Divine Transcendence

Surviving the calamity, a disciple of the Shengye Sect collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air and trembling with fear, when suddenly a clear voice rang out.

"The danger has passed. Since you’ve crushed the jade slip, return to the flying boat quickly and do not linger in the forest."

"Ah, yes, disciple understands. Thank you, senior, for saving my life." The Shengye Sect disciple regained his senses and hastily bowed in the direction of the voice, though no one was there.

Although he received no reply, he dared not stay any longer and hurriedly left the area. Behind him, a purple-black vine slowly writhed, soon draining a giant python into a mummified corpse.

Midair, Yuan Ming piloted a jade shuttle, sending a soul crow to follow the disciple, shaking his head with a mix of emotions.

In the past three days, he had rescued seven Shengye Sect disciples, many of whom, like the one just now, had been lured by rare spiritual herbs and neglected the dangers around them.

These disciples had been formally accepted into the sect after passing tests and spirit root assessments. Since embarking on the path of cultivation, they had been under the care of masters and elders, only hearing of the dangers of the cultivation world, never experiencing them firsthand.

As their sect excelled in alchemy, resources were plentiful. The disciples lacked for nothing, whether it was cultivation techniques, magical tools, or medicinal pills, except for actual combat experience. Their fighting skills and awareness of danger were sorely lacking, which explained why rumors said the Shengye Sect was not adept at conflict.

For these disciples, trials were like picnics: gathering herbs by day, calling for elders when danger struck, camping and socializing at night, all laughter and affection.

Watching these Qi Refining stage disciples, Yuan Ming felt a mix of admiration and envy. His own entry into the path of cultivation had begun as a beast slave, fighting for his life daily in the treacherous mountains of the Southern Frontier, never knowing if he’d see the next day, let alone enjoy such leisure.

Lost in thought, Yuan Ming quickly retrieved a jade slip used for positioning.

The slip emitted a blinding red light. He cast a spell to activate it, pinpointed the distress signal’s location, and once again set off on his jade shuttle.

In a valley.

Amidst the howling of wolves, dozens of blue-black demonic wolves surrounded a group of Shengye Sect disciples, ceaselessly seeking an opportunity to attack.

Most of the disciples participating in the trial had gathered here. Their strengths were not weak, with cultivation levels generally above the fifth level of Qi Refining. They cooperated against the wolves’ siege and managed to hold their own.

The demonic wolves, although only mid-tier level one, coordinated with uncanny understanding. Whenever one was severely injured and repelled by the Shengye Sect disciples, another would immediately take its place.

As the disciples’ magical power gradually depleted, the number of wolves showed no sign of decreasing. But this was not their most pressing concern.

Not far away, a two-meter-tall, second-level demonic wolf with a gleam in its eyes swung its tail, and two green wind blades suddenly flew out towards He Wendao.

He Wendao reacted quickly, forming a hand seal that caused the ground to shake and a wall of earth to rise, blocking the attack.

The hastily-formed earth wall was fragile, blocking the wind blades momentarily before crumbling into pieces.

As dust flew, a shadowy wolf figure darted out from the debris, lunging at He Wendao.

Pale-faced, He Wendao, surrounded by the corpses of several level one demonic wolves, seemed to have expended much of his magical power. Despite the dire situation, he did not dare to relax. With a flip of his hand, he slammed a talisman onto the ground.

Sharp earthen spikes burst forth, forcing the charging wolf to dodge. Still, it was grazed by the spikes, blood flowing freely.

The injury only enraged the wolf further. It halted its charge, dug its front paws into the ground, arched its back, lowered its head, then suddenly raised it, opening its maw wide as a piercing howl echoed through the valley.

The sound waves shattered the earthen spikes, and He Wendao staggered, his vision darkening.

Seeing its chance, the wolf leaped high, aiming straight for He Wendao.

At that moment, a vine humanoid descended from the sky. Dozens of intertwining purple-black vines formed a net, catching the wolf mid-leap.

Yuan Ming arrived just in time on his flying shuttle. As the vines intercepted the wolf, he too leaped down.

"Are you alright?" Yuan Ming asked with concern.

"Thank you, Brother Ha Gong, for your help," He Wendao said, steadying himself and bowing to Yuan Ming.

"It’s nothing. Elder Lu and the others have arrived; this place should be safe now," Yuan Ming reassured him. As he spoke with He Wendao, two streaks of light approached from the sky.

Yuan Ming looked up to see Bai Ye and Lu Shen arriving. He instructed the vines to exert effort but did not summon any magical tools or fight with full force.

