Chapter 42 – Into the Forbidden Zone
The Road to Riches
The journey to their first destination wound through valleys thick with spirit mist and across plateaus that hummed faintly with spiritual veins. Along the way, the disciples began to notice things: small clusters of herbs shimmering with faint luminescence, rare grasses that glowed faint green under moonlight, and trees whose bark pulsed faintly like beating hearts.
"These aren't ordinary herbs," Junior Sister Mu whispered, crouching over a patch of silver-leafed stalks. "These are Moonlight Grass. Earth-grade at least. When refined properly, they become the base of restorative pills."
Lin Xuan nodded, gathering a few with care. "Keep them. Even if we don't need them now, they'll serve in Heaven-grade pill recipes later."
The deeper they went, the more they found—rare stalks, blossoms with fiery cores, and crystalline mushrooms that fed on qi-rich soil. Each discovery was small, but together they painted a picture: they were walking into land rarely touched by human hands.
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The Sect's Tool
At the edge of a forest whose trees twisted skyward like spears, Wen unfurled a jade compass, carved with intricate sigils.
"The Sect Master's gift," he said, holding it flat in his palm. Its needle spun wildly before locking in place, pointing into the shadow of the forest. "This will resonate once we're close enough to the ingredient we seek."
"What ingredient exactly?" Bai asked.
"The Heart Orchid," Wen replied. "Said to grow only in places where life and death overlap. Its petals can restore shattered meridians—but its roots are prized even more. That's what the Sect Master needs."
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The Forbidden Zone
Crossing into the forest was like stepping into another world. The canopy swallowed the light, leaving only shards of sun. The air thickened, cloying, and the cries of ordinary birds were absent. Instead, faint whispers curled through the trees, too low to be words, too steady to be wind.
The disciples moved cautiously, every sense on edge.
Mu clutched her cauldron talisman close. Bai kept his saber loose in its sheath. Lin's spear point trailed across the ground, ready to snap upward in an instant.
The compass pulsed faintly in Wen's hand, the glow intensifying as they pressed deeper. "We're close," he murmured.
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Dangers in the Dark
They weren't alone.
The first danger came in the form of corpse vines—roots that slithered through the soil like snakes, snapping at ankles. A single lash cracked stone where Bai's foot had just been. Lin's spear pinned the root to the earth, lightning running down its length until it smoked and recoiled.
Later, a spirit beast prowled from the undergrowth, its body a wolf's but its head split into two snarling maws. Its eyes glowed like coals as it leapt. Mu's flames met it midair, searing one jaw shut, while Bai's saber finished the other.
By the time they cut it down, the disciples were slick with sweat, nerves raw.
But the compass pulsed brighter. The Heart Orchid was near.
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The Struggle
They reached a clearing where the ground dropped into a shallow ravine. At its center, glowing faintly like a captured flame, was the orchid. Its petals curled inward, shimmering red and gold.
But guarding it was no ordinary beast. A Bone-Scaled Serpent, three meters thick, coiled around the ravine. Its scales gleamed white as ivory, each etched with faint runes. Its eyes opened as they approached, golden and pitiless.
The serpent hissed, and the air filled with a crushing pressure.
"That's… late Core Formation level," Wen whispered, paling.
The disciples tightened their grips on weapons. They had come this far, and the Sect Master's life hung on the orchid. Retreat was no option.
"Together," Lin Xuan said, his spear lifting. Lightning danced along the shaft. "We take it down."
The serpent lunged.
The battle for the first ingredient began.