Seven people stood on the slope of the mountain, surveying their surroundings. At some point, seven light gates of different colors appeared on the slope—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
The nearest to them was the red light gate. It was almost transparent, and through it, they could see the slope beyond, burning silently and ragingly like a transparent flame.
“Let’s go.” Pei Mufeng, decisive as ever, led the way toward the red light gate. His natal sword floated next to him, its tip pointing forward. Among the seven, he had the highest cultivation and the strongest combat power.
Yan Xuan had been his equal in the past, but his inner core was severely damaged, and while the Ten Absolute Mountains temporarily negated his condition, he was not at his peak, making him slightly weaker than Pei Mufeng. Next in strength were Qin Xiumo, Chu Tianfeng, and Sikong Xing, who were all on a similar level. Li Che’s cultivation was comparable, but as a medical cultivator, his combat ability was somewhat lacking. Meng Qi had the lowest cultivation among them, but she was not only skilled in healing but also very proficient in arrays. In terms of combat power, she might even surpass Li Che.
With Pei Mufeng leading, Yan Xuan took the rear, walking side by side with Qin Xiumo. In front of them were Meng Qi and Sikong Xing, followed by Chu Tianfeng and Li Che. Given their team’s composition, this was the most optimal formation.
As they approached the red light gate, Pei Mufeng raised his hand, and his natal sword charged forward. He stepped in right after it. Chu Tianfeng glanced back at Meng Qi, nodded, and opened his right hand, revealing a blooming red lotus in his palm.
Li Che’s natal cauldron floated beside its master, while the young medical cultivator held his medical knife horizontally in his right hand.
Without hesitation, the two followed Pei Mufeng into the light gate.
Next was Sikong Xing and Meng Qi’s turn. Sikong Xing waved her hand, and a fluffy red fox instantly perched on her shoulder. The little fox, with its big eyes, rubbed its furry head against its master’s cheek, then looked at the red light gate, perked its small ears, and straightened its tiny body energetically.
Meng Qi raised her hand, summoning the Five Spirits Cauldron. She held her trusted knife horizontally in her left hand and took out a protective artifact with her right hand.
“Let’s go in.” Sikong Xing nodded at Meng Qi and stepped into the light gate first.
Meng Qi followed through the red light gate. Instantly, she felt a brief blur before finding herself inside the gate. Before she could take in the surroundings, the crisp sound of birdsong reached her ears, and a sweet floral fragrance filled her nose, incredibly refreshing and not overwhelming in the slightest. Meng Qi couldn’t help but take a deep breath, feeling the fragrance wash through her body and mind, leaving her extremely relaxed.
At that moment, a pleasant and melodious voice sounded in her ears. The voice was youthful, with a slight upward lilt, like a playful girl chatting with her best friend in the afternoon sun. However, the words she spoke were far from pleasant—
“This is the first level of the Seven Emotions Array. You need two people to pass the trial together to move on to the next level.”
The voice paused briefly, then continued, “Successfully passing the first trial will allow you to enter the second level. If you fail, the seven of you who entered the Seven Emotions Array will be trapped here forever. Do your best, haha!”
Then Meng Qi heard Li Che’s excited shout, “Heaven! This… this… this is Hundred Spirit Grass!”
“Waterless Flower!”
“Starcliff Grass!”
“Is this… Stardust Stone?!”
“Meng Qiqi!” Li Che turned and waved frantically at Meng Qi, “Meng Qiqi, come quickly, is this really Stardust Stone?!”
Li Che stood at the bank of a small creek with crystal clear water flowing gently. The spiritual plants that made him so excited to the point of losing composure grew along the creek. Hundred Spirit Grass, Waterless Flower, Starcliff Grass… These were rare and precious medicinal ingredients considered treasures by medical cultivators. Besides the ones Li Che named, numerous other rare spiritual plants lined the creek’s banks.
Meng Qi looked around, seeing no end to the amazing sight. Some of the plants were so rare she couldn’t even name them. No wonder the air was filled with such a delightful fragrance—the mere presence of these rare spiritual plants could cure ordinary ailments just by their scent.
Sunlight filtered down from the sky, illuminating the creek. The shallow, transparent water allowed Meng Qi and Li Che to see the stones at the bottom clearly. These stones, shaped like ordinary pebbles, had been smoothed by the flowing water over the years.
Upon closer inspection, however, one could see the stones glowed softly under the sunlight. The glow wasn’t bright but rather like tiny golden flecks scattered in the water, resembling small, twinkling stars.
“Meng Qiqi!” Li Che’s voice was full of excitement as he grabbed Meng Qi’s sleeve and urged her to squat down with him. “This… this…” His attention had completely shifted from the stones at the bottom of the creek to several inconspicuous plants growing by the banks.
Each of these plants had two green leaves, looking freshly washed. The leaves were small, about the size of a fingernail, and appeared quite ordinary. However, each leaf had fine dark red threads outlining its edges. These threads were so delicate that they were hard to notice without close inspection.
Li Che’s expression became extremely serious. He slowly reached out but hesitated just before touching the tiny leaf. “Me-Meng Qiqi,” he wiped his hand on his robe and turned to Meng Qi, smiling a bit sheepishly, “would you like to give it a try? I’m afraid my clumsy hands might damage it.”
Looking directly into Meng Qi’s eyes, he quietly continued, “Meng Qiqi, do you think this is a Netherworld Thorn?” Without waiting for her to answer, he quickly continued, “It is, isn’t it? It’s the Netherworld Thorn, right?”
As if recalling something, or perhaps convincing himself, Li Che murmured mechanically, “Netherworld Thorn’s characteristics are the edges of the leaves, which bear red markings, and the fine dark red thorns as thin as cow hair on the underside. Growing by the water, the plant produces one leaf every three hundred years, and another leaf in another three hundred years. Three days after the second leaf grew, both leaves whither, losing their medicinal properties. Harvested in time, they can be used to heal many kinds of injuries, including restoring a damaged inner core.”
After reciting this passage, he stared blankly at the small leaf, then repeated the last few words, “Healing many kinds of injuries, including restoring a damaged inner core… restoring… an inner core…” He turned to Meng Qi, eyes wide, “Netherworld Thorn! Meng Qiqi, is this really the Netherworld Thorn?”
“I’ve only seen it in the sect’s records. My master said that the Netherworld Thorn went extinct ten thousand years ago. After the Nether River dried up, no Netherworld Thorn has ever been seen again. All we know about this plant comes from ancient medical cultivators, but…” His gaze shifted to the flowing creek, bewildered. “Does it mean we are at the Nether River?”
“No, it doesn’t seem right,” Li Che immediately rejected his own conjecture, scratching his head in confusion.
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Translator’s note:
Hello everyone, I’m happy to announce that AerialRain now has gotten additional helps, which allow us to take two more projects! Let us introduce you to His Secret Guard and Marrying the Short-Lived Villain, both having historical settings. We are still adjusting our schedules here, so the two new titles will have irregular schedule for the time being. Hope you all enjoy them!
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