52: Chapter 52 The Weapon Forging Workshop: First Production

In the Spirit Medicine garden, Lin Ye walked along a bluestone path, with Spiritual Plants as soft as a carpet beneath his feet.

This place was different from what he had imagined—there were no neatly divided medicine fields, nor were there meticulously tended nurseries.

The entire garden presented an atmosphere of primitive and vigorous vitality: ancient trees towered into the sky, vines intertwined, and various Spirit Flowers and Spiritual Plants grew wantonly under the trees, in rock crevices, and by the streams. Some even clung to each other, forming peculiar symbiotic communities.

The air was filled with a mixed fragrance of medicine; taking a deep breath made one feel their Qi and blood faintly stirring.

"No one has tended to this place for at least three hundred years," Su Qingyue said, crouching down and gently touching a Spiritual Plant with silver-white leaves. "This 'Moonlight Grass' should normally only grow to three inches tall, but this one is already over a foot; it has been growing for at least two hundred years."

Chen Hao rubbed his hands excitedly. "So many Spiritual Plants! We're rich! If we harvest them all and refine them into Medicinal Pills, the brothers can level up three times in a row!"

"Don't just pick them randomly," Lin Ye stopped him. "There's a technique to harvesting Spirit Medicine; the wrong method will ruin its medicinal properties. Besides, a Spirit Medicine garden of this scale usually has protective Restrictions or guarding Spirit Beasts."

He unfolded the Secret Realm map Jade Slip. The Spirit Medicine garden area was marked with several red dots, which were danger warnings. The largest red dot was located under the ancient tree in the center of the garden.

"Proceed with caution and do not touch any plants you don't recognize," Lin Ye reminded. "Qingyue, identify which are common Spiritual Plants that can be safely harvested. Chen Hao, Shi Potian, take the others and guard the perimeter."

The team moved slowly deeper inside.

The richness of the Spirit Medicine garden far exceeded their expectations. They couldn't walk ten steps without discovering a Spiritual Plant that was rare in the outside world. Su Qingyue identified and recorded them as they went:

"'Blood Coagulation Grass,' a main ingredient for refining healing Medicinal Pills. There are actually over a dozen here that are over fifty years old."

"'Qi Gathering Flower,' an auxiliary ingredient for Wheel Sea Realm cultivation Medicinal Pills. Their normal growth cycle is three years, but the ones here are over ten years old, doubling their medicinal efficacy."

"'Ice Heart Lotus,' it has miraculous effects for Ice-attribute Cultivators and is just right for my Vast Cold Spirit Body..."

She carefully harvested a few urgently needed Spiritual Plants and placed them into a specially made Jade Box. The Jade Box could lock in the medicinal properties and prevent the loss of Spiritual Qi.

Lin Ye, meanwhile, focused on the red dot on the map. As the team approached the center of the garden, he felt a faint, lingering pressure emanating from the direction of the ancient tree.

The ancient tree was enormous; its trunk was thick enough to require ten people to encircle it, and its canopy blotted out the sky. The roots were intertwined beneath the tree, forming a natural platform. On the platform grew a strange plant that was golden all over—three feet tall, with nine leaves, and a fist-sized golden fruit at the top.

[System Prompt: Discovered "Nine-Leaf Gold Ginseng" (Earth Rank Low Grade Spirit Medicine)]

Effect: Consuming it directly permanently increases all attributes by 50 points and increases the maximum Qi and blood limit by 1000 points. The effect is even better when refined into a Medicinal Pill.

Status: About to mature (Remaining time: 2 hours 37 minutes)

Guardian: ???

Earth Rank Spirit Medicine! Permanently increasing attributes!

Everyone’s breathing quickened. A treasure of this level was enough to cause a bloodbath if it were in the outside world.

But Lin Ye's gaze fell on the roots of the ancient tree—there, a green giant python as thick as a bucket was coiled. The giant python was sleeping with its eyes closed, but the aura radiating from its body was unmistakably that of the Dao Palace Third Layer!

