89: Chapter 89 Search by Various Factions

"Brother Changsheng is right."

"She cannot be impulsive."

She crouched down and observed the sea of flowers from afar.

She hadn't been watching for long when her eyes suddenly widened.

A flying insect the size of a fist was flying in from the distance, entering the sea of flowers.

Just as it flew over the largest red flower, that flower suddenly moved!

The petals snapped shut, like an open palm suddenly clenching tight, trapping the flying insect firmly inside!

The flying insect struggled a few times, then fell silent.

A moment later, the petals opened again, and it was empty inside; the flying insect had already been digested.

Li Xiaocao turned pale with fright.

She looked at the beautiful sea of flowers, a wave of lingering fear rising in her heart.

"If Brother Changsheng hadn't warned her, she would now be..."

She didn't dare to think any further.

She tiptoed backward, step by step, terrified of startling those terrifying flowers.

She retreated quite a distance, and only when the sea of flowers became a blurred patch of color did she finally heave a sigh of relief.

She turned around and walked in the opposite direction.

After walking for a long time, a small forest appeared ahead. The forest was very quiet, with the occasional sound of birds chirping.

She walked in cautiously, observing her surroundings as she went.

Suddenly, she saw a few familiar plants growing under a large tree.

"That is... Spirit Nourishing Grass?"

She rubbed her eyes and looked carefully.

"That's right, it was Spirit Nourishing Grass!"

It was exactly the same as what she used to tend to in the Hundred Herb Garden!

Moreover, these Spirit Nourishing Grasses were exceptionally robust, with glossy leaves; they were much better than those in the Hundred Herb Garden!

She ran over happily, crouched down, and began to dig carefully.

One, two, three...

She dug up seven in total, wrapped them up carefully, and tucked them into her bosom.

Although they couldn't compare to rare Spirit Medicine, Spirit Nourishing Grass was still a good item; it could be exchanged for Spirit Stone, ground into powder to soak in water, and was helpful for Cultivate.

She stood up and was just about to leave when she suddenly heard voices coming from the distance.

Someone was coming.

Her heart skipped a beat; she quickly hid behind a large tree and held her breath.

The footsteps grew closer and closer, and two people walked over from the other end of the forest.

They were wearing dusty clothes with various pouches hanging from their waists; they looked like Loose Cultivator at a glance.

"Damn it, why is this crappy Secret Realm so big? We've been walking for half a day and haven't found a single thing!"

"Don't be impatient. I heard some people have already found good stuff, golden-veined grass, blood cloud ganoderma. They've struck it rich!"

"Our luck is bad, we didn't catch up."

"Stop talking nonsense, let's keep looking ahead. Maybe there's some up ahead."

The two walked past the tree where Li Xiaocao was hiding without discovering her.

Only after they had walked far away did Li Xiaocao finally heave a sigh of relief.

She poked her head out, watched the direction the two had left in, and silently noted it down.

Loose Cultivator, two of them, headed that way.

She waited for a while, and after confirming they wouldn't return, she crawled out from behind the tree and continued walking in the opposite direction.

As she walked, she cheered herself on in her heart.

"Xiao Cao is not afraid."

"Xiao Cao has what Brother Changsheng taught her, what Sister Changqing taught her, and what Brother Tiezhu taught her."

"Xiao Cao can do it."

She clenched her small fists and quickened her pace.

Throughout the Secret Realm, similar scenes were constantly playing out.

Loose Cultivator were gathering in groups of three or five, forming temporary teams, and traveling through the dense forest.

Most of them were experienced in Jianghu, rich in experience, and knew where there might be Spirit Medicine and where there might be danger.

Some had already found good items and were beaming with joy; others had paid the price with their lives, remaining forever on this strange land.

The Disciple of the Jinyang Sect were gathering in an organized manner.

Leading them was a youth at Qi Refining Level 7 named Zhou Yuan, who had a handsome face but a hint of arrogance in his eyes.

He gathered a dozen or so fellow sect members and began to explore in a planned way.

Some were responsible for guarding, some for searching for Spirit Medicine, and some for recording the terrain.

They were methodical and highly efficient.

"Senior Brother Zhou, a patch of Spirit Field was discovered ahead, planted with many low-grade Spirit Medicine!"

"Go harvest them. After harvesting, continue moving forward."

