Mortal: I have a Spirit Gathering Cauldron

Inside the forbidden area.

Lin Feng sat cross-legged, the array flag planted at his feet, spiritual energy slowly circulating within him. The spiritual light of the Three Talents Array flowed between the three, forming a triangular blockade that firmly sealed off the exit.

We've already collected the medicinal herbs from over a dozen groups of people.

For those who genuinely cannot produce three hundred-year-old spiritual herbs, a high-grade magic artifact or a large amount of spirit stones can be used as payment. In any case, the rules are flexible, but the spiritual herbs are the real deal.

Lin Feng roughly calculated that, so far, the three of them had collected about fifty hundred-year-old spiritual herbs. Dividing them equally among the three, each of them had already taken nearly sixteen herbs.

With sixteen century-old medicinal herbs, plus the thirteen he obtained in the forbidden area, he now has twenty-nine herbs in his storage bag.

Twenty-nine plants.

Lin Feng was secretly delighted. With so many spiritual herbs, he should have enough Foundation Establishment Pills to help him establish his foundation.

"Someone's here." Han Tianya's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Two people walked towards us from a distance.

One male and one female.

The man was tall, around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a square face and a touch of heroism in his eyes.

Wearing the robes of an inner disciple of the Yellow Maple Valley, his cultivation level was clearly at the peak of the thirteenth level of Qi Refining, just one step away from Foundation Establishment. In his hand, he held a giant, gleaming silver brush, its handle covered with array patterns, shimmering with spiritual light—clearly no ordinary item.

The woman was slender and beautiful; she was Chen Qiaoqian.

Lin Feng's gaze sharpened.

Chen Qiaotian, Chen Qiaoqian.

The Chen family siblings.

He had heard of Chen Qiaotian in Huangfeng Valley. He was one of the best inner disciples, a master of the thirteenth level of Qi Refining, and one of the most powerful cultivators in Huangfeng Valley during this forbidden area trial.

The silver pen and golden book in his hand were a set of top-tier magical artifacts called the Golden Pen and Jade Book, which combined offense and defense and were quite famous among the inner disciples of Yellow Maple Valley.

"The Chen family." Han Tianya narrowed his eyes, tapping his palm lightly with his folding fan. "Interesting."

Zhong Wu remained expressionless, but his gaze lingered on Chen Qiaotian for a moment, clearly assessing the other party's strength.

Chen Qiaotian walked to the front of the Three Talents Formation and stopped.

His gaze swept over Han Tianya and Zhong Wu, finally landing on Lin Feng, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Junior Brother Lin?" Chen Qiaoqian must have recognized Lin Feng, and then told Chen Qiaotian, "You're... blocking the door with them?"

Lin Feng stood up, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Senior Brother Chen, please forgive me."

Chen Qiaotian's expression was not good.

He looked at the battle flags stuck in the ground and understood what was going on.

"Junior Brother Lin, do you really intend to collude with others and harm your fellow disciples?" Chen Qiaotian's tone was somewhat harsh.

Lin Feng remained unfazed: "Senior Brother Chen, I have no intention of being your enemy. But the toll is the rule. Three spiritual herbs per person. Once you pay, you can leave. The rule cannot be disregarded."

"Three plants?" Chen Qiaotian sneered. "I searched the forbidden area for five days and only managed to get a dozen or so spiritual herbs. And you, you just squat down at the exit and ask for three plants with a few words. What a big mouth you have."

Han Tianya interjected, smiling, "Brother Chen, you can't say that. Blocking the door is a skill, not everyone can do it. If you're not convinced, you're welcome to try and break through."

Chen Qiaotian turned his gaze to Han Tianya, and the silver pen in his hand shone even brighter.

"Are you Han Tianya? The 'Cold-Faced Scholar' of Huadaowu?"

"It is indeed I." Han Tianya closed his folding fan, bowed slightly, and his posture was as elegant as if he were performing on a stage. "I have long heard of Brother Chen's great name. Golden Pen and Jade Book, the number one disciple of the Yellow Maple Valley, meeting you today, I can see that your reputation is indeed well-deserved."

"Stop flattering me." Chen Qiaotian wasn't buying it. He pointed his silver pen forward and said, "I'll say it again, get out of the way."

Han Tianya's smile remained unchanged: "I won't allow it."

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

The silver pen in Chen Qiaotian's hand shone brightly, and with his other hand, he slapped his storage bag at his waist, and a golden book flew out and hovered in front of him.

The golden book slowly opened, its pages shimmering with golden light. Each character resembled a talisman, radiating powerful spiritual energy.

Golden pen and jade book, a complete set of top-tier magical artifacts.

Lin Feng's pupils contracted slightly. The quality of this set of magical artifacts was a level higher than the Wind-Breaking Spear and Soul Bell he had crafted. Especially the golden book, which had astonishing defensive power and was said to be able to withstand a full-force attack from a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator.

