Three Heavens (1)

Before they knew it, the moon had quietly climbed above the treetops, spilling silvery light and draping Medicine King Valley in a gauzy veil.

Gu Yinchen tipped his head up slightly and glanced at the sky, estimating that the time was about right. He exchanged an imperceptible look with Gu Xiaoyue, who stood nearby in attendance. Gu Xiaoyue looked somewhat dejected and was clearly in a poor mood. Under Gu Yinchen's gaze, his heart tightened, and he still lowered his head respectfully.

Only then did Gu Yinchen slowly rise. He swept his gaze around, cleared his throat, and tried to make his voice sound steady. "Esteemed guests, have you enjoyed your visit to Medicine King Valley? The time is about right now. Please come with us to witness the Three-Heavens Flower bloom."

At last, this Flower-Appreciation Gathering had reached its most important public event—the blooming of the Three-Heavens Flower.

Everyone's attention was instantly drawn over. The Three-Heavens Flower had long been famed throughout the cultivation world. Its blooming was said to be as dreamlike as an illusion, described in almost supernatural terms, and everyone craned their necks in anticipation, eager to witness that legendary, magnificent sight with their own eyes.

At Gu Yinchen's subtle glance of instruction, Gu Yueyao stepped forward with graceful composure. The corners of her delicate lips lifted slightly, revealing a row of pearly white teeth. Her eyes were bright and lively, as though they held countless stars, glittering brilliantly.

She moved with lotus steps, her figure graceful and swaying like a fairy among flowers. As she walked ahead at an unhurried pace, she said with a radiant smile, "Esteemed guests, please follow me."

Led by her, the crowd strolled leisurely through a fragrant sea of flowers in full bloom.

Gu Yinchen deliberately slowed his pace, gradually falling to the very back of the group.

Over this long day, he had maneuvered among guests from every side, the same formulaic smile fixed upon his face throughout. By now, his facial muscles seemed bound tightly by invisible ropes, so stiff they were nearly numb. Every slight movement brought a faint ache, as though protesting against the unceasing tension.

Besides, he had never been good at talking to people. After an entire day, he was utterly exhausted.

Now that everyone's attention was fixed on the smiling Gu Yueyao ahead and the beautiful sea of flowers surrounding her, Gu Yinchen finally found a brief chance to catch his breath.

He raised his head slightly and let out a soft sigh. Then he slowly lifted both hands and gently massaged his cheeks with his fingertips, his movements light and soothing as he tried to dispel the stiffness that had seeped into his flesh and let his taut nerves relax a little.

Gu Xiaoyue followed silently behind Gu Yinchen, looking somewhat uneasy and constrained. His expression was faintly flustered, his gaze shifting restlessly, with a trace of guilt that he could not conceal.

After hesitating again and again, he finally parted his lips. His voice was as low as a mosquito's buzz as he stammered uneasily, "Master, I..."

"We will settle today's matter with you later." Gu Yinchen's expression darkened at once, like a sudden frost descending in winter—cold and severe.

His voice was low and resonant, like muffled thunder, carrying unquestionable authority as it echoed through the air. "First, see to the guests properly. Do not let outsiders laugh at Medicine King Valley."

When he finished, he cast Gu Xiaoyue a cold sidelong glance, his gaze as sharp as a blade, as though it could see through every thought in his heart.

"Yes, Master." Gu Xiaoyue hurriedly lowered his head, appearing exceptionally obedient. Yet the instant he did, a flash of resentment and venom suddenly crossed his eyes, like a meteor vanishing from the night sky, but carrying boundless chill.

He clenched his teeth so hard that his cheeks bulged slightly. He understood that everything which had happened today had already carved an irreparable gulf between him and Gu Yinchen. The position of valley master, which he had dreamed of day and night, had become ever more distant.

Unless... Gu Xiaoyue slowly raised his head, his sinister gaze settling on Gu Yinchen's upright back—a sight that filled him with hatred. A deep darkness gradually gathered in his eyes, like the gloom before a storm, profound and dangerous.

At the same time, unspeakably dark thoughts began churning through his mind, like venomous snakes winding through the depths of his heart.

