Seizing the Ginseng

As Xiao Yi fully absorbed the mammoth's blood essence, his one hundred and eight heavenly meridians resonated with a deep hum. The vast tide of energy surged through the six unblocked meridians, converging into a mighty blood energy dragon that relentlessly battered against the barrier of his seventh meridian.

With an explosive breakthrough, the seventh meridian was finally pierced through. A surge of newfound power erupted within him, linking all seven meridians into a singular, unbroken current. His entire being quaked with the force of rolling thunder, reverberating throughout his body.

In that moment, Xiao Yi noticed a subtle yet profound transformation in his vital energy—his blood had become more refined, crystalline as jade, its luster deeper than before. Faint streaks of golden radiance shimmered within, revealing an evolutionary shift that had begun when he first absorbed the Archaic Dragon's Essence Blood. His human lineage was no longer what it once was.

Suddenly, his gaze flickered as the sound of rapid movement tore through the air from a distance. Within moments, five figures emerged through the dense underbrush—Shi Yuan, Shi Lei, Yun Shan, Shi Qian, and Li Yue—swiftly making their way toward him.

"Brother Xiao!" Shi Lei's face lit up with relief and excitement.

"Are you alright?" Shi Yuan scrutinized him from head to toe, his eyes narrowing slightly when they landed on the broken trees and the bloodstained ground where the mammoth had fallen.

"We came to help you," Yun Shan said with a wide grin, twirling his bone club casually.

Shi Qian, on the other hand, merely shot Xiao Yi a brief glance before looking away, his gaze scanning the surrounding forest. Xiao Yi noticed it all but said nothing—he could feel the subtle shift in their group dynamic. Whatever tension had existed between them before had now begun to dissolve.

"What incredible strength," Li Yue murmured, standing near the shattered ancient tree. His expression was solemn. "Even a mid-tier mammoth couldn't withstand it. Xiao Yi, what exactly happened here?"

Shi Yuan had also regained his composure and turned to Xiao Yi. The initial shock in his eyes faded, replaced by deep contemplation. His first instinct was to rule Xiao Yi out as the one responsible—after all, even their clan leader, Shi Zhixuan, hadn't been able to force a mid-tier wild beast into retreat within a mere year of training. Judging by the scene before them, the mammoth hadn't even had a chance to resist. It had been struck down and forced to flee almost instantly. That alone spoke volumes about the sheer power of the attacker.

Before Xiao Yi could respond, a series of deep, guttural roars echoed from the depths of the dark forest. The ground trembled violently, a wave of suffocating pressure rippling through the air.

"This sound… It's a mid-tier peak wild beast—the Diamond Python!" Li Yue's expression shifted drastically. "A python devouring an elephant… The snake race is the natural predator of the elephant race. No wonder the mammoth was so easily defeated!"

"Move, now!" Shi Yuan commanded in a low, urgent voice. "Before it notices us!"

A mid-tier peak wild beast was a terrifying existence, nearing the realm of Blood Refinement Perfection. Some of these creatures, despite being slightly lacking in cultivation level, possessed innate talents that allowed them to exceed their limits, wielding power that could rival a true Blood Refinement master. With their monstrous physiques, they could unleash devastating strength far beyond what their realm suggested.

Xiao Yi's group wasted no time. They swiftly withdrew, vanishing into the shadows of the dense wilderness.

One incense stick's time later, the six of them had crossed the eerie mountain ridge and re-entered the ancient wild forest.

"The Panlei Mountain Range is far from ordinary," Shi Yuan stated grimly. "It spans over three thousand li, harboring countless wild beasts. At any moment, new threats could emerge. While the outskirts are rarely home to mid-tier beasts, we cannot take any chances. From now on, we move as a unit. Anyplace that seems too dangerous, we avoid. No unnecessary risks—we can't afford a disaster."

No one objected. With a renewed sense of caution, the six continued forward.

Meanwhile, at the forest's edge, four figures cloaked in green shadows emerged.

One of them, a squad leader of the Xian Soldiers, furrowed his brows as he observed the remnants of the battlefield.

