"Sigh."
Chu Liang gently sighed and sheathed his sword to stand.
The latter half of the journey yielded so-so results, only encountering two flower demons. It's naturally good news for others when the journey is smooth, but for those aiming to grind monsters, it's a bit disappointing.
However, this shallow disappointment was quickly washed away by the scene before their eyes.
When the crowd stepped out one by one from the narrow and tight forest path, the first feeling that hit everyone was shock.
This place remained within the scope of the dense forest. The dark green crown of the trees towered dozens of meters high, resembling the dome of a lofty palace nestling overhead, dissipating any feeling of oppression momentarily. Before them was the entrance to a valley, with jagged rocks making up a cliff overgrown with foliage, clinging to the black stones. Strange flowers blossomed everywhere, their eerie glow flickering on and off.
It was an entirely original and deep realm of bizarre beauty outside of the world.
"This..." Lin Bei opened his mouth, stammering ostensibly wanting to say something, but as soon as his voice emanated, it echoed ominously throughout the valley, causing him to bite it back involuntarily.
It was as if he feared he would startle the heavenly beings with his high-pitched words.
Fang Ting said in a deep voice: "According to the guide, the Human-faced Jade Essence Flower is not far ahead in the valley. Although there are no flower demons anymore, the danger level has increased... Be careful."
"Hmm!" Everyone nodded in agreement.
The logic was straightforward—in a locale teeming with Evil Demons, if a strip of purer ground suddenly appears, that would only mean that this spot was the domain of an even greater Evil Demon.
As human figures moved through this vast and savage land, they couldn't help but feel tiny. As soon as they stepped onto the jagged black rocks of the valley, they came across a large flower branch growing on a patch of empty land on the edge of the valley.
One branch with two flowers, each bud as big as a human head. The petals tightly covered the flower's heart, pure white in color. The surrounding leaves were long and straight, making them stark and pristine in this valley.
"This is the Human-faced Jade Essence Flower... It really is as depicted in the catalog." said Lin Bei.
Fang Ting glanced at the rock wall being blocked by the chaotic stones overhead and said, "Right now, it should be just nightfall outside. When the moonlight falls onto this flower at night, that's when it blooms. Absolutely do not touch it before then."
Chu Liang had already learned about the process of harvesting the Human-faced Jade Essence Flower on the journey here.
This object was quite mystical. Harvesting at any other time would cause it to lose its spirituality. It must be sufficiently matured and glean moonlight to bloom, at which point it must be plucked to retain its spiritual essence.
But at that moment, anyone who looked at it would fall into an Illusion Field—perhaps this was its defensive mechanism.
At this time, one person must block its view with a bronze mirror at the moment the Human-faced Jade Essence Flower blooms, causing the flower's Illusion Technique to self-trigger a daze. During this time, someone else should pluck the flower from behind to successfully pick it.
Only two people would be required for this, and the reason for this task needing five is that three others have to form the Three Talents Sword Formation outside to guard against the Treasure Demon Guard near the Human-faced Jade Essence Flower.
...
"Junior Sister Ziqing takes the 'human' position, Junior Brother Chu takes the 'earth' position, and I hold the 'heaven' position. Lu Ren holds the mirror, Lin Bei plucks the flower," Fang Ting ordered decisively.
The Three Talents Sword Formation wasn't about each guarding one side, but rather the 'human' position guarding one direction, the 'earth' position guarding two directions, and the 'heaven' position not only guarding one direction but also assisting the others as needed.
This allowed the greatest responsibility to be placed on the strongest point, compensating for the unbalanced strength of each party in the formation.
Naturally, there were no objections from anyone, and everyone took their positions around the flower branch.
They didn't have to wait long when the moonlight filtered through numerous obstacles to cast itself onto this clearing. This rare beam of moonlight felt incredibly precious within this sun-starved, secluded valley.
The beam of moonlight gradually shifted, inch by inch, until it came to rest above the Human-faced Jade Essence Flower.
"Focus!" Fang Ting suddenly shouted.
Chu Liang, Xu Ziqing, and Fang Ting, the three who were forming the sword formation, instantly stood with their swords, their backs to the flower branch, no longer looking in that direction.
