Chapter 227: Unexpectedly, It's a Nine-Petaled Moon Orchid
He Tianchou chuckled and shook his head. "Elder Shen, if I'm not mistaken, weren't all three of these flower seeds taken from the same flowerbed?"
"The first two were of such poor quality, and this third seed doesn't look much better."
Shen Mo smiled faintly as he infused spiritual energy into the third seed. "Whether it's good or not can only be determined after infusing spiritual energy."
He Tianchou gave a resigned smile. "You really don't give up easily, do you? Fine, go ahead and infuse spiritual energy."
"The result will probably be no different from the last two..."
Before he could finish his sentence, a small white flower swiftly sprouted in Shen Mo's palm.
It stretched its petals leisurely.
He Tianchou's voice froze mid-sentence.
He stared fixedly at the white flower, extended a finger, and carefully counted.
One, two, three, four, five… nine petals in total!
"A… a nine-petaled Moon Orchid?!"
He exclaimed in astonishment.
"What? Where's a nine-petaled Moon Orchid?"
"Holy! It really is a nine-petaled Moon Orchid!"
"My heavens, this is probably the first nine-petaled Moon Orchid seen in a century!"
"Unbelievable! Shen Mo actually cultivated it! His luck is incredible! The first two seeds only had one or two petals, and the third one turns out to have nine!"
"They say the nine-petaled Moon Orchid has mystical properties. I wonder if that's true. Elder Shen, could we have a closer look?"
The elders, who had been admiring Ye Yan's eight-petaled Moon Orchid, immediately shifted their attention at the sound of He Tianchou's exclamation.
When they saw the nine-petaled flower, they all gasped in disbelief.
An eight-petaled Moon Orchid was already exceedingly rare.
But now, there was a nine-petaled Moon Orchid!
The elders swarmed around Shen Mo, eager to examine the flower up close.
Ye Yan's side suddenly became deserted, leaving only a few elders from the Second and Fourth Peaks standing by him.
These elders looked visibly awkward.
Truth be told, they were also curious about the nine-petaled Moon Orchid.
Ye Yan's smile, which had been lingering at the corners of his lips moments ago, turned icy cold in a matter of seconds.
He wasn't someone who craved the limelight.
However, to go from being celebrated by dozens of fellow cultivators one moment to being completely overshadowed the next—anyone would feel stifled.
Not far away, Zhang Feng, the stationed elder of Bloodvine Valley, glanced at the nine-petaled Moon Orchid in Shen Mo's hand, his eyes flashing with surprise.
However, he said nothing, patiently waiting until all the elders had finished cultivating their flowers.
Then, in a loud voice, he announced, "Elders, please hand over any Moon Orchids you won't be using."
"These Moon Orchids are to be planted at the entrance of Bloodvine Valley to prevent the bloodvines from escaping."
The elders, not wanting to violate sect rules, each kept one Moon Orchid for themselves and handed over the remaining ones.
Some elders traded their Moon Orchids among themselves for contributions, spirit stones, or elixirs.
Before long, every elder had a single white flower adorning their waist.
"Everyone, cross the Moon Orchid barrier and enter," Zhang Feng said with a smile.
Ye Yan, expressionless, led the way, stepping into Bloodvine Valley first.
He Tianchou and the others followed closely behind.
Shen Mo, unhurried, joined the middle of the group as they entered the valley.
Once all the elders had entered, Zhang Feng's respectful demeanor shifted instantly to one of indifference.
However, when he turned to face three Core Formation stewards, his expression softened into a warm smile.
"Come to my place. I had a feast prepared in the nearby town and stored it in my spatial ring."
"Let's have a good time!"
Zhang Feng laughed heartily.
The three stewards relaxed visibly, nodding in agreement.
Zhang Feng had always treated them this way, and today was no different.
The four entered the largest cabin together.
Zhang Feng closed the door, his face now cold and detached.
Within less than a hundred breaths, muffled thuds could be heard from within the cabin.
