Chapter 350: Ten Thousand Medicine Valley
Six Golden Core-level Walnut Mountain Spirits were hidden in a niche.
The four walls of the storage compartment were lined with mechanical niches.
Usually, the panels of the niches were lowered, keeping them in a closed state, and to the naked eye, there were no signs from the outside.
Ning Zhuo only needed to control it with his spiritual sense to raise the panels, revealing the treasures inside.
Each niche was protected by a storage formation. For example, the Walnut Mountain Spirits were nourished by the Earth element's spiritual energy within the niche, allowing them to be preserved for a long time.
Some niches were equipped with formations of space techniques, making the internal space vast and capable of storing a large number of items.
Treasures like Mist Orchid and Fog Stone were separately categorized, each stored in different niches.
Ning Zhuo opened the niches, inspecting the Walnut Mountain Spirits, Mist Orchid, and Fog Stone one by one.
These were all things he had obtained from the Fox God, and their quality was excellent.
The Mist Orchid presented by the Fox God was of much higher quality than the one Sun Lingtong had stolen from the Cloud Whale before.
As expected, it was a treasured collection of the Mountain God.
"Perhaps the Fog Stone could be paired with the Weather Sphere and Ice Crystal Snow?" Ning Zhuo mused as he checked.
Previously, he had specifically purchased a Foundation Establishment-level Cold Snow Cloud to go along with the Weather Sphere and Ice Crystal Snow.
During the previous battle with the Fox God, this combination had proven effective, earning a small victory.
Although, at that time, Ning Zhuo didn’t rely on them to completely clear the thick mountain fog, it didn’t diminish their contribution.
"Too bad I can't make use of the Fox God. If I could combine its talent for controlling clouds and fog, there might have been miraculous results!"
From refining the bones of the Black Wind Tiger Demon, Ning Zhuo had realized that the higher the quality and vitality of a cremation material, the more spirituality could be gained.
Ning Zhuo still felt a sense of regret for not acquiring the Fox God’s talent of cloud and fog control.
Back then, he indeed had the opportunity to give up his plans for Yugang Mountain and instead solidify the great crime of collusion between the Fox God and the Black Wind Tiger Demon, resulting in the Fox God’s demise.
Ning Zhuo had considered his own family branch, the challenge of fighting in the divine being’s home territory, the need to strike against the Meng family, deepen cooperation with the Zhu family, and the long-term impact on his family’s grand ceremony.
Ultimately, he abandoned the plan to seize the talent for controlling clouds and fog and chose the route that maximized his gains.
When he asked Zhu Xuanji how to deal with the Fox God, he had held some hope.
In the end, Zhu Xuanji, worthy of being the royal family’s Golden Core representative, not only had extraordinary combat strength but also a keen sense of the bigger picture and a calm wisdom.
Now, the matter of Misty Mountain was settled.
The Fox God had already become the rightful Mountain God, with past sins erased, still holding an official position within the Southern Dou Kingdom.
This made it difficult for Ning Zhuo to act against the Fox God any further.
"Forget it, there are many with talents. There's no need to make an enemy of the little Fox God and antagonize Zhu Xuanji and the Southern Dou Kingdom."
Ning Zhuo continued inspecting the Purple Qi Morning Dew, Ghost Shadow Bamboo, and the Spirit-Hidden Willow.
The Purple Qi Morning Dew, like Heavenly Dew, was stored in bottles and preserved well in the niches.
Most cultivators valued absorbing Purple Qi to assist in cultivation.
But Ning Zhuo was an exception.
He practiced the top techniques of the Three Sects, taking a unique path, and had no need for Purple Qi.
"The Ghost Shadow Bamboo is very suitable for crafting a mechanical body for Meng Yahu. These bamboos are its companion material."
"However, the time is not yet ripe."
First, Ning Zhuo needed to design a blueprint for Meng Yahu’s mechanical body and then use Foundation Establishment-level materials for refining.
