Chapter 7: The Mythical Herb Garden, Igniting a Cultivation Frenzy!

A gentle breeze stirred, causing Qin Ming’s hair to dance.
His clothes were stained with blood, yet there was no sign of weariness on his body. His eyes shone with an unusual clarity.
He had slain a prince from Zhongzhou—a sin of unimaginable magnitude, one that could very well implicate his entire sect.
Ordinary people would surely be frightened.
Even Qin Ming, as he once was, would have been afraid.
But now, things were different.
He still possessed the Nine Dragons Sky-Burying Cauldron and the Immortal Emperor Scripture.
The fate of heaven and earth was yet undecided!
“To everyone present, you are all old friends of our Tongtian Immortal Sect. The spiritual energy in your respective sects is insufficient. Why not bring your Daoist sons and saintly daughters to our Tongtian Immortal Sect to live in peace for a while?”
As Qin Ming’s words fell, the elders of the Tongtian Immortal Sect immediately understood.
In a flash, they blocked all possible escape routes from the sect.
The sect leaders of the major sects in Qingzhou smiled bitterly.
As cultivators barely a few centuries old, they were in the prime of their lives.
“Retire and live out our days? Bringing our saintly sons and daughters with us?”
This was nothing short of a disguised form of house arrest!
Yet, they dared not protest.
House arrest was better than being slain.
After speaking, Jiang Han pressed a finger to his forehead, drawing a drop of essence blood.
“Please, Sect Leader, take this to the bitterly cold wilderness at the border of Qingzhou.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Yuan’s eyes brightened.
After the Zhongzhou prince Ye Chen was killed, the Shenxuan Imperial Court would never let the matter rest.
They would frantically investigate who was responsible for Ye Chen’s death.
With the Shenxuan Imperial Court’s means, tracing Qin Ming’s aura would be a trivial matter.
This drop of essence blood contained Qin Ming’s aura, which could be used to mislead the cultivators of the Shenxuan Court, luring them to the desolate wasteland.
This would buy some much-needed breathing room.
Qin Ming had truly changed.
He was no longer the timid fool who once blindly followed Liu Ruyan.
Thinking of this, Lin Yuan smiled in relief.
He immediately took the drop of essence blood and swiftly departed the sect.
Seeing this, other elders cupped their fists to the crowd with apologetic expressions and gestured for them to follow, leading the way.
The sect leaders and elders of Qingzhou’s major sects sighed.
They could only comply obediently and slowly left the grand hall one by one.
“Junior sister, the access tokens to the sect’s Spiritual Herb Garden, the treasury, and the library are in your hands, right?”
Qin Ming looked at Lin Rou, his gaze reddening.
Previously, too busy playing the part of a sycophant, he hadn’t noticed how his junior sister had gracefully matured, becoming exquisitely shaped.
Whether graceful or not, she was truly grown now.
Lin Rou’s slender waist tensed tightly, her heart pounding as if it might leap from her ample bosom…
“Yes, they’re with me.”
Her voice was as melodious as a warbler’s song.
“Tell the sect leader that I’m taking everything inside.”
“However, I will repay it doubly.”
Qin Ming added, taking the tokens from Lin Rou’s hand before turning to leave.
Watching Qin Ming’s departing figure, Lin Rou’s beautiful eyes were filled with complex emotions, hesitating to speak.
His mature approach just now had made her think he already had a plan!
But in truth, he intended to buy time by emptying the sect’s treasures, preparing to run off alone.
To offend the Shenxuan Imperial Court, the Tongtian Immortal Sect, no matter its size, could not possibly withstand the consequences.
When disaster strikes, everyone fends for themselves; this was perfectly understandable.
In the end, she called out to Qin Ming with a gentle smile.
“Senior brother, when will you leave?”
“I secretly stashed some spirit stones from my father; do you want to take some?”
“No need.”
Her voice gradually softened as Jiang Han walked away quickly, barely hearing what Lin Rou said.
He hurried on, unwilling to waste even a quarter of an hour.
He needed to seize every moment to cultivate and strengthen himself.
This calamity was of his own making, and he must bear it himself.
Neither he nor the Tongtian Immortal Sect could afford to fall!

…

Zhongzhou, Shenxuan Imperial Court.
At this moment, a young man clad in battle armor abruptly awoke from a famous mountain, a terrifying light bursting from his eyes.
With a thunderous roar, he tore through half a mountain.
An overwhelming, relentless power surged through him, spawning a continuous catastrophe.
This man was Ye Wuyun, the Shenxuan Imperial Court’s top general, possessing the power of the Tongyou Realm!
“The prince Ye Chen is dead—he was the emperor’s most beloved son…”
A vortex appeared, carrying back a headless corpse.
Witnessing this scene, Ye Wuyun’s heart pounded wildly.
Serving the emperor was like serving a tiger; he deeply understood how terrifying the emperor, who had reached the Ascension Realm, truly was.
“The emperor is busy performing a ritual to Heaven. It is said that a noble from the Immortal Mansion is coming; we must not disturb him now.”
The so-called Immortal Mansion existed between the Xuanshao Continent and the Upper Realm.
The Upper Realm referred to the Immortal World.
In fact, beyond the Immortal World, there were many wandering pure lands, orbiting it and absorbing the fragmented immortal energy it emitted.
Nominally, they were still martial cultivators.
But having received some of the Upper Realm’s immortal energy, they were home to numerous sects and countless powerful figures, possessing a terrifying foundation.
It was said that there were beings of the Great Emperor level.
The arrival of a noble from the Immortal Mansion was a matter of utmost importance.
Countless forces across the three thousand states envied this!
Ye Wuyun snorted coldly, immediately crushing a jade pendant.
A mere Qingzhou faction was hardly worth the Shenxuan Imperial Court’s full mobilization.
It was time to send out the forces of the Corpse Yin Sect.
The authority of the imperial court did not lie in the number of strong cultivators.
Rather, a single order could extend their reach, and none in the realm dared disobey or disrespect imperial commands!

