202: Chapter 202. That's it. Consider it something I owe you.

At this moment, atop Hundred Herbs Peak.

The originally peaceful Medicine Fields were now in an uproar; countless Spiritual Plants grew frantically as if receiving some divine oracle.

Those thick roots twisted, bursting through the hard Bluestone slabs with a series of dull cracking sounds.

Si Yuanzhi stood barefoot in mid-air, clutching the purple gold gourd.

Her luxurious purple dress fluttered violently in the turbulent Spiritual Pressure atop the mountain; her usually somewhat charming demeanor was now replaced by solemnity.

"This girl, she just had to choose this time."

Si Yuanzhi tilted her head back and took a large gulp of wine, the liquid sliding down her fair neck as the pungent aroma of alcohol dispersed in the air.

She formed a hand seal with one hand, her fingertips flicking out streaks of purple Divine Runes, forcibly locking down the space within a hundred-zhang radius.

In the center of the mountain peak.

A Giant Vine Cocoon, ten zhang in diameter, was throbbing frantically.

Every tremor was accompanied by a tooth-aching grinding sound, as if a massive heart were beating inside.

That was Wen Yuechan's cultivation site for her closed-door breakthrough to the Purple Mansion.

Inside the giant cocoon.

Wen Yuechan sat cross-legged amidst a pile of withered leaves, the spiritual energy around her body having reached an extreme state of Chaos.

Her originally cold and elegant face was now covered in fine beads of sweat, and the tender green Leaf-shaped mark on her brow flickered erratically.

Deep within her Sea of Consciousness, all was Chaos.

Gu Changsheng's ordinary face repeatedly overlapped with Gu Changfeng's handsome and arrogant countenance.

That was the deepest crack in her Dao Heart.

"Changsheng... Changfeng..."

Wen Yuechan murmured to herself, her voice carrying an unresolvable confusion.

Once this thought took root, it transformed into the most vicious Heart Demon.

Under the impact of this Obsession, her originally stable Foundation Establishment Perfection Dao base actually developed a visible crack.

Crack.

Dharma power began to leak through the crack, turning into azure flames that scorched her Meridians.

Outside the giant cocoon.

Having long since noticed the commotion, Gu Changfeng, clad in a Plain Daoist robe, passed through the dense vegetation and stopped at the edge of the Formation.

The fingers hidden in his sleeve trembled slightly, his palm clutching that wisp of Yimu Essence Qi.

He looked at the giant cocoon, which was constantly vibrating and even starting to emit black smoke, as countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

To save her, or not?

If he saved her, the aura of this essence would be extremely difficult to conceal, making it highly likely that his Clone's trump card would be exposed.

If he didn't save her, once Wen Yuechan perished, the Hundred Herbs Peak's Legacy would be severed, and Si Yuanzhi would likely go mad.

Gu Changsheng quickly weighed the pros and cons in his heart.

Although he was overly suspicious, since entering the Taiqing Sect, Si Yuanzhi's protectiveness and Wen Yuechan's several instances of assistance were a heavy burden of Karma.

Though he was selfish, he also understood the principle that without repaying Karma, the path of the Dao would be difficult to travel.

"Never mind, consider it my debt to you."

Gu Changsheng murmured to himself within his Sea of Consciousness.

He did not approach directly but instead pressed his palm against a Century-old pine tree at his feet.

The power of the taiyin submerging spirit jade was pushed to its limit, instantly erasing all traces of his aura.

That wisp of Yimu Essence Qi followed the roots of the old pine, silently tunneling into the ground.

Like a nimble fish, it wove through the intricate network of roots, evading Si Yuanzhi's Divine Sense scan.

Finally.

That wisp of essence Qi surged in through a gap at the bottom of the giant cocoon.

Buzz.

Wen Yuechan, who was on the verge of collapse, felt an ancient, grand, and extremely pure vitality explode at her Dantian.

That was the power of the Origin of the Wood Dao.

