Chapter 153: Chapter 151: Poisonous Mist Peak Forest
From then on, Wei Xiaohao got along quite well with Jiang Jichen and Yee Youmeng, at least on the surface.
Whenever they were besieged by packs of Spirit Beasts again, Jiang Jichen would step in and save him from the jaws of a beast, preventing him from losing his life.
These were experiences he never could have had as the young master of the Wei Family.
After all, such things were for the lower class to handle. Any life-or-death dangers had always been kept at bay by his guards.
To put it bluntly, he had been a flower raised in a greenhouse, and now he was being battered by the storm outside.
His situation could be summed up in two words: utterly miserable!
Following the marks on the map, Jiang Jichen and his companions reaped immense rewards.
Earth Spirit Fruit, Eight Treasure Flower, Blood Lotus Seed, Thousand-Year Blood Spirit Aura, Ten-Thousand-Year-Old He Shou Wu...
All of them were incredibly precious Treasure Medicines, making even Wei Xiaohao green with envy.
These Treasure Medicines should have been his, but now he had done all the hard work for someone else’s benefit.
While gathering the Treasure Medicines, they naturally encountered many dangers: the Ancient Broken Forbidden Power, guardian Spirit Beasts, the Poisonous Mist Swamp, the Land of Ice and Flame, and more. Even Wei Xiaohao’s previous team, which had included a Supreme Minor Grandmaster at the Innate Ninth Realm, would have had an extremely difficult time obtaining these Treasure Medicines. A single careless mistake could have meant a total wipeout.
But with Jiang Jichen and Yee Youmeng working together, it was a different story. Jiang Jichen’s physical body, in particular, was incredibly tough—practically immune to all poisons and impervious to extreme heat and cold, allowing him to move freely through these treacherous lands.
So, even when retrieving the Treasure Medicines from the final two purple-marked locations, Jiang Jichen only sustained minor injuries, while Yee Youmeng remained completely unscathed.
At the two purple-marked locations, they found two stalks of Ancient Medicine. They were exceptionally precious, containing immense Ancient Spiritual Energy, and their medicinal properties were so potent they could be used as life-saving remedies.
As long as one was below the Foundation Establishment Realm and still had a single breath left, they could be saved.
Jiang Jichen gave one stalk to Yee Youmeng and kept one for himself. He then told her to take her pick of the remaining Treasure Medicines, but Yee Youmeng said, "I don’t need these. I’m looking for Star Spirit Grass!"
Star Spirit Grass. It was a type of Spirit Grass that could remove curses from within the body. It contained Star Spirit Power, which could cleanse the body of all Curse Power.
Star Spirit Grass was even rarer and more valuable than Ancient Medicine, and it could only be found within the Ancient Ruined City.
They were outside the Ancient Ruined City, so of course, there wouldn’t be any here. After hearing this, however, Jiang Jichen walked over to Yee Youmeng’s side and casually slung an arm over his shoulder.
But as Jiang Jichen’s hand landed on Yee Youmeng’s shoulder, her body shuddered. Her grip on the large machete she dragged behind her tightened, and she almost lashed out to cut him down.
It was an instinctive reaction, a natural wariness she held toward everyone.
But at the last moment, she managed to hold back. She heard Jiang Jichen say, "Little Youmeng, don’t worry. Big Brother has your back. I’ll get that Star Spirit Grass for you, I guarantee it. Heh heh, with brothers like us working together, we’ll be invincible!"
Jiang Jichen said with a cheeky grin, completely oblivious to how tense and nervous Yee Youmeng had become.
Yee Youmeng felt her heartbeat quicken.
’This feeling is so unfamiliar... but it’s making me so expectant!’
"But you have to take these Treasure Medicines," Jiang Jichen continued. "Raise your Cultivation as quickly as possible. That’s the only way we’ll be able to dominate!"
Jiang Jichen took out the Treasure Medicines again and stuffed them into Yee Youmeng’s arms.
