"There's a sound," Feng Ming's voice was filled with surprise. It had finally found the source of the disturbance. Feng Ming flew into the air, its body slowly growing larger, and a stream of crimson flames shot towards the origin of the sound.
Chu Lingwei was not idle either. The Ice Jade Frost Sword in her hand followed Feng Ming's Netherfire, attacking in unison.
"Bang!"
With a deafening roar, Chu Lingwei felt her sword pierce something incredibly hard, only to be repelled.
Simultaneously, the surroundings changed drastically. They were now in a medicinal field within a mountain valley, the air thick with the aroma of herbs.
The illusion had been broken.
"Weiwei, it looks like an egg," Feng Ming said, peering through its Netherfire. It saw a round object that quickly vanished.
"Mm, it burrowed underground," Chu Lingwei said, walking to where her sword had struck. A patch of White Jade Soil glowed with a soft luminescence, resembling a piece of fine jade.
White Jade Soil was a divine soil capable of nurturing all things, appearing only in legends.
"Weiwei, its spiritual energy is so dense, it smells so good," Feng Ming flew to Chu Lingwei's side. The egg that had cast the illusion on them had escaped, and there was no danger here.
"It's quite a treasure."
Chu Lingwei hadn't expected her luck to be so good, to encounter a legendary divine item.
White Jade Soil could not only restore life to all things but also bring the dead back to life. Even if the soul was scattered, it could be reunited.
Although this was merely a legend, it spoke volumes of the item's miraculous properties.
Chu Lingwei crouched down and moved the White Jade Soil into her spatial dimension.
As the White Jade Soil entered the space, Chu Lingwei immediately felt the spiritual energy of the dimension converging towards it. Within two breaths, she felt that the power of her space seemed more abundant than before.
"Let's harvest the spiritual herbs and medicinal plants here and leave quickly."
After moving the White Jade Soil into her space, Chu Lingwei had a fleeting illusion that the spiritual energy of the medicinal field had become somewhat thin.
"I'll help you, Weiwei."
Feng Ming gazed excitedly at the medicinal field around them. The spiritual medicines here were all hundreds, even thousands of years old.
"We won't even pick fifty-year-old seedlings," Chu Lingwei said, taking out some special medicine boxes from her storage bracelet and handing them to Feng Ming.
They had entered the secret realm, and it was necessary to repay the sects that had allowed them entry.
Chu Lingwei instructed Feng Ming to pack the hundred-year to thousand-year-old spiritual medicines into the boxes, while she transplanted the thousand-year and ten-thousand-year-old spiritual medicines into her space, planting them in her own medicinal field.
The two worked separately, each busy with their tasks.
"Weiwei, this is the Spirit Nurturing Flower."
Chu Lingwei had been transplanting spiritual medicines from the field into her space. Two hours later, the entire medicinal field was left with only spiritual medicines less than a hundred years old.
At this moment, Feng Ming, who had long since disappeared, exclaimed in surprise.
Chu Lingwei came to Feng Ming's side. The Spirit Nurturing Flower was not growing in the medicinal field but was contained within a small illusion formation. Inside the small formation were Spirit Nurturing Flowers of various ages.
This was exactly what Chu Xiyin wanted.
It truly was effortless. This time, Chu Lingwei did not leave any seedlings for future generations and, along with Feng Ming, collected all the Spirit Nurturing Flowers.
"Let's go."
After collecting the spiritual medicines, Chu Lingwei and Feng Ming leaped onto the Illusion Gauze Scarf and left.
"Weiwei, that egg is still there," Feng Ming said. Although she couldn't pinpoint the egg's exact location, she was certain it was still in the medicinal field.
"Mm, it's likely a spirit beast that can use illusions."
Chu Lingwei glanced back at the place they had just left. It had transformed into a waterfall, and the medicinal field was long gone.
Spirit beasts were called so because they developed intelligence as their cultivation advanced. At their core, they were all cultivators.
It had almost harmed them, and she had taken the spiritual herbs as compensation. There was no need to kill it.
After Chu Lingwei had traveled a considerable distance, a round, white egg appeared in the medicinal field. It remained motionless, looking at the few remaining young spiritual herbs.
A crack ran across its shell, strikingly visible in the sunlight.
After Chu Lingwei left the medicinal field, her luck seemed to dwindle compared to the beginning.
Along the way, they encountered only spirit beasts of the fourth tier or higher.
"Its body is truly hard."
Chu Lingwei exerted all her strength, finally subduing a fifth-tier saber-toothed tiger, but she herself was covered in wounds.
She consumed a Grade 8 Wound Healing Pill prepared by her second senior brother, and her injuries immediately healed.
"Weiwei, you're getting more and more powerful," Feng Ming hopped onto the saber-toothed tiger, its eyes blinking and its tail swaying from side to side.
Chu Lingwei found it amusing. She had been in the Hengtian Secret Realm for half a month. Apart from the initial medicinal field, she had encountered mostly spirit beasts and dangerous places.
She had been in constant combat during this period, and practical experience was the best teacher.
Chu Lingwei could now fight a fifth-tier spirit beast without external assistance.
"The saber-toothed tiger's hide and bones are tough. Collect them."
"Okay, I'll do it," Feng Ming jumped to the ground and used the sharp horn on its head to peel the skin and flesh from the saber-toothed tiger.
"Let's take the meat too. We'll have a feast tonight," Chu Lingwei never neglected herself. The meat of spirit beasts, combined with modern ingredients, was incredibly delicious.
Hearing Chu Lingwei's words, Feng Ming worked even harder. There was no helping it; Weiwei's cooking was too good.
"Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment."
Chu Lingwei finished cleaning the battlefield and was about to leave when she was stopped by a male voice.
Soon, several flying swords stopped in front of Chu Lingwei.
Seeing the arrivals, Chu Lingwei's lips curled into a cold smile. People from the Xuanxin Sect.
"What is it?"
Chu Lingwei asked impatiently. The leader of the Xuanxin Sect disciples, Chu Heng, was a personal disciple taken in by Chu Chang a few years ago, and also his nephew. He had often helped Chu Xiyin cause trouble for her.
However, Chu Xiyin was not with them.
"Fellow Daoist, we've been chasing this fifth-tier saber-toothed tiger for three days," Chu Heng said, looking at Chu Lingwei. She had an ordinary appearance and was in the late stage of the Spirit Manifestation realm. She wasn't wearing sect attire, making it difficult for him to determine which sect she belonged to.
As far as he knew, those who entered from the Rogue Cultivator Alliance were all in the Spirit Wheel realm.
Those who could enter the Hengtian Secret Realm at the Spirit Manifestation realm were basically disciples of major sects or powerful families. Therefore, Chu Heng spoke to Chu Lingwei with great politeness.
"Heh..." Chu Lingwei chuckled, a hint of mockery in her eyes as she looked at Chu Heng. "Are you trying to say that the saber-toothed tiger was something you spotted first, so I should have left it for you?"
Chu Heng's words caught in his throat, and his expression stiffened.
"Fellow Daoist, that's not what we meant," Chu Heng offered a friendly smile. "Could you exchange the saber-toothed tiger's bones for us? We will certainly not let you suffer a loss."
The Hengtian Secret Realm was only open for a month, and only half a month had passed. It wasn't a good time to act aggressively.
"I refuse," Chu Lingwei said, crossing her arms and staring at Chu Heng as if to say, "I'd like to see what you can do about it."