I'm in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have one equipment slot!

Chapter 319 Ancient Medicine Garden! Three Great Cultivators Gather! Han Li Comes to Offer Congratulations!

The Valley of Fallen Demons, deep within the inner valley.

The sky here is not the usual azure or overcast, but a perpetual, oppressive dark red.

That was not a natural celestial phenomenon, but rather the spiritual light emanating from a massive restriction set up by ancient cultivators in this place to stabilize space, seal demons, or divide areas.

Over the years, it has reddened the sky, and the air is filled with chaotic spiritual energy and faint spatial fluctuations, making people uneasy.

The valley has a complex terrain, with ravines and strange rocks. Many areas still bear traces of ancient battles and are covered with layers of restrictions, some visible and some hidden.

Here, cultivators cannot fly freely at all. Most areas are protected by powerful anti-flight restrictions, and forcibly flying away will only invite backlash from the restrictions or expose them to more dangers.

Even in the few areas where flight is possible, no one dares to go at full speed.

They didn't even dare to fly too high.

Because in this desolate place that has been repeatedly cut and twisted by ancient restrictions and spatial rifts, there are a large number of "invisible" spatial rifts that are difficult to detect with the naked eye and divine sense!

They are like the sharpest, invisible blades, drifting and shifting at will.

If you accidentally collide with it, you will be instantly cut off and your limbs will be separated; or you will be swallowed by the rift and thrown into the unknown chaotic void.

At that time, even a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator would have little chance of survival without special treasures to protect him or mastery of spatial abilities.

Zhou Yuan followed behind the silver-white Xiao Zi.

Xiao Zi seemed to have returned to her home turf, navigating the perilous spatial rifts and restricted maze with ease.

Its small size makes it exceptionally agile, sometimes squeezing into rock crevices, sometimes passing through seemingly dangerous but actually stable spatial ripples, always finding the safest and fastest path.

Its purple eyes gleamed, seemingly able to "see" spatial weaknesses and safety passages that ordinary people could not perceive.

Following Xiao Zi through a maze of twists and turns, deep into the inner valley, in an inconspicuous corner of the mountain wall ahead, space was slightly distorted, and a narrow crack, only a foot long, with its edges shimmering with unstable gray light, floated quietly there.

From within the crack, a dense, pure spiritual energy, distinct from that of the outside world, faintly leaked out.

"Chirp! Chirp!"

Little Purple flew to the crack, turned around, and excitedly chirped a few times at Zhou Yuan. It pointed its little paw at the crack, then at itself, and then made a gesture as if it wanted to crawl inside.

The meaning is obvious: the master is here! That ancient medicine garden is right behind this crack!

I'll go in first!

A glint flashed in Zhou Yuan's eyes, and he nodded.

His powerful divine sense had already swept over the crack, confirming that although it looked unstable, the fluctuations in the internal space were relatively peaceful. It was not the kind of violent, destructive crack, but more like a "portal" connecting to a stable small space.

Moreover, judging from the information conveyed by Xiao Zi and the spiritual energy leaking from the crack, there is indeed an independent space with abundant spiritual energy inside.

With permission granted, Xiao Zi's figure flickered, transforming into a streak of silver light, and she was the first to enter the narrow spatial rift, disappearing from sight.

Without further hesitation, Zhou Yuan stepped forward. Just as he approached within a few feet of the crack, a gentle suction force suddenly arose within it, not a forceful pull, but more like a "guidance".

He relaxed his resistance, letting the suction envelop his entire body.

The scene before me blurred and spun, and I felt a slight sense of weightlessness. The next moment, my feet were firmly planted on solid ground.

Zhou Yuan swayed slightly, then steadied himself instantly. At the same time, his powerful divine sense and protective spiritual light filled his body as he warily surveyed the unfamiliar space.

The space in front of them was not large, and it was an irregular oval shape, only a few dozen feet long and wide, and only a dozen feet high. You could see the end of it at a glance.

