Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio
Zhang Ruochen knew that Martial Saint Canglan wanted to fight him to extrapolate where he came from by observing his moves.
“Now is not the time to compete with each other. We’ll have many more chances later.”
Zhang Ruochen then turned around and walked toward the herb garden.
Martial Saint Canglan caught up with Zhang Ruochen and walked beside him. “I have another thing. Lend me Zhu Qingyi, and I’ll grant you anything you want.”
“No.”
Zhang Ruochen refused without hesitation.
Martial Saint Canglan was confused. She said, “It’s no good for you to keep Zhu Qingyi around. Immortal vampires will definitely send lots of great beings to save her, and the human monks who have strong grudges against her will also want to trade her life for refining resources. Your cultivation is definitely not enough to keep her. Instead, you might bite the dust in the end. Leave her to me, then I’ll owe you a favor.”
Zhang Ruochen stopped walking and shot a stare at her. He said, “Is your favor really worthy?”
“Of course it is.”
Martial Saint Canglan’s eyes gleamed, and she smiled confidently. She looked like a real phoenix.
Zhang Ruochen suddenly looked serious and said, “You already owe me two favors. How are you going to pay me back?”
Martial Saint Canglan was dazed, and then, she said with a complicated look on her face, “I didn’t expect you to be this petty. You owe me one also, don’t you? If it weren’t for me, you would’ve made yourself the enemy of Martial Market Bank.”
“If it weren’t for you, that leader of Northern Region Saint Academy would be dead now,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Martial Saint Canglan was rendered speechless.
The six female saints who were following them all looked at each other, and some of them were even gloating. This was the first time someone had argued against the great Martial Saint so fiercely.
Zhang Ruochen stopped and said, “Why are you still following me?”
Martial Saint Canglan stroked her fiery and shining hair, raised her chin and looked at a formation chain that was connecting the sky and land. She said, “Wuyuan Island is extremely dangerous, and there’re countless hazards around. We should team up with each other, then we can fight the three heaven pass blood generals with ease.”
Zhang Ruochen was a bit curious. “The great beings from the Ministry of War still haven’t arrived?”
“They should be on their way now, but I heard that lots of great beings from the immortal vampire race are coming as well, so the prospects are not all bright. The most updated news is that there seems to be a huge secret in Xianji Mountain,” Martial Saint Canglan said.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Why did you and the six female saints come here? For Thousand Leaves Saint Core Grass?”
“That’s right. Rumor has it that Thousand Leaves Saint Core Grass is the main ingredient to make saint pills. We can’t let the immortal vampires have it, no matter whether the rumor is true or not.”
Martial Saint Canglan continued, “Besides, the more dangerous a place is, the better it can sharpen a monk’s willpower. If I only take saint pills, I’ll not be able to make it to heaven pass realm. I need training and fighting where I can comprehend saint way rules. I need a turning point. If I keep staying in a safe and peaceful place, I’ll get numb, and then I won’t be able to comprehend higher-level saint way rules no matter how many refining resources I have.”
She needed changes.
Even Buddha monks who always stayed in the mountains would choose to step into the mortal world for improvements.
As for martial monks, they would choose to fight someone at their level.
As for Martial Saint Canglan, she had obviously run into the same situation, which was why she chose to come to Xianji Mountain herself.
She was here not just for the ingredients for saint pills, but also for her own breakthrough.
Twelve White Feather Saints also had the same goal. They didn’t want to stay in the same place. Instead, they wanted to break the shackles and reach a higher level, and death might become them.
“We can definitely form an alliance since we’re on such good terms,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Wuyuan Island wasn’t a large place. They might run into the heaven pass blood generals at any time. He and Qing Mo weren’t strong enough to fight them, so it was a great choice to form an alliance with Martial Saint Canglan.
Zhang Ruochen walked out of the illusion tree forest with Martial Saint Canglan and the six female saints. However, they didn’t see Qing Mo after they came to the garden.
Did something happen?
“My lord.”
He heard the sound of Qing Mo.
And then, a blue vine winding the fence started to shrink and became a slim young girl. It was Qing Mo, who was a bit timid.