"If you think you can stop me, you'll have to ask the magic weapon in my hand first," Chen Qiaotian said indifferently, but his eyes were full of fighting spirit.

Not to be outdone, Han Tianya unfolded his folding fan, and a brilliant blue light shone forth.

"Go ahead and give it a try."

The two faced off, their spiritual energies clashing, and an invisible pressure filled the air.

Zhongwu remained expressionless, but his hand was already on the spirit beast pouch at his waist, ready to release the demon beast at any moment.

Lin Feng did not move, but his spiritual power had already been poured into the array flags, making the spiritual light of the Three Talents Array even brighter.

Three against one.

No, it's one against three, but Chen Qiaotian also has Chen Qiaoqian standing behind him.

Chen Qiaoqian's cultivation level is at the eleventh level of Qi Refining, which is not weak among elite disciples, but it is indeed a weakness in a confrontation of this level.

Zhongwu spoke.

His voice was low and hoarse, like stone rubbing against stone: "We've heard a little about Brother Chen's name. If it were just Brother Chen alone, we brothers might not be able to stop you."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Chen Qiaoqian.

"But now you have a burden to carry. You can leave, but can that burden get away?"

Chen Qiaoqian's expression changed, and she subconsciously shrank behind Chen Qiaotian.

Chen Qiaotian's face turned even uglier.

Zhong Wu was right. It wasn't impossible for him to break through alone, relying on his Golden Pen and Jade Book and his Qi Refining 13th level cultivation. But with Chen Qiaoqian in tow, he would have to focus on protecting her, greatly reducing his chances of success.

The two sides were on the verge of war, but neither side made the first move.

Chen Qiaoqian suddenly tugged at Chen Qiaotian's sleeve, her lips moving slightly as she secretly transmitted her voice.

"Brother, it was Senior Brother Lin who saved me before. Why don't we give him a few spiritual herbs as a way of repaying his life-saving grace?"

Chen Qiaotian frowned and replied telepathically, "He saved you?"

"Yes. In the forbidden area, I was surrounded and attacked by three disciples of the Huadaowu Sect. It was Senior Brother Lin who saved me. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here today."

Chen Qiaotian remained silent for a moment, his gaze lingering on Lin Feng for a few seconds.

He had initially thought Lin Feng was a treacherous person who would betray his principles for personal gain, but he never expected that the other party had saved his sister's life.

"I thought he was a chivalrous person, but I didn't expect him to be such a lowly cultivator." Chen Qiaotian's voice was filled with complicated emotions. "Fine, it is indeed dangerous to force a breakout with you. Give him the elixir as repayment."

Chen Qiaoqian nodded and said nothing more.

Chen Qiaotian reached into his storage pouch at his waist and released six century-old medicinal herbs, which landed on the ground and lined up neatly in a row.

"I've given you the elixir, now get out of the way." His tone was indifferent, revealing neither joy nor anger.

Lin Feng's heart skipped a beat, realizing that Chen Qiaoqian must have said something to persuade him.

Han Tianya glanced at the spiritual herbs on the ground, his smile widening. With a wave of his folding fan, he summoned six spiritual herbs to the three of them, and Lin Feng and Zhong Wu quickly put them into their storage bags.

"Brother Chen knows when to back down, please."

He stepped aside, and the spiritual light of the array flags also faded, clearing a path to the exit.

Chen Qiaotian put away the golden pen and jade book and strode towards the passage. As he passed Lin Feng, he paused slightly, glanced at Lin Feng with a complicated look, and walked straight past without saying a word.

Chen Qiaoqian followed behind, and after taking a few steps, she suddenly turned around and glanced at Lin Feng.

There was gratitude, disappointment, and something else in his eyes that was hard to describe.

Lin Feng remained expressionless and did not respond.

Chen Qiaoqian turned around and followed Chen Qiaotian into the dark passage. Their figures flashed by and disappeared into the crevice.

Han Tianya watched the passage close and chuckled, "Chen Qiaotian, you truly live up to your reputation. If it weren't for your sister, things would have been really difficult to handle today."

Zhongwu said in a muffled voice, "He's alone, and there are three of us. He can't beat us."

"Not necessarily." Han Tianya shook his head. "The Golden Pen and Jade Book are not to be trifled with. Even if we win a real fight, we will pay a price. Let's avoid fighting if possible."

Lin Feng did not participate in their discussion.

He snapped out of his reverie and continued to stare in the distance.

The time for the passage to close is drawing ever closer.

In the distance, a black dot is rapidly approaching.

Lin Feng narrowed his eyes, extended his divine sense, and saw the appearance of the person who had come.

Dark skin, thin build, and unremarkable face.

Han Li.

Lin Feng's heart skipped a beat; they had finally arrived.

Han Li moved very fast, his figure skimming low through the forest. His spiritual energy fluctuations were somewhat unstable, and there were several bloodstains on his body, it was unclear whether they were his own or someone else's.

He suddenly stopped just as he was about to reach the exit.

He saw the three people at the exit.