The walls and ceiling of the space were shrouded in a hazy, primordial mist that slowly swirled, separating the inside from the outside and clearly serving as the barrier for this small, independent space.

Inside the space, the scenery was completely different from the dangerous and desolate outside.

The ground is soft, fertile, and dark brown spiritual soil, exuding a faint earthy fragrance and pure earthy spirit.

Although the concentration of spiritual energy here is slightly less than that of the cave where Zhou Yuan's giant spiritual eye spring is located, it far exceeds that of most so-called "blessed lands" in the outside world, so dense that it is almost turning into spiritual mist.

On this sacred land, dozens of medicinal gardens of varying sizes have been carefully divided and simply enclosed by some kind of warm white jade.

In the herb garden, dozens of exotic flowers and herbs of various shapes and sizes, radiating a spiritual light, grow.

Some plants grow to several feet tall with leaves as green as jade; others creep along the ground, adorned with tiny, scattered flowers.

Several vines clung to a few strange gray-white stone pillars in the corner of the space, bearing heavy fruits.

On the left side of the space, near the wall, there is a well-preserved, simple stone pavilion built of blue boulders.

The stone pavilion is only about ten feet square, with a simple style. Inside the pavilion is a stone table and two stone stools, covered in dust.

A corridor made of the same material extended from the stone pavilion, but it only went on for three or four zhang before abruptly ending. The break was jagged, as if it had been forcibly cut off by some force, and the latter part had disappeared into the gray walls.

This stone pavilion and the half-finished corridor are the only man-made architectural remains in this space, silently telling the story of the place's former use and the changes it has undergone.

"It really is the ruins of an ancient medicinal garden—"

Zhou Yuan understood immediately, his eyes gleaming with undisguised joy. Judging from the size and layout of the space, as well as the style of the stone pavilion and corridor, this place was likely once the private medicinal garden of an ancient powerful being, forming this independent, dilapidated little space that had been preserved undiscovered until now.

He suppressed his excitement, walked slowly forward, and began to carefully examine the medicinal herbs in the herb garden.

In the herb garden closest to the entrance, there grew a dozen strange and wondrous herbs, only half a foot tall, with deep purple bodies, slender, needle-like leaves, and clusters of translucent, longan-sized berries at their tips, resembling sculptures of purple crystal. A dreamlike purple halo shimmered on the surface of the berries.

"Wanmeng fruit—and it has turned deep purple."

Zhou Yuan crouched down, gently lifting a bunch of berries, feeling the powerful yet gentle medicinal power within them. A genuine smile appeared on his face. "This color—it must have had medicinal properties for at least ten thousand years to exhibit such a deep and pure purple. Good, good!"

He was pleased, but not particularly surprised.

This medicinal garden ruins have been sealed off for countless millennia, unharvested and untended. It is perfectly normal for the medicinal herbs within to grow naturally for over ten thousand years.

If the medicinal properties of the herbs here were only a few hundred or a thousand years old, he would find it strange and wonder if they had already been used by someone.

He continued to explore forward.

"Dragon Pattern Grass!"

In the center of a slightly larger herb garden, three strange spiritual herbs, shaped like dragons, with golden dragon scale-like patterns naturally growing on their leaves and exuding a faint dragon's might, caught Zhou Yuan's eye.

This herb has long been extinct in the outside world, only occasionally mentioned in some ancient alchemical formulas, where it is used to refine several kinds of medicines that can greatly enhance the physical body.

There is even a slight chance that a cultivator can obtain the main ingredient of a top-tier elixir containing a faint trace of dragon bloodline supernatural power!

Judging from its shape and aura, the medicine is definitely over 15,000 years old!

"Wind Spirit Flowers!" In another herb garden, several flowers, no bigger than a bowl, were entirely green, their petals as soft as the lightest feathers.