This power overbearingly severed the illusions of the Heart Demon, forcibly dispersing the constantly overlapping faces.

Wen Yuechan's spiritual clarity was instantly restored.

She had no time to search for the source of this power; her survival instinct made her immediately accept this essence Qi.

Under the nourishment of the essence Qi, her cracked Dao base healed at a visible rate.

Not just healed.

After merging with the Innate essence Qi, her originally emerald-green spiritual power was actually tinged with a noble Blue-gold hue.

Rumble.

Above the vault of heaven, the Luoxia originally covered by crimson layers was now forcibly dispersed by a vast surge of purple Qi.

That was the phenomenon of attaining the Purple Mansion.

Outside the giant cocoon.

Si Yuanzhi suddenly stood up straight, the purple gold gourd in her hand nearly falling.

She looked at the purple Qi filling the sky, then at the gradually calming giant cocoon, her eyes full of astonishment.

"This... this is..."

She could feel that the vegetation in the mountains surrounding Hundred Herbs Peak was now simultaneously bowing their branches toward the summit.

It was the Ten Thousand Trees Bowing.

Crack.

The Giant Vine Cocoon finally couldn't withstand the majestic power within and split open down the middle.

Wen Yuechan stepped out.

Her originally disheveled long hair was now tied up with an Azure wooden hairpin, and her white dress was untainted by a speck of dust.

At the center of her brow.

The original Leaf-shaped mark had disappeared, replaced by an extremely complex Azure Dao rune that exuded an ancient aura.

Divine Ability: Branch-Between-Hearing.

Standing amidst the ruins, the withered branches and fallen leaves within a ten-zhang radius of her body instantly regained their vitality, blooming with exquisite flowers.

Governing all plants, the Spiritual Vein undying.

This was the top-tier Divine Ability of the primordial wood Dao path.

Wen Yuechan slowly raised her head.

Her gaze did not fall on the ecstatic Si Yuanzhi, but instead bypassed numerous obstacles to land accurately on the distant Gu Changfeng.

At that moment.

Gu Changfeng felt the hair on his body stand on end.

This Divine Ability's sensitivity to vegetation was acute to an appalling degree.

Even though he had withdrawn his hand in time, and even though he was concealed by the taiyin submerging spirit jade.

At this moment.

A deep sense of doubt flashed through Wen Yuechan's eyes.

She had sensed it.

The essence Qi that had just saved her from dire straits had come from that direction.

"You..."

Wen Yuechan's red lips parted slightly as if to speak, but then she stopped.

Si Yuanzhi had already rushed over laughing, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Si Yuanzhi said "good" three times in a row, laughing until tears almost came out.

She threw her head back for another gulp of strong wine, then let out a long howl toward the sky.

"My Taiqing Sect now has two Purple Mansions in one lineage!"

"If that old ghost from the Wang Family finds out, he'll probably be so angry his lifespan will be shortened on the spot!"

The mountain wind howled.

Gu Changfeng bowed slightly to Wen Yuechan, performing a standard fellow-disciple salute.

He didn't speak, nor did he linger.

With a flicker of his body, he transformed into a wisp of pale green smoke and disappeared into the depths of the forest.

He left cleanly and decisively.

Wen Yuechan stood in place, her fingertips lightly touching the Dao rune on her brow.

That residual Blue-gold essence Qi was still flowing through her Meridians.

Was it a gift from Gu Changfeng?

Or... Gu Changsheng's?

She looked at the empty woods, and her originally calm Dao Heart rippled once more with a slight wave.

"Revered Master."

Wen Yuechan turned her head to look at the excited Si Yuanzhi.

Si Yuanzhi wiped the wine stains from the corner of her mouth and patted the back of her head.

"Don't just stand there, come on, follow me to the Main Peak!"

"Today's display must be grand enough!"

Si Yuanzhi pulled Wen Yuechan along, transforming into a hundred-zhang-long Purple Rainbow that shot straight into the clouds, her arrogant laughter echoing over Hundred Herbs Peak for a long time.