When Zhang Feng reopened the door, the three Core Formation stewards inside had already turned into lifeless corpses.
Even in death, they couldn't fathom why the usually amicable stationed elder would suddenly murder them.
Zhang Feng retrieved a voice transmission jade and infused it with spiritual energy. "All the elders of the Danhe Sect have entered Bloodvine Valley, and I have eliminated the three stewards. You may proceed."
A voice responded from the other side of the jade. "Understood."
Not long after, three figures skimmed close to the ground, flying through a dense forest until they reached the entrance of Bloodvine Valley.
The trio's auras were chaotic yet potent, unmistakably marking them as Nascent Soul cultivators.
The leader cupped his hands in salute. "Brother Zhang, you are in command of the three of us. What are your orders?"
Zhang Feng gave a faint smile. "There's no need for much action. Just wait here."
"Huh? Why is that?"
Zhang Feng smiled. "To be honest, four years ago, a Bloodroot Dragon appeared in Bloodvine Valley. I allowed it to grow unchecked and never reported this to the Danhe Sect."
"Recently, I ventured into the valley to investigate. The Bloodroot Dragon population has grown considerably, and within three months, a Bloodroot Dragon King is certain to be born."
"We only need to wait here. The Bloodroot Dragon King will kill most of the elders inside the valley."
"Our task is simple—stay here and eliminate anyone who manages to escape!"
The three cultivators were astounded. "Brother Zhang, you truly are a strategist. No wonder His Majesty the Demon Emperor entrusted you with this command!"
Zhang Feng took a few steps forward, knelt toward the south, and prostrated himself fervently.
His gaze was fanatical, filled with reverence. "I have visited the Ten Thousand Demon Nation and witnessed the Demon Emperor's awe-inspiring power firsthand."
"I know with certainty that the demon race is far stronger than the human race. Jing Nation is destined to fall before the might of the Ten Thousand Demon Nation."
"Your Majesty, the Demon Emperor, once I obtain the remains of the Sky-Rending Behemoth, I shall help you forge the ultimate demon body!"
Seeing this, the three cultivators also knelt devoutly, facing south, and in unison pledged:
"We will acquire the remains of the Sky-Rending Behemoth and assist His Majesty in forging the ultimate demon body!"
Inside Bloodvine Valley
As soon as the elders entered the valley, the red vines on the ground surged like serpents, pouncing wildly.
Just as Shen Mo had read in the records, the bloodvines were ferociously aggressive.
The Moon Orchids worn by the elders only reduced the bloodvines' inclination to attack but didn't eliminate the threat entirely.
However, the nine-petaled Moon Orchid at Shen Mo's waist clearly outperformed the others' Moon Orchids.
The bloodvines seemed especially fearful of him, avoiding him entirely.
Wherever Shen Mo went, a three-zhang radius of clear space followed him.
Not a single bloodvine dared to approach.
This allowed Shen Mo to advance rapidly without being entangled by the bloodvines.
After storming forward several hundred zhang, Shen Mo looked back.
He saw that a few unfortunate elders had already been ensnared by the bloodvines.
Their Moon Orchids had only three petals, insufficient to ward off the aggressive bloodvines.
Having failed to obtain better Moon Orchids through trade or other means, these elders entered Bloodvine Valley with the three-petaled ones, making them prime targets for the bloodvines.
The other elders could do nothing to help them and instead focused on advancing as far as possible to put distance between themselves and the bloodvines.
In Bloodvine Valley, the first rule was self-preservation. Only if one had extra energy would they consider assisting others.
The group continued onward.
Shen Mo and Ye Yan moved the fastest, forming the vanguard of the group.
Neither paused for a moment.
Even when patches of Scarlet Blood Spirit Valleys appeared nearby, they didn't stop to harvest them.
Both had a clear objective: the inner valley.
The Scarlet Blood Spirit Valleys in the inner valley would undoubtedly be more abundant than those in the outer valley.
Rather than waste time here, it was better to push forward as quickly as possible into the inner valley.
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