The wolf was no match for the vines, and with two Foundation Establishment cultivators joining the fray, it was quickly defeated, its head severed by the vines.

"How did you end up in such a state, Brother He?" Lu Shen asked, frowning as he stepped off his flying tool.

"I arrived to find your sect’s disciples under attack by the wolf pack. I had just taken out a few when a second-level demonic wolf ambushed us. I was careless and got injured," He Wendao admitted with a wry smile.

By then, Bai Ye had helped the other Shengye Sect disciples deal with the remaining level one demonic wolves and brought them over.

"How did you all end up here?" Lu Shen asked. "Reporting to Elder Lu, yesterday I stumbled upon an injured demonic wolf. While pursuing it, I accidentally entered this area and found several stalks of Fengxuan flowers deep in the valley. Since many wolves were guarding outside, I retreated and later gathered my fellow disciples to deal with the wolves. But for some reason, there were twice as many wolves today," Xu Tian explained with a bitter face.

"Fengxuan flowers? These are high-grade spiritual herbs that rarely appear even in hundreds of years, and there’s more than one? Are you sure you’re not mistaken?" Lu Shen asked, surprised.

"I swear I am not," Xu Tian assured.

After pondering for a moment, Lu Shen asked Xu Tian to lead the way to the Fengxuan flowers, with the other disciples following behind.

The group ventured deeper into the valley, and soon, in a depression at the heart of the valley, they saw seven or eight flowers emitting a faint silver glow.

Lu Shen’s face lit up with joy as he quickly approached the spiritual medicine. He Wendao and Bai Ye followed closely, the former’s eyes widening in amazement at the sight.

Xu Tian and the other disciples stayed outside the depression, not daring to approach without Lu Shen’s command.

"Brother Ha Gong, won’t you come take a look? These are the rare Fengxuan flowers," He Wendao called out to Yuan Ming, who stood not far away.

"Ha Gong, come see the Fengxuan flowers. We’re lucky this time; they’re a main ingredient for Foundation Establishment pills. I didn’t expect to find them here," Bai Ye added.

Curious, Yuan Ming approached. When he was still two to ten meters away from the Fengxuan flowers, he sensed something off with the spiritual energy emanating from beneath the plants, not from the plants themselves. The energy pulsed with a clear and steady rhythm. Could it be that the roots of these flowers were unusual, with particularly strong spiritual energy?

"Who first discovered the Fengxuan flowers? We must reward them handsomely upon our return to the sect. The main ingredients for Foundation Establishment pills are becoming increasingly scarce," Lu Shen said as he reached for one of the herbs.

Suddenly, Yuan Ming heard a faint rustling beside him. He caught a glimpse of He Wendao’s figure, which had turned into a blur, retreating rapidly.

"It’s a trap!" Yuan Ming shouted a warning.

As he called out, he quickly retreated, summoning the vines for support.

But it was already too late.

As Elder Lu Shen looked at the Fengxuan flower in bewilderment, it turned to ash and vanished, along with the other herbs on the ground.

Simultaneously, the earth trembled slightly, and streaks of blue lightning emerged from beneath, forming a thunderous array spanning over thirty metres, trapping the three of them.

Despite Yuan Ming’s swift reaction, he couldn’t escape the array’s range. As he tried to cross, he was intercepted by a rising net of electricity and struck by a whip of flashing blue lightning.

With a crack, Yuan Ming could only activate his snake scale armor in haste.

After a burst of electric sparks, Yuan Ming was thrown back, his clothing scorched and torn, revealing the snake scale armor beneath.

The Shengye Sect disciples outside the depression, terrified, fled towards the valley exit, tumbling and scrambling. Only a few, like Xu Tian and Luo Xing’er, remained, some in panic, others unable to rise.

Xu Tian looked nervously at the array in the depression, gripping Luo Xing’er’s hand, equally at a loss.

"What’s going on?" Bai Ye scanned the surroundings, noticing He Wendao’s absence, and exclaimed in surprise.

"We’ve been set up. The Fengxuan flowers were an illusion, bait created by sorcery. The beast earlier was deliberately used to draw us together. He Wendao is compromised; we’ve walked into an ambush," Yuan Ming quickly explained as he got up.

"A mere array thinks to trap me?" Elder Lu Shen declared, forming a seal with one hand and slamming the other onto the ground. A ring of earthy light expanded from his palm, rippling outward.

As the light spread, the ground shook violently, as if a massive force was emanating from beneath, intent on destroying the array’s foundation buried deep below. As the earthy light reached the array’s boundary, the ground shook once more.

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