Tianyin Peak Master Shen Miaoyin

"No, this giant python is definitely not simple! I'm afraid it's not a High-Tier Demon Beast at all, but a Second-tier Demon Beast comparable to the Foundation Establishment stage!"

Just thinking about how he had been staying in the same place as such a dangerous existence for the past few days sent a cold shiver down his back.

A cultivator's cultivation realm is divided into nine stages: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Pill, Nascent Soul, Out-of-Body, Divine Separation, Body Fusion, Tribulation Transcendence, and Great Vehicle!

Advancing through each realm is fraught with peril and extreme difficulty. Of course, once one breaks through, their strength skyrockets.

As the saying goes, each realm is a world apart—that's exactly what it means.

In the Zhao Kingdom where the Yun Ge Sect was located, Golden Pill Cultivators were rare, and Nascent Soul cultivators were even rarer. The realms beyond that existed only in legends.

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

He knew very well that he could barely handle a Qi Refining sixth-layer opponent right now; the Foundation Establishment stage was far too distant for him.

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

Besides, his harvest so far was already incredibly generous, so there was no real regret.

Thinking this way, Su Shi'er's mood lightened considerably.

But before he could retreat far, the spiritual energy in the entire Spiritual Plant Garden suddenly fluctuated abnormally.

"Not good, could it be... she's here?!"

Cursing inwardly, Su Shi'er reacted immediately.

He quickly pulled out an Invisibility Talisman and stuck it on himself, then hurried in three steps and two strides to a nearby area piled with giant rocks.

Hiding in the crevice between two massive boulders, he activated the Minor Heavenly Breath Concealment Technique to its limit, completely masking his aura.

Whether this concealment technique could block the detection of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, Su Shi'er wasn't sure. But based on his experience, the Peak Master of Tianyin Peak, whose strength was sealed, couldn't detect him.

Almost at the same moment Su Shi'er hid himself, a graceful figure descended from the sky.

Shen Miaoyin held a round plate in one hand while forming hand seals with the other, tearing open a gap in the formation and calmly stepping into a corner of the Spiritual Plant Garden.

As the Peak Master of Tianyin Peak, Shen Miaoyin was also the number one formation expert of the Yun Ge Sect.

This place was a deadly danger zone for anyone else to enter. But for her, suppressing her cultivation to participate in a trial was still within her ability.

The moment she landed, her gaze swept quickly across the entire garden.

She saw large stretches of barren land, with a few withered or dying spiritual plants barely visible on the soil.

Her brows furrowed slightly, then she turned her attention to the two areas that Su Shi'er hadn't collected yet.

One of those areas was piled with giant rocks, where a few stone-colored flowers grew on the boulders.

The other area featured a towering tree a hundred meters tall, exceptionally conspicuous.

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

"Fortunately, there are still some spiritual plants over there. The ones growing on those giant 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..."

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

Seeing the Vermillion Fruit Tree before her, even though she was usually indifferent, a faint smile now graced her face.

Shen Miaoyin parted her red lips and let out an exclamation: "A Hundred-Year Vermillion Fruit?! This thing is actually here!!"

"Wait... this Vermillion Fruit has grown for at least a thousand years. One fruit alone can substitute for at least twenty years of bitter cultivation!"

"If I can take two Vermillion Fruits, even without going to Thunder Drum Peak, I'm confident I can condense a Golden Core within ten years!"

Speaking softly, Shen Miaoyin's pretty face flushed slightly, and an intensely blazing light shone in her eyes!

A Hundred-Year Vermillion Fruit was already tempting enough, but a thousand-year one—that was something even Golden Pill and Nascent Soul cultivators would covet!

Especially for Shen Miaoyin, it held immense allure.

Her cultivation technique was special; if she couldn't break through to the peak of Foundation Establishment and condense a Golden Core within ten years, she would have to disperse her cultivation and start over.

And with her technique, each time she dispersed her cultivation, the difficulty of breaking through the next realm would multiply.

In the crevice between the giant rocks, Su Shi'er heard Shen Miaoyin's voice and felt a jolt of shock.

"What? That's a Millennium Cinnabar Fruit? One fruit can increase cultivation by twenty years?"

"Too bad, there's no way I can beat that Second-tier Demon Beast. I'd better find a chance to run!"

Thinking this, Su Shi'er quickly dismissed any unrealistic ideas and patiently waited for an opportunity to escape.

At this moment, he was very glad he had taken the extra precaution. Otherwise, if she found out someone had beaten her to it, she would definitely launch a thorough search.

Shen Miaoyin's heart raced with excitement, but her expression quickly calmed down.

She swiftly approached the Vermillion Fruit Tree, ready to pick the fruits from it.

Suddenly, her heart trembled, and a sense of foreboding arose. Without a second thought, she leaped into the air and retreated backward.

"Swish, swish, swish..."

The branches and leaves of the cinnabar fruit tree swayed as a massive python over ten zhang long burst forth.

This python's body was mottled with patterns, glinting faintly in the sunlight; its sheer size alone was astonishing.

Sensing the scent of living humans, the python flicked its tongue, twisted its body, and lashed out like a long whip, sweeping viciously toward Shen Miaoyin.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

Before the attack even landed, a fierce gale had already ruffled Shen Miaoyin's robes.

Sensing the danger, Shen Miaoyin inwardly cried out in alarm. Without waiting to land, she shifted direction midair and slid to the side.

"Boom!"

The python's body slammed heavily into the ground, cracking stone and splitting earth with a single blow.

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

Such terrifying force shook the very ground, sending a tremor through it.

Su Shi'er, hidden in the crevice of a boulder, felt his entire body go numb. He lay flat on the ground, not daring to move an inch.

An attack like this was utterly beyond his ability to handle. Even if he were grazed by half a blow, he would die on the spot!

As for the python, its attack missed. Enraged, it opened its bloody maw wide, releasing a foul, stinking breath.

Then, spatial energy rippled.

A torrent of flames erupted from the python's mouth. The fire was dark red, not only scorching hot but also laced with poisonous sand, shooting straight toward Shen Miaoyin.

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

Feeling the renewed threat, Shen Miaoyin furrowed her brows. A flicker of hesitation flashed through her eyes, and then she made up her mind.

A Second-Order Mid-Stage demon beast was no easy opponent, but for her, it wasn't difficult. All she had to do was release the restrictions on her own power.

But doing so would subject her to the backlash of the Ancient Restriction in this place. At best, she would be severely injured; at worst, she would perish.

Yet with the Millennium Cinnabar Fruit right before her, such a harvest was worth the risk.

As for retreating, Shen Miaoyin didn't even consider it.

A cold glint flashed in her eyes. She wasted no time.

With a thought, her slender fingers moved nimbly, swiftly forming hand seals.

A stream of spiritual power wove into a complex pattern between her hands, and then the pattern abruptly sank into her body.