Mu Qingluan: My Overpowered Senior Brother Was Also Exceptionally Cautious

Zi Yan's unintentional words were full of sarcasm. Although everyone was unhappy, it was true that Xiao Yuan had easily dealt with the ten puppets. In addition, Xiao Yuan's strength was really formidable, so they didn't say much.

Xiao Yuan didn't say anything to Zi Yan to spoil the mood. Apart from the people of Burning Flame Valley, who he needed to take care of, it was none of his business if the others died. He certainly wouldn't lecture Zi Yan to avoid embarrassing them.

As for these Di Yao Kui, it's quite funny: Xiao Yuan had created Di Yao Kui before and was very clear about their weaknesses. If he were to fight them head-on, the only way to end the battle would be to tear them to pieces. But Xiao Yuan didn't want to tear them to pieces; what he wanted was control, the same kind of control he had with Tian Yao Kui.

Within the Di Yao Kui lies the Soul Imprint of its creator. By erasing this Soul Imprint and leaving one's own imprint, one can easily control the puppet. However, such imprints are usually hidden very deeply, and unless Xiao Yuan himself has crafted one, they would be impossible to detect.

The process of subduing the Di Yao Kui went much more smoothly than Xiao Yuan had expected, because he did not find even a trace of Soul Imprint within these Di Yao Kui. Xiao Yuan couldn't help but laugh at this situation. Perhaps it was because the endless years had worn away the Soul Imprint, or perhaps the ancient powerhouse at the Dou Sheng level had no interest in such casually made puppets and was too lazy to even leave a trace of Soul Imprint.

Regardless of the reason, as soon as Xiao Yuan's soul power invaded the bodies of these Di Yao Kui, he found that he had established a connection with them. This process was not difficult at all, and even if any other person tried it, they would be able to control them immediately.

Therefore, after storing these puppets in his Storage Ring, Xiao Yuan's face became quite strange. He glanced at the Gray-Clothed Old Man who had been beaten and forced to retreat while spitting blood, and wondered if the old man would be so angry that he would spit out blood if he knew that the method here was so outrageously simple. As strange thoughts arose in Xiao Yuan's mind, the crowd in the square also watched him silently. In the blink of an eye, ten Peak Dou Zong puppets, which together could even rival a Two Star Dou Zun, had fallen into Xiao Yuan's hands. For a moment, many people's expressions became particularly interesting, and the envy and jealousy in their eyes were hard to hide. A puppet with the strength of Two Star Dou Zun was enough to make people envious.

Among these people, especially Feng Qing'er and Tianming Sect, who had a grudge against Xiao Yuan, were both envious and unwilling. The stronger Xiao Yuan's side was, the greater the threat to them.

Xiao Yuan merely glanced at these guys and then looked away. No matter how much these guys disliked him, they wouldn't dare to make a move here. Their goal for this trip was the Heaven Rank Battle Skill within the ruins. Before obtaining it, how could they dare to fight to the death with his group?

"Creak."

Shortly after Xiao Yuan stored the ten puppets in his Storage Ring, the tightly closed Stone Gate Stone Gate creaked and opened a crack. As the Stone Gate gradually opened, a desolate and ancient aura slowly wafted out, causing many people to become solemn. Ancient objects are considered quite sacred by many.

Upon seeing the open Stone Gate, Xiao Yuan moved swiftly, lightly leaping back before returning to his previous position. Seeing this, many people's lips twitched, and they cursed him inwardly, thinking, "What a cunning brat!" It was clear that Xiao Yuan didn't want to be the first to enter the ruins to explore.

As the gate slowly opened, the creaking sound gradually subsided. The people in the square looked at each other, none daring to step inside first.

On the plaza, powerful figures would occasionally arrive from outside. These were clearly experts who had discovered the secrets of the Fire Passage Dao. Seeing more and more powerful figures gathering, the first few who arrived couldn't contain themselves any longer. After a moment, someone finally couldn't resist and slowly walked through the Stone Gate. Fortunately, this time, no screams were heard.

Seeing that the leader was alright, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Walk."

Xiao Yuan smiled slightly, let out a low shout, stomped his foot on the ground, and his figure transformed into a black shadow, rushing towards the ruins behind the Stone Gate like lightning. Cai Lin and the others quickly followed.

"That cunning fellow!"

