108: Unexpected

In a desperate situation, Lin Feng reversed his Cultivation Technique. A tearing pain surged from his Dantian, followed by him spitting out a mouthful of his life essence blood, which burned in the air into a blood Talisman.

Smoke of Willow was both shocked and furious, but it was already too late to stop him.

Boom!

The blood Talisman exploded, and the crimson light instantly engulfed Lin Feng's figure, turning into a dazzling blood rainbow that slammed into the weakest point of the Seven Emotions Bewitching Immortal Array.

This time, the blood rainbow was unstoppable, instantly tearing through the Seven Emotions Bewitching Immortal Array and vanishing into the distant horizon, leaving behind only the furious scolding of Smoke of Willow.

The speed of the Blood Evasion Technique was far greater than before, but the cost was also far more severe. Lin Feng felt as if his Meridians were tearing apart inch by inch, his consciousness rapidly blurring. Finally, relying solely on a survival instinct, he plummeted into a desolate, uninhabited deep mountain forest and completely lost consciousness.

He did not know how much time had passed when a faint coolness spread from his chest, gradually extending to his limbs. His heavy eyelids fluttered a few times before he managed to open them a crack with great difficulty.

In his blurred vision, he saw that his Slug had crawled out of the spirit beast pouch at some unknown time and was lying quietly on his chest.

The Slug emitted a soft, milky-white halo, its body rising and falling slightly, constantly secreting a cool liquid that slowly seeped into his parched and torn Meridians and skin.

He tried to move his fingers, and a wave of exhaustion washed over him, but the severe pain in his Meridians, which he had expected due to the depletion of his life essence blood, did not appear.

Instead, under the nourishment of the healing mucus, his injuries were healing at an incredible speed. Even the damage to his Origin caused by using the Blood Evasion Technique seemed to have been smoothed over by some gentle power.

"This little thing... actually has such miraculous effects?" A wave of relief at having survived the ordeal surged in Lin Feng's heart. He struggled to sit up and carefully cupped the Slug in his palm.

The little fellow seemed to have expended quite a bit of energy and crawled slowly back into the spirit beast pouch. He inspected his internal state and discovered that his Foundation was unexpectedly stable; the terrifying backlash of the Blood Evasion Technique had been minimized.

With his injuries slightly stabilized, the restlessness transmitted by the Shadow Scale Snake beat against his mind like drumbeats. He forced himself to calm down, sat cross-legged, and began to review the situation.

The smile of Smoke of Willow, the pursuit by Yan Huang, the undercurrents in Hundred Flowers Valley... countless clues intertwined and collided in his mind.

The Chiyan Sect, while not as powerful as the Tianxuan Sect, was still a respectable righteous Sect. Why would they secretly supply the Hehuan Sect with large quantities of heart-bewitching grass? What kind of deal did they have?

Thinking back to the unusual actions of the Chiyan Sect earlier, a thought gradually became clear: the Chiyan Sect was paying with core resources in exchange for the support or some promise from the Hehuan Sect. But as anyone who understood would know, such temporary Alliances were all for profit, and the balance was often too fragile.

Thinking of this, a flash of determination crossed Lin Feng's eyes. Since the Chiyan Sect had no more heart-bewitching grass for the time being, he could only look to the Hehuan Sect. Smoke of Willow and her people must surely believe that he was severely injured and fleeing desperately into the distance. All their pursuit forces were likely concentrated on the outer perimeter for blockade and tracking.

In that case, was the most dangerous place actually the safest?

Smoke of Willow had mentioned before that the "Condensing Fragrance Cave" on the west mountain of Hundred Flowers Valley was where medicinal herbs were processed. The newly arrived heart-bewitching grass was very likely still there, undergoing initial processing or temporary storage.

There was no more time to hesitate. Lin Feng took a deep breath and summoned the wine immortal gourd. Instead of heading northwest back to his Sect, he turned southeast, heading toward Hundred Flowers Valley, sneaking away silently.

Several days later, the night was as dark as ink, and a fine rain fell, creating a misty haze.

Lin Feng hid in a dense forest on the outskirts of the west mountain of Hundred Flowers Valley, looking from afar at the "Condensing Fragrance Cave" area, where sparse lights flickered. As he had expected, the outer perimeter guard was not strict, with only a few teams of low-level Disciples on routine patrol.

