Tianyin Peak Master Shen Miaoyin

"That's not right. This giant python is definitely no ordinary creature! It's probably not a high-grade demon beast at all, but a second-tier demon beast comparable to the Foundation Establishment stage!"

The thought of having stayed in the same place as such a dangerous existence these past few days made cold sweat break out across Su Shi'er's back.

Cultivators' realms of cultivation were divided into nine stages: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Out-of-Body, Divine Separation, Body Fusion, Tribulation Transcendence, and Mahayana!

Every advancement came with layer upon layer of peril and unimaginable difficulty. Of course, once one advanced, their strength would surge dramatically as well.

As the saying went, one realm, one heaven. That was exactly how it was.

In the Zhao Kingdom, where the Yun Ge Sect was located, even Golden Pill Cultivators were rarely seen, while Nascent Soul cultivators were as scarce as phoenix feathers and qilin horns. The realms beyond that existed only in legend.

Reluctantly glancing at the seven fruits hanging from the tree, Su Shi'er took a deep breath and decisively retreated.

He knew very well that even facing a sixth-level Qi Refining cultivator would be difficult for him. The Foundation Establishment stage was far too distant.

No matter how good the treasure was, staying alive mattered more!

Besides, his gains had already been extraordinarily abundant, so there was nothing much to regret.

With that thought, Su Shi'er's mood immediately eased considerably.

But before he had withdrawn very far, the spiritual energy throughout the entire Spiritual Plant Garden suddenly began fluctuating abnormally.

"Oh no... could it be... she's here?!"

Crying out inwardly that things were bad, Su Shi'er reacted at once.

He hurriedly took out an Invisibility Talisman and stuck it to himself. Moving three steps as two, he swiftly reached an area nearby where huge rocks had been piled up.

Hiding in the gap between two massive boulders, he pushed the Minor Heavenly Breath Concealment Technique to its limit, thoroughly concealing his aura.

Su Shi'er could not say whether this Breath Concealment Technique could block the probing of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. But he had experience with one thing: after the Tianyin Peak Master had sealed her cultivation, she had been unable to detect him.

Almost at the very moment Su Shi'er finished hiding, a graceful figure descended from the sky.

Shen Miaoyin held a round disk aloft in one hand while forming hand seals with the other. She tore open a gap in the formation and calmly landed in one corner of the Spiritual Plant Garden.

As the Tianyin Peak Master, Shen Miaoyin was also the Yun Ge Sect's foremost formation expert.

For others, entering this place meant stepping into a deadly peril. But for her, it was still possible to suppress her cultivation for the duration of a trial.

The instant she landed, her gaze swiftly swept over the entire garden.

She saw vast tracts of barren earth, where a few withered or dying spiritual plants could vaguely be seen.

Her willow brows furrowed slightly, and she then turned her gaze toward the two areas Su Shi'er had not yet collected from.

One of them was piled high with enormous rocks, upon which grew several stone-colored flowers.

The other contained an immense towering tree a hundred meters tall, exceptionally conspicuous.

"Hmm? So many places have become barren? Could it be... because too much time has passed?!"

"Fortunately, there are still some spiritual plants over there. Those growing on the huge rocks should be Grade 2 Top-tier Spiritual Medicine—Stone Orchid Flowers that have grown for at least five hundred years! As for this tree..."

Thinking to herself, Shen Miaoyin moved with lotus steps and soon arrived near the Hundred-Year Vermillion Fruit Tree.

At the sight of the Cinnabar Fruit Tree before her, even her usually indifferent face showed a faint smile.

Shen Miaoyin's red lips parted, and she cried out in surprise, "Hundred-Year Vermillion Fruit?! It really is here!!"

"Wait... these Cinnabar Fruits have grown for at least a thousand years. One fruit alone could equal at least twenty years of arduous cultivation!"

"If I can consume two Cinnabar Fruits, then even without going to Thunder Drum Peak, I am confident I can condense a Golden Core within ten years!"

As she spoke softly, Shen Miaoyin's pretty face flushed slightly, while an incomparably blazing light bloomed in her eyes!

Hundred-Year Vermillion Fruit was already alluring enough. As for Millennium Cinnabar Fruit, even Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators coveted such treasure!

It was especially tempting for Shen Miaoyin.

Her cultivation technique was special. If she could not break through to the peak of Foundation Establishment and form a Golden Core within ten years, she would have no choice but to disperse her cultivation and start over.

Moreover, each time her cultivation dispersed, the difficulty of advancing her realm through her cultivation technique would multiply.

Within the crevice between the huge rocks, Su Shi'er was alarmed when he heard Shen Miaoyin's words.

"What? Those are actually Millennium Cinnabar Fruits? A single one can increase cultivation by twenty years?"

"What a pity. I'm absolutely no match for that second-tier demon beast. I'd better look for a chance to run later!"

With that thought, Su Shi'er hurriedly dismissed his unrealistic notions and patiently waited for a chance to flee.

At that moment, he was immensely glad that he had taken the extra precaution. Otherwise, if she discovered someone had gotten there first, she would surely conduct a sweeping search.

Shen Miaoyin was excited, but her expression quickly calmed.

She swiftly arrived beneath the Cinnabar Fruit Tree and was just about to pluck the Cinnabar Fruits from its branches.

Suddenly, her heart jolted, and a sense of danger rose within her. Before she could think further, she abruptly soared into the air and retreated backward.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh...

The Cinnabar Fruit Tree's branches and leaves swayed as a giant python over thirty meters long shot out at high speed.

Its entire body was covered in mottled patterns that reflected rippling glimmers beneath the sunlight. Its sheer size alone was astonishing.

Catching the scent of a living human, the giant python flicked its tongue. With a twist of its body, its thick, long form swept viciously toward Shen Miaoyin like a massive whip.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh...

Before the attack even landed, the gale had already sent Shen Miaoyin's robes fluttering wildly.

Sensing the danger, Shen Miaoyin inwardly cried out that things were bad. Before she even landed, she changed direction midair and glided aside.

Bang!

The giant python's body smashed heavily into the ground. In a single blow, rocks shattered and the earth split apart.

A crack nearly a hundred meters long appeared across the ground.

The astonishing force made the earth tremble.

Su Shi'er, hidden in the crevice between the huge rocks, felt his entire body go numb. He lay prone on the ground, not daring to move in the slightest.

With his strength, there was no way he could withstand such an attack. Even if it merely grazed him, he would die on the spot!

The giant python, meanwhile, had missed its attack. It furiously opened its blood basin of a mouth, and a foul stench wafted from within.

Then spatial energy rippled.

A towering blaze spewed from the giant python's mouth. The flames were dark red, not only scorching hot but also filled with poisonous sand, as they rushed straight toward Shen Miaoyin.

"A Second-Order Mid-Stage Fire Cloud Python?! It seems... I have no choice but to take a risk today."

As danger descended once more, Shen Miaoyin's brows knitted tightly. A flicker of hesitation flashed through her eyes before she made her decision.

A Second-Order Mid-Stage demon beast was difficult to deal with, but not for her. All she had to do was lift the restriction on her cultivation.

But if she did, she would have to endure the backlash of the Ancient Restriction here. At best, she would be severely injured; at worst, she would perish.

Yet with Millennium Cinnabar Fruit right before her eyes, such a harvest was worth risking her life for.

As for leaving, Shen Miaoyin did not even consider it.

A cold gleam flashed through her eyes. Shen Miaoyin did not waste a single moment.

With a thought, her slender jade fingers began forming seals nimbly, swiftly weaving hand signs.

Spiritual energy interlaced between her hands into a complex pattern. Then the pattern abruptly sank into her body.