Chapter Fifty: Jade Snake Orchid

  As soon as Ye Fan and Pang Bo approached this area, they were frightened. Hundreds of poisonous dragons with the thickness of water buckets were spitting silk threads, releasing a toxic fog that had corroded a large area of forest into a mess. In addition, low-pitched roars echoed from the depths of the dense forest, where countless giant ferocious beasts were roaming.

  For some reason, they didn't attack each other, but were extremely restless, constantly gathering in this area, more and more of them, like a surging tide, pouring out from the inside, and most of the ferocious beasts couldn't be named.

  In the sky, a large number of strange birds gathered, constantly circling at low altitude, their bodies all above several meters, a vast and dense blackness that blocked out the sun.

  "What happened?"

  Ye Fan and Pang Bo were both shocked, what they saw was incredible, a large number of fierce beasts and endless ferocious birds gathered in this area, all restless, like a raging tide.

  Yefan observed for a while and said, "I think they should all be coming out from deep within the ruins."

  "Could it be that the Thunderbird and the Scale Ape King's fight to the death startled all the other ferocious birds and beasts?"

  "It's hard to say, even if the beast king is fighting, it shouldn't be possible to startle so many strange beasts and spiritual birds."

  "How did we get past them? There were so many ferocious beasts, densely packed, like a tidal wave, completely blocking our way."

  "Let's find a way to get around this place, this time it's definitely an opportunity. I think inside there must be a strip of true wilderness, the deepest part may have super beast kings fighting each other, or perhaps something else has happened, and most of the fierce birds and beasts have been driven to the edge."

  The two of them walked for over ten miles, searching for a precipice, and then climbed up along the vines. After crossing several steep cliffs, they finally descended along the old vines and arrived safely in the depths of the dense forest, avoiding those ferocious beasts and birds that were as numerous as a tide.

  "It's really quiet in here."

  In this area, ancient trees stretch to the sky, old vines entwine, lush and verdant, but eerily quiet, as if all living things had fled, a deathly stillness, without a single sound.

  "What happened in the depths of the ruins, even if it was a beast king's slaughter, wouldn't be like this. I think there must be another reason! Otherwise, how could all the ferocious birds and beasts escape?" Ye Fan and Pang Bo were both somewhat shocked and uncertain, but they continued to move forward, soon penetrating tens of miles into the depths of the ancient forest, where the trees grew even more towering and majestic, presenting a completely primitive landscape.

  "...hiss..." In a thicket of rocks, a faint hissing sound was heard, as if snakes were spitting out their venom, amidst the swirling five-colored mist, waves of pungent smells wafted over.

  "Python!" Pongbo exclaimed in a low voice.

  In the midst of the rocky forest, there was a giant snake as thick as a water bucket, coiled among the rocks, constantly spewing out five-colored poisonous fog, it was extremely restless.

  "It's not an ordinary snake, it has a jade horn on its head!"

  A gigantic snake with scales as big as a palm, its body is covered in colorful and shiny scales. The most peculiar thing about it is the jade horn on its head, from which rays of light are constantly flowing down, like thin threads of color, shining brightly and gathering into its skull.

  "This horned serpent has become a divine being, able to swallow and spit out the essence of the sun and moon. If it grows claws on its belly, it will be the legendary Jiaolong."

  The two hearts skipped a beat. Not all the fierce beasts retreated, some of the more powerful ones stayed behind. However, this giant snake was also getting anxious, seemingly wanting to leave but hesitating.

  Suddenly, a faint muffled sound came from deep within the ruins, like the beating of a giant drum, transmitted over a great distance.

  Ye Fan and Pang Bo heard the muffled sound, and for some reason, they both felt a little flustered in their hearts. At this time, the giant snake with jade horns couldn't help but tremble a few times, and then suddenly moved its body, quickly rushing towards the depths of the stone forest.

  "Snake Cave!"

  The chaotic forest was its lair, and it anxiously rushed into a huge black hole, never to come out again. The colorful poisonous fog dispersed, the stench drifted away, and everything inside the chaotic forest could be seen clearly.

  "This should be the kind of jade-horned snake that the Dharma-protecting elder mentioned!" At first, the two had no association, but after the poisonous fog dispersed and they saw the dark cave in the depths of the rocky forest, they suddenly remembered something.

  "I remember the Dharma Master saying that this Jade Horned Snake is an old snake that has swallowed and spat out the essence of the sun and moon for over a hundred years before evolving into its current form. In its habitat, there is a rare and precious spiritual medicine called 'Jade Snake Orchid'..."

  Although the two of them had some impression, they didn't remember it very clearly. Master Chuan Fa usually taught Xuan Fa, but in recent months, he also taught other knowledge such as explanations on cultivation classics, weapons, and spiritual medicine. Ye Fan and Pang Bo focused on their cultivation and did not put too much effort into other knowledge. Before this practice, they hastily reviewed the relevant books, otherwise, many herbs could be recognized, but might not be quickly discovered.