"Senior Brother Zhou, there is a Yao Beast over there, at the Late Stage of the first rank!"

"Go around it. Don't waste time."

The Disciple of the Qingxin Pavilion were relatively loose.

They were more inclined to fight on their own, each relying on their own abilities to search for Opportunity.

Occasionally, if they encountered fellow sect members in danger, they would lend a hand, but they were not as tightly organized as the Jinyang Sect.

This loose model had both pros and cons.

The good thing was that once they found something good, they didn't have to share it with others; the bad thing was that when encountering danger, they might be isolated and helpless.

The most eye-catching were those Blood Fiend Sect Disciple wearing black clothes with cold auras.

They were not in a hurry to search for Spirit Medicine, but were wandering throughout the Secret Realm, as if looking for something.

"Senior Brother, aren't we looking for Spirit Medicine?"

"What Spirit Medicine are you looking for?"

"The thing the Sect Master wants is ten thousand times more important than Spirit Medicine."

"But... what exactly is it?"

"I don't know either."

"But the Sect Master said that thing might be in this Secret Realm. If we find it, we'll have performed a great service."

They wandered everywhere, and every time they arrived at a place, they used a special Magical Artifact to probe.

That Magical Artifact was a palm-sized blood-colored disc, covered with strange runes.

When placed close to the ground, the runes would flash; the brighter they were, the closer they were to the target.

"Not here."

"Continue forward."

"Yes."

In the crowd, a youth with a sinister face was taking a few subordinates to inquire about the whereabouts of a person throughout the Secret Realm.

Zhao Yan.

He learned from a Loose Cultivator that Li Changsheng had also entered the Secret Realm.

Moreover, someone had seen him appear in a certain area.

"Li Changsheng..."

Zhao Yan gnashed his teeth at this name, his eyes full of resentment.

"This time, let's see where you can run."

He led his subordinates and chased in that direction.

Li Changsheng refined the Medicinal Pill in the cave, and as the medicinal power spread throughout his body, the Bottleneck of Qi Refining Level 6 was instantly dissolved.

Qi Refining Level 6!

Two days later.

Li Changsheng felt the end of the weakness period and proceeded cautiously.

Over these two days, although he had encountered many dangers, his gains could be considered quite substantial.

After a few days, the Storage Pouch in his bosom was already filled to the brim.

Spirit Medicine, Yao Beast inner cores, and Yao Beast Materials, added up, were worth at least ten thousand Spirit Stone.

But he always maintained vigilance.

Because in this Secret Realm, the dangers were not just Yao Beast.

There were also... people.

Last night, he witnessed a slaughter with his own eyes.

Two Loose Cultivator found a golden-veined grass, and before they could even rejoice, they were targeted by another group of Loose Cultivator.

Both sides started fighting as soon as they met, with flashing blades and flying blood.

In the end, the golden-veined grass fell into the hands of the group with more people, while the two Loose Cultivator who had found the Spirit Medicine first lay forever on that forest clearing.

Li Changsheng hid in the shadows, watching from beginning to end, without making a sound or intervening.

It was not indifference.

It was just that in this Secret Realm, no one knew who was a friend and who was an enemy.

There were not many people he could trust.

He also didn't know how Li Changqing, Shi Tiezhu, Li Xiaocao, and the other fellow villagers were doing.

It would be best to find them.

The afternoon of the fourth day.

Li Changsheng arrived at the entrance of a valley.

This valley was sandwiched between two steep mountain peaks, the entrance narrow, only allowing two or three people to walk side by side.

The entrance of the valley was overgrown with dense vines, almost completely covering the entrance.

If he hadn't been sharp-eyed, seeing the faint light seeping through the gaps in the vines, he would never have discovered there was a path here.

He hesitated for a moment and decided to go in and take a look.

He pushed aside the vines and stepped into the valley.

The scene inside the valley made him slightly stunned.

This valley was not large, about the size of two or three Martial Arts Field.

All around were steep cliffs, overgrown with various vines and ferns.

The valley floor was a relatively flat grassy area, with a few large bluestones scattered sporadically on the grass.

A small stream flowed out from a crack in the cliff, gathered into a shallow pool at the bottom of the valley, and then flowed out through a crack on the other side.

There was blood in the water.

Even in the air, there was a faint smell of blood.