"A guarding Spirit Beast..." Lin Ye signaled for everyone to retreat. "Do not disturb it. Once the fruit matures, we will seize our chance to snatch it."

"Dao Palace Third Layer, can we beat it?" Shi Potian lowered his voice.

"Even if we can't beat it, we have to try." Lin Ye's eyes were firm. "Earth Rank Spirit Medicine is rare and hard to come by. Besides, it is currently sleeping, and this is our chance."

He looked at Su Qingyue. "Qingyue, set up a soundproofing and aura-masking Formation. The range needs to cover our hiding spot. The moment the fruit matures, the giant python will surely wake up, and we need to be prepared before that."

Su Qingyue nodded, took out the Formation Flags and Spirit Stones, and began to set up the Formation.

Lin Ye then contacted Zhao Wuji in the rear via a messaging Jade Slip.

The Jade Slip flickered a few times, and the connection was established.

"Brother Ye!" Zhao Wuji's voice came through. "How are things on your end? There seemed to be an explosion just now?"

"Ran into some trouble, but it's resolved." Lin Ye said briefly. "We discovered a Spirit Medicine garden in the Secret Realm; the harvest is good. But most importantly, we discovered a silver vein."

"A silver vein?!" Zhao Wuji's voice went up an octave. "How large are the reserves? What is the quality?"

"It's at least a Medium Grade rich mine; preliminary estimates suggest it can produce fifty units of silver Ore per day. Unfortunately... it was discovered by people from the Zongheng Alliance, so to prevent them from seizing it, I collapsed the entrance."

"You blew it up?!" Zhao Wuji was heartbroken. "Brother Ye, that's an income of 250,000 Spirit Stones every day!"

"I know." Lin Ye said calmly. "But if we can't hold onto something, we can't let the enemy have it. The mine is just buried, not destroyed; after the Secret Realm exploration ends, we can slowly dig it out. Now, there is something more important for you to do."

"Tell me, Brother Ye."

"The Heavenly Court has now upgraded to Level 2 and has sub-halls, but the equipment levels are uneven." Lin Ye said. "The Azure Dragon Hall is fine; they have heavy armor. But the equipment of the White Tiger Hall, Vermilion Bird Hall, and Black Tortoise Hall is mostly a mix of blue and green. I need you to establish an Artifact Refining workshop and use our existing resources to craft standardized equipment to uniformly increase our combat power."

"An Artifact Refining workshop..." Zhao Wuji thought for a moment. "That's possible. We have copper Ore production, and combined with some Materials we've accumulated, we should be able to craft a batch of basic equipment. However, since the silver mine is buried, we lack Advanced Materials."

"I'll figure out the silver mine situation." Lin Ye said. "You start working with the copper Ore first. Choose a location for the workshop near the headquarters; it needs to be hidden and easy to defend. As for craftsmen, you can recruit Life-Profession players or hire them from NPCs."

"Understood." Zhao Wuji replied. "I'll get on it right away. By the way, Brother Ye, be careful in the Secret Realm. I just received intelligence from the Heavenly Secret Pavilion that Athena from Olympus has already led people into the core area of the Secret Realm, and Alliance Master of Henghe Alliance of the Zongheng Alliance is also gathering men, likely planning to act against you."

"Understood."

Ending the communication, Lin Ye looked at the Nine-Leaf Gold Ginseng.

The luster on the surface of the golden fruit flowed as if it were breathing. There were still two hours until it matured.

During these two hours, he had to make full preparations.

Meanwhile, in the Capital City of Yan State, at the Heavenly Court headquarters.

Zhao Wuji put away the messaging Jade Slip and immediately gathered his men.

The establishment of the Artifact Refining workshop could not be delayed. Now that the guild had just upgraded to Level 2 and the four halls were newly established, it was the perfect time to standardize equipment and boost cohesion. A set of standardized guild battle armor would not only increase combat power but also enhance the members' sense of belonging.

But there were many problems.

First was the venue. The area where the headquarters was located was a residential district, not suitable for establishing a production workshop with noise and smoke. Moreover, Artifact Refining required Earth Fire or a stable heat source, which ordinary houses could not provide.