The wondrous flower, moving without wind and radiating the pure power of wind spirits, quietly bloomed.

This is a top-grade material for refining top-level wind-attribute magic weapons or assisting in the cultivation of wind-type divine abilities; it is extremely rare, even after ten thousand years.

"Sky Blue Flower" —

Every time Zhou Yuan walked to a medicinal garden, he would unconsciously murmur the names of these rare and precious herbs, many of which were thought to be completely extinct in the outside world.

His heartbeat gradually quickened with each discovery of ancient medicinal herbs.

Every single spiritual herb here, if taken to the outside world, would be enough to ignite a frenzied struggle among Nascent Soul cultivators, causing bloodshed! Their value is simply immeasurable by ordinary spirit stones!

What surprised Zhou Yuan even more was that after careful inventory, he discovered that the dozens of spiritual herbs here actually contained most of the main and auxiliary ingredients of two ancient lost elixirs!

One type is a spiritual pill called "Crimson Cloud Pill". This pill was a top-grade pill used by mid-Nascent Soul cultivators in ancient times to improve their magical power and break through the bottleneck of the later stage. Its effects far surpass those of similar pills circulating today.

Given the abundance of medicinal herbs in this area, if the Crimson Cloud Pill could be successfully refined, its medicinal effects would likely play a significant role in improving the cultivation of late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators!

At that time, not only will he himself benefit greatly from taking it, but Tianhen, Nanlong, Linghu, and even Yuanyao will also benefit immensely!

Another type is a miraculous pill called "Snow Soul Pill".

This pill does not directly improve cultivation level, but is a supplementary elixir specifically prepared for cultivators who practice ice-attribute techniques.

After consumption, it can purify and strengthen the cultivator's icy magical power source, and there is even a certain chance that the cultivated icy divine power will undergo some kind of benign mutation or evolution.

Although Zhou Yuan's main cultivation method is not ice-based, he has refined the extremely cold substance, the Azure Ice Flame. If he can take the Snow Soul Pill, it will greatly enhance his control and power over the Azure Ice Flame, making it an even more powerful means of combat!

The main ingredients for this elixir can be found here in about 80-90% of their quantity; only a few auxiliary ingredients are missing. With some effort, these can certainly be found elsewhere.

"This trip to the Fallen Demon Valley has been very fruitful!"

Zhou Yuan felt delighted.

Without further delay, he took out dozens of specially made jade boxes and wooden cases that he had prepared beforehand. These cases were made of different materials such as cold jade, warm jade, and spirit wood, and were designed to perfectly preserve the activity and potency of spirit medicines with different attributes.

Then, with an almost pious and cautious attitude, he began to harvest these precious ancient herbs.

His movements were gentle and precise, ensuring that the roots or the body of the medicinal herbs were not damaged. He then attached appropriate sealing talismans to each herb and placed them into different containers according to their type.

The entire process lasted nearly two hours before all the medicinal herbs in the dozens of herb gardens were harvested and properly stored.

He didn't let go of the spiritual soil in those medicinal gardens either. He used his magic to wrap it up and took away the thickest layer on top, which contained the most spiritual energy, so that it might be useful in the future.

After all this was done, the small space suddenly seemed much more spacious, leaving only the bare fences of the medicinal herb garden, the stone pavilion, the half-finished corridor, and the gray walls.

"It's time to leave."

Zhou Yuanzhi stood up, his gaze sweeping over the ruins of the medicinal garden that he was about to completely "empty".

Although this place is nice, it is, after all, a closed and dilapidated space, and it is not advisable to stay for long.

Moreover, with a major ceremony approaching, he needs to return as soon as possible.

His powerful divine sense once again spread out like mercury, carefully examining every inch of the barriers in this space.

Since it is a broken space, its spatial barriers must have relatively weak points, which is the key to escape.

Soon, his divine sense locked onto the target.

Above that ancient stone pavilion, about five or six zhang high in the void, a certain point looked no different from the rest of the place, still a gray, misty barrier.