The group walking ahead arrived at a place where, concealed amid clusters of flowers and shaded by emerald leaves, the entrance to a hidden cave lay quietly concealed. Without careful searching, it would have been almost impossible to find.

Gu Yueyao stepped forward steadily, her expression solemn.

Her hands swiftly formed strange and intricate seals as she murmured an incantation. With a flash of soft yet dazzling light, the tightly sealed cave entrance slowly opened, revealing a deep passageway before them, faint mist filling its interior.

As they followed the passage deeper into the cave, the light around them grew increasingly dim, with only the illumination artifacts in their hands flickering faintly.

Gradually, blue-green vines began to appear along the cave walls. Like agile green snakes, they coiled and clung to the stone. Palm-shaped leaves grew upon the vines, tender and emerald-green, their veins clearly visible. The leaves grew in opposing pairs, like intimate friends clasping hands, or spirals entwining around one another—marvelously strange.

The group continued onward. After roughly a quarter of an hour, they finally reached their destination.

Looking up, they saw a huge opening directly overhead, like an eye of heaven. At that moment, a bright full moon happened to appear in the opening, and moonlight like flowing water poured down without reservation, instantly flooding the entire cave.

Bathed in that silvery moonlight, the vine leaves that had been tightly curled together quietly opened. Amid the clustered leaves, a tiny three-stemmed flower shyly poked out its head.

The little flower resembled a fairy untouched by the mortal world, blooming quietly amid the emerald leaves. It was composed of red, blue, and green. The three differently colored blossoms grew from the same stem, each one like the light skirt hem of a dancer, swaying softly in the breeze, breathtakingly beautiful.

The stunning appearance of that Three-Heavens Flower made everyone hold their breath, as though afraid of disturbing this flower fairy who had just awakened from slumber. Yet as everyone lost themselves in the beauty before them, the wondrous changes continued.

As though ignited by the moonlight, leaves slowly opened one after another along the veins of the cave. Following the path cast by the moonlight, they spread outward like ripples, unfolding in succession. The cliff walls, once monotonously covered in green, instantly became dazzlingly splendid.

Every Three-Heavens Flower seemed to conceal three entirely different yet interdependent souls. Each radiated its own unique charm, yet they blended together in perfect harmony.

The Three-Heavens Flower carried three spiritual attributes of its own. Fire spiritual energy danced over every unfurled leaf, painting it with fervor. Water spiritual energy wound and flowed through the cliff walls, adding a touch of mystery to the splendor. Wind spiritual energy gently brushed every inch of space, making every color even more vivid.

The three types of spiritual energy mingled together while remaining distinct, causing the temperature inside the cave to rise gradually. Yet wondrously, it did not make anyone feel overheated. Instead, that warmth was like a mother's embrace, gently enveloping everyone and bringing a sense of comfort and ease.

The entire cave seemed to have transformed into a fantastical world brimming with life. Moonlight flickered and danced over the cliff walls, reflecting the three-colored radiance of the Three-Heavens Flowers and forming a picture so beautiful it was astonishing.

Someone could not resist reaching out and lightly stroking those translucent petals. The sensation beneath their fingertips was like touching the finest silk—soft, delicate, and smooth—as though the petals would disperse like an illusory bubble with the slightest force.

A breeze quietly swept past. The once-still vines began to sway gently, and the flowers nestled against one another, like mandarin ducks sleeping with their necks entwined, intimate beyond compare. Or perhaps like lovers deep in passion, whispering lingering, heartrending words of love.

At the same time, a faint sweetness drifted through the air. The fragrance was elegant and fresh, threading into everyone's nostrils in wisps, refreshing their hearts and clearing their minds. It felt as though they had entered a fairyland, intoxicated and unable to find the way home.

Everyone's gaze was drawn to the miraculous Three-Heavens Flowers. For a time, the cave was silent, with only the rustling of vines brushed by the breeze and that faint, elusive sweetness spreading through the air.

A young cultivator exclaimed, "I heard that the Three-Heavens Flower is exceedingly rare. Not only are its colors unique, but it is also said to contain wondrous spiritual energy that greatly benefits cultivation. Seeing it today, it truly lives up to its reputation."

