Chapter 113: I Have a Friend

The entrance to the Shendan Grotto-Heaven is perfectly standard, belonging to the type of void passage found in ordinary secret realms. It is a spatial rift created during the convergence of two worlds, which has since solidified into a stable passage over the passage of long ages. Most secret realm entrances do not have such a stable, fixed landing point, but the Shendan Grotto-Heaven is an exception.

After Xu Zhe teleported inside, he landed outside a vast expanse of herb fields. He had already restored his true appearance, no longer needing to conceal his identity. Standing in place and looking out, the herb fields stretched out, one after another, in what could momentarily be described as an endless sea. Each field spanned nearly a hundred square meters, and a rough count revealed there were thousands of them. Every plot was independent, shrouded in a seemingly thick and powerful barrier, with narrow paths left between them for passage.

Xu Zhe spread his divine sense to observe, and he quickly made a discovery: the further in the fields were, the more powerful their protective barriers became. Naturally, the medicinal herbs planted within them were also significantly more precious. He was currently standing outside the perimeter; the few fields closest to him were all planted with a herb known as "Purple Withered Vine Grass." This type of herb is not particularly rare—even the Qingci Continent has plenty of it—and it is considered a basic medicinal ingredient used in many ordinary pills. However, the age of the Purple Withered Vine Grass in these fields was terrifyingly high. Even with the barriers completely isolating the fields, one could sense that these plants were at least one hundred thousand years old.

Under normal circumstances, a "Purple Withered Vine Grass" is about the size of a bunch of greens. Even a ten-thousand-year-old specimen would only be slightly larger than a normal one. Yet, the ones in these fields looked like large watermelons—round and plump—with thick, long vines upon which jagged, menacing thorns were faintly visible.

Xu Zhe was well-traveled, and while he hadn't seen Purple Withered Vine Grass of this age even in the Cangtian Domain, he had encountered such records in ancient texts. Anything that could grow to this size was undoubtedly over one hundred thousand years old. This suggested that the Shendan Grotto-Heaven had remained virtually untouched for all these years. Was it because no one could deal with these barriers?

Xu Zhe raised an eyebrow and stepped forward, stopping in front of the nearest plot. He slowly reached out, tentatively touching the visible, heavy barrier of light. Before he truly made contact, however, he paused, his expression turning grave.

"The one who set this barrier was powerful. Their mastery of arrays... slightly exceeds my own!" Xu Zhe felt a jolt of shock. He had thought his own attainments in array formation were already at the ceiling, but it turned out there were heavens beyond heavens. The barrier was absurd; before his hand even touched it, just by drawing near, he felt the hairs on the back of his hand stand up as an invisible force pushed against him.

"No wonder these medicinal herbs haven't been harvested for so many years..." Xu Zhe understood the reason, but a smile gradually appeared on his face. While these barriers were powerful and profound, it did not mean they were invincible. After all, time is a cruel blade. No matter how strong a barrier is, after more than a hundred thousand years, it no longer possesses its original might.

Take this barrier before him, for instance: near the ground, the light shroud was noticeably thinner. Aside from the weakening caused by the passage of time, the herbs themselves were also responsible. Over hundreds of thousands of years, these herbs had grown vigorously, and the roots buried deep in the soil had disrupted the array patterns. While not enough to destroy the barrier, they had certainly impacted its strength.

"With a bit of effort, I might really be able to open it, though... I should pick a better field." Xu Zhe bypassed the outer plots and headed deeper inside. While hundred-thousand-year-old Purple Withered Vine Grass was good, it was still just Purple Withered Vine Grass; using it for any alchemy would be overkill. With Xu Zhe's level of alchemy, he could easily refine god-tier Foundation Establishment Pills using thousand-year-old specimens combined with other herbs. If he used the hundred-thousand-year-old variety, he would likely have to reduce the dosage, and the result would still be god-tier pills. Thus, the ancient vines were somewhat redundant. Some herbs were not necessarily better with age; once they were too old, they could actually disrupt the balance of medicinal properties.

However, there were exceptions. Xu Zhe stopped beside a field planted with a gymnosperm herb. This entire class of plants is characterized by exposed ovules and seeds. The herb in this field was called "Blood Luo," and only its pollen—"Blood Luo Powder"—was used as medicine. Blood Luo Powder was a classic example of an herb where the older it was, the better its properties, with no upper limit. Its fundamental effect was to prolong life and strengthen blood and constitution. No matter how old it was, as long as one's own strength was sufficient and the body could handle the nourishment, one could consume it without worry.

"Perfect. The 'Nine-Aperture Vital Pulse Pill' needed to treat Chu Xiaotong's old illness requires this ingredient." Xu Zhe smiled slightly, immediately squatting down at the edge of the barrier outside the field to start digging. To break the barrier of this field, he would have to start from underground.