Seeing that Xiao Yuan immediately set off as soon as he found no danger, many people cursed inwardly. Then they also unleashed their speed to the extreme, rushing into the hall like a flood.

Xiao Yuan and the others rushed in quickly, almost instantly entering the Stone Gate. Then they slowed down slightly, staring in astonishment at the scene that appeared before them.

What appeared before Xiao Yuan and the others was a colossal palace, making them appear exceptionally small. Looking around, they discovered numerous deep corridors surrounding the palace, their destinations unknown. At this moment, several powerful forces and individuals who had rushed in were beginning to dart into these corridors in batches.

"How do I get there?"

Cai Lin asked.

"Let's go find some Medicinal Herbs herbs first. Although the Dou Sheng Skeleton are very important to us, they are just useless to others. Besides, hehe, that thing isn't something you can just touch. I have to wait for someone else to scout out the situation for me first!"

Xiao Yuan chuckled in a sinister voice.

Upon hearing this, even Mu Qingluan's eye twitched. Her incredibly powerful senior brother was acting with an almost excessively cautious style! "Zi Yan, can you sense it?"

Looking at these seemingly endless passages, Xiao Yuan smiled and asked Zi Yan beside him, "This is only the entrance to the Great Hall. It will definitely be much more complicated inside. If we wander around aimlessly, we'll have a lot of trouble finding ourselves here."

"I can smell a faint Medicinal Herbs scent, but it's very faint."

Zi Yan twitched her nose and said.

"Follow along."

Xiao Yuan nodded, a look of joy on his face, and quickly said.

"Um."

Zi Yan nodded, quickly determined the direction, and then rushed towards a passage on the left side of the main hall. Xiao Yuan and the others hurriedly followed.

The passageway of the giant hall was extremely spacious. The group flew through it like a few small birds. Along the way, they could see some other powerful individuals who had come to search for treasure, but fortunately, they did not come up to their deaths.

Along the sides of these passages, there are occasionally some pavilions. Sometimes, a large group of people will swarm in like bandits, ransacking these pavilions from top to bottom. Although this behavior is very barbaric, some lucky ones do manage to find some cultivation techniques and Dou Technique, but the level is not very high. The top ones are only at the Earth Rank. Even so, the person who obtains the treasure will still attract a lot of attention.

As Xiao Yuan and his group followed the scent of the Medicinal Herbs, they occasionally stumbled into a few pavilions, but they didn't find anything useful. It seemed that the real treasures were not kept in these places.

Seeing that these pavilions wouldn't yield any results, Xiao Yuan and his group calmed down and focused on following Zi Yan. After flying through the corridor for about fifteen minutes, Zi Yan finally stopped.

Seeing Zi Yan stop, Xiao Yuan and the others immediately turned their gazes to the front, where there was an extremely ancient Stone Gate. The Stone Gate was covered with moss, its dark green color conveying the passage of time.

"The smell of Medicinal Herbs is strongest here. It must be where the Medicinal Herbs are stored. I wonder if they've gone bad after all these years."

Zi Yan pointed to the Stone Gate and said.

"Probably not. Dou Sheng Expert has plenty of ways to preserve Medicinal Herbs indefinitely."

Xiao Yuan shook his head, stepped forward slowly, and carefully checked the Stone Gate. After finding no traps or mechanisms, he pushed it open forcefully.

"Boom!"

With a deep thud, the heavy Stone Gate covered in moss was slowly pushed open, and a thick, medicinal fragrance that had been hidden for countless years burst forth, instantly invigorating everyone.

Smelling the fragrance, a hint of joy flashed in Xiao Yuan's eyes. He increased the force in his hand and pushed the Stone Gate open completely.

The moment the Stone Gate opened, a dazzling light burst forth, causing Xiao Yuan and the others to narrow their eyes and quickly take two steps back. Their Dou Qi also began to circulate rapidly, ready to deal with any unexpected situation at any moment.

As the light gradually dimmed, everyone opened their eyes again, and then they all gasped softly.

Beyond the Stone Gate lay not the stone chamber everyone had imagined, but a forest— Ancient Forest entirely constructed of various rare Medicinal Herbs! "Damn it... compared to the Medicinal Herbs here, the Medicinal Herbs in my Ten Thousand Medicines Mountain Range are utterly worthless!"

Xiong Zhan stared in disbelief at the vast expanse of Medicinal Herbs that were extremely rare in the outside world.

