277: Chapter 277 Step-by-Step Deadly Strike and the Ancient Medicine Garden

The bronze gate silently closed behind him, completely isolating the world-destroying Spatial Storm outside, as well as the clamor and greed of millions of Cultivators.

Zhou Wannian stood still, not taking a step immediately.

The space inside the Immortal Cave was completely different from the violent ice plain outside. There was no sky-filling snow, nor bone-chilling cold. What met his eyes was a sky that was a morbid greyish-white. There were no stars or sun and moon in the sky, only layers of thick, slowly wriggling Chaos mist.

The air was filled with an ancient, vicissitudes, and even a hint of decaying and withered Aura. The Immortal Spiritual Qi contained in this Aura was dense to an outrageous degree, almost liquefying into wisps of white mist, drifting freely in mid-air.

However, this seemingly nourishing dense Spiritual Qi harbored a fatal murderous intent.

Zhou Wannian’s expression was calm, allowing a wisp of white mist to fall onto his cyan robe. The moment the Spiritual Qi touched his clothes, it emitted a faint hiss, like a venomous snake, attempting to burrow into his pores along the fabric's texture and corrode his Physical Body.

This Immortal Cave had been sealed for an unknown number of epochs, and the Immortal Spiritual Qi inside had long since mutated over the long years. It was mixed with too many complex Laws and the resentments of fallen ancient Cultivators. If an ordinary Early Taiyi Stage Cultivator inhaled it without precaution, not only would it not increase their cultivation, but the violent power would instantly burst their Qi Sea, leading to Qi Deviation.

But Zhou Wannian simply breathed casually.

The mutated Spiritual Qi, which was enough to make a True Immortal Realm Cultivator explode, surged into his body through his nasal cavity. Before it could take effect, it was forcibly suppressed by his incomparably powerful True Demon Indestructible Body. Subsequently, the Origin power of the Great Five Elements Illusory World Art slowly rotated like a giant millstone, crushing and eliminating all the resentment and Impurities within, leaving only the purest trace of Origin power to integrate into his limbs and bones.

Zhou Wannian muttered in a calm tone, “What domineering Spiritual Qi. If not for a Body Cultivator who has achieved sainthood, just the first breath in this Immortal Cave would be a gate of hell between life and death.”

He slowly raised his head, surveying the scene before him.

What appeared before him was a vast expanse of ruins. The ground was paved with an unknown dark green giant stone, and intricate and profound Primordial Formation patterns were carved on each stone. However, after countless years of erosion, most of these Formation patterns were incomplete and had lost their former luster.

Amidst the ruins stood countless collapsed jade pillars, shattered statues, and incomplete palace domes. The style of these buildings was rough and grand, exuding a wild charm of ancient primordial times.

According to Zhou Wannian’s habit, he was not in a hurry to snatch any illusory core Legacy. As for Opportunity, what was his would not escape, and what was not his would be boring even if he snatched it. He preferred to leisurely stroll through this legendary Daluo Realm Peak Immortal Cave with the mindset of visiting a scenic spot.

This was his usual relaxation.

He walked forward along an ancient bluestone path that was barely discernible. His pace was unhurried, as if he was not walking on a deadly trap-filled land, but rather a rain-soaked alley paved with bluestone slabs in a Mortal town.

After walking merely a hundred zhang, Zhou Wannian’s footsteps paused slightly.

Ahead on the bluestone slab, a skeleton suddenly appeared. The skeleton was a strange pale gold color, clearly indicating that its owner was a Body Cultivator who had tempered their Physical Body to an extremely high Realm in life. However, this tough skeleton was covered with dense, bone-deep smooth cuts, as if it had been dismembered by countless invisible sharp blades in an instant.

Zhou Wannian did not look at the skeleton, but instead fixed his gaze on a Spiritual Plant three zhang away in front of the skeleton.

It was a strange plant growing in a rock crevice. It had no leaves, only a transparent root system carved like ice jade, topped with an illusory flower emitting a faint blue light. The petals rippled like water, exuding a peculiar cold fragrance.

