Eternal Tale
chapter-52

The landscape rose into hills before falling back into plains. It was littered with lush green trees that covered the land. There was also a river winding through the mountains in the distance, if one focused slightly, he could hear the faintest sound of water gushing.

Many enchanting flowers grew on the riverbank, and among them was the Silver Staff flower. It was noticeably taller than the other flowers by its side and stood out from the group.

Chen Xun and the black ox hid inside the long grass and activated the Breath Concealment Technique. They remained motionless for a while, scanning the area.

Near the flowers were several corpses with their skulls pierced through. The flowers and vegetation near them seemed to have sucked quite a bit of nutrients from the bodies, as they were considerably withered. It was unclear how they died, however.

They started slowly inching closer, but at that moment, dozens and dozens of disciples rushed up from behind.

The rattling grass instantly turned motionless again. A gentle breeze blew, and the grass blades fluttered for a moment before everything turned quiet again.

"Senior Du, this is the place. Those tall red flowers over there are the Silver Staff Flowers."

"Don't let your guard down. These strange flowers and plants have their own tricks. If you get too close, they'll attack immediately."

Senior Du eyed the corpses by the riverbank closely, his eyes narrowing. There was not a trace of blood around them.

He suddenly turned around and spoke to an eight stage Qi Refining junior, causing him to break into a nervous sweat. "You, go check it out."

The junior nodded repeatedly with trembling lips. He took a step forward before stopping and staring at Senior Du with a pleading look. _Wasn't he sending him to his death?_

"Hurry up, what are you waiting for?!"

"Are you not going to listen to Senior Du's orders?"

In the crowd, several people started scolding the disciple loudly, urging him to move already.

The junior, with a pale face, gave a warcry and rushed ahead, heading straight for a Silver Staff Flower.

However, the moment he touched the Silver Staff Flower, countless vines suddenly rose from the ground and several sharp thorns shot out from the vines with murderous intent. With a _bang_, they instantly broke through his protective barrier.

With his heart trembling, the junior attempted to retreat back to safety, but the vines wrapped themselves tightly around his feet, causing his pupils to contract. The countless thorns reflected in his eyes like a reaper's death sentence.

**_Sss!_**

**_Sss!_**

**_Sss!_**

"No! Senior Du, save me!"

"Senior Du!"

With his face pale, and his eyes filled with intense fear, the junior kept shouting, completely terrified. He was trembling all over as he tried to resist.

But before he could make another move, his head was pierced through by countless thorns. Strangely, there was no blood splatter. The vines penetrated his flesh and began to rapidly drain his body, causing his lifeless body to quickly wither before their eyes.

This horrifying scene sent shivers down the spines of the people nearby, including Senior Du, who had cultivation at the tenth level of Qi Refining. He was clearly shaken by what he had witnessed.

"Clear away these ground vines, but don't get too close! Keep your distance!"

Senior Du was able to immediately identify their weakness—their attack range was limited.

He quickly did hand seals, causing sharp wind blades to form and cut through the vines.

"Yes, Senior Du!"

The others' eyes lit up as they realized the effectiveness of the wind blades. They began throwing their spells as well, slashing at these carnivorous vines. Their faces were slowly relaxing.

"_Hmph!_ Which minor sect dares to covet the Silver Staff Flower before us?"

On top of a hill, a dozen people shouted, their voices filled with arrogance. The air around them was filled with a thirst for blood, and by their side, stood spirit beasts that stared at the disciples with blood crazed eyes.

"What?!"

Shocked, Senior Du turned around and noticed they were disciples of the Ten Great Sects.

It seemed that as time went on, everyone was starting to group together.

"The Southern Dipper Mountain's secret realm is based on individual strength. Here, it's every man for himself. What qualifications do you have to compete with us, disciples from the Ten Great Sects?"

The voice from above the hill stressed every word with disdain. “ I will give you three breath’s worth of time, either you leave, or you die.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Senior Du and his group were completely suppressed in momentum. They all showed signs of panic. There was no sense of unity among them despite their numbers.

"In that case, we'll have to experience your skills."

Senior Du spoke calmly, but his eyes were filled with anger as he looked back at his comrades. "There are only a dozen of them, and we're all at the Qi Refining stage. What do we have to fear?"