Zhu Qingyi, who had passed out, was originally enveloped inside the blue vine, but now, she was held by Qing Mo.
Qing Mo rolled her eyes and whispered, “A couple of great beings at the state of saint came here before. I didn’t fight them by myself, so I camouflaged myself instead. You won’t blame me, will you?”
“Why would I blame you?” Zhang Ruochen smiled.
Qing Mo said, “They all trespassed in the herb garden. That elder said, if…”
Qing Mo immediately stopped talking, noticing Martial Saint Canglan and the six female saints.
Martial Saint Canglang asked, “Which elder?”
“There was indeed an elder who got into the herb garden before. He wanted to get Thousand Leaves Saint Core Grass also. We need to be quick.” Zhang Ruochen explained it to Martial Saint Canglan, and then, he stepped into the herb garden.
Qing Mo opened her mouth wide as she found it unbelievable. Zhang Ruochen didn’t give a damn about what Gu Songzi said. Instead, he went into the herb garden also.
Gu Songzi felt sketchy. If he really followed everything he said to guard the herb garden, he might be hoodwinked in the end.
Which was why Zhang Ruochen decided to take the initiative.
If he could get the Thousand Leaves Saint Core Grass, Gu Songzi might ask him for help in the end.
The blood-red mist permeated the herb garden, and there were traces of light intertwining with each other.
Zhang Ruochen took out Tunyun Clock that he’d seized from a blood saint and threw it forward.
Hua!
A trace of light slashed the Tunyun Clock and cut it into halves.
Even Martial Saint Canglan’s heart skipped a beat after seeing that.
“The power of the supreme saint formation is the strongest in the herb garden. Please be careful. If you touch the light, you’ll be killed without question.”
Zhang Ruochen warned them and kept going forward.
The mud in the herb garden was crimson, glowing with holy light. It was godly blood crimson mud that had been watered by godly blood.
It wasn’t strange though given that it was a godly mud herb garden that bred lots of saint pills.
Shortly after they got in, they found a body that was cut into nine pieces. It was an absolute ground saint from Xingsu Sect, an overlord who had lost his life for a saint pill.
Zhang Ruochen and Martial Saint Canglan both had adequate saint pills, so they also targeted Thousand Leaves Saint Core Grass. They didn’t want to waste time picking other saint pills.
They would consider taking those pills after getting Thousand Leaves Saint Core Grass.
The mist in the herb garden got thicker and thicker. Even saints could only see things that were less than five steps away from them.
Ding Ding.
There came a melodious sound of wind chimes as if someone was walking fast.
Suddenly, the sound of wind chimes stopped.
A black being showed up in front of Zhang Ruochen and Martial Saint Canglan. He was tall with long arms, with a string of wind chimes at his waist.
The black shadow said in an ear-piercing voice, “Go back. Thousand Leaves Saint Core Grass doesn’t belong to you.”
“Devil death Qi.”
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes popped as he sensed the devil death Qi coming from the black shadow.
Suddenly, that black shadow became heaps more powerful, and the wind chime at his waist started to ring. He said, “I wanted to spare your life before, but now, I can no more. You know too much to live.”
The black shadow went through the traces of blood-red light like a ghost, and it pressed toward Zhang Ruochen’s face. A cluster of death Qi gushed out of his palm.
“Sword out.”
Martial Saint Canglan pinched a sword technique, then her saint sword clashed with the palm of that black shadow, making a clacking sound.
Both of them bounced away after the confrontation.
“Impressive. I didn’t expect you to cut the spiritual root, or that there’s someone like you who can fight me.”
The black shadow laughed before he retreated back to the bloody mist.
“Chase him.”
Martial Saint Canglan could sense with her instinct that the black shadow had some secrets, so she wanted to keep him around.
Zhang Ruochen was also confused. He followed Martial Saint Canglan.
After a short while, Zhang Ruochen felt that he had stepped on the air before he dived without any control.
And then, he felt balanced again. He took a deep breath and looked up, only to find that the world in front of him was different now. The herb garden was gone as if he had gone through a space wall.
