Soul Returning Grass

In the long river of fate, no one knew what encounters awaited them, what hardships they would suffer. Perhaps all they could do was ride the wind and break the waves, hack through brambles and thorns, face the erosion of the years, and strive bravely onward.

In his previous life, Ye Tong had been a physiognomist.

A physiognomist who had walked the great path of cultivation.

He wanted to live. More than anyone else, he longed to live. For a hundred years on Earth, he had been bound by family ties. Though his days had been happy and fulfilling, it had still been difficult to do as he pleased and act without restraint.

This place was different.

Here, there was only the Medicine Slave who depended on him for survival, and perhaps Yin Xiaojiu, whose trail of destiny had already changed.

A clear goal.

Nonexistent shackles.

Just like that, Ye Tong freely lifted the veil from his heart. As time passed, as Purple Qi Comes from the East and the red sun rose, he immersed himself in the exquisite, picture-like scenery.

Gradually.

He felt the wind brush across his cheeks, felt the warmth pouring down from the sunlight, felt the vitality of all things beneath heaven and earth. Every flower and blade of grass, every grain of sand and stone, seemed to have begun breathing. A mysterious sensation washed over his soul, scouring away the filth of the world before his eyes and nourishing his toxin-filled body.

Beneath a towering ancient tree.

At some unknown point, the Medicine Slave's hunched body had straightened, standing erect like a pine. The cloudiness in his eyes had vanished, replaced by flickering sharpness. His cultivation was in the Innate Realm, and his perception of the world was stronger. Thus, he sensed a mysterious aura spreading from Ye Tong, as though Ye Tong had merged with the world before him.

This was the Medicine Slave's understanding.

Peering!

The Medicine Slave knew that this had been his old master, Poison Demon Huo Lanqiu's understanding.

No matter how it was understood, the Medicine Slave envied Ye Tong deeply. Over the course of a cultivator's lifetime, the number of times one could enter such a mysterious state could be counted on one hand. And every time one did, it foretold great gains.

He silently watched Ye Tong and sensed the spiritual energy between heaven and earth flowing, strand by strand, into Ye Tong's body. Though it was sparse and slow, it was still more than ten times the amount of spiritual energy Ye Tong absorbed during ordinary cultivation.

A moment later.

The Medicine Slave's expression changed, becoming especially vigilant. He turned to survey the surroundings, guarding against anyone or any Fierce Beast barging in and disrupting Ye Tong's state.

"Buzz..."

A faint aura spilled from Ye Tong's body, and his body trembled slightly in an instant. Then he awoke from that mysterious state. Lowering his head to look at his chest, a strange expression that was both delighted and mournful appeared on his face.

The Medicine Slave felt both gratified and disappointed. He was gratified that Ye Tong had directly broken through to the Qi Refining Fourth Level in that mysterious state, yet disappointed that the breakthrough had disrupted it. The longer one remained immersed in such a state, the greater the benefits gained.

"Congratulations, Young Master."

Ye Tong turned around and looked at the Medicine Slave, who had resumed his hunched posture, like a little old man with one foot in the grave. A smile crept onto Ye Tong's face. Slowly spreading his arms, he stretched his body and said with a smile, "I seem to have found a way to solve the problem of my Poison Body."

Yes!

He had found it!

Though he did not know whether that method could ultimately remove the hidden danger of his Poison Body completely, at the very least, he had found a direction and seen hope.

The Medicine Slave revealed a look of delighted surprise and hurriedly asked, "Young Master, what method?"

Ye Tong pointed at the sun hanging high above, then toward the peak of the eastern mountains. Smiling, he said, "Purple Qi Comes from the East, cleansing the filth beneath heaven. My luck was good. I inhaled just a thread of that dense purple qi, yet it burned away a small portion of the toxins within my body. It seems cultivating every morning when the rising sun ascends will greatly benefit me."

Purple Qi Comes from the East?

The Medicine Slave did not understand what Ye Tong meant, but he understood that this was a good thing for Ye Tong. If it was good, that was enough.

"Young Master, shall we continue on our way?"

Ye Tong nodded. "Take our things and head back! Now that I've broken through to the Qi Refining Fourth Level, I can feel my strength has increased considerably. Even if I encounter a Level Two Fierce Beast now, I'm confident I can fight it."

The Medicine Slave said in surprise, "The Qi Refining Fourth Level can fight a Level Two Fierce Beast? Under normal circumstances, wouldn't one have to break through to at least the Qi Refining Sixth Level before being able to battle a Level Two Fierce Beast? And that would only be against a relatively weaker Level Two Fierce Beast."

Ye Tong smiled. "Perhaps I'm exceptionally gifted in certain aspects."

"Hehe!"

Thinking of everything Ye Tong had done recently, the Medicine Slave nodded in agreement.

Ye Tong's increased cultivation and strength noticeably improved their traveling speed. By afternoon, the two of them were carrying a great many things as they crossed the twelfth mountain and reached the mountainside on the other side.

"Wait."

As they descended the mountain and passed through a rugged ravine, a casual glance left Ye Tong somewhat stunned.

With a puzzled expression, the Medicine Slave followed Ye Tong's gaze. He immediately saw a small, lush green blade of grass growing from a crevice in the ravine dozens of meters away. Having followed Huo Lanqiu for many years, he was especially familiar with medicinal herbs. Almost at once, he recognized the plant.