…

The Spiritual Herb Garden of the Tongtian Immortal Sect lay to the east of the sect.
As Qin Ming approached, a strong fragrance of medicinal herbs wafted to his nose.
The scent made one feel as if their body might ascend with the rosy clouds!
An elder was stationed there.
Upon seeing Qin Ming produce the access token, his expression turned strange. He asked, “Which herbs do you need? I can help you gather them.”
“No need to trouble you, elder. I intend to take everything.”
The elder was surprised. He had heard rumors about Qin Ming’s slaying of the Zhongzhou prince.
Yet, barely had the prince been slain when Qin Ming came to empty the herb garden.
Was he planning to leave the sect behind with a mess and run off with the herbs?
Still, the elder did not stop him.
Qin Ming was greatly favored by the sect, especially among the Daoists; he was no exception.
If worse came to worst, the elder and other ancient immortals would take the blame for dispersing all the disciples.
No young disciple could bear such a burden alone.
Even he felt a chill facing such a colossal threat!
“Thank you, elder.”
Qin Ming cupped his fists and immediately ventured deeper into the mountain.
Many giant spirit-gathering arrays were set here, absorbing energy from all directions to provide an excellent growth environment for the herbs.
However, compared to the hundredfold time acceleration inside the Nine Dragons Sky-Burying Cauldron, it still seemed crude.
Without a word, Qin Ming absorbed the entire herb garden into the cauldron.
Then, in a flash, he entered the cauldron’s inner space.
This place was not much different from the outside world—it had a tangible presence.
Qin Ming selected a patch of gray, mist-laden earth, rich in spiritual energy and moisture—ideal for plant growth.
He rolled up his sleeves and began digging energetically.
After several days, the outline of a spiritual field appeared.
He named it the Mythical Spiritual Field!
His ambition was grand: to cultivate celestial herbs from all heavens and recreate the glory of the mythic era.
“With the hundredfold time acceleration, these herbs will grow wildly. When the time comes, I’ll bring them out to present to the elders. It should enable a great leap in our sect’s overall strength.”
With this thought, his work became even more vigorous.
After several days of labor, he finally planted the sect’s heavenly materials and earthly treasures.

…

There were many varieties, each unique.
For example, the Thunder-Repelling Bamboo.
This bamboo was peculiar: for the first thousand years, it grew quite ordinary, almost indistinguishable from normal bamboo.
But after a thousand years, purple lightning would sprout from its body, capable of suppressing all evil!
This bamboo had grown in the Tongtian Immortal Sect for nine hundred and ninety years—just ten years shy of its maturity!
But with the cauldron’s hundredfold acceleration, those ten years would take just over a month.
Besides the Thunder-Repelling Bamboo, there were Dragon’s Blood Grass, Boundary-Breaking Leaves, and more.
These were highly beneficial to cultivation.
Qin Ming diligently watered and tended the herbs.
Like the ruthless Heavenly Dao Shennong, he accelerated their evolution with a single hand.
Watching the herbs grow and evolve wildly, his mind wandered.
If these herbs could cross-pollinate and reproduce…
Wouldn’t that be like the chicken and the egg—endless generations without ceasing?
Yet, Qin Ming was clear-headed.
These spiritual herbs were nurtured by heaven and earth; ordinary pollination wouldn’t succeed.
If artificial pollination failed, what about letting them naturally engage in yin-yang fusion?
At this thought, Qin Ming blushed deeply.
Shaking off the distracting thoughts, he immediately summoned the Cauldron Master.
“Cauldron Master, can you refine everything?”
“Yes!”
Receiving an affirmative reply, Qin Ming’s heart raced.
He then poured ten thousand jin of immortal source he had collected from Ye Chen into the cauldron.
Boom!
After a flash of chaotic light, a drop of golden liquid floated out.
Ten thousand jin of immortal source condensed into a single drop?
“Cauldron Master, you’re not skimming off the top, are you? I’m poor—don’t take too much.”
Qin Ming smiled wryly.
“I wouldn’t bother with your paltry offerings. Don’t underestimate this drop—you’ll know once you swallow it.”
The Cauldron Master encouraged him with a somewhat conspiratorial tone.
Qin Ming grabbed the drop and swallowed it.
Better to be full than starving.
“Boom!”
A sea-like surge of power erupted within Qin Ming’s body.
So dense that it surged from his mouth, nose, and every pore, as if exhaling radiant clouds.
Under such a barrage, his body would surely be destroyed.
However, the Immortal Emperor’s body was formidable.
It exuded strands of chaotic energy that wrapped around his body like bandages, tightening it.
The Cauldron Master watched nearby, surprised by the transformation in Qin Ming’s physique.
Qin Ming himself remained calm.
His entire body and mind immersed in cultivation.
He exerted all his strength to operate the Immortal Emperor Scripture, devouring the energy.
Soon, his recently attained realm broke through again.
Fourth Layer of the Bone Ritual Realm.
Sixth Layer of the Bone Ritual Realm.
Eighth Layer of the Bone Ritual Realm.
…
He continued breaking through until reaching the Ninth Layer of the Bone Ritual Realm before stopping.
His cultivation soared like riding a great Roc, soaring higher and higher without limit.
This truly exemplified the saying: “All things under heaven can be refined.”
This was the very definition of a cultivation frenzy.
Much of the golden liquid remained; Qin Ming had other uses for it.
The core of the Immortal Emperor Scripture was not cultivation level—it was the longevity blood!