"The mammoth was taken down by a Diamond Python?" He muttered under his breath. Then, with a cold smirk, he added, "That brat got lucky. If we had followed him earlier, the mammoth corpse would've been ours."

Another soldier scoffed. "Snake versus elephant… Both are formidable, neither is easy prey. Even with the four of us combined, we'd struggle to handle such a battle."

The leader's gaze darkened. "Forget the mammoth. The real prize is the eight-hundred-year-old Silver Ginseng." His lips curled into a sinister grin. "And while we're at it, we'll take the heads of those six human brats as an offering—to prove our worth to Captain Chen Shan."

As the sun dipped behind the western mountains, darkness engulfed the vast, untamed forest. Before nightfall, the six had pushed forward at full speed, closing the distance to their target—the Silver Ginseng's location—to a mere ten li.

They found a dry cave and quickly set up camp. A bonfire crackled to life, casting flickering shadows on the rugged stone walls. They ate sparingly, chewing on dried beast meat—hunting a wild beast at night was too great a risk; the scent of fresh blood could bring catastrophe.

"We'll rest here for the night," Shi Yuan declared, his voice calm yet laced with anticipation. "At dawn, we strike. Kill the python, seize the ginseng!" A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

With that, the six fell into silent meditation. The cave grew so still that even the sound of a falling needle would have been deafening. The fire slowly burned to embers, leaving behind a bed of glowing red charcoal, tendrils of blue smoke curling upward into the night.

The night passed without incident. No wild beasts disturbed them.

As the first sliver of morning sunlight seeped into the cave, Xiao Yi opened his eyes. Across from him, Yun Shan was carefully polishing his white bone club. The massive weapon gleamed under the morning light, reflecting a sheen akin to cold metal. Noticing Xiao Yi's gaze, Yun Shan grinned, utterly unconcerned.

One by one, the others awoke. After a night of meditation and rest, their strength had fully recovered—but now, an icy aura of killing intent hung faintly around them. The battle ahead was imminent.

Ten li away, they navigated through a narrow, concealed stone passageway and entered a secluded valley.

It wasn't large—only about a hundred zhang in diameter—but its surroundings were dense with towering ancient trees, over three thousand years old. Their immense canopies intertwined, forming a seamless barrier that shielded the valley from above. The golden rays of the morning sun filtered through the dense foliage, scattering down like a thousand glimmering rain threads.

At the valley's heart lay a deep, ink-black pool, its surface eerily still.

And there, in the very center of the pool, was a lush green islet, no more than five zhang wide. At its core, something shimmered like a cluster of tiny silver stars.

"The Silver Ginseng!"

Shi Qian's hushed exclamation carried a trace of fervent desire.

An eight-hundred-year-old Silver Ginseng was a treasured elixir, rare beyond compare. Any herb that survived past five hundred years was considered a supreme-grade medicinal plant. This particular Silver Ginseng—at eight hundred years of age—held immense potency. It could unlock twenty Heavenly Meridians in an ordinary human, bestowing an increase of twenty jun of divine strength.

It was no exaggeration to say that the entire Bloodstone Tribe wouldn't acquire more than a handful of such ginsengs in a year. Even elite warriors rarely had access to them. Now, the opportunity to claim one lay right before them.

Even Yun Shan, usually the least concerned with such things, stared unblinking, swallowing hard as he smacked his lips.

"That Azure-Scaled Horned Python is hiding in the pool," Shi Lei murmured, his tone grave. "To reach the Silver Ginseng, someone must distract it—otherwise, in the water, even a Squad Leader-tier warrior wouldn't stand a chance."

Li Yue nodded. "The distance from the shore to the island is ten zhang. Only Big Brother Shi Yuan has the cultivation necessary to leap across in one bound. The rest of us need to draw the python's attention."

"I'll handle its movements," Shi Qian said decisively. "I'll exert my aura pressure to suppress its mind. Li Yue, your archery is the best—focus on its eyes. Keep it too preoccupied to retaliate. Yun Shan, be ready to block its path if it attempts to retreat. Shi Lei, wait for the right moment—strike at its seven-inch weak spot."

