying Grass plants are nearly three thousand years old!

The old Taoist priest immediately said, "This herb is destined to be with me!"

Sun Yu chimed in, "When reading at night, this grass is perfect for serving as a lamp!"

Xu Henshui also chimed in, "It bears a striking resemblance to my own Dharma form!"

Wei Yuan went to great lengths to appease his fellow disciples, promising each of them two plants. Then he gave Chuhe Zhenren ten plants as a special favor.

The herbal medicine Master Chuhe didn't want it for his own use, but rather to cultivate it. If a spiritual herb is nurtured long enough, it will appear in the Master Chuhe's mental world, adding some spirituality to the old Taoist.

Wu Li, of course, was unaware that the cultivators inside the umbrella had already divided up the thousand-year-old spiritual plants. She then led Wei Yuan to several other herb gardens. The herb gardens were planted with a wide variety of herbs, of varying quality, but each garden also had a few thousand-year-old herbs.

After touring the herb garden, Wei Yuan asked, "Since your master had already made arrangements, why didn't he take these spiritual herbs with him?"

Wu Li replied, "Transplanting is almost the same as cutting. The master has been with these herbs for hundreds of years and couldn't bear to see them damaged, so he left them here and left it to fate."

"What level would that herb garden, with its sevenfold growth rate, be considered in the Netherworld?"

Wu Li said, "The owner has always been quite proud of it, and he always talks about it with a smile, so it must be a very good one."

Wei Yuan nodded, his expression calm, without saying much.

After visiting the herb garden, the group headed to the warehouse. Most of the warehouse was empty, containing only some low-value, large, and heavy materials. Uncle Li had already taken all the valuables from the warehouse; what remained were the materials still growing in the cultivation room and the herb garden.

The last stop was the Institute of Economics.

This is where Shu Li stores and collects various scriptures and classics; it's quite a large place. When Wei Yuan went inside, he saw that most of the books on the shelves were still there, but the bookshelves in the innermost cultivation area had been emptied.

The bookshelves here were exceptionally tall, with four shelves in each row, each shelf five feet high. The books on them were mostly made of animal hide and bone, some as tall as four feet and others just over two feet. Walking among them, Wei Yuan felt as small as a kitten.

As Wei Yuan walked past a bookshelf, one, two, three, four, and even five or six Foundation Establishment warriors suddenly appeared behind him. By the time Wei Yuan rounded the bookshelf, dozens of Foundation Establishment warriors had appeared behind him.

They each stood in front of a row of bookshelves, picked up a book, and began to read it carefully.

Shuli has collected hundreds of years' worth of ancient books, which must contain a lot of useful knowledge. Wei Yuan plans to store them in the Human World first, and then slowly organize and analyze them later.

However, the cultivation materials of Shuli's own lineage have all disappeared. Some time ago, he had already taken all these classics and sent them to the real world.

Wei Yuan suddenly noticed a book on the desk, open on a certain page, seemingly having just been read. Wei Yuan sat down at the desk; the chair was exceptionally wide, large enough for three Wei Yuans to sit side by side, clearly the place where Shu Li usually sat.

However, sitting in Shu Li's chair, Wei Yuan's head was level with the desk, making it impossible for him to read. Without moving, a faint red sword aura flashed, severing all four legs of the desk. The desk instantly dropped two feet, just enough for Wei Yuan to see the book.

However, the book on the desk was three feet tall and one and a half feet wide, making it still very inconvenient to read.

Wei Yuan sat still, and the book automatically stood in front of him and opened its cover.

Wu Li stood to the side, his attitude becoming increasingly cautious. This new master didn't seem easy to deal with.

The book's cover is made of the hide of an unknown mythical beast, about half an inch thick, and feels cool to the touch, making it very comfortable. The pages inside are almost transparent, made of an extremely strange material, and you can even see some veins and fibrous patterns.

Wei Yuan felt that the material of the book pages looked very familiar. After thinking for a moment, he remembered its origin: it was made from the wings of a demon fly.

As Wei Yuan probed with his divine sense, the image of a demonic fly appeared on the page. Then it flew out of the page and hovered and danced above.

Large swaths of Wu Clan script appeared on the pages: Demon Flies, originally nonexistent in this world, were born from the erosion of this world by the Qi of the Abyss, and are not sentient beings. These creatures prefer to live in groups, feeding on ghostly and spiritual energy; wherever they pass, all things perish.

The wings of this creature can be detached and refined into various magical artifacts, best suited for making books, which can be preserved for a thousand years without decay. Its abdomen is entirely filled with poison, which can be used to concoct poisons. Its mandibles are incredibly hard, capable of shattering metal and stone; after polishing, they can be made into the tips of heavy arrows. Its legs are useless, but if collected in sufficient quantities, they can be refined into a magical shell-like structure to ward off fly plagues.

After the demon fly, there is another demonic creature resembling a centipede. The book also details its origin and focuses on the uses of its various body parts.

Wei Yuan read quietly, and before he knew it, an hour had passed. The book contained records of all kinds of demons and monsters in the Netherworld, and most of them also included instructions on how to use them.

The cultivators of Taichu Palace also extended their divine senses from the umbrella, watching intently.

Finally, Wei Yuan turned to the last page, still feeling somewhat unsatisfied. Through this book, he gained a deeper understanding of the Netherworld and also learned the difference between demons and monsters.

According to the classification in this book, demons are beings that naturally arise in the Netherworld. This is true not only in the Netherworld, but also in the Desolate Realm and the Wind Realm. Monsters, on the other hand, are formed from the aura that seeps into the Netherworld through the erosion of the Heavenly Abyss.

Demons are incredibly diverse and lack the ability to reproduce. Most prefer devouring and destroying, and are impossible to communicate with. The author of this book believes that many demons are similar to puppets that can act automatically, and are not true living beings, but when refined, they share many similarities with living beings.

Tianyuan?

Wei Yuan searched his memory and realized he had never heard of such a place. But from what the book described, it seemed to be an extremely terrifying world, where mere exposure to its aura gave rise to terrifying monsters like the Demon Flies, capable of causing natural disasters.

After finishing the book, Wei Yuan felt inexplicably heavy-hearted, with an indescribable sense of oppression. Clearly, Shu Li had intentionally placed this book here for him to read.

Considering the arrangements Shu Li had already made, Wei Yuan felt increasingly uneasy. He turned to Wu Li and asked, "Is there anything your master wants you to tell me?"

Wu Li said, "My master said that you have many hidden tricks up your sleeve. With his current strength, he definitely can't stop you, so he might as well hand everything here over to you."

Wei Yuan's unease grew stronger.

At this moment, a layer of azure light appeared, passing over Wei Yuan and Wu Li, and continuing to spread into the distance. This was a newly created realm, which had expanded to this place, covering the main hall and replacing Shu Li's kingdom.

The spiritual core of the kingdom began to dissipate, and the power of the kingdoms in various places gradually degenerated into primitive ghostly power, returning to the ghostly realm.

Wu Li suddenly shivered, her eyes and expression changing slightly. She said to Wei Yuan, "My master's kingdom has been destroyed, and the restrictions he placed on me have also disappeared. I just remembered that there is one extremely important place I haven't taken you to see. It is very, very... important."

For some reason, Wei Yuan suddenly felt that Wu Li's smile was strange and twisted.

But Wei Yuan remained calm on the surface and said indifferently, "Tell me where it is."

"Tianyuan".

(End of this chapter)