"Seeking death!" The people on the hill sneered, and like tigers descending from a mountain, charged down!

"Charge!"

Senior Brother Du shouted loudly, leading the way, and the junior disciples followed closely behind. They felt humiliated and were determined to kill their opponents today.

A fierce battle erupted instantly as dozens of people clashed, and the sound of explosions and cries filled the air, with soil flying everywhere.

Meanwhile, the two disguised blades of grass began to move slowly, unnoticed by anyone.

They each grabbed a stalk of Silver Staff Flower. When the ground vines reacted, they were one step ahead. A fireball spell was cast, completely burning the vines to a crisp and producing a puff of black smoke.

"Old ox, draw your sword!" Chen Xun commanded.

"Moo~"

**_Whoosh!_**

**_Whoosh!_**

A sword popped out of their storage bags, and they took off at break-neck speed, gliding just above the ground.

A gleaming cold light flashed past and disappeared into the depths of the forest in the blink of an eye.

"What's going on?!"

"What just happened?!"

People on both sides were shocked and angry. They quickly put distance between them and scoured the area before their eyes came to rest on a faint black smoke by the river, causing them to exchange a few puzzled expressions.

Two Silver Staff Flowers had clearly been picked, and they were even uprooted! But where were the culprits?!

Furious, the disciples of the Beast-Taming Sect decided to vent their anger on Senior Du and his group, intensifying the battle.

In the depths of the forest, the eerie laughter of a man and an ox could be heard.

_A completely ruthless snatch and flee operation!_

"Old ox, danger lurks everywhere in the cultivation world. Even plants can be deadly. This experience has truly been an eye opener." Chen Xun sighed as he sat in the tree. He hadn't noticed the danger before the group sent the junior to take the plant away. His knowledge had increased in a strange way.

"Moo~ Moo~"

The black ox exhaled heavily through its nostrils. They had to be cautious about everything now, even these ancient trees they were sitting on.

Chen Xun carefully examined the map and suddenly pointed to a location. "Hanyan Valley. Old ox, let's go there. Two of the supplementary Spirit Herbs could be found there."

"Moo~" The big black ox grinned. This was too enjoyable.

"Let's go!"

Two figures shot out of the ancient tree, heading towards Hanyan Valley. The two spirit herbs didn't have fixed growth locations, so they had to search carefully.

Hanyan Valley was shrouded in light mist, filled with miasma, and the visibility was limited. There were also strange low roars that echoed through the air.

Chen Xun and the black ox crawled forward cautiously before stopping still completely and fully activating the Breath Concealment Technique to observe the situation.

At this moment, five people approached, their expressions vigilant. They moved silently, not making a single sound. They had badges on their waists that emitted a faint light.

As they moved forward, they encountered sounds of clanging metal in the distance, but the miasma obscured their vision. They stopped in their tracks, exchanged a few glances without saying a word before positioning themselves in a formation, with one person in the rear.

Silver white threads surged from that person's hand, emitting a faint tremor on the ground.

In the area where the battle was taking place, there were more than ten clusters of luminous green grasses, different from ordinary grass. They had intricate patterns and gave off a sense of indestructibility.

These grasses were one of the goals of this trip to Hanyan Valley—Firefly Grass.

The other four people remained calm. They used hand seals to activate their talismans to create a smokescreen before completely disappearing inside.

The person in the back squatted down and the thin threads under his control seemed to continue extending, their goal was to obtain spirit herbs, not to fight.

Not long after, three Firefly Grasses were pulled back by the threads, and the other four people had not returned.

"Got them," the person at the back said with a faint smile. The disciples of the major sects were nothing at all. They could manipulate them with ease.

He carefully collected the three spirit herbs, placing them in a small box, and waited for the return of the other four.

Suddenly, the two clumps of grass under his feet moved…._They moved?!!_

"What is this?!" The person was startled, his eyes widening in horror as a chilling sensation akin to a ghostly soul swept over him.

"Brother…accept your fate." A calm and placid voice rang out as two fists, each the size of sandbags and with mouths firmly covered, struck him.

He lost consciousness instantly.