Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery

Spiritual Medicine Garden.

This is a place shrouded in mist, where a drizzle of spiritual rain fell from time to time. Though called a garden, it actually spans a very large area.

Layer upon layer of formation methods exists within; no one has ever explored its deepest depths.

”I hope there is.”

Jiang Ding hoped.

With one step, he entered,

and the environment around him changed rapidly. Misty fog, cold and damp, was everywhere, obstructing and suppressing his Divine Sense, allowing visibility of only about ten meters.

No sooner had he steadied himself than a chill rose sharply.

A spider-shaped beetle the size of a basin lunged at him, spitting out a net of cold silk, its six pairs of silver-white sharp claws flashing with cold light.

”The aura of the Seventh Level of Qi Practicing, am I just unlucky?”

Whoosh!

A flash of blue light at his fingertips, and a strand of light blue Sword Qi flew out.

The spider-shaped beetle, along with its ice web, was severed into two parts, while the fine Sword Qi rushed into the wound, meticulously exterminating every bit of vitality.

Jiang Ding looked around.

This was an open space with stone tiles laid on the ground, uneven with remnants of walls and buildings everywhere, covered in dense sword and blade marks. Radiative deep pits appeared here and there, their edges vitrified.

”It’s unknown how many years ago this place experienced a cruel war within the Cultivation World.”

Jiang Ding walked slowly, silent and formless, unaffected even by the surrounding cold, damp mist.

He paused briefly in front of a bisected corpse.

A young woman, with a temperament like the girl next door—a flower under the warm spring sunlight, irresistibly approachable, disarming one’s defenses.

”’Bingli Fairy’ Long Xiuyun... it’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other.”

A memory surface in Jiang Ding’s mind, he sighed lightly.

That woman, known as one of the four beauties of Jianghu, daughter to the owner of Sihai Business Association, and a favored lady of Dragon and Phoenix List.

Her face was filled with unwillingness, and it seemed like she had been holding onto something in her hand, but it was forcibly torn out, several fingers scattered not far away, her Storage Bag also missing.

The cut at her waist was charred black.

”The aura of Huomai Mana... no one is really delicate in these matters.”

Jiang Ding muttered under his breath.

Without supervision, the morals of cultivators from the Sects are terribly frail, especially when there’s a suspicion regarding the main ingredient for Foundation Building Pills, the Golden Jade Mushroom.

As for Xuetu Hall?

Most of their people are dead, and their cultivation methods are often of poisonous, bloody, or yin attributes. In such a dangerous place, concealing that was utterly pointless.

Jiang Ding did not rush to search for Spiritual Medicine, instead, he opted to explore the area, gathering as much information about the environment before proceeding.

He stopped in front of a broken stone monument, several zhang in height and width.

”...Chen...He... that’s how it’s read, right?”

Jiang Ding recognized the characters on the half monument after a long time, albeit with some difficulty.

This kind of writing was an even more complex and archaic form of Spiritual Script, different from that used by Xianmen, different from the Spiritual Script of the Nine Great Immortal Sects, and different from the script used within the Qiyu Sect.

”Is this place called Chen He Garden, or is it the owner’s Taoist name?”

Jiang Ding guessed.

After another round of exploration and finding no further information, he turned and headed deeper into the Spiritual Medicine Garden.

Through the constant ruins, the fog grew denser, and various insects buzzed by, flapping their wings with differing auras, some in the initial and middle stages of Qi Practicing, with those at the Late-stage Qi Practicing Level not uncommon, attacking all the Qiyu Sect disciples they encountered.

From time to time, one could see skeletons draped in the robes of Qiyu Sect, having been devoured by swarms of insects.

What was strange was,

these insects never harmed any Spiritual Medicine; at most, they would consume fruits, leaves, and the like that had fallen from matured plants.

”Stop right there!”

”Seeking death! A mere Seventh Level Qi Practitioner, daring to rob us of our Golden Jade Mushroom?”

Two groups were chasing each other.

The one in the lead was alone, someone he recognized, once the third on Dragon and Phoenix List, ’Vajra’ Fa Zheng. His earth-escaping technique was quite effective, holding his ground against the pursuit of several cultivators at the Seventh and Eighth Levels of Qi Practicing.