The people beside him nodded in agreement, their eyes filled with amazement and yearning.

Gu Yueyao wore her usual gentle smile. Graceful in bearing, she parted her red lips and slowly explained, "This flower is indeed precious. Not only is it exceptionally effective in assisting cultivation, but if used properly, it can also cleanse mixed Spirit Roots."

"Cleanse Spirit Roots? Is there really such a good thing?" A cultivator in the crowd could not help crying out in surprise, his face full of astonishment.

"Of course." Gu Yueyao nodded lightly, her gaze calm and certain. "However, as you have all personally witnessed and felt, this miraculous effect only works on Spirit Roots with water, fire, or wind attributes. If one does not possess any of those three attributes, one cannot enjoy this wondrous benefit.

Moreover, its effects vary according to each individual's constitution."

"So this entire place is covered in them?" A flash of unconcealed greed appeared in someone's eyes as their gaze swept over the Three-Heavens Flowers carpeting the cave.

Gu Yueyao took in every reaction from the crowd, yet her expression remained calm. The corners of her lips lifted in a reassuring smile as she said, "Spirit flowers are difficult to come by. Since you have all honored Medicine King Valley by attending this Flower-Appreciation Gathering, Medicine King Valley naturally will not let you return empty-handed.

After the flowers are harvested, senior disciples proficient in medicinal principles will carefully refine and purify them. When the time comes, every person present will receive a share of the results."

Upon hearing this, everyone offered sincere thanks, their words brimming with heartfelt gratitude for Medicine King Valley's generosity.

For a time, the cave was filled with overlapping voices of thanks. In the way everyone looked at Gu Yueyao, there was not only amazement and yearning, but also greater gratitude and respect.

Those smaller sects, with relatively shallow knowledge and experience, did not yet understand the tangled intricacies involved. They were simply delighted at the prospect of receiving a share of the refined Three-Heavens Flower.

However, for those old hands who had struggled through the cultivation world for many years and understood the ways of the world, this was undoubtedly an immense surprise.

Gu Yueyao had not lied. The Three-Heavens Flower truly contained vast spiritual energy, and its benefits to cultivation were immeasurable. It could be called a godsend along the path of cultivation.

But what she had not explained in detail was that refining the Three-Heavens Flower was an extremely complex and dangerous process. Without years of immersion in the path of medicine, it would be exceedingly difficult to thoroughly remove the impure spiritual toxins within the flower.

Those unfamiliar with its intricacies who rashly tried to refine it themselves would very likely suffer spiritual energy backlash. In mild cases, their spiritual energy would fall into disorder and their meridians would be damaged. In severe cases, their lives might even be at risk, and they would instead become nourishment for this poisonous flower.

Therefore, although the Three-Heavens Flowers filling the cave were delicate and gorgeous, radiating an alluring glow, those who truly knew their trade did not dare easily covet them.

Inwardly, they sneered at the young juniors greedily eyeing the spirit flowers for their foolish ignorance. No matter how good something was, if it could not be used for oneself—or even invited a fatal calamity—it was worthless.

Placing a wager on something so dangerous was by no means an act of courage. It could even be called reckless stupidity in the extreme.

Now, Medicine King Valley was actually willing to share these rare miraculous flowers and had even promised to refine the mixed spiritual energy and toxins within them. How could that not excite people?

And Medicine King Valley's generosity in sharing these rare miraculous flowers was not a losing bargain either. The truth was that the Three-Heavens Flower came with many restrictions.

The time and place of its blooming were far too unpredictable, with no pattern to follow. Few people could truly catch sight of its blooming. Its flowering period lasted only three days, and before many studies and ideas could be put into practice and tested, the flowers would quietly wither.

All this time, every faction had painstakingly searched for an effective method of preservation, but to no avail. Even if they exhausted every effort to refine it into other items, the finished product seemed to have been granted life of its own and could only be preserved for three short days.

Across the entire Lingshu Heaven Domain, all manner of profound and ingenious long-term preservation methods emerged without end, yet before the Three-Heavens Flower and anything refined from it, every one of them proved useless.

