"Who was 'Heaven and Earth'?"
There was no doubt.
It was naturally "Mister."
That was, the owner of the voice coming through the Miniature Earpiece.
Without each of "Mister's" commands, Zhou Yu would never have made it deep into the Snake Den. He might have been torn to pieces by the endless giant snakes the moment he entered Snake Valley.
Under "Mister's" direction,
the giant snakes were like puppets on strings, allowing him to take the Blood Lingzhi with ease.
Zhou Yu didn't know what the Blood Lingzhi was, but since it grew at the bottom of the Snake Den and was guarded by the Snake Mother, it must have been important to Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley.
"'Mister'..."
Zhou Yu felt ever more reverent.
"It's in the bag."
In Magic City, Su Yuan smiled.
According to the plan provided by the Grey Mirror, the most dangerous parts were venturing deep into the underground Snake Den and plucking the Blood Lingzhi right under the nose of the sleeping Snake Mother.
The slightest slip in the process would mean certain death for the person carrying it out—especially when plucking the Blood Lingzhi at the bottom of the Snake Den.
If the sleeping Snake Mother woke up, even a Grandmaster of Baodan would most likely be trapped in that environment.
It was an exceptionally dangerous undertaking.
Of course, the danger lay not in the plan, but in the person carrying it out.
As long as everything went according to plan, there would be no problems.
The only concern was that the executor might not follow the plan properly or obey Su Yuan's directions.
Or that he might lack the mental fortitude to keep himself under control at a critical moment.
Even a Dark Force expert might lose control when faced with a Snake Mother as colossal as a mountain.
That was why choosing the right executor was crucial. Ideally, he would be a kind of death soldier, someone who would obey Su Yuan without hesitation and carry out orders like a robot.
That was also why Su Yuan had used Zhou Enterprise.
Only a force with roots in the Southern Frontier stretching back many years could train subordinates like "death soldiers," allowing Su Yuan to command them as effortlessly as his own limbs.
"Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley..."
Su Yuan's thoughts wandered. Through the Grey Mirror, he also knew that Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley contained many rare treasures and ancient herbs. The Blood Lingzhi was only one of them.
Besides the Blood Lingzhi, there was also a Dragon Transformation Herb, worth far more. It was guarded by another, even more powerful Snake Mother.
The Dragon Transformation Herb could greatly improve the body's evolutionary potential. It was a substantial improvement, and even Level 2 Lifeforms and Level 3 Lifeforms could benefit from it.
It was also the key to helping the two Snake Mothers of Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley advance further and evolve into Level 2 Lifeforms.
However, Su Yuan had no use for the Dragon Transformation Herb for now. It was not yet mature, and the other Snake Mother was extremely vigilant, so he didn't give it much thought.
"According to the plan, Zhou Yu will arrive in Magic City with the Blood Lingzhi in eleven hours. Eleven hours and twenty-one minutes from now, he'll deliver it to me..."
Su Yuan thought to himself.
At the same time, he glanced around.
After taking over the instructions to Zhou Yu, Su Yuan had come to the basement of the Zhou Family Old Residence.
It was quiet here, and the soundproofing was good. He wouldn't be disturbed.
As for Tang Zhien, he was waiting outside the basement door.
"Next comes the final stage of the plan."
Su Yuan gave Zhou Yu another set of instructions. "Walk eighty meters forward, then turn right and keep going."
Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley.
When he heard the familiar voice in the Miniature Earpiece,
Zhou Yu felt a sense of security rise within him. Even with the Snake Mother right in front of him, as long as that voice was there, he could face anything without fear.
Following Su Yuan's instructions to the letter, Zhou Yu turned right after walking eighty meters.
There were more and more snakes along the way, but compared with the giant, ferocious snakes beneath the Snake Den, those on the surface seemed like toys.
Eight minutes later,
Zhou Yu climbed over the hills surrounding Snake Valley and finally caught sight of the outside world.