"Understood!"

Shi Yuan gripped his Blue Iron Blade, his breathing slowing, his entire presence shrinking until he was almost imperceptible—like a dormant beast preparing to unleash a fatal strike.

"Move!" Shi Lei roared, launching the first strike.

With a sweep of his blue iron spear, he lifted a massive boulder, at least ten jun in weight, and hurled it into the pool with a thunderous crash.

Simultaneously, Yun Shan charged forward, his massive frame moving like an unstoppable rolling boulder. The ground trembled beneath his heavy steps as his vitality surged, manifesting as a faint crimson glow around his body. With a mighty swing of his white bone club, he smashed down—his attack striking the water's surface even before the boulder landed.

A deep, resonating boom filled the valley.

A thousand droplets exploded into the air like shattered jade, a towering wave surging ten zhang high. The powerful impact from the attacks rippled through the dark waters, sending shockwaves deep into the heart of the ink-black pool.

In an instant, a massive shadow stirred beneath the surface.

"Fall back! Be careful!" Li Yue's sharp cry rang out. She raised her Zixia Bow, fingers nocking an arrow as thick as a thumb. The shaft glowed faintly, etched with intricate cloud patterns, radiating an ominous energy.

Then, with an earth-shattering roar, the pool exploded.

A colossal Azure-Scaled Horned Python burst forth, its monstrous form towering into the air. A deep, resonating hiss shook the valley, carrying a weight that sent chills through the soul.

The portion of its serpentine body that breached the surface alone was six zhang long, as thick as a millstone. Diamond-shaped azure scales covered its massive frame, shimmering with an eerie, otherworldly gleam beneath the cascading beams of light rain filtering through the forest canopy.

Atop its triangular head, the size of a stone table, jutted a single, one-zhang-long ivory horn.

The creature's pale green eyes, each as large as a lantern, flickered with confusion as it adjusted to the sudden disturbance.

Li Yue struck first.

With a sharp twang, her Zixia Arrow tore through the air, slicing the wind like a bolt of purple lightning.

This was Li Yue's archery—her mastery had already reached the Perfection of Windbreaking Realm. Within dozens of zhang, her arrows could unleash their maximum destructive potential.

The moment the arrow flew, the Azure-Scaled Horned Python sensed mortal danger.

It instinctively attempted to evade, but before it could react—

"Now!"

Shi Qian's deep voice rang out like rolling thunder.

A surge of spiritual energy burst forth, engulfing the massive serpent in a whirlwind of suppressive force. A sudden, invisible pressure froze the python's movements for a brief moment.

And that brief moment sealed its fate.

Blood splattered.

The Zixia Arrow pierced directly into its left eye, shattering the lantern-sized orb into a gory explosion of flesh and fluid.

The python's agonized screech thundered across the valley, shaking the very ground.

The entire pool quaked violently, its once-calm surface now a chaotic swirl of crashing waves. The beast's massive body convulsed, writhing in agony.

"Now's our chance!"

Shi Yuan launched forward like an arrow, his footwork shifting seamlessly, his movements as elusive as drifting clouds and raging wind.

In just a few heartbeats, he had already reached the edge of the water. Without breaking stride, he soared into the air, his trajectory aimed straight for the green islet in the middle of the pool.

A ten-zhang leap—executed flawlessly.

But even with one eye destroyed, the Azure-Scaled Horned Python remained an apex predator. It could perceive changes in its surroundings not just through sight, but through its highly attuned sensory perception.

It immediately detected Shi Yuan's movement.

With a mighty heave, its muscular tail sliced through the water, rising like a whip of blue steel, its force splitting the air with a deafening boom.

It lashed out, striking straight for Shi Yuan's midsection—a blow that, if landed, would undoubtedly crush his ribs to dust.

"YOU DARE?!"

A furious roar echoed through the valley.

In an instant, Shi Lei and Yun Shan leapt into action.