Second was the craftsmen. There were not many players who learned the Artifact Refining Life-Profession in the first place, and those with skill were even rarer. There were NPC craftsmen, but the fees were high, and they were not necessarily willing to work for a player faction.

Finally, there were the Materials. There was a stable output of copper Ore, but the quality was average, and it could only craft green equipment. To get anything above blue, one needed to add Advanced Materials like silver, Iron Essence, or Black Iron.

"Solve them one by one." Zhao Wuji spread out the capital city map and traced his finger over it.

In the end, he selected an abandoned blacksmith shop five miles west of the city. It had originally been the property of an NPC blacksmith, but later the blacksmith moved away, and the shop fell into disuse. The location was remote, but it was close to a branch of an underground fire vein, providing stable Earth Fire. Most importantly, the price was cheap—one thousand Spirit Stones could buy the entire shop plus the backyard.

"This is the place."

Zhao Wuji took the money and found the owner of the shop, an elderly NPC merchant. After some bargaining, the deal was finalized for eight hundred Spirit Stones, including all the tools and Materials left behind.

Next were the craftsmen.

He issued a recruitment order through the Heavenly Secret Pavilion: recruiting Artifact Refiners with excellent benefits. At the same time, he personally visited several NPC blacksmith shops in the capital, trying to poach people.

The response from players was sparse—the Artifact Refining Life-Profession leveled up slowly and consumed a lot; the early-stage investment was high while the returns were low, so not many people were willing to persist. There were a few players who had learned a little bit who came to apply, but their skill level could only craft white equipment, which did not meet the requirements.

The NPC side was even more troublesome. Famous blacksmiths were either hired by large factions or ran their own shops, unwilling to work for others. Ordinary blacksmiths had average skills, no better than players.

Just when Zhao Wuji was struggling, an unexpected person appeared.

"I heard you are recruiting Artifact Refiners?"

The voice came from the workshop entrance. Zhao Wuji turned around and saw a middle-aged man wearing simple cloth clothes. This person had a weathered face and hands covered in calluses, but his eyes were bright and spirited.

[Name: Iron Heart]

[Identity: Wandering Blacksmith]

[Level: 41 (Dao Palace First Layer)]

[Profession: Artifact Refiner (Expert Level)]

[Status: Available for Hire]

Expert Level Artifact Refiner! Dao Palace Realm cultivation!

Zhao Wuji's eyes lit up. "Exactly! Your Excellency is..."

"Iron Heart, just a blacksmith." The middle-aged man walked into the workshop and looked around. "Earth Fire branch, good ventilation, enough space... the conditions are not bad. What can you provide?"

"Spirit Stones, Materials, stable orders, and... freedom." Zhao Wuji said. "We won't restrict your creations, as long as you complete the equipment the guild needs on time. As for benefits, the base monthly salary is five hundred Spirit Stones, with an additional reward of fifty Spirit Stones for every blue piece of equipment crafted, and five hundred Spirit Stones for purple equipment. We provide the Materials, and we collect the finished products."

This compensation was quite generous. Ordinary NPC blacksmiths only had a monthly salary of two or three hundred Spirit Stones.

Iron Heart pondered for a moment. "What about Materials? What do you have?"

Zhao Wuji took out a piece of copper Ore. "Currently, it's mainly this: Medium Grade copper Ore. Advanced Materials... are temporarily in short supply, but we are already finding ways to get them."

"Medium Grade copper Ore..." Iron Heart took the Ore and weighed it. "A bit too many Impurities, but it can be used after purification. Using only copper Ore can only craft green equipment; to get blue, you need to add 'Iron Essence' or 'Black Iron'."

"We have a reserve of Iron Essence, about one hundred catties." Zhao Wuji said. "Black Iron... we don't have any at the moment."

"One hundred catties of Iron Essence is enough to craft thirty sets of equipment." Iron Heart calculated. "How about this: I will first use the copper Ore and Iron Essence to craft a batch of standardized battle armor. The quality should be able to reach the Peak of green, close to blue. Once you get more Advanced Materials, we can upgrade."

