Chapter 72: Golden Sunflower King
Finally arrived at the end of the earth, Zhou Heng strolled along the lake shore, and there were no monsters here.
The people of the medicinal herb-picking team said that the reason why Blood Dragon Lake has its name is that hundreds or thousands of years ago, a dragon was injured and dropped a drop of dragon blood into the lake, after which the lake water became as red as blood.
Nourished by the "Dragon Energy", the herbs around this lake grow extremely well, with abundant spiritual energy, which is in no way inferior to that of the Ninth Peak.
What a pity, this forest is too dangerous, otherwise it would be an ideal place for cultivation! You know that even here is far from the depths of the forest, where the spiritual energy may be even more abundant.
Zhou Heng had the Black Sword treasure indicator, seemingly carefree as he strolled along the riverbank, but in fact constantly paying attention to the changes of the Black Sword in his dantian. However, this old man seemed to have also become "lazy" since he entered the Jiling Realm, and there had been no movement at all since entering the forest.
He didn't believe there wasn't a single spiritual herb or a piece of precious iron on this road!
Or should I say, Black Sword's vision has also improved now, ordinary spiritual grass and precious iron can't trigger its reaction anymore?
If it's like that, then you're at a loss! You may look down on me, Black Sword, but I don't think so!
The lake was very large, Zhou Heng turned around in a circle, the black sword in his dantian didn't make any movement, he gave up on the idea of searching for treasure and sat down by the lake, staring at the crimson red lake surface.
The lake water is actually clear and clean, but it looks like fresh blood because of the rocky bottom of the lake, which resembles coral, so it turns red under the reflection of light.
Those reefs are worthless, having been excavated and studied by people long ago. Zhou Heng naturally had no interest in diving down to explore them, so after sitting for a while, he simply lay down on the ground and took a nap.
He couldn't sleep, and after tossing and turning, he suddenly saw a golden-yellow strange grass growing in the gap between the stones, with five petioles open, and a golden-yellow fruit on top, only as big as a longan.
The fruit emits an extremely weak fragrance, which can only be smelled when brought very close, and it is refreshing.
This strange grass grows in a very hidden place, if not for Zhou Heng lying on the ground and coincidentally next to a stone, it would normally be impossible to discover.
Zhou Heng involuntarily moved in his heart, pried the stone open with great effort, plucked the fruit down and placed it on his palm to examine, but no matter what he couldn't recognize what variety it was.
In the three months he spent in the Pingtian Mountains with Hei Lu, he had eaten countless spiritual fruits and medicines, but none of them were similar to this fruit. However, Zhou Heng, although unable to identify it, had developed a considerable ability to recognize herbs after eating so many spiritual fruits, knowing that this fruit was at least not toxic.
He thought for a moment and casually threw the fruit into his mouth. Most of the spiritual fruits were best eaten immediately after picking, otherwise their efficacy would gradually dissipate.
The fruit was tender, and with just a gentle press of the tongue, it dissolved into a pool of honey water, filling the cheeks with fragrance, leaving a lingering scent between the teeth. Before even chewing, it had already disappeared, entering his digestive system, and then transformed into countless particles, merging into his bloodstream.
And then it was gone!
Not a single wisp of spiritual energy emerged, nor was there any change in his body, as if he had just eaten an apple or a peach.
How did this happen?
Zhou Heng was perplexed, and with his keen eyesight, he could tell that the fruit was not ordinary, but the result was unexpectedly this way. After some thought, he dug up the golden-yellow strange grass and took it to ask for advice from Tao Han, the leader of the medicinal herb collection team.
Tao Han was already over eighty years old, but due to his cultivation in the realm of gathering spirits, his aging process had slowed down greatly, and he looked like he was only in his fifties. If he were to take some more age-reversing pills, looking twenty years younger would not be a problem.
"Uncle Tao, do you know what kind of grass this is?" Zhou Heng asked directly.
"Huh, Golden Sun Grass!" Tao Han was stunned for a moment before revealing an intense look of shock, "Actually having such a long and thick Golden Sun Grass, it's unbelievable! This Golden Sun Grass must have been cultivated for over a hundred years, it can be called the King of Golden Sun Grass!"
"Zhou Heng, where did you find it?"
What's Golden Sun Grass? It's that spiritual grass that can strengthen one's yang, a specialty of the lush forest! I actually ate a fruit grown from this strange grass... will there be any side effects?
"Right in the middle of a big stone by the lake!"
"No wonder, no wonder, that's why it can grow to this extent. Otherwise, it would have been dug up by others long ago!" Tao Han exclaimed in surprise and delight, "Zhou Heng, how about transferring this golden sunflower to me?"
"I'll give you two pieces of Spirit Stone!"
Zhou Heng was startled, two pieces of Ling Stone, this is something that can't be bought even with money, it's extremely precious for a martial artist!
"Not enough? Three pieces... five pieces!" Tao Han gritted his teeth, with a resolute and decisive attitude.
This old guy has the cultivation of Jiling Realm, but in essence, he is a thorough businessman! Zhou Heng doesn't think that the opponent's offer of five pieces of Ling Stone would be a loss, and there must be a huge profit margin!
But this was an unexpected gain, and Zhou Heng didn't take it to heart. He nodded in agreement, and Tao Han, fearing he would regret it, hastily took out five standard spirit stones to exchange with him.