Occasionally hit by several firebird spells, his body flashed with a dull yellow glow, and he remained unscathed.

”Bah!”

Fa Zheng flew into a rage upon hearing this.

”You despicable scoundrels, this was clearly discovered by this young monk first. You rudely drive me away and dare to utter such wild boasts?”

”Nonsense, just because you saw it, you think it’s yours? We killed the guardian insects and harvested it with our own hands!”

As the two sides cursed and chased each other, screams were occasionally heard and lives were lost; they quickly left the area.

Jiang Ding glanced over and continued on his way.

This wasn’t something he could manage.

Grievances and disputes were too complex. Perhaps someone was a victim of thievery one moment, and then the next they would be robbing someone else. How could one manage that?

Boom!

Cheep cheep!

Ahead, the sounds of magic glyphs exploding and the shrieking of insect swarms resonated, attracting many distant flying insects to join the battlefield, swarming densely.

Hundreds of Qiyu Sect disciples gathered together, constantly unleashing various spells, blasting swarms of flying insects to death, yet they seemed endless.

From time to time, someone got bit through their shield by the swarm, their limbs torn and fragmented.

On the edge of the battlefield, by a small pool of water, nine Golden Jade Mushrooms shone brightly, with some spores growing nearby.

After circling the battlefield, Jiang Ding did not discover any problems and no longer hesitated.

Whoosh whoosh!

Nine deep blue Sword Qis appeared amidst the insect swarms, flickering and leaping continuously, piercing through the bodies of late-stage Qi Cultivation Level insects, causing them to fall to the ground.

”The little grand-uncle master is here!”

The numerous disciples cheered, their spirits greatly lifted, and they hastened their spell attacks, causing the leaderless swarm to disperse in disarray.

Compared to them,

The several true disciples at the Peak of Qi Practicing looked somewhat displeased.

Despite the difficult fight, the death of over a hundred people meant they had a good chance of killing all these guardian insects and collecting all nine Golden Jade Mushrooms.

A piece of the Foundation Building Pill would have been theirs, and with a few more risks, foundation building would have been within reach.

But now...

Naturally, there were no complaints.

Instead, they exerted their full power, unleashing various powerful spells—sheets of fireballs and gusts of wind blades, injuring and killing hordes of insects.

With everyone working together, within a quarter of an hour, the area’s insects were cleared, and the few that flew in again posed no further threat.

The true disciples exchanged looks and plucked the nine Golden Jade Mushrooms by themselves.

Jiang Ding noticed that they each only handled the mature mushrooms, not touching the spores at all.

Not only was this a requirement of the Sect to preserve the roots, but disturbing immature spiritual herbs would also trigger the remaining Formation Method, whose power was very formidable.

”Disciples, we thank little grand-uncle master!”

The true disciples respectfully presented nine Jade Boxes containing the Golden Jade Mushrooms, without showing any reluctance.

Whoosh whoosh!

Five light blue Sword Qis arrived, sweeping up five jade boxes and flying into the distance.

The true disciples were immediately surprised and overjoyed.

”You can divide the Golden Jade Mushrooms among yourselves, but for the disciples who participated in the battle, and those who died, they must be compensated and rewarded.”

A faint yet unquestionable voice appeared in everyone’s ears.

”Yes!”

The true disciples solemnly replied, ”Once we return to the Sect, we will surely handle this matter properly, or else we will come bearing our own heads!”

The five light blue Sword Qis flew over three or four kilometers, then disappeared from both Divine Sense and sight, and after a few more kilometers, landed inside a similarly invisible Storage Jade Pendant.

Great Bright Sword Art’s invisibility!

”Five of these should be enough to refine at least five Foundation Building Pills, not considering other main and auxiliary medicinal ingredients.”

”Moreover, by employing a third-order Xianmen Sect pill refiner, they will all certainly be Premium Foundation Building Pills, valued ten times more than ordinary ones.”

Jiang Ding checked the medicinal materials, found no issues, and continued flying deeper into the Spiritual Medicine Garden.