"That's great!" Zhao Wuji was overjoyed. "How many hands do you need?"

"Give me ten assistants, and make sure they are sharp." Iron Heart said. "Additionally, prepare three things: first, a stable Earth Fire control Formation; second, a high-quality Artifact Refining furnace; and third, Spirit Spring water for quenching. Once these three are ready, I can produce the first batch of goods within three days."

"No problem!"

Zhao Wuji made arrangements immediately.

For the Earth Fire control Formation, through his connections with the Yaoguang Holy Land, he purchased a set of [Earth Fire Spirit Control Formation] (Blue) from the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, costing three thousand Spirit Stones.

The Artifact Refining furnace was more troublesome. Good furnaces were expensive and rare. In the end, Iron Heart solved it himself—he took out a half-person-tall bronze furnace from his Storage Pouch. The furnace body was carved with runes; although it was a bit old, it looked extraordinary.

"This is my ancestral 'Hundred-Hammer Furnace,' which can withstand the high temperatures of Earth Rank Materials." Iron Heart caressed the furnace body. "I'll rent it to you; the monthly rent is... one hundred Spirit Stones."

"Deal!"

Spirit Spring water was easy to handle. There was a Spirit Spring near the capital, and Zhao Wuji sent people to fetch ten big barrels, which was enough for use.

Three days later, everything was ready.

Inside the workshop, the Earth Fire roared, and the temperature rose. Iron Heart was shirtless, revealing his toned muscles; he stood in front of the Artifact Refining furnace with a focused expression.

The ten assisting players stood to the side; they were all members selected from the Black Tortoise Hall, possessing good stamina and the ability to withstand high temperatures.

"First step, smelting." Iron Heart put the copper Ore and Iron Essence into the furnace in proportion, performed hand seals, and controlled the temperature of the Earth Fire.

The Ore gradually melted under the high temperature, and the Impurities were separated and floated to the surface. Iron Heart used a specially made long ladle to skim off the Impurities, leaving behind a pure copper-iron alloy solution.

"Second step, shaping."

He poured the solution into the molds. The molds had been rushed to completion overnight and were designed according to the standard battle armor style, divided into parts such as chest armor, arm armor, and leg armor.

The solution cooled and solidified, forming rough armor blanks.

"Third step, forging."

Iron Heart took out the armor blank, placed it on the anvil, and swung a huge hammer. The hammer fell, sparks flew, and under repeated forging, the armor blank gradually became thinner, harder, and took on a refined shape.

This process was extremely physically demanding. Even with his Dao Palace Realm cultivation, Iron Heart was sweating profusely. Yet, his hands remained steady as a rock; the force, angle, and frequency of every strike were just right.

"Do you see?" he said to the players assisting him. "Forging isn't about brute force. You must feel the texture of the Materials and strike along the grain to make the structure denser. If you strike against the grain, the material will be ruined."

The players watched intently; this was a rare learning opportunity.

Once the forging was complete, the armor plates were roughly shaped. Iron Heart began to carve runes—this was the key to improving the equipment's quality.

He held a carving knife, its tip glowing faintly, and sketched complex patterns onto the armor plate. These patterns were not decorations, but miniature Formations that could guide Spiritual Qi and enhance defense.

"Basic Defense Formation, Force Unloading Formation, Durability Formation..." Iron Heart explained as he carved. "With these three Formations stacked, green equipment can reach its Peak. If you can carve a fourth, the 'Spiritual Qi Resonance Formation', it can be promoted to blue."

However, he did not carve the fourth one. It wasn't that he couldn't, but the Materials couldn't support it—the copper-iron alloy had limited Spiritual Qi conductivity, and forcing a high-level Formation would cause the armor plate's structure to collapse.

The final step: quenching. The red-hot armor plate was submerged into the Spirit Spring water, and with a "hiss," white steam billowed. The Spiritual Qi in the Spirit Spring water seeped into the armor plate, combining with the runes to complete the final shaping.