However, under Zhou Yuan's terrifying divine sense, which was comparable to the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, he could "see" a faint, pale blue light spot, only the size of a grain of rice, extremely dim and blurry, flickering like a candle in the wind.

If you sense it carefully, you can also detect a faint, almost imperceptible ripple of spiritual energy emanating from that point of light, distinct from the stable fluctuations of the spatial barrier.

"This is it!"

A glint of light flashed in Zhou Yuan's eyes.

These pale blue dots are likely unstable nodes that were created when this herb garden space was separated from the main space, or remnants of a formation core that maintains the space's existence.

This is precisely where the spatial barrier is weakest and most easily breached from the inside!

Without further hesitation, with a thought, a gleaming golden sword, its surface crackling with lightning, flew out from his dantian and hovered in front of him.

"go!"

Zhou Yuan let out a low shout, and the vast late-stage Nascent Soul mana within his body surged wildly into the flying sword!

The flying sword shone brightly with golden light, emitting a clear and resounding sword cry. The sword body swelled to a length of about ten feet, carrying the indestructible Gengjin sword energy and the power of the evil-repelling divine thunder. It transformed into a golden lightning bolt and fiercely pierced the void where the pale blue light spot was located!

"laugh--!"

There was no earth-shattering noise, only a slight but piercing sound, like cloth being torn apart.

The point of void that the golden flying sword pierced suddenly twisted and rippled violently! Centered on the sword tip, a narrow crack about three feet long and only a few inches wide, with unstable gray light flickering at its edges, was forcibly torn open!

Beyond the crack, there was not the hazy, gray barrier, but—the familiar scene of the Fallen Demon Valley! A dark red sky and distant mountains could be faintly seen!

The crack is small and extremely unstable, and it is slowly healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Little Purple, let's go!"

Zhou Yuan recalled his flying sword, called out to Xiao Zi, and with a swift movement, transformed into a pale golden streak of light, shooting into the spatial rift first. Xiao Zi squeaked, flashed with silver light, and followed closely behind.

The scene before him shifted and spun rapidly once more. A slight tearing sensation came, but with Zhou Yuan's current physical strength, it was completely negligible.

Just a moment later, the feeling of being grounded returned, and at the same time, an aura unique to Fallen Demon Valley, mixed with faint demonic energy, fire spirit energy, and spatial fluctuations, rushed towards them.

Zhou Yuan looked closely and found himself in an unfamiliar mountain forest. Ancient trees towered all around, vines entwined, and the faint roars of demonic beasts could be heard in the distance.

Looking up, the sky was still somewhat overcast, but it was no longer the eternal dark red of the inner valley of the Fallen Demon Valley; instead, it was a normal grayish-white. His divine sense quickly swept across hundreds of miles, soon pinpointing his location.

"Is this... the outer edge of the Wanling Mountains?"

After a quick examination, Zhou Yuan confirmed that this place was no longer within the area of ​​Fallen Demon Valley, but rather somewhere in the Wanling Mountains.

It seems that the spatial coordinates of that medicine garden ruins were originally connected to the Wanling Mountains, only the entrance was deep in the Fallen Demon Valley.

"Perfect, it saves us the trouble of crossing the Fallen Demon Valley."

Zhou Yuan felt a sense of relief.

He didn't linger, discerning the direction of the Ascension Sect, and a flash of azure light appeared behind his Wind and Thunder Wings.

"Crackling sound—!"

As thunder roared, Zhou Yuan's figure transformed into a golden-blue streak, breaking through the clouds and hurtling towards the Xingyi Mountain Range of Dongyu Kingdom, disappearing into the horizon in the blink of an eye.

Several days later, Zhou Yuan returned safely to the Ascension Sect and appeared directly in the main hall of the main peak.

He had barely appeared when Linghu Laozu, Tianhen Laoguai, and Nanlong Hou, having received the news, rushed over together.