"Hm?"
In the distance, eight herb gatherers were making a clear, sticky liquid and spreading it over the ground, trees, and boulders.
This was also an order Su Yuan had given when Zhou Yu entered Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley.
"So this is where I came out..."
Zhou Yu understood. After all that winding through the underground Snake Den, even with his extensive experience in the wilderness, he could no longer tell which way was north or south, let alone where the herb-gathering team had stopped.
"Huh? Captain Zhou? You made it out?"
The eight herb gatherers stared at Zhou Yu as he crawled out of Snake Valley. At last, their leader gathered his courage and asked.
They had already prepared themselves for the possibility that Zhou Yu wouldn't make it out.
After all, he had entered the forbidden zone of Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley!
"Mm."
Zhou Yu gave a slight nod.
At the same time, Su Yuan's voice came through his earpiece again.
"Coat yourself once more with the clear, sticky liquid. Also coat the jade box holding the Blood Lingzhi with it."
"Then go back the way you came."
"All right." Zhou Yu immediately carried out the order.
Su Yuan had already told the eight herb gatherers to keep making the sticky, clear liquid. So by the time Zhou Yu emerged, there was still plenty left, even after they had spread it over the ground, trees, and boulders.
Zhou Yu immediately began coating himself again.
After what he had just been through, he didn't mind the sticky, clear liquid at all. He slathered it over himself as thoroughly as he could.
After carefully coating the jade box as well, Zhou Yu led the eight herb gatherers back the way they had come.
Five minutes later,
a long, drawn-out breath sounded from deep beneath Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley.
Clearly, the Snake Mother below had passed the stage when its old breath was gone and its new breath had yet to come. It was beginning to regain some awareness of its surroundings.
But as soon as it did, the Snake Mother sensed that something was wrong.
Where was the Blood Lingzhi?
Where was that conspicuous Blood Lingzhi?
The Snake Mother opened its enormous eyes. Its pale-gold, vertical pupils turned toward a nearby spot. The Blood Lingzhi had been there before, but now there was nothing.
"Hiss—"
It took more than ten breaths for the Snake Mother to finally realize that the Blood Lingzhi had been stolen.
The moment it understood, the Snake Mother flew into a rage.
The Blood Lingzhi might not have been as valuable as the Dragon Transformation Herb, but it was still extremely important to the Snake Mother. Otherwise, it wouldn't have slept beside it to protect it.
But now,
the Blood Lingzhi was gone.
Rumble—
The colossal Snake Mother began to move. The Blood Lingzhi had disappeared, but its keen senses could still pick up traces of its lingering aura in the air.
Following that faint trace, the Snake Mother made its way upward, then burst out of the Snake Den and reached the surface of Snake Valley.
Every snake bowed low, trembling with fear.
The Snake Mother continued following the trace until it reached the edge of Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley. Its enormous head had even poked out beyond the valley, but then it suddenly stopped.
The trace of the Blood Lingzhi's aura lingering in the air abruptly ended at that spot, as if it had been erased out of existence.
Su Yuan had ordered the eight herb gatherers to keep making the clear, sticky liquid and spread it over the ground, trees, and boulders to erase every trace of their scent.
After Zhou Yu emerged with the Blood Lingzhi, he had also been coated with the liquid, as had the jade box holding the Blood Lingzhi.
The purpose was to erase the Blood Lingzhi's aura and stop the Snake Mother from pursuing them.
This was also the most important part of the plan's final stage. Without this preparation, even if they carried the Blood Lingzhi out of Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley—even out of the Hundred Thousand Mountains—the enraged Snake Mother would still hunt them down.
That would only lead to even more complications and unforeseen developments.
Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley.
The Snake Mother's enormous body coiled around a hill.
It surveyed its surroundings, utterly bewildered.
Only when it realized that the Blood Lingzhi it had guarded for years
would never return did it suddenly let out an enraged roar.
Before you continue