Mo Wenjie didn't know how long it had been when he slowly opened his eyes. He carefully examined himself, and although he had not broken through, his strength had indeed increased. If he continued like this, he would definitely breakthrough in no time. The most critical thing now was to rapidly improve his strength and enter the three-level realm for exploration. Only by taking step by step could he move further and further!
Mo Wenjie gripped his fists tightly, feeling the powerful energy surging within him. He well understood that relying solely on self-cultivation was too slow, and he must seek some external aid. Recalling the rumors he had heard about the Spirit Herb Valley, where many rare and precious herbs conducive to refining one's cultivation were said to grow.
So, Mo Wenjie embarked on the journey to the Spirit Herb Valley. Along the way, he encountered many minor lackeys who coveted his treasures, but he easily repelled them all.
Finally, Mo Wenjie arrived at the Spirit Herb Valley, where the spiritual energy was so dense that it was almost tangible. Excited beyond measure, he explored the area with great caution. Suddenly, he discovered a spirit herb that glowed with an unusual light. He was about to reach out and pick it when a powerful restriction force appeared around him.
Mo Wenjie's expression changed dramatically; the restriction was far more complicated than he had imagined. However, he didn't back down; he channeled his full spiritual energy to counteract the restriction. Sweat began to form on his forehead. After a fierce battle, a small crack appeared in the restriction, and Mo Wenjie took the opportunity to break through it and successfully pluck the spirit herb. He knew that he was one step closer to entering the three-level realm.
Huang Ling'er and Jiang Yu rou looked at Mo Wenjie and said: "My husband, you've already obtained the spirit herb, why haven't you absorbed the spiritual energy immediately?"
Mo Wenjie looked at them and shook his head. "You don't know that if you just absorb the spiritual energy like this, you'll waste more than half of it. If you collect them and refine them into pills, it will be different. It will be twice as efficient! So I decided to collect all the spirit herbs here and refine them into pills. Ling'er, Yu rou, Yawen, Ding Yan, Yingying, Xiao Die, you all have a share!"
Hearing this, everyone was overjoyed. Huang Ling'er giggled and said, "Our husband is so thoughtful and considerate, it's truly our fortune." Mo Wenjie smiled slightly and began to carefully search for spirit herbs in the Spirit Herb Valley.
However, as he continued to delve deeper into the valley, the dangers also gradually increased. While Mo Wenjie was collecting a spirit herb, the ground suddenly trembled, and a giant guardian beast burst out from the earth. This guardian beast exuded intense evil aura, and its bloodshot eyes stared fiercely at Mo Wenjie.
The crowd grew tense. Yawen exclaimed, "Master Mo, what are we to do now?"
Mo Wenjie remained calm and composed. He knew that it was crucial not to panic at this moment. He carefully stored the spirit herb he had just collected and pulled out his sword from his waist, saying, " everyone go back, I will deal with it." With that, he dashed forward towards the guardian beast.
Mo Wenjie unleashed his most proficient skill, converting his spiritual energy into sword shadows that slashed at the guardian beast. The guardian beast didn't back down, either, swinging its massive claws in counter-attack. For a moment, both sides were evenly matched in their battle. However, Mo Wenjie grew more vigorous with each swing, and he took the opportunity to deliver a fatal blow by stabbing his sword into the guardian beast's vital area. The guardian beast crashed to the ground and dissipated into a beam of spiritual light. Mo Wenjie took a deep breath of relief and continued with the collection of spirit herbs.
Mo Wenjie led the six of them, and after half a day of collecting, they had indeed gathered quite a number of spirit herbs. Holding all the herbs, he nodded satisfactorily. If these herbs were used to refine pills, he was sure to be able to produce twenty spirit pills. This was truly unexpected! Such a large harvest was indeed something to be overjoyed about!
As Mo Wenjie was overjoyed, the sky suddenly turned dark. A malevolent aura spread out, and an elderly black-clothed man slowly appeared.
"Ha! Little one, you can't keep all those spirit herbs for yourself," the old man said coldly.
Mo Wenjie stood guard in front of the women, his eyes alert. "Who are you, sir? Why do you seek to take by force?"
"I am the silent guardian of this place, and these spirit herbs rightfully belong to me," the old man said as he released a powerful aura.
Mo Wenjie gritted his teeth, "Senior, we endured great hardships to collect these herbs. We even fought off the guardian beast. Taking them away without any reason doesn't seem fair."
The old man laughed coldly, "Rules? In my domain, my words are the rules." With that, he raised his hand to grab the spirit herbs.
Mo Wenjie suddenly threw the spirit herbs behind him towards the women, "Hurry and go, find a place to hide!" He then used all his might to cast a spell to repel the elder. Although the women were reluctant to leave, they realized that the situation was urgent and could only carry away the spirit herbs quickly.
Facing the elder alone, Mo Wenjie felt no fear in his heart. He knew that as long as he could stall for enough time, he would surely defeat the elder, after all, he was much younger. Isn't it said that strength decreases with age? Therefore, Mo Wenjie fought with the elder without any hurry, trading blows back and forth. The elder was not a fool; of course, he could see Mo Wenjie's intention. However, both of them were evenly matched, and neither could gain an advantage over the other for a while. The elder began to get anxious. But Mo Wenjie was not in a hurry at all, which made the elder extremely frustrated!
The old man's eyes darted, feinting and jumping back after a quick move. He then rapidly sealed his hands and chanted incantations, causing the spiritual energy around him to gather wildly. Mo Wenjie was alarmed, realizing that the elder was about to unleash his ultimate move. However, he quickly composed himself and focused on sensing the fluctuations of spiritual energy around him in order to find a way to counterattack.