This cold fragrance was still clearly discernible even in these ruins filled with decay. Just a light sniff would make one's Divine Soul float, as if one were about to ascend to immortality.

This was the Ice Soul Illusionary God Flower, a Primordial Spirit Medicine that had long been extinct in the outside world. It was said that just a fraction of its petals could be used to refine a supreme Immortal Pill that would stabilize the Divine Soul and resist the backlash of Heavenly Demons when a Peak Taiyi Stage Cultivator made a Breakthrough to the Daluo Realm Bottleneck.

If the Elders of those major Sects outside were to see this flower, they would instantly go mad and rush to seize it at all costs.

Zhou Wannian's expression remained as usual, his deep eyes showing no ripples of greed.

He looked at the Ice Soul Illusionary God Flower swaying in the wind, then at the seemingly empty Void Realm around it.

Zhou Wannian said casually, “To use a rare Spirit Medicine as bait and set up such a sinister Void Realm killing Formation. It seems the owner of this Immortal Cave was also a ruthless individual back then.”

Within three zhang of the Ice Soul Illusionary God Flower, what appeared to be calm was actually filled with a top-tier trap called the “Great Void Formless Sword Qi.” These were Spatial Rifts, ten thousand times thinner than a strand of hair, formed when the Space Law was compressed to its extreme.

They remained still in mid-air, without any spiritual energy fluctuations, and were difficult for even Divine Sense to detect. Once a living being stepped into that range, these Formless Sword Qi would instantly erupt, cutting the intruder into particles smaller than dust. The pale golden skeleton on the ground was the best precedent.

Zhou Wannian did not take a detour.

He maintained his original pace, walking forward unhurriedly.

One step, two steps, three steps.

The moment his right foot stepped within three zhang of the Spiritual Plant.

The previously dead silent Void Realm suddenly erupted.

Countless invisible Great Void Sword Qi, like startled venomous snakes, madly attacked Zhou Wannian's body at a speed that transcended the perception of time. A chilling 'hissing' sound emanated from the air, a mournful cry from space being compressed to its extreme.

Facing such a terrifying killing Formation capable of instantly killing a Late Taiyi Stage Cultivator, Zhou Wannian didn't even bat an eyelid.

He did not activate his protective Immortal light, did not summon any defensive Magic Treasure, and did not even disrupt the rhythm of his steps. He simply allowed the Formless Sword Qi to fiercely strike his cyan robe.

Clang, clang, clang.

A dense crisp sound, like heavy rain falling on an iron plate, suddenly echoed in the empty ruins.

Those Great Void Formless Sword Qi, renowned for being indestructible and capable of easily slicing through even high-grade defensive Immortal Artifacts, when they struck within three inches of Zhou Wannian's body, were like striking an ancient Star Iron that had endured countless tribulations without decay.

The Sword Qi shattered with a crash, transforming into specks of silver spatial turbulence that dissipated into the air.

And Zhou Wannian's seemingly ordinary cyan robe didn't even show a single wrinkle. His True Demon Indestructible Body had long been cultivated to a terrifying state of invulnerability to all techniques and indestructible as Vajra. This level of passive Formation killing intent was, for him, not even a tickle.

Zhou Wannian leisurely passed through the killing Formation and arrived before the Ice Soul Illusionary God Flower.

He bent slightly, his slender fingers precisely pinching the transparent root. A trace of gentle Wood Origin Law overflowed from his fingertips. The once extremely fragile Primordial Spirit Medicine, upon contact with the Wood Origin, obediently retracted its petals.

Zhou Wannian flipped his wrist, placed it into a specially made Ten-Thousand-Year Warm Jade Box, and casually tossed it into his storage ring. The entire action was fluid and natural, full of inherent composure.

Continuing forward.

The topography of the ruins gradually changed; crumbling walls became fewer and fewer, replaced by a vast valley shrouded in dense mist. At the entrance of the valley stood a broken white marble stele, on which the characters “Hundred Herbs” could vaguely be discerned.