When the first set of battle armor was fully presented, everyone held their breath.

It was a full-body armor, dark bronze in color with a metallic sheen on the surface. The armor plates were uniform in thickness, the joints were flexible, and the rune patterns were faintly visible. The overall design was simple and practical, without any flashy decorations, yet it exuded a solid sense of weight.

Iron Heart handed the battle armor to Zhao Wuji.

Zhao Wuji took it; it felt heavy, but the weight was distributed reasonably, not hindering movement. He pulled up the equipment attributes:

[Heavenly Court Battle Armor · Standard (Exquisite)] Quality: Green. Defense: +180. HP Limit: +500. Special Effect 1: Sturdy (When receiving physical damage, there is a 15% chance to completely negate the damage). Special Effect 2: Force Unloading (When attacked, convert 10% of the damage into HP recovery over 5 seconds). Set Effect (3 pieces or more): Team-wide Defense +300 (all friendly units within range). Equipment Requirement: Wheel Sea Realm Level 4 or above. Description: Standard battle armor of the Heavenly Court guild, crafted by expert Artifact Refiner Iron Heart. Although the Materials are ordinary, the craftsmanship is exquisite, and it has an extremely high cost-performance ratio.

Green quality, 180 Defense, and two practical special effects! More importantly, the set effect—Team-wide Defense +300! This meant that a team wearing this battle armor would have their overall defensive capability elevated to a new level!

"Good! Excellent!" Zhao Wuji said excitedly. "Great Master Iron Heart, this battle armor is even better than I imagined!"

Iron Heart wiped his sweat. "The Materials limited the upper ceiling, otherwise I could have done better. However, the advantage of this armor lies in its stability—all parts are standardized, and if damaged, they can be quickly replaced. Moreover, the set effect is very suitable for team combat."

"Can it be mass-produced?"

"Yes," Iron Heart nodded. "The molds are ready, and the process is fixed. Give me enough manpower and Materials, and I can produce twenty sets a day. However, I need to remind you that this standard equipment will wear out; it will need maintenance or replacement after about three months of use."

"Three months is enough!" Zhao Wuji said. "First, craft fifty sets to equip the four Hall Masters and core members. Once we obtain silver Ore, we will upgrade."

He immediately arranged for manpower to fully cooperate with Iron Heart.

The workshop entered a high-speed operation state. Smelting, shaping, forging, rune carving, quenching... The ten players assisting were divided into two groups, working in shifts. Iron Heart oversaw the entire process, controlling the quality of every step.

A day later, twenty sets of Heavenly Court Battle Armor were produced. Two days later, the total reached forty sets. By noon on the third day, the fiftieth set of armor was completed.

Zhao Wuji stored all the battle armor into his Storage Ring and returned to headquarters.

On the Martial Arts Practice Field, the core members of the four halls had already assembled. Having heard that the guild was going to distribute new equipment, everyone was eagerly waiting.

"Everyone!" Zhao Wuji stood on the stage. "After three days of hard work, our Artifact Refining workshop has been established, and we have successfully crafted the first batch of standard equipment—the Heavenly Court Battle Armor!"

With a wave of his hand, fifty sets of dark bronze battle armor were neatly arranged on the stage, shimmering with a metallic luster in the sunlight.

"This battle armor has 180 Defense, +500 HP, and two practical special effects. More importantly—it has a set effect: when at least three people wear it simultaneously, it can form a defensive aura, increasing the defense of all surrounding teammates by an additional 300 points!"

The crowd below was in an uproar. Defense +300! What kind of concept was that? The base defense of a Wheel Sea Realm Level 5 player was only five or six hundred, so this was a direct increase of half! In team combat, the overall survivability would be significantly improved!

"Now, begin distribution!" Zhao Wuji read out the list. "Azure Dragon Hall: Chen Hao and ten people below him; White Tiger Hall: Shi Potian and ten people below him; Vermilion Bird Hall: Su Qingyue and ten people below her; Black Tortoise Hall: Zhang Meng and ten people below him. The remaining ten sets will be awarded to members with outstanding recent contributions."