"Senior brother, you're finally back!"

When Elder Linghu saw Zhou Yuan, he visibly relaxed and his face lit up with joy. "The grand ceremony is all ready and is scheduled to begin in three days. Guests from all sides have been arriving for the past ten days, and the sect is now packed with them. If you hadn't returned soon, Senior Brother, the ceremony would have had to be postponed."

Tianhen the Old Monster and Nanlong Marquis also looked relieved.

-

Without the sect leader present, the grand ceremony cannot proceed.

"Thank you for your help, my three junior brothers." Zhou Yuan nodded calmly. "Now that the date has been set, everything will proceed as planned. Now that I have returned to the sect, the ceremony will be held as scheduled. I will appear at the ceremony three days from now."

"Yes, Senior Brother!" the three replied in unison, feeling much more at ease. With Zhou Yuan's words, they had found their pillar of support.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

The Ascension Sect was in its most magnificent state on this day, a sight rarely seen in ten thousand years!

Centered on the Xingyi Mountain Range, within a radius of a thousand miles, auspicious clouds swirl and countless streams of lucky energy flow.

The mountain-protecting array was fully activated, but not in a state of alert. Instead, it presented a magnificent light effect of welcome and celebration, with streaks of seven-colored rays rising from each peak and intertwining in the air to form the character "贺" (congratulations) and various auspicious patterns. Ethereal celestial music emanated from the specially arranged array, echoing among the mountains.

From the mountain gate to the main peak, Ascension Peak, there is a ten-zhang-wide path paved entirely with pure white spiritual jade and sprinkled with petals of various spiritual flowers.

The "Welcome Avenue" extends straight ahead.

Along both sides of the main road, every ten steps, a pair of disciples of the Ascension Sect, dressed in brand-new cyan disciple robes, looking spirited and with cultivation levels at least at the Foundation Establishment stage, stood solemnly, exuding an air of authority.

-

Furthermore, dozens of deacons and elders at the Core Formation stage were scattered at various key locations to guide and receive guests.

In the sky, all sorts of flying magical artifacts and escape lights converged from all directions like a meteor shower, and under the guidance of the welcoming disciples, they landed in an orderly manner on the giant square outside the mountain gate.

Among these streaks of light, even the weakest aura emanating from them was still that of the Core Formation stage, and there were dozens of powerful auras from the Nascent Soul stage!

At the summit of Shengxian Peak, the once empty square has been transformed into a magnificent open-air banquet hall.

Thousands of white jade tables are arranged in a circle, and they are filled with spiritual fruits, celestial wines, and delicacies.

The innermost circle contains only four main tables, clearly prepared for the host and the most distinguished guests.

The tables on the outer perimeter are arranged in order of the guests' status, cultivation level, and affiliation.

At this moment, the square is already packed with guests and distinguished guests!

At a glance, there were as many as forty or fifty Nascent Soul cultivators present!

It encompasses almost all the high-ranking members of the righteous, demonic, and neutral forces in the Tiannan cultivation world, as well as many well-known rogue cultivators!

The Righteous Path Alliance was led by Master Zhiyang of the Taizhen Sect, accompanied by several elders at the mid-stage and early-stage Nascent Soul realm.

The six demonic sects are represented by the Old Demon of the Joyful Union Sect, followed by the sect leaders and elders of the Heavenly Fiend Sect, the Spirit Control Sect, and others.

Wei Wuyai of the Nine Kingdoms Alliance arrived with the elite forces of the Huayi Sect.

Long Han and Feng Bing, the couple from the Heavenly Alliance, arrived in person.

In addition, major sects such as the Ancient Sword Sect, the Falling Cloud Sect, the Hundred Crafts Academy, and the Heavenly Palace Fortress, which originally had varying degrees of relationship with the Ascension Immortal Sect, also sent Nascent Soul elders, and even their sect leaders in person.