Standing at the entrance of this valley, even before entering, one could smell a rich, almost impenetrable medicinal fragrance. This fragrance blended the scents of countless kinds of Spiritual Plants—some spicy, some sweet, some bitter—intertwining to form a vast vitality that made one's blood surge.

Zhou Wannian stepped into the valley.

The dense mist before him, sensing the presence of a living person, immediately rolled back like a tide to both sides, revealing the true appearance of this Primordial Medicine Garden.

This was a huge basin with a circumference of hundreds of miles. The basin was divided into neat spiritual fields, and the soil of each spiritual field displayed a different color. There was scorching red Fiery Sun Earth, pitch-black Jiuyouxuanni, and even Star Sand emitting specks of starlight.

In these incredibly precious soils grew rare and exotic plants that even outside Cultivators couldn't name.

In a fiery spiritual field on the left, a patch of crimson Spiritual Plants with leaves like burning flames grew. These were the seedlings of the Brahma Vermillion Fruit. And on the main vine in the very center, which was half a person tall, hung three crystal-clear red fruits the size of a baby's fist. Natural flame Dao patterns flowed on the surface of the fruits, and each flicker was accompanied by an astonishing Pure Yang Qi overflow.

In the Nine Nether Profound Mud on the right, a cluster of dark grass leaves lay quietly. The edges of the grass leaves were sharp and serrated, emitting a dense Death Qi. This was the Nine-Leaf Soul Reviving Grass, rumored to be a Heaven-Defying divine item that could reshape the Physical Body and reverse life and death if a deceased person's Divine Soul was still intact and they consumed one leaf.

As far as the eye could see, there were priceless treasures capable of stirring up bloody storms in the outside world.

This medicine garden had been sealed for hundreds of millions of years, without external harvesting, and the age of the Spirit Medicine here had long reached an incredible and terrifying level. Even a random weed pulled out here would be a rare treasure in the North Cold Immortal Domain.

Zhou Wannian looked at the flourishing medicine garden before him, his expression still calm, but a faint smile curved his lips.

[part:gemini-3.0-flash]

Zhou Wannian spoke in a soothing tone: "The soil here is quite fertile, saving me the trouble of searching for Spirit Medicines everywhere in the future. Golden Boy, come out and work."

He shook his sleeve.

A flash of golden light streaked past, and the fist-sized Gold-Devouring Immortal, Golden Boy, landed on the ground.

Golden Boy had been sleeping soundly while hugging the half-broken blade; being forcibly woken up, its small eyes were full of reluctance. It stretched in a human-like manner and let out a disgruntled mumble.

However, when its mung-bean-sized eyes clearly saw the scene before it, the disgruntled mumble instantly got stuck in its throat.

Although Golden Boy's favorite things to eat were high-grade Ores and Magic Treasures, facing these primordial Spirit Medicines that were tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of years old, the massive power of the Origin contained within them also held a fatal attraction for it.

Golden Boy let out an excited scream and turned into a streak of golden lightning, pouncing directly toward the main vine bearing the Brahma Vermillion Fruit. Its posture clearly showed it wanted to swallow both the vine and the fruit into its belly.

Zhou Wannian flicked his finger, and a gentle burst of Qi precisely tapped Golden Boy's forehead, stopping it mid-air.

Zhou Wannian's tone was steady, carrying an unquestionable command as he said: "Don't waste things. The Formation hub in this medicine garden hasn't been dealt with yet; go find those lumps of copper and iron hidden in the shadows and gnaw on them. I still need to keep the Spirit Medicines here for Alchemy."

Golden Boy rubbed its head aggrievedly, but it never dared to disobey Zhou Wannian's commands. It cast a lingering look at the tempting Vermilion Fruit before turning around and sniffing the air vigorously with its small nose.

In the next moment, the grievance in Golden Boy's eyes vanished, replaced by the fervor of discovering top-tier delicacies. It turned into a streak of golden light and dove directly into a patch of seemingly empty ground.

