Chapter 87: Unknown Herb
With his eyes closed, Yu Nianzhen had not noticed the changes around him.
Now that his eyes were open, he saw thousands of light spots, rising from the rock crack.
The light spots looked like fireflies, but Yu Nianzhen could immediately tell they weren’t.
"What are they?"
He took a tentative step forward and looked into the depths of the crack.
"What kind of herb is that?"
At the bottom of the rock, Yu Nianzhen saw a golden herb.
Although he didn’t recognise it, he saw that the light spots were released from its flower.
"Are they pollen?"
Yu Nianzhen took a step back from the rock edge.
Although he wanted to get the herb, he didn’t dare to be reckless.
Even if the herb was not carnivorous, some herbs had other ways to protect themselves.
If he recklessly tried to harvest it without knowing anything about it, he would probably fall into danger.
With such thoughts in mind, Yu Nianzhen turned to Jiang Yue.
The other was still cultivating to recover his qi and hadn’t noticed the light spots that had begun to form a shape in the air.
"Should I wake him up?"
Yu Nianzhen didn’t want to interfere with Jiang Yue’s cultivation.
However, it was better to disturb him rather than take risks with both their lives.
After coming to that decision, Yu Nianzhen didn’t hesitate.
He immediately took a few steps to Jiang Yue.
A moment later, his right hand formed a seal, and a ripple appeared on the defense formation.
When he felt it, Jiang Yue frowned, and his eyes slowly opened.
"What’s wrong?" He asked.
Rather than answer, Yu Nianzhen pointed toward the light spots that were now dancing above the rock crack.
"There is a golden herb at the bottom of the rock crack. The light spots are coming from there, but I don’t recognise the herb."
Jiang Yue immediately understood the other’s thought process.
He stood up and waved away the array plate to store it in his storage ring.
"Let me check it out.’
He walked to the rock edge and looked into the depths.
Like Yu Nianzhen, he saw the golden herb.
Its flower was still releasing the light spots, and the light spots were gathering above the crack.
"I have never seen anything like this"
Jiang Yue frowned.
Both of them had a compendium of herbs, and he was sure that the golden herb was not recorded in it.
"Should we try to harvest it?"
Jiang Yue looked at the golden herb and was very tempted.
Although he didn’t recognise it, he had a feeling it was valuable.
"Maybe it’s one of those extinct or hard-to-find herbs. It would explain why it’s not in the most recent herb books."
His voice was a little excited as he put forward his theory.
Yu Nianzhen had also come to the same conclusion.
"I will go in. Stay here in case something happens." Yu Nianzhen said and prepared to jump into the rock.
When he heard that, Jiang Yue rolled his eyes and jumped in without hesitation.
"What the hell are you doing?"
Yu Nianzhen’s face was covered in black.
When it came to these kinds of things, he always preferred to take the lead.
However, he couldn’t do anything now that Jiang Yue had jumped in.
If he also entered the crack and something happened, they would have no way to help themselves.
"Grab it quickly and get out of there." This was said through gritted teeth, and Jiang Yue smiled when he heard it.
"Got it."
He bent down to pick the herb, but something happened at that very moment.
"What the hell?" Yu Nianzhen cursed.
Above the rock crack, the light spots had begun to rapidly move around.
Unlike before when they formed flower-like shapes, this time, they formed into lines and circles.
"Seven-point formation?"
Yu Nianzhen was shocked when he felt a power brewing in the formation.
"Get out quickly."
He shouted as he released his sword.
In the next moment, he swung the sword toward the seven-point formation.
However, the formation was made of light spots.
Every time his sword struck, the spots would scatter for a moment and immediately reform.
"I can’t move." Jiang Yue shouted back from within the cracks.
He felt like he was under immense gravity.
If it was Yu Nianzhen, he would relate the feeling to his experience in the ten-storey pagoda.
"I will disrupt the formation as much as I can. Take the chance to jump out."
After saying that, Yu Nianzhen didn’t waste time.
He began to attack the formation, but after attacking for more than ten breaths, Jiang Yue had yet to come out.
"What’s wrong?"
"It’s no use. The herb is resonating with the light spots. Disrupting the light spots doesn’t seem to have an effect."
When he heard that, Yu Nianzhen frowned.
"I will try using intent."
This time when swung his sword, he did not use a drop of qi but released a sword light made of intent.
When the sword light struck the light spots, they scattered like before.
However, it took them longer to gather back together.
"How is it?"
"Nothing yet."
Yu Nianzhen did not give up.
He continued to attack the light spots while Jiang Yue forced his arm downward.
Although his body was heavy, his mind was clear.
Every time Yu Nianzhen scattered the light spots using intent, the gravity on him would decrease a little.
However, the difference wasn’t so big that he could jump out of the rock crack before the light spots reformed.
"I will try to pull out the herb."
At first, he still intended to study the herb a little.
Although he didn’t know what it was, he knew a lot of other herbs.
Through them, he could somewhat derive some likely characteristics of the herb.
Using this method, he hoped to avoid damaging the herb and its medicinal effects.
However, the current situation didn’t allow him to be so scrupulous.
For the moment, he was safe under the effect of the seven-point formation.
However, the formation was called so because it had seven changes.
The changes weren’t fixed to a predefined set of effects.
Rather, the formation master determined the specific changes that went into the formation.
In this case, the formation was laid out by a strange herb.
This made the changes unpredictable, and Jiang Yue didn’t want to take any chances.
However, he made plans, but everything was up to the heavens.
Just as he was forcing his hand to reach the herb, golden rain began to fall from the formation.
"Look out." Yu Nianzhen shouted from above.
Unfortunately, his warning was a little late, and a few drops of golden rain fell on Jiang Yue’s face.
A moment later, his skin began to itch, and he groaned in discomfort.
"What to do?"
He looked at the golden herb and thought about abandoning it.
However, Jiang Yue was too reluctant.
He had already suffered so much, and he didn’t want it to be for nothing.
With a wave of his hand, he released a low-grade turtle shell talisman.
Soon after, a barrier formed around him, and he looked above warily.
’Can it stop the golden rain?’ He wondered.
The answer to his question was soon revealed, and Jiang Yue gritted his teeth in frustration.
"It’s useless."
"Get out now."
From where he stood, Yu Nianzhen could see Jiang Yue’s face.
Because of the golden rain, Jiang Yue’s skin was very red.
He looked like he had stayed in a sauna for too long, and Yu Nianzhen couldn’t help but be a little anxious.
"Forget the herb and get out.’
"Wait a moment."
Jiang Yue ignored his advice and once again reached for the herb.
When the golden rain began to fall, the excess gravity on his body disappeared.
Because of this, he could move his body as usual to grasp the herb.
"What the hell?"
"What’s wrong?"
"It’s a little difficult to pull out the herb."
Jiang Yue frowned as he said that.
Although he could hold it, the herb was immovable.
"Just forget it."
At this time, Yu Nianzhen was feeling angry.
He didn’t know what other changes the seven-point formation would have.
If they were unlucky to encounter a killing formation, Jiang Yue would be in danger.
"Let me try one more time."
"Jiang Yue..." Yu Nianzhen shouted, but the other wasn’t listening to him.
Jiang Yue coated his dagger with qi and began to dig around the herb.
However, unlike when he dug the ginseng, this ground was rock, and his dagger was made of common steel.
After cracking a foot of rock around the herb’s roots, the blade broke.
He flung away the handle and sighed to release his anger.
"What kind of herb is this?"
In his anger, Jiang Yue kicked it and prepared to give up.
However, just when he wanted to fly out, the herb shone brighter, and something began to vibrate on his chest.