Cold rain slid down Lin Feng's forehead, soaking his crude disguise. He held his breath, merging with the night and the rain, his gaze locked on the team of Hehuan Sect Disciples walking unsteadily along the muddy path ahead.

The young Disciple at the end of the team seemed to have the lowest cultivation, his steps somewhat unsteady. He frequently reached out to wipe the rain from his face, gradually falling a few steps behind the team.

Lin Feng's figure was like a shadow moved by the wind, silently closing in. The moment the Disciple bent down to avoid a low-hanging, slippery branch, one hand covered his mouth and nose, while the other precisely struck a vital point on the back of his neck. The Disciple only managed a muffled groan before his body went limp, and he lost consciousness.

Lin Feng quickly dragged him into the dense bushes nearby, swiftly stripped off the other person's soaked clothes to put them on himself, and used a disguise technique to make minor adjustments so that he looked seven or eight parts similar to the Disciple.

He lowered his head, suppressed his own aura to the Late Stage of Qi Refining level similar to that Disciple, and quickly followed the team, blending in at the end.

The moment he stepped into the "Condensing Fragrance Cave," a wave of hot, humid air mixed with the rich scent of medicinal herbs rushed at him, forming a sharp contrast with the chill outside the cave.

The cave walls were embedded with glowing fluorescent stones that emitted a dim, yellow light, the light flickering and casting shadows of busy figures.

Lin Feng activated the heaven-stealing vine. The air was filled with various strange medicinal scents—spicy, sweet, and bitter aromas intertwined. Yet, amidst this complex mixture of smells, there was a faint, unique fragrance that made one's heart flutter slightly; this must be the heart-bewitching grass.

He followed the team and placed the box they were carrying in a relatively open area deep inside the cave. More crates covered with various Talismans were piled up here, and several Cultivators with auras significantly stronger than ordinary Disciples were whispering to each other, checking a list on a Jade Slip.

Lin Feng stood at the end of the team with his head bowed, his peripheral vision quickly scanning his surroundings. His gaze locked onto several crates that emitted that unique fragrance; those crates had more complex Talismans, and the guards seemed stricter as well.

Just then, the slightly impatient voice of a Cultivator came, not loud, but quite clear in the relatively quiet cave:

"Hurry up. This batch of 'illusion heart vine' is of superior quality; get it into storage and sealed quickly. The higher-ups are pressing hard; the progress of refining the 'spirit bewitching pill' cannot be delayed. The Saintess has already asked about it several times."

"spirit bewitching pill?" Lin Feng felt a slight tremor in his heart and firmly memorized the name. It sounded like this was by no means an ordinary Medicinal Pill.

A Cultivator waved his hand, dismissing the team of Disciples Lin Feng was in to rest. Everyone relaxed, walking in twos and threes toward a dry stone wall to rest.

Lin Feng took this opportunity to pretend to adjust his clothes, moving quietly toward the target crates. With his back to the crowd, he quietly gathered a wisp of Sword Qi at his fingertips and precisely cut a hair-thin slit in the gap between the Talismans at the corner of one of the crates.

A more concentrated scent of heart-bewitching grass escaped. He quickly took out a small pinch of dark purple, curled leaves wrapped in soft silk from the slit. It felt slightly cool to the touch—it was undoubtedly heart-bewitching grass. He quickly stuffed it into his black jade bracelet.

After succeeding, he immediately clutched his abdomen, forcing a look of pain onto his face, and walked quickly toward a Disciple who appeared to be a minor leader, whispering: "Senior Brother, I got caught in the rain earlier, and I have unbearable cramping in my abdomen. May I be excused to relieve myself?"

The minor leader frowned, glanced at him, and waved his hand: "Go quickly and come back quickly. Don't delay the time."

Lin Feng, as if granted amnesty, lowered his head and walked quickly back along the passage he had come from. Only after turning several corners did he breathe a small sigh of relief, but he did not stop his pace at all; instead, he sped up, rushing toward the exit in his memory.

Outside the cave, the rain was still falling, the cold rain hitting his face. The Hehuan Sect had gone to such great lengths to refine the spirit bewitching pill—what exactly were they planning?