Boom.

The ground shook violently.

Within the originally peaceful medicine garden, a soaring Aura of slaughter suddenly rose.

Following a harsh sound of metal grinding, the soil around the medicine garden exploded one after another. Exactly thirty-six primordial Puppets, ten zhang tall and cast entirely from a mysterious dark-gold metal, slowly rose from underground.

The designs of these Puppets were eerie and ferocious, possessing four thick arms holding a giant axe, a long halberd, a heavy hammer, and a sharp sword. The surfaces of the Puppets were covered with dense defensive and offensive Formations; although they had endured endless years, they still flickered with a heart-palpitating cold light.

As soon as these thirty-six Puppets appeared, they stood according to the Tiangang numbers, forming an impeccable and massive battle Formation. The Aura emitted by each Puppet was no less than that of a Cultivator at the Peak of the Early Taiyi Stage. When the Auras of these thirty-six Puppets were connected through the Formation, the pressure even infinitely approached the Daluo Realm.

Piercing red light lit up in their lifeless metal eye sockets, locking onto Zhou Wannian standing at the entrance of the medicine garden in unison.

If those arrogant Heavenly Gods of the Heavenly Court or giants of the Demonic Path from the outside world faced such a Formation, their faces would likely change drastically, and they would choose to avoid its edge for the moment. Thirty-six tireless Taiyi Puppets with indestructible Physical Bodies who knew how to use a combined battle Formation were simply a nightmare for all Cultivators.

But Zhou Wannian just casually glanced at these tall metal creations.

Zhou Wannian spoke in an easygoing tone: "Thirty-six Tiangang Black-Gold Puppets. The materials are decent, mixed with a large amount of taiyi refined gold and Star Shards; they're perfect for Golden Boy's snacks."

Those thirty-six Puppets could not understand his commentary. Driven by the Formation hub, they simultaneously let out a dull roar and brandished their heavy weapons, like thirty-six moving metal mountains, charging frantically toward Zhou Wannian with a violent Aura that crushed everything.

Wild winds howled as giant axes and heavy hammers tore through the air, pulling long white airwaves in mid-air.

Zhou Wannian still stood firmly in place, not retreating a single step.

He did not reach for the void-splitting ruler in his storage ring, nor did he mobilize the Law power of the Great Five Elements Illusory World Art. Facing this kind of pure physical violent crushing, he chose the most direct and characteristic response.

He slowly raised his right hand and clenched it into a fist.

There was no piercing light, nor any world-shaking Spiritual Qi fluctuations. There was only a terrifying physical strength, so pure it was suffocating, silently gathering at the tip of his fist. The surrounding space began to visibly distort and collapse under the pressure of this power.

At the moment when the foremost Tiangang Black-Gold Puppet brandished its giant axe, about to split Zhou Wannian's skull.

Zhou Wannian threw a punch.

The movement was simple, without any fancy Moves, just a plain straight punch thrown forward.

Boom.

A terrifying explosion loud enough to instantly deafen a Mortal erupted over the medicine garden.

Zhou Wannian's fist precisely struck the thick chest of that Puppet.

The Tiangang Black-Gold armor, which was enough to withstand a full-strength blow from a Cultivator in the Late Taiyi Stage without breaking, was like fragile tofu dregs before Zhou Wannian's fist.

The indestructible metal body instantly deformed and caved in violently, then under an irresistible and wild force, it underwent a destructive disintegration from the inside.

Massive metal fragments shot out in all directions like a rainstorm; that ten-zhang-tall Taiyi Puppet didn't even have the chance to be sent flying, as it was forcibly blown apart into a pile of scrap metal on the spot.

Blown apart with one punch.

This was only the beginning.

Zhou Wannian withdrew his fist, his figure flickering slightly.

His seemingly slow steps had actually integrated the Space Law into his instincts long ago. He moved between those clumsy metal Puppets like he was taking a leisurely stroll in a courtyard.