  "It's indeed 'Jade Snake Orchid'!"

  Ye Fan and Pang Bo were both excited, they saw three peculiar plants as tall as palm trees at the entrance of the dark snake cave, the plant was snow-white like jade, crystal clear all over, it seemed to be three white small snakes standing there, with a few pieces of white jade leaves hanging on top, and a radiant white jade orchid flower at the tip.

  The three rare plants are extraordinary, with a hint of glory flowing around them, and the fragrance wafts through the air.

  "That's right, it's 'Jade Snake Orchid'!"

  When they saw the 'Jade Snake Orchid' with their own eyes, the words of the Dharma Master seemed to echo in their ears again, and the two suddenly thought of the precious value of this plant.

  It is said that when the old snake swallows and spits out the essence of the sun and moon, the spiritual energy around the snake cave is steaming, but ordinary plants can't bear it at all. Even if it's a spiritual grass, it will turn into powder after a long time. There is only one kind of strange orchid that can survive, following the absorption of spiritual energy when the old snake swallows and spits out the essence of the sun and moon. After more than 100 years of spiritual baptism, it will condense a large amount of solar and lunar essence, transforming into a strange plant resembling the shape of an old snake, so it is called 'Jade Snake Orchid'.

  It has an extraordinary detoxification effect, can resolve many kinds of strange poisons in the world. It grows on the edge of a snake's den and is often found alongside poisonous insects, matching with the detoxifying spirit grass. Apart from this, it accompanies the old snake as it swallows and spits out the essence of the sun and moon, condensing a large amount of life energy, making it the favorite of cultivators.

  Two men suppressed their excitement, not daring to rush over and pick it directly. It is said that this is what the old snake has prepared for itself. When the 'Jade Snake Orchid' completely transforms into the shape of an old snake, it will swallow it down. If anyone wants to take advantage of the 'Jade Snake Orchid', the old snake will certainly fight to the death.

  "The old snake has transformed into a jade horned viper, but these three 'jade snake orchids' have not completely transformed into the appearance of an old snake and are not yet fully mature."

  "How can I pick it..."

  "I think the old snake was startled just now and hid deep in its hole, not daring to come out for the time being. We can sneak past slowly and should be able to pick it successfully."

  "It's a bit unsafe, let's wait for now. If the dull sound from earlier echoes again in the depths of the ruins, we'll rush over quickly, grab it and make a swift escape."

  "Okay, let's wait patiently for a while."

  After the two men conferred, they hid in the rocky forest. Although they did not know what had happened deep within the ruins, they felt that this situation should still be ongoing, and the dull noise from earlier would continue to sound.

  Sure, here is the translation:

  As expected, in less than half a minute, three dull sounds rang out in succession. Ye Fan and Pang Bo felt a sense of unease in their hearts, it was an eerie feeling, they didn't understand what was happening, as if their souls were trembling involuntarily.

  The two of them steadied their minds and then quickly rushed forward, pulling out the three "Jade Snake Orchids" at the entrance to the snake cave, and rushing towards the outside of the stone forest without looking back.

  They ran out for a few miles before stopping, and by then, a rumbling sound came from the direction behind them. The stone forest seemed to have had an earthquake, and it was clear that the old snake had rushed out.

  "Bang"

  Another dull sound came from the depths of the ruins, and both Ye Fan's hearts beat violently for a moment, with a sharp pain in their chests, but it was this muffled sound that made the stone forest where the old snake was located quiet down.

  "It's good that we succeeded, I was really afraid that the old snake would chase us down, it has become a spirit and ordinary strong people can't deal with it, let alone us." The two sat on a large bluestone, wiping away cold sweat.

  Ye Fan and Pang Bo carefully examined the 'Jade Snake Orchid' in their hands, which indeed resembled an old snake with leaves on its body and an orchid on its head. The stem even had patterns similar to scales, and the entire thing was crystal clear and translucent, as if it were carved from sheep's fat jade. The fragrance was so captivating that it seemed to penetrate directly into one's internal organs.

  "It's a pity it hasn't fully matured yet..."

  "Be content with what you have; such things are hard to come by."

  "It is said to contain a lot of essence of life, but I don't know what the real effect is."

  "Find a safe place and try it out."

  The two said that they would never use 'Yu She Lan' to exchange for the elixir of the Hundred Grasses with the elder of the Ling Xuan Cave Heaven, this thing must be many times stronger than the essence of the Hundred Grasses - the Elixir of the Hundred Grasses.

  Ye Fan and Pang Bo grasped the vines and climbed up a cliff, where the vegetation was lush but there were no animal tracks or bird shadows, extremely quiet.