Han Li's figure flashed, instantly disappearing behind a nearby rock, his aura completely concealed, like a stone.

Lin Feng secretly admired him. This vigilance and stealth skills were truly worthy of Old Demon Han.

Han Tianya had clearly noticed Han Li as well. He frowned, scanned that direction with his divine sense, and then withdrew his gaze.

Time passed little by little.

The crack above the exit passage began to slowly close.

Han Li, who was behind the rock, had obviously noticed this situation as well. He couldn't wait any longer.

He emerged from behind the rock and walked slowly toward the exit, his eyes warily scanning the three people blocking the exit.

"Fellow Daoists, what does this mean?" Han Li's voice was flat, revealing no emotion.

Han Tianya sized him up, his gaze lingering on his dark face for a moment. He curled his lip slightly, thinking that a minor character at the eleventh level of Qi Refining was not worth his time.

"Toll fee: three century-old medicinal herbs per person," Han Tianya said succinctly.

Han Li remained silent for two seconds.

He glanced at the already cold corpse of the Qingxu Sect Taoist on the ground, then at the positions of the three people and the array flags stuck in the ground, and quickly made a judgment in his mind.

There were three people: two at the peak of the thirteenth level of Qi Refining, and one at the twelfth level. The Three Talents Formation blocked the exit, so the success rate of forcing their way through was less than 20%.

Immediately, he took out three spiritual herbs from his storage bag and placed them on the ground.

Han Tianya stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly smiled.

"Fellow Daoist, please make a decision."

Han Li nodded, took out a small black shield from his storage bag, and infused it with spiritual power. The small shield transformed into a three-foot-long shield, which he held in front of him. He then took out a golden talisman and affixed it to his body. With a flash of golden light, it covered his entire body.

Vajra Talisman.

Seeing this, Lin Feng sighed inwardly: They really are extremely cautious.

After handing over the elixir, activating the defensive magic weapon, and affixing the Vajra talisman, they dared to cross. Others would have simply handed over the elixir and run, paying no heed to any defenses.

Han Li strode towards the passage. As he passed the three people, his gaze inadvertently swept over Lin Feng, lingering for less than half a second before quickly looking away.

Lin Feng remained expressionless, as if he didn't recognize him.

Han Li's figure disappeared into the passage.

"This kid is quite cautious," Han Tianya said casually, not taking it to heart.

Lin Feng secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Han Li was gone, the Chen siblings were gone, those who were supposed to leave had left, and those who shouldn't have left...

As he was thinking, a group of figures suddenly appeared in the distance.

It's not just a few scattered individuals, but a team.

Neat, orderly, and extremely fast.

The leader was a female cultivator in white, tall and slender with an exquisitely beautiful face and a cold, aloof demeanor.

She walked at the head of the group, her steps were composed but her speed was extremely fast, followed by twelve or thirteen disciples of the Hidden Moon Sect, all dressed in white robes and with expressionless faces.

Nangong Wan.

Lin Feng's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Something big has come." Han Tianya's voice also changed, no longer carrying a calm smile, but with a hint of solemnity.

Zhongwu's hand was already on the spirit beast pouch, his knuckles turning white.

The three people made their judgments almost simultaneously.

withdraw.

It's not that we can't win, it's that there's no need to fight.

Nangong Wan was accompanied by more than a dozen disciples of the Hidden Moon Sect, all of whom had cultivation levels above the eleventh level of Qi Refining, with several of them at the twelfth level.

The key point is that this group of people are from the same sect, and there is clearly a leader, unlike before, where although there were many people from different sects, they had different thoughts and were just a disorganized mess.

Moreover, Lin Feng knew that although Nangong Wan appeared to be in the Qi Refining stage, her true identity was a Core Formation cultivator. Although her cultivation was suppressed by the forbidden area, her spiritual sense, combat experience, and trump cards were far superior to those of a Qi Refining cultivator.

"Let's go." Han Tianya made a decisive move, closed his folding fan, and raised the battle flag.

Zhong Wu also pulled up the array flag, and with a flash, he rushed towards the exit.

Lin Feng reacted even faster.

Almost at the same time he saw the Hidden Moon Sect's team, he put away the array flags, activated the Clear Wind Flag, and his figure transformed into a wisp of green smoke, heading straight for the passage.

The three arrived at the entrance of the passage almost simultaneously.

Lin Feng was first, Han Tianya was second, and Zhong Wu was third.

The three figures disappeared into the dark crevice.

The moment they entered the passage, Nangong Wan's gaze swept over them.

Her gaze was calm and unreadable, revealing no emotion. She glanced at him briefly, then looked away and continued walking towards the exit.

"Grandmaster, those three people just now—" a disciple of the Hidden Moon Sect behind him asked in a low voice.

"Ignore it." Nangong Wan's voice was cold and emotionless. "Get out."

The members of the Hidden Moon Sect filed in, one after another entering the passage.

No one blocked them, and no one dared to block them.