Bottleneck

For an entire month thereafter.

Yun Long refined three rare Heavenly Spirit Flowers in succession.

There were also numerous spirit herbs and wondrous medicines that Li Pinghu, Shi Tie, and his father Yun Ji had risked their lives to find in the dangerous depths of the mountains.

With this favorable wind at his back, his cultivation finally broke through its shackles in one stroke, reaching the peak of the Xiantian realm!

Yun Long's strength was no longer what it had once been.

With the defense of his physical body alone, even if his father Yun Ji, Li Pinghu, and Shi Tie joined forces, they could not hope to shake him in the slightest.

Yun Ji saw it all and rejoiced in his heart.

This meant Yun Long possessed a life-saving trump card far beyond theirs.

In these mountains, where danger lurked on all sides, his chances of surviving were undoubtedly far greater than those of old bones like them.

So long as he did not encounter some old monster beyond the Xiantian realm, Yun Long had an excellent chance of getting away unharmed.

However, as the group continued exploring ever deeper into the heart of the mountains.

Yun Long consumed quite a few more precious herbs.

Yet his cultivation seemed to have slammed into an invisible, heavy wall, making it impossible to advance even an inch.

As his cultivation technique circulated, that final thin barrier was so tenacious it inspired despair, refusing to break for the longest time.

His true qi was still not pure enough.

His foundation was not deep enough either.

He still needed a far greater accumulation.

As they searched through the endless mountains, Yun Long finally came to personally understand the deeply hidden gravity and worry between his father Yun Ji's brows and those of Li Pinghu and Shi Tie.

With their pace and carpet-style search, during the first few days they could still occasionally run into one or two martial artists who had likewise entered the mountains in search of medicine.

But as they continued deeper.

Especially over the past ten days or so, not a single human shadow had appeared anywhere within sight.

Dead silence.

The entire mountain range exuded a dead silence that made one's heart palpitate.

There were hardly any traces of fighting to be seen.

Not to mention bloodstains left behind by injured martial artists.

Even the roars and howls of ferocious beasts had grown sparse.

Yun Ji and the others had only encountered two attacks from foolish ferocious beasts during the first few days after entering this region.

At first, Li Pinghu had been rather anxious.

From time to time, he urged Yun Ji to move faster, fearing that if they arrived too late, all the rare treasures and exotic herbs in the mountains would be picked clean by others.

But the deeper they went, the less anxiety showed on Li Pinghu's face.

Because there were unexpectedly many precious medicinal herbs in the mountains.

Some spirit plants that had grown for many years were even sprouting openly in conspicuous places, as if waiting for someone to pick them.

This was far too abnormal!

By all reason, herbs of this grade could never fall into their hands so easily.

Li Pinghu no longer mentioned speeding up.

There was now a touch more vigilance and unease in his eyes.

Yun Long understood perfectly.

That invisible danger was drawing closer to them step by step.

"Long."

Li Pinghu lowered his voice and broke the silence. "Estimate carefully—roughly how much more medicinal power do you need before you can truly break through?"

Yun Long pondered for a moment before answering, "If measured in True Essence Pills, the pure medicinal power of around four or five should be enough."

He paused, then added, "If it is a heaven-and-earth essence on the level of a Heavenly Spirit Flower, one might be enough. With two, it will definitely succeed!"

True Essence Pills!

The moment those words were spoken, even the air seemed to freeze.

Under their present circumstances, in this mountain forest fraught with danger on all sides, where could they find True Essence Pills—things with a price but no market?

As for Heavenly Spirit Flowers...

Such spiritual treasures born of heaven and earth were even more things one could encounter only by chance, never seek by desire.

Li Pinghu had lived most of his life, yet had only seen one once through a fortunate coincidence.

The group fell silent once more.

A stifling atmosphere spread through the group.

"We change direction."

In the end, Yun Ji broke the dead silence, his voice steady and decisive. "We will not go deeper. We will search by circling sideways instead."

"Let's look more carefully."

They had traveled all this way in calm weather, without encountering the slightest danger.

That was the greatest danger of all!

Li Pinghu and Shi Tie exchanged glances, each seeing lingering fear and resolve in the other's eyes.

They nodded without hesitation.

They truly did not dare charge blindly farther in.

Making a lateral detour and continuing their search for herbs was their only choice at present.

Everything was for the sake of fighting for that sliver of hope, to help Yun Long break through successfully!

After searching for another half day.

The group found several more rare medicinal herbs.

But this was not a good time to refine their medicinal power.

They still needed to find a concealed place to regulate their breathing and rest before they could consume them without worry.

"Stop!"

Yun Long shouted in a low voice, his gaze like lightning as it suddenly shot toward the depths of the dense forest to their left.

Having reached the peak of the Xiantian realm, his five senses were far sharper than Yun Ji's and the others'.

Without anyone realizing it, he had long become the stabilizing pillar of this group.

It was only because their journey had previously been smooth and uneventful, without any true danger, that this strength had not revealed itself.

Only after hearing him did Yun Ji, Li Pinghu, and Shi Tie belatedly follow Yun Long's gaze.

They saw two figures clad in Black Fish-Dragon Robes speeding toward them through the forest in the distance, carrying fierce gusts of wind in their wake.

Those robes were the mark of the Ninth Prince's personal guards!

The visitors came with ill intent!

The two made no attempt to conceal their auras. Both were clearly experts of the Late Xiantian stage!

Their auras were so condensed that they were no weaker than Li Pinghu's, perhaps even stronger.

Their target was obvious beyond doubt—Yun Long's group!

Yun Ji and the other two exchanged glances, each seeing solemnity in the others' eyes.

They looked toward Yun Long as one, their gazes carrying questions and resolve.

Yun Long gave a slight nod, indicating that he understood.

Over the past half month, the Ninth Prince's mountain-searching teams had already brought back several batches of martial artists.

Yun Long's group had remained missing for far too long, and the Ninth Prince had long grown displeased.

If they still failed to find their targets, these personal guards tasked with searching would inevitably have to endure the prince's thunderous wrath.

Conversely, whoever captured Yun Long and the others would render a great service before the Ninth Prince, with a promising future ahead!

These two were Zhang San and Li Xi.

They had never imagined that such overwhelming good fortune would fall upon the heads of their own brothers!

They had also watched Yun Long's match with Ning Wuhui from afar and had a deep impression of his burly figure. He was very easy to recognize.

In the blink of an eye, Zhang San and Li Xi arrived before them, carrying an air of superiority.

Zhang San coughed lightly and spoke with a trace of arrogance. "You no longer need to search the mountains."

"Someone found the ruins two days ago."

"The Ninth Prince has ordered you to proceed to the ruins at once, assist with repairs, and search for an important item."

"Once the task is complete, there will naturally be rewards when you descend the mountain."

Worldly-wise and experienced, Yun Ji hurriedly bowed and replied, "Yes, we will obey your command, sir."

Yun Long also gave a deep bow, his posture humble and obedient, without the slightest hint of anything unusual.

Seeing this, Zhang San and Li Xi curled their lips in disdain.

These martial men from the wilderness were probably all this meek before the prince's personal guards.

Even if there were a few blind fools with thorns in their hides, they could not stir up any waves.

Necessary vigilance was naturally required, but there was no need to make too great a fuss over it.

"Keep up!" Li Xi snorted coldly, turning with Zhang San to lead the way.

Yun Long and the other three said nothing and followed closely behind.