Some powerful patriarchs of immortal cultivation families and renowned rogue cultivators also received invitations and flocked to the event.

Throughout the plaza, the spiritual pressure of Nascent Soul cultivators subtly intertwined. Although everyone restrained themselves, their combined presence still created an invisible, suffocating aura of majesty.

The Core Formation cultivators could only sit on the outer edge, feeling the immense pressure emanating from the central area, their hearts filled with awe and reverence.

Among the many Nascent Soul cultivators, one person was particularly low-key, sitting alone behind a table in an inconspicuous corner, pouring himself a drink, but his gaze would occasionally sweep towards the main seat, his expression complex.

This man had an ordinary face and wore a green robe; he was none other than Han Li.

If we were to say who in this world is most familiar with Zhou Yuan's cultivation journey and has the most complex feelings about it, it would probably be Han Li.

The two met when they were both still minor cultivators in the Qi Refining stage in Huangfeng Valley of Yue Kingdom.

Later, they ventured together into the Bloodstained Forbidden Land. Although they had their own experiences, they did manage to work together briefly.

Later, when fighting against the invasion of the six demonic sects on the border of Yue Kingdom, the two fought side by side on the battlefield many times, supporting each other.

Finally, they left Tiannan together and went to the Chaotic Star Sea. Although their paths diverged later, Han Li always remembered that experience.

Two hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Back then, Senior Brother Zhou, who was only slightly stronger than me, has now made great strides and reached the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

Although he himself successfully condensed his nascent soul through a combination of luck and caution, his cultivation speed was far slower compared to others.

"In just over two hundred years, my senior brother has advanced to the late Nascent Soul stage. It's truly enviable and admirable."

Han Li sighed inwardly, raised his wine cup, and drank the spiritual wine in one gulp, the taste complex.

There is a sense of joy for the deceased, a reflection on one's own path, and a subtle sense of distance in witnessing the birth of a legend.

The atmosphere during the banquet was lively yet orderly.

The three original cultivators of Tiannan—Supreme Master Zhiyang, Old Demon Hehuan, and Wei Wuyai—have all personally appeared and each occupied a prestigious seat near the main table.

Their arrival undoubtedly elevated the scale of this grand ceremony to its zenith, and also gave Zhou Yuan, the newly promoted Grand Cultivator, immense face.

Representatives from all sides, regardless of their private thoughts, wore smiles on their faces, exchanging pleasantries and discussing the legendary deeds of the new "Fellow Daoist Zhou," their words filled with flattery and amazement.

Just as the guests and hosts were enjoying themselves and the atmosphere was reaching its climax.

"clang--!"

A clear and melodious sound, as if it could cleanse the soul, rang out from the highest point of Ascension Peak, instantly overwhelming all the noise in the room and clearly reaching everyone's ears.

The square fell silent. Everyone stopped talking and moving, and simultaneously raised their heads, their eyes all looking towards the main hall.

Under the gaze of countless eyes, some filled with reverence, others with curiosity, some with apprehension, and others with inquiry, a young man dressed in a simple black robe, with a tall and upright figure and a calm and gentle face, slowly walked out of the main hall.

His steps were unhurried, as if he were just taking a leisurely stroll after a meal, but with each step he took, it seemed to be in harmony with the pulse of heaven and earth, and a vast and unfathomable aura naturally spread out and enveloped the entire square.

The protagonist of today's celebration is Zhou Yuan, the fourth great cultivator of Tiannan and the sect master of the Ascension Sect!

He walked to the front of the square, behind the four main tables, and calmly swept his gaze over the guests gathered below. A gentle and graceful smile appeared on his face, and he bowed slightly to the crowd.

"I, Zhou, have been in seclusion for some time and have made some progress. I am deeply grateful and humbled to have troubled you all to come from afar to witness my progress."

His voice wasn't loud, but it had a strange penetrating power.

It was clearly heard by every monk present.