The deeper one went, the thinner the barrier became. But when Xu Zhe dug down several dozen centimeters, he stopped. Good heavens, there was a barrier underground, too, laid out in a flat, covering layer. Whoever had set this barrier was too… too meticulous!

"Fortunately, at this depth, I can barely manage to create a temporary gap." Xu Zhe observed, qi blades flashing between his fingers as he began to modify the array patterns underground.

...

Meanwhile, at the far end of the herb fields, three figures stood before another plot. All three were women. One had a figure that could be described as "unseemly" by some, but to others, it was an incredibly proud, curvaceous frame. She possessed an exquisite face with sparkling, alluring eyes—this was Gu Jia'er, whom Xu Zhe had brought out of the Buried Immortal Valley. Standing beside her were Chu Xiaotong and Qu Hongxiu.

Chu Xiaotong was noticeably taller than the other two, and even more curvaceous than Gu Jia'er, carrying a sense of explosive power. This power was twofold: physical strength and a fiery intensity, and Chu Xiaotong possessed both. By comparison, Qu Hongxiu seemed plain. She couldn't compete with Gu Jia'er in feminine charm, nor with Chu Xiaotong in presence, and her figure was completely overshadowed by the other two. If one had to find a merit, it was perhaps her occasional, naive, and cute disposition.

"Master, I can't hold on much longer! Why is this damn barrier so hard to open?" Qu Hongxiu was surging with spiritual energy, holding up a Bagua Lihuo shield and pushing against the barrier of the herb field, struggling to resist it.

"Hold on a little longer, otherwise your Master's injury can't be cured!" Gu Jia'er's expression was grave as she bombarded the barrier with incantations.

It had been five days. They had entered five days early and had been working non-stop to breach this barrier, hoping to create a temporary gap to quickly harvest a herb needed to refine a pill to suppress Chu Xiaotong's chronic condition. If they couldn't get the medicine, Chu Xiaotong's injury would backfire, causing her cultivation level to plummet and even endangering her life. This would be a massive blow not only to the Vermillion Bird Army but a terrible omen for the Southern Continent. Without Chu Xiaotong, the Vermillion Bird Army would lose control of the Southern Continent, and it would soon be carved up by the other three continents. Gu Jia'er was determined; she would pay any price to get that herb. After all, the woman beside her was too important.

Gu Jia'er looked at Chu Xiaotong, whose beautiful, extraordinary face radiated a high-spirited, domineering aura rare in women. Her gaze drifted slightly downward—magnificent! Gu Jia'er pursed her lips, puffed out her chest, and puffed it out further—unconvinced!

"I said, you two don't have to struggle so hard. My injury is nothing. Worst case, I'll just hand the Vermillion Bird Army over to my Master. Even if the old man is a bit unreliable, his strength is solid," Chu Xiaotong said with feigned indifference. She was attacking the barrier, but her demeanor was relaxed, as if she were just there to help and everything else had nothing to do with her.

"That won't work, Master. If you fall, who will I rely on to support me in my old age? Great-Grandmaster is already overwhelmed," Qu Hongxiu said, her face full of woe. "Master, you must pull yourself together. You can't just give up. Being foolish is one thing, but that spirit of self-abandonment is unacceptable."

"Qu Hongxiu, are you itching for a beating again?" Chu Xiaotong glared at her, frowning. "You've been acting strange. Ever since we returned from the Stone Flame Secret Realm, I've felt you've been increasingly off. I don't know who you've been learning from, but you look like you need a lesson."

"I haven't..." Qu Hongxiu immediately retreated, muttering softly.

"Still talking back? Your Uncle Xu is such an upright and simple person—why didn't you learn anything good from him? Instead, you run around playing wildly and learning from all those disreputable people outside."

"I..." Qu Hongxiu was left speechless. Did Master have some misunderstanding about Uncle Xu? If Uncle Xu didn't have that level of strength, he would have been beaten to death outside long ago. Learning from him would be a disaster.

"Don't get distracted. Focus on breaking the barrier, or it will be even more troublesome once others enter," Gu Jia'er urged.

"What if others enter? I'd like to see who has the guts to come over," Chu Xiaotong said calmly. Just as she finished speaking, she caught a glimpse of a figure in the distance, walking leisurely toward their herb field.

"Huh?" Chu Xiaotong paused, immediately spreading her divine sense to scan the area. But in the next second, the figure disappeared, as if it had never existed.

"What's wrong?" Gu Jia'er asked.

"Nothing. I thought I saw someone, but I might have been mistaken." Chu Xiaotong frowned. Her scan revealed nothing. It was just that the person's figure, seen from afar, looked a bit familiar—like that brat, Xu Zhe?

