Chen Xian frowned, not quite agreeing.
"I’m leaving half because the Snow Lotus was discovered by your people; otherwise, I would want more."
Shen Wang said blandly, "I’ve already figured out the function of this Stone Talisman. I could completely go alone to pick all the Snow Lotuses without you."
This was a blatant threat, and the faces of Li Yuanning and the others changed slightly, not looking too pleased.
"Half it is, then. I hope Younger Brother Shen will see things through to the end with us. Here, we are all weak and need to cooperate."
Chen Xian said solemnly.
"As long as you are reasonable, there won’t be any trouble."
Shen Wang nodded. He had only managed to get here relying on these people; otherwise, he wouldn’t have known the value of the Stone Talisman.
"Then let’s pick the Snow Lotuses quickly, one half for each side."
Chen Xian nodded, turning toward the cliff.
"Try not to use True Qi; it will disturb the balance of Yin and Yang."
Shen Wang reminded him. Fighting was basically forbidden here, which meant no use of Spiritual Power or True Qi, even with the protection of the Stone Talisman; they shouldn’t use too much.
Chen Xian nodded. His physical body was tough enough to climb without True Qi.
Shen Wang followed behind, the two of them climbing on the left and right.
Chen Xian’s fingers were like hooks, digging into the snow-covered rocks, using mainly his upper body for support to climb.
Shen Wang was much the same, the two climbing like monkeys, quickly ascending toward the Snow Lotuses.
Below the cliff, Hou Shangcai grumbled, "That guy has a lion’s appetite, demanding half straight away. I think thirty percent would’ve been fair enough."
"If he takes half, every one of us won’t even get a tenth,"
Wang Chuanfu said coldly.
"There’s no point in saying this now. He really did play a big role in picking the Snow Lotuses, and his contribution isn’t limited to just the Lotuses."
Li Yuanning shook his head.
"It’s fine as long as there’s some left; there are other treasures here, too," Li Jian’an wasn’t too greedy.
Li Yuanning looked at Liao Lie, "Keep your eyes sharp; you might spot some treasures later."
"What treasure could survive on a snow mountain?" Hou Shangcai muttered, "I wonder if there’s any Snow Ginseng."
Ning Xia looked at the cliff, "Maybe there’s Snow Ginseng up there."
"Nah, it’s just that patch of Snow Lotuses; maybe someplace else might have them,"
Liao Lie shook his head.
"I don’t know how many Snow Lotuses we can pick. If each of us gets a Thousand-Year-Old Snow Lotus, we all have a chance at Foundation Establishment Extraordinary,"
Hou Shangcai said excitedly.
"What’s the hurry? You’re still far from the Sixth-Layer Qi Cultivation,"
Ning Xia rolled her eyes, "I want to look for an Alchemist to refine a Youthful Appearance Pill. I’ve heard Snow Lotus is one of the main ingredients."
"That’s pointless; you women are so narrow-minded, using such treasure medicine to maintain your looks instead of enhancing your cultivation. It’s a real waste,"
Hou Shangcai laughed.
"You don’t understand," Ning Xia pouted.
"No need to argue. Even if we can’t each get one, refining them into Elixirs will at least get us a share, which might just satisfy everyone."
Li Yuanning waved his hand, watching Shen Wang and Chen Xian’s elder brother climb several hundred feet, nearing the Snow Lotus.
The icy cold air blew against their faces, making them feel like they’d fallen into an ice cave.
"There are a lot of them. The total number must be in the hundreds, accumulated over thousands of years."
Chen Xian smiled as he watched the Snow Lotuses, which appeared dense and thrived pleasingly. Each was glossy and medicinally potent.
Shen Wang stopped, "Did you encounter any attacks from creatures here?"
This question wiped the smile off Chen Xian’s face, "We did run into some. It was a Demon Beast in the snow mountain. We don’t know if it originally lived here or came from outside. There weren’t many, just a Snow Leopard last time, a Little Demon and not too formidable."
Hearing this, Shen Wang became more alert and began seriously observing the Snow Lotuses. He said offhandedly, "Judging from the look of the Stone Talisman, the history here could be over ten thousand years. Do you think that’s possible?"
"Probably not. What we got from an Ancient Cultivator’s Cave Mansion last time wasn’t very ancient, just about a thousand years,"
Chen Xian shook his head.
But Shen Wang felt otherwise. If this Sect had only disappeared for a thousand years, why had he never heard of it?
In the Cultivation World, a thousand years are at most comparable to a hundred years in the mortal world. Even a hundred years in the mortal world has records. They must have researched it, yet didn’t know what the original power here was, indicating it’s far more than just a millennium.
He didn’t ask much more but remained distinctly vigilant.
A Thousand-Year-Old Snow Lotus is already a fine treasure. Such things are likely guarded by something, much like the Snow Leopard Chen Xian’s group had encountered.
"Younger Brother Shen, don’t worry. If there were a danger, it would have appeared already,"
Chen Xian smiled and climbed ahead several more feet, picking a decades-old Snow Lotus from the edge.
He glanced around and said, "The Snow Lotuses have older ages in the center and younger ones around the edges. It’s probably because the strong take the outer Snow Lotuses’ nutrients and Spiritual Qi."
"Let’s pick those over a hundred years old and leave the ordinary ones to grow,"
Shen Wang suggested, feeling there was no point in being wasteful.
"Makes sense. Leave some roots for future generations,"
Chen Xian chuckled, "Younger Brother, how about we each pick a Lotus of similar age?"
"No worries, you pick while I keep watch. You never know when danger might arise,"
Shen Wang remained cautious because being reckless in unfamiliar areas often led to trouble.
Moreover, he didn’t know how to pick Snow Lotuses, while Chen Xian seemed more experienced, so it was best to let him handle it.
"Alright, we’ll divide them after picking,"
Chen Xian consented and moved forward slightly, beginning to speed up.
He wedged his foot into the rock crevices, moving with practiced ease. It was clear he had picked various herbs before.
Shen Wang carefully observed the surroundings and discovered that the Snow Lotuses showed no signs of being bitten by any animals.
Could it be that the Snow Leopard couldn’t climb up here?
That shouldn’t be. Snow Leopards have claws; if they can survive here, it suggests they know how to avoid Array attacks, or perhaps their attributes align with the environment, so they aren’t attacked.
He closely inspected the area, finding no signs of claw marks.
This was perplexing. If there were living creatures, wouldn’t they show interest in the Snow Lotuses?
Watching Chen Xian’s swift movements, having already picked over twenty Snow Lotuses, he asked, "You said the Snow Leopard has lived here for many years. Shouldn’t it know there’s something good here? Why doesn’t it eat them?"
"Maybe it’s because it ate too much?"
Chen Xian, still on the alert, speculated, "After all, consuming too much of the same medicinal herb can lose most of its effects."
Shen Wang shook his head, "It’s likely that the Demon Beast guarding the Snow Lotuses is hidden within this cliff."
"But I’ve already picked so many; if that were the case, it should have come out to attack me by now..."
As he finished speaking, a terrifying cold burst suddenly released from a few Thousand-Year-Old Snow Lotuses up ahead, spraying directly onto his face.
Instinctively, Chen Xian released True Qi to defend himself, but his black True Qi and his body were both instantly frozen by the cold air.
As soon as Shen Wang sensed the chill, he instantly activated the Golden Light Talisman on his body. Even though he wasn’t directly sprayed by the cold, the Golden Light Shield was frozen and emitted cracking sounds.
What terrifying cold!
His expression changed drastically, and he flung out a dark green rope that wrapped around Chen Xian, pulling him back to avoid further cold.