Soul Returning Grass!

A plant said to grow in the Yellow Springs Realm. If properly used in medicine, it possessed the effect of bringing the dead back to life. The Medicine Slave had once read extensively, yet he had only ever seen illustrations and records of Soul Returning Grass in ancient texts.

Very soon.

The two followed the ravine deeper inside and arrived before the Soul Returning Grass.

The Medicine Slave observed it carefully for a long while before saying with a face full of joy, "That's right, it's Soul Returning Grass. Though this old servant is quite familiar with this plant, that familiarity came from records in historical texts and ancient books. This is the first time I've seen the real thing. But isn't Soul Returning Grass rumored to grow in the Yellow Springs Realm? How could it be here?"

After Ye Tong arrived, his gaze rested only briefly on the Soul Returning Grass before he looked toward the depths of the ravine. He sensed Yin Sha Qi coming from the bottom at the far end of the ravine. Although it had weakened greatly by the time it reached this place, if ordinary people stood here for long, they would still suffer from Killing Intent Entering the Body.

He wanted to go to the other end of the ravine and take a look, but considering his current physical condition, he ultimately chose to give up. The toxins within him were already potent. If he were further tainted by Yin Sha Qi, it would likely make matters worse, adding frost atop snow. If things went badly, he might even lose his life.

Ye Tong said, "Medicine Slave, harvest it! With this Soul Returning Grass, I'll try refining a certain pill once we return. If I succeed, it may greatly benefit even you."

"Alright!"

The Medicine Slave carefully took out a small shovel and dug up the Soul Returning Grass, roots and all, along with some mud and stones. Then he carefully placed it in his basket.

Half an hour later.

As the two were about to reach the foot of the mountain, they discovered over a dozen cultivators dressed in fitted combat attire surrounding and hunting three Level Two Fierce Beasts, Colorful Leopards. At that moment, all three Colorful Leopards were injured, but four of the dozen-plus cultivators had also been wounded. One of them was seriously injured, with a bloody gash across his chest that was a horrifying sight.

"There's an expert in the Innate Realm."

Squinting, the Medicine Slave looked at the battle a hundred meters away and spoke.

Ye Tong raised an eyebrow. "Since an expert of the Innate Realm is present, shouldn't killing three Level Two Fierce Beasts be easy? Why hasn't he acted? Why are more than a dozen cultivators of clearly lower cultivation in the Houtian Realm fighting the Colorful Leopards instead?"

The Medicine Slave sneered. "Some adventurer teams are cobbled together from all corners. Everyone in the team looks out for themselves, and their selfish motives run deep. If they can gain benefits without lifting a finger, who would be willing to fight desperately and waste their strength? This adventurer team should be just as I described."

Ye Tong understood, and contempt rose in his heart.

The Innate Realm man stood with his arms folded, silently watching the battle without the slightest intention of joining it. Suddenly, as though he had sensed something, he turned to look a hundred meters away. When he saw the old man and the youth standing in the distance, his expression froze before his face subtly changed.

He had seen Ye Tong's portrait and recognized Ye Tong as the person wanted by the Tong Family of Cold Mountain City.

"What an unexpected delight!"

A vicious look appeared on the man's face. He strode toward Ye Tong and the Medicine Slave, stopping only when he was seven or eight meters away. "Ye Tong?"

Ye Tong was stunned. Looking at the man with a puzzled expression, he asked, "How do you know me?"

The man laughed smugly. "It really is you. Looks like I wasn't wrong. Unfortunately for you, you've been blacklisted by the Tong Family of Cold Mountain City. The Tong Family Patriarch's wife has issued a reward. Whoever cuts off your head and brings it before her will receive a large sum of blue silver. Tsk, tsk. I hadn't held out much hope, since the Golden Phoenix Mountain Range is simply too vast, and the odds of us encountering you were infinitesimal. Who would have thought you'd deliver yourself right to my doorstep?"

Ye Tong frowned and asked, "Do you think I'm easy to kill?"

The man swept his gaze over the Medicine Slave, then curled his lip and said disdainfully, "An old thing on the verge of death, who looks as if a gust of wind could blow him down, and a brat still reeking of milk. Killing you would be as easy as killing chickens. Still, I'm a kindhearted man. I can give you the chance to act on your own. Kill yourselves!"

Kill themselves?

Ye Tong shook his head and sighed. "Medicine Slave, you do it."

The Medicine Slave nodded with a smile. After setting the bundle in his hands on the ground, he instantly lunged before the man. The Dragon Head Cane swept out with incomparable ferocity, carrying a howling wind as it engulfed the man in an instant.

Bang! Bang! Bang...

In their brief clash, the man suffered terribly due to his underestimation of his foe. The Dragon Head Cane struck him at least seven or eight times. Just as he hastily raised his long saber, the tail of the Dragon Head Cane slammed into his chest. A sharp spike shot out, tearing a bloody wound across his chest.

What?

Feeling a stabbing pain around his heart, the man instantly retreated. Only after backing away more than ten meters did he lower his head in horror to look at his chest. The next moment, his pupils constricted and his body began to tremble violently.

His heart!

It had been pierced!

Before he had even unleashed his full strength, was it ending like this? Was he about to leave his life behind in these deep mountains and old forests?