The green-clothed youth had no intention of tangling with him further. Feeling utterly impatient, he drove the "Five Spirit White Carp Shuttle" downward for an attack. This treasure merely pecked at the golden light, piercing it like a thin cloth. Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn novᴇl(ꜰ)ire.ɴet
Once inside, the shuttle persisted, swinging its head and tail with a flick before transforming into a swift streak of light that shot straight through Pan Qing’s chest.
Pan Qing’s eyes widened in disbelief, his face full of astonishment. Clutching his chest, he staggered back two steps. Looking down at the jade pearl in his hand, which had already crumbled to dust, he let out a final cry before collapsing backward.
The green-clothed youth raised his hand, summoning the spirit shuttle. The shuttle reluctantly circled in the air before obediently returning to his grasp.
He cast a cold glance at Pan Qing’s corpse, snorted, and said, "Like a mantis trying to stop a cart—overestimating your abilities." With a flick of his sleeve, he transformed into a streak of green light and rushed toward the earthen pit.
At the same moment, in another subterranean cave, Zhang Yan was using the Xuanhuang Great Hand to topple mountains and carve paths, digging through the earth. His journey downward was remarkably smooth, encountering no obstacles along the way.
After roughly half an hour, he came upon a smooth stone wall ahead, and an overwhelming wave of wood spirit energy surged toward him, infiltrating his lungs and abdomen.
Knowing he had found the right place, Zhang Yan felt a surge of elation. Letting out a loud shout, he threw himself forward. With a thunderous crash, he broke through the wall, creating a gaping hole and sprinted into an underground cave mansion.
As he lifted his eyes, he saw that the cave mansion was a hundred zhang in both length and width. It appeared as though carved out from a single block of rock. Inside, a thin mist of water vapor hovered, resembling icy fog and jade pearls. It glistened under a gentle drizzle, revealing a medicinal herb in the shape of a human arm standing in the center of the cave. Its crown resembled an umbrella canopy, and its body curved as gracefully as that of a beauty. At a glance, it looked like a delicate maiden coyly holding a Luo Umbrella, her form teasingly veiled within the mist.
After a few glances, Zhang Yan admired it aloud, "What a fine Beauty Ganoderma!"
The One Qi Ganoderma, also known as the Beauty Ganoderma, was not depicted as such in the catalog he had studied. Initially, this disparity puzzled him. Now, upon witnessing it firsthand, he realized that only the physical form of the Ganoderma Ancestor could truly merit such a name!
As his eyes swept across the scene, he discovered not only the Ganoderma Ancestor but also over a dozen high-grade medicinal ginsengs, clinging to the thick roots scattered throughout the cave. Their presence emitted a chilling aura akin to clear water.
Looking further, he noticed that the cave ceiling was filled with numerous openings, from which dozens of thick tree roots dangled. These medicinal ginsengs were thriving by absorbing essence qi through these roots.
With the concealment provided by this secluded stone mansion, and being a thousand zhang beneath the earth’s surface, these medicinal ginsengs had grown with peace of mind, free from the risk of being harvested. Now, they had become so bloated and sluggish that their bodies curled tightly, resembling small toes, with no strength left to flee.
At that moment, Zhang Yan’s expression shifted as he noticed a man-high opening in the stone mansion’s spiritual wall. Within lay a dark, winding tunnel whose destination was unknown. Judging by the sounds reaching his ears, it seemed to have been excavated by an exotic beast. The muffled roars and echoes from within suggested that a fierce battle was underway.
Smiling faintly, Zhang Yan swept his wide sleeve and unceremoniously stowed all the high-grade medicinal ginsengs into his sack. He then stepped forward to embrace the Ganoderma Ancestor, lifted it up, and, with a leap, flew swiftly along the path he had taken to descend.
The Ganoderma Ancestor was now merely a corporeal shell, unable to survive for more than an hour after being uprooted. Zhang Yan dared not delay and focused only on escaping quickly.
He had just departed when, with a flash of green energy, the green-clothed youth—his body stained with blood—burst through the opposite opening.
The youth’s eyes gleamed coldly as he scanned the cave mansion. Finding it completely empty, with a gaping hole nearby indicating someone had been here first, his fury ignited. Letting out an enraged roar, he shot forward in pursuit.
Although Zhang Yan’s descent had been slow, his ascent was extraordinarily swift. Before long, he surfaced and saw sunlight again. Hearing sounds of pursuit from behind, a smirk appeared on his face. He turned his body mid-air and, with a sudden twist, sent a mighty punch backward.
The green-clothed youth, unaware that Zhang Yan was the one before him, assumed no one here could contend with him. Upon seeing a surge of explosive force rushing toward him like a mountain, the ever-enlarging fist caused his face to pale in horror. In a panic, he let out a loud cry and exhaled a thread of green energy from his nose and mouth to shield himself.
With a deafening boom that reverberated like the cracking of mountains and splitting of the earth, the green-clothed youth was brutally sent flying back into the ground. Blood spurted from his mouth as he tumbled down. He felt as if countless bones in his body were shattered. Fortunately, he had been using a borrowed mortal body; although the pain was excruciating, it did not directly claim his life.
Seething with uncontainable rage, he screamed, "Li Yuanba! How dare you steal what is mine! I vow an undying grudge against you!"
Withdrawing his fist, Zhang Yan felt a needle-like sensation prickling his body, attempting to infiltrate his meridians and acupoints. He arched an eyebrow, activated his Mysterious Skill, and successfully suppressed the abnormal qi.
Hearing the green-clothed youth’s voice in the distance, Zhang Yan’s eyes narrowed. He considered finishing him off to eliminate future trouble but, after a quick mental calculation, decided against it.
This green-clothed youth possessed numerous methods and unknown depths. If a true confrontation erupted, it would hardly be resolved quickly.
With the Ganoderma Ancestor in hand, Zhang Yan could not afford to tarry. He shouted loudly, "I have no time to entertain you today. Take care of yourself, fellow Daoist, and we shall meet again!"
Laughing heartily, he flicked his sleeve and departed. A breeze swept through, and he ascended into the clouds.
For now, it was inconvenient to seek out Master Shi, so Zhang Yan chose a direction and soared away.
After traveling over a thousand miles, he suddenly felt a jump in one of his acupoints. He froze for a moment, then beamed with joy. Without hesitation, he adjusted his posture and flew straight for a hundred miles southwest. Finding a stream, he descended into the riverbed, sank to the bottom, sat cross-legged, and focused his heart and spirit, activating his Mysterious Technique spell.
...(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with recommendation tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)