The resulting mechanical body would need to undergo multiple uses by Meng Yahu.
Ning Zhuo would then make numerous improvements to the mechanical body based on Meng Yahu’s suggestions and experience.
Only when the entire mechanical body reached a relatively mature state would he consider using the Ghost Shadow Bamboo.
After all, this material was extremely rare.
Judging by its market value alone, it could be considered equivalent to Golden Core-level, and that wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
The final point of importance was the Spirit-Hidden Willow!
The trunk of the Spirit-Hidden Willow was brown, with its mysteries hidden deep inside.
Its branches were tender yellow, full of vitality.
The willow leaves remained evergreen, like a layer of thin jade, translucent when illuminated, nearly transparent.
The edges of the willow leaves were slightly curved, and under the sunlight, they shimmered with spiritual brilliance, like the clear green light of a pristine lake.
Ning Zhuo reached out to touch the willow tree.
The branches felt soft like cotton, while the leaves were cool to the touch, as if he were touching droplets of morning dew.
The entire Spirit-Hidden Willow constantly emitted a faint fragrance, reminiscent of sandalwood, but also like orchid fragrance.
The scent wasn’t overpowering, but it lingered, quiet and serene.
As Ning Zhuo carefully inhaled the fragrance, he felt his mind clear and his worries fade away.
His entire body and soul seemed to be purified, and even without meditating, he could feel his spiritual sense stirring, wisdom welling up from within.
"What a good tree, what a good tree!" Ning Zhuo had a strong feeling that this Spirit-Hidden Willow would be of great use to him.
"But before anything else, I must quickly transplant it. I can't let the Spirit-Hidden Willow remain in the niche."
"For spiritual plants, they still need to be rooted in the earth for stability."
But this required Ning Zhuo to prepare a spiritual plant chamber.
The spiritual plant chamber aboard the Wanli Dragon was similar to the refining chamber, with formations present, and of Nascent Soul-level at that, but it needed to be filled with other materials.
Currently, the spiritual plant chamber didn’t even have a single grain of soil.
After personally inspecting everything, Ning Zhuo left the storage compartment and went to the dragon's head cabin to relieve Sun Lingtong.
Entering the cabin, he saw Sun Lingtong fiddling around, testing out various functions of the mechanical dragon, having a great time.
Seeing Ning Zhuo come over, he immediately asked about the cremation process.
Ning Zhuo gave an honest account.
Sun Lingtong was genuinely happy to hear it.
When Ning Zhuo was about to take over for him, Sun Lingtong waved his hand and said, "Little Zhuo, go practice. You've just entered the early stage of Foundation Establishment, and cultivation should be your top priority."
"Besides, don't you still have to create the mechanical body for Meng Yahu? And the spiritual plant chamber for the Spirit-Hidden Willow needs you to set it up."
"You have too many things on your plate."
"You go handle your business. I'll take care of the course."
"Don't worry, when we reach Ten Thousand Medicine Valley, I'll call for you."
Ten Thousand Medicine Valley was hidden deep among towering mountains, with breathtaking scenery.
A young girl in a yellow dress, carrying a bamboo basket, walked down from the mountain.
The morning light was faint, and the mist hung like a veil, making the valley look like an ethereal paradise.
By the time the girl reached the foot of the mountain, the sun had risen, its golden rays illuminating the lush green mountains and sparkling clear waters.
The girl walked familiarly into the valley.
Inside the valley, towering cypresses and pines blocked out the sun.
The winding path, paved with stone slabs, was lined with strange flowers and herbs, emitting a fragrant aroma.
The sound of birds singing in the mountain stream was crisp and melodious, like the sound of heaven.
The sound of water gradually grew louder.
When the yellow-dressed girl arrived at a clear pool, she saw a silver curtain hanging from the cliff beside it.
A small waterfall cascaded down, roaring like thunder, crashing into the pool and creating a misty vapor.