With a casual flick of his left hand, he effortlessly parried a long halberd aimed at his face and took the Opportunity to slap the Puppet's head. With a crisp cracking sound, that incredibly solid metal head was slapped directly into the Puppet's chest cavity, instantly shattering the Formation hub.

His right leg delivered an extremely casual side kick to the knee joint of another Puppet trying to sneak attack from the side. Accompanied by the tooth-aching sound of twisting metal, the Puppet's massive body lost its balance and smashed heavily into the soil, its core driving Formation crushed under Zhou Wannian's foot.

Strolling leisurely, crushing all resistance.

Thirty-six Taiyi Puppets, enough to make the entire North Cold Immortal Domain tremble, were like a group of slow-moving marionettes before Zhou Wannian. Every one of his seemingly casual strikes was accompanied by the complete destruction of a Puppet.

No Puppet could block his steps for even a moment, and no weapon could touch the corner of his green robes.

In just the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.

A deathly silence returned to the massive medicine garden once again.

The thirty-six Tiangang Black-Gold Puppets had now all turned into a ground full of scrap metal, scattered haphazardly across the open space between the spirit fields.

Zhou Wannian stood in the middle of a pile of metal wreckage, his breathing still steady and long, without even a hint of sweat on his forehead. He casually clapped his hands as if he had just finished a set of morning stretches.

Just then, a flash of golden light appeared.

Golden Boy crawled out from underground, its mouth still crunching on a Formation core crystal emitting a faint glow. Seeing the ground full of taiyi refined gold wreckage, an unprecedented wild joy immediately erupted in its mung-bean-sized eyes.

Golden Boy turned into an afterimage and pounced directly onto the wreckage of a Puppet, opening its small mouth that could devour all things and frantically gnawing on the incredibly hard Tiangang Black-Gold. The tooth-aching sound of chewing metal echoed in the medicine garden.

Zhou Wannian ignored the feasting Golden Boy.

He walked over to the side of the Blazing Sun Spirit Field. He did not use any crude methods; instead, a gentle Water Origin flowed from his fingertips, turning into a fine drizzle that lightly watered the vines of the Brahma Vermillion Fruit.

Only after the medicinal properties of the Spiritual Plant were completely soothed did he take out specially made jade boxes, picking the three ripe Vermilion Fruits with gentle and orderly movements, sealing their medicinal properties.

Next was the Nine-Leaf Soul Reviving Grass in the Nine Nether Profound Mud, the Taiqing Purple Orchid in the Star Sand...

Zhou Wannian was like an experienced Mortal farmer, quietly enjoying the joy of harvest in this primordial medicine garden full of death and Opportunity. The blood and gore of the outside world and the life-and-death struggles of various great experts seemed to have nothing to do with him.

He had his own rhythm.

When Zhou Wannian carefully placed the last extremely precious spirit leaf into a jade casket, the oldest and most valuable top-grade spirit grasses in the medicine garden had been swept clean by him. As for those remaining that were not yet old enough, he did not touch them, leaving them as an Opportunity for those who would come later.

By this time, Golden Boy had eaten until it was round and bulging, lying in a pile of metal scraps like a small golden ball, letting out burps.

Zhou Wannian slightly raised his wrist and took Golden Boy back into his sleeve.

He stood up, his gaze passing through the hazy thick fog behind the medicine garden, looking toward the deeper parts of the Immortal Mansion.

Zhou Wannian spoke in a steady tone: "I've seen enough of the scenery on this first floor; it's time to visit the second floor. I hope the things there won't make me feel bored."

He brushed off the non-existent dust on his green robe and took steady steps, walking toward the depths of the thick fog.

The sound of footsteps gradually faded in the empty medicine garden, leaving only a ground of metal wreckage, silently telling of the terrifying one-sided massacre that had occurred here.

For the next chapter, would you like Zhou Wannian to directly encounter the Daluo Realm demonic Cultivator hiding in the shadows on the second floor and have a conflict, or would you like him to first discover some special Legacy trial left by the master of the Immortal Mansion?