"What a pity, without the Space Treasure Container, it's inevitable that some of its medicinal properties will be lost!" Tao Han treasured the Golden Sun Grass King as if it were a precious treasure, examining it left and right for a while before carefully putting it away in a jade box.
Zhou Heng had heard Lin Fengxiang mention spatial magical instruments before. They were a type of very special magical instrument that could store an enormous amount of items in a tiny space, such as a ring or a necklace being able to hold an entire box or even a whole room full of things!
Unfortunately, spatial artifacts can only be crafted by imperial dynasty's artifact craftsmen. In the Cold Cang country, getting one not only requires a large amount of spirit stones but also needs connections!
Zhou Heng thought for a moment and asked: "Uncle Tao, what is the effect of the fruit produced by the golden sun grass?"
"What? Golden Sunflower will still bear fruit?" Tao Han looked at him with a puzzled face this time.
With this counter-question, Zhou Heng knew that Tao Han was asking about the blind, and even Jin Yang didn't know the outcome, let alone the effect of the fruit!
Will eating that fruit cause any problems?
Goldenrod is an item that enhances masculinity, I suppose the fruit should have a similar effect... probably nothing will happen!
The medicinal herb collection team stayed here for two days and set off on their return journey. It wasn't that they didn't want to stay any longer, but if they stayed one more day, the Iron Bull group would arrive. Those were ferocious beasts, with adult Iron Bulls having the strength of a 12th-layer Body Refining cultivator. Occasionally, there would also be mutated ones that became Golden Iron Bulls, which had broken into the Gathering Spirit realm and were extremely formidable.
And yet, the Iron Oxen came in hundreds, too many to count. Even a warrior from the Three Realms of Gathering Spirit would not dare to provoke such an existence lightly.
The merchant team set off, and eight days later, the team was about to leave the Qingcang Forest. Everyone let out a sigh of relief as Zhou Heng had killed more than 30 demon beasts in the Gathering Spirit Realm, successfully advancing his cultivation to the late stage of Gathering Spirit One. The speed was so fast that it was simply astonishing.
"Halt!" Cao Jian suddenly waved his hand, a solemn expression on his face, and shouted towards the front, "Who's there? Come out quickly!"
"Haha, as expected, you have some skills!" Amidst the loud laughter, a dozen or so burly men emerged from a nearby thicket of bushes. All of them were cultivators at the Gathering Spirit realm, and the leader among them had even reached the peak of the second heaven of the Gathering Spirit realm.
"Little lord doesn't want any trouble, get out of the way immediately!" Cao Jian coldly hummed, his hand suddenly holding a shining long sword, which was his magical weapon.
The Law Instrument is not something that everyone can possess, like the Jiuling Sect, only Lin Jianchen and a few elders of the San Chongtian have it, while the Black Water Temple has a few more, but it's absolutely not something that ordinary Jijie disciples can hold!
This person can use a law instrument, which indicates that he is quite valued in the Guiyuan Sect.
"Beware, these people are bandits who specialize in robbing merchants returning from the forest. The leader is nicknamed 'Poison Hand' and is extremely formidable!" Kang Min stepped forward, she and Cao Jian had been openly together for days, their relationship was already incredibly close.
"You actually know my identity, haha, good to know, now hand over your valuables obediently, otherwise, you'll lose both your life and your wealth!" The leader of the robbers, "Toxic Hand", laughed loudly.
"Scram!" Cao Jian waved the artifact in his hand, "You have ten seconds to disappear before me, otherwise I'll behead you!"
He heard the word "poison" and didn't dare to push too hard, after all this thing is hard to guard against.
"In less than ten seconds, I'll take you down first!" Du Shou shouted loudly, his body leaping forward. With a whooshing sound, he swung both hands in succession, and seven icy stars shot towards Cao Jian at the same time. "Watch my poisonous darts!"
Cao Jian hastily raised his sword and swiftly parried, but only managed to deflect three flying darts. He could only retreat with a backward leap, not daring to make physical contact.
Just then, a cold light flashed by, slashing wildly towards his waist.
Pfft!
A blood splattered, Cao Jian was instantly cut in two, his face still wearing an incredulous expression, staring unblinkingly at the person who had beheaded him - Kang Min! Under the wrapping of spiritual energy, even if it wasn't a magic weapon, it possessed the power to kill a martial artist in the Aggregating Spirit Realm!
He didn't dare to believe others, so when he was dodging, he deliberately chose Kang Min's side. But what he never expected was that this woman who had even slept with him would actually make a move on him at this time!
Without any defense, the young genius of the two realms of Tongtian and Jiling fell silently!
She wiped the fresh blood on her face with her hand, and then put her bloody fingers in her mouth for a lick. A bewitching flush appeared on her face, her eyes sparkled like spring water, enticing and alluring. She burst into a wild, charming laughter, and her breasts heaved with turbulent waves, saying: "Don't look at me so strangely, I'm originally one of them!"
"Good job!" The Poisonous Hand strode over, raised his hand and gave Kang Min's protruding buttocks a loud slap, causing Kang Min to let out a "tsk" of tender cry, falling into his arms.
This woman is actually an undercover of the hijackers!
So vicious, and in an instant, the strongest person in the team was eliminated! No wonder Cao Jian was so easy to get started with, they had already decided to use this intimate relationship to kill him!
"Kill them all!" The poisonous hand waved its hand, and the dozen or so high-ranking masters of the Gathering Spirit Realm behind it immediately rushed towards Zhou Heng and his companions.
