Taking Action

"Sect Master, it's here!"

The speaker was none other than Pang Jian, the rogue cultivator who had left earlier. His eyes were fixed on the area below.

He didn't need to say anything; the Danxia Sect members had already seen the medicinal garden emitting a brilliant radiance. The enticing fragrance, even a hint of it, was enough to drive these alchemists mad!

"Good, good, good! There really is a medicinal garden!"

Xuanhuo Zhenren, the Sect Master of Danxia Sect, was uncontrollably excited. His eyes were glued to the medicinal garden below. After a long while, he turned to Pang Jian and said, "From now on, you are my personal disciple!"

"Yes, Master!"

Pang Jian immediately knelt down and performed a simple apprenticeship ceremony. The formal ceremony would be held later.

Xuanhuo Zhenren then instructed, "This medicinal garden will be the future treasure of our Danxia Sect. All elders and disciples present will receive triple the amount of elixirs for cultivation from now on. Once everything is settled, rewards will be given based on merit. Let me make it clear upfront, if anyone leaks this information, I will risk my life and cultivation to kill the traitor!"

"Yes, Sect Master!"

Everyone bowed in response.

Suppressing the restless thoughts of the crowd, Xuanhuo Zhenren slowly descended and entered the priceless medicinal garden on foot.

The Danxia Sect members cautiously followed.

Upon entering the medicinal garden, everything was as Pang Jian had described. The garden was filled with rare treasures, and there was a Thatched Cottage within. As everyone approached, a fairy slowly walked out of the Thatched Cottage.

Everyone's breath hitched.

They had heard Pang Jian mention earlier that there was a mysterious and unfathomable fairy in this medicinal garden. She was incredibly beautiful but acted quite strangely.

Now that they saw her, they realized Pang Jian had been mistaken.

The fairy was not just incredibly beautiful; she was devastatingly gorgeous, like a celestial maiden from the moon. Seeing her caused ripples in everyone's hearts.

The Danxia Sect members, who had originally come to forcefully seize the garden, found their demeanor softening considerably after seeing her.

"May I ask for the fairy's name and origin?"

Xuanhuo Zhenren asked politely.

Behind him, Pang Jian felt that although the white-clad fairy in the medicinal garden looked the same as she did a few days ago, the feeling she gave off was as if she had become a different person.

The fairy standing in front of the Thatched Cottage had indifferent eyes. Earlier, she had been startled by the flying sword and was subtly wary of the four of them, but now, facing over a hundred cultivators from the Danxia Sect, she didn't even look at them, showing no trace of panic or wariness.

The mirror, suspended beside her, was hazy and gray, completely different from the clear mirror surface from before.

"May I ask the fairy—!"

Xuanhuo Zhenren asked again, his tone becoming a bit sharper.

"Answer my questions, and I will grant you a spiritual plant."

The fairy spoke slowly, her voice ethereal and ancient, like the sound of a zither, directly entering everyone's souls.

"What?"

Everyone was confused.

"Leave your valuables, and you can take another plant," the fairy added.

Her voice was as pleasant as ever, but her words were nonsensical. Only Pang Jian reacted, quickly saying, "Sect Master, she said the same thing when we came last time!"

At this moment, the Purple-Clad Woman in the mirror smiled faintly: "She has fallen for a mortal again."

The others smiled in agreement.

"May I know what question the Immortal has?" Xuanhuo Zhenren tried asking.

"Do you know where Earth is?"

"Earth? I do not know."

"Do you know what traffic lights are?"

"This... I also do not know!"

"You are too foolish, unable to solve my confusion. Leave."

After a simple conversation, the Immortal issued a guest expulsion order and turned back into the Thatched Cottage.

The elders and disciples of the Danxia Sect looked at each other.

After cultivating for so many years, this was the first time they had met someone with such a strange temper.

"Sect Master, how about we..." an elder tentatively asked, and the others were also eager to try.

They had already set up an array before landing, and there were no restrictions in the garden. With their combined strength, they could directly confront a Dao Comprehension realm expert!

"Not urgent."