Those whose names were called went up to the stage one by one to receive their battle armor and put it on right there.

When all fifty people were fully dressed and lined up, an aura of grim determination permeated the air. The dark bronze armor connected into a single mass under the sunlight, like a Great Wall of steel.

"Test the effect!" Zhao Wuji ordered.

Chen Hao led the ten members of the Azure Dragon Hall to form a battle Formation. Almost the instant the battle Formation was formed, a faint bronze halo diffused from them, covering a radius of thirty zhang. All Heavenly Court members within the range felt their bodies sink, as if they had donned an invisible suit of armor.

A Vermilion Bird Hall member at Wheel Sea Realm Level 6 tried attacking a test wooden stake. Previously, one of his Fireball Spells could deal about one thousand points of damage. Now, the fireball hit the wooden stake, and the number that popped up was—1327!

"Damage increased?" He was stunned.

"It's not that the damage increased; it's that your defense increased, so you dared to stand closer, making your spellcasting more stable," Su Qingyue explained. "Increased defense means higher fault tolerance, allowing you to focus more on attacking."

Another test: two Black Tortoise Hall members sparred. Both were wearing the Heavenly Court Battle Armor. Long knives struck each other's chests, sparks flying, but the damage dealt was only half of what was expected—part of it was negated by the armor's own defense, and part was converted into HP recovery by the Force Unloading special effect.

"This effect... is too practical!" Zhang Meng stroked the runes on his chest plate. "With this battle armor, our Black Tortoise Hall's defensive capability will increase by at least forty percent!"

Zhao Wuji nodded with satisfaction. This investment of three thousand Spirit Stones was worth it.

But he knew this was just the beginning. The Heavenly Court Battle Armor was currently only of green quality, using the lowest-grade copper Ore and a small amount of iron essence. If silver Ore could be added, the quality could be upgraded to blue; if dark iron or even higher-grade Materials could be added, purple was not impossible.

"Great Master Iron Heart," he looked at Iron Heart beside him. "If you were given enough silver Ore, what level of equipment could you craft?"

Iron Heart pondered for a moment. "If it's Medium Grade silver Ore, combined with iron essence and other auxiliary Materials, I could craft blue-quality battle armor with at least 300 Defense, and the set effect could be boosted to team-wide Defense +500. If the craftsmanship is perfect, it might even trigger an additional special effect."

Blue quality! 300 Defense! Set effect +500! Zhao Wuji's heart rate accelerated. If all four halls were equipped with that kind of armor, the Heavenly Court's combat power would undergo a qualitative leap.

"Silver Ore... must be obtained as soon as possible." He looked to the east, the direction of Zhao State. "Brother Ye, you must keep it up."

In the Secret Realm, the Spirit Medicine garden. Two hours were about to pass.

The golden fruit at the top of the Nine-Leaf Golden Ginseng shone with increasingly brilliant light, even beginning to autonomously absorb the surrounding Spiritual Qi. The Spirit Plants in the garden, all those within a ten-zhang radius, showed slight signs of withering—their Spiritual Qi was being forcibly extracted to supply the fruit's maturation.

The cyan giant python under the ancient tree twitched its eyelids, as if it were about to wake up.

Lin Ye and the others were hiding in the Formation set up by Su Qingyue, holding their breath and focusing their minds.

"Ten more minutes." Lin Ye stared at the fruit, calculating in his mind. He had formulated a snatching plan: the moment the fruit matured, the giant python would definitely swallow it immediately. They had to snatch the fruit at the very instant the python opened its mouth, using the fastest speed possible.

The specific division of labor: Lin Ye was responsible for the snatching, Su Qingyue would use ice-type Spells to slow down the giant python, and Chen Hao and Shi Potian would lead people to attract attention and prepare to provide support.

The risk was huge. The guarding Spirit Beast at Dao Palace Third Layer, even if slowed, had reaction speeds far exceeding theirs. Once they failed, it could mean total annihilation. But it was worth a shot.