"That's normal," Gu Jia'er explained. "The barriers in the Shendan Grotto-Heaven look independent, but they are all connected. Whenever someone attacks a barrier, it sometimes creates a light projection on other barriers. A person might look like they are right in front of you, but they could actually be far away elsewhere. This is similar to what we call a mirage."

Chu Xiaotong nodded slightly, though her mind drifted. Her injury must be quite severe if she's seeing Xu Zhe everywhere. How could that brat possibly be here?

"Ahem, Big Sister Gu, let me ask you something," Chu Xiaotong said, feigning seriousness.

"What is it?"

"I have a friend—a woman. She has a male friend she grew up with. Their relationship is close as brothers—simply put, they treat each other like brothers. Then one day, that boy did something to her..." Chu Xiaotong paused, noticing that Gu Jia'er's expression and eyes were looking strange.

"Hey, why did you stop? Continue, what did Xu Zhe do to you?" Gu Jia'er asked, burning with anxiety.

Chu Xiaotong: "???"

"What do you mean 'what did Xu Zhe do to me'? Did you even hear what I said? I said I have a friend!" Chu Xiaotong said, annoyed.

"Oh, right, right, your friend. And then?" Gu Jia'er nodded, suddenly enlightened, and pressed on.

"Then nothing. I'm not saying anymore." Chu Xiaotong's face turned dark, and she fell silent. Gu Jia'er was secretly shocked, thinking, *It's over, it's over, I was careless! Big Sister Chu is the strongest rival after all!*

...

On the other side, Xu Zhe stood outside the barrier, looking at the now-empty Blood Luo field with a satisfied smile. He had harvested all the pollen, filling a palm-sized bag. The remaining stems and leaves were useless, no matter how old they were.

"A good harvest. It was worth the hour I spent breaking the barrier and the hour I spent collecting the pollen." Xu Zhe weighed the bag and tucked it into his storage ring.

Suddenly, Xu Zhe felt something and turned back. His divine sense picked up several unfamiliar auras approaching from behind; it seemed like new arrivals. They didn't appear to have noticed him yet, merely walking in this direction along the fields.

"Looks like people are starting to trickle in. Once there are too many people, there will be trouble. Forget it, I'll go find Chu Xiaotong and the others. They've been here for days; they should have a better harvest, and perhaps they have some herbs I can use."

Xu Zhe didn't linger and continued forward. Before long, he stopped in front of another field, his eyes lighting up. "Tongyuan Flowing-Heart Fruit!"

Xu Zhe couldn't help but swallow. This fruit was fascinating; consuming it could cleanse the marrow and purify the spiritual energy in the body. It had a wonderful, fragrant scent and a sweet, flowing center. When he was the Immortal Emperor in the Cangtian Domain, he used to eat these as dessert until he had cleared them out, requiring them to wait five thousand years to fruit again. Back then, they were only the size of a longan—or a lychee at most. But these were the size of apples, golden and translucent, plump and full. Just looking at them made his mouth water.

"These are perfect to share with Chu Xiaotong and the others to wash away the demonic beast bloodlines in their bodies..." Xu Zhe immediately circled to the front of the field, found the weakest point of the barrier, and started digging. "There are at least a thousand of these. I can eat my fill. Chu Xiaotong has been performing well lately; I can give her half. Qu Hongxiu can have a small bite, and Gu Jia'er... letting her look at one is enough."

"Hey, there's someone ahead." The figures approaching from behind suddenly stopped, staring at Xu Zhe.

"What is he doing?" one of the women asked, frowning.

"Looks like he's digging. No way—is he trying to dig in from the ground?"

"Hah, looks like a newbie. Too naive. If you could dig in, this place would have been picked clean long ago."

"Friend, don't waste your effort. You won't get in that way. Why not come with us? We'll show you around the Grotto-Heaven. If you're lucky, you might find some high-year-old weed roots," someone shouted from afar. The words were well-intentioned, but carried a teasing tone, and the group laughed.

"Enough, stop teasing him. If there were really high-year-old roots to be found, would he get a share?" the woman said, laughing softly as she checked her companions. She then called out to Xu Zhe, "Friend, don't mind them. My friends mean no harm, just joking. We'll be on our way now."

"Wait a moment." Xu Zhe was mostly facing away from them and responded offhandedly. He hadn't heard what they said clearly, only catching the word "friend." He couldn't be bothered to pay attention, as his focus was entirely on breaking the barrier. This one was unexpectedly weak, especially the underground array patterns, which had been pushed out of place by several plant roots. Just a few adjustments and... oh, it's open.

*Pop.*

With a faint vibration, a small hole appeared in the barrier. Xu Zhe slipped inside instantly. The light shroud flashed, quickly sealing the gap and erasing the markings he had made, restoring its original appearance.

"Everyone, apologies. I didn't hear you clearly just now. Could you say that again?" Xu Zhe turned to look at the figures outside the barrier, smiling as he asked.