In fact, Yee Youmeng’s Cultivation had already progressed rapidly during this time. In just ten short days, she had advanced from the Innate Fourth Realm to the Innate Fifth Realm.
But given the increasingly perilous path ahead, this was clearly far from enough. The higher her Cultivation, the more terrifying the power she could unleash with her Saber Dao.
Jiang Jichen and Wei Xiaohao had clearly witnessed Yee Youmeng’s astonishing transformation. Though she had only advanced by a single realm, the power of her attacks had more than doubled.
’What a monster!’
As an heir of one of the Seven Great Families, Wei Xiaohao had naturally seen countless peerless geniuses with all sorts of bloodline talents. With every level they gained, their combat strength would skyrocket. But compared to Yee Youmeng, they all seemed to fall short. Perhaps only the most formidable prodigies of the Seven Great Families could fight her on even footing within the same Realm—and they were all the strongest of Transcenders!
The more time he spent with Jiang Jichen and Yee Youmeng, the more he feared them. He even began to believe that if they were allowed to reach their full potential, they would pose an undeniable threat to the Great Families and Sects.
They had now gathered all the obtainable Treasure Medicines marked on the map, except for the one at the rainbow-colored marker. Their next stop was that very location.
Over the past few days, they had crossed great mountains, ancient forests, lakes, and swamps. It was said that once they passed through the Poisonous Mist Peak Forest, they would be able to see the Ancient Ruined City.
And the location of the rainbow-colored marker was right inside the Poisonous Mist Peak Forest.
"So, what exactly is this Poisonous Mist Peak Forest?"
Jiang Jichen turned and asked Wei Xiaohao.
Wei Xiaohao was, after all, the young master of the Wei Family. He knew more about this Ancient Illusion Realm, this Training Ground, than they did. Members of his family had been here before.
Having spent the last few days together, they had grown quite familiar with one another. Although he was a hostage, Jiang Jichen and Yee Youmeng didn’t seem to treat him like one. Instead, they treated him more like an... attendant!
Wei Xiaohao let out a boisterous laugh. "Big Brother, you’ve asked the right person! I know this place like the back of my hand. Ahem, but, Big Brother... if my answer is satisfactory, do you think you could reward me with a Treasure Medicine?"
Jiang Jichen thought for a moment before tossing a Treasure Medicine to him. "You were always going to get a share. You just haven’t had many opportunities to pull your weight, so you’re only getting two. But this one... you’ve earned it!"
Wei Xiaohao had only been half-joking and never imagined Jiang Jichen would actually give him a Treasure Medicine.
He was stunned. A strange, warm feeling bloomed in his chest.
Over these past few days, he had experienced things he never had before, and felt emotions that were entirely new to him. It was as if he had entered a new world, met new people, and begun living a completely different life.
A single Treasure Medicine would have meant nothing to his former self, but this one was different. He had earned it entirely on his own.
He hadn’t relied on his family’s resources, influence, or connections.
Jiang Jichen’s words—"you’ve earned it"—suddenly made him feel like he was finally growing up.
Suppressing the turbulent emotions in his heart, Wei Xiaohao excitedly took the Treasure Medicine. "Boss, you’re amazing! You’re my idol! You’re the Starfire in the dark of night, the hope of the living, the final resting place for the souls of the dead, you’re..."
Jiang Jichen’s head began to throb. He cut him off, "Stop. Get to the point!"
"Right. The Poisonous Mist Peak Forest is one of the most dangerous places in the Ancient Illusion Realm. Once you cross it, you can reach the Ancient Ruined City. But the forest is enormous, filled with countless smaller peaks that form a giant, stone-like maze. The most terrifying part is the poisonous mist. The deeper you go, the more toxic it becomes. Rumor has it that many Foundation Establishment Realm experts have perished here. However, there are also pockets of pure land hidden within the forest. That’s where the most sacred of ancient Treasure Medicines grow."