  "After taking 'Yushe Lan', you don't have to worry about encountering snakes or venomous insects again."

  After a brief discussion, Ye Fan decided to take one first and see the effect. His physique was special, so he didn't need to worry about the medicine being too strong and breaking through his bitter sea.

  Ye Fan took a big bite of the Yu She Lan, and the fragrance instantly spread out. The entire cliff was filled with a refreshing scent. His mouth was filled with the fragrance, and he felt like all the pores on his body were relaxed. The surrounding air was even more spiritual, and the broken Yu She Lan was releasing its life energy outward. There were thin streams of light flowing around, and Ye Fan quickly put the remaining half into his mouth.

  He then sat down cross-legged and began to circulate the profound methods recorded in the Dao Jing. His whole body was motionless, like a statue. Before long, Ye Fan suddenly started breathing rapidly, his face turned red as blood, his veins bulged, his skin turned bright red, and a faint glow emanated from his body.

  Pang Bo was extremely tense, quietly staring at him, feeling a strong aura, which was impacting Ye Fan's blood and internal organs.

  You could even clearly hear that Ye Fan's blood was rumbling, like a rolling river rushing forward, with a strong life energy flowing inside his body, constantly flushing his mortal flesh, and the light overflowed.

  It wasn't until half a time later that the sound in Ye Fan's blood vessels stopped, his breathing gradually lengthened, and his pulse stabilized, and he became much more spirited.

  Boom

  Suddenly, at this moment, Ye Fan's bitter sea burst out with a fierce golden light, divine rainbow, brilliant and dazzling.

  "He's here!" Pang Bo exclaimed excitedly.

  The scene I saw last time reappeared, Ye Fan's bitter sea turned into a golden ocean, waves of roaring sounds "rumbling" came out, like thousands of horses and soldiers rushing forward, deafening.

  Furious waves surge into the sky, golden light dazzles the eyes, endless oceans undulate and heave, sweeping across the high heavens, intense divine radiance soars and scatters across the sky.

  Rumbling

  Lightning flashed, and a golden lightning bolt tore through the sky. The sound of thunder shook the heavens, and amidst the destructive power, there was an endless vitality, and the vibrant life force surged in the dancing electric light.

  A golden expanse of waves, crashing against the sky, intertwined with intense lightning, forming a boundless and mysterious world.

  A deafening tsunami sound came, even though Pong Bo had already seen it before, he was still a little stunned at this moment. The golden bitter sea seemed to have some strange power, constantly shaking.

  Ye Fan's bitter sea was a piece of brilliant light, and the surrounding scenery followed with a divine glow.

  It wasn't until two hours had passed that everything slowly calmed down, the golden light receded, the roaring sound disappeared, and Ye Fan's turbulent sea returned to calmness. He suddenly felt much more ethereal, with an added air of immortality, appearing transcendent and otherworldly.

  Half a time later, Ye Fan opened his eyes, as if two flashes of lightning flashed by, his eyes were bright and full of spirit, his blood was strong.

  "How was it?"

  "It feels great, the sea of suffering has grown bigger." Ye Fan began to operate the mysterious method recorded in the Taoist scriptures. The sea of suffering suddenly lit up with a hint of golden light, and the sesame-seed-sized sea of suffering grew to the size of a soybean, like a divine lamp suspended there.

  "What a speed of opening up...... it's really astonishing!" Pong Bo was happy for Ye Fan at the same time, and also very surprised. This time, Ye Fan opened up the bitter sea and expanded many times in an instant.

  The golden bitter sea had a thread of divine power flowing through it, making Ye Fan feel extremely comfortable in his every move. The divine splendor emanating from the bitter sea nourished his flesh and blood. Ye Fan operated the Dao Jing Xuan Fa, and a golden divine splendor burst out of the bitter sea, shooting out along his fingers, making a soft "whooshing" sound, piercing through an ancient tree in front of him.

  Pang Bo was suddenly stunned and said: "You... can actually launch an attack similar to 'Divine Pattern'!"

  "The Jade Snake Orchid is indeed extraordinary, the essence of life it contains is many times more potent than those dozens of bottles of Hundred Herb Liquid last time!" Ye Fan couldn't help but sigh in admiration, this time he opened up the Golden Bitter Sea with great ease.

  Pang Bo's face also showed excitement, saying: "This time the exercise has not been in vain, gained three spiritual herbs, must be more than the total gain of others."

  "I really don't know what happened deep in the ruins, are we going to continue deeper?"

  "Nature must continue to advance, go deeper, and who knows, there may be gains. The ferocious birds and beasts have all escaped, and the opportunity is rare! Moreover, in the depths of the ruins, some kind of astonishing change may be taking place, which may be a great opportunity for us."