Even if Medicine King Valley kept it for itself, once the three-day flowering period ended, the medicinal properties of the accompanying Three-Heavens Vine would instantly return to an ordinary level, like brilliant fireworks fading into the mundane.

As the saying went, when things reached their extreme, they reversed. No matter how good something was, one could not eat it all as a meal in one go. Even too many supplements could cause problems for the body, much less a spirit flower that was dangerous to begin with.

Since it could not be stored and could not all be used, they might as well offer it as a favor and distribute it among the guests who had come. That way, everyone would be delighted, and Medicine King Valley's prestige in the cultivation world would rise greatly as well. It was truly a fine thing that killed two birds with one stone.

Just as everyone was immersed in pleasant fantasies of receiving refined spirit flowers and potentially improving their cultivation, a startled cry suddenly rose from the crowd. "Quick, look! These flowers seem to be changing again!"

That sudden shout was like a thunderclap, and everyone turned their eyes in unison toward the Three-Heavens Flowers around them.

Under the gentle glow of the bright moonlight, the three-colored flowers that had originally shared a stem seemed to have been infused with the vigor of life and began to slowly rotate.

Red, blue, and green intertwined and merged, radiating an increasingly dazzling brilliance. The light seemed alive, continuously pulsing and flickering. It reflected against the cave walls, gradually forming scene after scene of strange light and shadow.

Those images were dreamlike and illusory. At times, they resembled ancient divine beasts galloping and roaring; at others, immortals riding swords through the skies. It was as if they were recounting ancient legends buried beneath the dust of time, drawing everyone in and setting their thoughts adrift.

Finally, it's here.

Shen Yuxi's voice sounded without warning in the minds of several people from the Profound Heaven Sect. His tone was as calm as though he had long known that everything was fated, but the abrupt, contextless words left his fellow disciples thoroughly baffled.

What does that mean? Is something going to happen again?

Just as everyone was still immersed in the wondrous spectacle and their confusion, an even more astonishing change followed close behind—three-colored motes of light gradually rose from the stamens of every Three-Heavens Flower, like scattered fragments of stars.

Immediately afterward, the light motes within the cave seemed to be drawn by some powerful force, all speeding toward the opening overhead. In an instant, the point where they gathered erupted with brilliance so radiant it was nearly blinding. Like a sharp blade, the light stabbed directly into their eyes, making it almost impossible to look at.

At the same time, a soul-shaking wave of spiritual energy spread wildly outward from the cave opening like surging tides. Wherever that spiritual fluctuation reached, everyone who sensed its peculiar aura could not help but have their expressions change dramatically.

"A... secret realm?!" An experienced elder was the first to react, his face full of shock and disbelief.

Complete Compendium of Spirit Herbs:

○ Three-Heavens Vine

A blue-green vine whose leaves are only two finger joints long and one finger joint wide. Its leaves are palm-shaped and grow in opposing pairs, entwined with one another like fingers interlocked.

The Three-Heavens Flower blooms within those tightly clasped "palms." The flowers are small and bloom in three stems, one color per stem. The blue, red, and green flowers correspond respectively to water, fire, and wind spiritual energy. The petals are shaped like jellyfish tentacles, translucent and gorgeous. They feel like silk.

The Three-Heavens Vine prefers dark, damp growing environments, while its flowers are the opposite. Regrettably, the flowers are very fragile and will wither immediately under direct strong light. Thus, they are especially fond of moonlight.

The Three-Heavens Vine itself has the effect of assisting cultivation. When it blooms, its medicinal potency is greatly enhanced. If used properly, it can also cleanse mixed Spirit Roots. (It is only effective on water, fire, and wind Spirit Roots.) Its medicinal effects vary according to each individual's constitution.

Its blooming is entirely a matter of chance. Even after blooming, its medicinal potency can only be preserved for three days.

Improper use can easily lead to qi deviation, and one may even be drained dry by spiritual toxins.

It is one of the favorite snacks of the demon beasts and Demon Race within the Sky Ruins Illusory Domain.