Forcible Seizure

Yan Jingzhe closed his eyes.

Then, he unleashed his full strength.

Nine Soul Rings blossomed beneath his feet in sequence—one yellow, two purple, three black, and three red.

The nine Soul Rings slowly revolved as the suffocating pressure of a level ninety-eight Peak Douluo radiated from him. He did not restrain it in the slightest, releasing his pressure without reservation.

Golden light surged from his body, and the phantom of a Light Phoenix appeared behind him, blotting out the sky. The Phoenix spread its wings, and golden flames soared into the heavens, staining the entire valley's sky gold. The flames were so hot that even the air ignited, crackling and bursting.

But what truly terrified the Immortal Herbs was neither that terrifying pressure nor the flames of light, but the deeper power within Yan Jingzhe.

The life aura of Life Gold pulsed like a beating heart—thump, thump, thump. Each beat released immense life energy, so abundant it was nearly tangible. To the Immortal Herbs, that energy was both temptation and threat—temptation because it was the purest source of life, and threat because someone capable of releasing life energy of that caliber clearly possessed absolute control over life itself.

He could grant life, and he could also take it away.

Beneath that life aura lay something even deeper and more hidden.

Electrolux's remnant soul turned over in the Sea of Spirit, releasing a trace of icy spiritual fluctuations. The ripples pierced the Sea of Spirit and seeped into the outside world like a freezing wind from the abyss, sweeping through the entire valley.

The aura of death.

Pure, ultimate, irresistible death.

Electrolux, Calamity of the Undead, Holy Necromancer. He had once ruled over the death of an entire world. Even though only a wisp of his remnant soul remained, the death aura he released could still make every living being instinctively tremble in fear.

Life and death appeared within the same person.

To the Immortal Herbs, this was an incomprehensible existence beyond their understanding.

Youyou's petals began to tremble.

It was not a slight tremor, but a violent, uncontrollable shudder. The cluster of light at the center of her flower flickered wildly, as if she were enduring a violent mental storm.

The other Immortal Herbs fared even worse. The golden bloom of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum drooped, and the golden halo around its petals dimmed by more than half. The Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone turned entirely white, frozen motionless. The flames on the Infernal Delicate Apricot's leaves shrank into a tiny ball and quivered. Great patches of frost flowers fell from the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, revealing the grayish-white leaves beneath.

They were afraid.

That fear did not stem from a disparity in strength, but from the suppression of a higher level of life.

Like ants looking up to see a giant dragon, like mortals standing before a god.

This was not a battle. This was submission.

Yan Jingzhe opened his eyes.

His pupils had turned gold—not a faint gold, but a blazing, dazzling gold that seemed capable of piercing through everything. The phantom Light Phoenix behind him slowly flapped its wings, and with every beat, a ring of golden radiance spread outward, sweeping over the entire valley.

He looked at the Aromatic Silk Beauty on the island in the center of the lake and spoke.

His voice was not loud, but every word seemed to explode in the hearts of the Immortal Herbs.

"I'll ask one more time."

"The essence. Will you give it to me, or not?"

The valley fell deathly silent.

There were no bird calls, no insect chirps. Even the churning and freezing sounds of the Icefire Yin Yang Well seemed to have vanished. Only the phantom Light Phoenix behind Yan Jingzhe burned soundlessly, shrouding the entire valley in golden brilliance.

The silence lasted a long time.

Then Youyou's voice rang out. This time, however, the cool detachment from before was gone, leaving only deep, helpless submission.

"...We'll give it to you."

Her flower drooped. The cluster of light at its center flickered violently several times, then a drop of pale pink liquid seeped out, condensing into a crystal-clear dewdrop that floated in the air.

It was a drop of essence.

It was not some leftover residue squeezed out under duress, but the purest, most vital essence of the Aromatic Silk Beauty. She had handed it over—completely and without holding anything back.

Not because she wanted to, but because she did not dare refuse.

The pale pink dewdrop slowly drifted toward Yan Jingzhe, stopping before him and giving off a faint fragrance.

Once there was a first, there was a second.

The flower head of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum lifted high, then suddenly bowed down as though kowtowing. A drop of golden liquid flew from its core, richer and purer than before.

A drop of milky-white liquid condensed upon the white petals of the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone. It was crystal clear and carried a cool, faint fragrance.

The dancing flames on the Infernal Delicate Apricot's leaves abruptly contracted, and then a drop of crimson liquid condensed from the fire. It was scorching hot, warping the air around it.

A drop of ice-blue liquid slowly seeped from the ice-blue leaves of the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass. Carrying bone-piercing cold, it condensed into a tiny ice flower in midair.

One plant after another, one drop after another.

Gold, milky white, crimson, ice blue, pale violet, emerald green, jet black... Essences of every color condensed from different Immortal Herbs, like countless colored stars drifting toward Yan Jingzhe from every direction.

What they handed over was not a perfunctory bit of residue, but their most vital and purest essence.

Every drop of essence contained the accumulated strength of hundreds, even thousands, of years.

Now, they had given it all to Yan Jingzhe.

Yan Jingzhe took several jade bottles from his Soul Tool with a backhand motion and carefully placed the Immortal Herb Essence into them.

"Finally got them all."

Yan Jingzhe closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Then he looked once more at the Immortal Herbs.

The Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum hung its flower head low, the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone had closed its petals, the Infernal Delicate Apricot's flames had dimmed greatly, and the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass had almost entirely lost its frost flowers.

They had all weakened considerably, but their foundations remained intact. Given time, their essence would regenerate.

Yan Jingzhe fell silent for a while. Then he suddenly took several small bottles from his storage ring, pulled out their stoppers, and poured the liquid inside onto the soil surrounding the Immortal Herbs.

"This is a nutrient solution catalyzed with my own Soul Power. It contains some life elements. It may not compare to your Immortal Herb Essence, but it will be enough to restore your vitality in the short term."

"I hope I'll still see you next time I come. I'm leaving."

Yan Jingzhe turned around and headed for the valley exit without looking back.

His footsteps were much lighter now. His silver-white hair swayed gently behind him, glimmering with a faint golden sheen amid the alternating red and blue glow of the Icefire Yin Yang Well.

Behind him, the Aromatic Silk Beauty watched his figure disappear and sighed softly.

"What a terrifying human."

The emerald-green poisonous miasma closed in again, swallowing his figure.

The valley returned to peace.

But this peace was no longer the same as before.

Even Ren Tang, the Great God King, would never have imagined that someone would steal his possessions right under his nose.