That's because...
As the Human-faced Jade Spirit Flower matured, rustling sounds began to echo in the valley. Certain demonic creatures that had been drooling over this flower could no longer restrain themselves.
"Roar—" The first to spring from the bushes was a Black-Spotted Fierce Tiger. Its roar shook the forest! Its body was covered with intimidating patterns and it even had a pair of flesh wings under its ribs! Clearly, it had been cultivating for many years.
This forest demon was cunning, and naturally made a beeline towards the direction Xu Ziqing was guarding.
The young girl clenched her teeth, clearly frightened but refusing to back down. Instead, she stepped forward, preparing to draw her sword to face the enemy.
Just then, a thundering Sword Qi in the form of a golden dragon swept diagonally across the scene!
Boom——
After the overwhelming Sword Qi stormed by, the form of the demon tiger disappeared leaving only faint ashes drifting in its wake.
It was naturally Fang Ting who took action.
Witnessing the scene, Chu Liang felt a pang of awe towards the strength of the Golden Core Realm but also couldn't help feeling a sense of regret.
What a waste.
Would have been great if he could have landed a strike himself.
Fang Ting, with eyes on everything, noticed Chu Liang's regretful demeanor and said, "Junior Brother Chu, there's no need to sigh. Practice diligently and in time, you'll certainly have my level of cultivation."
Um... Does he think he's feeling inferior because of his cultivation level?
Chu Liang paused for a moment, then nodded towards Fang Ting.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
There was no time for chit-chat as the entrance of the tiger demon was like a command, followed by the emergence of a massive python as thick as a water barrel, a golden eagle radiating a glow all over, and a jackal with three eyes on its head...
Beasts rushed out from every direction!
The eyes of Chu Liang suddenly lit up.
But immediately, Fang Ting yelled out again, "Wind and Thunder Sword Technique! Rapid!"
He made a gesture with his left hand, raised the Shocking Thunder Sword in his right hand, shouted out loud and the lightning went berserk, the sword tip boundless, sweeping in a circle. Instantaneously, dust flew and thunder clouds roiled beside him, rolling out in a flash.
Rumble rumble rumble——
With just one stroke, all the beasts that rushed over were all swept away by the wind and thunder, instantly turning into ashes!
Annihilation.
"Hmph!" Fang Ting sheathed his sword, snorted coldly, casting a contemptuous glance around, looking mighty and proud. He then shot a look at Xu Ziqing and Chu Liang beside him, puffed up his chest, although expressionless, his eyes seemed to sparkle with some kind of expectation.
He looked like a golden retriever that had caught a mouse, expecting praise but trying to act nonchalant.
In stark contrast, the sparkle that had just lit up Chu Liang's eyes was gone.
The light in his eyes was gone...
The more demons Fang Ting killed, the greater the pain in his heart...
Xu Ziqing, whether used to seeing his brother's cultivation level, therefore feeling it wasn't powerful...or simply too nervous to think about anything else, didn't express any admiration for Fang Ting's heroic performance either.
As a result, Fang Ting, having struck a pose for quite a while, did not get what he wanted, so he blinks, and says on his own, "Junior Sister Ziqing, Junior Brother Chu, as long as the two of you practice diligently, you can certainly wield a sword like this."
"Hehe." Chu Liang gave a small smile.
While the battle on the outer perimeter progressed smoothly, the two responsible for plucking flowers inside had finally seen the moonlight fall on the heart of the first flower.
"It's about to bloom!" Lin Bei immediately shouted.
Lu Ren hurriedly held up a large bronze mirror in his hand.
The moonlight scattered, and the massive Human-faced Jade Essence Flower slowly unfolded its petals like a waking beauty... revealing a white, jade-like face.
Yes, when the bud of the Human-faced Jade Essence Flower opened, there was indeed a face resembling a human's below it! And it was androgynously beautiful, with skin as white as jade.
When this human face first appeared, its eyes held a hint of an otherworldly and vigilant gaze. But immediately after, it caught sight of the large bronze mirror directly in front of it. And reflected within, its own face.
The eyes quickly turned into a fascinated look...