All eyes on Sunset Forest, choosing immortal herbs?

Only when the sound of something cutting through the air above completely disappeared into the distant horizon did the man in the forest stiffly straighten up.

He raised his hand to wipe his forehead, exhaled a long breath, and the coarse cloth shirt clinging to his back was already soaked with cold sweat from fright.

He dared not go any further, immediately turned around and disappeared into the dense forest, running wildly towards the outer contact point.

It wasn't until they returned to their lodgings in town and found the steward that they exclaimed in surprise, "I saw the Shrek! It's Xuan Zi and Yan Shaozhe!"

The steward's hand, which was flipping through the ledgers, suddenly stopped. "Did they both come together?"

"Not only that, but they were also protecting an eight- or nine-year-old Blue-Haired Boy between them. I'd never seen him before, and I couldn't figure out his identity. Judging by the direction they were heading, they were heading deeper into the forest."

The steward immediately closed the ledger and stood up:

"Go get paper and pen, and draw a detailed sketch of the Blue-Haired Boy. You stay in town and wait for orders; don't go back into the mountains. I'll report to the palace immediately through urgent channels."

Star Luo City.

When the message reached Xu Jiawei's desk at the Star Luo Imperial Palace, he retrieved the original purchase record from the business and placed it side by side with the portrait that had just been delivered.

"Xuan Zi and Yan Shaozhe, two elders, both went out at the same time to protect a child of unknown origin to Sunset Forest?"

Standing to the side, Xu Jiujiu looked at the record and asked, "Brother, could this grand display really be related to the ten-thousand-year-old immortal treasure recorded in the Dai Family Old Records?"

"Could it be that they really came here to hunt for Soul Ring?"

Xu Jiawei tapped his fingers lightly on the table and gave the order in a deep voice:

"Pass down the order to have them continue to monitor all roads leading in and out of Sunset Forest. I'll consult with the Elder."

"Remember, you are absolutely forbidden from following Xuan Zi and Yan Shaozhe into the Core Area."

Meanwhile, the Sun Moon Empire and the Xishui Alliance's spies scattered around the perimeter also gradually discovered traces of Shrek's top experts entering the forest, and the secret reports sent back to Ming Capital finally included more definite names.

Mingde Hall, Jing Hongchen's obese face darkened upon hearing that Xuan Zi was also among them.

"That old guy's left arm injury probably hasn't healed yet, so why is he rushing off to Sunset Forest?"

"Have the people of Heaven Dou City continue their investigation, keep a close eye on their hideout, and see what they're planning to bring back from there."

Upon receiving the message, Feng Ling, at the Holy Spirit Cult Headquarters, immediately ordered the members of the Heavenly Soul Empire's Branch Altar to retreat further away.

"Xuan Zi is personally overseeing the operation; you have no right to touch what's inside. Keep an eye on the outer perimeter while I discuss things with the Cult Master."

In comparison, the Body Sect's information channels were still a step behind.

Following the clues about the temporary transfer of the eighth-level nuclear Soul Engineer from the Mingde Hall, Lang Ya investigated all the way and just found out that the group of experts from the Sun Moon Empire were rushing to Sunset Forest at full speed.

He delivered the intelligence he had gathered to Du Busi, Du Busi stared at the place names on the paper for a moment, his brows furrowing:

"At least they still have some humanity; they didn't start a war."

"Just the Sunset Forest..."

Lang Ya whispered, "Sect Master, according to reports from our spies in Heaven Dou City, it seems that some members of the Star Luo Imperial Family's trading company have been inquiring about guides for Sunset Forest these past two days."

"Go and find out for me." Du Busi slammed the secret report on the table.

"When several groups get together, it's never a good sign. Especially, check for me to see if those Shrek guys are in there!"

Deep within the Sunset Forest, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Gu Mingyuan had already stepped out of the Extreme Cold Ice Spring. With a slight thought, he dispelled the possession by the White Demon and subtly suppressed the lingering chill on his legs.

On the shore, A Jiao still stared intently at the white surface of the spring, which had not yet completely calmed down. After a long while, she finally managed to utter a sentence:

"How exactly did you manage to channel so much cold energy from the icy spring into your sword all at once?"

Gu Mingyuan glanced down at his still-cold right Palm and casually said:

"Someone taught me a little."

"A little?!"

A Jiao's voice suddenly rose, causing a few fiery red leaves to tremble. Then, as if realizing her lapse in composure, she stopped.

In the surrounding herb garden, several Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Plant silently withdrew the probing spiritual fluctuations.

They have been rooted here for many years, and thanks to the nourishment of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, they are naturally more aware of the dangers within.

Cultivating on the shore using the spiritual energy emanating from the spring is one thing, but stepping into the spring with one's flesh and blood and forcibly drawing upon that cold energy to transform into sword techniques is quite another.

The Aromatic Silk Beauty spun its enormous flower plate, finally breaking the silence of the valley:

"Alright, let's get down to business. A Jiao, he won that fight just now, right?"

A Jiao's petals twitched slightly, and she turned her head away. "I didn't cheat by saying he didn't win."

"Then he's passed both tests." Youyou's tone brightened again as she turned to Gu Mingyuan, "As agreed, you can now see the That Book you were looking for."

As soon as the words were spoken, a soft purple light shone in the center of its flower. A thick book with an antique cover, made of neither leather nor paper, slowly emerged from the flower and was delivered to Gu Mingyuan along the vine.

Gu Mingyuan reached out and took the book, its weight slightly noticeable in his hand. "Now that the test is over, can I choose the herbs here too?"

"You can choose, but you have to tell me which one you like first. Don't touch it yourself." Youyou shook the flowerpot, carefully explaining the rules.

"According to the instructions left by that person, descendants who come here can only take away a maximum of seven kinds. We who have already cultivated into plant Soul Beast cannot directly harvest the main body, but we can choose the Origin Source medicines we have condensed. For example, the Blazing Gel that A Jiao condensed, or my Aromatic Immortal Pill, both count as seven kinds."

Gu Mingyuan ran his fingers along the edge of the book and casually asked, "The one I ate earlier, does it count towards the seven spots?"

"That doesn't count, that was for testing you," Youyou replied matter-of-factly.

Gu Mingyuan paused slightly as he opened the cover; obtaining a top-grade immortal Immortal Herb for free was indeed an unexpected delight.

Youyou watched him flip through the book and then added from the side:

"You don't need to select all seven right now. You can leave the ones you don't need here and come back for them later when you need them."

"However, you can only read that That Book in the valley. After you're done, you have to return it to me for safekeeping. You can't take it with you."

Gu Mingyuan nodded and quickly flipped through a few pages. The handwriting on the book matched perfectly with the complete "Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record" he had in his mind, even the pharmacological annotations were exactly the same.

After confirming that everything was correct, he closed the book temporarily and looked up at the Immortal Herb and spiritual plants around him that had obediently closed their branches and leaves:

"Then I'd like to trouble you to show me around the garden first. I'd like to ask about the properties of some of the medicinal herbs in person."

She responded with a Youyou, cheerful sound, then turned the flowerpot to point towards the medicinal herb garden on the other side of the lake.

Seeing Gu Mingyuan take a step forward, A Jiao was standing next to him, finally withdrew her gaze that had been fixed on him.

However, the few fiery red petals remained tightly closed, shrinking closer to the Yang Spring, as if afraid that this strange human would be the first to ask for its Ten-Thousand-Year Blazing Gel.