The girl stepped on the water and cast a spell, walking directly toward the waterfall.
Behind the waterfall, there was a slanted mountain path.
She followed the path upward, with the waterfall and sunlight on one side and a moist stone wall on the other.
The stone wall, rich with moisture, was covered in moss and hanging green vines.
A morning breeze stirred the mist, causing the green leaves on the vines to sway, reflecting the rippling water in the pool below.
The girl took a deep breath, feeling the coolness fill her lungs, bringing a sense of refreshment and tranquility.
She slowly stopped at the entrance of a cave and called out softly, "Senior Brother, Senior Brother."
After a few moments, a male voice came from inside the cave, "Is that Little Junior Sister? Please, come in!"
Inside the cave, the senior brother and junior sister met.
The girl set down the bamboo basket and took out some food, placing it on a flat stone surface.
The senior brother glanced
over and hurriedly asked, "Junior Sister, where is my wine?"
The girl pouted, "Wine, wine, wine, all you think about is wine!"
"Master told you to guard the herbs, but you secretly used them to brew wine."
"Now you've been punished to guard the Ten Thousand Demon Cave, and you're still drinking. If Master finds out, he'll skin you alive."
The senior brother sighed, his face full of misery. "Little Junior Sister, you know I can't live without wine.
Please, just give me some, or my cravings will drive me mad.
I couldn't sleep at all last night."
The girl snorted, "Here, take it."
Her storage bracelet lit up, and she took out a bottle of medicinal wine, handing it to the senior brother.
The senior brother was overjoyed, like he'd received a treasure.
He took it, pulled out the cork, and drank a few gulps, sighing contentedly, "Why is there only one small bottle?"
The girl replied, "That's all there is."
"Senior Brother, you're guarding the Ten Thousand Demon Cave.
If you get drunk and are dragged into the cave by a demon beast, you'll lose your life!"
The senior brother waved his hand nonchalantly, "The Ten Thousand Demon Cave has been cleared out.
It's practically deserted now; no demon beasts would come out."
"This is a matter of life and death, Senior Brother. You're being too careless!"
The girl puffed up her cheeks, angrily lecturing him.
As she scolded him, the senior brother picked up his chopsticks and began eating the delicious meal.
When the junior sister finally tired of lecturing, he looked up at the girl he had grown up with, his gaze softening.
"Lin Shanshan, it's so good to have you."
Lin Shanshan rolled her eyes.
Seeing that her senior brother had finished his breakfast, she waved her hand, and a gust of energy gathered the bowls and chopsticks back into the bamboo basket.
"Linghu Jiu, can’t you behave for once? You always make Master angry and end up being punished to guard the Ten Thousand Demon Cave.
Do you know how annoying it is for me to have to bring you meals every day?"
Linghu Jiu quickly apologized.
After scolding him for a while, Lin Shanshan left the cave, retracing her steps.
When she reached the pool, she was surprised to see a stranger wandering nearby.
She couldn't help but exclaim, "Who are you?"
Ning Zhuo turned at her words.
He had a handsome face, clear eyes as pure as the water, and he stood at the edge of the pool in a white robe, his posture upright.
A mountain breeze blew, causing his clothes to flutter.
The green pool shimmered, reflecting his figure.
Around him, flowers were just beginning to bloom, dew sparkled like jewels, and the vegetation was lush.
The girl's heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously held her breath.
Ning Zhuo smiled apologetically, cupped his hands, and saluted, saying, "I am Ning Zhuo of Huoshi Mountain.
I have come to Ten Thousand Medicine Valley to seek guidance and am feeling quite nervous."
"May I ask for the young lady's name?"
Lin Shanshan felt her heart inexplicably begin to race.
She opened her mouth and replied, "I am Lin Shanshan."
As soon as she spoke, she felt something odd—why had her voice become so soft?
(End of the chapter)