On the moonlit hillside, the golden light grew increasingly brilliant.
The Blood Ginseng's surface was covered in cracks, golden radiance bursting from every fissure and illuminating the surrounding grass and trees.
Little Vajra lay beside Huang Yun, his eight compound eyes fixed tightly on the spiritual herb about to transform. The golden patterns on his shell trembled faintly beneath the light, as if resonating with it.
Huang Yun did not move. He simply sat quietly, waiting for the final moment.
The ginseng body trembled more and more violently. Its leaves had turned completely pure gold, each one seeming to have been forged from gold, glowing with a gentle yet dazzling luster beneath the moonlight.
The blood-red markings on its body had vanished completely, replaced by dense golden veins that pulsed slowly within it like blood vessels.
Then came a soft crack.
It sounded like an eggshell breaking from deep within the ginseng.
Immediately afterward, a ring of golden light exploded from the Blood Ginseng's surface. Like a tide, it spread in all directions, coating every blade of grass and tree it passed with a faint golden sheen.
The concentration of spiritual energy between heaven and earth surged severalfold in an instant, becoming so dense it nearly took physical form.
Huang Yun took a deep breath. The spiritual energy rushed into his body through his nostrils, relaxing every meridian throughout his body as every pore greedily absorbed and expelled the pure energy.
The transformation was complete.
The Blood Ginseng before him had completely changed its appearance.
Its body was thicker and plumper than before, entirely pale gold with a warm sheen. Its surface was smooth as jade, while all its former blood-red markings and cracks had disappeared, replaced by a faintly flowing layer of golden radiance.
The leaves at its crown