"Call"

Xiao Yuan was also greatly shocked by this Ancient Forest, which was entirely constructed from rare Medicinal Herbs. It took him a while to gradually come back to his senses. He quickly pulled everyone inside, then closed the Stone Gate behind them. He also added a layer of Four Star Dou Zun Douqi Seal, which was so strong that it would take a full-force attack from a four-star Dou Zun to break it. Although it might not be able to stop everyone, it would be enough to keep some petty villains out and prevent them from losing their lives.

Such a terrifying reserve of Medicinal Herbs would be an irresistible temptation for some forces.

"Wow, this is a great place!"

Zi Yan's eyes were already sparkling with excitement. She wiped her mouth and finally couldn't resist leaping into a patch of energy-rich Ganoderma lucidum. She grabbed some and stuffed them into her mouth. The Medicinal Herbs here had grown for countless years and were exceptionally rich in energy. For Zi Yan, they were a great tonic. Although they weren't refined by Xiao Yuan and tasted slightly worse, the abundant energy made Zi Yan forget about the taste.

Seeing her actions, Xiao Yuan and the others were not surprised, but they were also somewhat amused and exasperated. He glanced around and then decisively waved his hand, heading towards the depths of the forest. There wasn't much time for him to pack up and collect all the Medicinal Herbs here.

However, the next moment, the Soul Clone flew out of Xiao Yuan's body, took a large enough high-level Storage Ring, and began to frantically collect his Medicinal Herbs.

Oh dear, it's all my fault! "Let's go, we'll let you eat your fill when we get back!"

The group followed Xiao Yuan deeper into the area, while Cai Lin forcibly pulled up Zi Yan, who was stubbornly refusing to move from the pile of Medicinal Herbs, and quickly followed.

The vast Ancient Forest is filled with exotic fragrances and a light mist. Occasionally, small animals will dart out from the grass, creating a peaceful atmosphere that looks like a fairyland.

"This Ancient Forest has evolved over countless years and has become a world of its own. It is also home to many powerful magical beasts, so be careful."

Several figures swept through the air and landed on a large tree. Xiao Yuan glanced around and whispered a reminder. He could sense that there were many powerful auras in this forest, which were obviously the magical beasts here.

"Yes, and many of the magical beasts here are ancient creatures with considerable combat power. If you get entangled with them, it will be quite troublesome."

Heavenly Flame Venerable nodded and said in a deep voice.

"Tch, so what if it's an ancient artifact? Don't worry, I'll be fine with you."

Zi Yan pouted, glanced around, lightly touched a branch with her toes, and her delicate body flashed out, heading towards the depths of the forest.

"Let's follow this girl; it'll be safer with her here." Xiao Yuan smiled at the group and then took the lead.

This Ancient Forest is quite large. Even at Xiao Yuan and the others' speed, after traveling for nearly ten minutes, they still hadn't seen the end of the forest. This shows just how vast the work left by that ancient Dou Sheng Expert was.

Along the way, Xiao Yuan and his companions sensed many fierce auras, and several times some huge and ferocious-looking magical beasts rushed past them. However, perhaps because Zi Yan was Ancient Void Dragon, the faint dragon might prevented these magical beasts from actively harassing them, which made Xiao Yuan and his companions' journey quite smooth.

"Laugh!"

Several figures swept through the forest. Xiao Yuan suddenly stopped, turned his head to look north, and frowned.

"What's wrong?" Cai Lin asked quickly upon seeing this.

"Other people have come in, and there are quite a few of them," Xiao Yuan said.

"It seems they've also discovered the Stone Gate," Cai Lin said, her brows furrowing slightly.

"No, it's in another direction. It seems there's more than one entrance to this Ancient Forest." Xiao Yuan shook his head helplessly, then said, "It seems we have no choice but to speed up."

"I sensed it!"

As soon as Xiao Yuan finished speaking, a look of surprise suddenly appeared on Zi Yan's face.

"What?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan quickly asked.

"Hey, it must be good stuff, it smells amazing! I know the smell of these Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures better than you do!"

Zi Yan sniffed, a look of ecstasy appearing on her face. She raised her snow-white chin with a touch of pride and said something with confidence. Then, she lightly touched the branches with her toes and quickly rushed out.

Seeing this, Xiao Yuan and the others quickly followed.