Half an hour earlier—
The night shrouded the Divine Pill Peak.
Ye Chuan stood silently outside the medicinal garden, observing the scene within while stroking his chin. "Yooooooooo~ So this is the Divine Pill Peak's garden?" he murmured, unable to conceal his excitement.
What a great place! So many herbs—this would save him a fortune in alchemy. And surely, a place like Divine Pill Peak must have countless pill recipes stashed away somewhere.
Where were they hidden?
He’d already looted the cultivation manuals from the scripture vault—wouldn’t it be a shame not to grab some pill recipes too?
After all, they were just gathering dust. Wouldn’t it be better for him to inherit and carry forward the legacy of pill-making?
Ye Chuan raised his gaze, taking in the vast expanse of herb fields stretching endlessly before him.
Under the moonlight, each immortal herb emitted a soft glow, like countless luminous gems embedded in the earth, transforming the garden into a dreamlike, dazzling spectacle.
Naturally, such a precious place was heavily guarded. Aside from the disciples patrolling the entrance, Ye Chuan’s keen senses detected the presence of a cultivator inside a small hut—likely the night watch.
Not surprising. A garden this large couldn’t possibly be left unattended.
Ye Chuan quietly extended his divine sense, probing the hut in the distance. "Hmm… Foundation Establishment realm?"
A moment later, a smirk curled his lips—
Foundation Establishment cultivation!
Ants!
Having confirmed the situation, Ye Chuan’s figure flickered, merging into the darkness.
Ever since receiving the Infinite Mana Holy Grail from Lilith, he could perform consecutive spatial jumps wherever his divine sense reached—without expending a single drop of spiritual energy.
His silhouette flickered like a ghost as he darted through the garden, closing in on the hut where the night watch disciple resided.
Inside the hut, a female disciple idly flipped through a cultivation manual. The long, tedious night shifts made guarding the garden unbearably dull, so sect-approved literature, novels, and even cultivation manuals became their go-to pastime.
"Tch, the Jade Void Sect’s techniques are all flash and no substance. No wonder our Qingyun Sect wiped them out," she muttered, curling her lip in disdain as she skimmed through the Jade Void Art.
Yet she seemed to have forgotten—the Jade Void Sect hadn’t fallen to the Qingyun Sect alone. It had been a joint effort by multiple sects.
"Too bad I didn’t get to have more fun. I only managed to kill one Jade Void disciple, and the loot was pitiful. If only I could’ve captured their Holy Maiden…" Sighing, she fantasized about skyrocketing to fame after capturing the Holy Maiden.
Right then, a ghostly voice drifted from behind her.
"Hey girl, wanna catch a Holy Maiden?"
"Obviously!" she reflexively replied—only to freeze, as if struck by lightning. A chill shot up from her feet to the crown of her head.
She spun around in terror, only to find a shadowy figure standing right before her. His pearly white teeth gleamed unnervingly in the dark, his lips curled into an eerie grin.
"A g-ghost?!" She stood petrified for a few seconds before snapping back to her senses. "Hmph! What kind of stray ghost dares trespass into the Divine Pill Peak’s garden? You’ve got a death wish?"
With a sharp cry, she swiftly formed hand seals. "Qingyun Flame!"
A raging inferno surged toward Ye Chuan, the scorching heat distorting the air. Yet when the flames met the black chaotic energy swirling around his body, they were swallowed whole—vanishing without a trace.
Devoured!
Her eyes bulged. "N-no effect?!"
Alarm bells blared in her mind—this mysterious intruder was far beyond her level!
Panicking, she crushed her communication token without hesitation, screaming, "Brothers, help!"
But seconds ticked by with no response. The token’s signal, which should have spread instantly, seemed blocked by an invisible barrier. Her face drained of color. "Why… isn’t it working?"
Impossible! Her fellow disciples were stationed nearby. The token couldn’t have failed!
"Stop struggling," Ye Chuan’s amused voice rang out, brimming with ease. The moment he infiltrated, he’d already sealed the hut with chaotic energy—no sound or energy could escape.
Before she could react further, Ye Chuan flashed before her, his hand clamping around her throat like iron.
A crackle of electricity later, her body convulsed. She tried to scream, but no sound escaped. Within moments, she collapsed, motionless.
Unhurried, Ye Chuan pulled out a soul banner and gave it a light flick. The female disciple’s soul slowly drifted from her body, her expression one of sheer horror as it was sucked into the banner.
[Absorbed Foundation Establishment soul. Host attributes boosted by +1%]
[Banner upgrade progress: 1%]
Satisfied, Ye Chuan nodded. "Not bad. Free stat boost." He stowed the banner away and stepped out of the hut.
Now, the garden lay silent—his alone.
Time for the main event.
With a mere wave of his hand, the immortal herbs vanished, teleported straight into his storage.
His figure flickered across the fields like a locust swarm—wherever he passed, the herbs disappeared without a trace.
[Congratulations! Obtained Fire Spirit Grass x72]
[Congratulations! Obtained Revitalizing Grass x890]
[Congratulations! Obtained Heaven Spirit Ginseng x17]
[…]
About half an hour later, Ye Chuan had completely cleared out the garden.
Free shopping was just too thrilling.
"Don’t worry, Huang Haotian’s covering the bill today. Take it up with him."
Just as Ye Chuan grinned to himself, his divine sense picked up something.
Oh?
Someone’s coming?
Melding into the shadows, he spotted two figures approaching in the distance.
"Well, well. If it isn’t my ‘esteemed’ master, that old dog Ziyun?" Ye Chuan recognized one of them—Elder Ziyun.
Beside him was a strikingly beautiful woman dressed in similar robes—likely another elder.
The two stood frozen, staring in shock at the barren fields.
Though Ye Chuan lurked nearby, his pitch-black attire and undetectable divine sense made him invisible to both Ziyun and Su Yun.
"Let’s stir the pot a little." Ye Chuan smirked and summoned Della.
Clank.
The metallic scrape of armor echoed as Della emerged, clad in thick obsidian plate.
"Della, go cause some trouble." Ye Chuan pointed at the two elders.
Without hesitation, Della conjured a massive warhammer, her back erupting with violet-flamed wings as she shot toward Ziyun and the woman!