Time ticked away second by second. The nine leaves of the Nine-Leaf Golden Ginseng began to wither, and all the essence concentrated toward the fruit. The golden fruit expanded from the size of a fist to the size of a bowl, and fine golden patterns, like blood vessels, appeared on its surface. A strange fragrance permeated the air, making one feel refreshed upon smelling it.

"Almost there..." Lin Ye clenched his fists. Just then, an unexpected change occurred! On the other side of the garden, sounds of air being torn and noisy human voices came.

"Quick! The fragrance is coming from this way!" "Earth Rank Spirit Medicine! It must be an Earth Rank Spirit Medicine!" "Grab it—!" More than a dozen figures rushed into the Spirit Medicine garden, and the moment they saw the Nine-Leaf Golden Ginseng, their eyes turned red. It was a group of solo players, ranging from Wheel Sea Realm Level 5 to 8, without a unified organization, clearly attracted by the fragrance.

"Not good!" Lin Ye's expression changed. The appearance of this group of people disrupted his plan. Worse, their clamor woke up the cyan giant python!

"Hiss—!" The giant python suddenly opened its eyes, a flash of fury in its vertical pupils. It had guarded the Spirit Medicine for three hundred years, and just as it was about to mature, ants dared to come and disturb it? Its giant tail swept across, whipping up a gale! Three solo players who rushed to the front were struck in the waist, flying out while screaming, crashing into rocks, their fate unknown.

"Yao Beast! It's a guarding Yao Beast!" "Run—!" The solo players scattered and fled, but the giant python had been thoroughly enraged. It no longer guarded the Nine-Leaf Golden Ginseng, but lunged at the intruders, intending to kill all these ants that disturbed its peace. A bloody massacre began.

Lin Ye saw this scene, but his eyes lit up. Opportunity! The giant python had been drawn away! Although it was only for a few dozen breaths, it was enough!

"Do it!" He rushed out like an arrow off a bowstring, executing Void Step to its limit, turning into a blur as he shot toward the Nine-Leaf Golden Ginseng. The distance of thirty zhang was covered in an instant. He reached out with his right hand, grabbing toward the golden fruit.

However, just at the instant his fingertips were about to touch the fruit—"Hum!"—a layer of golden light shield suddenly appeared around the fruit! Complex runes flowed on the light shield, firmly protecting the fruit inside. This was the Nine-Leaf Golden Ginseng's final self-protection mechanism!

Lin Ye's pupils contracted. He hadn't expected this layer of protection. Forcibly breaking it required time, but the giant python could return at any moment.

"Chaos Fire!" Gray flames covered his palm, pressing onto the light shield. The light shield intensely resisted the Chaos Fire, making a "hissing" sound. But the light shield was extremely sturdy and difficult to break through in a short time.

"Brother Ye, I'm coming!" Su Qingyue's voice rang out. She appeared at Lin Ye's side, pressing both hands onto the light shield, outputting her Vast Cold Spiritual Power at full capacity. Extreme cold and Chaos Fire, two diametrically opposite powers, acted on the light shield simultaneously. The light shield fluctuated violently, and fine cracks appeared.

"Push harder!" Chen Hao and Shi Potian also arrived, and the four of them joined forces.

"Crack—!" The light shield finally shattered. Lin Ye plucked the golden fruit; it felt warm in his hand and heavy as a thousand catties.

"Got it! Retreat!" The four of them retreated rapidly, pulling back into the range of the Formation. Almost at the same time they retreated, the cyan giant python sensed that the Spirit Medicine had been stolen. It abandoned those solo players, let out a heaven-shaking roar, and its massive body crushed vegetation as it charged toward the direction where Lin Ye and the others were. In those vertical pupils was monstrous killing intent.

"Go!" Lin Ye put away the fruit and led the team to retreat deeper into the Spirit Medicine garden. There, a passageway led to the next area: the Library Pavilion. And the cyan giant python was in hot pursuit. A chase ensued in this ancient Secret Realm.