Suddenly, the elder bellowed, and a black whirlpool of spiritual energy swept towards Mo Wenjie. Mo Wenjie stamped his feet fiercely on the ground, leaping high into the air, and at the same time, he conjured a treasured artifact, a golden ray of light shooting towards the black whirlpool. The two collided with a violent explosion.
As the smoke dissipated, Mo Wenjie's lips were tinged with blood, but he still stood firmly. The elder was secretly surprised at Mo Wenjie's stubbornness upon seeing this. At this moment, Mo Wenjie burst into laughter, "Senior, your age has taken its toll on your spiritual energy." The elder's face turned pale upon hearing this, and Mo Wenjie took the opportunity to launch a fierce attack. A combo of moves sent the elder retreating step by step. Just as Mo Wenjie was about to deliver the final blow, a powerful aura emanated from the distance. Mo Wenjie furrowed his brow and thought that there must be another twist of fate!
An old woman appeared before the two men. "Oh dear, Old Han, how can you not beat a young person? I see you're getting worse with age. If those old-timers find out about this, they'll laugh their heads off at you."
Lao Han coldly stared at the old woman, "Diyanghuā, shut up! If you think you can beat him, then come and fight him yourself. Let me see how much stronger you are than me!"
Diyanghuā snorted and said, "Fight? I'm not afraid of him." She then rolled up her sleeves and approached Mo Wenjie.
Mo Wenjie was on his guard, feeling that the old woman also had hidden depths. The old woman approached and suddenly broke into a wide smile, her aura vanishing completely. She turned to Lao Han and said, "Ah ya, Lao Han, why should we hassle a child like this? He's so young and already has such cultivation, he must be no ordinary person. Perhaps he's a reincarnation of some great power." Upon hearing this, Lao Han widened his eyes, "Diyanghuā, which side are you on? You just mocked me and now you're defending him." The old woman paid no attention to him and continued speaking to Mo Wenjie, "Young friend, why don't we let this matter drop today? We two are also here to train and have no malice."
Mo Wenjie felt relief in his heart, but he said aloud, "Auntie, you and Uncle Lao caused trouble for no reason. Is that all right?" The old woman smiled awkwardly and pulled out a small jade bottle from her pocket. She handed it to Mo Wenjie, "There's a spiritual pearl inside. It's just a token of my apology."
Mo Wenjie took the jade bottle, felt the rich spiritual energy within, and nodded to indicate his agreement.
Lao Han saw this and grumbled a few words, eventually following the old woman as she left.
Huang Ling'er, Jiang Yu Rou, Xiao Ya Wen, Ding Yan, Tuo Bo Ying Ying, Qin Xia Die, and the six of them had been hiding in the distance watching Mo Wenjie's battle with the elder. After seeing the old man and the old woman leave, they also emerged and joined Mo Wenjie. They asked him about what had just happened with the elder!
Mo Wenjie looked at the six girls who had gathered around him, helplessly shrugged, and held out the small jade bottle. "The old woman gave me a spiritual pearl to apologize, it seems she doesn't want to cause any trouble." Huang Ling'er's eyes brightened, "Wow, a spiritual pearl! It must be very useful." Mo Wenjie nodded. "The spiritual energy contained in this pearl is incredibly pure. It will be very beneficial for cultivation."
Jiang Yu Rou inquired out of curiosity, "Did that old man bother you again? He seemed very imposing just a moment ago." Mo Wenjie laughed and said, "Thanks to the old woman's persuasion, otherwise I would have been in for a tough fight. Although the old man looked angry, he also listened to what the old woman had to say."
Xiao Ya Wen suddenly furrowed her brow, "Are they really just here for cultivation? Could there be other motives?" Mo Wenjie thought for a moment before replying, "For now, we can only trust their words, but everyone should still be cautious in the future." The others nodded in agreement. At that moment, Tuobayingying excitedly suggested, "Since we've obtained the spiritual pearl, why not find a safe place to meditate and absorb its spiritual energy to enhance our cultivation." The group exchanged looks and all showed an expression of anticipation. Thus, the seven of them set off towards a hidden cave deep in the mountains.
They entered the cave and Mo Wenjie took out the spiritual pearl. "Let's all come together to absorb the spiritual energy from this pearl. As long as our cultivation is strong enough, who else do we have to fear?"
Upon hearing Mo Wenjie's words, the group sat cross-legged in a circle. Mo Wenjie placed the spiritual pearl in the middle and quickly sealed his hands. He chanted incantations while observing. The spiritual pearl slowly rose and emitted a gentle glow, threads of spiritual energy streaming out like silken threads, cascading towards the crowd.
However, as the group was immersed in absorbing spiritual energy, a cold laugh suddenly echoed outside the cave. "Humph, a few children trying to hoard the spiritual pearl, truly naive." With that, a black figure flashed into the cave. It was an accomplice of the evil cultivator who had been secretly following Mo Wenjie, waiting for this moment to steal the spiritual pearl.
Mo Wenjie opened his eyes abruptly, roared angrily, "Watch out! Be careful!" The group instantly ceased absorbing spiritual energy and stood up alertly. Mo Wenjie charged at the black figure first, engaging in combat with it. The other five women were not to be outdone either, casting spells from the side to attack. For a moment, the spiritual energy inside the cave was agitated and intersecting lights were intertwined. However, the black figure was formidable in strength and Mo Wenjie et al gradually felt strained. In a critical moment, Mo Wenjie recalled that there was still a powerful and pure force within the spiritual pearl that had not been released. He dared to split his consciousness and probe into the spiritual pearl to trigger that force, ultimately striking back and repelling the black figure with ease.