Xuanhuo Zhenren raised his hand to stop them, pointed at a disciple, and ordered him: "Go and pick a Spirit Crow Flower!"

"Yes, Sect Master!"

The disciple quickly went and successfully picked a spiritual flower. He stood there, and at the Sect Master's signal, reached out to pick another plant.

As soon as his hand touched the spiritual plant, an inexplicable chill instantly struck. Before he could make any movement, his entire body was frozen, only the Spirit Crow Flower in his hand still emitted a faint light.

Everyone was terrified and looked at the Sect Master in unison.

The mysterious Immortal said she would give them one plant, and there was only one. Anyone who took more would die instantly!

Xuanhuo Zhenren turned his gaze towards the Thatched Cottage. His mind, previously clouded by wealth, was now gradually clearing up.

Damn it.

He should have thought of it earlier. Thousand Snow Mountain was not a forbidden area, so how could a medicinal garden suddenly appear? This must be the cave dwelling of a powerful expert, which is why it could guard so many treasures!

It was all Pang Jian's fault for telling him that the original owner was dead and that the medicinal garden now only had a mortal who didn't even understand cultivation, who had accidentally obtained the inheritance. That's why he came rashly.

"I have offended you greatly, please forgive me, Immortal."

Xuanhuo Zhenren quickly made a decision to first withdraw from this medicinal garden.

More than a hundred people cautiously left, but none of them were willing to go. The strength of the Immortal in the medicinal garden was mysterious and unfathomable, but they hadn't even used any means. To retreat without a fight was truly unwilling!

"Sect Master!"

An elder whispered, "Let's test her strength. If she blocks us, we'll leave. I doubt she would dare to chase us out of the Snow Mountain. If she can't block us, although it's a pity about the garden full of spiritual herbs, it won't be a wasted trip!"

Hearing this, everyone looked at the sect leader with anticipation.

Xuanhuo Zhenren pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement, "Alright, let's do it! Set up the Thunder Fire Array for me, draw upon the earth fire and the heavenly thunder to refine the entire medicinal garden!"

"Yes!"

Over a hundred people from the Danxia Sect transformed into streaks of light and dispersed. Before long, the wind and snow stopped, and dark clouds rolled in. The accumulated snow on the ground melted, and large areas of firelight surged from the ground.

Thunder roamed within the clouds, and the earth fire scorched a hundred miles. However, the garden in the center of the array remained completely still, and no fairy emerged to break the array.

By this point, everyone realized something was wrong.

But the array had already been cast, and stopping now would only result in a backlash.

A moment later, Xuanhuo Zhenren commanded in all directions, "Thunder Fire Array, complete!"

Spiritual light shone in all directions, and the array took shape. A massive furnace of thunder and fire slowly appeared, pressing down towards the medicinal garden below, like a collapsing heavenly pillar, unstoppable.

However.

An ancient, simple longsword flew out from the Thatched Cottage. The sword light flashed past, and the massive Thunder Fire Furnace instantly shattered and scattered, transforming into lightning and flames that dissipated across the sky.

The Danxia Sect disciples who had formed the array were struck with terror. Just as they were about to flee, the sword light had already arrived, effortlessly piercing through their bodies. After circling the horizon, it returned to the Thatched Cottage.

The commotion caused by the battle gradually subsided.

Some rogue cultivators arrived one after another. Upon seeing the bodies of the Danxia Sect disciples who had fallen to the ground and were already frozen solid from a distance, they were so frightened that they turned and fled, spreading the news.

"How boring."

Inside the Thatched Cottage, a bored voice of a young girl came from a mirror. "When is Lu Xing coming? It's only interesting to watch him act foolish."

"Hehe, has the Old Ancestor also developed worldly desires?"

"That's right, I just love seeing him act like a fool. I even want to go to Earth and see for myself!"

"Once we reach Earth, we'll be the fools."

"Ahhhhh! I won't listen, I just want to go to Earth! Earth is the Immortal Realm, I just want to go there!"

"It's a pity we can't go, only she can."

"Think of a way?"

"If we want to return to the Three Realms, we must find what we had before we died..."